Coming Back To Center With Paint

I might not be painting canvases so much right now, but I haven't stopped painting, which is the important part.

I'm finding that in the process of painting furniture, I come back to center.

It's in the repetitive motions, the back and forth, back and forth that my mind quiets.

No thoughts, just motion. Nothing has to have composition, nothing has to be added just yet. 

Only paint.

Back and forth, back and forth.

I took this circa 1985 console table from our church foyer to bring it up to date with chalk paint.

 I began with Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Everlasting.  (FYI: I don't get paid for mentioning any products.)

It took two coats to cover it, and I put three coats on the very top.

if I'm working at the Summit House, I always have help.

I wanted to use the dry brush effect and began experimenting on the underside of the table with Americana Decor paint in Relic.

Thank goodness I experimented on the underside.

By the time I googled dry brush, watched Youtube videos on the process at midnight and then looked up a hundred different directions on Pinterest I had slightly lost my center again.

Small disasters tend to do this to me.

Definitely NOT the look I was going for.

Dry Brush.

Teeny tiny amount of paint.

Gak.

What's a girl to do to get back to center?

Improvise.

Take the teeny, tiny amount of paint on the brush, dunk it in water and dab onto the drop cloth.

Sweep it over the table in long motions.

Ahhhhhhh....

That's better!!!!

 This is the first go:

Crazy, huh?

I continued putting SMALL, SMALL, SMALL amounts of paint on the tip of the brush and then dunking it quickly into a jar of water, then dabbing onto the drop cloth. 

The great part about this is that if you get too much gray paint on your surface, you can dip the brush back into the water, dab, and work the paint out into a nice, even, light  layer.

Small bubbles might come onto the surface, but you can get rid of those by continuing to brush.

Back and forth, back and forth.

Because the paint is so wet, it settles nicely into the crevices.

I did this twice over the whole table and then after the second layer dried, I sanded some of the edges.

Next comes the wax.

So, I don't know if this is a kosher chalk-paint move to have your paint super diluted and then after it dries, put the wax on it. Nor do I know if it's a kosher chalk-paint move to add gray paint to the wax for one more layer of loveliness.

But oh, well. I did it anyway and it seemed fine.

I put the wax on the inside of the lid and added a small amount of gray paint and mixed it all up.

Again, working with SMALL amounts of paint and wax, I brushed it over the surface in small sections and then went over it with a soft, white rag.

Lots of rubbing on this step. 

If you have too much gray or it has spattered or there is just a chunk of gray, just use a bit of clear wax and rub it out until it's even.

(NOTE: when you grab a rag to use for the wax and it's an old maroon colored pillow case? DON'T. It will bleed and turn your project into the strangest color of pink. However, this will come out when you add plain wax and rub it out. I just learned this yesterday on a different project I'm working on.)

Pre- rubbing:

Finished product:

Personally, I love it.

I'm not fond of gray, but this is warm and pretty.

All though....

Everyone has their opinion. Which I discovered as I was delivering the table back to church and someone asked why it was just painted with primer.

That's o.k.

I got in my car, worked it out-rather loudly by myself, and when I see the tables (there are two) each Sunday, I smile to myself.

Maybe this week you will find yourself in the midst of a project.

Remember to breathe through it and hopefully find yourself back at center.

Just don't do it at midnight. Center is hard to find at midnight and the project always takes a wrong turn. And don't forget- no maroon rags.

Have a lovely weekend!

linking to Paint Party Friday