HAPPY NEW YEAR...continuing the 're-do' of my furniture

Welcome to 2011 downunder...thanks for stopping by :)

I spent new years eve distressing my dark stained sideboard!! (of course, what else would you be doing on NEW YEARS EVE??!!)...sigh...ah well. My hubby is still away in the middle east and Beth had gone to her own new years eve party at a friend's house...so i was HOME ALONE!..you might think that's sad...but no! (well, i was sad when I thought of seeing the new year in without my honey...then I got over it and got on with some painting!! lol)...

So...my distress bug is working overtime...(THANKS MARIA!!)and here are the results of the last two days elbow grease....Oh so out of order...grrr...I just can't get this blogger to load the pics in the order I want just now...never mind...you'll get the gist of it...

I have no before of this chair...it was one I got second hand and was a kind of leaf green with shiny poly finish...oh yeah I hear you sighing...not!...so now it is shabby chic white...quite pleased with it tho must say painting furniture with lots of twirly, knobbly bits and pieces can be a bit of a drag!!...still...worth it ...

BUT THE MAIN THING...WAS...MY (possibly oak) SIDEBOARD...was VERY DARK stained (scroll down a couple pics...the one with the christmas decos, bit blurry and can hardly see the sideboard, yet you see how DARK it was...)..here's a little downward shot of the corner...(don't you love my wee antique babies leather shoes? (original white finish...apparently it was shoe paint and they'd get a fresh coat every year, whether they needed it or not! a bit like they'd have a bath once a week, whether they needed it or not!!haha!!)... ANYWAY...I digress...

And here it is in all it's glory, back with my family pics onboard...really very happy with the end result which actually took WAY MORE time and effort...because...I learned a valuable lesson....YOU CAN'T PUT ACRYLIC PAINT OVER OIL PAINT/STAIN...OH DARN!!! ...I painted a coat on...and this brown was kind of seeping thru...odd, I thought...another coat...same...another...not really taking that well....oh..no..! don't tell me...bet that's oilbased under there...the realisation that my 'instant gratification project' had become far from instant began to dawn on me. I visualised my first purchase of 2011 was going to be a tub of paint stripper...oh joy. But the more I looked at it - glared more like it, over my cup of 'what am I going to do now coffee'... the more I was SURE I could do something about it...so I made the decision to scrape the white off...all three layers...with a bladed scraper...BAD CHOICE...managed to gouge bits of wood here and there out of the surface...very distressed now, both me and the sideboard!!...Some paint came off like slicing cheese on one of those wire cutters, just rolling up at the touch of the blade...but some wouldn't budge. So I ended up with this horrid patchy dark/white 'thing'...bit like a leopard spotted sideboard...only with squareish spots!!...so, wasn't too happy with that. As I pondered it all over a(nother) cup of tea (had to switch to tea as the coffee was going to keep me up all night...oh I could've..it's new years eve!!)... I decided that maybe 'rubbing' thin layers of paint on might work, it might take better than the thicker application of painted layers...should work, right? cos it was sanded and all, so should've 'taken'...and then began about 4 layers of rubbing the paint on in swirling movements...making it look cloudy. And VOILA!! It became a thing of beauty! (well,except for those gouges...but we'll keep that our little secret!)...

This morning I got up...went to a friend's for brunch even tho I was dying to get into it...(really, all this furniture transformation could turn one into a hermit!!)...returned home and sanded all edges etc, 'polished' with my french polish to give it a smooth touch and sheen, and slightly aged tone...now you be the judge :)

Oh here is the 'before'...you totally cannot make it out at all! lol...but there beneath the cone tree and garland, under the wooden venetians, was the sideboard in it's original stain...as you CAN SEE...it was DARK! Oh and on the left side of the table is the top of the green chair, now white, at the beginning of this post...looks duller there, in real life was a vibrant slightly aged looking green!! Anyway...back to the dark sideboard...

And now it's not :)

I particularly love this shot below...don't know why...but I'm sure if I had a GOOD camera, this pic would have been outstanding! haha...as it is, it's not too bad...

Ah the door pulls...after the first coat of PAINSTAKINGLY not getting any paint on the metal pulls AT ALL...once I realised I was going to have to do 400(give or take!!) coats of paint if I was lucky (!)...I decided to paint them and distress them back after...and I'm actually really glad I did...love the look and feel of them...it was one of the first things Beth commented on when she saw the 'reveal'...'ooh these are nice mum'...:)

And finally, a bit more of the detail...

So there you are...very pleased with my endeavours. My friend Rebeka now feels no furniture in my house is safe...she could be right!! THANKS SO MUCH MARIA...if I hadn't found and read your blog...I think these furniture pieces would have stayed much as they have since I bought them...AND I'm so happy with them...inspiration (from Maria's blog..and her emails) partnered with fresh confidence is truly a match made in heaven! :) God bless you! :)

ciao for now bellas

luv jessie xx

p.s. DEAD tired now that I've stopped! lol...cup of tea and an early night...with just a little bloghopping before I go...teehee ;)