Traci Niese | distressed

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, dark wax, distressed, DIY towel hooks, his and hers, Mr and Mrs, Simply Said vinyl designs

Do-It-Yourself His and Her’s Towel Hooks

Being married means sharing things, right? Like a bed, his last name and the household finances. But, there are some things that are off limits – like my bath towel! I loathe getting out of the shower to find my towel damp. Don’t you?

So to rectify this problem, I can’t think of a better way than to “label” your towel hooks! Thus, the perfect use for these adorable vinyl designs from Simply Said – the MR. and MRS.

I love them, and think every married couple should have them! Imagine the uses – iron them on your bed pillows, adhere them to your mirrors above a double vanity, or mark the bride and groom seating at a wedding ceremony!

Here’s the easy steps to making your own:

1) Order your Simply Said vinyl designs here. Mrs. is item #NP1090, and Mr. is item #NP1089. You choose the size and color. I chose 10″ in Warm Grey. They’ll take about 10 days to arrive.

2) While you wait go shopping for a piece of wood. I went to Lowe’s and bought a 10×1 board and had them cut it down to several pieces that were 10×10. The first two cuts are free and every cut thereafter is just twenty-five cents.

3) Buy two hooks (these came from Lowe’s), and two picture frame hangers for the back of the board (to hang on the wall).

4) Lightly sand your corners and edges, as the cuts are raw and splintery. I used a Black and Decker Mouse to sand with 80 grit paper, followed by 220. Remove saw dust with a dry brush.

5) Paint your boards. I chose to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperor’s Silk. After I painted the wood (two coats), I applied dark wax, and distressed the corners.

6) Allow your paint and wax to dry fully. It’s best to allow them to “cure” for a week or two, so all the chemicals evaporate before you apply the vinyls.

7) Once your painted boards are ready, apply your vinyl designs. See the application video here.

8) Follow the directions for putting your hooks on the boards. Basically its just a matter of using an electric screwdriver to drive two screws through the hook hardware into the wood.

9) Follow the directions for putting the hanging hardware on the back.

Done! Now hang them in your bathroom and be sure to show the love of your life his or her new towel hook!

July 7, 2014/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, distressed, Eifel Tower, France, French, Old White, Paris, paris chic, Paris Grey, shabby chic, Simply Said vinyl designs

Applying a Simply Said vinyl design to chalk painted furniture

When I was painting a lot of furniture, I loved putting designs on them. Chevron was very popular. So was anything french, Paris or script-inspired. It still is. The problem for me, was that I was relying on stencils to achieve the look. With stencils, I always had a little paint bleed-through and could never achieve the crips, clean edges I desired. Transfers were another option (using tracing paper to imprint a design onto a painted surface), but they took forever to fill-in with paint. And again, my hand wasn’t steady enough to get the crisp edges I wanted.

BUT NOW – there’s a solution to the edge issue. And a big time-saver. It’s vinyl designs. I just applied my first Simply Said design to a little side table and I LOVE it! It took a whole 3 minutes to apply!

Here’s the easy steps to applying the design:

1) I applied it over a piece that was painted with Annie Sloan’s chalk paint in Old White, with clear wax.

BEFORE

I ordered the design in a grey color that looks a lot like Annie Sloan’s Paris Grey. Look how pretty it is!

Next, I laid it grid-side facing up and ran the application tool across the entire surface to rid it of air bubbles.

Then I began in the top corner and slowly pulled the grid paper back and down to remove it.

Next, I laid it over my table.

Then I used the application tool again by running it over the whole surface to remove air bubbles and flatten it to the table.

I started at the top left corner and pulled the paper back and down to remove it slowly.

And there she is! Pretty!

It really looks like its painted on! I couldn’t be happier with it!

May 24, 2014/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, antique, brass, distressed, Graphite, Nelson Matter Furniture Company, painted furniture, Paris Grey, rosette bail pulls, shabby chic, swivel mirror, two tone, vintage

A Nelson Matter Dresser Makeover

I picked up this dresser and mirror several months ago at an auction.

As you can see, it was a mess. The lovely crackled finish would have been nice to leave as is, excerpt there were places on the top, front and sides that had huge areas of damage. The top had cup rings, the front looked like a tire tread over the paint, and the side had business cards stuck to the surface!

After inspecting the inside when I got it home, I discovered this medallion in a drawer.

It belongs to The Nelson Matter Furniture Company, which had been established in 1844 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After a little research online, I discovered this company went out of business in about 1910. So, you can see that this is an old piece of furniture! And that would explain its sold wood, dovetailed construction, as well as the state of the mirror, which is quite cloudy. However, it certainly doesn’t deter from the beauty of the piece, but gives it more character in my opinion. I loved the bail pulls, even though it was missing one. I loved the keyholes, the swiveling mirror and gorgeous legs. I loved it at first sight, and waited through 4 hours of bidding to get it!

After giving it a quick clean-up with mineral spirits, I decided to paint this with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I used Graphite with dark wax, as well as Paris Grey with clear wax (the two-tone look is so hot right now). And while I had hoped to find a drawer pull to match the existing ones, my search came up empty-handed. So, I ordered 6 new solid brass rosette bail pulls, that were a close match.

And here she is…

I love painting dressers – especially old ones. They always please me to no end with their dramatic transformations! I hope this beauty finds a well-deserved new home!

June 17, 2013/0 Comments/by Traci

advice, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, antique, decoupage, distressed, DIY, do-it-yourself, hints, makeover, Minwax, Modge Podge, Robert Allen Fabric, stencil, tips, upholstery project, vintage

2012 Project Highlights and Tips for Succes

January 1, 2013. Today’s a day to reflect on the past year and plan for the future. And its been a good year filled with many changes. My family is happy and healthy, and professionally I couldn’t be more pleased. The new book publicity job is going well, and this past Spring I rediscovered how much I enjoy painting furniture.

Between custom work for clients, and the pieces I painted to sell, the projects were, for the most part, highly enjoyable (excerpt for painting a few sets of dining chairs – oh they are a bear)! Here’s some of my favorites from 2012 and tips for success:

My FAVORITE furniture makeover was the french chair…

This was so fun – I really loved the upholstery aspect of this piece, and I hope to do more chairs this year. If you’re going to reupholster a piece, here’s my suggestions to avoid pulling your hair out:

1) Invest in a good stapler – at least an electric one, or you will find you need a lot of muscle just to get them in flush
2) Save the pieces of old fabric you tear off to use as a template when cutting the new fabric
3) Buy more fabric then you think you will need

Here’s the original posts for this project if you want to see and read more:
Ripping it Apart
Painting the Chair
The Reveal

The Antique Bedroom Set – a close tie for second!

Oh how I loved working on this set that included a queen headboard, footboard, side rails, a dresser, vanity and two huge mirrors. The furniture was beautiful, with amazing appliqué details, curves and rasters. Did I say I LOVED this set? And after the paint, I loved it even more.

Tips for success:

1) Tape off your mirrors with green (Frog tape brand) painter’s tape. Do not use the blue kind – or you will have bleeding. Trust me on this!

2) Invest in beautiful knobs – they make such a difference

3) When painting appliqués, use a small artist’s brush and take your time

Click here if you want to see some before shots of these beauties.

Mona’s Sideboard

This console was a custom paint project that I fell in love with. I swear when it was all said and done, I secretly wished it was mine! I hope to find a similar piece some day and paint it for my own dining room.

Tips for success:

1) Frog tape is great for getting crisp lines around edges if you don’t trust a not-so-steady hand

2) Use dark wax sparingly for an aged patina. If you smear it over the whole piece, it will just look dirty.

3) Sometimes the lack of hardware truly makes a piece stand out. Don’t be afraid to take it off and fill in the holes. But be sure you can easily open drawers.

Here’s more photos!

The bench from hell

Sometimes a piece of furniture is so easy to transform you’ll amaze yourself. At others, it’s such a pain in the ass you could cry. This one fell into the latter category. And I have several posts to explain why linked below. BUT, what’s important is that the end result. This pretty piece sits in my spare bedroom and when I walk past the room, I still find myself stopping to admire her.

Tips (or maybe I should calls these bits of advice warnings):

1) You will get blisters when removing thousands of staples!

2) Upholstery needles are very long and sharp!

Paint Demo Inspires Craft Club

This weekend I had a nice group of neighbor ladies over for a paint demo. A few were really interested in learning how to transform their old furniture with the shabby chic style that is so popular. We worked on this tray, which can be purchased already decoupaged with this pretty floral paper from Jo-Ann’s Fabric. The wood was unfinished, and the handles come black.

We painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Antoinette – a pretty soft pink color. I showed the gals how to distress with a sanding block and seal with clear wax. Then we even added a little gold gilding wax to the handles for some added glamour!

It was so much fun, sitting there talking about painting, drinking wine and generally gabbing with the girls. And so, we decided this would become a monthly craft club. Like a book club, a different member will host a meeting at their home, where they will lead a craft. I’m starting in October with a Halloween craft – stay tuned – I’m sure to write a blog post about it!

September 3, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan, arched, black, brass hardware, classic, clear wax, dark wax, distressed, double doors, drawers, French, French Linen, Old White, secretary desk, stencils, window panels

The Secretary is In!

This afternoon I delivered another custom piece for a client – a lovely secretary desk.

Below are the BEFORE photos: (Even completely spray-painted black, it was very pretty.)

Here’s the AFTER: painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen and Old White.

I distressed the edges lightly and added dark wax in the crevices on the crown molding and around the window panels, after sanding back the stencils.

She decided to leave the inside black. Thank goodness, can you imagine how much time it would have taken to hand-paint inside all of those compartments!!

Here’s the piece in her home, adjacent to its matching table and chairs. She loved it and I am so happy with how it turned out!

September 3, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, clear wax, dark wax, distressed, Gilding wax, Gold, occasional table, Old Ochre

Occasional Table Gets Gilding Wax Treatment

I’ve been dying to try gold gilding wax, and when my neighbor (thanks Karen!) gave me a pretty little occasional table, I had the perfect piece. With it’s carved column legs, it begged for some bling!

I wish I had stopped to take a BEFORE photo, but like so often, I get all caught up in painting, and forget. So, imagine this piece in a dark brown. Trust me, it looked really different!

It’s painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old Ochre. With all of the crevices and detail, I knew this piece would look beautiful with dark wax. And of course the gilding wax went into the little carved details on each leg. Gosh – she looks so pretty!

August 25, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan, Bombay, cabriole legs, chalk paint, coffee table, cottage, dark wax, distressed, end table, French, french country, Graphite, makeover, Old Ochre, shabby chic, side table

Graphite French Country Tables

I have someone interested in having a dining set painted in Graphite, the Annie Sloan chalk paint color that isn’t quite black, but a lovely charcoal color. The shade deepens to nearly black with layers of dark wax. I have been dying to try it out, and gave it a go with two french country tables I acquired recently.

These Bombay coffee table and end tables were in need of repair – both had damaged surfaces, but were otherwise in great, sturdy condition. (sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the coffee table in the BEFORE stage)

First, I sanded down the table tops to remove most of the damage and smooth out the surface. This convinced me that I really need to invest in an electric sander! Using sanding blocks and manually doing it was a you-know-what! And I was doing this in my garage, on a friggin 90 degree day, when the humidity was high enough to drown a duck in its own sweat! No fun.

Next, I painted each with a coat of ASCP in Old Ochre – a sort of antique white color. Then I painted the tops in Graphite. It went on a bit blueish. A very pretty color indeed! I made sure to paint in every direction – left to right, up and down – purposely giving it texture. After it dried, I began waxing it with several layers of dark wax. Each time it got a little darker – and more beautiful – because the wax settled into all of that texture. The color is spectacular – aged and beautiful! Then I clear waxed the legs. Next I distressed the edges of the tops and just a bit on the bottoms of the legs. I went over all distressed areas of the tops with another layer of dark wax. The bottom distressed areas got clear wax again, and I finished by putting just a tad bit of dark wax on select areas of the legs to age them a bit too.

Here’s the finished pieces:

Charlotte can’t resist a photo shoot!!

These pieces are for sale: http://leopardandblackinteriors.com/2012/04/items-for-sale.html

August 13, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, antique, Arles, clear wax, distressed, DIY, mirror makeover, Old White, vintage

Distressed Mirror Makeovers

I finished a couple of mirror projects – one for a neighbor who wanted a full-length mirror for her daughter’s bedroom, and another vintage mirror I plan to sell. (Although looking at it in my entryway tempts me to keep it!)

Here’s the vintage mirror sitting on a long entry table. The mirror can be hung or placed on a surface as you see here. It’s painted with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a lovely yellow color called Arles. It’s got a bit of dry-painting in Old White, is lightly distressed and has been clear-waxed for protection. I am selling this mirror for $75.00.

The mirror measures just shy of 33″ wide by 21″ tall. I would guess it had been made with an old wooden window frame, as it is very heavy. You would definitely need to reinforce the wall hardware if you plan to hang it.

And here’s a photo of the full-length mirror. My neighbor wanted it to match her daughter’s antique white bedroom decor. So this was painted with 2 coats of Old White, with light distressing and sealed with clear wax.

Mirrors are hard to photograph. At least for this inexperienced photographer. I didn’t want to get in the picture, since I was wearing my pajamas! I hope my neighbor and her daughter are happy with how this turned out!

May 15, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, clear wax, coffee table makeover, curved legs, dark wax, distressed, DIY, dry brush, french provincial, Old White, Paloma, shabby chic, transformation

A french coffee table named after a special friend

You may noticed on the page where I’ve listed my items for sale that they’ve all been given a name. Why? I thought it might help me keep track of the pieces I’ve completed in years to come, when they’ve all found homes – and – sometimes I can’t help but think of someone I know when I discover a piece of furniture.

Like this coffee table. When I laid eyes on her, I saw elegance. Those curvey legs, the delicate drawer pull, the beautiful carved shells and finials – they all said, “this old girl may be down, but she’s not out.” And after a paint job, her vintage glory shines. And so she is named after one of my very dear friends – a woman who is a tremendous fighter, when the odds have been against her – and a true class act. She is Ann, and so this table has been named, The Annie.

Here’s her before photo and several images from various angles to admire her…

The entire piece was painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paloma – a grey/taupe color with a hint of lavender. It’s a beautiful French-inspired color that I thought would be perfect for this table. I dry-brushed Old White all around the legs, base and top edges. The top of the table features a damask and vine accent. It’s been distressed and the legs, base and edges were aged with dark wax. The top was sealed with clear wax.

Dry brushing with the white paint allowed the paloma to show through.

I painted this in my driveway on a hot day and some of the paint started to crackle. I quickly took it inside, fearing that I had destroyed the paint job. But, once it dried completely, I was in love! The little bit of texture provides so much antique-factor!

I know what you’re thinking…so many photos! But, I couldn’t stop snapping the camera. There’s so many beautiful sides to see. Just like the real Ann, she is named after!

I hope you you like her!

May 4, 2012/0 Comments/by Traci