Alina Sewing and Design

Making Ordinary Unique (+DIY Chalk Paint)

3 February 2012

Happy almost-Friday, people!!!
Remember that metal box/side table I told you I’d found at Goodwill for $10 in the house tour? Well, like I mentioned then, I’d been toying with the idea of painting some matte stripes or stenciling it with a pattern. Since my original stencil experience, I’ve been harboring ill feelings toward anything stencil-related (the process itself, not the outcome…I think stenciled walls and furniture and pillows…etc…are BEAUTIFUL), so, I went with a simple, Alina-capable stripe. 🙂
Here it is before:

And here it is after!

Just using painter’s tape, I made 1.25-inch vertical stripes. I did the sides first and then moved to the top. Since I wasn’t planning on priming it (I wanted it to still feel smooth, so I didn’t want the paint stripes to be too thick), I did lightly sand my paint area with a sanding block, wiped it down and then painted it.

I wanted a super matte look to balance out the shininess of the metal, so I made my own chalk paint! I picked up a box of dry Plaster of Paris and a paint sample of Valspar’s Tuxedo Tie. (If you clicked the link, you can see it’s a deep charcoal color. I’ve been on a charcoal kick lately!) I mixed one part Plaster of Paris to three parts paint and stirred really well so that everything in the bottom was mixed in (I mixed it in a clear plastic cup so that I could see it). Since I was working on this over a couple of evenings, I kept my paint/paintbrush covered in the fridge between painting sessions so that I wouldn’t have to rinse my brush out every time (and the paint won’t dry on your brush). One time Pinterest told me to try this, so I did and it really works! 🙂

I kind of liked it before for its uniqueness and functionality, but now I REALLY love it!

 Here’s a straight-on shot of the top, too.

I paid $10 for the box at Goodwill, $6.48 for a 4-lb box of Plaster of Paris (and I only used a couple of tablespoons, so I have enough left to last me for a very long time!), and $2.94 for the paint sample (and, again, I barely used any), so total up-front cost comes to less than $20 for a unique side table and place for storage! I’m thinking some of our not-pretty and rarely-used books may go in there since there’s not enough room on the bookshelf!

Have you guys taken anything kind of cool and made it your own? A plain chair that went colorful? Furniture that you rehabbed? Share your stories!

And have a great Friday tomorrow!

10 Comments

  1. Julia Barger
    Julia Barger on February 3, 2012 at 2:24 am

    Cute! I love the top…very fun!

  2. Lauren Mley.
    Lauren Mley. on February 3, 2012 at 2:46 am

    Nice!!! We use that leave-your-paintbrush-in-the-fridge tip all of the time, but sometimes we forget about the brushes being in there though… 🙂

  3. Krissy
    Krissy on February 3, 2012 at 4:02 am

    Yay!! We need an “in action” shot 🙂
    And by the way Lauren, I think we have brushes in our fridge from Christmas break. Nope, I don’t think, we do. I might be needing that pinterest vinegar/paintbrush trick.

  4. Lori Asher
    Lori Asher on February 3, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    I love that! It looks amazing!

  5. Laura Britton
    Laura Britton on February 4, 2012 at 1:22 am

    I am obsessed with this!!!! I am starting my search for something just as shiny to hopefully do the same thing to! You are such an artist and it looks great!

  6. Alina @ My Yellow Umbrella
    Alina @ My Yellow Umbrella on February 6, 2012 at 2:41 am

    Oh, Laura…I’m no artist, but I so appreciate the compliment! I’m glad it was inspiring to you!

  8. Alina @ My Yellow Umbrella
    Alina @ My Yellow Umbrella on February 6, 2012 at 2:45 am

    Ha…you and Lauren are making me laugh! How do you guys forget paint brushes in your fridge? Last time I saw brushes in your fridge, they took up like an entire shelf! hahaha!

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