Pure White Desk & Chair

Last month I was given the task of refinishing this desk set for sweet Miss Addie.

It had definitely seen its better days

but with a little creativity and 

 a quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint 

 I was able to transform this tired treasure into

an awesome keepsake for my client's granddaughter.

Here's the finished product...

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So what'cha ya think?

I love it.

The Pure White is so fresh.

It looks absolutely amazing next to the aged wood

and original cane seat.

The desk also has a

detachable, three-fold mirror

that is absolutely gorgeous.

I opted to keep the original knobs 

but it's very likely we'll update them once Addie's dresser is finished.

Yes, Grandma Daine has a second dresser for Miss Addie

that I'm still in the process of updating.

Oh the fun she will have

hosting tea parties with cousins and pets,

creating master pieces, 

and storing her secret treasures in this desk.

All because grandma saw the potential in a forgotten old desk.

As always thanks for reading 13CCF. Be sure to stop by next week to see Miss Addie's new dresser!

ASCP Pure White Vanity and Night Stand

This month I had the chance to makeover a bedroom set for my youngest client to date.  Little Kinzie is almost ready to make the move from her crib to a big girl bed. Luckily she inherited an entire bedroom set from her great-grandmother. 

Not all of the pieces have made the trip north yet but here are a few BEFORE pics of the vanity, mirror, stool, and nightstand.

Kinzie’s mom decided to freshen up the furniture with Annie Sloan Pure White Chalk Paint and Clear Wax. The bright white color is going to look fabulous against Kinzie's dark grey walls. Every piece has its unique challenges and in this case I had quite a few issues with the stain bleeding through the paint. This has only happened twice since I started using ASCP products. The solution? I Kilzed the heck out of it! 

Here's the final product:

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So What'cha think? 

   

I love it!

 

Distressing the edges let the natural wood tones peek through 

and gave the furniture more dimension.

 

 If you skip this step there's really 

no where for the eye to rest on a pure white piece of furniture. 

Does that make sense?

The vanity came with a large mirror and the original stool. 

Initially I was going to suggest Marissa replace the stool
with a more modern ottoman cube.
However, the stool turned out to be incredibly sturdy.

  

I replaced the dated seat fabric with a big, messy, fringe rug.

 

I think it turned out ADORABLE! 

Don't you?

The layers of soft fringe give the vintage vanity seat 
a marvelous modern twist. 

  I also replaced the original hardware with 
glass knobs from Hobby Lobby. 

  All the extra fluff and sparkle will be perfect 
for a little girl's room. 
I hope Kinzie and her mom enjoy it for years to come!

As always, thanks for reading 13CCF. Stop back in a couple of weeks to see my next 13CCF project.
~Wendy

Striped Accent Wall

March madness is here! Between all the basketball games I've been trying to update my bedroom this month. Nothing major, just a fresh coat of paint and some new bedding. I decided to keep it simple and paint my walls white. Ladies, if there are fifty shades of grey, there must be at least sixty different shades of white! Seriously and each of those will look different in the room depending on your lighting. I wanted an ultra bright, stark white, modern farmhouse kind of white so I simply used a Pure White Flat Enamel on the walls and semi-gloss on the doors and trim. To add a little wow factor, I also painted an accent wall. 


"Cough-Cough!!! Accent wall? I thought you said accent walls went out with Bill Clinton?"

Yeah, that's true. I did say that. But to my defense, this one is striped...!?!

To make the stripes I used a level and tediously drew out all of the lines in light pencil.

Then I carefully marked the lines with Frog Tape.

For a project this big it's important to use a tape you trust.
Otherwise you may not get nice, crisp, sharp lines.

I've always had good results with Frog Tape.

You will also need a helper...if only for the conversation. 

Creating the stripes isn't difficult, but it is very time consuming.
The project took me fifteen hours to complete.

Fifteen!

In my final hours I was thinking:
 Ugh!!! Why didn't I just buy striped curtain panels
and saved myself the agony!

Short answer:
A quart of latex paint was only $15
and the panels would have probably been $200-300.
 

 

Once the wall was finally taped
I painted it with two back to back coats of an eggshell grey

and removed the tape right away.

Here's what I ended up with:

 

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I love the bold but chic statement the horizontal stripes make
in my otherwise boxy little room.
They're a great contrast to the farmhouse white walls. 

 I think a gaudy light fixture like this would be an awesome,
unexpected addition to the space. 

(Keep your fingers crossed for me.)

Figuring out bedding has been a completely different story. 

It took me less time to decide on my last car than it took to pick out a new duvet.

After hours of looking in stores and online, I eventually splurged 

on a mixture of Belgian linens from RH and PB.

I love the relaxed, cozy air linen bedding adds to a room.
If you don't mind the wrinkled look, linen bedding is surprisingly soft. 

Some bedrooms seem to whisper, "Good night!". I'm hoping ours will scream, "Good morning!" when I'm all done! As always, thanks for reading 13CCF!

~Wendy