Friday, August 28, 2015

Home Matters Linky Party #52

Welcome to the weekly Home Matters Linky Party. A great place to come, share your blog posts, and make new friends. We had a blast last week going through your posts and we have highlights this week in addition to the features as we crossed the 500 mark! So , we hope you will as awesome as last week and help us break the record.;)

Home Matters Linky Party #52!


Thank you for joining us at this this week's party. We hit 600 links last week. Wow that is a new record. Thank you for returning every week and making this party a success. If this is your first time linking up with us. Thank you and hope you will come back each week to share.
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Lorelai at Life With Lorelai: Lorelai is a Mom, Writer, Pumpkin Artist, Karaoke Singing, Cooking, Gardener blogging about Life, Love, Interests... Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Instagram/ Google+/ Hometalk/ StumbleUpon/ YouTube/ BlogLovin'
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Melissa at Adventures of Frugal Mom: Melissa is a wife, mom of 3 teenage girls and tons of fur babies who loves hunting for freebies and deals, crafting, and sharing her experiences. Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest/ Google+/ Instagram
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HMLP - Here's What We've Been Up To 2015 ©
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Spend a Fun Family Day at VIR with Melissa
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Say, "Hello!" to our August 2015 Co-Hosts, and Share some Love by Visiting and Following them on Social Media!

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HMLP - Co-Hosts' Party Posts 2015 ©
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Co-Hosts' Party Posts - HMLP 52
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Make Pico de Gallo with Allie
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Sahana shares her Craft Space Reveal
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Cook some Sauerkraut with Amanda
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Shann shares tips to Getting A Great Family Photo
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Guest Room Canvas Art with Michelle
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Jane & Sonja decorates with Drifting Cattails Porch Decor
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We are looking for Co-Hosts for the month of September. If you are interested, please

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We'd love to have you apply.
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And now, onto...

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We have a fantastic array of Features for you this week. Check out these DIY projects, recipes, and and even some advice for bloggers !
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Baby Changing Dresser Turned Rustic Kitchen Island - HMLP 52 Feature
PIN here.
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No - Not - Never - Thing No Blogger Should Ever Do! - HMLP 52 Feature
No- Not- Never- Things No Blogger Should Ever Do from Rebecca @ Best Blogging Business
PIN here.
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The Ultimate Pumpkin Recipe Roundup - HMLP 52 Feature
The Ultimate Pumpkin Recipe Roundup from Jessica @ Dreaming of Leaving
PIN here.
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10 Chalkboard Paint Ideas for the Home - HMLP 52 Feature
10 Easy DIY Chalkboard Projects from Marty @ Marty's Musings
PIN here.
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DIY Sea Glass Candlestick - HMLP 52 Feature
DIY Sea Glass Candlestick from Manuela @ A Cultivated Nest
PIN here.
 
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We hit 500 Links in last week's party, so...

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HMLP - Highlights 2015
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Highlights Collage - HMLP 52
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DIY Puzzle Pumpkins from Briana @ Bargain Briana
PIN here.
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PIN here.
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Thank you to all who linked up at last week's party. We look forward to seeing what you will be sharing with us this week! Remember that every feature is shared on all Host's and Co-Host's blogs, as well as on the Home Matters Linky Party Pinterest Board! Don't forget to follow...
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Are you ready to Party?

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The linky party starts when Friday begins and closes when Monday ends, EST.

We at Home Matters love meeting new people and discovering new blogs. Help us grow this party by sharing a link on your post or grabbing our party button for your sidebar or party page. ...
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Stop by and VISIT as many OTHER BLOGGERS as you can. Leave them a message, and share their talents on social media. Be sure to Please USE our Registered Hashtag...
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Home Matters Linky Party Guidelines:

We are thrilled that you came by to link up today! Here are a few rules that hosts and co-hosts of the Home Matters Party follow, and we ask that you follow them, as well.
  1. Please link up no more than THREE posts each week--try to make sure that they are new links that you have not shared here previously. (Exception: Holiday/Seasonal specific posts may be shared once per year.)
  1. Please take some time to poke around and visit some of the other links.
  1. Please take some time to check out your hosts and co-hosts on social media.
  1. We appreciate the variety of blogs on the www; however, the Home Matters Party is for links on matters of the HOME. Please link accordingly.
  1. We ask that you do not add other Linky Parties, Blog Hops, or Giveaways--unless you begin the party with a new project, recipe or post.
  1. On the same note, please do not add links of an extremist, political or strong controversial nature. (The hosts and co-hosts read each and every blog post linked, and will contact you directly if you have linked something that does not fit into the realm of the party.)
With your help, we can continue to grow the Home Matters Party! Thank you!


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We are looking for Co-Hosts for the month of September. If you are interested, please

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Thank you for joining in the fun and excitement at the Home Matters Linky Party. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We look forward to chatting with you in the comments.
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Don't have a blog, but want to Remember to Party With Us each week? Forgot to leave your email while linking up your post? You can still sign up for our Email Party Reminders. Click below for a form...
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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Dressing Table Makeover with Chalky finish Paint

I talked about this dressing table in my previous post, today I am sharing the makeover of dressing the table. As I told you guys, the dressing table occupies one side of the room and straight opposite side to it is my craft space. I felt the old and outdated look of the dressing table doesn't go well with color scheme of my craft space and it was kind of spoiling the vibe of the room with its look. So I thought its time to deal with it and decided to paint the dressing table in black color which goes well with black background of thumb tack wall art and also with black chalkboard of my inspiration board.While brainstorming ideas I came to know it is quite difficult to paint this furniture with spray paint for me due to the following reasons:
1) It is heavy to lift and take the whole furniture downstairs (We live upstairs) which requires a lot of help. 
2) If it is inside I can paint them at my own time and space . 
3) Even though it is summer and I have three windows in the room, I can't withstand the smell of spray paint until the project is done(Already had enough of it, while painting Kitchen Cabinet) which I assumed will take quite a few days . 
4) There are a lot of stuffs in the room which I have to move somewhere (No place for that) or keep in the room and covered it with cloth or newspaper.(Even though I did that while painting the Kitchen cabinet I did ended up getting paint on some of the unexpected areas). 

With all these points in mind I was searching for other options and came to know about the chalky finish paint. So I thought to give chalky finish paint a try for this dressing table and today I am sharing the steps along with the tips and tricks on how to paint a furniture like this. 


Materials Used :

I used these three products from Americana Decor for Paint and Varnish. I used 2 jars of  8oz Carbon(Black) chalky finish paint and one jar of Yesteryear chalky finish paint and Soft touch varnish for the final finish.


Along with these paints you may need :

Paint brushes (One small and one big)
Petroleum jelly or Vaseline and a cotton rag if you are planning to distress
Gold enamel paint for drawer hardware and a sealant 
Sandpaper fine grit (optional)
Stencil and foam pouncers or stencil brush (optional)
Paper towels and a container with water to wash the brushes in between
Painter's tape
Screw driver for removing and putting the drawer hardware back.




Step 1: Clean the whole furniture(i.e dressing table) and wipe it to remove all the dirt and dust. Mask any area where you don't want paint. In my case, I covered the edges of the mirror. Start painting section by section. First I covered the inner part of the dressing table (i.e around the mirror) . 



Step 2: Decide the areas you want to distress and paint the base color.I did 2 coats of yesteryear  paint.Also I gave the first coat of paint to remaining areas of the upper part of the dressing table.

Here I wanted to distress the center design and the small parts on the outer sides of the dressing table. You can see in the before photo like all these designs elements are kind of merging along with background wooden texture that we couldn't see them clearly . I did not want that. I wanted to highlight those designs at the same time I did not wanted the designs to look like I have painted something in different color and glued on .So, I went with distress look.As always I did a test on a scrap of wood to learn how it works before doing it on the design.



There are many ways to bring the distressed look. I went with distressing using resist method. I used petroleum jelly (Vaseline) as resist but you can also use hard wax as resist. Apply the Vaseline in the areas you want to distress and give a top coat in the desired color.I am using black here. Once the top coat is dry, use a damp cotton rag and remove the Vaseline to get the distress look. 










Step 3: Now give a second coat of paint all over the upper portion of the dressing table and let it dry. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to dry . One important thing about the chalky paint is that , don't overload the brush with paint. The paint is already heavy and so if you overload the brush it leaves strong brush marks. I read somewhere that dipping the brush in water after loading the paint helps to reduce the brush strokes but that doesn't works in dark colors. I did try that technique which resulted in lighter shade of the black(Carbon) streaks and was spoiling the look. So, take a little amount of paint at a time and work your way. Don't worry too much about the strokes , you will not notice them as long as you intentionally wanted to. (Got it? ;)). Also if you feel any strong brush strokes , you can slightly sand them before applying the next coat of paint.

Step 4: I felt the upper part of the dressing table is very plain with just black(Carbon) color and so to add more interest I decided to go with stenciling. I already had some adhesive stencil on hand so I went with that. Use foam pouncers or a Stencil brush to stencil your design and don't load the brush or pouncers with a lot of paint.After dipping them into the paint, dab them two to three times on a paper plates before using it on the stencil. I used foam pouncers with a little paint on it and used dabbing motion up and down to achieve the design. I used yesteryear color for stenciling.

If you are using a adhesive stencil like me, please ensure to not build up lot of paint on the stencil.This may happen if you use the same stencil to repeat the design. So I advice you to wipe off the excess paint with a damp paper towel after two or three uses.Otherwise the paint gets settled on the edges of the design and the next time when you use the paint starts bleeding into the stencil ruining the design. So, it is better to be quick and wipe off the paint after couple of uses or have a two or three design of the same stencil in hand if you are working on a bigger project like this . I think it will not be a problem, if you are using plastic stencils.





Step 5: Once the upper part is done, remove all the drawers and hardware from it and get ready to start painting the lower part of the dressing table. To create a balance of colors between the upper and the lower part , I painted the lower part of the table with yesteryear color leaving the top part alone. I used carbon color for the top part and the drawers.I used 2 coats of paint all over.




Step 6: Next comes the drawers hardware. Clean and wipe off any dust or rust before painting.I had gold enamel paint on hand. So, I used enamel paint to paint the hardware and sealed it with clear gloss paint for extra protection. If not, you can also try using any Rub n buff paint to update your hardware. 




Step 7: Add a coat or two of varnish to all the painted areas of the furniture to seal and protect the painted surface. Believe me guys, the varnish makes a lot of difference in the way the furniture looks. It makes the furniture looks smooth and gorgeous as it adds a great sheen to the surface. I started liking the dressing table 200% more when I added a coat of varnish. So highly recommend to add a top coat of varnish to your finished furniture.
When you paint the varnish , before it takes time to dry it does look white but it dries clear so nothing to worry there.(Just saying !)

Step 8: This step is totally optional. I wanted to cover the inside of the drawers with contact paper to hide some spills which it already had. (Yes ! May be they are as old as the furniture.Can you believe that this dresser is 29 year old?See the picture below.I haven't seen any Manufacturing date like this in any of the modern furniture.But I think it is kind of cool.). Trim the contact paper to the size of the inner drawer and remove the backing for few inches. Paste it and smooth it using a card and repeat the steps. For more tips on pasting the contact paper, read this post here .








Step 9: Put the drawer hardwares back into its place.And drawers into its place. Also place the upper part of the dressing table above the lower one and voila!! Step back and be amazed at your wonderful makeover.Give yourself a treat to have completed the project successfully and enjoy the new look.



I was just getting ready for the next step to decorate the dressing table with copper mule mugs as vase and some flowers.












I hope you this makeover inspires you to get out of your comfort zone and try something different and amazing if you haven't tried any furniture makeover before.If you have tried, what kind of makeover have you done?  If you have any doubt, please ask me in the comments below and share what you think about this project. As always I will be happy to hear from you.

Happy Painting guys !! 
Love, 
Sahana.