Two "quick" random tips before I begin:
1. If you are of the fairer sex and are looking for construction wear, try little boys clothing (they even make Carhartt clothes in "young men's" sizes). Just a little bargain hunter boasting: I found two pairs of little boy's Carhartt work pants (different colors too so know one thinks I'm repeating outfits... God forbid!) at this epic thrift shop in town that has never steered me wrong, called "Savers," for (wait for it): $3.99.... If Carhartt is unfamiliar territory for you, I encourage you to look at some of their prices online.. Egregious deal score by me!
2. I HIGHLY discourage against anyone drinking a Diet Coke (or any caffeinated beverage, for that matter) 1-2 hrs before bed... That "substance" will keep you up for hours, yo! I went to bed at 10:30 pm. (first "Nurd Alurt" offense) and did not fall asleep until 2:30 am. Four hours of my life, wasted!
And there ya go, sage advice right thar!
Now, getting back on track: This weekend I got my home decorating nerd on, if there is such a thing (doubtful) with my mamacita. We spent the day painting some cabinet samples and a chest using none other than Annie Sloan paints (remember when I wrote about that infamous paint inventor woman, here?). Unfortunately, because I was just SO IN THE ZONE, I spaced on taking "before" pictures.. Again... I really must get better at that with DIY projects... But hopefully my colorful description of the "before" will explain all you need to know. And by "colorful" I mean, colored with my bias...
The chest was this atrocious Southwestern style (might I say, "Breaking Bad-esque") , that had this pretty tragic Santa Fe style pattern on it with a blonde wood (gag) and a hammered metal heart shape thingamajig that held the latch down in order to close the chest. No apologies if you're a fan of the Southwestern thing and don't share my sentiments because I should probably just mention now this blog will probably never cover that style (although never say never) but to date that is probably my least favorite interior design influence out there.
Anyway, we managed to turn whatever you conjured up in your mind from that description, into this:
We were trying to mimic this:
Obviously there are some fundamental structural differences there but, for our first time out of the gate, I am not disappointed with the result. And while you might be, as my father was, I urge you to hold your tongues, young ladies and gentlemen.... I simply need to commandeer myself a tassel of sorts (maybe a dark gray one) or some other kind of fancy hardware, and I think that will make a big difference. Trust.
We used the Annie Sloan Old English Yellow Chalk Paint and applied her Dark Wax, using Annie's "special" wax brush after the paint had dried. We made sure to wipe the wax off immediately after "mashing" it into the wood. Why, you might ask? Because the dark wax acts a bit like a stain and if left on the wood too long, it can become tacky and hard to remove.
Now the kitchen cabinets. I'm not quite sure how this is going to translate from actuality to online editorial content but by god, I'm gonna try! These were the cabinets pre-paint (they have been in my parent's house for so long that I come to regard them with a serious disdain).
Question to my readers, if you're listening: "Do you think the rounded top cabinet panel design is outdated or does it just feel that way to me (and my mom) since we've lived with it for so long?"
But on a more positive note, we arrived at a color/stain combination that we are over-the-moon about (because us go-getters going to be painting them ourselves)! Annie S. mentions in her "color recipes" book, that you can mix Annie Sloan paint products with other paints (phew), so we experimented with a little of that action and were very pleased. Here is the final verdict on our ideal cabinet finish:
It will go with these countertops:
This wall color:
And these floors:
GET THE LOOK: We painted directly onto the finished wood, which the finish acted as a primer more or less, so we didn't prime first. We started by painting Benjamin Moore Color #2108-40 onto the wood. After the paint had dried, we then used Annie Sloan's Dark Wax, applied using her wax brush, and wiped it off immediately following the application. About 30 min after we put the wax on and there was no longer any tackiness, we diluted a small amount of Annie Sloan's Graphite Chalk Paint with water (about 50/50 paint to water) and lightly washed it over the two other coats and then wiped the excess off after painting it. Due to the water and the mixture being on top of the wax surface, parts of the paint did not absorb, which is what we wiped off.
So, what do you guys think? Did we do alright by you? How much of an upgrade is that cabinet wash going to be?
