the process

i always document the processes of painting things, but i don't always post pictures of them. i decided to show you guys the progression of the last furniture piece i painted:

1. gross, wooden piece. i chose it because i liked the 4 panels, and it was heavy wood that was undamaged. perfect for painting, and for eventually getting that "worn" look.

2. i knew i wanted to use that pretty grey color that i used on the last piece of furniture, so i painted the entire piece that color, and did the rub-off technique to the corners, bevels, and edges. i decided to paint the inner part of the cabinet a light grey, but eventually changed it.

3. i wasn't really happy with the way that the lighter grey was looking (it sat overnight at this point...sometimes i just have to step away for a while, and come back to a piece to better "get" my next move), so i thought maybe i'd paint the insides red and distress them. i HATED that look, haha. (i think the red i was using was definitely the wrong color red, if i HAD have chosen red, but anyway...)

4. here is the finished product. i didn't take pics of all of the steps, but as you can see, i decided black was the best color for the centers (i thought it balanced the "shabby chic" look better to paint a solid black in the centers. it's a more modern look than a color would be, i think. after i did that, i drew little flowers on with paint. i was going to do a vine-like pattern, but i liked the graphic, dotty look of the flowers without vines, so i left them. plus, it almost looks chalkboardy, and you know i love a good chalkboard. :) i added the funky knobs (which were another problem in themselves. i could NOT decided which ones to add, but i am really happy with the final result)

5. and here it is, "styled"