Ginger Versus The Giant Dresser

This poor dresser had been beaten all to heck & was having a bad day when I picked it up. When I say I picked it up, I mean that literally. For the record it's larger than it looks in this picture, & is solid, heavy wood. Managing to get it in & out of my van by myself was...challenging, to say the least. I'm sure there were neighbors peering out their windows chuckling at my attempts to unload this thing without damaging it more than it already was. 

BUT! Once I finally got it unloaded & into the workspace in my garage (See  the paint 'mishaps' on the concrete? Those happen on occasion...but at least you know I'm really doing all this stuff on my own!) I realized I like it far more than I had originally. 

I'm probably going to spend at least a week or so going over different ideas in my mind about what I am going to do to this thing....in the meantime the score is currently Ginger: 1, Giant Dresser: 0.

Adventures in chalk paint.

Ok, if you don't know what chalk paint is that's ok. It's a product that's gaining a lot of steam in the world of painted furniture. Upside-you don't have to prime before applying the product (among other things). Downside-it's around $40+ a quart. You read that right...$40+ a quart. As much as I love the look, I simply cannot bring myself to pay that much for paint. I've tried to find ways to justify the price in my head, & it just wasn't happening.

When I found quite a few people were making their own versions of chalk paint at home using things like grout, plaster of paris, & calcium carbonate I mulled the idea around in my head for a couple weeks. While I'm all for trying new things, I didn't want to end up with a hot mess of funky, lumpy paint that was a giant case of fail. Who knows what got into me this afternoon, but armed with hot water, a small cup, some grout I had in my garage, & a neutral paint color that was hanging out waiting to be used for something, I embarked on a quick test at DIY chalk paint.

After my first attempt...I realized I not only loved the look, but I wanted to use that color for a large piece of furniture that I'm about to start working on. I looked down at my cup and realized I had done about a 3:1 paint to grout ratio...but forgot how much water I'd used. D'oh. Being stubborn, I attempted to get the exact same color/texture/finished look after being applied with 3 other little cups, to no avail.

What's the lesson I learned this afternoon? Even if you're experimenting with something for the very first time...write down what the heck you used. You may end up with something you love & want to use it again.

D'oh.

And yes, once I have some homemade chalk paint masterpieces, I will post photos. 

Oh goodness...a brand new blog.

I've been blogging for years, but I've never had one that was just for a particular subject/thing. This is going to be my crafty/DIY/art blog, & for some reason it seems quite daunting at the moment.

This is an experiment. Care to come along?