Chalk Painting For The Craft Room!

Ever since I put together my craft room I've had an empty corner.  Originally I thought I wanted a nice, comfy upholstered chair there, a place to hand stitch or read a book. While I love spending time in here I find I do need to spend some time in the same room as my husband, so I went away from getting a chair.  For the last few months I've been on a mission to find an old dresser, small enough to fit in the space.  I finally found one in an antique store and have spent the weekend painting it.  I love how it turned out and I think it fills up the corner so nice.  The dresser also gives me more storage (I seem to keep accumulating stuff!) and another work top.  I think it will be a useful addition to my room!

Harley rarely lets me out of his sight!

Chalk painting has been around for a while but I've been rather intimidated by it.  A few years ago I painted the stools under my cutting table but kept telling myself they were just stools, I didn't think I could do a piece of furniture.  A few weeks ago I chalk painted the frame for my design board so my confidence grew a little.  Yesterday I jumped in and it wasn't so bad! 

 Chalk paint leaves a matte finish, a very soft look, that blends in well with the urban farmhouse vibe in my home.  There is very little prep involved; no stripping of old paint, sanding, etc.  It's basically a matter of making sure the piece is clean and then just painting. Once painted there is a waxing process, very similar to painting, whereby the wax is brushed onto the piece and wiped off.  It leaves a nice smooth finish.  I did a little distressing on the edges of this dresser, knowing it's going to get used a lot and will get distressed over time anyway. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint.  They have a pink paint in their color line but it was more muted than I wanted so I mixed pure white with a little of red, to make a bubblegum pink color.  I have a lot of bright colors in my room and this adds to it!

 

The dining area turned into a painting studio for a day!

My husband was apprehensive at first as he knows I'm not a big fan of painting. I managed to impress him.  Now he thinks I should paint my beloved armoire as it's the only non-colored piece in my room.  I'm thinking about it now! Maybe blue?