Wednesday, April 3, 2013

From Plain Pine to French Linen


Hey all!

Where have I been?! I know, right? Well it was Spring Break, and I BRAKED!
Well, I was actually pretty busy at the beginning of the week. Then my in-laws came, and the cold came,
and I just got plain lazy! Plus, we had NO nice sunny days for picture taking.

I am still waiting for Spring to hit Virginia. It looks like we may finally be in for a nice weekend though!

So my last project was my dining room corner cabinet. It was a gift from my parents years ago after I bought
my first home, a townhouse. For some ungodly reason they bought me a unfinished piece. If they did this
NOW I would be uber-excited! But back then I was working full-time and long hours. The last thing I wanted was MORE work. So I had just stained it with I don't even know what! It was quick. It was one step. And it looked fine.
Of course I forgot to take some straight on shots of it BEFORE I started dismantling it for paining...
And then the dining room table looked like this for a week:
Filled with crap! Gah!
I may want to take the wallpaper down in the dining room soon so I wanted to paint the cabinet something
that would work later as well. And I was dying to use my can of Annie Sloan French Linen. I have seen so many pieces
painted in this color and it is just a great neutral.

I had painted two coats. The worked on the cabinet in the dining room. But the doors I took off and had laying
in the family room so I could paint and watch some of my taped "chick" shows that the hubs does not enjoy
watching! (Touch, The Client List and any Real Housewives shows!) So I was oh, so overjoyed when he walked
in and commented "is that primer?". Argh. Usually he knows to ignore that anything is even going on. I mean,
he could walk in and I could be standing on my head and he will not even bat a eye. 

Anyway. It WAS looking a bit drab and grey. I started second-guessing my color choice. I added another coat and reattached the doors and let it sit for a couple days. Sometimes you just have to walk away for a day or two and then comeback to a project. I came back and waxed it. Still not happy. So then I added another coat of half wax/half dark wax. THAT was exactly what it needed! Much better.

 I left the inside stained wood... for now!


Sorry about the pictures. Between the lack of sun lately, black wallpaper and positioning of my dining room it it SO hard to get a good picture! Look at my cute pup peeking in... He is so scared of the camera. I have no idea why! 
Thanks for stopping in - and send some sunshine my way!

Partying at:
Green Willow Pond
Savvy Southern Style
DIY By Design
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Coastal Charm
French Country Cottage
From My Front Porch To Yours
Blue Egg Brown Nest
No Minimalist Here
Jennifer Rizzo
Cedarhill Ranch

10 comments:

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I love the French Linen, too, Lisa! I've done quite a few pieces with my quart can. It is amazing what a different look you get when you use the waxes. If you do decide to paint the inside, the Old White would make for a great contrast.

Lisa @ HouseOfFabForLess said...

Kathy - That is exactly what I was thinking! After I redo the walls in there (lighter) of painting the inside white!

Shaya said...

Love this color - makes the piece so fresh and pretty. Well done my friend :-)

Nicole@nicole-southerncharm.com/ said...

I love the French Linen! Looks amazing! Nicole from southern charm

Cindy @ Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home said...

So pretty, the color is perfect!
Blessings,
Cindy

Botanic Bleu said...

I love pine, BUT your corner cabinet looks so much better to my eyes in the Annie Sloan paint than as a stained pine piece. Looking forward to seeing what else you do to this room...

I've become your latest follower.

Judith

TheMoonAndMe said...

Love the color. Thanks for encouraging me to use some dark wax. I have something I did in the french linen and it looks so "cool"...I think the dark wax is just what it needs. :)
Your cabinet looks great!
Kelly

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

The cabinet turned out lovely. I'm glad you didn't give up! Thank you for sharing it at to What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a lovely week!

Hugs,
Deborah

Tattered Tiques said...

Oh I just love it! It turned out beautiful! I know what you mean about the French Linen color, kinda drab, but with that dark wax combo, it's just beautiful! Nicely done!
Julie

Robin Johnson said...

Oh not that is lovely! well done.

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Thank you for your comments! ~ Lisa