Annie Sloan Gave Me Permission!

 Hello friends...welcome back to my nest.

A big Welcome to anyone visiting from Savvy Southern Style.
Thanks Kim for featuring my China Cabinet!

OK.....so Annie didn't actually call me and give me any kind of permission, but in a way she did.
Last week I received my newest shipment of Annie Sloan chalk paints from my NJ stockist, Classic Wall Finishes (Hello Patty & Karen!).
Along with the paint, I purchased Annie's recent how to book

'QUICK AND EASY PAINT TRANSFORMATIONS'
In the introduction, Annie says this...
"I do not aim for faultlessness in my work after seeing the most charming piece of painted furniture I had ever set my eyes on in the Doge's Palace in Venice-a captivating decoupage cabinet built in the 18th century. None of it's lines were straight or measured and the paper cut outs were not completely stuck down. It was dark in some places, faded in others, and worn in parts, but the sum of these inconsistencies was a certain sort of perfection."


I love this statement and it gave me permission to abandon my past obsession with painted perfection.
In the past I would want all my brush strokes to be the same and all coverage to be thorough.
But that is what you get with a factory finish..right?
So no more...Annie gave me the green (Antibes?) light to paint my pieces so they look as though they were painted by a real person and not a sprayer.
Uneven lines..no problem
Haphazard strokes...bring it on
Obvious handpainted details...You bethcha

So with this in mind, here is what I worked on this week.

Remember my old china cabinet that lost it's spot to the thrifted piece I found at my local Salvation Macy's?

Well I decided it was time to give her a face lift. 

I bought her at an auction in Texas many years ago.

She was manufactured in Gettysburg, Pa at the Reaser Furniture factory in 1928.

I won't be entering any Mantel scape contests anytime soon

Her curved glass door is intact, but the latch is broken and it would often swing open on it's own.

Once when this happened, my sweet cat ,Whisper, jumped inside and all heck broke loose.

The tea cups...china...glass all went flying along with Whisper.

Scared the Bejeesus out of him.

Luckily nothing was damaged but Whisper's nerves...he never did that again!

But I diverse...I will paint the door to sell as an architectural element for a mantle or wall. 

I think it will be gorgeous

The label is still on the back, unfortunately, the delivery guy ripped off the part with the 1928 on it.

Thank you Mr. Delivery Guy

;-<

I started by painting the 3 shelves with Annie's Duck Egg Blue.

This is one of my all time favorite colors.

The exterior is painted in Old White and the interior in Duck Egg Blue.

Again you can see I did not fret over solid coverage.

. 

In a small yogurt cup (save them!) I watered down some of the Duck Egg

With a small brush, I painted the insert edges with no concern for even coverage or worries about stroke lines.

I did not want them to be too stripey (is that a word?) looking.

I dry brushed over the medallions...just a little to make them stand out more against the white.

I did the same to the top edge...light and loose.

I like how she is looking.

Add some light distressing here and there...not too pronounced.

I am not using any dark wax on her as I am going for a bright and clean look with this piece.

Are you ready to see her new look?

I have taken her from dark, dated and plain (let's face it..you see cabinets like this in every antique shop)....

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To this..

Unique, full of light and so chic

To a piece that makes you smile and hopefully will light up a room.

 

My imperfections and uneven coverage makes me happy now...I have no problem embracing them.

I love how her legs look like they were painted many years ago, been bumped and bruised and she has aged gracefully.

The soft wax I buffed on gives a lovely old world glow instead of a plastic shine.

So revel in the imperfect...

It's where you find the beauty

Thank You Annie!

Until next time...be kind (and imperfect) and stay creative.

I'll be sharing this week with these lovely blogs..

Shades of Amber

Perfectly Imperfect

Tutorial Tuesday

Tea Rose Home

Tuesdays Treasures

Transformation Thursday

Frugal Friday

Wow Us Wednesdays

Power of Paint

Feathered Nest Fridays

Inspiration Fridays

Miss Mustard Seed