I've had a love hate relationship with Pinterest for a long time now! Of course more love then hate! I guess the hard part for me is I get so caught up in it and then realize I have spent too much time looking and dreaming, instead of doing or creating! I think this next year I need to make an extra effort about trying and reading or learning about all the fun things I find on Pintrest!
Well just recently I was going through some items that I have been wanting to repaint or refinish. I figured using something small would be the perfect chance to try something new that I've had pinned for a long time now. One of the many things that I enjoy is repainting or refinishing furniture. I love finding an old piece or using an existing piece and giving it a whole new look. So I read through several of my saved pins about "chalk paint" and decided to give it a try.
I decided to paint a small jewelry box that I had on hand. I don't have a before shot of it, but this is what it looked like once I fnished it. It was a simple and fun project to do. I just took the little handles off and sprayed them white. While they dried I mixed up the paint and went to town. I did find several different formulas for the paint mixture. I had plaster of paris on hand so I went with a recipe that used it. The mixture is using acrylic paint, water, and plaster of paris. Since I didn't need a large amount I kind of just eyed it and mixed up what I needed. When I put the first coat of paint on it went on very thin. At first I wasn't really liking it. I had used a smaller paint brush and traded it in for a thicker one. Once I did that the paint went on much easier and gave better coverage.
Once the paint is dry it does look slightly different. It is more chalky looking. I followed this with a quick sanding on the edges with some fine sand paper. I followed that step with a natural finishing wax and buffed clean.
I haven't decided if I "love" the home made chalk paint or not. I think I'm going to try it on something bigger next time and then see how I like it! I of course will let you know. I do think though this was a quick and fun project. It makes for a cute accessory to a bedroom or even a gift. I love the color of this one. It's one of the colors I'm using in Aliya's bedroom. I'm sure we will paint her one in the future, but for now this one is for sale. It's at a local shop, but if your interested let me know and we can mail it!
Just a few more photos below. A few new pieces that have been taken to the shop. Thinking of working on some Christmas ornaments this week. Just sounds good! What fun projects are you working on?
Have a great week! Kim
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