Herringbone Tray

In Kandern there is one day a year where the residents are allowed to put their unwanted household items on the curb for the city to pick up and take to the dump. This day is called Sperrmüll. It happened on February 27th and I scored quite a few treasures thanks to the hubs. One of those treasures is this tray. 

Ok, so she doesn't look like a treasure with those unsightly flowers but with a little paint and tape she became one.

I have been wanting to try a herringbone design but I felt a little intimidated by the need for measuring and precise symmetry. With a small item like this tray, the task seemed less daunting. So, I gave it a go.

The taping part of this project took me about an hour and a half. I used the advice from this tutorial at Design*Sponge to help me with the process. After all the taping was done, I sealed the tape by running over it with the edge of my credit card and painting over the edges of the tape with the base color, turquoise. Once that was dry, I painted the first coat of grey and it took 2 more light coats. There was a little bleeding under the tape once it was removed. However, those spots were easily touched up with a small paintbrush.

The time spent with measuring and taping to get this symmetry was well worth it.

Also, something new for me since I've moved to Germany is using acrylic paint instead of latex. I've been testing it on a few different projects and I find that it's easy to work with. The only con with acrylic is if you apply more than 2 coats, it starts to get really bumpy.  Sanding between coats has become a must and I hate sanding. However, the pro is that the worker at the local paint shop said no protective top coat is needed on furniture as long as you prime the furniture before applying the acrylic. I'm skeptical about this tip but I'm testing it on a chair now. We will see.

Here are the Before & After shots:

Enjoy!

Smokey Blue Dresser

This was a display piece that had only a few nicks and dents. I lightly sanded it and then used Behr paint and primer in Smokey Blue with an extra shot of white to lighten it a shade.

This was the original finish.

Eh, not terrible just a little boring.

I applied two coats of the paint and primer in one.

I used a foam roller and a smaller brush for the details.

When it was dry I lightly sanded the edges of the drawers and the details on the sides. I used 100 grit sandpaper and a 3m  rubber sanding block (makes sanding so much more fun).

I used 2 silver and white circle drawer knobs for the top drawer and 4 brushed silver drawer knobs from Lowes.

I left the top and bottom in the original state since they were in good condition and had a nice stain.

It is protected with a coat of paste wax. This was my first time trying the wax and it was pretty simple. Apply, let dry and wipe off. I used SC Johnson Paste Wax and I tested it by scraping a screw along a hidden side and it didn't even leave the tiniest mark.

This is the finished look:

Oh, I haven't forgotten about the dumpster find headboard and footboard. I'm still working on it. I recently found some antique finials at Victoria's Antique Warehouse. It's a really beautiful shop with a warehouse filled with wonderful architectural pieces. I'm going to Joann's tomorrow to use my 50% off coupon for some fabric because I've decided  to upholster the headboard. Once it's completed I'll post pics.

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