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!

Coral Striped Headboard

This is a simple headboard that I painted grey with a coral stripe down the center.

I've never used stripes on furniture before and I was a little hesitant to try. I just used regular blue painter's tape (not the expensive stuff). I painted the coral in the middle. Taped off the sides. Sealed the tape with the coral color and then painted the grey. After a few coats and a couple of days I peeled off the tape and I had a perfectly crisp line.  Easy Peasy!

The paint colors are Behr's Creek Bend and Youthful Coral. I just purchased the testers for $3 at Home Depot. 

You can find this piece for sale in my Etsy Shop. 

Miss Fancy Pants

I'd like to introduce you to Miss Fancy Pants. I found her at a local thrift shop for a decent price. She has lovely details and she's in great shape. She just needed a little paint job to rid her of that orange stain she was strutting around town in and that's exactly what she got...

a paint job. In Turquoise, of course.

I'm working on my next piece and I'm trying to venture out of my turquoise-aholism. Hoping coral will be the color of choice. Enjoy the turquoise while you can.

I used Olympic One paint but color matched Behr's Bermuda. She has about 5 coats of wipe-on poly. It was my first time using it and I was unsure how durable it would be since it was so thin. However, the finish is holding up very nicely after 5 coats.

I lightly distressed the edges, drawers, doors and legs. Then used a mahogany stain on a Q-tip to darken the wood showing through.

I cleaned up the hardware she came with and re-used it. 

You can find her for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Enjoy!

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Jaded Nightstand

Kicked to the curb. Tossed to the side. Left for dead. Dumped. This nightstand was jaded to say the least. Left at the dumpster by her previous owner, understandably so, due to her sad yellow finish chipping away at her seams. This ol' gal needed a make over. So, I gave her a frosted one in jade. This is the same color I used on my living room walls and I love it. It's called Frosted Jade (how appropriate) by Behr. However, I had it color matched to Olympic paint. It's cheaper and less fumes.

I like how it turned out and the original hardware adds a nice contrast with a tarnished aged look.

It's for sale in my Etsy shop, The Maison. Have a look!

Almost Navy & Vintage Gold Side Table

My husband found this table abandoned next to a dumpster. It was in good condition and it had great curves so he brought it home to me. I sanded it down and originally started to paint it grey but after the first coat I didn't like how the grey was turning out. I found this deep blue green paint that reminds me of navy blue but is too green to be navy. It's Valspar's Farimont Penthouse Mosaic Blue.

The original finish on the top was a sandy orange stain and I liked how the tone looked with the blue. However, the top of the table had a lot of dents and scratches in it and I would've had to put a lot of elbow grease in it to sand it out. So I decided to paint it Vintage Gold Metallic by Martha Stewart. 

I put 2 coats on the top and then distressed the edges. I buffed the whole top with a fine sanding block and it created an aged look. As if I had glazed it. 

I liked the effect so I left it.

I'm going to be working on a kitchen island soon. We're moving into a house and it comes with a really awful kitchen island that the last tenants left. The landlord says I can do whatever I like with it, so I've been pinning for inspirations. I'll post pics when it's all done.

White Distressed Coffee Table with Turquoise Accents

I've been working on this coffee table for 2 months. She was a little stubborn but so am I...

At first I painted her a bright turquoise but it was just way too much color for this table. Then I tried white. It was OK but I wanted to see if something else would make more sense. So I dry brushed the base in a greyish turquoise. I liked the technique but I hated the way it looked. So we went back to white .

 I decided to glaze her in a silver metallic and she was beginning to show some character. However, after all the coats of paint the thin carvings on the corners were looking awful. I could see drips of paint  and runs. I turned to wood filler to remedy the problem. It was my first go at wood filler and I didn't do such an awesome job. Still, I could see the outlines of the carvings and then I thought about decoupoging.

I had this swirly craft paper that I adhered to the corners with mod podge and sealed with a clear coat. It was just the right amount of color and the swirls added a little whimsy. 

The edges of the tabletop and legs got a little distressing attention and then I applied a white wash. I like white washing (watered down white paint applied and then wiped off) because it provides a muted wood tone to the distressed areas. I finished her off with a few coats of wax and spray painted the original hardware.

After two months of trying different colors and techniques, she's finished and listed in my Etsy Shop!

It's OK to make a few mistakes especially when you can paint over them.

Pretty Little Table

I've been on the look out for a pretty little table and I finally got my hands on one!

I tried to resist painting it turquoise but...

I love it's pretty little claw feet.

And the pretty scallop detail around the top of the table.

It's just so... pretty.

You can find it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Happy Weekending!