Distressing...

...as in "distressing" chalk painted furniture.

Some time ago I painted the above

wardrobe.

It was my first attempt at chalk painting.

At the time I did not distress it.

To tell the truth the whole process of

distressing a piece of furniture

intimidated me.

Also, I liked the look of the newly painted,

pristine wardrobe.

So I opted to leave it as it was.

I did not put a coat of finishing wax on it either.

Now, after some time has passed and the

wardrobe has had daily use,

it had begin to become distressed on it's own!

So, I spent a little time last weekend,

took the plunge,

and distressed my wardrobe 

totally over to a shabby chic look.

Working with a fine grade sandpaper,

I started with the spots which were already

starting to show some wear.

Then I continued on a bit 

to the areas which might eventually

get worn.

I finished it with a coat of paste wax.

I am completely happy with the results.

And, an added plus with shabby chic furniture,

no more worries about it getting 

bumped or more worn!

Treasure Hunting

This past weekend we were in the mood for a "treasure" hunt, so we headed off to Corner Nest Antiques, one of our favorite local dealers. It's a huge place, consisting of two floors and looks to have been some sort of factory in past days. My first "find" was this set of Chinese candlesticks. After getting them home I realized they don't exactly stand up straight, but I love their color.

My big find of the day was this big, copper pot. I hope to clean and polish it a bit. It will be perfect to load with ice and use for cold drinks on the porch when we have a crowd here.

Other times, I plan to use it for storage, since I'm always short of that.

Finally, I found these two framed prints that will be perfect in my downstairs powder room, which is a little gallery of Paris storefronts. The frames were actually white when I found them (oops, forgot to take my "before" picture), but are now perfect with a new coat of paint.

We found this cute booth of shabby chic items that was so warm it made us want to linger.

This "shop-within-the-shop" is called The Shabby Cottage Studio and was brimming with lovely items and ideas.

I later discovered that Shabby Cottage Studio has a blog of her own and you can find her here.

She also has an Etsy shop specializing in mixed media, collage and altered art. You might want to take a look here.