Don't Let Your Dreams Stay Dreams...

When I started this journey revitalizing furniture, I did a lot of daydreaming about how to make this passion grow into something more. Would people want to buy what I made? Would people trust me to work on their furniture? Could I ever accumulate enough stuff to join a fair, bazaar or flea market? It can be nerve-wrecking to start new adventures, especially when you are deciding to put your valuable time and hard-earned money into a "dream." Juggling my full time job as a teacher, being mommy to three beauties and carving out enough time to connect with my wonderful husband pretty much takes up all my time so I had doubts about whether or not I should embark on this crazy idea of mine. But even though I knew I didn't really have any "free time" on my hands, I knew it was something I wanted to do--for me. 

This winter, I took a leap and signed up for a small Madison area bazaar called the Madcity Bazaar. I enlisted the help from my fellow crafty friends from House on Jenny St. and together we showcased our work for the first time yesterday! The days prior to the bazaar, I was running around crazy with stress, anxiety and nervousness. But somewhere in the middle of the last minute preparations, I realized that the stress I was feeling actually felt like "good stress" if there is such a thing. It was nothing like the stress I feel working at school or even the stress that I feel as a mom. 

The day finally arrived when I packed up the truck and set up our stand for the first time. The weather was crappy, it was soooo slow, and I hardly sold a damn thing but dang it, I was happy and proud of myself. I can't wait to do it again! This whole chasing a dream business is pretty fun, I highly recommend you try it. 

Vintage- Modern Children's Art Table

This project is by far, one of my favorites. I think everyone's grandma may have, at one time, owned one of these tables and it was exciting to breathe new life into it! My husband brought this table home to me and at first I thought, ugh, even painted this table is out of style. But, I do love a challenge and I wanted to figure out a way to turn this table into something modern and useful. Then, it hit me- an art table for little ones! I was as excited as a kid on Christmas to start this project.

I picked up 6 cute white pails from Target which entailed running to two Targets!

I measured the bottom part of the pail and  headed to Home Depot to pick up a 3.5 inch hole saw to cut holes for the art buckets. I didn't want the buckets to sink too low so that coloring books would fit underneath.

After the holes were cut, I sanded the edges and started painting! For this project, I used CeCe Caldwell's Memphis Blue Chalk Paint and sealed with water based polyurthane. Viola! The kids love it even though they know it's for sale!!

Exciting Happenings...

This weekend was the first warm-ish weekend at the tail end of a long, cold winter. Although I complain about the weather in Wisconsin, the truth is, I love experiencing all 4 seasons each year. The bitter, gray cold makes me appreciate the warm glow of the sun even more. I was feeling energized by the weather this weekend and then, on top of that, I received some great news!

This summer, I'm officially going to be vending at the Madcity Bazaar! I had put in my application this winter with trepidation but decided to put my fears aside and go for it. I've got to start somewhere right? I don't know the first thing about running a pop up market but I'm going to find out quickly. I signed up for 3 dates spread out throughout the summer. Wish me luck!

My sister and I have been working on designing my business logo. This process was a lot of fun but my talented sister created so many fun logos, it was really hard for me to narrow down and only pick one. She came home from sunny California in February and we had to make some final decisions on the logo. So here I am, rolling out the logo! It is on the top of page and I love it. I'm so lucky to have an amazing, supportive family. What would I do without them?

Whitewashing

Ok, so I didn't NEED any more furniture projects because my basement and garage were full but when I saw this old coffee table at St. Vinny's I really wanted to take it home. I made myself walk away and I left without it. For days I drove past St. Vinny's: schlepping the kids to school, running to the grocery store, filling up at the gas station and each time I talked myself out of going in. By day four, I had no more will power. I was alone in the car after a haircut appointment and I decided to check to see if the table was still there. I figured it would be gone and then I could stop torturing myself. I walked to the back of the store so fast that I had to double check that I wasn't running- I felt silly being so excited about a table but I couldn't help but smile ridiculously big when I saw the table was still there. I decided that this table would make a great addition to our home. Normally, I sell my pieces but this one seemed like it should stay.

When I finally got to work on it, I started with country gray by Annie Sloan. What a difference! As you can see, Barbie stayed to supervise while eating some much needed pizza.

 

Now, I could have stopped there. I love this color but I wanted something with more depth and texture so I decided to whitewash next. For this, I used a watery vintage white by CeCe Caldwell. I brushed on the watered down paint in small sections and then wiped it down with a clean rag. I love this look! It definitely looks more weathered. 

After this, the whole piece still needs some distressing and I've decided to wax. So I'll post that soon!

Gray Washing

I've been working on this gorgeous old swivel top stool that my husband rescued from the corn crib at the farm. My plan is to save this old stool and give it to my father-in-law for Christmas. This is what the stool looked like when it came to me.

It was covered chipping paint that I decide to strip and I discovered it has MANY more layers of paint than I had originally thought. So, I got off as much as I could.

First I painted it this dusty blue but the stool looked too new and it didn't look right with the beat up metal.

Then, I decided to do a gray wash over the blue to give the stool a more old time feel. I got a bowl with a little water and mixed in a little gray chalk paint.

Working in small sections, I brushed on the gray and immediately wiped it off with a rag. The gray soaked into the wood grain and have my blue a deeper hue that perfectly complemented the metal too. Here is the stool top while I was painting. The lighting isn't the best here.

Yes, I am leaving that weathered crack there to keep the worn look. Here are some after shots of the gray washing. I still have to add a protective coat, I have to decide if I want a wax or poly coat. What do you think of the stool so far?

I decided to use polyurthane and here is the finished project.

Starting a business?

Well, I guess I'm officially pursuing this furniture addiction of mine and seeing if I can turn it into a part-time business. This is exciting and panic-inducing at the same time. I bought the url: kellysvintage today and for some reason this seems like the official cross over from hobby to part-time business. This isn't exactly an ideal time to start- my youngest is just 5 months old, I return to teaching in just under 2 weeks and well, I've got a million other reasons why not. But there are also a lot of reasons why this is exactly the right time. And the truth is, if I listened to all the reasons of why not, I'd never find the "right" time to start this and I'd end up talking myself out of it. So here I come, ready or not!

Beginner Waxing Tips

When I got started with chalk paint, the whole waxing process really scared me. Mostly, I was afraid that I would ruin a piece of furniture and waste some valuable chalk paint in the process. But I didn't want to be stuck with poly coats for eternity, so I decided that I better start experimenting with wax. Here are some tidbits about using wax that I've learned so far...and, I haven't ruined anything so far!

So, why the heck did I even want to use wax? 

1.  Furniture painted with chalk paint should be finished with some kind of protective coat. Water based polyurethane is excellent for furniture that is going to get a lot of use but sometimes you want a finish to look a little different that the satin coat you get with poly. 2. Chalk paint colors are enhanced with wax, which leaves your furniture with a little more depth and richness to the color. 3.Waxed furniture feels good- seriously it makes you want to run your hand along it as you pass by. This may sound silly, but its the true. 4. I can choose a clear, dark or mix my own colors into wax  to achieve different looks and aging. 5. The sheen on wax is more subtle than poly and I really like a matte look.

Waxing Tips

If you are just starting, pick something really small to begin with. Think picture frame, lamp or small jewelry box. There are about a million posts out there on wax brands but I recommend starting with something cheap like Fiddes & Sons to begin with. When you feel more comfortable, you can always splurge on the high end brands like Annie Sloan or Cece Caldwell. Although I use many different products, I really love CeCe Caldwell's clear wax because it goes on like butter and has no harsh odor. 

When you are doing a small piece or detail work,  you can just use a rag to rub the wax in. If you are doing a larger piece, you might want to purchase a waxing brush. Apply a thin layer of wax and work in small sections; wipe off excess wax after applying. I wipe off with cut up t-shirts. You may start to see the finish shine up a bit. I leave the piece until the next day and buff the furniture once more. Here is a shot of clear wax on the left side of the table BEFORE wiping any wax away.

OK,and on the left side here, you can see where I wiped off the excess and a bit of shine is coming through.

You will need to apply at least 2 light coats of wax to your piece. If you are planning to use dark wax on a piece, apply a clear coat of wax FIRST. This will allow you to have more control of how dark you want your piece to be. I can post more on that later along with some other tips. Try not to get overwhelmed by reading a bunch of DIY posts before working just,jump right in and experiment! Then go back and read some more before starting your next project.  Post a picture of your waxing project in the comments below!!

Too Much Wax? Feels sticky?
I've done this before, including this piece above. when I added dark wax. No worries. I used mineral spirits on a rag and ran it over my piece lightly. Then I used a clean, lint free rag and wiped the extra wax off. After that, I added a very thin coat of wax to finish. If this doesn't help, you can always sand down lightly, repaint and re-wax. As I said earlier, its pretty hard to completely ruin a piece. Chalk paint and wax are pretty forgiving materials.