My Little Project

About a year ago, I started a new little project. I'm good at starting projects. I like to switch things up a bit. I also enjoy being creative, and painting is a great escape for me--I can put on some good music and paint for hours and be totally content.

I've been out-of-the-country for most of the past four years. Another little project...in Liberia, West Africa. But that's not what this blog is about...that's for my other blog!

Back to about a year ago.

I came home from Liberia, and my mom had bought a beautiful antique dresser that she wanted to put in the front entryway. The problem was the dresser needed alot of TLC. She started telling me about this new paint that had really been catching on, and she wanted to try it. So off we went to buy some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I'll admit, I held my breath at the price!

My mom had already primed the dresser (was unaware of the beauty of chalk paint...no prepping needed), so I don't even know what it looked like originally. By the time I got home, she had run out of steam and wanted me to finish the dresser. I spent my nights crammed into my sewing room with my music and a paint brush in my hand. Besides 'Mexican painting' my dresser in the 9th grade with craft paint (which I embarrassingly still use!), I had never painted furniture before. Once I finished the dresser and stepped back to admire my work...I LOVED it!

My mom started saying things about people painting with chalk paint, selling it and making money. Since I felt like a natural, I decided that painting, refinishing and selling furniture could be a way to make some money since I didn't have any other source of income. We had a few other rejected furniture pieces around the house, so I started to paint them. Then I started going to garage sales, estate sales and auctions.

I'll be honest, I've tried a few methods to sell my pieces, and I haven't been very happy with any of the outcomes. I just rented space in a local antique shop a month ago, so that's still a new experiment. It has ALL been a learning experience. I've decided what I really love about the process is seeing the potential in something that would be tossed to the curb. And the painting part is just a form of creative expression.

I want to use this blog as a place to show the before and after photos, and to perhaps sell a few pieces. I also want this to be a source of inspiration. I promise you...anyone can paint furniture! Most people are just too scared to. And, the good news is that if you mess up, you can always paint over it and start again!

So, this is the beginning of my little project...Restored to Beautiful!