Today's facelift feature is a fun one. I purchased this sweet little rocking chair from a sweet friend who was downsizing before a move. She told me it was given to her from a neighbor who had purchased it in Germany.
I started with a single coat of Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in French enamel. It was a little brighter than I'd like and I was also running into bleed through from the previous stain.
Thankfully, I found this post written by Marian addressing such a roadblock. I simply sprayed the entire piece with a clear coat enamel and let it dry overnight. I also added Miss Mustard Seed's bonding agent to the the paint mix.
I now needed to address the brightness of the paint. I simply added more milkpaint in ironstone to the paint I'd previously mixed. It was now the perfect shade of blue.
I only ended up using one coat of the french enamel/ironstone mix. I let it dry overnight and when I came back to it, I was not in love. It looked straight out of a 1980's country decor catalog; not quite the look I was going for.
I decided even though it wasn't my style, someone could still love it. I dutifully grabbed my sand paper to smooth down the finish and decided to distress it quite a bit more.
Just look at that chippyness! Now, I was in love.
To further distress it, I used Miss Mustard Seed's antique wax. It dulled the paint just enough and really brought out the chippy distressing.
This little rocking chair turned out so sweet.
I think it is just the perfect addition to a boy or girl's room. It would even be lovely in a guest bedroom as a side table.
You know, it never ceases to amaze me the difference a little paint and wax can make. I just don't think I will ever get tired of this job.
