Making it Chippy

This is not a project for the perfectionist.

Not even for the semi perfectionist.

This is for the sloppy Sam, haphazard Holly and messy Molly.

If that's your name then come forth.

The sad part is that there was a miscommunication between me and the Husband and my good "after" photos of this project were deleted.

It was my miscommunication though so I can't cry too hard:-(

Let's start where all good things should start...

At the beginning.

With some bad photos preferably.

When will I ever learn...

 

 

This shelf was made by the husband of a customer.

Her inspiration was the shelf from Pottery Barn and he uh, nailed it.

Sorry, bad pun.

 

 

So anyway, he built it a little larger than pb's, but otherwise a very close imitation.

They gave it to me raw wood.

I got to work painting it.. Burgundy?

These things are trial and error I tell you.

 

 

After mixing up another color then I swiped it on.

Slap happy comes to mind.

I swiped it on in a slap happy way.

I'm telling you, this project just works better with that method.

Okay, so if you look closely at the photo above you can see streaks and white-ish specks.

See it?

That is where I took a regular ol' candle and rubbed this puppy down.

I rubbed it all over, but especially on the edges and on the bottom section.

Next up was another sloppy painting job.

This time with white.
A heavy coat!

Got it?

Continue on then.

 

Now this is where I kinda didn't take a picture.

It's not that I forgot, it's just that it's kinda hard to get a photo of it.

After the white paint had dried then I took a heat gun and bubbled up the paint.

 

*Heat guns can burn you or the wood so use caution when operating

I had to offer that word of caution.

It was the careful thing to do.

 

So now that we have strategically bubbled, we start to scrape.

(bubble much where you want to scrape much)

Now you don't have to be married to a scraper here.

You can also use a pampered chef pan cleaner.

One of those green pot scrubber thingies.

Other "things" you find laying around.

There are no rules!

If it makes a good, authentic mark, then use it!

Next up, I took some glaze to give it the "smokey" aged look.
After that I rubbed clear wax on it.
Then brown wax.
I always rub clear on first since if you just go at with your dark wax then you lose some control of the look.
 

So at the end of the day, you should have something that resembles this.

Or not.

I told you perfectionists not to try this!

 

 

The customer was kind enough to send me a photo of it hanging comfortably above her bed.

 

 

Go for it!

Send me a photo or a link if you try it out:-)

 

By the way, congratulations to the lucky winner of my 1000 Followers Celebration!

Clydia over at Mango Seed Marketplace won!

Clydia is an enormously talented lady when it comes to painting signs, so be sure to check out what she's done!

Thank you to all who entered!