Twilight has spilled its pouch of stars
A sequin-splash on velvet bars
Where the west sun gilded yon hill
With dusk before night's bluer twill
Swathed morning's mystic come-what-may
In shades of 'almost yesterday'
...and where we stared at unrolled gold
To wonder what waits to unfold
As dawn laid soft beneath our feet
The grace of time's untarnished street
Now our latest highs and lows
Are etched in Past's steadfast repose
This vale of victory and loss
Is mankind's constant albatross
Yet, in its trial-error Must
We learn to try and fail and trust
Knowing that every come-what-may
Is always 'almost yesterday'
Janet~
Since Annie Sloan Chalk-paint is not available in any nearby stores I started 'googling' and found many recipes for DYI chalk-paint. With a hardware store minutes from home and someone who had tried the homemade version of chalk-paint and loved it, I decided to try it...
I/3 cup plaster of paris
1/3 cup water
mix well then add one cup paint. (use matte paint tinted to your choice of color)
stir well. this amount painted two coats on the dresser above as well as two coats on an old trunk!
Paint, let dry an hour.
Paint second coat. (Check out on-line tutorials for waxing and distressing). I used Martha Stewart clear wax after paint dried approx. 5 hours. Let wax dry overnight then sand the edges you want to distress. I used Martha Stewart antiquing wax to distress. I tried applying with brush and very little dark wax on it, wiping any excess with a damp cloth. Not totally sold on those waxes but min-wax furniture paste wax was hard and yellowy...I applied another coat of clear wax after antiquing wax dried (a few Hours) now I am waiting 24 hrs. to buff it then it is done. I cannot yet tell you how durable the paint is, but it painted beautifully smooth!
Love the poem and the results of your project, Janet! Must be hard to wait long 24 hours to put the finishing touches on it :-) Hang in there, it'll be even nicer after the buffing.
ReplyDeleteSasha, I'm chuckling right now because I almost told you yesterday that the hardest thing is the waiting between stages!! :-) It is a long 24 hrs. when its called w-a-a-a-aiting.
DeleteBUT, Melissa surprised me at supper yesterday. she called and told me he is coming home for the week-end, because a friend came to visit and offered to give her a ride!
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your beautiful poem ... I kept reading the last lines over and over again ... Yes, that is how it often times is!
And the makeover of your dresser - I haven't heard of the chalk paint, but your work makes me want to ... I love the feeling of antique, and the color is so pretty - Congratulations!
Thank-you Nina. Life is not always as gracious as paint where we an brush over our mistakes and start again, right? still, in a sense dawn is always a fresh pot of paint!
DeleteMy sister Lucy painted with the Annie Sloan product and it is gorgeous, but if this paint is durable then I have nothing negative to say about it! It paints on SO smoothly and is lovely even before distressing!
Than-you so much for the confidence-boost!
That looks great!! Good for you for trying the homemade...
ReplyDeleteI think you have found a new passion...::))))
I called Marspan to see if they had a comparable product, after some researching on-line. They suggested the home-made version, but asked for pics and feed-back so they can pass on the pros and cons to others, from people who tried it.
DeleteI'm not totally happy with the distressing, but also there was little detailing to work with on this piece.
Maybe not a passion, but something I will try again, Just not sure about the cupboard in the kitchen until I know its durability.