One day my husband and I stopped at a thrift shop to take a quick look around. This particular shop is located on an Air Force base and has very limited hours so I try to stop in if I am lucky enough to catch it open.
I love to go to thrift shops and estate sales and on this day I came across an item that really called to me. It was an old Singer Sewing machine and table set that was in excellent condition. My husband was very skeptical so I decided to go finish my other shopping and mull it over.
I was only a block away in the other store but the longer I was there, the more anxious I became that someone else would snap it up. I messaged a trusted friend who also likes to sew and asked if she thought I had totally lost my mind to be obsessing over this idea. She did some quick research for me and encouraged me to go with my instincts. I rushed back over to the thrift shop and laid claim on my prize in the name of my birthday present for this year. It took some doing to figure out how to remove the machine and get that heavy table loaded into the van but somehow we managed!
Once I got it home, I decided to refinish the desk with chalk paint. I love that it can be applied to a piece without having to strip old varnish or do any sanding. I was able to find several fantastic videos on YouTube for advice and feeling confident I set out to gather materials.
I found Annie Sloane chalk paint at a great little store called "Keep the Piece" in Omaha, Nebraska. If you live in or near this area it is well worth a visit to this fantastic place. They had examples of all the paint shades along with a demonstration of what they looked like with the clear or dark wax and it really helped me decide just what I needed without trial and error! The lady that assisted me was incredibly friendly and had plenty of advice and ideas...I will be back there soon!
The color I chose was Emperor's Silk which is a beautiful deep red. I also opted to use a dark wax on it to give a more antique look and was very happy with how it turned out! I won't go into a blow by blow of the process because there are so many great videos and blogs out there dedicated specifically to that, but I will share a few pics of the process ;)
After painting and applying wax, I opted to replace the hardware with some I found in Hobby Lobby that I loved! I painted them an ivory color then sanded a bit to show through some of the metal
Even though the drawers were in great shape I decided to decoupage fabric into them instead of putting in lining and was very pleased with how it all came out!
I noticed my little furry friend thought a new den had been created just for her so I put a quilt under there to cater to her comfort. Poppy has given her stamp of approval!
