Jasper Cabinets Secretary Desk Furniture Flip with Chalk Paint and Shimmer

Hello my wonderful readers! I am very excited to show you my new pride and joy. I don't know if I can part with her but I also don't think the hubby will let me keep her. LOL! She is an entry to the "The Furniture Flippin' Contest"! So leave me some love in the comments below so the judges can tell you like her as much as I do!

Meet Anastasia

The theme for this contest is "Inspired by Mom". Though the name of this piece was totally inspired by a comment my hubby made one day while I was painting. This piece was truly planned out to reflect who my mother is to me.  She is quiet and reserved but once you get to know her she really "opens up". She was created with Shabby Paints Cali Taupe & Licorice Chalk Acrylic Paints with a couple of layers of Old Gold Shimmer. Sealed with a mix of 50/50 Hazelnut ReVax/Sheer Vax. It all is distressed and is more beautiful with age... just like my mom!

My mother is my rock, hence the shades of grey (yes I know... that too was the comment my hubby made... "Is that your 15 shades of grey cabinet?"). But really it was to represent the colors of greys in most stones.

This is a Jasper Cabinet secretary desk. What is my mother's profession? You guessed it... she was a secretary/receptionist most of her life. She was always so good at keeping the office in order and dealing with customers.

The damask stencil was chosen as a representation of her style... she always tried her best to find nice things for us but she, a single mother of one, always had a hard time affording them. She was a great teacher of all things frugal. She also inspired me to be an artist as a young child. I can remember seeing her work in arts and crafts and thinking "I wish I could be as good as her someday".

Now today I can honor her with this piece and how this furniture flip. Mom... look how far everything you taught me has come. I love you, thank you for all you have done for me and one day I can fully repay you a thousand times over. You deserve every last once of love and kindness.

I just love the piece! Anastasia has been entered in "The Fab Furniture Flippin Contest" with the theme of "Inspired by...
Posted by Uniquely Grace on Thursday, May 21, 2015

More information about the "The Furniture Flippin' Contest":

• If your interested in participating: Bloggers can contact Stacy Info@anastasiavintage.com or Evey info@eveyscreations.com

• This month's sponsor is Cece Caldwells Paint (Disclosure: I have not used these paints)

• Two of our Hosts this month are Evey and Stacy. (Click on their names for their featured contest posts.)

Thank you all once again! Please take a moment to leave a comment blow. Also check me out on social media also... many ways to keep up to date on this artsy gal. Thank you for your support.

Here is a quick Before & After image. Hope you enjoy this thread.

UPDATE: I am so excited to share with you all that I received a Judges Pick award for this piece in the May, Fab Furniture Flippin' Contest!

Thank you to these Judges for putting my piece in your top three!

Evey from Sweet Songbird
Carrie from Thirty Eighth St.
Lynn from Fern Avenue

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Facebook: Uniquely Grace
Twitter: Grace Lauer Artist @gracelauer
Instagram: @gracelauer_henna_artist
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Happy Earth Day! - Oak Table Flip to World Map Statement Piece

Hello World of readers! Happy Earth Day to you!

Well this one took a while but well worth it. He is done... meet Magellan! Painted by hand with my favorite paints on the market! These make refinishing so easy to do!

Shabby Paints Brand paints used were: Cali Taupe, Old Gold Shimmer, Hazelnut ReVax, Sheer Vax and a custom Mixed color...

Vintage Sue Blue - 

• 3 parts marine blue
• 2 part licorice
• 1/2 part so serene
• 1/2 part oh so shabby

This blue was hand mixed by myself to achieve a color from my childhood. Our living room was this color for many, many years. In honor of my mother and her "vintage" love for this blue... It is now my first custom color I will be offering and it is called "Vintage Sue Blue". Love you Mom!

The entire piece has been hand painted and the land masses were drawn and painted freehand.

Here is an insight to the creative processes. I really wanted to label the land masses and larger bodies of water. So I took some transparencies and cut them into pieces and wrote on them while they were laying on top of the map design... testing to see how it would look.

I asked around and in the end I decided not to add the words. The top was then distressed and dry brushed with Hazelnut ReVax.  

The bottom legs have a gold dip dyed look to them with old gold shimmer dry brushed onto the Vintage Sue Blue base. I began this step by painting Cali Taupe under all the old gold shimmer edging.

Once the old gold was painted on I painted the legs with the Vintage Sue Blue recipe listed above. I painted it down over the tops of the Cali Taupe/Old Gold to a measured height and created the line you see here.

Once the blue was cured over night I dry brushed the Old gold on the underside of the table with a chip brush. Don't you just love the depth it adds to the legs?

The entire piece was sealed with two coats of Sheer Vax. I love the Vax product by +Shabby Paints, it is so easy to use, non toxic, VOC free and MADE IN THE USA!

Hope you like this project. Please help support me by sharing, pinning or commenting below with your thoughts about this piece. Thank you!

EDIT/UPDATE: This project won a prize from Shabby Paints as a monthly favorite project. Thank you Shabby Paints!!!! I could not have created this without you!

Find me on...
Facebook: Uniquely Grace
Twitter: Grace Lauer Artist @gracelauer
Instagram: @gracelauer_henna_artist
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‪#‎Shabbypaints‬ ‪#‎Giveaway‬ ‪#‎Coffeetable‬ ‪#‎refinished‬ ‪#‎oneofakind‬ ‪#‎reduce ‬‪#‎reuse‬ ‪#‎earthday‬ #chalkpaint #handpainted