Its Finished! This piece took WAY longer than anticipated. I probably should have taped off the wood and sprayed the metal base to save time rather than painting every detail by hand, but lessons learned I guess. Here he is...

I chose the name Thomas because he looks so distinguished to me -- handsome and smart, showing off his age so well.

I gave you a sneak peek earlier this week. Remember what he looked like before?

This piece was a Craigslist find. I love the wooden slats, you just don't see these anymore. A perfect example of my favorite combo -- mixing the vintage with the modern!

I used some wood stain that I had on hand from a previous project, Minwax Bombay Mahogany. I Just used one coat, my goal was to keep the wood looking old and worn, just warmed up a bit.

Once dry, I taped off the wood and brushed on a mixture of a Behr black color that I also had on hand. (Sorry I don't have the name of this color. If interested, I can send you the mixture levels). I didn't need to use a primer because the mixture used was a homemade chalk paint recipe. Side-note: I have plans to complete a more thorough chalk paint comparison in the future. I'll keep you posted. I am however very pleased with the results!

I finished off the entire piece with a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax in Clear and gave it a light buff. I'll be applying a second coat tomorrow since its an outdoor piece and needs extra protection.

I haven't yet decided If I am going to keep him or post him on Craigslist.  Hmmmm... decisions, decisions.

For now, I will just look at him for a while. Isn't he handsome?

Lots of love,

Mary 

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Hayden was inspired by a recent piece I saw done by Miss Mustard Seed. She painted stripes on a beautiful antique chest. You can view this piece in her portfolio here. I thought of the cedar chest I had sitting lonely in my upstairs hallway. Perfect!

Here's my finished product -- isn't she beautiful? I named her "Hayden" because she's just about the coolest looking antique cedar chest you've ever seen! (This one's for you, Em!)

Here you can see the before-pic. Can you believe that I picked up this beauty for only $20 at Goodwill? It was "50%-off Saturday" and I actually showed up at 9 am when the store opened to get it at that price.

It needed some repair. I started by gluing down the lifting veneer pieces. (This took 24 hours to fully dry.)

Then, the taping job. Using my painters tape, I measured and starting taping as close to the middle as possible and worked my way out. Perfection is never my goal (and not expected), but I wanted to achieve as much symmetry as I could.

When applying the paint, I used a rag and a whitewash solution of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Pure White. Making sure not to get the cloth too wet, I scrubbed the paint onto each stripe, one at a time. To ensure the solution didn't bleed through the tape, I also pushed down the tape while applying the paint.

The piece was distressed lightly to break up the stripes a little bit. Then, I toned down the stripes with a rag-rubbed coat of Minwax bombay mahogany wood stain. Lastly, I finished it with AS clear wax. I'm in love with the way she shows her age -- but with such a trendy, modern twist! I was glad to find that the interior is also beautiful cedar and fully intact -- so practical for storage.

I'm so very pleased with the results! And so happy that I've decided she's mine! :)  Sorry folks, this one's not for sale.


Lots of love,
Mary


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