One step forward, two steps back.

My little adventure that I've been sharing bits about here– "A Painted Apple"– has hit a few bumps in the road in the past couple of weeks. Starting with a painting class I took at "The Painted Table" a week ago. I had a naggy suspicion that it would not be the chalk paint technique which I had chosen to revive the pile of furniture I'd accumulated. Did I think to ask before signing up? No. …

While we waited for one of our classmates to arrive we wandered around the shop admiring all the pretty painted furniture. I was frantically trying to memorize prices. I'd stare hard at a piece that caught my eye, memorizing the price thinking I would remember the information to write down later. Well it's all a jumble in my head. I will need to return before any sale takes place!

I did see a piece that was the most beautiful royal blue. I was like a bee to nectar. I wanted to drink it in. I'm seriously into navy/cobalt blue these days. 

After finishing our tour of the shop we entered the adjoining classroom. They had it very organized. We each had a cabinet door sitting in front of us– all shapes and sizes. Some raw wood, but mostly stained and varnished. We each got to pick a paint color and after some lengthy instructions commenced to paint our little door fronts.

The technique we learned was a traditional furniture painting method. Light sand, two light coats of satin latex paint, then let dry. They super emphasized not overloading your brush with paint. No knocking off paint on the side of the can. Here's the surprise part. After a long drying period (so you can't paint and an hour later do this next step)… apply a coating of oil based stain/sealer to antique. (We had to swap out our piece and pick a new door front that was painted by a previous class to compensate for the drying step.) After the stain sits a few minutes.. we wiped and buffed and ended up with beautifully aged looking pieces. Some darker then others depending on the hue of the stain. 

During the class I knew I HAD to ask about chalk paint. And I knew I wasn't going to hear what I wanted to hear. But I asked. And I felt conflicted. Of course I did. And in getting to the point of this post.. that confliction, a long week of humid rain and my organizing job stopped any paint from being applied to the furniture waiting for a new life out in the shop.

Yesterday I was home, the sun came out and I headed back out to the shop. I had made the decision that I would use both techniques based on each piece and how it would be used. And I would start by finishing the three pieces I had started. Well I couldn't find the right sand paper (can you imagine in a cabinet shop??) All the numbers but the one I needed- 220. So I had to just go with what was there. I "distressed".. which was fun, wiped then waxed. But I wasn't happy with the results on the test chair. And that discouraged me… I walked away with my head hung low.

Then last night I gave a painting pamphlet I took home from the class to the Carpenter to review in light of his abundant painting experience. Well.. he called me downstairs to read something to me and I knew what he was going to read at the very end of the information… 

1. Have FUN and let what happens, happen.

2. Don't get too persnickety– it's not supposed to be "like new".

I am a perfectionist. "nuff said".

~ the Artist