Big Paint Project

My big project over the winter was to chalk paint my kitchen cabinets.  My home was built in 1981 and the kitchen has the original oak cabinets and although they were still structurally sound and in excellent condition, they are dated.  So rather than invest in the high cost of replacement cabinetry, I decided to chalk paint them instead.  Where this seems like a rather big job, I had planned to complete this over my Christmas break.  I actually got all of the prep and painting completed during that 12 day period and was able to move at my own pace.  Of course. I also hung wall paper and repainted the walls and trim as well.  I am so pleased with the finished results and would highly recommend the chalk paint technique to anyone thinking of redoing their kitchen cabinets.

Original oak cabinets and a birch island. Aluminum twin sink.  Never understood the appeal of these twins sinks.  Always too small for me.  I replaced it with a big farm sink with lots of room to do dishes and big pots.

I chose Duck Egg blue as my color.  So loving the soft color and it made my kitchen look twice the size.  Because this is a kitchen I used a satin finish interior paint, cleaned and prepped the cabinets and then began the three coats of application that I wanted.   Once the final coat had cured (3 days) I then applied the wax and Kona stain mix.  Yup, I'm crazy about the finished results.

 Close up of the color and the pretty handles I added.

 Going to replace the appliances once my tax refund shows up.  These are also original to the house and I wanted to upgrade.  

 Even the old appliances look better.

 Close up of cabinet.

 I replaced the cafe curtain with a Victorian petticoat.  Yup, this was a "cutter" that I had purchased a few weeks back and had no real plans for it when I made the purchase.  I wanted to keep the Romantic Farmhouse look and remembered this petticoat.  Luckily, it belonged to a woman of great stature so I opened up one seam and it fit the large window beautifully.  

This was such a fun project to do and the painting cost was under $100.00 (and that included the cabinet hardware) to make this transformation.  I would recommend it to anyone.  Blessings to you and those you love, Sea Witch.

SeaWitch Score and Chalk Paint

It's been a busy, busy last three weeks for me.  My "real job" has been busier then ever and the "Snowmageddon" that hit the south last week had us all in shutdown mode.  On top of that I have been prepping to begin my taxes for the year, sigh.  Still, it was a beautiful weekend and having weather in the 50s was terrific following the extreme cold temps we have had for the last three weeks.  Spent Saturday at the auction and then a quick trip to Vintage Village to pick up some chalk paint wax.  I have been wanting to take a chalk paint class from one of our local artists, Dawn Fischer, of Fragments at the Buford, Queen of Hearts.  So I signed up for her one day course and last Saturday, I spent the afternoon at A Vintage Styled Life learning some great chalk paint techniques.  

 This was a goodwill find that someone had spray painted high gloss black enamel.  It was a mess but had such potential for a chalk paint piece.  The beauty of chalk paint is that you don't have to prep the piece and I was anxious to see how it adhered to the glossy enamel.

It painted up beautifully.  I used Paris Cafe color which is a taupe shade and then mixed a dark stain into clear wax to give the entire piece an aged look.  Additionally, the wax provides a protective coating which will repel water.

 The finished piece and I love the way it brought out the carved flowers. Working with chalk paint is very easy, provides great coverage and cures very quickly.  If you are local and want to learn how to use chalk paint, then Dawn's course is an excellent investment in time and money. This is now in my Victorian booth at the Buford Queen of Hearts.

A goodwill find, lovely bisque, porcelain Dove by Andrea Sadek, these pieces were highly popular during the 1970s.  

Pretty Beellek vase was another win at the local auction.

 Gorgeous copper scrollwork flourish is huge and another auction win.

 Pretty sets of mid century salt and pepper shakers.

 Vintage ice cream soda/malt glasses are from a midwest sweet shop.  These are too cool for school.

I filled these two glass pieces with faux hydrangeas and love the look.

Antique chair has been painted with a brilliant turquoise.

Colorful, antique sheet music has lovely illustrations on them.

Pretty bone china teapot and stoneware ladies wash bowl pitcher (small in size) seem to be popular items right now.

Nice selection of Washington Irving books from the 1860s.

One of my favorite photographs is this dapper gentleman in his best suit with rolled cuffs.

Now, for the SeaWitch score of the new year.  Be still my salty heart.  I had gone to Vintage Village to pick up some clear chalk paint wax and Carla, one of my gal pals and favorite dealers was restocking her booths.  She couldn't wait to share that she had an unusual item that had my name on it but it wasn't my style.  She knows I'm a purist when it comes to antique pieces and although I enjoy kitsch, it is not my decorating/collecting bally-wick.  Couldn't wait to see what she had and boy was Carla right...it did have my name on it.  Right up front and center...Seawitch. Mermaids, did I say mermaids and pinups of seawitches riding fish? 

 As they say in pinball lingo, for me it had all of the whistles and bells that I need to bring something home.  I mounted it over my bathtub and it looks fantastic there.  I'm in the middle of redecorating the master bathroom which is pretty big with lots of wall space and a high ceiling. The original builder put this in and it always amuses me because my house is what is considered a first time homeowners purchase.  Nothing big or really special about it and yet he installed a large bathroom.  Since I am going coastal Mexico with brilliant snatches of color against cool sand walls and coffee brown chalk painted cabinets, this piece really brings color and joy into the space. 

 

This image is of what the original back looked like and I will eventually have it framed in a simple setup with brilliant ocean blue paint to give it a just yanked from the pin ball machine look to it.  Interesting pinball machine info, the Seawitch by Stern Electronics, produced between 1977-1980, is a sought after machine by pinball collectors for its fast play, colorful lights and pinup images.  Only 2,000 were made and many have been destroyed or damaged over the years.  I am just delighted with this neat glass pinball backboard and so glad that Carla thought of me when she brought it in.

So on that note, wishing everyone a gentle week and as always, blessings to you and those you love. SeaWitch