What I did before work today....or Sorry Kevin



Usually I am pretty thorough when I preview furniture and other wares, but once in a while something escapes my "eagle" eye.  I had Lasik surgery about a year ago, so I like to brag about my superb vision every chance I get; much to Mr. Well Worn's dismay.  When you are looking for items whether it be furniture or ironstone, make sure to really inspect the item for damage.  If you are in the market for antique or vintage items, you will probably learn about damaged goods the hard way.  Often, the seller isn't even aware that there is damage and they are not trying to be dishonest.  If they are selling their grandma's ironstone platter, they may not know that it was broken and glued together.  They just remember it hanging on the wall when they were a kid.  They may also be blissfully oblivious to the fact that grandma threw it at grandpa in a fit of rage, and then hung it on the wall to serve as a reminder that he was married to a feisty woman and he had better tow the line.  I digress.  There are seller's who knowingly will sell you damaged goods as well.  So just take your time and really look at your future purchases.  That being said, I bought a great piece from my friend Kevin, who is as honest as they come.  I was on my way to San Luis Obispo (and thinking about the Clam Chowder at Splash http://www.splashbakery.com/) so I should have waited to preview and purchase, but patience is not something that I will EVER have in excess.  So, I purchased this great piece that was a little dirty, but had great "bones".  It sat on my porch because I didn't want it to get lost in the odds and ends in my storage shed.  I finally had a chance to check it out, much to my neighbor's delight.  I thought I'd clean it up and bring it right in to Well Worn.  Well that was a fairy tale, once I cleaned it, I noticed that the finish was not so great, and as a matter of fact there were stain drips all over the thing.  

One of these days I will be patient and remember a true "before" picture



 My pictures are not the best, so bear with me.  (Please refer back to the lack of patience that I just wrote about.)



There was also a chunk missing out of one of the side rails.  I really wanted to keep this piece in a natural finish to show the beautiful grain of the wood.  But once you have a rail with a big chunk missing, it forces your hand.  So...I decided to paint this little beauty with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I painted it with Provence.



You may be a redneck if there's a chandelier in your work area....

Once I finished with the Provence, I put a light coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax on it and then I went to work.

The next day I sanded the piece lightly.  I didn't want a heavily distressed piece, but rather a light fun piece.  I was thinking it could be a fun addition to just about any space.  My next step was to make a colored wax.  I mixed the Clear Wax with Old White.

I applied the colored wax to the piece and buffed it out.

So, sorry Kevin!  I know you like the old wood and so do I, but once in a while a makeover is due.

Deciding if it gets the "HSA" the Harvey Seal of Approval





Yep, it's approved

 I'll be bringing this piece to the Roses & Rust vintage market on October 8th
http://rosesandrustvintagemarket.blogspot.com/  along with HUNDREDS, yep hundreds of cans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  So come and enjoy a fun day!

"Fun is good." --Dr. Seuss (& me)

Melony

Linking up to  I hope this works...

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We're Back

Fort Bragg was rejuvenating.  I like to describe the annual Fort Bragg trip as camping with 60 or our closest friends.  This year we had the added bonus of a wedding thrown into the mix, so it was more like 120 of our "closest friends".  We are so blessed to be able to get away and decompress from the pressures of everyday life.  I hope you are able to do that on some level, in your own way.  Truthfully, my favorite place to camp is Embassy Suites, but it's good to rough it once in a while as well.   Now that we're back we've been busy busy.  I have a lot of things that I'm trying to juggle all at once.  At times it feels like a circus, but what's not to like about the circus?  Well, maybe those manky orange marshmallow circus peanuts, but the rest of it is fun.  Speaking of marshmallows, you may have heard that I had S'mores for breakfast on more than one occasion while camping....I can not confirm, nor deny.




Sea Glass adheres to the rocks and seaweed at Glass Beach

 

Glass Beach is one of my favorite places to visit in Fort Bragg.  It used to be the local dump.  Now the whole  beach "tinkles" as the waves crash on the old discarded glass of days gone by.  Glass Beach is just my style, something that was once thought of as junk, polished up by the most Creative One and now beautiful.  That's pretty much our philosophy at Well Worn.   

 

Dream with your eyes open,

Melony



What I did Before Work

My job requires me to work rotating shifts and sometimes I don't start until 1:00 p.m.  I decided that when I have a productive day before I go to work, I would share it with you.  I'll call these the "What I did Before Work" posts.

I purchased this cute little table from my friend Kevin.  Kevin is probably one of the nicest men on the planet.  He has a storage unit that he is cleaning out and has let me go through the items and pick out a few things.  Now, that's my type of shopping!  When I get to "shop" Kevin's storage unit, I feel pretty lucky.  Great stuff and great company, what more could a girl ask for?  Hmmm maybe a little rust. 



This little guy was so cute, just a little beat up and dirty



The first thing I did was to sand the whole table.  Once I sanded it I used Minwax pre stain conditioner on the legs and let it sit for about 30 minutes.  After that I applied Minwax wood finish stain in Jacobean.  I usually just apply both with a towel.  I did a different finish on the top; so I did not condition it.  I used watered down Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Old White and brushed on a coat.  Once that dried, I brushed on two more thin coats. I then painted another coat of watered down Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence.  Once that was all dry, I brushed on a mixture of Annie Sloan dark wax that I cut down with Annie Sloan Clear wax.  The whole project from start to finish was less than two hours.  That includes the sanding.  If you are into instant gratification you will like the Annie Sloan line of paint.  Once I brushed on a watered down coat, I picked up a little of the mess that I made while sanding, and the table was dry and ready for a new coat.  Now you're talking my language.  Patience isn't one of my gifts.    



The after



I wanted to get a few more shots and better shots of the after at my booth, but it's already gone to a new home. 

Be joyful today!

Melony

Annie is in the House!

Hello friends.  It has been a roller coaster ride lately at Well Worn.  We are now carrying the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint line at Well Worn.  As with anything new, there is a learning curve.  Bear with me as I learn the dos and don'ts of being a mini-stockist as well as all the fun painting techniques.  There are a lot of different ideas and crazy plans rolling around in the Well Worn noggin' so hopefully your patience will pay off as this unfolds.  Its going to be fun. 

On a side note, we are excited to be traveling to Fort Bragg with about 60 of our closest friends for the annual camping trip.  I am so excited to take a day off to actually take a day off!  Usually I take a day off so I can work.  Coastal air and good company...sign me up!