General Finishes

This sweet Chest began its life as one half of a Waterfall Vanity. It was separated from its better half years ago. I say "better" because I'm asssuming the other half and three good working drawers. This one was missing a drawer. Not a problem! 

I began by painting a base coat of teal. I sealed the teal. I then randomly painted the variety of Pearl Effects colors all over the chest. As I feed a color I misted it. When everything was dry I sealed the chest. Lastlly, I placed an oval copper tray filled with succulents in the drawer cubby. 

A great couple bought a coffee table of mine. They mentioned they were looking for BIG nightstands. Mr. was intrigued by an unpainted Bombay Chest I had. "Two of those would be great!" He said. A tough order finding two I thought. Two months later I spotted one. It wasn't a perfect match but very similar. I sent the pics to my Mr and Mrs and waited to hear their thoughts. They were ok with eclectic but as Mrs said, "we're not weren't sure we like the wings on the side". I agreed and then looked closer. The two Chests did match!

I've named this Bombay chest, The Bomb! She's curvy, vivacious and a mix of sassy and elegant. When I found her she was tan. A real Plain Jane. 

These well made Stanley tables were blah. They need an update! I painted them with a custom mix of Antique White and (just a touch) of Slate Gray. Then in I sealed the tables. I sanded the top down but was unsure what color to stain them so I waited. I removed all of the dates brass hardware and  painted it a bright copper. I glazed the hardware with a light coat of Pitch Black Glaze and sealed it with spray shellac. Once the copper hardware was reattached I knew what color to stain the tops.

My spouse has a business partner. One day he showed up in my driveway withbthise Oak Cabinet. "Can you do something with it? He said. 

It was honey oak with 1980s style and HUGE brass pulls. I considered going farmhouse, distressed and changing out the pulls, but that was safe. I don't like safe. 

An antique child size rocker and rusty crusty wings are the foundation of this great garden rocker. The wings are created by a dear friend. I added Pearl metallic patina, sealed them and attached them to the rocker. 

The rocker is painted a base coat of antique white. I watered down Emerald Green to create a wash. I wet distressed and then sealed the entire piece. 

My friend Laura said, "Do you want to paint it for a quick sell it have fun with it?" I chose FUN! It sold too, not quickly but quick enough. 

When I found it, it had been painted white with lavender flowers. Several coats of General Finishes Holiday Red Milk Paint covered the white. I sealed the entire piece with General Finishes High Performance Satin Top Coat and then applied the glaze. Finally I applied two coats of Top Coat and lightly rubbed gold holding wax on the accents and hardware. 

I love the color I created for this Bench. It's the same color as vintage Jadeite dishes. to create the color I used 9 parts General Finishes Snow White Milk Paint, one part General Finishes Emerald Green Milk Paint and one part General Finishes Antique White Milk Paint. I wet distresssed the bench and sealed it with one coat of General Finishes High Performance Satin Top Coat. I watered down my General Finishes Black glaze and applied it with a wet sponge.

My first vision for these Mid Century Tables was simple, sedate and white. I painted one table and determined it was sedate alright! I quickly changed my vision. 

A created two custom mixes of teal paint. I painted a base coat of one color and after it dried I applied the second coat here and there and dripped water on I t to create an old stained effect. I repeated this technique with both the copper and tawny Pearl Effects. I used a bit of bronze to add age and when it was dry I sealed the base. The top is sanded, stained with Java Gel and then sealed.

I've seen Empire buffets, tables and dressers. I've never seen an Empire vanity. That is until I found this one. Vanities are fun, but I felt it would be more valuable to today's buyer if I removed the mirror and upcycled it as a desk or entry way piece. With that in mind I chose a brown and metallic color scheme. Much of the veneer was missing and that is why I chose to decoupage and where to place the decoupage. 

Rusty Galvanized Tin Buffet.

I fall in love with pieces with curves. If they have dings, scratches and dents I love them even more. I paint my pieces to enhance the imperfections. Which is why I decided to do a rustic, galvanized tin finish. 

A base coat of General Finishes Slate Gray Chalk paint with dry brushed General Finishes Argentine Pearl Pearl Effects and touches of General Finishes Copper Pearl Effects did the job! I sealed the buffet with General Finishes High performance Satin Top Coat.  

I walked by this mid century piece at my local thrift store 3 times before I stopped to actually open and close its drawers. I spouse walked by and said, "it will fit". Huh? 

Oh! It will fit in the vehicle we were driving.....hahaha! Anytime he's onboard with buying furniture I jump in it. 

The dresser is solid Maple and made in Wisconsin. Several of the top knobs were missing but the bottom are all original. 

Like all good upcycles, I chose this piece because of its good bones. I tend to buy more girly pieces but I fell for it's masculine curves and brought this bad boy home. 

My spouse came home from work wearing a huge grin. "Honey! Look what I found on the curb!"