Trash to Treasure Tuesday

Tuesday might be a good day for Trash to Treasure so I'm giving it a shot to share a trash to treasure project the first Tuesday of every month.  I'm trying to get better at taking pictures of all the steps, notice I said TRYING. 

My trash to treasure project started out with a pallet board that was in the garbage at work.  I have a hard time walking by the bin of thrown away boards without checking them out.  Some may have split only on the ends which can be cut off and transformed into many projects.  If you've ever tried to take a pallet apart it's next to impossible so when the boards are apart and fairly good it's a dang miracle and they must be saved from the trash. 

So when I said TRYING this is where I failed.  I didn't take a picture of the pallet board nor did I take a picture of it with the coat of paint so if you can imagine a that part for me it would be great.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Florence.  Then I painted a white arrow onto the board in a very free hand motion.  No worries about getting sharp lines or points, that will all work out later.

I then sanded the entire board after both paints were dried.  Sanding over the arrow is the key to the non-perfect arrow.  I like the look of the arrow being something you may have found at an abandoned cabin or business.  A sign that pointed you to the beach or the pumpkin patch. After the sanding your sign looks very dull and lifeless and a bit dusty.

I wiped off the sign with a lint free cloth an applied a thin layer of Valspar Sealing Wax with a cloth, waited a few minutes and buffed it to a pretty shine.  A closer look of the sanded arrow with a clear wax applied.

I then applied a layer of Valspar Antiquing Wax making sure to get it into all the little grooves in the wood.  

I then buffed it off leaving the darkness in the grooves and getting a pretty shine to the sign with a bit of age.

This is usually John's job but he was busy and I was in a hurry to hang my new arrow.  Measure the board to find the middle and attach a picture hook.  I learned this trick from John.... hold the nail with a pliers (in my case a wire cutter cuz I was too lazy to find the right tool) to avoid hitting your fingers with the hammer.

My new arrow sign looks great on the freshly painted dining room wall.  It's a tan/gray, it's really light and I love it.  I was tired of the dark tan wall and soon the red wall will be painted in the same light color.  The style is light and bright and I'm ready for a change. 

And you guessed it.... I might be painting the table... there is a can of Florence in the garage just waiting to be used.

That's it for my Trash to Treasure Tuesday. 

 Later....

Amy Howard at Home - 1st Experience

Recently I was asked to try out a new paint line that our ACE Hardware was selling.  The paint line is called Amy Howard at Home.  I’ve never heard of the paint line so being me I couldn’t wait to open all 3 cans of paint and get started.  The first thing you do is turn the cans over for 30 minutes and then stir all the yummy ingredients together. 

Chalk paint is bit thicker than regular paint but after you learn how to use it you'll grow to love that thickness.  I loved the colors and the feel of the paint on my brush and was excited to make a transformation with these plain ole' wood bowls. 

I painted a wood bowl in each color that was given to me.  Some pieces will need more than 2 coats for desired coverage, I chose 3 coats on the wood bowls just because I like the rich color contrasting with the dark wood that I didn’t paint.  

My next step was to distress, I’m a distress lover but you do not have to distress if you like the full coverage look.  The paint distressed very well and blended the edges like the distress had been done with years of touching and rubbing.  A nice old worn look but while distressing the color becomes dull and lifeless, don’t worry…. the next steps will take care of it.   

Next process is to wax the paint after distressing.  If you chose to not distress the paint you can skip the waxing but why?????  This is my favorite part.  I LOVED Amy Howard Light Antiquing Wax, it was smooth and buttery and went on well with a lint free rag.  For the bowls I rubbed the wax with full coverage, I do not recommend this technique with larger items unless you want your arms to look like Popeye’s.  The wax is a bit sticky when putting it on but wait the desired 15 minutes and with a lint free rag buff the wax and it becomes a smooth matte finish that is heavenly to the touch.  The way this wax feels and looks after a little elbow grease, kinda like polishing a shoe, is amazing.  Not that I ever polished shoes but I can imagine it’s the same process. 

So let’s admire the little beauties with their new look.  

The colors are Spa White, Tick Tock and Charm School

To see and feel these bowls in person head on over to Medford’s ACE Hardware Store located within County Market and check them out.  Let them know Connie sent you and if you liked the information keep checking back for more tips and treasure adventures I happen to find.  

Later.... 

The Painted Photographer

Hello there,

I am Connie, The Painted Photographer.  I work a full time day job, part-time photographer and a lover of all thing painted.  I have 3 grown children who have given me 7 beautiful grandchildren.  Our family has grown very quickly and amazes me everyday how lucky I am to have them all.  I am a wife for 30+ years to my High School sweetheart, he puts up with my love for painting junk.....  I love the hunting involved when looking for treasures, you may hear me scream with excitement when a super sweet item it found.  I do brake for junk along side the road, I have been known for rescuing treasures from the garbage truck, and I've found myself in very dirty situations.... even in heels.  The best part of this hobby is seeing the swan appear from the ugly duckling and hearing the compliments from those that see it.  My entire life I've had a love for art of any kind and it's once again found it's way out of me.  I can paint anything, if it sits still I will probably end up painting it.... sometimes more than once.  But ask me to sew a straight line..... not going to happen.

I also enjoy the outdoors, on my off days my feet hit the floor and I'm outside till long after dark.  Gardening, walking, painting, decorating, taking pictures, kayaking, snowshoeing, treasure hunting and you might occasionally see me sitting still by the campfire.  I love summer when it's hot enough to make most people complain....

Family is very important to me.  I am number 8 from a family of 11 who have increased the population quite nicely.  I love all my family and the bigger the party the happier we all are.  Whenever we are together I try to get a photo by setting the timer and running back and forth.  With this many kids I think we did pretty good.

Grab a cup of coffee or if you're like me "a Mountain Dew" perch yourself on the patio and read away.  

Later....