working with what ya got

I thought that this was rather appropriate... being Earth Day and all...

I've been wanting to try out dark wax over chalk paint on furniture, as well as leaving something on the piece in it's "real wood" state.  Mixing up the painted and the non painted that is.... This little beauty was had for just $20 a few weeks back at my local thrift store, it would be my only purchase.  In honor of Earth Day, which I'm pretty sure in the state of Washington it's mandatory to participate in, I would give this little guy a makeover using supplies I already have on hand... no trips to the hardware or paint store.  Plus it was the perfect size for this spot in my living room AND I can fill it up with my magazine collection!

There are two little magazine holders... one on each side... plus a shelf and get this... that drawer?  Well it works from either side!  What fun.

But it has definately seen better days.  It's kind of beat up, scratched up and just plain needing some love.

The top was in the worst shape and I wasn't sure if I would be able to go through with my plan to "save the wood" but figured I could always paint over it if I needed to.

I decided to use full out Provence (ASCP) on this one... no mixing it to create a paler color.  And I still had half a can of this color from previous projects so the color decision was easy.

Coat one, as usual it's rather blotchy...

But by coat three it was looking good and ready for some sand paper.  This time I did the sanding in the garage... since the piece is light and small... easy enough for me to carry out.

The chalk painted surfaces were easy (as always) to sand but I need to be careful on the top... it is veneer and I didn't want to sand through that layer but did want to remove the old finish... and since this was a "use what I had project" I didn't have any stripper on hand, just me and some sand paper, oh and a sanding block.

I went over the top with a light coat of stain... it was a VERY old can that we had in the basement.  I think it was called American Pecan?  I'm not sure what we used it for since we haven't stained anything in quite awhile... it may have been a test can from the Peach Palace floors... but I think it was older than that since it was partially solid but once again, I was using what I had on hand.

I was very happy with the color and how it warmed up the wood and brought out the grain.  Since I need to use something over the stain I just rubbed on a coat of ASCP clear wax while I was waxing the piece.  A nice buffing and it was ready to shine!

Doesn't is look cute in it's new home?  Just the right scale, color and everything.

One of the reason I wanted to leave the wood as well, wood, was because I keep a little aqua tray on the table... I didn't want it to blend in as it would have if I had painted the whole piece!

And in another nod to my use what I had... I finally got brave and used a little ASCP Dark Wax over top of the clear wax... just a touch of it.  I wanted the color to stay the same but give it just a bit more age on top of the distressing.

And the final use what I had? Well the knobs were the original wooden ones!  I didn't do a thing to them, just screwed them back on.

I'm pretty pleased with the results...

So now I not only have the perfect spot to store my magazines...

But also the perfect spot to curl up with one... and a cup of tea perhaps?

linking up to

Miss Mustard Seed's 
Furniture Feature Friday

AND

Coastal Charm's
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

AND

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's
Tuesday's Treasures

AND

Elizabeth & Co's
Be Inspired

AND

The Scoop
link party via The Farmhouse Porch

AND

A Bowl Full of Lemons
One Project at a Time