Quandie

tools of the trade.

Published on February 6, 2017February 5, 2017 by Quandie31 Comments

Recently I’ve had several requests for a post about brushes and what kinds work best for which tasks or products. At first I demurred because I don’t consider myself an expert on brushes, and in fact don’t really have any technical knowledge about them. But then I realized that I could certainly do some research, much like I did with my post about waxes. Plus, I really have to give myself credit for the fact that I have painted well over 200 pieces of furniture … all with a brush! Surely that experience counts for something.

As I started to think about it, I realized in fact that I had way more info to share than I could include in just one post so welcome to brush week! Yeah, that’s a terribly lame name, but I really couldn’t come up with anything more clever. Maybe you guys have some suggestions? Anyway, today we’ll be talking about paint brushes. Wednesday I’ll dive into brushes for other tasks such as stenciling and waxing. And finally on Friday, the best ways to clean your brushes.

My goal is to keep this information completely unbiased so I’m not including any links for purchasing products, etc. I’m sure that if you want to try something I’m writing about you’ll be clever enough to figure out where to buy it, right?

OK, so let’s get started.

I don’t know about you, but when I walk into my local hardware store to buy a new paint brush I am quickly overwhelmed by my options.

For goodness sake, look at them all! And that’s just the Purdy’s. There are so many options, so let’s talk about a few of them.

Natural v. synthetic bristles.

Somehow it seems like natural should always be better than synthetic, right? That’s not necessarily so with paint brushes. When using water based products like Fusion paint, chalk paint, milk paint or even just latex paint, you need to go with synthetic bristles. Natural bristles will absorb the water in these products causing the bristles to swell and lose their shape. Natural bristles are best reserved for use with oil based products.

Phew, that one was easy. Just choose synthetic.

Nylon v. polyester.

Now that the synthetic decision is made, of course there is more than one type of synthetic bristle. Nylon or polyester. Both will work fine with water based products. Nylon bristles will be softer than polyester. When working with heavier paints, like a chalk paint, I like to use a stiffer bristle (ie. polyester). I also prefer it with milk paint because I feel like it gives me more control over the paint. In fact I really prefer a good stiff brush overall (wink, wink). Except when using Fusion paint, then I reach for the softer Purdy Nylox brushes. They give a smoother finish and are less likely to leave brush strokes.

Angled v. flat.

Another choice you’ll have to make with a traditional paint brush (we’ll talk about those round brushes in a bit) is whether you want an angled brush or a flat brush. I use an angled brush about 99% of the time. It’s easier to get into those corners on the paneled side of a dresser like this one with an angled brush.

I do own one flat brush, but the only time I use it is when I’m painting something with lots of big flat expanses, like maybe a table top or a large chalkboard.

Does size matter?

Of course it does! If your brush is too small it will take forever to get your piece painted, and if it’s too big you’ll have trouble with those little detail-y bits. Plus the larger your brush, the more paint it holds and the heavier it gets. In the end, my hand just gets too tired wielding a larger brush. So I mainly use just two sizes of paint brushes. I’ll use a smaller 1.5″ brush for painting narrow things like a mirror frame for example. For most pieces of furniture I use a 2″ brush. I almost never use anything larger than a 2″ brush for furniture. I do have a couple of bigger brushes, but I use them for painting the house.

And what about those fancy round or oval brushes that are all the rage?

Yep, that brings me to the big round or oval brushes that you see so many furniture painters using. They look so appealing in those youtube videos or in those really pretty pictures on blogs, don’t they? I’ve tried to find some definitive data on whether or not they are preferable to a traditional paint brush for applying paint to furniture but the only reason I have found for using them is that they hold more paint and thus reduce the numbers of times you have to dip your brush to reload. Theoretically they shorten the time needed to paint your piece, and perhaps that is true. But as I mentioned above, the added weight of that paint on the brush is a problem for me.

I’ve never painted with these brushes, but I have used them for wax (more on that Wednesday). However, I have this smaller 1.5″ version that Fusion sent to me quite some time ago that I’d never used (mainly because the 1.5″ size seems a bit small for painting furniture).

So I opened it up, got out some Fusion paint and painted this small clay pot just to try it out.

This is a mix of Fusion’s Algonquin and Casement that I happen to have stored in a Talenti sorbetto container. The brush does live up to my expectations regarding the quantity of paint that it holds. I was able to paint the entire outside of the pot with one dip of paint. However, as soon as I started using this brush I felt like it was too stiff for Fusion paint. It gave me a lot more brush strokes than I’m used to. It was also tough to get into the interior bottom corners of the pot with that big round blunt end, an angled brush would have worked better for that. Bottom line, I think these round brushes are best reserved for use on projects where you want to see some texture (ie. brush strokes) and/or are using a heavy bodied paint such as chalk paint. If you want a smoother look, stick with a traditional synthetic brush.

One last note. You might be wondering why I use Purdy brushes and not some other brand. The honest answer is that the first brush I bought was a Purdy and I loved it. So now I just keep going back to them without really trying any other brand. They aren’t overly expensive and they are a nice quality brush. I have lots and lots of brushes. In the summer I’ve been known to have half a dozen projects going at once, which means I need 6 brushes unless I want to wash a brush between each coat. And on the other side of the coin, I am also not very good at caring for my brushes properly so I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a brush and then have to toss it because I forgot to clean it (more on that Friday).

I hope you found some of this information helpful. I can sum everything up by saying that if I had to pick one brush that I use the most it would be a 2″ angled polyester brush for chalk and milk paint, or the nylon version for Fusion paint. You can get a good quality brush for $12 to $15.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday for a post about brushes used for other tasks.

it’s all in the details.

Published on February 3, 2017February 2, 2017 by Quandie15 Comments

A while back my friend Jodie gave me this wooden spool.

spool-before

She thought it might be something I could use in photo shoots.

But after seeing this page in A Touch of Farmhouse Charm, a new book by Liz Fourez …

spool-book-page

I decided to doctor it up a bit and add a few fun details. Liz made spools from dowel rods and wood discs and used a rubber stamp to dress them up. I borrowed her ideas but gave them my own spin.

First I wound some blue and white twine around my spool.

spool-with-twine

And then I added a few Tim Holtz rub-on’s to the top.

spool

And I think Jodie was right, this will be fun to use as a prop in future photos.

spool-and-books

There were quite a few projects in Liz’s book that I want to try, it really is jam packed with great ideas.

By the way, that is the stack of books that I got for both my birthday and Christmas. Lots of great eye candy. I’m still working my way through the pile, but maybe I share some book reviews down the road, what do you think? Do you see any books you’d like to know more about?

the possibilities of paint.

Published on February 1, 2017February 5, 2017 by Quandie19 Comments

First things first, the four lucky winners of my wax giveaway have all been contacted and have gotten back to me. Ruth, Julie, Katie & Cynthia, your waxes will be on their way soon (I have multiple readers with those names, so if you didn’t get an email I’m so sorry but you are not one who won).

Now for a quick garage sale find makeover!

I don’t know what these oval lidded tins were originally intended for, I just know that I like them. I like that they have handles, and usually I like their original vintage finish. However, when I came across this one at a garage sale I almost passed it by because I really didn’t like the needlepoint look, or the colors.

tin-before

But then I thought, hey, I can fix that with some paint. So I brought it home.

I pulled it out the other day when I wasn’t feeling so well because it seemed like a simple project I could whip up even though I didn’t have any energy. I washed it up and gave it two quick coats of Fusion paint in Little Piggy.

I feel a little bit like I am rationing the remains of my Little Piggy paint. When Fusion came out with their Tones for Tots line of colors, they sent me a jar of Little Piggy. Looking at it in the jar, I was not impressed. My immediate thought was ‘flesh tone, hmmmm’. Then I saw a dresser that Mary from Orphans with Makeup painted and I realized I had sold it short. It was gorgeous. Since then I’ve used it on a dresser, a vanity, and a small chair. The one jar covered all of those pieces plus there is just a small amount left. I had plenty for this project, and maybe, just maybe, I can eek out one more small project down the road.

Once the paint was dry I used Fusion’s transfer gel to transfer a French graphic to the edge of the top and around the side. (If you would like detailed instructions on how to use transfer gel you can download my hatbox instructions here: making a faux hatbox with transfer gel.)

Once that was done, I sanded the edges a little to give it a more distressed look.

Now it fits right in with the other two handled tins that I own.

vintage-tins-2

vintage-tins-3

And they are all right at home in my pantry.

So the next time you are at the thrift store or a garage sale and you see an item that has good bones, but isn’t quite the right color, don’t forget about the possibilities of paint.

Sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays.

the reluctant seller.

Published on January 30, 2017January 29, 2017 by Quandie18 Comments

I am just starting to recover from the head cold from hell. Yep, it was so bad it made me swear. It also made me miss 3 days from the day job, and quite honestly I shouldn’t have even gone back in on day 4, but it was Friday and I had some things I really needed to take care of before the weekend. I warned all of my co-workers to keep their distance and wash their hands frequently. I hope they listened because I wouldn’t wish this particular virus on anyone.

Fortunately, I had this next dresser already finished before illness struck. I just hadn’t been able to get any photos of it yet. I finally felt well enough yesterday to pull together a photo session, and the weather cooperated by providing some sunshine. Bonus!

cameras

But let’s go back and start at the beginning. I found this dresser on Craigslist a while ago. Before I continue on with the rest of this post, I have to share a little story with you. I have a friend who tried online dating after her divorce (this was quite a few years ago). She had an interesting strategy. She decided that taking several weeks or more to get to know someone via email was a waste of time, why not just meet them right away because you’ll know instantly whether or not they are worth spending more time on. And let me tell you, she ended up with some very entertaining stories about the men she met and instantly knew were very wrong for her. I kept telling her that she should write a book, it would have been hysterical. And by the way, her strategy worked. She is now engaged to a very nice man and living happily ever after.

Well, the tables have turned and now she keeps telling me that I should write a book about Craigslist transactions. I definitely meet some characters. The seller of this dresser falls into the category that I like to call the ‘reluctant seller’. There are two kinds of reluctant sellers. First there are the people who are selling a ‘family heirloom.’ They don’t want to keep it themselves, but they want to sell it to someone who will cherish it properly. You can usually spot them right away because they say something like “this belonged to my great grandmother Ruth, it has been in our family for three generations, but I just don’t have room for it …” They definitely do not want to hear that you are going to paint it, or really alter it in any way whatsoever. When dealing with those sellers I usually just play along. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. They can rest easy in the knowledge that their family heirloom has gone to a good home.

But there is a second type of reluctant seller that is sometimes even trickier to deal with. This is the seller who can’t be bothered with the actual transaction. They post their item on Craigslist, but then when it comes to setting up a time to meet with you and exchange the goods for the cash, they can’t be pinned down to a date and time. You contact them and they say “I’m going to be out of town for the next week, I’ll get back to you.” Then you finally hear back and set up a time, say Sunday at 3 pm, and they agree but they don’t actually give you their address. Then you don’t hear from them again until Sunday at 7 pm when they text and say “sorry, I got tied up.” And then that happens again the next time too. I can be a little more flexible than most buyers since I don’t need something ‘right away’, but it’s still frustrating. However, after about 3 weeks of this, I did finally pin this seller down and Mr. Q and I went and picked up this dresser.

before

It probably didn’t take you long to see why I wanted this one. Yep, the mirror frame. I’m going to make another chalkboard shelf out of it.

But in the meantime while that project was over at Ken’s workshop, I decided to do a quick Fusion paint job on the dresser. The dresser without its mirror was pretty much a ‘plain Jane’ except for the vintage drawer pulls and key hole escutcheons, which are gorgeous, so I decided to add some interest with a two-toned paint job in neutral colors. I pulled out my Fusion paints in Algonquin, Putty, Limestone and Casement. I felt like the Algonquin was just a bit darker than I wanted and the Putty was a bit lighter, so I started mixing. When mixing colors I’ll often paint them on a craft stick (a larger version of a popsicle stick) to see how they look when they dry. I picked up a package of 100 of these sticks at Hobby Lobby and they really come in handy for this.

color-sticks

I write the color mix on each stick. You can see the Algonquin at the bottom is fairly dark while the Putty at the top is quite light. Even the Algonquin mixed with the Putty was darker than I wanted. But the Algonquin mixed with Casement was just right. Likewise, the Casement itself was too bright of a white on its own, so I ended up going with a combo of Limestone and Casement for the white (that’s the stick that is under the Casement stick).

And ta da, here is the finished dresser.

the-reluctant-seller-dresser

Adding the wide stripe down the middle helps draw more focus to the hardware, don’t you agree? For reference, scroll back up to the ‘before’ photo, you barely even notice the hardware right?

Now it steals the show.

dresser-hardware

I would have loved to strip the top of the dresser and go with a waxed wood top, but there was some unattractive damage that would have been hard to camouflage. It looks as though someone set a container of some sort of bad chemical down on the dresser in a couple of spots.

Whatever it was ate right through the finish and even into the wood a bit. So I felt like paint would be the best choice for me here. I could also have gotten out a heavy duty belt sander and taken the wood down until the marks were gone, but that’s just not my style. The truth is, I’m afraid of belt sanders. Before painting though, I sanded the spots down by hand and covered them with a couple of coats of Tough Coat Sealer just in case something might want to try and bleed through my paint.

This next photo is a bit misleading as it seems like you can’t see this damage any more at all, but in reality if you catch the light just right you can still see the indentations in the wood. It is fairly well disguised though.

dresser-top-after

I’m always drawn to the sides of dresser when they are paneled in some fashion (rather than just being a solid flat piece).

dresser-side

I struggled with finding a spot for this photo shoot. I knew the horizontal stripes on my walls would compete with the vertical stripe on the dresser. Unfortunately, I have very few options for winter photos. The photo cottage is snowed in. So I tried to distract the eye with lots of layers.

layering

Player piano music, an old cupboard door, a gold frame, my grandpa’s water color, a lamp and a stack of books are all lending more vertical and horizontal lines.

Did they do the trick?

One last thing, you may be wondering if I’ve picked some winners for my wax giveaway, but I haven’t yet. I’ll be working on that this evening and will try to notify the winners within a day or two. Did you notice that I didn’t limit the winners to being in the US or Canada? I just hate doing that because I want everyone to feel welcome and included on my blog. So far I haven’t ever actually picked a winner who lived outside the United States. In fact, the winner of my last giveaway lived less than five miles away! And I swear to you it was totally random. I had no idea where she lived until after I contacted her. I’ve done a little research into international shipping costs, and yes, they are kinda high. A bit higher than the costs quoted on my vintage postal scale …

vintage-postal-scale

But the shipping costs I pay to send out giveaway prizes are one small way that I can ‘pay it forward’ and say thank you for following along on my blog. So I’m putting in every person who took the time to leave a comment (except Mr. Q because he doesn’t need any wax!) and we’ll let the chips fall where they may.

Furniture is another matter. I only sell furniture to local buyers who can pick it up. If you are interested in the dresser from the reluctant seller, check out my ‘available for local sale’ tab for more details.

all furniture wax is not created equal (and a giveaway!).

Published on January 27, 2017January 26, 2017 by Quandie238 Comments

wax-title

Back in the day when I first began painting furniture I was totally uneducated about the products I was using. I started with latex paint, and then upped my game and began using milk paint and homemade chalk paint, both of which needed a topcoat of wax (or something). At the time, I assumed all furniture wax was created equal. I purchased some SC Johnson paste wax at my local hardware store and figured I was good to go. And I spent a summer using that wax out in my carriage house workshop. The wax had a nasty chemical smell sort of like paint thinner, but I figured all waxes had that smell. When I wanted to experiment with an ‘antiquing wax’ I ordered some dark walnut Briwax online and mixed that with my SC Johnson wax. It definitely did the trick and created the look I wanted, but if anything the Briwax was even stinkier than the SC Johnson. That only confirmed my misguided notion that all waxes smelled bad.

Fast forward to winter. Back then I usually took a break from painting furniture in the winter. But I had an adorable little wash stand that I really wanted to paint. I figured I could paint it indoors and then wax it on my enclosed front porch. It was warm enough out there, but even with the door shut between the house and the porch, that stink made its way inside the house and it wasn’t pleasant.

So much for winter painting!

But then I discovered Miss Mustard Seed wax. Eureka! It has a scent to it, but it’s very mild, not a harsh chemical smell. I could wax inside the house all day long and not feel like my house smelled like a workshop.

waxes

However, it definitely costs more than the cheapy stuff.

Since I’m a cheapskate, I was determined to find a cheaper choice. As a result, I’ve tried many different brands of wax and guess what? They didn’t really save me any money at all because I’d open up the can and realize I was back at stinky wax. As it turns out, you get what you pay for. Sometimes. But other times even the more expensive ‘name brand’ waxes are just as stinky.

Initially my decision to ‘splurge’ on the Miss Mustard Seed wax was really just based on the lack of smell. But recently it occurred to me that I do A LOT of painting. I should really be thinking about what kinds of chemicals I am subjecting myself (not to mention the environment) to on such a frequent basis. This really is about more than just dealing with an unpleasant odor, what about repeated exposure to unknown chemicals? Just what exactly is causing that stink?

I tried to do some online research into the ingredients in various brands of wax, and guess what? For a lot of the brands it’s really hard to find that info. Apparently back in 2009 Senator Al Franken helped introduce a bill called the 2009 Household Product Labeling Act which would have required paint manufacturers to list all ingredients on their packaging, but it did not pass. But honestly, even if the ingredients themselves were listed, would you know what they are? I know I wouldn’t.

So I went straight to my source, Homestead House Paint Co, and asked the simple question “hey, how come your wax doesn’t stink?” and I got a nice email back from Loree Pringle with lots of info about beeswax and carnauba wax, and about how they need a solvent to allow them to be spread into a thin layer. Then she put me in touch with Roger Clapham, the co-president of the company that manufactures their waxes. He gave me a bunch of really science-y info about atoms in a chain and whether or not they hold hands (or something like that) that was way over my head. But basically he explained that there are two kinds of solvents that can be used for this purpose, aromatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The aromatic hydrocarbons have that chemical smell like paint thinner, and include Toluene or Benzene. And guess what? Aromatic hydrocarbons are considered carcinogens. Yeah, that means they have been shown to cause cancer. Both the Miss Mustard Seed waxes and the Homestead House waxes contain no aromatic hydrocarbons. Instead they use aliphatic hydrocarbons.

waxes-2

So I followed up with the next obvious question, why would any wax still contain aromatic hydrocarbons if they are so bad? According to Roger, the aliphatic hydrocarbons are weaker solvents than aromatic hydrocarbons. Products made with aromatic hydrocarbons require less of them to do the job and those products can be more durable and provide more shine. For example, he does not believe the Homestead House wax is durable enough to hold up to foot traffic on my stairs (although I’m going to try it anyway one of these days).

As Roger says himself, he has a healthy respect for aromatic hydrocarbons and their usefulness as long as people understand what they are working with and take precautions. If you still want to use one of those products, Roger gave me some safety tips: Buy a mask specifically designed to protect against aromatic solvents (OSHA certified) and wear it while working with them (changing the filters as directed). Toxins can be absorbed through the skin, so wear rubber gloves. Pay attention to air circulation, apply the finish outdoors or use a fan and open the window. On the plus side, the danger is gone once the solvent has evaporated. So a piece of furniture that has this type of wax on it is no longer hazardous at that point, once the smell is gone so is the hazard.

Since we can’t rely on a label to tell us what kind of solvent a wax product uses, I say rely on your nose. Give your wax the old sniff test. Does it smell like paint thinner?

If so, ask yourself if this is really something you want to be working with on a regular basis? And are you using the proper precautions?

As for me, I’m not a fan of gloves and gas masks. Working outdoors is only an option about six months out of the year here in Minnesota. So I finally tossed all of those stinky waxes and am going to stick with the non-smelly stuff!

Now for the fun part! Here is your chance to give the non-smelly stuff a try yourself. When I told the people at Homestead House that I wanted to post about this subject, they graciously provided me with a truckload of free samples to giveaway.

truckload-of-waxes

I have 8 small jars of wax and I thought I’d give them away in pairs, so 4 lucky winners will each get 2 jars of wax. I have a variety of different waxes including Miss Mustard Seed White Wax, Antiquing Wax and Furniture Wax, Homestead House Furniture Wax in clear, Espresso and Black, and a couple jars of Salad Bowl Finish. I will draw 4 names at random from the comments left on this blog post by Sunday, January 29 at midnight (central time), so all you need to do is leave a comment to get your name in the running to win. Best of luck to you!

Note: the Safety Data Sheet for SC Johnson paste wax lists Ethylbenzene and Naphthalene as ingredients (both aromatic hydrocarbons). Briwax contains Toluene, however they do offer a Toluene free version of their product, but I was not using that version.

Also please note that I have not been paid by Homestead House for this post but they have provided me with free samples of their waxes and other products including Fusion paint, Homestead House milk paint and Miss Mustard Seed products. In addition they provided me with the waxes that I am giving away with this post.

signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs.

Published on January 25, 2017January 24, 2017 by Quandie18 Comments

I’ve got a thing for signs. I have to work hard to keep it in check. How many signs are too many?

I’m not sure about a general rule of thumb, but I’m trying to limit myself to no more than two signs per room. That seems reasonable, right?

And what exactly counts as a sign?

Anything with words on it? Do I have to count chalkboard signs too then?

These sorts of rules are fairly fluid in my house, and I figure I can always find a spot for just one more sign.

So a while back I purchased this Merry and Bright sign at the Goodwill. The yellow door behind it in the photo was a garage sale find. I’m still working on the door, but today we’re talking about the sign.

no-vacancy-sign-before

The sign wasn’t bad ‘as is’, my sister thought I would just keep it and put it up for the holidays. But I wanted to turn it into something else.

I started by painting the entire thing in Fusion’s Coal Black. I chose Fusion paint for this step because I wanted a paint that would adhere well, you’ll understand why in a minute.

I let the Fusion paint cure for about a week just to make sure it was a little bit cured.

Next I used my Cricut machine to cut the wording for my sign out of white vinyl. I placed the letters on my sign using a chalk line to keep them straight.

Next I painted over the whole shebang with Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in French Enamel.

Interesting to note that the milk paint did not adhere to the vinyl at all. It did adhere to the Fusion paint though. This blue is my undercoat of color, so I vacuumed off the chipping paint and then added a little wax all around the outer frame of the sign. I then added three coats of Homestead House milk paint in Limestone (vacuuming off the paint that chipped off the vinyl between every coat).

Once dry, I peeled off my vinyl letters revealing the black Fusion paint underneath. Then I sanded the entire sign to distress it up.

I got some nice chipping (thanks to the wax) that revealed the base layer of blue paint.

For now I’ve hung the sign over my Belgian bench.

no-vacancy-sign-1

I don’t plan for this to be its permanent home, but I’ll leave it there and enjoy it for bit.

the buttermilk cream dresser.

Published on January 23, 2017January 22, 2017 by Quandie15 Comments

I was checking out one of my favorite blogs the other day, Ranger 911. Vickie from Ranger 911 is a fellow Minnesotan although she is way up north. I’ve always considered the Twin Cities to be in a ‘warmer’ climate than the truly hardy souls who live anywhere north of Duluth. As I write this post it is currently 36 degrees in St. Paul, but only 32 degrees in Hibbing, MN. See? Way warmer!

But anyway, not only do Vickie and I live in the same state but we have another, more important thing in common. Here’s a clue …

ranger-911-tiny-dresser

Here’s another clue …

ranger-911-tiny-dresser-2

Yep, we both love tiny dressers! Be sure to visit her blog and look around because she has more!

But today’s post isn’t about tiny dressers. It’s about gorgeous, vintage, pale yellow dressers. Vickie recently posted about a makeover in her ‘bedroom no. 3’ and it included this gorgeous pale yellow dresser.

ranger-911-yellow-dresser

I love that subtle pop of pale yellow in her mostly white room. And that shade of yellow is perfectly vintage isn’t it? And check out that authentic chipping! Vickie tells me that she purchased this dresser ‘as is’ at an estate sale and she thinks this finish is authentically vintage.

As I was drooling over it I remembered that Homestead House sent me some of their milk paint in Buttermilk Cream. I knew it would be very nearly that same shade of yellow. And although there is just something about an original old painted finish, you can get pretty close to that look with chippy milk paint.

buttermilk-cream

And now that I am armed with my foolproof method for creating the perfect chippy finish, well, I knew this was going to be a slam dunk.

I happened to have a lovely vintage dresser on hand too.

hopkins-dresser-1-before

And sure enough, it was just that easy. I followed the foolproof method and 3 coats of Buttermilk Cream later, voila!

buttermilk-cream-dresser-title

I used the Salad Bowl Finish around the edges of everything, but didn’t use it on the big flat expanses (the drawer fronts and the top) which gave me chipping just where I wanted it.

My original ‘vision’ for this dresser involved replacing the hardware with glass knobs, but the original hardware is so gorgeous and it was all there. I had to keep it.

buttermilk-cream-hardware

It seemed apropos to stage my Buttermilk Cream dresser with a tiny dresser.

Thanks again for the inspiration Vickie!

buttermilk-cream-side-view

If anyone local is interested in purchasing this perfectly adorable vintage dresser, please check my ‘available for local sale’ tab to see if it is still available and other details.

what am I going to do with that?

Published on January 20, 2017January 19, 2017 by Quandie12 Comments

You just never know what you might find at a garage sale. I try to keep an open mind when I’m out hitting the sales. If something has a vintage appeal (i.e. it looks good and old) I often buy it even if I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. There is nothing more annoying that seeing a really cool project somewhere and then realizing I passed up the exact item needed at a garage sale two weeks ago.

Today’s project is definitely falls into the category of ‘what am I going to do with that?’, but I bought it anyway.

It’s an old newel post.

I paid $15 for it, which is a little high in garage sale money (which has way more value than typical money). I felt a little sad when I saw it there because I knew that the sellers had callously ripped it out of their older home and probably replaced it with something new and with far less character.

I knew it deserved better.

I brought it home and put it in my carriage house where it got buried behind 50 other potential projects. It sat and gathered dust for a couple of years. Ha! Maybe not really better treatment after all.

Then a few weeks ago I was surfing the blog world and I ended up on the Liz Marie Blog looking at her Cozy Farmhouse Winter Entryway (click that link to visit) and I spied a fabulous chippy black newel post. And she just had it leaning up against the wall. Duh! So easy, and so fab! And I knew just where I could find a newel post … sort of … somewhere out in the carriage house.

So I headed out there in sub-zero weather and started digging around. I unearthed it from a pile of cast off remnants and hauled it in the house.

I started by cleaning it up, then sanding it, then cleaning it again, then adding a layer of Homestead House’s Salad Bowl Finish because I wanted some more of that perfect chipping. This time I used a little more wax than I did on my original ‘perfect chipping experiment’ with the Buttermilk Cream mirror frame. I wanted a really beat up chippy look similar to the inspiration photo.

Here’s how it looked after the wax.

Then I painted it with just one quick coat of Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Typewriter. Once dry, I sanded to distress and found that I got plenty of chipping. I vacuumed up the dust and chips and then added a layer of Homestead House Black Wax.

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And then in answer to the question ‘what am I going to do with that?’, I just leaned it in the corner of the piano room next to my Paris subway sign.

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Easy peasy.

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Chippy architectural salvage for $15, not bad right?

how to get the perfect chippy finish.

Published on January 18, 2017January 17, 2017 by Quandie39 Comments

chippy-finish-title When I posted the farmhouse chippy cabinet on Monday, I mentioned that I ran out of paint and had to request more from Homestead House to complete my project. When I sent in that request I included a photo of my original chippy mess and explained that I had it nearly under control, but had run out of paint!

When Jennylyn, the president of Homestead House, responded she suggested I try her foolproof method for perfect chipping on my next project and she offered to send me the product she was suggesting I try. To be fair, she didn’t call it ‘foolproof’, I’m adding that adjective on my own.

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But wait, what?! Back up a minute. There is a method? And it doesn’t involve clicking your heels together 3 times, or crossing your fingers, or knocking on wood? Sign me up!

Here is what Jennylyn told me to do. First, prep the piece properly, then apply a very thin layer of Homestead House Salad Bowl Finish (you can also use Miss Mustard Seed 100% beeswax which is the same thing) to the areas you want to chip. Then paint as usual.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

So I pulled out an old framed mirror that I had salvaged from a dresser to do a little experimenting with this method. I remembered back to my high school science class and decided I need a ‘control group’ of sorts, so I used my old method on the outer sides of the frame and just sanded them lightly and wiped them with a damp cloth. On the front of the frame I sanded a little more thoroughly, vacuumed away the dust, and scrubbed it down with a water/vinegar solution. Then I added a thin layer of the Salad Bowl Finish using a cloth, focusing on the edges and the corners where I wanted chipping. Next I painted two coats of Homestead House milk paint in Buttermilk Cream.

Once the paint was dry I could clearly see that the ‘control group’ or the sides of the frame were chipping A LOT. The front of the frame didn’t look terribly chippy at all though.

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But then I got out my fine sandpaper and lightly sanded and voila! There were the chips right where I wanted them to be. And they were indeed pretty much perfect.

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Although the ‘control group’ area was chippy, it was not a controlled chippy. In fact, the ‘control group’ was a little out of control.

You can also use this method with layers of different colored paints. For example, paint a base coat of French Enamel blue, add some Salad Bowl Finish, then paint white on top of that. Then you’ll see color under your chips rather than the wood.

For a little extra bit of fun on this project, I added a row of rub-on phrases all along the frame just under the mirror.

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They are tiny and you have to pay attention to notice them. Embrace imperfection, discover yourself, look within, one of a kind, stand boldly.

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The next time you are thinking it’s too hard to use milk paint and get just the right chippy finish, be fearless and try the Salad Bowl Finish!

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another chippy farmhouse cupboard.

Published on January 16, 2017January 15, 2017 by Quandie31 Comments

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I was surfing craigslist just before Christmas looking for a large cupboard. I have an idea in my head for a piece for my q branch (a.k.a. my study). It’s one of those ideas … you know, the ones where you can picture exactly what you want in your head but trying to find it is like searching for a needle in a haystack. But every once in a while, I search for ‘cupboard’ or ‘cabinet’ on craigslist on the off chance I’ll find it and it will be less than $1,000.

I am still searching for that large cabinet, but luck was on my side on this particular day because I did find this …

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I call this a jelly cupboard. I’m not sure if that is exactly right, but I’m going with it.

I almost never see these on craigslist. When I do see them, they are usually priced way out of my budget. This particular item had only been posted for about an hour and the price was not fantastic, but OK. So I totally snatched it up!

Milk paint was a no-brainer for this piece. I wanted a chippy (be careful what you wish for), been in the barn for 75 years, held all of the homemade jelly, farmhouse look.

I debated color. Black would have been easy. I could have probably gotten away with one coat, possibly needing two. White might have been most marketable, everyone loves white, right? But what I really wanted to go with was aqua. You all know it’s my favorite. And Homestead House had sent me that free sample of their Laurentien milk paint. I just couldn’t resist. I don’t plan to keep this cabinet, but my thinking was this: if no one buys it, I will just have to find a spot for it. Or repaint it white.

Well, as I hinted, be careful what you wish for when it comes to chippy. I mixed up my paint and while the pigments were getting good and dissolved, I sanded the cabinet lightly and then wiped it down with a damp cloth. I didn’t want to over-sand, because as I mentioned, I wanted a chippy look.

I painted on my first coat of paint and then went downstairs to check on my laundry. Then I washed some dishes. Then I walked back into the room where I paint and out of the corner of my eye I saw this …

Then I panicked. I did not see this coming. That paint is not sticking at all.

Then I reminded myself that I have been here before. No need to panic.

I got out the sandpaper and as I suspected would happen, sanding took off nearly all of the paint. OK, no problem. I vacuumed away the dust, wiped it down and then added a coat of Miss Mustard Seeds’ Tough Coat Sealer.

Take that you chippy cupboard!

Once the sealer was dry, I added a fresh coat of paint. As it dried, I noticed that it was still chipping quite a bit. This cupboard really wanted to be chippy. By this point it was getting late. I decided to just go ahead and add another coat of paint and go to bed. But as fate would have it, I ran out of paint with just one side left to finish.

The next day I sent an email off to Jennylyn at Homestead House and asked if they could please send me just one more package of Laurentien, stat.

I spent the next week looking at the cupboard ‘as is’. Except for that one side that still needed another coat of paint, I realized that I really loved the way the cabinet looked. My own rooster cupboard is just as chippy and judging by how often it gets pinned on pinterest, I think there are others out there who love that look too (not you Betty from Ontario, I know this is not your cup of tea).

When the paint arrived I mixed up a small batch and painted that last remaining side.

And now it looks like this …

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I left the inside of the cupboard alone. Personally I like how rustic it is.

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And I love this little wooden latch that can be used to keep the left side door closed.

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The cupboard will likely continue to chip a little over time. Although I sanded and vacuumed and got as much off as I could, I didn’t seal it. I have found with other super chippy pieces that they continue to chip unless you seal them with the Tough Coat Sealer. But that’s OK with me. I like pieces that wear over time.

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I debated removing the door insets and replacing them with screening, which would be quite easy to do. I think that would be a really awesome look for this piece. Something similar to this photo from pinterest …

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If I was keeping it I think I would definitely do that, but I’m not keeping this cupboard. I am selling it (check my available for local sale tab to see if it is still available). So … I thought I’d see if I get any takers with this look first.

And who knows? If it doesn’t sell I can always go back to the drawing board and paint it white.