Hand Painted Globe & Stand

By Cate

As Chelsea told you, we cannot be more TICKLED to launch our new blog and resource site: Style Mutt. As we prepare for some big changes we will be working hard to give you something we hope you will love as much {if not more} than this site that started it all.  And don't shy away from telling us what you want to see on the new site!  We want Style Mutt to be a home for all design aesthetics, budgets, and skill levels so your unique input is invaluable to us.  {If you missed it, check out how your feedback can win you a special something from us in this post.}  But in the meantime, it'll be CG business as usual and since it's Wednesday, I'm coming at you with another guest post.

I'm so glad I showed you all the tour of my living room when I did because now it's 

buried under three new projects...

No.1: a handsome globe & stand

No.2: a bamboo-front dresser 

No.3: an old silver chest  

This epic thrifting score means get ready for some transformational debuts!

So how 'bout I kick us off with item No.1:

For such a handsome devil, the globe was actually an impulse buy.  In fact, he practically jumped into my cart at check out.  I think he thought if he didn't act fast, no one would ever take him home.  Lucky for him I scooped him up even though he had two obvious flaws that were dating his look.

The first was that shiny finish on the wood:

{See the Citristrip?  No secrets what I plan to do with the wood finish there.}

And the second was that old geography circa 1991 - can you spot it?

It was no wonder why he was at the thrift store in the first place, poor guy.

Ok.  So here's the real question - what do you do with an outdated and outmoded globe...

How bout turn it into a piece of art?

I gold leafed the continents and then hand painted over them in all sorts of colors.  I kept applying paint and washing some off, applying paint and washing some off to reveal the gold glimmer underneath.  I wanted each region to be an abstract blur like God's rainbowed creation: a beautiful mix of so much complicated individuality, ethnic diversity, and unique points of view.

Let's take it for a quick spin, shall we?

South America

North & Central America

Africa

Australia

Europe

Asia

And the last but not least: Antarctica 

{and the final continent remaining on my travel checklist}

And using my new Olloclip for taking iphone photos {alas I don't have a real camera these days but hey, rock what you got right?} I was able to get some macro shots of the paint effects so you can appreciate the detail.  Woot!

 

 

Shout-out to Caleb for surprising me with such a great gift #besthusbandever

Bonus alert: the ocean is a chalkboard paint!

As for the wood, I wanted to strip it naked and sand it to give it an un-finish like Chelsea's post about this dresser.  I wrestled with it for hours trying to get every spec of finish out of the nooks and crannies of the spindles.  In the end, I surrendered gracefully to the stubborn finish and decided I liked the distressed effect.  

 

Call it laziness, but I call it a mutual agreement.

Well mister, your dated days are over - now you are a piece of art!

Now available for sale

16"W x 16"D x 39"H

$125

Contact me at catherine.henifin@gmail.com if interested!

Happy Wednesday,

~Cate

Giant Stand-Alone Chalkboard

Posted by Cate

So as you may have read, I am marrying Chelsea's brother in January.  Up until now I have been VERY secretive about my {outlandish} wedding ideas.  But I have decided to share one element of my wedding with you lovely lot on Chelsea's Garage - this giant chalkboard program sign.

What Did I Use:
1} One 2'x6' pine panel
2} Two 1.5'x6' pine panels
3} "Weathered Oak" wood stain & stain brush
4} Sandpaper
5} Four brass hinges with shallow screws
6} 2" painters tape
7} Primer spray paint
8} Chalkboard spray paint
9} Chalk
10} Screwdriver

I started by staining the edges with my weathered oak wood stain and stain brush.  I followed the can's instructions to brush the stain along the direction of the grain and wipe of the excess.  I like the grayish effect it had on the yellow pine so I only bothered to do one coat.






After the stain dried, I applied the painters tape right over the stained trim and primed the bare wood in the center.  Raw wood {especially pine for that matter} is EXTREMELY thirsty when you first apply paint and will soak up a lot.  A good starter coat of primer will help your final color go on thick in less coats because the primer will have already filled up many of the wood's pores.  After the primer dried and was sanded, I applied the first coat of chalkboard paint.

After the chalkboard paint dried, it was time to peel the painters tape off.  And I must say, I LOVED the finished look - especially the messy edges where excess paint bled under the tape.  If you are trying this at home and want a neater look, just go slow with the tape application and make sure you have smoothed down the edges as you go - this will prevent the bubbles you might get that would collect puddling paint. 

I then went about using my screwdriver and short brass screws to install the hinges {the hinge kit I bought came with longer screws for traditional doors, but my pine boards were too thin - if this happens to you, be sure to also pick up a couple shorter screws with wide screw heads that will still fit your hinge}.

  

Now I have a wonderful statement piece for my wedding that will have my entire program written out in chalk.  The kicker: after the ceremony, it will be erased and become the photo booth for our guests!  I love repurposing items {as you may already know}.  After the wedding, it could easily become a dress-up backdrop for Shire - who knows!

Now it's your turn,

~ Cate