The Vintage Barn

Okay....so this time when I say I am going to stick to it....I AM GOING TO STICK TO IT! Blogging, that is. I am being realistic though. My husband (we just celebrated 5 years of marriage yesterday, WOO HOO!) and I have two beautiful little girls. Our oldest is almost 4 and our baby just turned 1 a week ago. So, for me to try to blog daily...is going to be a goal. I have just finished a FABULOUS piece that a friend gave me. It is a beautiful, solid oak buffet/hutch. I wasn't sure how I was going to refinish this...what color? So, I will take you back a few weeks. All summer I was going back and forth with trying to decide whether or not I should venture out an buy a quart of that much talked about chalk paint. I didn't. All summer and early fall I painted with my good ol' standbys. They did the job. A good job, too. Then on a last minute getaway to Santa Cruz, I found a cute little vintage shop that carried the famous chalk paint. Coming off of a very "good" weekend for me the weekend before at a show in Clovis, I decided to "invest" in my business and get a quart. I told myself I was investing...but I really just wanted it. I wanted to try and see if it really lived up to all the hype...so I went home with 2 cans and the wax. SPLURGE!!! Once we got home, that next day I started on my project. Was this really going to be "life changing?" I prepped my piece simply by wiping it with a clean cloth with a little bit of TSP (cleaning agent) on it. I let that air dry and then dove right into one coat of chalk paint. I only did one coat on this project because I really liked the grain of the wood and wanted to make sure I could still see it in certain spots.

Next step, wet rag and wipe where I wanted the distressed look. Are you kidding me? I have been going crazy with my sander, getting sanding dust everywhere and eating up expensive sand paper (and always running out and not having what I need when I need it!) Really? Wet a cloth and wipe? Yep...and it was pretty easy. A little more elbow grease in some areas than others...and it was done.

I have to say, I wasn't even finished with he project and I knew I was sold! I LOVE this chalk paint and will be buying more. It also went a long way...just like everyone said. I painted this huge hutch and I would say there is a little more that 3/4 of the quart left. That is great coverage!!! Here are some pictures of it...and stay tuned for my next piece. I am redoing an old library desk that my husband's fraternity brother gave us. It is HUGE and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do much with it. But, I have a couple quarts of chalk paint and I have a plan! Stay tuned...and don't forget to check out my Etsy shop www.thevintagebarn.etsy.com.

Love and Junk, Julie