Sunday, August 26, 2012

Go Big Blue

Yes, I live in Kentucky, but no, this post is not about basketball.
I just delivered (rather, my incredibly awesome parents delivered for me) the biggest piece I've done, to date.

This piece found me.  She yelled right at me from the parking lot at my favorite local non-profit thrift store.

No one else was even looking at her.


But I knew the minute I laid eyes on her, that she was coming home with me (saggy cardboard, spiders and all...)



She's no lightweight.

She boasted great storage, and with those detailed cabinet fronts, was just screaming (as Nicole, the heroine of HGTV's Rehab Addict puts it), "Make me pretty!"


My Dad helped me haul her into the house and reinforce her structure a little.

Dad, you rock, as usual.

Then she was all mine.

I put her on Facebook, and immediately got snatched up by a friend with bold taste, who was willing to take a risk and have me do this for her long distance.  She never saw it in person until it was delivered to her front door.  Is that a leap of faith, or what?!


This piece got two coats of primer, about 3 coats of paint (some places needed more touch-up, as getting paint in ALL those little curves, nooks, and crannies, took some time and patience) and Polycrylic to keep her looking great for years to come.


Here's what I love most about this piece:

I never would have chosen the colors the owner chose.  Just would not have happened.  The color - bold, bright, beautiful - made this dumpy relic into a Grande Dame.







She looks regal in her blue-purple*.  The owner also wanted paper lining the inside, and she chose sheets of peacock feathers.  Amazing.

There was a lesson for me at the end of the process.  I couldn't have been more pleased with how the piece turned out.  And it is what it is now, because the owner did something out of the ordinary.  She took a chance - and made me take a chance.  A major step out of my comfort zone.  And it resulted in a broader horizon for me.  So, thank you, Liz!  I envision many wonderful cocktail parties, and dinners with friends going on with this piece in the room.  And I hope it makes you smile each time you look at it.  I know I did.

Here's the materials I used:

Primer - Zinsser Bulls Eye Water-Base Primer & Sealer

*Paint - Crushed Velvet in flat finish by Olympic at Lowe's (this color is reading as way more purple in these pics. It is more blue in person.)

Top coat - Polycrylic Satin finish by Minwax

Hardware - sprayed with flat black then finished with Valspar silver spray paint, also at Lowe's (also coated with Polycrylic for durability)

Paper - Recollections scrapbook paper, called Peacock Feathers, sold by the sheet at Michael's


So the next time you're out thrifting or yard saling, and a big old honkin' piece yells at you, LISTEN!  And try something bold and different.

Thanks for reading!
XO,
Anne

craftionary

Linking up here:




mop it up mondays

10 comments:

  1. What an amazing transformation! Great job!

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  2. Hi Anne ! Came to you through Roadkill Rescue. Love your rescue of this tremendous buffet ! I love purple, so it's absolutely gorgeous !! Hubby would absolutely kill me if I brought this home. But he is not as open to this sort of thing as many hubbies out there. He swears my next vehicle will be NOT be a truck ! Looking forward to what you find next.

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  3. Saw you over and Roadkill Rescue and had to come over and say, Wow! I love that color, maybe I should be more bold in my color choices?!

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  4. Coming to you from Domestically Speaking. This is incredible! I never would have chosen such a vibrant bold color. I will have to get hubby out of the house so I can experiment without commentary! Did you sand before priming?

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  5. Margyani, SheilaG, and Patty,
    Thanks for stopping by! It absolutely makes my day!
    Margyani, I did not sand before I primed. I used the Cover Stain primer which is the oil based one from Zinsser and man, that stuff is awesome. I did some light sanding after the primer went on, just to smooth out the finish.
    As for the husbands who have a hard time catching up with our "visions" I say paint something a rocking color and sell it. Money talks! LOL...
    Anne

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  6. I just picked up a similar buffet in hopes of turning it into a rolling island. Yours came out great!

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  7. The whole time I was reading ths, thinking, "Anne would love this project." Then I realized it WAS your project. LOVE it! Great job.

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  8. Would love to have a dresser color purple

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