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...







<><><><><><><>