chalk paint

Oh the Stories this Bench Could Tell. Now Rejuvenated with a New Look. Come See!

Oh the Stories this Bench Could Tell. Now Rejuvenated with a New Look. Come See!

This bench has seen better days having resided in front of our home for many years.

Oh, the stories it could tell. For a time in our life it was dubbed “bench time.” A time during which John and I devoted our love and energy in helping someone who was going through a transition.

There were many heart-to-heart talks over cups of coffee in the morning. Many early evenings a time for an adult beverage to talk about the days events and hopes for the future.

That relationship John and I had come to treasure would ultimately break down and left us both with broken hearts we thought would never mend.

And though there is a scar in place that will always be there, we’ve moved on. And we have returned to time on the bench, just John and I, stronger than before and often reflecting on how blessed we feel for the life we live.

With my new addiction to chalk painting, the bench is my biggest project so far. I’m so pleased with how it turned out!

A fresh new look that has me now smiling every time I look at it.

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Colors I used are from Home Decor FolkArt chalk paint line:  Sheepskin and Lilac.

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Transforming My Cottage One Chalk Paint Color at a Time

Transforming My Cottage One Chalk Paint Color at a Time

This chalk painting has become one of my joyful creative outlets. I’m obsessed. But don’t worry, I won’t foam at the mouth or become vicious (at least I don’t think so!). This is a good obsession.

My weekend plans of chalk painting two pieces didn’t quite happen. Besides this side table pictured above, I wanted to paint my outside park bench. But the damp, cold, windy weather put a damper on that.

The upside though is I did visit Dear Old Books bookstore and found some real treasures with Tasha Tudor illustrations (another obsession of mine) — plus a sweet, little bird guide book.

But I digress… well, sort of. There are things that make my house, well, what I describe as cottage-y. I find so much joy in my home and having items around me that I love.

The living room end table I painted is subtle, but I do like it better now. I’ve had that table for a long time which I found at a second hand store. I never liked the color, but loved the design.

I painted the main part in the color Oatmeal and the trim in Glacier – both from the Home Decor FolkArt chalk paint line which I get online or at Joann Crafts.

It’s interesting as the oatmeal color, depending on the lighting of the day, can take on a greenish tint. And the trim, as you can see in the photo, looks a light blue on the front side, but the side with the light from the outside shining on it takes on the hue of a light green.

Another fun chalk paint project was making mushrooms out of clay pots. I’ll be putting these in our new landscaping, which should be beginning soon. I can hardly wait!

But just so you know, they are mushrooms in disguise as fairy houses.  But if you believe in faeries like I do, well, you already new that now didn’t you?  <WINK>

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Today the sun is shining and temps warming to about 60 degrees. The urge to begin painting my park bench is pulling at me big time. So I must get my work done before I can “play” with the colors of Lilac and Sheepskin. ooooo la la!

P.S:  Speaking of cottage-y, painting, loving home, and creativity (and add to the mix memoir, kitties, and takes place in New England) … I’m giving away a really awesome book this Friday. It’s a new release that I didn’t want to end. It was so enjoyable!  One lucky subscriber to my  Joyful Paws newsletter will win. If you’d like a chance at winning, you must be a newsletter subscriber. You can sign up on the top, right hand side of this page. Note: this is different from my blog posts which go out almost daily. My newsletter comes out twice a month and I’m giving away a different book each month until April 2017!

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Be Careful What You Decide to Chalk Paint. New Projects on the Horizon.

Be Careful What You Decide to Chalk Paint. New Projects on the Horizon.

As I mentioned yesterday I’m becoming quite addicted to this new craze of chalk painting.

I completed two projects over the weekend painting a small wood pallet I made into a table for our deck. I also re-did a green table in my living room to a salmon coral to help brighten up my living room which can tend to be dark.

I joked that John, Kylie and Gidget better look out or they may become victims to my addiction.

So for fun, Gidget went along with my antics and posed for the photo above. She’s such a good sport. But I do love the unique coloring that she is, so she is safe from me taking a chalk paint brush to her.

Everything else in this house is fair game though! Next weekend I plan to tackle this table (never did like the color!). As of now, I’m planning on painting it in FolkArt Oatmeal and the trim in FolkArt Glacier, which is like a light blue.

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I also want to paint this outside sitting bench – the wrought iron in FolkArt Sheepskin (an ivory) and the slats in Lilac.

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I’ll be sure to share “after” photos when they are done. Is it the weekend yet!?

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