Welcome! Welcome!

Welcome to The Painted Squirrel!  Thank you so much for joining me here!  Up until recently, I have been sharing my projects only on Facebook.  I appreciate every person who has ever visited me there and my hope is that now that I've moved into a blog format, I will be able to share even more about these transformations and all things home!  I am sure I will have to tweak things here and there as I learn this new technology (not being a left brained thinker, new technology isn't always easy for me!) and I would love to hear any suggestions or comments from you!

So, my big flowery swim cap is on and here I go diving into the blog pool!  BONZAI!

The maiden post - A Display of Vanity!

I have been keeping my eye open for something I could use as a vanity for quite a while now. I wanted something a little different and also substantial enough to hold all of the products that make me presentable to the world (and there are quite a few). Recently I found this antique desk on Craigslist for $50!

Craigslist Photo

It was such a great price that I emailed the owner and asked if there was anything wrong with the piece.  Legs sturdy?  Drawers OK?  She said yes and also mentioned she had several people interested so I asked her how early I could come and get it.  That is the key when alot of people are interested in something on Craigslist - GET THERE FIRST!  My sister agreed to meet me and help me get it in my car.  She was just coming off of a twelve hour night shift, and was still in her scrubs!  What a rock star!  I only had to poke her twice to wake her up! (kidding Sands!)

To get it into my ridiculously small car, we had to remove the base.  Even with it dismantled, I had to keep the back windows open with the ends of the legs sticking out on both sides!  Yes, I looked like a bull charging down the highway!  I really need a bigger car!

 

A good sanding over everything and now on to the fun part - PAINTING!

Primed and ready!  Antique purists may be fainting about now and it should be stated that painting an antique can devalue it.  I'm not worried about that because I am going for the function more than the value - although if someone were to tell me that I had painted over a priceless antique, I would cry, but then I would continue to use it as my vanity, lesson learned!

After - just look at how beautiful it turned out! 

Don't you just love the details on this piece?  I used the Benjamin Moore Alkyd enamel paint in white and "Smoke" blue, which is the same color as the walls, satin finish on both.  After the white was dry, I dry-brushed the raised embellishments in the smoke blue to highlight them and because the blue is such a soft shade, it is a very subtle but special detail.   I sprayed the hardware using a white metal spray paint.    When everything was dry, I postitioned the vanity next to the window for the natural light and of course I will be adding my magnifying/make up mirror and filling the drawers with all manner of goop, lotions and potions. 

Try this two toned look on something you own.   If you keep it simple, it's a great way to add a contemporary twist to an old piece of furniture!  Please let me know how it goes!