I found this antique bow front dresser two years ago during a trip to one of my favorite places ~ Traverse City, Michigan.
I usually bi-pass pieces that need a lot of work and this one was definitely in need of some TLC, but I knew there was a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.
I hauled it home then stashed it in our workshop for years. Each time I thought about working on it, I dreaded removing the damaged veneer so I’d push it aside and move on to another piece. I had it so long that I actually tried listing it for $45. Apparently nobody else wanted to make the repairs either so I decided to dig in and salvage it. I had just returned to work after my surgery to remove Chondrosarcoma and I was on a mission for new beginnings!
Once again, our warehouse is bursting at the seams. We are purging and selling numerous unfinished furniture projects at rock bottom prices so we can start painting and teaching workshops again. Seriously, where does all this stuff come from?
This is a Limited Edition Chalk and Clay Paint Color Collection by American Paint Company. They are the same thick and rich original paint formula that you love from the Main Colors from APC.
It’s just the two of us: My sister and I own and operate Shizzle Design which originated in my garage. We have and will continue to work hard providing the best customer service.
We specialize in painting furniture and are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable
We are blessed to teach people from all over the U.S. Join us for a super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshop in a casual & fun atmosphere. For a list of current classes, click here.
Subscribe to our weekly blog posts for tips, tutorials, ideas & painted furniture inspiration. Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
Like our ShizzleLLC Facebook Page We share what we’re working on EVERY single DAY so you’ll usually find out about new classes, new products, new furniture, sales… if you follow us there. The more you comment, the higher your chance is of getting our daily posts.
It was love at first sight when I spotted this piece at a local thrift shop. Just look at her fabulous detail!
I could see the potential for new life but I wanted to give her some function as well since the original stereo was missing. We took it to DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan and used it as a demo to show how much easier our chalk and clay paints are to wet distress than others on the market.
Since were one of the key speakers for the Women’s Expo at DeVos Place, we had to be on stage eight times, each time sharing our tips and techniques.
Many people, including Cathy’s eight year old grand-daughter, had their chance to try wet distressing on this stereo cabinet.
By the time we got it back to the shop, it was layered in numerous colors which looked a little too rustic for our style and the piece still had no real function.
… and then came the karate kid
One day, while his mother looked at paint, a little boy gave the intricate wooden cut-out design one swift kick with his boot ~ Guess he doesn’t like shopping for paint. Now our antique, hand carved insert was smashed to smithereens.
Ummm…. thank you?!
The old stereo cabinet sat in our Jenison Paint Shop untouched until now.
I needed to ease back into work since I’m still in a lot of pain and this seemed like something I could do using my left hand. Even though I can paint, sand, wet-distress, wax and buff with either hand, I didn’t realize how much I actually use both hands simultaneously either for bracing myself or the piece of furniture. Ugh!!!
1st Painted piece of Furniture painted by me after Surgery
I chose Old Town Paint’s Vintage White and Deep Chocolate, two of my favorite, must-have, go-to colors. I love the rich and silky feel of Old Town Paints, especially after a gentle buffing with a super fine grit sand paper or an all over wet distress. It’s one of those crazy things, but I just can’t stop touching it. I know, I’m weird, but there’s nothing better than a smooth as butta’ piece of painted furniture. From the first time Cathy and I tried Old Town Paints, we were sold and there are so many beautiful colors to choose from!
We added character to the top space by adding burlap printed with vintage wine logos then added an antique, chippy door knob plate.
It’s all about the Detail!
Umm Yeah… so I got carried away with the wet distressing!
No worries, this paint is so forgiving!
I just let it dry then painted over it. This time I took a different direction mixing some dark wax with four of my all time favorite Metallic Mica Powders ~ Bronze and Smoke from Old Town Paints along with Black and Pewter from American Paint Company. These are my two personal favorites to mess around with. I l mix these in with glazes, clear wax and dark wax all the time.
I painted the legs Deep Chocolate then popped the details with my custom-mixed metallic wax concoction.
I found a wine rack in another vendor’s booth at Not So Shabby and guess what? It was just the right size, well almost. I still needed Cathy to work her magic and build it into place.
Since Cathy is much better at carpentry and building than I am! Once in place, I finished painting the back and sealed the top and inside of the back with Old Town’s Paints durable and oh so easy-to-use Satin Clear Coat. It’s another one of my favorite finishes here at Shizzle Design.
This old gal is back in the game!!
Wine Bar Re-purposed from an Old Stereo Cabinet
I dropped it off to our Shizzle Design booth inside Not So Shabby, Holland, Michigan.
It’s just the two of us: My sister and I own and operate Shizzle Design which originated in my garage. We have and will continue to work hard providing the best customer service.
We specialize in painting furniture and are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable
We are blessed to teach people from all over the U.S. Join us for a super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshop in a casual & fun atmosphere. For a list of current classes, click here.
Subscribe to our weekly blog posts for tips, tutorials, ideas & painted furniture inspiration. Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
Like our ShizzleLLC Facebook Page We share what we’re working on EVERY single DAY so you’ll usually find out about new classes, new products, new furniture, sales… if you follow us there. The more you comment, the higher your chance is of getting our daily posts.
Cathy and I grew up in a humble bungalow built by our Great Grandfather. The entire top floor of the house was a large open space. The hardwood floors were polished to perfection so of course we had to slide across the floor in our socks ~ didn’t take much to entertain us back then, I guess some things never change.
One of the things we shared in that room was an old desk like the one pictured below. Ours had a sheet of glass carved and beveled to follow the shape of the top. It was a great place to display pictures of friends…
This is the only “before” picture of the desk I could find…
It looked gorgeous in this color but you know us, we had to layer another color over it to Shizzle it up a bit. For the life of me, I can’t find the pictures I took at this stage. It was just after my cancer diagnosis last summer and everything from that point on seems to be a blur.
Cath painted over the Carbone with Faux Real’s Bella, a rich creamy white and sat it aside for me to finish when I returned. I spent the next four months having countless scans, major surgery to remove the cancer and most of my humerus bone in my right arm. Yes, I’m right-handed. They rebuilt my arm with bone cement, a large metal rod and plenty of screw.
Cathy asked me to do the distressing and funk up the drawers a bit and this is what happened next 🙂
I’m not sure what possessed me to do it but I thought it was kind of cool. You never know though when you set something that’s more taste specific how long it will take to sell so I was taking a chance but…
The top of the desk had a lot of neat texture which I played up by mixing several metallic mica powders into glaze. I then layered it again with even more mica powders mixed in with the dark wax. My personal favorites are Old Town Paints Smoke & Bronze followed by APC’s Pewter, Copper and Black.
I love that crackled weathered-leather look!
The desk found a new owner immediately.
The chair was still there tonight when I brought in a charming shabby chic bow front dresser and super cool re-purposed wine bar. I can’t wait to share those two projects with you! For a sneak peek, visit our Facebook Page here.
It’s just the two of us: My sister and I own and operate Shizzle Design which originated in my garage. We have and will continue to work hard providing the best customer service.
We specialize in painting furniture and are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable
We are blessed to teach people from all over the U.S. Join us for a super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshop in a casual & fun atmosphere. For a list of current classes, click here.
Subscribe to our weekly blog posts for tips, tutorials, ideas & painted furniture inspiration. Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
Like our ShizzleLLC Facebook Page We share what we’re working on EVERY single DAY so you’ll usually find out about new classes, new products, new furniture, sales… if you follow us there. The more you comment, the higher your chance is of getting our daily posts.
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