get a NEW vision!!

i've said it before... sometimes my first "vision" of a project... doesn't work!  it's hard to admit.  we all want to think our work is great and everyone will love it!  but sometimes that's just not true!!  this theory was just proven!!

i picked up "rudy" at a yard sale just down from my house.  he was A MESS!!!  mike had to do some work to him just to get him ready to paint. 

INSTANTLY i had my "vision"!  i would paint him Annie Sloan "Coco" and his drawers would be "Old Barn Red".  He would be spectacular!!!

I think he turned out ok... but there he sat... august came to a close... september came and went... into the middle of october, i couldn't take it anymore!!  he was eating up precious workshop space!!  i drug him out and decided to leave his body "coco" but to paint his drawers ASCP "old ochre"... tone him down a bit... i got two drawers done and walked away... leaving him for at least a week... i thought about setting it on fire, i'm not gonna lie!! 

okay, time to get serious!  i was either going to finish this thing or burn it!!  not satisfied with the "old ochre" plan i tried "vision number three"!!!  i guess third time IS the charm!!  my new plan was to decoupage the drawers!!  so i sent my 13 year old daughter down to dig through scrapbook paper with these instructions:  "come back with some 'old looking' paper"... SHE DID GREAT!!!  she picked some fantastic paper!!!  and i set out to give rudy his final make-over!!

how i did it:

1.  using my ever intricate measuring and cutting techniques... i held my scrapbook paper up... pressed down and "folded it" where it needed to be cut.  hey, the piece is shabby chic!! no need for perfection!! 

2.  i applied watered down tacky glue to the front of the drawer.  i carefully laid the paper down... made adjustments... was super easy!!  each drawer was two pieces wide.  after the whole drawer was covered, i did a light coat of the watered down glue on top of the paper.  i gently pressed out bubbles and wrinkles with my finger. 

3.  after i did that with all the drawers... i set them aside to thoroughly dry for a couple of days. 

4.  finally, i did two coats of clear shellac on each drawer. 

5.  after letting the shellac dry for 24 hours, my husband put all new hardware on.

6.  the final change i made... i am IN LOVE with ce ce caldwell's "virginia chestnut"!!!  maybe it's because it looks like chocolate!!  i painted just rudy's top with this chocolaty delicious color... he had some natural "shabbiness" and that color enhanced it perfectly!!!  i topped it off with dark wax!

and...
TA DA!!!

after sitting in my workshop for TWO MONTHS.... one week with the new look and RUDY IS IN HIS NEW HOME TODAY!!! 

 

My husband ended up liking this piece so much, he wanted to keep it!!