My $3.00 Chalk Paint Project

So I was reading this great article by Sherry at No Minimalist Here last week about making your own chalk paint.  I thought it would be fun to give it a try, so I looked for a victim in my garage.  This cute little writing desk has been asking me for a makeover for a while and I've been ignoring her request.  Well, last week Elaine was on vacation and I was having a little bit of a hard time moving furniture around on my own, so I had to stick with items that were light weight.  So she finally got some attention.

I guess the reason I had been ignoring it for so long was that I couldn't exactly figure out what to do with it.  I originally had planned to keep it two-tone, but instead it kind of evolved into multi-tone.

I used the Plaster of Paris Method, which was $6.00 at Michael's and $3.00 with my 50% off coupon.  I took some celery green paint (left over from Elaine's living room) and some true blue acrylic and mixed it to make a greenish/blue color.

The paint gets thicker the more plaster of paris that you use.  My first layer was a yellow mixed in a little thicker.  This way I avoided priming.  Then I used another layer mixed a little thinner with the green-blue that I made.  The third layer was dark stain.  I then went back through and highlighted some of the colors.

I love the paper on the inside of the drawers

All in all I'm pretty sold on this plaster of paris paint idea, especially on these shabby/ paris apartment chic projects.

What kinds of paint techniques do you love?

xo,

mONICa

Coral Mirrored Credenza- Feature Friday

So I am actually in love with this piece of furniture.  I just love mirrored furniture, and this dresser/ credenza really knocks my socks off.

This is what is looked like before

Amazing right?  She used Krylons Secret Color Coral Isle.  I'm totally going to order some.  This color is gorgeous.  She wrote a whole post on how to get Krylons secret colors.

You must visit Vintage Revivals for complete DIY instructions.  I guess until I meet Coral Isle, I won't be able to dump Watermelon (my current color of choice).  I hope we can stay friends after the break-up.

xo,

mONICa

Coffee Table Complete

Last week I started this Graphic Coffee Table  project.  As of Saturday, it is officially complete.  Here is a quick glimpse at how if looked before.

I will warn you, the table was pretty beat up, and I didn't really touch the bottom at all and there are definitely imperfections at the base, but since I have 3 year olds, I figured perfection wouldn't last long anyway.  Plus...this is not my forever coffee table, just a temporary fix until the kids get a little older and stop doing super hero jumps off off my tables.

Instructions:

1.) Sand the table just enough so that the paint will grip.

2.) Apply a coat of primer. (Don't use oil based, it takes too long of dry and may cause bubbling)

3.) Apply your base coat. (I used the Ecru color that is on my family room walls)

4.) Apply you tape lines. ( I did a simple Hollywood regency inspired graphic)

5.) Apply your top color. (May take a couple coats)

6.) Remove your tape and touch up. (Yup, that right, tape lines aren't always perfect so you may need to go back over with a fine brush to straighten up your lines)

7.) Apply 3 coats of lacquer ( I used spray lacquer, no sanding between coats)

The final product should look something like this:

I thought this was a fun way to jazz up a worn table top...It would be a fun project on any table, maybe even for a faux inlay around a dining table.

xo.

mONICa

Graphic Coffee Table

I thought I'd stop by to show you what I've been working on,this week. Besides trying to finish my series of artwork, I've been working on a coffee table project.  Last week I had mentioned that I was looking into decoupaging my coffee table after it had been pretty beaten up.  Well, after an unlucky trip to the fabric store, I decided to paint it instead.  Not only will I get something closer to what I want, but it is a more frugal alternative.  Anyway, this is what is looked like before.

When I bought this table, I loved it.  I loved the inlay look and the mid-century/ West Elm lines.  What I didn't like is that it was slightly beaten up, but since I have 2-year-old twins,  I figured it was just gonna get beat up more.  Well, it did.  Now that I have my home for sale I decided that the room needed to be a bit more tidy, yet practical so I decided to paint the table, so that hopefully it looks nicer.

Here is the progress.  Full DIY instructions to come when the project is finished.



Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of the taping, but you get the idea.

xo,

mONICa

The Work Zone

So now that I've officially started my Etsy Store, I had to find a place to work and I needed to do it on the cheap.  I was able to rescue this credenza and desk from the basement of the Boy Scouts.  It was so heavy and large we actually had to cut the desk to get it into the room.  It also had a dark finish and I decided to give it a fresh coat of white high gloss paint.  It definitely was not easy as it took 2 coats of primer and several coats of paint.  Ultimately I am happy with the results since I wanted a dramatic effect with the dark walls ($5.00 oops paint from Home Depot)  and white furniture and accessories.  I picked up a couple of extra $20 dollar chairs from Ikea to go on either side of the desk.  Bonus:  they are the same chairs I have in my dining room so when I expand the table for guest I have extra matching chairs that I can pull out.