Before and After and After

I have a rule...

NEVER, EVER REPAINT...

by that I mean once it's done...

We often start, rethink, adjust along the way...

but once it's done and photographed,

leave it alone...

SOMEONE will LOVE it.

 

 

This desk was driving me nuts, however!

It was fine...pretty, soft color

nice distressing...

but I DID NOT LOVE IT

so, I repainted it...

well, funny story about that, you see...

This was painted w milk paint

and sealed with burnishing paste...

"You better strip that" said Kenny...

"yeah, right, as-if" said I...

and I commenced to painting over the milk paint

with more milk paint

"It will only take me an hour" I proclaimed!

 

To anyone that wants to figure out how to force milk paint to crackle and chip?

I might have found your solution...

just paint over burnishing paste!

 

It was crackley, chippy awesomenesss...

Unfortunately, I did not want a bunch of crackle and chipping...

(isn't the way it always goes?)

 

so I had to sand the ENTIRE desk back down to bare wood!

(and it did NOT take me "only an hour!")

 

One day, maybe I'll listen...

but probably not

Two days later, and TA DA...

 

 (I know, coolest hardware EVER, right?)

 

It's simple and elegant now...

and so is the chair, which lived in my house for 10 years

this was painted gloss black enamel so I milk painted right over it

and I love how wherever it's chippy, you see gloss black

for a cool tone-on-tone effect

 

And don't you LOVE these paper flowers from Home Goods?

 

So I broke my own rule about NOT repainting,

but I think this desk went from OK to STUNNER

I'm sure plenty of folks will tell me they preferred the "before"

and that's OK, because I LOVE THE AFTER!