Bye Bye Debbiedoo

As I wrote that I couldn’t help thinking of the song…”Bye Bye Love”….showing my age here!
Speaking of age, my blog is now 9 months old and I have topped 100 followers so guess what?
It’s time to say goodbye to Debbiedoo’s Newbie group…..sniff, sniff…



It’s been so wonderful to have her support as I blogged away here. I didn’t find her until I was 5 months old so I was a bit behind the curve 
but I sure learned a LOT in the past 4 months!
If you are a new blogger (blogging LESS than 6 months OR with less than 100 followers) then  you need to hop over there and join up! 
I routinely tell any newbie who leaves me a comment about Debbiedoo’s 
but just in case I missed anyone, you can’t say you never knew!

Lately I’ve been working hard on two pieces of furniture for a client. 
SO stressful….I find it much easier to just refinish a piece the way I might like it 
without the added worry of whether the person I am working for will like it! 
We took the pieces over on Saturday and I was so relieved when she was happy with them……
Thought I’d show you some before and after pics. 


They are in my garage under yukky flourescent light so you’ll have to take that into account. 
Plus…I have had some trouble locating all the pics in my files….one of my worst habits is downloading pics and then not organizing them! 
OMG…I spend WAY too much time looking through files and
 I REALLY need to change my bad habit!!
First is this really large two piece hutch. It’s an antique and really ornate.


It was in two pieces in the garage so you have to imagine it together!


I used ASCP in Paris Gray for the first coat.
  50/50 Paris Gray and Old White was used for the final for the final coat. 
I thinned it a bit with water so there is a hint of the darker gray showing through occasionally. 
Old White was thinned a bit and brushed into the carvings and then wiped back.



I used clear wax over the whole piece. 
My client doesn’t like the distressed “dirty” look of the dark wax.



The drawer pulls were copper, which was interesting. 
They didn’t look right with he new gray paint so I rubbed my 50/50 mixture of ASCP over them 
and rubbed off until I was satisfied with the look. 
Somewhere there’s a closeup of that!

Here’s the whole piece…


I think it’s gorgeous. my client collects blue and white porcelain and it will look wonderful on this gray hutch.
Here’s the before again….



I did a second piece for her as well…..can’t find the original pic to save my life 
but here is the after.
It was all the color of the top but dull and worn.

This piece was sprayed with enamel in Heirloom White by Rustoleum…
my favorite off white color.
Very little distressing was done, as my client prefers. 
The hinges and knobs are brass but were very tarnished. 
I cleaned them a bit but not too much. I wanted to retain the tarnished look a bit.

The top was sanded back to bare wood and given a good coat of Minwax wood conditioner before staining. 
Wood conditioner will ensure that your stain will be even and not streaky. I use foam brushes for staining. 
Next I applied American Chestnut stain by Minwax. Even though the piece is cherry don’t assume that a cherry stain is the route to take. 
You should test a stain on the wood and see if the color is right. A cherry stain would have given this piece a reddish hue, which I didn’t want.  
I followed that with a spray lacquer finish. Finally, I used a compound polish, similar to what would be used on a car or boat to remove surface irregularities while not removing the finish. it’s sort of like the Soft Scrub you might use in the bathroom. Just a very fine bit of grit to it. 
Then a polish with some liquid wax and it’s beautiful.

Notice anything funny in the pic? 
We didn’t see the handle was upside down until we arrived at her house…we all had a laugh over that.

The handle should look like this…

 On the distressed areas, I sanded to the wood and then used Annie Sloan’s dark wax.

We also did some repair work to the piece so the doors and drawers would work properly.


Comments

  1. Wow to the furniture, especially that first piece, and I don’t know if I will ever want to move out of my comfort zone of newbie at DebbieDoo’s! There is a safety in being new, or is it that word newbie makes me feel young?

    Then again….. I’m not even two months into this blogging stuff, so unless my blog explodes from some totally amazing ‘something’ that I post…. I have quite a few more months of comfort.

    ~Bliss~

  2. wow that hutch turned out GORGEOUS!!! So much prettier painted you did a fantastic job!

  3. I love it all and when I can figure out how to put pics on I will, with the blue and white pieces on it is is wonderful. I mixed the blue and white with some white iron stone, 50’s cake stands that I collect and some pressed glass spooners with antique collector’s teaspoons. I think I can get the pictures on FB not so sure about getting them to your site. Unfortunately when you have been around along time you have lots of “things’ and you want to see them all. tried not to make it tooooo overdone. The buffet with the natural wood top is in the foyer and looks beautiful under the antique mirror, which was why I wanted the top to be the wood color.
    Thanks again!!

  4. such a gorgeous piece!!!! wonderful!!!!!! congrats on loosing your newbie title!!! wooooohoooooooooooooooo for you! sending tons of hugs!!!

  5. You did a Fabulous job .wow !!!!
    I love them both !

  6. This is a beautiful piece, or pieces! Wow, it’s just what I’ve been looking for!

    Congratulations on 100 followers! I just started at Debbiedoo’s – where we met!! Did you know about Cindy Adkins’ new Linky Party? You can go there any time. She just started her parties last week, second week now, but you’re eligible if you’d like to link up!

    Blessings,
    Donna

  7. Beautiful work! I did not know about wood conditioner, so thanks for the tip. It has been quite a long time since I did anything that required this much work!

  8. These are magnificent pieces and your refinishing work is stunning. Found you via the Linky Follower Blog Hop. Congrats on 100 followers. I, too, started out at Debbie Doo’s and hit 100 after about six months. I’m a new follower.

  9. That piece turned out so beautiful! Don’t you love ASCP? I am such a groupie! It is hard not to paint everything!
    Keep up the good work! You are doing well….
    Nancy
    Wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

  10. Stopping by from the Linky Follower Party Hop! http://queenofsavings.com

  11. This is beautiful! I would love for you stop by and link up at my linky party via: http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/

    Mrs. Delightful
    Ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

  12. You did an amazing job on the hutch! I’m just loving that ASCP! I am a new follower of yours~hope you will pop over for a visit!
    ~Angie

  13. Wonderful paint jobs. I know what you mean about leaving Debbie’s linky party. I still miss it. I can’t tell you how sad I was when I couldn’t join in the fun any more. Congratulations on your graduation!

  14. That first large piece is amazing. You did a beautiful job!
    I’m your newest follower and hope you can stop by for a visit.
    Mary Alice

  15. Beautiful, beautiful! Can’t wait to try that paint technique! I’m a new blogger. Hope you’ll come visit! http://bluestarantiques.blogspot.com/

  16. Oh wow! What a difference…I can see why she loved them. I just purchased a mirror and think I will try your technique…thank you for sharing!
    Blessings!
    Geneva

  17. What an absolutely gorgeous buffet and hutch…fabulous!! You have restored it so beautifully, I am very impressed and not surprised that the client was pleased with your results. TFS. I am now a follower of your blog and look forward to return visits. I invite you to join me as well on my blog at http://atastefultouch.blogspot.com
    Hugs, Gayle.

  18. Gorgeous transformations! I love paris grey too.
    Thanks for linking up.
    XO
    Kristin

Leave a Reply to Swede Dreamer Cancel reply

*

CommentLuv badge