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Friday, August 23, 2013

Peacock Green Painted Desk ~ AKA "Isabella"

"Isabella" ~ a writing desk/vanity painted in a jeweled combination of blues, greens and flashes of gold...my favorite finish so far! 
So, here is my tale of victorious triumph! I spotted "Isabella" on a facebook feed update for one of our local buy/sell/trade pages...my heart jumped! The lines, the solid wood, the hardware...future perfection just waiting to happen! I quickly checked the time stamp...it had been three minutes since the seller posted. Now, I don't know how y'alls local buy/sell/trade facebook pages work...but around here, you have to STALK these pages to have a chance at the good stuff! Especially furniture! So, three minutes in "facebook sale page time" is an eternity. I clicked on the post as quick as I could and only two people had responded and get this...they were ASKING QUESTIONS about it! "What's wrong with it?" "Do the drawers work?" Are you serious people?! With a piece like this there are no questions...ever! I typed feverishly "I'LL TAKE IT! I can come by right now!" There! I was the first to say I would take it, and that counts for something! Another lady tried to buy it out from under me up to the moment I turned into the seller's neighborhood...but obviously, I won! She came home with me and patiently waited a couple of weeks for her makeover.


Before her fabulous makeover!
 Now, I've been eyeing different pieces for ages, trying to decide which one was suited for such a flamboyant jeweled tone that is Peacock Green. I don't think that it would work for an overly large piece of furniture, and maybe for a small one...but this desk was perfect. So, I used two colors that I have had in my inventory for a long time now. The first, or base color, is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Aubusson Blue (a longtime favorite of mine).





The second color is CeCe Caldwell's Emerald Isle-a brilliant green. It's a gorgeous color! All I did was dry brush it all over...unfortunately, I lost my mind and don't have any pictures of that process. But if you look at the final pics, you can definitely see the Emerald tones all over. They really just set it off, I think! As far as how much was used, I actually used this a sample pot that the lovely Mandie from Altar'd sent me several months ago....this 4 oz sample pot has gone a long way so far, there's still over half left! I have a full quart still, so there are many more future projects to come in this bejeweled tone! I have always loved ASCPs colors, and will always keep several of her colors in stock...but Cece Caldwells beautiful paints are a growing part of my collection!



Anyhow, I used some Martha Stewart "Vintage Gold" Metallic Paint Specialty Finish for the desktop trim and door fronts....that woman is just a genius, don't you think? I just took a small craft paintbrush and got to painting. I didn't tape anything off or get too crazy with being careful. That's the beauty of the "shabby" distressed look. If you get out of line all you have to do is distress that "oops" out of there! You can pick these fabulous paints up in 10oz sizes at Home Depot for about 6 bucks...well worth it, because they too go a very long way.

After all this was said and done, I broke out my new 3M Sanding System! The hubs and I were given one by a wonderful gentleman who was representing 3M at this year's Haven Conference...I almost cried because he gave it to us as a thanks for our service after asking about "Ft Campbell" as the location on my business card. We had walked away and were looking at the next booth when he tapped us on the shoulder. I feel like a terrible human being, but if 3M ever reads this post and you recognize the man...he is awesome.


 We also went to the product demo the next day and saw first hand how awesome this baby works! I don't have a nifty little vacuum system like theirs, but I do have my trusty old Dyson...worked like a charm! It sucks in every single particle as it goes!!! (Hah, how do y'all like that photobomb by Beckham back there? I just noticed that, guess I am just so used to him being there I don't even see him in pics anymore...that guy!)


Seriously, folks...if you use any chalk based paints-and like to sand for distressing- this system is your best friend. Not a spec of paint dust came off my desk! These are pictures of the floor after sanding WITHOUT and then WITH the sanding system.
Distressing without 3M Sanding System
Distressing with 3M Sanding System...No Dust!













Major difference, eh? Oh and before I go on, I haven't been compensated in any way whatsoever for this-I just used their product and loved it. Paint dust is my nemesis and if y'all love to paint and distress you all know how much you can't stand the mess it can make. So, yeah, your'e welcome. ;)


Then came my favorite part...waxing....NOT! Sigh, necessary evil. I really wish I didn't love the look and feel of a wax finish because then I wouldn't have to do it. But, nope, I love it, so out came the waxes and brushes! I started with a coat of CeCe Caldwell's Clear Wax, which I love because it gives a great finish and it's not as hard to apply as other clear waxes. I know some folks say you should wax and buff in small sections, but if it's not a very large piece I prefer to start laying wax at one point and by the time I cover the entire thing, I am ready to start buffing from the beginning. With CeCe's Clear Wax there isn't a need to let it sit for a long time at all-another reason I love it! Then I turned to ASCP Dark Wax, for the patina and aging effect. Now, let me be clear on this next part! I DID lay the dark wax in sections because it dries quite quickly and gets harder and harder to wipe off. Totally dried dark wax is a BEAST to work off, but applying some light wax can help. I have a word of caution on that too, though! Be EASY with the light wax over the dark waxed areas you are trying to tone down...or else you will have a super bright spot in the middle of the rest of your dark waxed area (No bueno!). Trust me, I speak from my own mistakes...experience!

 Next, I pulled out one of my favorite new finishing accessories~a buffing brush. I ordered one from an etsy store online and I am super happy with it. It's what helped me get that pretty sheen on top! Let me tell you, I have quite a bit of experience buffing floors as a Private living in the barracks...I learned some tricks of the trade! First, you want to make sure you keep a steady hand and not let your hand tilt left or right. This is pretty strong and fast on a drill and you don't want to strip the wax where you leaned your hand over too far...it's pretty easy to do, so be careful! Then as you go, try to keep in generally straight lines to track where you have and have'nt buffed yet. After I buffed with the brush, I took a microfiber cloth and used it as a soft cloth buffer over the brush bristles. Try to keep it centered and not to lean again, or else the cloth will go nuts and fly off! This helped smooth out the buffing lines and added a nice glow to the sheen! Finally, I pulled out my trusty bottle of brasso and buffed and shined the pretty hardware right quick! I am still going to go over it just a bit more to bring out more of the gold because I really wanted to hardware and the painted gold accents to compliment each other. So what do y'all think?? (PS, don't mind my messy porch...or house....or everything. ahem...)





  So, there you have it folks. The story of how "Isabella" came to be. She has most definitely made quite a splash on arrival! I had THE CeCe Caldwell comment on my facebook post pic...eek! Then the fabulous Shelly Andrade from Shizzle Design featured my link on her facebook page! I've gotten almost 100 likes since uploading "Isabella's" pictures and it is so amazing and unexpected to get so much love for her so quickly! I am totally dazed and happy about it. So THANK YOU everyone, for taking such notice and appreciating the hard work that went into this desk. I promise to work even harder to create more pieces for folks to "ReLove" in the future. Please contact me or facebook me if you have any questions, I am always around! Love to all, Claudia

I linked up to: Furniture Feature Fridays I've been FEATURED!!! A to Z Custom Creations

29 comments:

  1. Claudia it looks awesome, just love this. Am going to try to find some CeCe Caldwell paint around here and give it a go as well. So happy about all your new likes! Yeah for you, and YEAH for the nice 3M guy (i met him too he was very nice) and you so deserve the sander! I looked for one here in my next of Canada and no one heard of it yet - so I guess I'll have to wait!
    Love this piece and love following your blog. So happy we met at Haven!
    Happy weekend! Wendy

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    1. Thank you so much, Wendy! If you don't want to wait too long, check out Mandie's page at www.altard.com. There are quite a few folks who sell online, but she's like my personal idol so she's the first person I ever ordered CeCe's paint line from. She also has amazing e-books with tutorials! But thank you so much for your sweet words and for following my madness! If you ever need anything, just hit me up!

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  2. Isabella is absolutely gorgeous! The color combination you chose is perfect! You're the second person who has mentioned the dark wax from Annie Sloan from what I've been reading today--I've made a mental note. :) I'm also going to HAVE to get that sanding system! You did such an amazing job!!!

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    1. Thank you so much, DesignedByBH!!! And yes, the sanding system...total WIN on that one!

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  3. I love a good furniture transformation, looks amazing!

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  4. Looks great! Love the distressing and the colors!

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    1. Thank you, Deneen! :) I absolutely love the colors too, it's gonna be hard not to paint everything peacock green now! ;)

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  5. Great job!! That is such a neat piece and I love the finish! I just heard of Cece Caldwell's paint for the first time but have never tried it. I'm glad to hear you've used it and like it :)

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    1. Hi, Elizabeth, yes, I LOVE CeCe's paints. If you get the opportunity to pick some up, even sample sizes, do so. You won't be disappointed!

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  6. I love this color combo. So pretty!! Glad the sanding system is working for you, too!

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    1. The sanding system is the best thing since sliced bread as far as I'm concerned...well, up there at least! I can't stand cleaning that mess up and seeing as how there are only a few months out of the year that are tolerable in a non heated/cooled garage...well, it's going to save me a lot of headaches!

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  7. Claudia, this piece is stunning!!! Thank you so much for linking it up. I love the combination of colors. I can't believe you found such a gorgeous desk, and I am very intrigued by that sanding system! Featuring at my party tomorrow, starts at 5:00 EST. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks again, Karen! I think I am going to take a screen shot and frame it! :)

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  8. Love this - great transformation! And I love to hear that you mixed Cece's and Annie Sloan...I was wondering about that!

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    1. Thank you so much, Julia! You know, I hesitated for a second the first time I did that and then just went for it...they really compliment each other!

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  9. This is spectacular!!!
    Over the top in love with this piece - just saw it over at Redoux Interiors ( congrats on the feature !!! )
    LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!
    XOXO

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    1. Thank you so much, Suzan!!! lol, you should have seen me running around and freaking out about it when I finally got out of the meeting I was in!

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  10. Beautiful work Claudia!! The colors, the distressing, the accenting...everything is just beautiful ;)

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    1. Thanks so much, Angela! I really miss this piece now, wish I hadn't sold her! I'll just have to find a new one to paint this way!

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  11. That is a very pretty desk! A very creative idea too!

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  12. Beautiful colors!! I love blue and green. Looks fab on this desk. But please, move your name out of the way so
    we can all get a better look!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Beth! I'm sorry my watermark is in the way, I did try to take pics from different angles so folks could see it in full through the pictures. I use my watermark so prominently bc so many of my dear painting friends have recently had their work stolen and plagiarized. If someone wants to do this with my work, they're gonna have to take it with my mark or work really hard to get around it! ;) thanks again, I do agree...those colors are fabulous together!

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    2. I have posted Isabella on The Truffle several times, I love her so much! And I got to name her!

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    3. Otherwise known as Hilary Franey and The Truffle....not sure when A Simple Chateau came into being but the mind goes lately.

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    4. Lol, as soon as you mentioned naming her, I knew. Thank you so much, Hilary! It's such an honor to be featured by such talented individuals!

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DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS