Monday, March 5, 2012

Elbow Grease and Paint Pants--Robin's Egg Blue

I'm slowly finding homes for my fourteen auction finds.

I had a few people recently ask me why don't I start selling my finds.  My friend Kelly has a stall at Qcumberz, a local shop, and she and I talked about me sharing space and rent with her.

I thought about it for a few weeks, then Kelly discovered that she's been busy enough to keep her space filled on her own, but would I like my own space?  There would be an open stall starting February first.

After careful consideration, and selling my two fabric-backed cream shelves on Craigslist, I discovered that I really don't like to put all the work into a piece just to sell it to someone else. I gave Kelly my "no" answer, then later that day I headed down to Qcumberz to browse.

As I walked through the store, I knew I'd made the right decision.

Don't get me wrong--I'm happy to help anyone find what they want, attend an auction or go shopping armed with opinions and experience, but I don't think I'll be venturing into the retail market any time soon.

And with that, let me share with you a before shot of my latest project:
These shutters each measure 23x26" and weigh about twenty pounds apiece!  I loved all the details in the trim and especially the wooden keyholes.  I wanted to really bring out the detail work but still preserve their vintage feel.

First I tried to dry-brush white paint on the frames, and I hated how it looked.  It looked fake, in all honesty.  So instead of jumping right back into the project, I thought about it for a few days.  What color would I like them to be: a statement color, but one that wouldn't shout?  After considering yellow, I settled on a beautiful robin's egg blue--Behr's rain washed (500E-3) to be exact.

I gave them two coats of paint, then I pulled out the electric sander and gave them a heavy distressing.  They looked good, but I wanted to take them that extra step to amazing.  I pulled out the can of paint I had left over from the boys' dressers and dry-brushed a tiny bit of navy to give the paint some dimension, then finished off with a coat of clear wax.

Here's the finished product, anchoring my spring mantel display:

And a few close-ups of the details:

This may be my favorite project yet.
Until next week
Going once, going twice . . .
SOLD!
Linking up to Kristin's Tuesday's Treasures


16 comments:

  1. Oh, you've got that auction bug and you've got it bad!
    I like the Robin's Egg Blue you've used and will have to check it out at Home Depot. I'm looking for the perfect Robin's Egg Blue for our ensuite.

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  2. These turned out beautiful Jen. Truly. I love the gold D alongisde of them. Perfect timing for Easter.
    Dana

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  3. I absolutely LOVE this! I wish I lived closer to you - I could use a little of your expertise, and auction know how!

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  4. I love them!! I can't wait to see them in person-

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  5. They are beautiful jen!!!
    Now I really want a new mantle.
    have a happy day

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  6. I love the color you chose for them Jen...and your mantel display looks awesome!

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  7. Beautiful.
    I wouldn't have been able to see that on those boards (that's what they look like to my eyes)

    Love them on the mantel.

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  8. Jen, they are gorgeous! You truly are talented!

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  9. Yep, reallllllly LOVE those! They look awesome! And I love me some Robins Egg blue!

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  10. You are really good at this stuff, Jen. Really good.

    =)

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  11. Wow...i love it too. Great job!

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  12. Seriously, you are so stinking talented. They are amazing.

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  13. LOVE these...Awesome...xo, Mariaelena

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  14. Those are amazingly beautiful.

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  15. These turned out beautiful!!

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