Friday, May 31, 2013

ASCP Duck Egg Blue Chest of Drawers

Good morning everyone, thanks so much for all the lovely messages about my 400th post. I have even got a bit teary from some of your emails. I am humbled. If you haven't entered the give away make sure you do!

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life


Lately I have been making things beautiful with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue. When I bought this tin I was tossing up between it and Provence, but decided to go with the more muted tones of Duck Egg Blue. I am certainly happy with this colour.

This old chest of drawers was in my brother's room growing up. It was a vivid red in oil based paints and my mother had painstakingly stripped it back to the lovely old pine. But it was very orange....

antique kauri pine chest of drawers

So this chest of drawers sat in my pile of unpainted furniture for 5 months while I gathered the courage to paint it. The tough thing is that to sell it unpainted I would get barely anything for it. No one wants orange pine any more. So I gave myself permission to paint it. Although with every brush stroke I did say, "sorry, Mum" under my breath.

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life french chair

I gave the chest of drawers a very good clean, removing all the dust and cobwebs. Then painted on two coats of ASCP. I then decided to wax with  Howard's Feed n Wax. It has orange oil in it and is extremely easy to apply. Annie Sloan gives a good analogy for waxing. She says imagine you are putting cream on your hands. You don't just wipe the cream on to your hands and walk around with oily hands; you rub the cream into your hands so it soaks into your skin and works within your skin.  Wax is the same. You need to apply some elbow grease and make sure the wax bonds fully with the paint. 

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life

My method for doing this is probably a little labour intensive but it results in a very smooth durable finish. I apply the clear wax with a clean white lint free rag and rub in to the furniture. You will see the paint darken as the wax is absorbed.  It doesn't matter if you are using ASCP wax or another brand. They all work in the same manner.  Once the piece is fully waxed, I will often (depending on the piece) get a fine grit sanding pad and sand the whole piece, my aim is not to distress with paint but to bond the wax and paint even more fully. Fine grade steel wool would also work well. I then give it another light coat of wax and buff it. This will give you a fantastically smooth finish and gloss.

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life

You can see in the photo above that the top surface is smooth and reflective.  For me, this is my main aim for using chalk paint. You can also achieve this with home made DIY Chalk Paint if you can't access Annie Sloan Chalk paint or you are on a budget. You will just have to work harder as home made chalk paint is grittier.

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life

When I paint drawers I always paint along the dovetailed join and on the inside of the furniture where the drawers slide. This way if the drawers aren't shut properly, you won't see a stripe of unpainted timber. A lot of people will tape to get straight lines, I never use painting tape as I don't like perfectly straight lines (too unnatural) and just paint a neat line.

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life

This seems the perfect spot for this chest of drawers, the duck egg blue pulling out a similar colour in the sea foam of the painting above. However I am selling these. Too much furniture here. Please let me know if you are interested.

I am pleased with how it turned out, the colour suits the shape perfectly. I even think Mum might approve. 

Fiona xx

annie sloan duck egg blue lilyfield life

21 comments:

  1. Oh I think she would definitely approve! The colour is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your waxing tips too :)

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  2. I love the new color. It looks really beautiful.

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  3. Looks amazing Fiona, I love it!
    Rebecca

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  4. you clever girl. I am sure your mum would love it also.
    Susannah x

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  5. Thanks for the painting tips Fiona, I am learning so much from you. You are very generous with your knowledge.
    I love this chest of drawers. I wish I lived closer!
    Karen xx

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  6. love the color and love the shape! we don't have pieces like it in the states. and it looks so beautiful as you have it staged. and i also think your mum would love it as it is now!

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  7. I'm sure your mum would love it!
    Gotta get me some of that paint..xx

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  8. It is great, and well done on your 400th post. I love reading your blog.

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  9. Great tip on waxing! Thanks so much for all of your generosity of information. Your work is beautiful and an inspiration.

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  10. It looks beautiful! It is too bad your mum went to all that trouble to strip it. With chalk paint, those days are over for me.

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  11. It looks beautiful - so shiny. I can tell all the hard work you have put into this. Thanks for sharing your painting tips. I love how you have styled it. The paintings are simply beautiful
    Beth x

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  12. That's a really gorgeous colour - and you've done an amazing job. Such a pretty set of photos too. Congrats on you 400th post, what an achievement. How do you find all the inspiration?

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  13. Just beautiful, have a good weekend
    Kellie

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  14. So funny that you posted this! I JUST finished (today!) my coffee table. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in White. It's still drying and I'm getting ready to WAX. You have given great advice on how to go about this DIY project:) The Robins Egg Blue is so pretty an it's perfect for the dresser.

    xxleslie
    www.4aroundthetable.com

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  15. Love love love it,I am now inspired to try using chalk paint on a few chairs that I purchased at a second hand store!
    Hope you sell it ASAP. Pauline

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  16. Eeeek! My hubby collects antique edwardian pieces and you had a beautiful original australian kauri pine chest here. He is mortified! At least you love it and will use it now. X kl

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    1. hi K-L - I know it is antique edwardian but you can buy these pieces quite cheaply at auction because people just don't seem to want unpainted wooden chests of drawers. I had it for sale for months unpainted and it never sold but I know it will now sell quickly painted - and for more money than i was asking originally. You also have to remember it had already been painted in a bright red oil paint (and other colours previously) and been stripped before so i don't think i am ruining any fine antique by painting it again. you could also see marks in the wood where it had been stripped so was not in it's perfect original condition. I have several people already interested in this piece now it's painted. I know each to their own but my belief is that people can do what they want with their furniture. It's only stuff.
      cheers Fiona

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  17. Gorgeous Fiona, I love the chunkiness of the piece with the soft colour. It looks perfect in that spot, shame you're not keeping it. I need to get ruthless and cull some furniture too.
    Enjoy your Sunday x

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  18. Love it, pretty sure your Mum would approve :) I love this colour a perfect match for this piece. Jo x

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Thanks for taking the time to comment! Sorry if you have trouble commenting, you can always email me at lilyfieldlife@bigpond.com