From Second-Hand to French Blue

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Spring has finally come to Michigan! We opened our pool yesterday. It won't be warm enough to swim for a while but it's so much nicer looking at a pool full of water than the winter pool cover!

We were also a construction zone around here last week. We had our front door, our dining room patio door and three windows upstairs replaced. They were long overdue! We are waiting now for the patio door in our living room to be replaced with a window. I'll show you pictures as soon as things are finished.

My mom bought this little cabinet at an estate sale in Denver more than 20 years ago. It has survived all the moves across the country and all the various houses we've lived in and has been in the same spot in our current home since we moved in.

It sits in a little hallway that leads from the entry hall to the living room.  You can either enter the living room or go straight down another hall way and into the kitchen.


Up until last week, this is what it looked like. I have never loved it but my mom has always told me, "It's a nice credenza!" I'm hoping she doesn't notice that I painted it! lol

Buying things second-hand seems to get you a lot of furniture with this color finish. This little cabinet has very nice wood, inside and out, and charming hardware, but it was time for a change.

So I've been staring at it a lot lately and wondering if I had the nerve to paint it. (And wondering if it would make my mom unhappy!)

And as I typically do, with no preparation what-so-ever, like buying paint in the right color or checking to see if I had all the supplies I needed - I went for it!

First I dug around in my paint stash and found a bright turquoise. When doing something like this, I usually pour the amount of paint I think I'll need into a disposable plastic cup and then add the appropriate amount of chalk paint additive. I used the same additive I used on my Bergere chairs. I purchased it at Amazon. It's called Rusty Hippo Instant Chalk Paint

Without any pre-sanding, I gave my cabinet a coat of paint inside and out with the turquoise, including the hardware. I tried to get the hardware off but it was bolted on and my husband wasn't home to ask his advice (or to scold me-haha) so I painted over it.

I then found another paint that was more of a medium blue, added some black and some teal to it until I came up with the color I had in mind.  I also added the chalk paint additive. When the turquoise had dried, I gave the whole thing a coat of my blue chalk paint mix.

I waited about an hour (chalk paint dries very quickly) and then began sanding to reveal the turquoise under the blue. I sanded more heavily along the edges taking it all the way down to the original finish. I also sanded most of the paint off the hardware.

I recently bought the clear wax and antiquing wax that Lowe's now carries for chalk paint finishes. They also are carrying chalk paint. But because I only want small amounts of each color, I like having the additive to make my own.

I experimented with the clear wax and the antiquing wax. I ended up using the smallest bit of antiquing wax and using the clear wax only on the top. The clear wax made the color a little brighter and I didn't want the color to change all over.

I also experimented with adding a gold buff along the edges.

And I think it has so much personality now!  I had wanted something in this area that was a deeper blue than my shutters and I love the color.

I'm so in love with how it turned out that I took my paint stir stick to the store and had them match the color. I'm thinking about painting the inside of my new china cabinet!

love and blessings~

"Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see; the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."  Matthew 11:4-6

Joining these linky parties:
Between Naps on the Porch
Karen's Up On the Hill
Dwellings
Stone Gable - The Scoop
A Stroll Thru Life
Knick of Time
Ivy and Elephants
Common Ground
Imparting Grace
From My Front Porch to Yours
French Country Cottage
Cupcakes and Crinoline
Home Remedies RX
The Dedicated House