welcome to my newish dining room......

wowza!

in the last week,

i have painted....

a chair, a library table, a dining room table, two more chairs and a bench......loving the results of that project , i then painted my dining room walls.....which lead to painting my entry and hallway walls.......which lead to painting my kitchen and eat-in area walls!!

oh .......and a few days before all this activity, i managed to paint two paintings, inspired by a blogging friends trip to Giverney, France (i'll share those paintings soon...if i am brave that is)

PHEW!

i learned a long time ago not to question where these spurts of creative energy come from.

but to

just go with it.

so, i recently found a nearby shop that sells

Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. i had read about it all over blog land.

see that little chair against the wall?

that was my first victim at using this paint.

the painting above the chair is one of mine.....

i tend to paint moody-sepia toned landscapes on rainy days.

i sure do wish it would rain again soon.....

i am so over this this oppressive heat and humidity.

anyway, this chair has the perfect crackling on it, that only age and exposure can create.
i brushed "old white" chalk paint on it (even on the old leather seat) and then wiped some off.

here is the before.

ew.

ahhh.

then i painted this library table using "Paris Gray" chalk paint.

did you know, that the word gray can be spelled with either an a or an e?

it's true.

i looked it up.

i did some distressing to reveal the inlayed top.

i hit the terra cotta dutch shoes with the "old white" paint too.

next, i tackled the harvest table, two chairs and bench.

this set is from my childhood in the 1960's.....

boy, will my mom be surprised to see what i did to them.

the table top and chairs are mostly "old white", while the bench and trestle i painted "paris gray".

here's the "before".

dark.

no wonder we never use this room.

so much better!!

light and bright.

it's hard to tell from the photos, but the wall paint went much lighter too.

lovin the "linen white" shade from Behr!

another "before" shot.

miss swan is so much happier.

the chair now.

and then.

so the beauty of the chalk paint is...

no sanding.

no priming.

but to get an aged look, there are lots of layers, including two layers of wax.

a clear and then a dark wax.

gotta tell ya...i did not like the waxing.

i do like the white textured vinyl that i covered the seats with though...$3 for half a bolt...yard sales are cool.

i used "old white"

then "paris gray" in the cracks and crevices, for depth.

then clear wax.

then dark wax, which you have to rub off.

then more "old white".

then more wax.

lots of steps,

but the effect is pretty good.

i used a watered down "old white" on the table, so the grain of the wood shows through.

the dark side board and one corner hutch remain dark for now...they came from hubby's family and he (hubby) asked that i leave them alone ....at least for now..... they rather balance out the dark floors though.

i did tack (as in thumb tacks) old grain sacks to the backs of the windows to lighten and declutter the look.

o.k that's all for now.

i am exhausted and my wrists are tired....not sure why my wrists? but,

i feel great that all the painting is done....every wall needed two coats...oy...

but i am abso-tootly lovin the changes....and the house seems fresher and lighter and brighter...

and so do i.

i am joining these parties to show off my dining room.

thanks so much for stopping by and taking time out in your busy lives to visit me.

your lovely comments mean the world to me.

howdy to my new followers...and a special shout out to Carla!! who left me a comment....she is someone i new as a child and has found my blog through our parents!

my blog is such a wonderful safe place for me to share a little bit of myself.

and i like that very much.

erin

xxoo

nn

nn

btw....as i was painting my walls, i was reminded of the fact, that ALL of the walls still have their original wallpaper underneath....YES, you can paint over wallpaper...just make sure you use an oil primer first.

also, the two corner white hutches cost $25 (for both!) ...crackled green chair was $5....and all other furniture came from our families........the carved swan is probably the most expensive thing in the room! i think it was $50 from the nashville flea market.

cheap is good.