8 steps to change the look of a picture frame with Chalk Paint

A while back, actually a long while come to think of it, we obtained a lovely reproduction oil painting. I liked it a lot, but wasn't keen on the frame. To me it looked tinselly, you know that really bright and shiny gold painted frame that seems so popular on (dare I say it) cheap artwork. Like so many things that I intended to do, investing in a new frame just never happened. Every once in a while I would look at that painting and remind myself that the frame just had to be replaced, but then I would  think of the inconvenience and expense of getting it reframed and just let it be. That was the status quo for several years.

But last month, as I was packing some things up to prepare for our reno, my eyes settled on that frame again. And this time, I didn't talk myself out of doing something about it. That was because this time I realized I had another option. Instead of a costly reframing job, I would simply Sloanerize the existing frame!

Okay, Sloanerize is a new word that my husband has invented to describe my current obsession with changing everything old and worn into something pretty and current just by applying Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. (Seriously, this company needs to put me on the pay roll for all the free PR I am giving them! Annie, I could use the extra funds to pay for the reno--and buy more chalk paint!)

Here is a photo of the shiny gold frame, aka the before pic:

 

The problem for me was not the colour. It was that the surface was absolutely flat without any texture or detail and oh so very shiny.

 

Here are some shots of me in the process of changing this to a much more interesting frame that complements the painting rather than competing with it for attention.

 

And an outline of the 8 steps to change the look of a picture frame with chalk paint.

 

step 1: clean the frame

I just wiped away any dust with a damp cloth

 

step 2: choose the colour

I went with Graphite

 

Step 3: protect the painting

I tucked cardboard between the panting and the frame so I wouldn't get chalk paint on it. Dear husband would NOT have appreciated that.

 

Step 4: apply one coat of Chalk Paint and let it dry--15 minutes (did I tell you I love this paint?)

 

Step 5: apply a coat of soft wax (clear), wiping away excess

 

Step 6: while wax is still wet begin to gently distress the surface. I used a clean green pot scrubber. How much you distress is totally up to you.

 

 

Step 7: apply a generous coat of a mixture of clear and dark wax and let it sit a couple of minutes. This will not only darken the paint but also takes the shininess out of the parts of the gold frame that show through with the distressing.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 9: rehang and admire your handiwork.

 

After I put the painting back on the wall and patted myself on the back I looked around and saw the outdated mahogany cheval mirror that Hubby said we should get rid of. Did someone say Sloanerize?

 

Blessings,

The Duchess of NewLife



I discovered how to use dirt and chalk paint to make a white plaster figure look like ancient statuary.

A few years ago we converted a walk-in closet and tiny three piece bath into a beautiful five piece ensuite. Renovating and decorating was still new territory for me but I think overall it turned out well. I chose to carry the calming mid-blue wall colour from the master bedroom into the ensuite and the cabinetry is also very close to the bedroom furniture in colour and style. It is a very unified space.

I decorated this room during my angel phase. I know, right? But, truth to tell, when I am really stressed, I find that angel filled bathroom (and it's lovely air jet tub) is ...heavenly. It's not over the top, but there are a few (5) tastefully painted angels on the walls (three that my dear sister painted for me) and two purchased from a store somewhere on Queen St. in Toronto.

There is a bust of a cherub living on the granite shelf that surrounds the tub. When I picked him up at a decorator's outlet years ago he was stark white unfinished plaster. I always meant to do something with him, just didn't know what. So the thought at the time was "I'll just set him here by the tub until something comes to me." Ya, that was oh five years ago. See, I got so used to seeing that little unfinished angel that I stopped thinking about him needing, well, finishing. But he leapt into my mind again once I discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I began by painting him all over with Old White, and once that was dry I made a grey wash by mixing Old White and Graphite. I wiped it away more in some areas than others and finished with a light coat of clear soft wax. Here is how my cherub looked during and after this process:

I liked how he came out, but still felt that something was missing. A quick Google search turned up this  very helful how-to by Alana at Nest: http://nestvintagemodern.com/blog/home/crafts/aging-angel-with-annie-sloan-chalk-paint Alana explains how to use clean dirt (I love oxymorons!) and chalk paint to achieve an old aged look on a new plaster angel. I believe she said Annie Sloan had taught her how. When I read Alana's post I knew I had to try this on my cherub. Let me tell you how I did it.

First, I pressed dirt onto him (this just felt so wrong!!). Not much stuck, likely because of the wax. However, some did, and here is how he looked after the dirt treatment, with my wonderful Annie Sloan paint brush and the stiff brush I used in a later step:

Next, I dabbed Old White wherever the dirt had stuck. I made no effort to blend it at this point, just wanted to be sure the paint mixed with the dirt to help it adhere to the figure. See here:

After this coat had almost dried I went over him with a wet cloth to blend and highlight some areas (also known as wet distressing), being careful not to rub over any place where the dirt was under the paint--that would have just turned into a muddy mess! Here are some pics of that process:

And one of my little cherub back on his shelf in the ensuite.

Before:

And after:

 What do you think? Have you ever tried this method?

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife

I overcame my fear of the dark (wax).

I know I'm not the only one who has had a fear of the dark. It is a fear that I acquired after a silly and quite avoidable mistake my second time working with Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Eager to get started using the wonderful Annie Sloan products, I merely skimmed the instructions and dove head first into that can of luscious rich dark wax. And within moments my excitement had turned to horror. Because I had failed to properly read the very clear and very simple instructions, I applied the dark wax to a painted project without first applying a coat of clear wax. Why, you might ask, is this a problem? Well, without the clear wax coating to act as a barrier the dark wax comes into direct contact with and permanently stains the paint.

Now, to be clear, this is not a problem if you want that effect. But if you only want the dark wax to create the illusion of a patina that is the result of aging, then not having the clear wax barrier is definitely something you will regret. (But only until you realize that for some reason I absolutely do not understand, you can paint right over the wax and start again--just be sure to let it dry first.)

So that's when I developed my fear of the dark and decided never to open that can again. But oh, how I admired the beautiful effect others achieved by applying dark wax. I drooled over the pics on other people's blogs for several days until I finally decided to face my fear and try once more.

It was my first big project, the 1960"s maple highboy that I recently posted about. (You can read about it in my post from 7/18/14 called I fell in love with the Purple Painted Lady.) I really wanted to get a little bit of rich patina on the turquoise blue top, but I was hesitant. So I went back to the wonderful Tricia at the Purple Painted Lady and watched and rewatched her video on applying dark wax. I also reread Annie Sloan's book 50 Quick and Easy Paint Transformations until I felt the courage slowly return.

 I took a deep breath and opened that can. I kid you not, my palms were sweating, but with the image of Tricia confidently applying the dark wax over clear and quickly wiping it away, I went for it. Well, almost. At the last moment I grabbed a scoop of clear wax and added dark to it, making a less dark and more easily removed (just in case) wax.

I mixed the clear and dark waxes on a paper plate and loaded my waxing brush from there. If you don't use a waxing brush, I strongly recommend that you get one. This one is from Annie Sloan's line.

And it was lovely, but not quite as dark as I wanted. So, now feeling very brave, I applied a dollop of undiluted dark. Perrrfect!

So it was that when it came time to paint the matching bedside table, I had no hesitation at all about applying that rich dark wax, because I remembered the rule: always apply over a fresh coat of clear wax.

Here are before and after pics of that beside table. You can see that I did a very light sanding on this piece, but I do mean light--5 minutes max. I wanted to see if it made any difference to how the paint went on or adhered. The verdict: no discernible difference. 

I chose to "reverse" the colors from how I did the highboy to avoid things looking like I was trying too hard to match it all up. Here is a reminder of how the highboy turned out, so I painted all but the interior front in the blue. There were multiple steps involved in achieving this colour and finish. You can read about them in the post mentioned above. Even so, the whole thing only took a couple of hours to do including drying time and clean up.

Here is the highboy. Same colours, just in reverse. On both I chose to buff only the blue paint. I allowed the white to remain matte. Even so, as you can see here, when light shines on the finish it is not chalky like before the wax goes on.

So now that these two pieces are done I will move on to working on a plaster bust that has been sitting in our en suite for years--another "i'll get around to it some day" project. Well, the day has come. I'll write about it in my next post.

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife

I decided to rescue an unattractive old lamp...

It's raining here, again. Seems like we have more rain than sun this summer. And, when it's raining outside I look for things to do inside. It was on a rainy day a few weeks ago when I decided that a little burgundy (or maybe it was merlot) coloured lamp was in need of a face lift. That little lamp had been moved around a lot over the years, from our family room to my office and finally to our son Sean's bedroom. With Sean all grown up, married, and soon to be a dad, it seemed an acceptable length of time had passed for us to convert his room into a guest room. (I guess I had a little trouble letting go!) That is where the newly chalk painted highboy lives that was the topic of my last post. And that sad little lamp no longer worked with the new décor. So, out came my Annie Sloan paint and brushes as I plotted its make-over.

I decided at the last minute to snap a pic of the lamp to send to Sean--maybe that was my way of seeking his approval for re-purposing his old room. I had already started to work on the base, but here is the shade--the entire lamp was this colour.

I know, so out of date!



Starting with the base first, it took only a few minutes to banish that dingy old colour forever and replace it with a custom mix of Annie Sloan Duck Egg and Napoleon (50/50). I then did an all over wash with Old White, painting it on with my wonderful Annie Sloan paint brush that allows me to jab into the nooks and crannies to get the paint everywhere. Then, before it could dry, I quickly rubbed off more in some places and less in others. This is the result.

I am SO happy with it! The detail that was previously lost in all that dark maroon or whatever now really stands out. When I waxed it a hint of the dark base started to peek through, and I love the slightly distressed look. At this point I was not sure whether or not to add a little dark wax, knowing that it would darken the overall colour. So I have left it as is but may go back to it later with a little dark wax here and there.

Next I painted the shade Old White, applying it with a roller. It was beautifully covered in one very quick coat and dried within minutes. As it seemed just a tad plain, I decided to embellish the shade with some stenciling using water colours that were once given to me as a gift and which I had never opened. My excuse had been that I didn't have time to learn how to paint with watercolour. However, now certainly seemed like a good time to open that box.

Here is the finished lamp in its home on the painted highboy.

The hedgies are a new acquisition. I stumbled upon them in the mall the other day and couldn't resist. They remind me of the little hedgehog figurines my mother used to collect when i was a child. Wonder what ever happened to those?

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife

I fell in love with a Purple Painted Lady

If you're anything like me once you set your mind to do something you look for and collect as much information about it as you can. And so it was that shortly after Iron Dog was resurrected I decided the next step had to be saving a rather nondescript old maple dresser from going to the curb. And, I had to do it quickly because with a major home renovation looming, anything that was not deemed essential or too valuable to be chucked was going to have to go.

In the old days, before personal computers and before Google (yes I was there--but I missed Woodstock by a couple of years) I would have gotten myself to the library and spent hours looking up books and magazines. I mention that for those of you who take our time efficient modern living for granted. But I digress. So I Googled Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and started by watching her lovely and ever so helpful how-to videos. From there, I branched out, looking at several web sites and reading about what others were doing. And then I found her: Tricia Migliore Kuntz in New York, aka the Purple Painted Lady!!! Now Annie will always be my first love, since she invented my new obsession. But the Purple Painted Lady is definitely my latest Crush. I read her blog ALL. THE. TIME. So much in fact that sometimes I wonder if it could qualify as stalking. Tricia, if you're wondering who that person from Toronto is who shows up over and over and over again in your SEO stats, it's me. I am a huge fan.

The Purple Painted Lady is an extremely informative, helpful, and inspiring blog and Tricia is oh so talented. I have absolutely no fantasy that I could ever create anything as beautiful as Tricia does in her workshop. She is a true artist. I am not. However, and here is the great thing, with Annie's paints and Tricia's helpful tips, I can do a pretty good job and have a really lovely time while I'm at it. Hint: watch Tricia's video on how to apply wax!!

The other place I have been trolling is Pinterest. If you aren't on Pinterest you are totally missing the boat. But I warn you: once you set foot in it you may not come out for hours. I started a pin folder to get ideas for redoing the dresser. I had a pretty good idea from the start that I wanted to get rid of the old 1960's brown thick as paint stain and lighten her up a bit. But something told me at the same time she should have a little kick of colour. Not being particularly artsy, I chose to collect images that I liked and see what emerged from there.

And that is how I decided she would morph from a dull, mousy brown old girl to  light and youthful in a Swedish blue chapeau. Translation: Old white everywhere except the very top, which I painted in a gorgeous custom blue mix (Napoleon Blue and Duck Egg in a 50-50 mix, then Napoleon mixed with clear wax, a very light wash of Duck Egg, and then dark wax). I decided to leave the hardware untouched. It was all original and over half a century old, so it has a lovely patina.

Now, because I started working on her before I started to blog, there is no 'before' picture. BUT, I do have a pic of another piece that is part of the set (and which I am happy to say hubby would like painted as well). It will give you an idea of how she looked before:

See what I mean? very sad.

 

And here she is now:

 

 

 

Look at the lovely coverage you get with this paint. It is the absolute perfect paint for someone like me, who you would never hire to paint your walls because I always seem to leave them streaky. But chalk paint dries smooth and has such a rich look after a "full" first coat and a lighter second coat (cut the paint with a little water for your second coat). Annie calls this one and a half coats. (OMG I have never met her but I just called her Annie!)

 

 

What do you think of the blue top? The photograph doesn't do justice to the depth and richness of the color. And, although I am happy with how she turned out she is far from perfect.

 

I learned a lot about applying wax by doing this project. For example, there is a BIG difference between wiping off the excess (which you must do every time you apply wax, no matter how much or little you apply) versus taking off the paint under it! LOL.  The other thing I learned is that it is best not to use a cloth that can wrinkle or that has a texture when wiping or buffing your wax. This project was done with cheesecloth and it did leave little "cuts" in the wax. But I believe we learn a lot not just from our own mistakes but also from other people's. So, if you can learn from my misadventures, I am happy. 

So that's the story of the little brown dresser. Do you think she looks like she needs a little something on top? A lamp? Well, there was this ugly little red lamp... but that is for my next post!

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife

I found this old iron dog

So, still purging away in preparation for our life-changing reno. I continue to be utterly astonished at the amount of stuff we have. How is it even possible to accumulate so much? No, I know exactly how. I cling to stuff because it reminds me of people, places, and it triggers bittersweet feelings.

 

Anyway, I was taking a box of things for donating out to the garage and I came across --no, I actually tripped over this old rusted iron doorstop in the shape of a very regal German Shepherd dog. He was lying face down in the dirt behind the garage. I have no idea how he got there or how long he had been there. I think it had been years since I last saw him.  When I first knew him he was a rich brown and he stood guard at our front door where I lived with my parents and sister. That was 53 years ago. Time, and apparently people, have not been good to him. Poor dog.

 

I picked him up, enjoying the memory of him in his better days, and wondered if he could be restored to his previous glory. Hmmm. Does Annie Sloan Chalk Paint work on rusted iron? and so the experiment began.

 

Now I had just completed my one and only chalk paint project. So I was a complete novice and therefore pretty cocky. I only had two colors of chalk paint at that point: Old White and Aubusson. I opted for Old White because I am pretty traditional and just couldn't picture a blue Shepherd. And besides, using the lighter color this would be an excellent opportunity to practice applying dark wax. It is so luscious looking. I could hardly wait to get into it! 

 

The paint adhered beautifully, and I was impressed by the great coverage with only one coat, rust and all. (Did I mention that while I like doing crafty things I am also extremely lazy? No way on earth am I going to clean the rust off before painting.) Then the wax. First soft clear wax followed by the dark. My first time with dark wax and I had absolutely no hesitation. I just covered that doggie in rich brown wax, waited a few minutes and then wiped it off. So much detail was suddenly highlighted. I had never realized how beautifully muscled that iron dog was.

 

So now he is an Old White iron dog. If I had it to do again, and that could happen, I think I might use Graphite. What do you think?

Of course I appreciate that you have nothing to compare the after pictures with, since it never occurred to me at the time that anyone would need/want to see what he looked like the day I found him in the dirt. And the idea of a blog hadn't occurred to me at that point either. 

 

Next project will be a dresser. Yes, with pretty much no real experience under my belt I will tackle the re-beautification of a pretty run of the mill mid-1960's colonial maple dresser! Stay tuned...

 

Blessings,

The Duchess of NewLife

 

 

 

I discovered Annie Sloan

About a month ago I found myself in a head-heart conflict. We were getting ready for a major renovation and among many other things that meant cleaning out the unbelievable amount of STUFF accumulated over the past 28 years to make room for the army of workmen soon to descend upon us. Likely you've been there yourself: sorting through old memories and wrestling with the sentimentality that tugs at you when your head says that old and moldy whatsit really needs to go. And so I stood there, looking at the once lovely and now very musty, very dinged up, and frankly very not my style anymore pine chest that had been an engagement gift from my lovely and almost trained now husband. Every rational neuron in my brain screamed "To the Dumpster!" but my sentimental heart couldn't part with it. After an agonizing internal argument, I agreed with Heart. The chest would stay. (ugh). Then it dawned on me--ok, I wouldn't toss it, but there is no law that says it had to continue to look (and smell) the way it did at that moment. After all, it once was sort of attractive, well at least in good condition. The more I thought about it the more I was convinced that by giving the chest some sort of face lift I was actually doing her a gigantic favor. Yes, indeed, I would paint and polish that little chest until she shone!

Then the voice of reason surfaced once more: I HATE painting because painting means sanding and cleaning and messy paint blobs everywhere and smelly paint fumes. Besides, the few things that I have ever tried to paint, mostly walls, have turned out less than exemplary. Hmmm. The dumpster was starting to seem like a good option again.

All my life, whenever I have found myself at an impasse, stuck, back against the wall, I have looked for options and where options didn't exist I found a way to create them. Though it seemed unlikely, I decided there had to be an alternative to all that messy work. Thank goodness for Google! It is so easy to find a world full of options within seconds now. I can't even remember what it was like in the days before Google and laptops and personal computers. (Actually I can, but I like to block it out.) Off to my computer, and exploring the wonderful web, where seems like it only took seconds for me to stumble on Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Really? No sanding? No prepping? Just paint??? Way too easy. I thought about it for a minute and then grabbed my car keys. Half an hour later I was on my knees with the chest on one side and a can of Old White on the other. And in no time that musty, dinged up, very out of style circa 1979 pine chest had a whole new look (and smell). I got so excited that I ran out an got a second can, this time Aubosson to paint the lid of the chest. It looked so good!

All of a sudden, I realized that this chest was born to be an antique, French of course. Another hour later she had French graphics on the lid and freehand roosters on her front panels. Well, ok, I am the first to admit that since I can't draw maybe freestylin' the roosters was not the best idea. They do sort of look like ostriches. Are ostriches part of the French Country look?

I worked on this project in my garage, with the warm sun and breeze and bird songs and I realized that I hadn't had creative fun like this in years. Not since when I used to do silk and dried flower arrangements to decompress from a very stressful job (some even ended up in model homes and hotel lobbies). Then my neighbor from across the street strolled up the drive, wondering what I was up to. She genuinely liked that little chest, loved the French graphics, even thought the ostriches looked a lot like cute roosters. And that's when it hit me. There was a lot of old stuff that was earmarked to go to the curb that might have a whole new lease on life with a coat of chalk paint.

Here are some pics that I snapped with my phone to send to my husband--at that point I had no intention of blogging and so I also have no before pic! But take my word for it, it was brown, dingy, and pretty banged up looking! Oh, btw, what do you think of the roosters? Next time I will use a stencil!

front view showing the French Ostriches

Fancy French graphics. I traced these by chalking the back of the paper!

Even painted and waxed the old hardware!

What do you think? Does this look like a rooster?

And that's how it all began. I have become addicted to the blogs of other Chalk Paint divas. I have a little library of Annie Sloan's books. And so far I have painted several pieces of furniture and other things. My dear husband is thrilled that I have decided to paint and repurpose rather than buy new to furnish our addition. And, today, I have started this little blog.

I am still learning chalk painting techniques. If you're out there reading this, God Bless You. I hope you will be patient as I learn this thing called blogging!

Blessings,
The Duchess of NewLife