Sweet L.O.V.E. ~ Personalized Letter Photography

Several years ago letter photography seemed to explode and you could buy them everywhere. This still remains true. However, as a DYI'er I could not bring myself to purchase one. So, my husband and I set out looking for letters. We took our own photographs in some of our favorite places around town. Not all are local, as you can see from the Golden Gate Bridge, but most are from the Old Market area. Family benefited from the first round, as we gave them away for Christmas that year.

This project is a custom order I call Sweet LOVE!

Each frame was given a new life and re-purposed for this project. The frames were painted and waxed.

Each letter was printed on metallic paper, which in the right light gives off a snazzy little bit of dazzle.

Since its all custom, so is the matting. Each mat board was hand cut to size. 

Edges were slightly distressed.

What a fun project!

 I can still remember where we took each photograph, 

and the days we spent trying to capture different letters in everyday objects.

 I am thrilled to share this personalized letter photography, and

 I hope the new owners love it as much as I do!

  

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Modern Bassett Dresser made over in Graphite Chalk Paint

Look at this handsome fella!

Furniture restoration is so dangerous. I want to keep each piece!
 I fall in love with something about each piece of furniture.
I love everything about this dresser - the modern lines, original hardware, the secret bottom drawer! 

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The Makeover

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Products Used:

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Graphite

Annie Sloan Dark Wax

Stains and veneer damage made the "to paint or not to paint" decision quite easy.

A little cleaning...

a little wood filler and sanding...

...and he was ready for paint.

In doing my own research before starting this project (a step I seem to skip often),

Graphite requires dark wax in order to take the flat chalky gray color to a near black.

Look at that difference with just one coat of wax!

 and Voila!

This was a fun, rewarding project. I hope to find him a good home. 

Maybe it will be in mine if I can find room...hmm...

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Stained Table Top with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I present to you, the sister table! She was finished like the other round side table except the top was sanded, stained and sealed with poly. The wood was too beautiful to paint. 

Sometimes the decision must be NOT to paint! 

Products Used

 Legs: Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -Duck Egg; Clear and Dark Wax

Top: Kona Stain; Clear Satin Poly by Sherwin Williams

  

The Makeover of Table #2

She's the table on the right

The top was really rough, but had so much potential

I started by sanding the top. I sand outside for the most part, because I would rather not add to the dust inside my house. Sanding the top went pretty easily, but getting into the scalloped edge took some work.

Love the color variation

Filled most of the groove with wood filler. 

At the point of using wood filler for the groove, I had not committed to a stain color. In retrospect, I probably could have left it alone since I went with a dark stain. I just cannot get enough of the table top after sanding. The colors are just so beautiful.

The table legs were cleaned, painted and waxed. The dark mahogany stain had seen better days. The chalk paint just gives her a whole new life. Here are the table legs before and after.

For the table top, I chose a dark stain to go with the light colored paint. A lighter stain color would probably show off the wood a little better, but I was going for the contrast. 

Before

Sanded

Waiting for stain to dry

After stain and poly

The grand finale! 

Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Distressed Antique Table in Duck Egg Chalk Paint

The makeover of table 1 is complete!  Her sister table is drying and will be posted soon. As mentioned in a previous post, my mom found three great pieces at her neighborhood garage sale - the armoir and two tables. I thoroughly enjoyed refurbishing this table.

Products and Techniques Used:

Sealed with Sherwin Williams ProBlock

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Duck Egg

Annie Sloan Clear Wax

Annie Sloan Dark Wax

Distressed the edges

 This table has character everywhere you look.

   The makeover. 

Here are the sister tables waiting to come home from the garage sale.

 The table on the left with the fabulous water ring is one of the few and the best before photo taken. The top was in pretty bad shape, but the legs were decent and sturdy.

 

 The water ring gave me fits throughout this project. I did my research before hand, but in haste, I skipped a step. On my Pinterest page, there are several tutorials that recommend applying a coat of Shellac before painting. My Shellac was old, had to be thrown out, and I am impatient. I had already applied two coats of Chalk Paint before succumbing to the fact that I should have used Shellac. Because I did not have any on hand, I used Sherwin Williams ProBlock Primer, which had worked well in the past. The stain itself did not show through, but the texture did. So frustrating, but the frustration is all my own fault.

In total, there are 4 coats of chalk paint, two coats to Problock, and probably five coats of wax (honestly I lost count). I had to work and rework, sand and re-sand to get the table top to its shiny brilliance. Do what others say, not what I do. Much time, paint and effort could have been spared.

 In the end, the table makeover turned out well. Another win for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This product is new to me. I find that it is very easy to work with. The paint dries very fast compared to water-based latex paint and works so well with the clear and dark wax. 

If you have yet to try chalk paint, give it a try. You'll love it!

 Thanks for visiting!

Lisa

Armoir Makeover in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

This post is one of many firsts. First Blog. First Post. First run with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I can honestly say I am more comfortable painting and restoring 

than figuring out this blogging business.

Thanks to my mom for scouting several great finds at her neighborhood garage sale. I came away with a great little armoir and two side tables. I was compelled to start with the armoir and for some reason compelled to jump right into using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Wax.

 I am so glad I did!

Before - She was cute, but dated.

As with many of my projects, I researched and watched tutorials AFTER starting the armoir makeover. Thankfully, I had a good teacher (Thanks Steve!) and my prep-work and novice, know-how paid off. Even though Annie Sloan Chalk Paint does not require much prep-work before application, I went ahead. It's in my blood.

After a light sanding

Primed with Sherwin Williams Pro-Block

After the prep-work, I used all Annie Sloan products.

Duck Egg Blue Chalk Paint

Clear Soft Wax

Dark Soft Wax

The hardware needed a face lift too. 

The handles and pulls are painted in hammered silver and aged with the dark wax. 

                                     

I just love how this turned out!

Stay tuned for the next project.

 Those tables are calling me.