~Meet Me at the Neptune Bar~

Hello friends...hope your week is moving along smoothly.

I just returned home from NY for a quick visit with my Mom.

Seven hours up on Friday and seven hours back on Sunday.

Before I left town, my good friend Connie from Hartwood Roses, 

had come to Warrenton to help me move some newly painted pieces

over to my shop at the Fox Den.

Thank you Connie!

Excuse my son's feet..He was deep into a book and looked very comfy and Darn...thats my silly foot!

So here is the first Salvation Macy's piece. 

A very pretty console/bar from what was probably

once a full dining room set.

It has nice large casters underneath the bottom trim.

Very easy to roll around, which is a good thing since this piece 

is very heavy..solid wood.

I love the versatility of the interior.

Shelves and a nice drawer.

Bifold doors on the left and single door on the right.

Good storage piece.

It is hard to see, but she has very dated painted flowers on the doors...

not a fan of this design and those will be covered.

Even the back was finished, so the piece could be used as an island or movable bar.

The top is in pristine condition.

So... what to do with this piece.

I needed some inspiration

Well it came in the form of a TV documentary about 1950's Miami Beach's vintage hotels.

images via Google images

I loved all the images of Art Deco hotels and the gorgeous guest pools.

Oh...and those gorgeous watery colors.
When I look at these images, I see Annie Sloan's beautiful colors..

Aubusson Blue
Provence
Versailles
Country Grey (the sandy beaches)
Henrietta
Louis Blue

Can I have that car please??

I wanted to try to catch the striated ocean colors 

and the cool Art Deco hues

I base coated the piece in Country Grey...two coats and painted right over the hardware.

Then I applied a very watery wash of Aubusson Blue all over the piece

 and immediately wiped off any excess with a soft rag before it could dry.

I poured some watery Versailles, Henrietta, Louis Blue and Aubusson

into a few bowls and just started to brush mix and apply the colors to my piece

in a very slip slap uneven way.

I overlapped colors...added darker hues in the corners for depth.

I paid no attention to even brush strokes...just the opposite

I wanted streaks and lot's of brush strokes and variation.

So lets see if I even came close....

Grab your flip flops and meet me at the Neptune Bar!

Not perfect...but not too shabby.

I like the fun touches of Henrietta which mimic the Art Deco colors of the Marlin Hotel

Soft and watery

A little distressing and clear wax to give my piece the glow of the Florida sunshine

I love all the highs and lows of color...it may not be for all tastes, 

but for this piece I think it works.

I never take doors off the hinges anymore...Annie's paint never gets tacky or sticky.

I lightly sanded down to the Country Grey in areas to mimic the sandy beaches

Mimosa anyone?

Lovely ASCP soft wax sheen...so buttery smooth.

Waxing before I distress always yields such a silky smooth surface.

I love the way the paint will build up onto the sand paper...

then that build up almost starts to act as a buffing tool...it's amazing!

County Grey interior and a pretty pop of Aubusson Blue in the drawer.

I applied two coats of Annie's clear wax for a good protective finish and

 my oh my...

just look at that glow!

The top has a pale blue wash over the C.Grey.

Hope you enjoyed your visit at 

'The Neptune Bar'

My next piece was found for me by a picker..thanks Carol!

This is a pretty vintage dresser which had a good coat or two of shiny latex.

The top had some loose latex, so I decided to sand down those areas.

ASCP sticks to latex, but it will not re-adhere peeling paint.

That had to come off...guess what..

The whole top ended up peeling off which is testament of a lousy latex paint job.

I ended up removing the top paint and the drawers.

The sides were stuck on really well so I left them.

I wanted this dresser to be a unisex design.

Great for a girl or for a guys room.

After some thought...

This is what I came up with.

A custom ASCP mix of Olive/Old White/Versailles

The dresser top is painted in ASCP Graphite

which I manipulated to look like a slab of slate.

Graphite is a gorgeous deep charcoal with blue undertones

I am getting ready to crown myself 

'Queen of Brushstrokes'

I love seeing the texture of a good brushstroke!!!

Don't you think this looks like a flat slab stone?

I love it!

My little bird was made and gifted to me by my dear friend Karen, from Classic Wall Finishes.

Karen is Patty Seaman's sister and 

was one of my fabulous ASCP Certified Instructor trainers and a very talented artist.

Thank you Karen!

I decoupaged the inside of the drawers with a great thrifted wallpaper depicting French labels.

My favorite feature on this dresser is the beautiful tomato red porcelain knobs.

They just make this piece

POP!

My dresser was lightly distressed and clear waxed.

A shot prior to adding the knobs (Hobby Lobby) and you can see the classic two tone strips.

Hence the name..

'Johnny Buys a Striped Suit'

Both of my new pieces are looking for good homes.

You can visit them at the Fox Den in my shop

The Empty Nest

If you would like to create your own painted pieces,

 be sure to get yourself registered for

 Annie Sloan's Leesburg, Virginia Workshop!

Seats are becoming very limited, so don't wait and get left out.

This is going to be a fabulous and fun all day event!

Want to meet Miss Mustard Seed???

She will be there..all day as one of our guests of honor!!

Speaking of MMS...she will be doing a fabulous

GIVEAWAY

*

ANNIE SLOAN WORKSHOP

Leesburg,Va

TKT GIVEAWAY

So stay tuned for that announcement very soon.

Don't want to take a chance on missing Annie?

Go here now and register...go..NOW!

Until next time...be kind and stay creative.