Hello!
Today I’m bringing you a post on stepping outside your comfort zone. I have been following a network of extremely talented women like Reeves from The Weathered Door, Amanda from Ferpie and Fray, Christina from Phoenix Restoration and Dionne from The Turquoise Iris. Each one of these creative geniuses has their own unique style that reflects onto their furniture, and you can even look at photos of their work and just know who painted what. One blog in particular that is bookmarked in my top 5 is Dionne from The Turquoise Iris.
If you haven’t already done so, you should follow her on Pinterest and Instagram. I’m not writing this post because she asked me to promote her, in fact I don’t even know if she knows who I am let alone writing this blog about her work. But I ask those of you furniture painters who find yourselves in a creative rut, often painting in neutral colors to satisfy to general masses, to follow her for inspiration and the courage to step outside your comfort zone. Ill be the first to admit, with pieces that have a lot of dollars invested in them…playing it safe with a color that will sell is the best thing to do for sales; Especially in Texas Hill Country where people aren’t particularly drawn to bold and bright colors, and “rustic” isn’t a finish…it’s a lifestyle. Dionne has a way of taking all these beautiful colors and blending them in a way that looks natural, all based off her own inspiration of doors from around the world. It inspired me to try my hand at using bold colors, trying a patina finish, and just doing something that wasn’t my usual.
This is what the piece looked like before. I didn’t have a high amount invested in it, but it was still a solid piece that would look pretty when finished.
I hand painted this using Annie Sloan Chalkpaint in Florence. I knew since I would be distressing that it would smooth out the brush strokes.
I wanted to go for a “patina” effect on this because it had straight lines and curves in all the right places. But I don’t think I quite nailed it. I used random paint samples in a coral and yellow to highlight the raised areas where I also distressed.
I also used a dark wax to antique the corners and raised areas as well. This color in particular is naturally very bright and I wanted to tone that down in some places.
Well there you have it folks. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone, but it was scary. I second guessed myself a lot and wondered if I had screwed the whole thing up, but it was a great learning experience and I may try going for seconds if I can find the right piece and the right buyer. As I predicted, this piece got a lot of likes on IG, Facebook and Etsy, but I had to reduce the price quite a bit to get the right buyer. But hey, if you didn’t already know…we are closing down our booth at Homestead Handcrafts by the end of this month, and shipping pieces across the U.S so we’re not limited to San Antonio buyers. Which means…more creativity, more inspiration, and more following creative geniuses like the ladies I linked above. Do yourself a huge favor and follow them ALL on social media, whatever your preference is and I promise you…they will make you want to pick up a paint brush, or spray gun…whatever your tool of choice is… incase you don’t want to scroll up…I’ve linked them all below for you! Happy Fourth!
Linking up to Friday’s Furniture Fix #48!
Beautifully done. I’m so glad that you stepped out of your comfort zone. And we are thrilled to have you share this lovely piece on Friday’s Furniture Fix. Please look it on my social media in the coming days. Susie from The Chelsea Project
Thank you Susie! Always humbled at your words!
So beautifully done. Love it! Visiting from FFF.
I love your site! I’m recently divorced after 27 years, downsized to a townhouse and want to refresh my living space and and my life! Thank you for the DIY cost-effective, amazingly creative ideas! Peace and blessings!
Thank you Pammy! It’s so wonderful refreshing a space! Hope to have you as a frequent reader, I have quite a few great lineups for projects!