We're Official!

It's official! We are now an official retailer for CeCe Caldwell's Clay and Chalk Paint! All About Moi is now fully stocked with full size quarts, 4oz samples, wax brushes, and MORE!

As we begin on this journey, I am in the process of updating our blog to contain CeCe Caldwell's "how to" paint tips and techniques as well as our workshop information. Until then, please be patient with us and continue to check back for updates!

Falling In Love With Ms. Mustard Seed's Milk Paint!

I recently had my first experience with Ms. Mustard Seed's milk paint and it was a total success! I pickup up this vanity that was an aged bright white...you know that color...that white that has a yellowed tint...ugh.  I wanted to play with some different looks and textures, so I ventured out on this one and hoped for the best. Read below for a step by step playbook of this refunked beauty.

1. The VERY BEST thing about CeCe and Ms. Mustard Seed's paints is that there is NO SANDING OR PRIMING...you just start painting!  So, I just jumped right in and dry brushed a think coat of  CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay paint in Young Kansas Wheat. I did this because I did not want all that bright white as a dominate undertone.  WARNING...the chalk paint underneath the milk paint does take away the natural chippiness effect of the milk paint!! So, do not do this if you want the milk paint to chip itself!!

2.  I think mixed up 1 cup of Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in Kitchen Scale.  I applied two coats, allowing 1 hour drying time in between. 

3. I then took a damp rag and began distressing it.  I also used a sanding block very heavy handed to get the desired look I wanted around the edges and across the top.  I wanted to dry brush strokes to pop through...that was intentional.

4.  Finally, I waxed the entire vanity with CeCe Caldwell's Clear Wax, using my wax brush to really work it into the paint.

I used clear knobs to really compliment the colors in the vanity, versus using colored ones that would compete with them.

Up next...a blog on using chalk paint versus milk paint...both are GREAT, but very different! :)

Happy Painting ya'll!

Vintage Upholstery Love

This was my favorite addition to one of my booth's this week. Due to the configuration of my space, I  had to slide this table over to the far side of my booth...just happened to end up next to this vintage settee I just had redone. I stepped back and it just hit me that I love these two pieces together! I seriously fought the urge to load them back up and take 'em home!

I found this settee at a yard sale and ya'll...it was UGLY. I mean UGLY! It's lines were beautiful though and it still had really good bones.  Here is what I recommend when you purchase a piece to reupholster.

1.  Know you are probably going to spend quite a bit of money in fabric and upholstery if you can not do this yourself.  You may want to take that into account when deciding on what to spend on the piece originally.

2.  Make sure it is solid.  Any repairs to the wood work, springs, etc. will only be additional costs, and may end up not being reparable at all.

3.   Here is my biggest tip...if you are going to tear it up anyway (reupholster), then tear into it and make sure it has no bugs, lice, etc. before you even load it up into your car! Once you get those little nasties, it is very hard to get rid of them. I tore into this piece, then once home, I left on a tarp in the garage still hesitant to take into my home. Yes, I have a huge fear of little creepy crawly things!

Once I had it home, I rubbed it down with furniture polish, added some black paint, and sealed the wood.  I have never done an upholstery project this large...the settee also came without cushions, so I knew I was in over my head on this one. I contacted my "go-to" upholstery guy and we played with fabrics, trim, etc. This is always my favorite part! Who doesn't love to play in a ton of fabric??? He did a beautiful job and if you'll notice, he takes the time to line all the patterns up vertically; from the top of the sofa, to the cushions, down the back, and even on the pillow.  All meet up at the exact same point. 

This is the picture he sent me for approval...yes, I did do the happy dance when I opened it! He did a beautiful job.  Yay Rudy!

This is the table that sits next to the settee in the first picture. I'm not a big fan of super long posts, so I will post a tutorial on this table later this week.  Until then, Happy Painting!

Embracing the Imperfections

From the moment I saw this table at an estate auction, I knew I had to have her. She was so feminine, her touches of the original green paint spying through the clumpy cabinet paint someone had so sadly put on her.  She was very delicate and yet so well preserved for her age.  Everyone else there apparently wanted her too as I had to put my game face on and embark in a bidding war.  I was determined she was going home with me and so she did.

I have let her sit in my garage for way too long while I have debated on how to paint her. Go back to that original green or go a bit edgier??  Also, I knew tackling that cabinet paint was not going to be fun.  As I was getting ready for Junk Hippy last week, this table started calling my name.  I stared at her for a long time before deciding her imperfections were what I loved most about her...so here is her refurbished journey.

First I sanded her down with my electric sander (except on the legs...I did those by hand since it is such an old table).  NEVER, EVER use cabinet paint on furniture. That is what caused her lumpy, bumpy surface.  I did like the crackle look of it though, so I sanded her down just enough to make it smooth, but not enough to remove all of the crackle. If you truly wanted to remove all of that crackle  visually, you would need to completely strip your piece; it will not disappear by sanding alone.  I also only sanded down to the first layer of color (the green) on 80% of the table.  I then took CeCe Caldwell's Young Kansas Wheat and just brushed it on in certain "high traffic" areas (sides, corners, etc) so that it was just lightly pop through when I started distressing.  Allowed dry time, then covered the entire table in a coat of CeCe's Santa Fe Turquoise.  Again, allowed dry time, then I painted her two final coats in CeCe's Vintage White.  I honestly probably could have just done one coat of the white, however, since it is a kitchen table and takes a lot of wear, I decided to do two coats.  I realize this is a lot of painting, but that is just the way it had to be for the look I wanted.  You could obviously make it so much simpler by not doing so many colors.

Then, when all the painting was complete, I started distressing her.  I lightly sanded with 220 grit sand paper on most of the table. I did use an electric sander on the corners.  Again, I like sanding by hand because I feel I have more control on how much is taken off.  The corners had the most crackle look, so I sanded them much heavier than the rest of the table.  You can see this in the image below:

I then applied CeCe's clear wax to seal the table, allowed that to dry overnight, and then buffed over the table again with a rag the next morning.  There are a few dark spots in these pictures, however, they are not actually part of the table (I don't want anyone thinking I used dark wax). 

Here she is all finished. 

I fully realize my design for this table is not for everyone...but honestly, I paint for me.  Of course, I want to sell each piece, and want to make something my customers will enjoy and want in their homes, however, I have to follow my heart on these pieces sometimes or I'll go crazy. As with any artist, I start with a blank canvas and create something beautiful from an image created from my heart.  That is also the reason I don't take on a lot of custom work...I want to be able to "do my thing" and create from my own ideas. That is why I love what I do...if I had to do each piece a certain way, I am afraid I'd stop loving refurbishing the way I do.    I am now thinking I may go a bit crazier on this table, maybe add a flower, chevron or something...or, I may just go more conservative and give her a top coat of green to go back to her original state...you never know!  Sometimes a project is never really complete for me...or maybe I just need to learn when to walk away :) 

Happy Visioning, Creating, and Painting! 

Just for my girls...vintage dresser re-do

As many of you know, we've been redoing our girl's room in preparation for our new bundle of joy. We needed a tall dresser and I have been on the search for months. I'd find one and think "Oh! This is the one", but then that feeling would pass and onto a booth it would go.  Then I ran across this one at a local roadside antique store and I knew it was perfect for what we needed...vintage  curves, classic lines, large drawers, and drawers that do not have pulls-they are made to simply pull open from the bottom of each drawer.  SOLD! Loaded it up and off we went.

The dresser started out a really dark stained color, and I really wanted that to show through, so I did not prime it.  I lightly sanded it with my electric sander, then I painted the body of the piece with CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White. On the drawers, the turquoise I normally use was a little too dark to match the girl's fabric, so I took a disposable quart-size paint bucket and mixed 2 cups of CeCe's Santa Fe Turquoise paint with 1/2 cup of water, then mixed together well inside the bucket.  It does become watery, but not so much so that you have runs, etc. That is the nice part about CeCe's being so thick to begin with.  I rolled this mix onto the drawers in two thin coats. I then sanded the body and drawers by hand so I could control the amount of distressing.  This dresser has some nice vintage designs, and I wanted to highlight those, not blend them, so I took the turquoise paint mixture and painted in the lines of the design on the top and sides of the dresser, then lightly hand sanded around those lines as well. Use your thumb or forefinger and a small piece of sand paper to get inside those delicate lines. I then waxed the entire piece with clear wax and buffed it out once the wax had time to cure.  Here she is...I love it and more importantly, so do the girls.

The funniest part is Kinsley (our oldest) says "Mom, why do you keep painting stuff then take all the paint off?"  I had to laugh out loud because I am sure that is confusing to her...it never occurred to me she might not understand what I do! I promised her the next one I do for her, I will not distress to which she replied "Ok, that would be great!" so I guess I will be doing another one down the road for my big girl :)

I know it seems I use a lot of turquoise and white, but that is what is "big" right now in my area and what sells best for me. Our girl's room is zebra/white/turquoise/light pink (yes, I did let them choose it....Lord help me), so this was the perfect piece to match their decor without going too "over the top." I wanted a piece that would grow with them and not ever go out of style as zebra, prints, etc. tend to do.  Here is another picture in better light.

To me, this is the best part of chalk paint...you can add water to soften colors, mix colors to create your own custom hue, or change the entire color by covering with wax, dark wax, etc. I have heard over and over "why pay so much for paint?" as people shake their heads and I just laugh and tell them "TRY IT ONCE and you'll know!" For someone like me who uses it all day, every day, it is worth the investment. 

I hope everyone has a great week holiday weekend and takes time to thank, hug, and remember a solider...they give all so we can post freely, speak freely, and live freely. God Bless!!