My October BOO!
A while back I wrote a post called Wood you like to change? ~ part 2 and mentioned buying a pair of ugly duckling maple nightstands on eBay that I messed up by trying to crackle paint.
Actually I think they are cool. Here is a sample of the horrible crackle Death Valley paint job.
Well I did strip that horror off, then sanded and repainted them using ASCP Pure White and finished with Miniwax dark paste wax. They came out safe and a closer look shows that the mistake, plus stripping, sanding, and repainting gave them some needed texture. They are nice, but not the perfect choice for our master bedroom. I had decided to live with them and be happy to at least have some nightstands!
Hubby nicknamed them the "Mini Cooper" nightstands because they were so much smaller than the original cabinets we had custom made by Primitives back in 1998 to go with our antique iron French bed. Primitives is a wonderful Austin original, a furniture and design store that specializes in rustic interiors and items from all over the world. We laughed for weeks after putting the pair of MCs in the room next to the bed. We still have the two custom cabinets and use one in the upstairs hall and the other in the mancave for extra storage. Those cabinets are 38 inches tall and made out of heavy weathered ironwood with a marble inserted top, but rustic is not ideal for our bedroom now.
Here are the Mini Cooper nightstands after I painted them
I plan to add two baskets (and paint them to match) that have the perfect dimensions to the bottom shelf for hidden storage.
Here is our iron bed that I have LOVED since the day I found it shown with incomplete bedding. I am still collecting various Bella Notte Linens in white and will add some of Peacock Alley's beautiful scrolled Francesca and maybe mix in Pine Cone Hill's gauzy white linen Savannah for seasonal changes.
It was reconstructed from an antique wrought-iron full size bed from France, with more iron to become a king size. I bought it in 1997, the year after we returned home to Texas from the awesome original Homestead store in Fredericksburg, owned by the unique antiques dealer and designer Carol Hicks Bolton and her husband Tim Bolton. Unfortunately the store is no longer there but I heard they have a new store and are still creating beautiful one of a kind reconstructed antique beds. Check out their website.
I made the fabulous throw pillow using a gorgeous discontinued Ralph Lauren linen velvet epingle, which I purchased for what seemed like nickels from one of my favorite eBay upholstery fabric suppliers Weavers On The Web. It is very thick and textured, and is also being used to recover an old round ottoman that sits in front of the bed. The backside of the pillow is the same Belgian linen as on my pretty French chair.
So...
One day as I was moseying along online, hunting for a pretty pair of table lamps to faux paint and place on top of these MC nightstands, a pair of French style nightstands popped up on eBay and said hello! I responded back with the obsessive buyers click because their leg style matched my pretty French chair and they measured to be wider and deeper than the MCs, but with the same height. The MCs are PERFECT for our guest bed area at the far side of the mancave. The queen size guest bed has a headboard slipcovered in the same thick Libeco basket-weave linen I used on the first chair in my previous post. The mancave is actually two bedrooms converted into one large room and even larger than the master bedroom. At this point I was screaming BRAVO!
Here are the chair legs.
Here are the new (old) nightstands as they were listed on eBay
After these nightstands arrived I took one look and thought... hmmm, better get some new paint for this beautification project. So two Saturday's ago while on my way to San Antonio, I stopped at at my favorite girly girl store Cowgirls and Lace in Dripping Springs and discovered the paint brand Amy Howard At Home and decided since I like her style to give it a try.
my disappointing paint story about another brand
You see, since using ASCP on most of my projects this year I have developed a type of reaction to it with an asthma attack after painting. This is even with wearing a mask to do all of my sanding and distressing. I took a break from painting after spending the months of August and September struggling with allergy like headaches and breathing issues with pain that began to seriously scare me. I have never been an asthmatic and had to go to the doctor several times, which resulted in chest x-rays to see if there was anything more serious and taking an antibiotic (after my demanding insistence) and being issued an asthma pump. My lungs checked out fine and they could not figure out WHAT in the world was going on. I took the antibiotics and used the pump and I finally began to feel normal again.
Then two weekends ago I went shopping and bought this wonderful smelling Diptyque Paris - Baies large candle in a jar...
tried to use ASCP again and I pulled out my Pure White and painted this candle holder I had found at Goodwill...
...about one hour after completing this minor paint job I began to have breathing issues that was driving me nuts, AGAIN! So I knew my problem must be something in ASCP chalk-paint and I could no longer use it. I haven't used it since and have returned to normal. DANG IT! I really like how easy it is to use and LOVE the colors Paris Grey and French Linen. For those of you who can use it without developing health issues… enjoy!
back to the nightstand story
After bringing home 2 colors of Amy Howard's 34 shades of One Step Paint (a can of Bauhaus Buff and the other in Luxe Grey) I eagerly went to work on the new nightstands without reading ANY instructions on this foreign-to-me paint. I figured it had to work like most chalk paints because on the can it said no need to sand, works on any finish, etc. (I briefly read that part) but it is NOT like a can of ASCP at all. It is super thick and the mixture HAS TO be stirred for a bit before you can actually use it. It also dries faster than you can blink your eye and I ended up pouring a little in a container and watered it down a tiny bit too so that I could manage it better.
Below is one nightstand painted with the Bauhaus Buff and on the edges I used Martha Stewart's metallic paint in Golden Pearl. I finished with light distressing on the edges and applied a Miniwax dark walnut and Howard's Feed-n-Wax recipe I got from watching a Martha Stewart milk painting video featuring the Swedish antiques dealer Jeffree Turney of Lone Ranger Antiques. Since the bedroom walls are painted black I want our nightstands to be very light. This color works beautifully in the room, but the style of nightstand are NOT working at all. GRRRR!
The Mini Coopers were left in their location. I appreciate them more now but they really need to be about 3-4 inches taller and wider. Hubby says the new failed frenchy nightstands were made for Hobbits because for tall people like him, the drawers are to low and a person must be shorter (like me) to access them comfortably while standing up. Going forward with aging, bending over for every little thing in a low placed drawer on the side of a bed is not cool either. Duh! I can't believe I didn't think about that before using my obsessive buyers click with the mouse. He said he will fall out the bed if he tries to reach over to use his drawer at night and I probably won't be able to help him up either, because of my own developed injuries from previously falling out on my side.
So now I have wasted money and time with these two nightstands and have created a used furniture storage facility out of our townhouse that has very limited space.
One thing I must mention is that even though Amy Howard's paint requires a tiny bit of extra work (stirring) before using it, I had no allergy reactions or breathing issues with it. NONE. That is a huge bonus for my small decor painting world. Also, the paint had no odor! I will definitely give this brand another try on projects in the future. The prices are much better compared to other brands and her line includes many other items like powders that mix with water for milk paint, pigment powders, lacquer paint, special finishes and finishing wax.
I LOVE painting accent chairs, but not case goods as much even though I have painted almost all of the chest and tables in our home.
How will I resolve the nightstand dilemma?
I have decided to save money and invest in two beautiful old pieces that are found and restored by one of the antique dealers that I admire. When the times is right I will give them a call with the size range needed and let them work their magic. I have come to the realization that there are just some things that below the budget bargain hunting will not work in my favor, because after many hits and misses it becomes a waste of money. The money spent on items that will not work could have been invested into a fabulous purchase giving an old piece a new life with someone who will appreciate its history. If push comes to shove I might consider reproductions that are used and refinished too. Better yet, my piggy bank may squeal for that consideration, LOL!
I now dream for something painted and Swedish in style like these beauties from the fabulous Tone on Tone, whose website never leaves me without inspiration, nor with disappointment.
The pair below listed on 1stdibs is way out of my budget range, but beautiful to admire.
You think its easy to find two old chest like this one to paint? For me it's NOT. Those are some very pretty drawer pulls!
The one below has a flip top, but I still like it.
This pair is available on Etsy and I am thinking... nice paint job!
Well blog world, I will end for now knowing I now have one pair of frenchy nightstands that are available to serve a purpose for someone else's home. The lesson learned is for me to have more patience and think about all of the pros and cons when looking at possible furniture pieces. I am thinking to put a light wash using Amy Howard at Home Luxe Grey over the French style nightstands, leaving the white and soft gold peeking through. Then I will finish with a dark wax and hopefully someone will want them.
I also must express my admiration and appreciation to all of you who find old furniture and give it new life with restoration and refinishing. For me the wonder is the fact that those pieces can continue to serve a purpose and beautify a space for many generations to come, instead of ending up in landfills or burn piles after we are all long gone. There is something very special about helping the environment while we are still here and it can be done by recycling and not wasting what we already have.
Till next time
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I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.
~ Mother Teresa
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