Painted Black Doors


I couldn’t decide to pull the trigger on painting the doors in our house black. I’m not really into doing anything trendy. Read: All of you who painted chevron stripes on your walls will be repainting in a year or two. But the more that I saw pictures of doors painted black, the more I decided that it was something that could actually last a while. When I decided to go ahead and do it, my thought was, “It’s paint. We can always paint them back to white.”

I did a lot of research before I started. Check out my whole Pinterest board on doors, and you can see some of the blogs that I read on how to paint a door. One of the blogs I read said something like, “This was so easy that I decided to go ahead and paint all of the basement doors, too.” Yeah, in that case, I’m in!

Y’all. I’m all about telling you when things are easy. I’m all about empowering you to do projects. But I’m not going to lie, this was no cake walk. I may or may not said a few curse words in my head Ā the whole timeĀ a few times. I don’t know for sure, but I’d be willing to bet that if you hired a bunch of painters to come to your home, and they needed to also paint a few of your doors from white to black, that they’d make the new guy that they all hate paint the doors.

So I may have once thought, “It’s paint. We can always paint them back to white.” But make no mistake, I will move before I paint those doors back to white. I originally thought I’d do one blog post on the whole thing, but I’m going to break it up into three: 1. Before & After pictures so you can decide if you want to do it, too. 2. What I did while painting the doors, that you might want to try. 3. How I painted the doorknobs from gold to antiqued pewter.

Here’s a before and after of the hallway. The walls are Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. The color I used for the doors is Black Suede by Behr.


and here’s a before and after of the front door:


I’d love some feedback! Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. I’ll be posting soon with the how to’s and what-nots.

XOXO,
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Distressed White China Cabinet with Homemade "Chalk" Paint

Deadlines. Due dates. Time Frames. I work well under pressure. I know this about myself, so I’ve given myself unmovable deadlines to make sure I get stuff done.

This fall I didn’t participate in any antique fairs. The kids’ sports schedules and Ken’s work schedule were a little chaotic, and I didn’t think that fairs were going to be doable this season. However I had a lot of inventory to get rid of. So I decided to throw a “Yard Market”, which is just fancy-talk for yard sale but with some above average inventory that you don’t usually find at yard sales.

I advertised and my reason for doing that was because once I told the world I was having a “Yard Market,” then I had to do it. All was going well and smoothly, but I had one large piece that I still hadn’t tackled yet. I needed some help from Ken for this one.

This china cabinet belonged to a family member that had tried a few times to sell it. As it was, it was average. As you can see it was dated 90’s oak, which isn’t in demand at all right now. I asked them if they would trust me to paint it and sell it for them, rather than just giving it away.

It was an enormous job, from the inside out. Everything from the light fixture to the hardware got a new look. The glass even got some attention. There is no way I could’ve done this piece as quickly as I did without Ken’s help. We pulled an all-nighter!

As fate would have it, a friend from college was looking for a distressed white china cabinet. So this actually sold before the Yard Market even started. (Win-Win!) Here’s a picture of it in her home:

Hope you love it!
XOXO,
Abby

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Wait for it…Wait for it…

Once upon a time I painted my dining room three times in a weekend. Two of those times were in the same day. One of those colors was lilac. I make mistakes.

Enter: A chifferobe. This chifferobe started out in a cherry finish. And, well, no one wants cherry furniture right now. So since Ken and I were newbies to refinishing furniture, we sanded it. I can’t believe we did, but yes, we sanded it. Entirely. It took a lot of time. And then (embarrassingly) we used a vinegar barn wood stain on it. It was horrible.

After that the pig needed some lipstick, so we painted it white and put it in our antique booth. And there it sat. And sat. It got lots of compliments. And there it sat some more.

So we brought it home and put it in the garage. And one day I decided to slap some antiquing glaze on it, which was also horrible. It was so bad that it might as well have been cherry finish again. I cursed the chifferobe and spat on it (in my head) and turned my back on its ugliness for months.

Then last week I had a thought: Gray. And then I had another thought: Flat Spray Paint.Ā Valspar sells some fantastic colors of flat spray paint at Lowe’s.Ā So I picked up three cans and brought them home to introduce them to the chifferobe. But…gray is relative, apparently. And this wasn’t my idea of “gray” as much as “bluish ugly concrete primer color.”

So glad I quickly realized that the gray spray paint wasn’t the color I was looking for.

So, doing what I do best I went to Home Depot and picked out a nice shade of gray and mixed up a batch of “chalk” paint. And even though there was nothing wrong with the long mirror, I took it out. (hold the hate mail) I replaced it with some natural linen fabric.
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We added a knob to the door after this picture was taken.

And now finally, finally, I love it. So I’m going to do what I do with all of my favorite pieces. I’m going to keep it (because I love it). At least for a few months until I decide that I love a paycheck more. And then I’m going to let one of you love it.

Mistakes are okay. They aren’t sins. They’re learning opportunities. I’ve made so, soĀ many mistakes in my life. But I’ve also learned so, so much. I’m thankful for my learning opportunities.

Ephesians 4:22-24Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 
To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

XOXO,
Abby

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A chair, Me, and God

It’s raining today. It’s a typical Atlanta day in October, overcast and somewhere in between warm and cool. But the humidity envelopes you when you’re outside, so, for the most part, it’sĀ basically warm.

Today I take my project outside despite the rain. I have a chair that I’ve painted gray with some spray paint. I’m going to finish it with some antiquing glaze.Ā I takeĀ the chairĀ onto my little front porch, and together my chair and I are protected from getting wet.

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Since I’m outside in the humidity, it’s going to take longer to dry and finish once I put my glaze on. But it’s so peaceful. Amidst the steady rain, the birds are still singing and leaves are cascading from the tulip poplar in my front yard. I am away from the computer, iPad, and phone. I am away from the multi-tasking. It’s just me and the chair.

It looks so much better with glaze.Ā More finished. More natural and “relaxed”. Less “freshly painted.” Less sterile.

While I am adding the glaze, I am thinking. I’m currently running a giveaway on my Facebook page, and Ken (my husband) and I were discussing a trend that I noticed. Every time I post something related to God people “unlike” my page. (The book I’m giving away has God in the title.) This makes me sad, and it makes me want to tell you part of my story.

For years I prayed. I prayed for a lot of things, but something that I prayed louder, and longer, and harder for was this: Please God, point me in the right direction. Lead me down the path I should go. I’m not always good at picking up on small clues, God. So please make it obvious.

For years God’s answer was “not right now.” About a year ago I was lucky enough to have God shout loud and clear. While “working” on the blog, searching for antiques, and repurposing I had a moment that with every fiber of my being, without a shadow of doubt in my mind, that THIS…this “Belle & Beau Antiquarian” is exactly what God wants me to do. In that moment I was 100% sure that I was doing the thing that God had planned for me. This is the path I should go down.

I can’t say that since that moment I have experienced 100% easy success. I wish I could say since that moment that I have not doubted that I was on the right path. I have doubted. I have wanted to quit. I have experienced failure time and time again, in small ways and big ways. I have had many months where I did not break even. I have had months where I overspent and then spent months paying for it. I have had months where I have neglected the blog. But I always return to that moment of 100% conviction. Despite failures, I have had successes. People read this blog. A lot of people. People are interested in what I do. I have an opportunity. This is what God wants me to do. Now, I need to make sure that I do it HOW he wants me to.

So like this chair that still needed a finishing touch, I still need some finishing touches, too. It’s hard not to take “unlikes” personally. But if you are “unliking” my pageĀ because I “like” God, then go ahead. The unlikes are certainly something that I will put in my “success” column.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3ļ»æ

Hope you “like” the chair.

XOXO,
Abby

P.S. Um, there’s a fabulous giveaway going on. You should really enter it!

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The Gospel Truth

Have you ever unintentionally collected something? One minute you have one extra casserole dish/figurine/pound and the next you have twenty? (Hey, I know I’m not the only person to have unintentionally collected twenty pounds at some point!!)


I have unintentionally collected antique and vintage hymnals. I mean to say, I didn’t set out to collect them. The collection just sort of happened a long the way. Now here I sit with a stack of hymnals from the Bible Belt (that’s the South, y’all) in varying conditions.

I love the ones that are falling apart at the seams. There’s only way to get like that — by being used. Unfortunately some have no life left in them as a song book, but I just can’t bare to throw them away. (I might surprise you that I am the total opposite of a “hoarder.”) I haven’t had a plan for using them before, but this past Sunday at church I was completely inspired. The words to “Holy, Holy, Holy” are truly beautiful, and I was inspired by the verse, “Early in the morning, our song shall rise to Thee.”


I decided to use one of the hymnals that had seen better days to create something new.


XOXO,
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Mason Jar Lamp: Fall Re-Mix

I love making something that can be used in many different ways. Remember this guy?

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Well, I pretty much got tired of the lamp shade. And I got sick of the corks. Truth be told, I probably won’t drink enough wine in my entire life to even get it half-full. (The craziest it usually gets around here is chocolate milk, folks.)
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I love the lamp itself too much to sell it (collaborative groan from the masses), but I wanted to change it up. So it now sits on my mantle with a new brown shade ($5, Walmart) and some colorful autumn glass thingies. This was a super quick change! Remember, the top screws off.
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By the way, I want to thank everyone for visiting and for your support. I now have well over 25,000 views in less than and year, and that makes me feel reeeeeealllll special. šŸ˜‰
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XOXO,
Abbyļ»æ

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B2S Clip-Pin’s for Teacher


Here in the South school starts early, usually the first week of August. While the rest of the country is still enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer, our little belles and beaus are hitting the books and getting their brains filled with knowledge.

We are very blessed and extremely thankful to have had some amazing individuals come into our lives and teach our kids. During the 9 months of the school year our kids will often spend more waking hours of their day with these teachers than with us. It’s importantĀ for us to let our kids’ teachers know from the get-go that we intend to partner with them and work together to teach our children. Because of this, and also because I am a southern lady that likesĀ to show our hospitality and graciousness,Ā I like to start the school year off with a small gift to the teachers. It’s never anything big, just a small gesture of “Here’s my baby. I hold them dear to my heart. Please keep them safe while they are away from me.”

This year I’ve been so busy and I’m trying to be more frugal with my crafting dollars, so I challenged myself to make Back to School teacher gifts using only materials that I already own. I decided to make some clip-pins from a previous post. Have you ever noticed that thin strip of cork that runs across the top of the chalk/white/smart board? These are perfect for that!

First up: A half-empty can of chalkboard paint from my advent calendar tutorial and leftover clothespins from my push-pin tutorial.

Spray paint some clothes pins. I used chalkboard paint because that’s what I had, but you could also use flat black. The chalkboard aspect of it doesn’t make a difference.

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Next, I had a pack of school themed scrapbook paper leftover from teacher appreciation last year. This is a pack of 5×7 paper that I got from Michael’s. I used these thumbtacks, which originally came from Walmart.
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After the paint is dry, cut paper to fit the front and back of the clips. I used some spray Elmer’s adhesive that I had, but ended up having to use hot glue in some spots. I also used some matte spray poly on top of the paper once the glue had dried. Once everything is dry, hot glue the tack to the back at the top.
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I didn’t want the pins to poke anyone through the bags (Michael’s), so I cut a piece of foam core board that would fit inside the bag. Cut the foam core board at least 1/2″ smaller than the width of the bag so that everything will fit nicely.
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Ā I covered the piece of foam core board in some paper to give it a finished look. I cut a small piece of paper and clipped all of the pins to it at the bottom to keep them from moving around in the bags.
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Finally, I used my tag punch, some black card stock, and a white colored pencil to make the tags.
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The only thing I would’ve done differently is to write the teachers’ names on the solid black clip with a white paint pen. But since I was restricting myself to materials I already had, I didn’t do it.
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By the way, middle schoolers are too cool to hand their teachers gifts on the first day of school. So I will be giving these to his teachers at Open House. šŸ˜‰ I have his permission. LOL. He just can’t be seen doing the deed himself. My 3rd grader on the other hand was happy to play Back to School Santa.
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Enjoy! Please, please “pin” and share.
XOXO,
Abby
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The {Final} Nitty-Gritty on Sanding. When You’re Done?

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Iā€™ve noticed that a lot of times tutorials that go over how to use ā€œfurnitureā€ (aka ā€œchalkā€) paint donā€™t go over what to do once the paint has dried. I personally have several more steps to go once the paint is dry on my furniture. I sand it, seal it, and often glaze it.

Sand it when the paint is dry? For latex or spray paint, not usually. For “furniture,” chalk, or milk paint, yes. There is an incredible difference in the finish of ā€œfurnitureā€ paint when you sand it after it dries and when you donā€™t. It becomes incredibly smooth and ā€œfinishedā€ looking. The paint should dry 8 hours, or overnight, before you sand it.

Depending on the look I am going for, I will either use 220 grit sandpaper or ā€œ00ā€ steel wool. Usually using 220 grit sandpaper with my Black & Decker Mouse sander will give more of a distressed look. That means whatever the surface color was before you sanded it (wood or a different color) will show through on the edges and raised details. If I just want to ā€œfinishā€ the piece and I donā€™t want to distress it I will use ā€œ00ā€ (double fine) steel wool. Even when using the ā€œ00ā€ steel wool, be careful on the edges and details.

DONā€™T freak out when you sand your painted piece. Paint dust will come off. Trust me when I say, do not sand indoors, even a garage. You will cover everything in a fine coating of chalk dust. The great thing about ā€œfurnitureā€ paint is, if you sand off too much, just touch it up with some more paint. Also, donā€™t freak out if your paint color ā€œlightensā€ up a bit. This is just the effect of the ā€œchalkā€ or plaster of Paris in the paint. When you apply your wax the color will deepen again.

Before you continue the process of finishing your painted piece after you have sanded it, wipe it down completely with a DRY cloth. Actually, most of the time I vacuum the piece with my shop vac when I’m done sanding. You can even use the final sanding process as a way to be creative with your paint. Once you have done a final sanding, you are ready to finish your piece with wax, polyurethane, or glaze. (or all of the above) šŸ˜‰

I will go over more info on using ā€œfurnitureā€ paint in a future blog post.
XOXO,
Abby

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The Nitty-Gritty on Sanding {Part Two}

In my previous post I went over the reasons why I would or wouldnā€™t sand a piece before refinishing it. In this post Iā€™m going to go over how exactly to go about sanding.

ThreeĀ things that will make your life easier while sanding:
#1 An electric hand held sander.
#2 Know your grit, Sherlock.

#3 Always sand in the direction of the grain. (the direction that the lines in the wood are going)

An electric hand held sander is going to cut your time by at least 75%. I have an old Black & Decker ā€œMouseā€ sander and I love it. I want a new sander, but just because I love tools. This one works great. Sandpaper is made especially to fit it and is easily put on and off. I like this because I can switch in between sandpapers when Iā€™m working on something. Yes, it is possible to sand using a sanding block, but it is going to take you a lot of time.
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Know your grit. Grit refers to the roughness of the sandpaper. The lower the number, the rougher the grit. You always, ALWAYS start with a lower number and work your way up to the higher number. For example, when I am refinishing a table top I will start with 60 grit. The 60 grit will grind down through any varnish and stain to the bare wood. If you use 60 grit too long, it will eventually start to grind away at your wood. 60 grit will leave your surface rough. There will be visible sanding marks and your piece will not be ready to paint or stain.

After removing the paint, varnish, or stain you were aiming to remove, next you will be ready to start creating a smooth surface ready for your finish. I like to move from 60 grit to 120 to 220. Going in this order will leave you with a quality surface that looks professional and neat. Be sure to check the surfaces that youā€™re sanding from different angles. If you are able to see sanding marks, you will need to re-sand that area to get rid of them, which is why I like the mouse. If I am working with the 220 grit sandpaper and I see marks left from the 60 grit, I can take the 220 off and put some 120 back on, remove the 60 grit marks, and then move back to the 220.

Finally, always sand with the grain of the wood. ā€œGrain of the woodā€ refers to the direction that the lines in the wood are going. Donā€™t argue; just do it.

If youā€™ve sanded properly, when you apply your stain you will be rewarded with a thing of beauty. If you apply your stain and you suddenly see marks from sanding, wait for the stain to dry and begin again.

Sanding is one of those things that when you do it right, it is completely rewarding. You can literally see your hard work pay off. Iā€™ll go overĀ how to stain furnitureĀ sometime in the future.
This is my 12 year old sanding a bookshelf for his room. Don’t be afraid to get started. You can do this.
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Next up will be: Sanding when youā€™reā€¦done?

XOXO,
Abby

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The Nitty-Gritty on Sanding {Part One}

Iā€™ve hadĀ some questions about sanding furniture, so I thought I would do a series of posts about it. Sanding isnā€™t my favorite thing to do. However, it can be very rewarding when it is done correctly. Since this is such a big topic, in this post I will cover information about sanding prior to painting or refinishing.

Before you start on a piece it is important to decide whether or not you need to sand at all.Ā Let tell you when IĀ don’t sand.
  • When I start with a piece that is unpainted, painted,Ā or stained and I am planning to completely cover it in ā€œfurnitureā€ (chalk) paint.
  • When I start with a piece that is painted orĀ stained and I am planning to use a crackle finish, and I want the existing paint or stain to show through when it crackles.
  • Even if I am making repairs to the piece with wood putty or rebuilding a foot, for example, I only sand to make the repair even with the rest of the piece. I donā€™t sand the entire piece.

I make my own ā€œfurnitureā€ paint. Some people may call it “chalk paint.” MyĀ furniture paint does not require prepping the surface before you use it. It will stick, and stick well, without sanding. Thatā€™s the whole point of using this kind of paint — to save time and prep.Ā  So if youā€™re painting the whole piece and youā€™re using ā€œfurnitureā€ paint, donā€™t waste your time by spending hours sanding.

Now here is when I DO sand prior to painting and refinishing:
  • Iā€™m painting the piece, except for maybe the top of a dresser or a table top. In that case I will only sand the surface that isnā€™tgetting painted.
  • Iā€™m using spray paint. Spray paint will show even tiny imperfections.
  • The piece is already painted, and I am planning to do a crackle finish that doesnā€™t include the current color.
  • The piece is painted and I want to remove the paint and stain it instead.
  • The piece is stained and needs to be re-stained.

I get a lot of questions about furniture and most people assume that everything needs to be sanded. This is not the case. Remember, chances are if you areĀ painting the entire piece you do not need to sand before you paint with “furniture” (chalk) paint.

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Come back in a few days for my post on how to sand.
Hope this helps!
XOXO,
Abby

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