Feathering the Nest - Rooster Chairs!

I'm alive! I promise :)  And getting back into the swing of things to post more often.

I was ecstatic to be given a project by a client who had found me via Craigslist for one of my furniture sale items. She needed her dining room chairs painted and it was a bit of a challenge. You see, each chair had a custom rooster mural on the backside that she wanted to preserve and paint the remaining portion of the chair. Because I just love to show you the "pretty pic" first, here's a peek at the finished product!

She's a bit of a DIY lady herself and will be doing her own upholstery. My client was happy, and that makes me happy! Plus, I just love how the chairs turned out. Here's a look at the chairs before:

We looked at colors together, and she decided on something in the white family to brighten up her space a bit. I totally agreed and we went with Annie Sloan Old White and decided to age it with AS Dark Wax which allowed for matching some of the white tones in the mural.

I started out with two coats of AS Old White, being careful to hand paint with a small fine brush around the mural. I then used a coat of AS Clear Wax to seal everything including the mural portion. Next, using a medium grade sanding block, I distressed portions of the chair that I thought would naturally happen over time. For example, the tops of the armrests and corners that stuck out got more distressing than other places.

The final step was using AS Dark Wax to really age the piece and pickup the color that the client was looking for. I've said it before, but this is my favorite part! When you brush on and buff the wax, it's amazing to see how much character comes out of the piece. Every piece of furniture is different and will bring out a different texture and result. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me! I'll be back tomorrow with a simple wall art project that you are sure to LOVE as much as I do.

Lots of love,

Mary