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