Chalk Painted Coffee Table

I picked up a small, rather neglected, coffee table.  I could see it had a lot of potential, so I grabbed it.  I have never used chalk paint before, but this looked like the perfect first project to try it on.  I was so anxious to get started on it, that I didn't take any "before" pictures.  I DID get some "during" pictures though -

Here it is with a couple of coats of white chalk paint.  I used American Decor.  The top of the table wasn't in the best shape, so chalk paint was a good fit.  Here it is all painted - looks better already.

Next, I distressed the edges and the legs a little bit.  It has a lovely shell detail on the sides which, when distressed really brought out the design.

Finally, to complete the shabby chic look, I stenciled a design on the top with grey craft paint, then waxed it.

And, here is the final result - perfect for a living room, den, or covered back porch!  Currently adorable and for sale at $40.

Not so boring anymore!  What was your first experience with chalk paint?

Shabby Blue Nightstand

Here is a fun before and after of a curbside nightstand.  It started off like this:

Not cute at. all!  But I thought a little blue paint might liven it up a bit and it sure did!

Looks better already.  Then distress the edges a bit -

And add a cute porcelain knob along with an orange stenciled flower, and viola!

Much, much better I think!   I like using stencils on furniture as well as walls - what have you stenciled lately?

"Chair Bench"

This is what I refer to as a "chair bench".  I've seen a few on Pinterest and in magazines.  This is my version.  The three chairs used are all from my mother's aunt's dining room set.  All three were sitting in my dad's storage room collecting dust.  None of them had seats.  I asked my dad if he would cut and attach a board for the seat (you need to remove and reattach the seat brackets, they just screw on and off).  Then a piece of moulding was added to the front of the board to make it look more finished.  I then painted and distressed the board and stenciled on the pink flowers.  I love the look of it, it fits right in with my shabby chic/cottage decor.  I also like that you can see through it because I have a small house and it makes the space look more open.  For this picture, I had my son hold up a blanket behind it so that it would photograph better.  I love it a lot.  I also love pieces with family history.  Have you remade or upcycled any family heirlooms?  I would love to hear your stories.