The Beginning
Before I decided to begin using chalk paint, I followed a lot of people on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. I loved looking at all of the projects and I began keeping a Pinterest board to save the pieces of furniture that inspired me. When I finally decided to try a piece on my own, I began with this very large armoire that we already owned. I thought to myself, “If I’m going to make a mess, I might as well use my own piece. What do I have to lose?” It never occurred to me that I should try something smaller. At that time, I knew mostly Annie Sloan paints and I had found an inspiration piece that I wanted to try to use as a guide. I began with a layer of Olive all over and then I layered and blended Amsterdam Green and Aubusson Blue together over the Olive. There was a lot that I didn’t know and so this process took a little longer than it would have if I had been more experienced. After I finally got the look I wanted, I applied clear wax and then black wax to add depth. I decoupaged the inside drawers to add some interest. It really turned out beautiful! The pictures that I took really do not do it justice. This was the first piece I created and sold!
*Learning point - Really! This was my first piece so everything was new. What stands out the most to me as something that I learned during this process was don’t overuse wax. It doesn’t take that much! What makes it hard is that you can’t really see wax as you put it on. The other important thing that I learned about waxing is to wipe it off after putting it on. This is not the buffing stage. You brush or wipe the wax on and then wipe off any excess. After you finish and let it dry awhile, then you buff.
