Magical Mercury Tutorial

 

Take a few of these ...

Thrift store finds - about $1.50 each

Add this and a spray bottle of water ...

I couldn't find this at Home Depot or Michaels, so I ordered online from Amazon.com.

The large size is around $17

And get this - faux Mercury Glass!

Here they are with some tea lights in them.

I first saw this done by Maury of A Fabuless Home.  Mine didn't go as smoothly as hers -- I accidentally sprayed the front of my shirt with the paint (I blame a faulty sprayer valve ... not the fact that I'm basically a klutz!).   

But it's easy. All you do is spray the glass piece with the Krylon paint, let it dry for about 20 seconds or so, then lightly spritz it with water.  I decided to spray mine on the outside of the piece.

Because of the aforementioned issue with the paint sprayer valve, I got drips.  But all I did was blot with a paper towel and spray again until I got the desired effect. Actually I should have done more spraying and blotting, but the paint fumes were giving me a headache (note to self and to you, make sure you do this in a very well-ventilated area). 

The best thing about this project is you can't screw it up! The more you blot and respray the more realistic it looks. Well, maybe that's the second best thing.  The very best is the fact that you can get the same look as this ...

Ballard Designs, $25 - $39 each

For a whole lot less. I'm trying it on glass ornaments next!

White is Right

Last spring I decided my dining room needed to be lightened up. Our house doesn't get a lot of light in the front because of the trees, and I thought changing out the wood furniture would brighten the room. This fateful decision started my long journey with the dining room table that I whined about here.  Originally I was going to leave the china cabinet as it was, but when I saw it with the table (briefly, as the table is now back in the garage ... yes, I'm trying again).I realized it needed to be painted white.

The original cabinet had about four different veneer treatments (sorry you can't see it better, but this is the only before photo I have).  Which, while I didn't particularly like them, did add some interest.

Once the first coat was on, I could see it was going to look kind of plain. So I picked up some wood embellishments at Michaels and played with a couple of combos. 

I decided to keep it fairly simple and went with the fleur de lis.
I used three smaller ones on the top.

And one large one on the drawer.

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because I was in a hurry and didn't want to have to prime the cabinet.  I didn't even take the dishes out -- I just pulled it out from the wall a bit and painted it in place!  Eventually I'll paint the inside shelves.

I did a light distressing to bring out some of the detail.

And added some old glass knobs that I had from another project.

I like it, and think once everything is in I'm going to get the look I was going for. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the table is going to work out this time, and I'll be ready for the big dining room reveal by next week!

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Faded Charm: White Wednesday

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My Repurposed Life: Catch as Catch Can

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Have a Seat

If you looked in my garage right now you would think I have a chair fetish.  I have the six chairs that are going to go with my dining room table when its done (still working on it!), plus two additional sets of six chairs, and two occasional chairs.  Hmmmm.... maybe I do have a chair fetish!  Anyway, I found this chair on -- where else -- Craigslist. I bought it for just $10!

I love the fan detail and the scrolls on the arms. 

It was actually in good shape, but I just wanted to update it a bit. So I painted it black.

I recovered the seat first in a light cotton, then I covered that with burlap.  It still looked a bit blah to me though, so I did a couple of stencils on it.

This was the first time I've tried stencils on fabric, but it was quite easy.

 

I have a matching chair, so now I'm trying to decide if I should do a matching one, or sell this one as a one-of-a-kind. What do you think?

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A Gender-Friendly Makeover

Most of my painting projects lately have been on the feminine side.  Although I love the French, feminine look, I realize it's not everyone's taste.  So when I found this little chest at a thrift store (for just $15!) I decided to give it a gender-friendly makeover.

The chest was sturdy, but the top and bottom drawer tipped down when you pulled them out.  I saw that a piece had broken off of the plastic slide guides on both drawers.

That's an easy and cheap fix -- I got the replacement slide guides from Rockler, replaced the broken ones, and voila, fixed drawers!

I loved the old hardware and didn't want to change it. I took off the handles, but I didn't want to mess with the keyhole, so I just taped around it.  I did a simple paint job with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite. (I do use paints besides chalk paint, but since it's so quick and easy it's been my favorite lately!) Then I lightly sanded some edges to bring out the original brown.

I wanted a pop of color on the inside, so I painted the inside and sides of the drawers in ASCP Aubusson Blue.

A couple of coats of wax, and it was done.  

I can see this chest next to a comfy chair in a library or as a nightstand. 

With the paint it has turned from traditional to transitional. and I think it will appeal to both men and women. Nothing froo-froo, just cool. I love it!

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