I’m back!!  Finally, a new project to share with you guys.  And one day when this attic is finished, I might also actually be able to stage pictures inside my home. For now, outside and makeshift will do.
I picked up this antique gossip bench from Mr. E.C.’s place a while ago for $18.  (kind of a random number now that I think about it)
I love the shape and lines and knew immediately I would refinish it for the kids’ playroom.  I even considered leaving it alone, but there were some spots that were shabby in the not-so-chic way. And let me say, now that I’m working on others’ furniture, it’s such a treat when I do something for my home!
Here it is now:

 

Please excuse the half-completed writing room–but it has great lighting and isn’t covered with furniture waiting on a new home. 🙂
I wanted a time-worn patina on this piece. And not really the “painted patina.”  I wanted it to feel like it had been left sitting on a balcony at the beach….or better yet, in the sand! I began thinking I might strip the stain off, but as I gave it a good sanding, this is what I got….
And I liked it a lot.  I didn’t like the original wood underneath…it honestly looked too new and possibly some kind of birch with little wood tone to it.  I wanted the wood to peak through the worn paint, so I stopped there, leaving some parts stained and some sanded all the way down to the bare wood.
I then washed on the first coat of paint–and went against every fiber in my type A (becoming more type B) being and used no primer.  I used the same color as the walls in the kids’ room–Valspar’s Sea Breath.  Honestly, I was thinking I would get more saturated color from the first coat, and it was really washed out.  But again, I loved it.  I almost left it at the first coat.
I then sanded by hand with a fine/medium sanding block–if you want to get the faded and worn look, sand in a circular motion.  I did this on the first coat and then added the top coat of Benjamin Moore’s Iceberg, which is the pale grey my bathroom will be painted.  There was not as much contrast in the colors as I had planned, but I’m still very happy with the way it turned out.
Hope you guys have a wonderful Monday!  I’ll leave you with this verse that moved me today:
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My Name.”
-Psalm 91:14
**linking to these parties**
DIY Project Parade at the DIY Showoff
Just Something I whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
DIY day at A Soft Place to Land
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday’s @ Coastal Charm
Trash to Treasure @ Reinvented
Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Designs
The Boardwalk Bragfest
Power of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
DIY @ Tip Junkie
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday’s @ Finding Fabulous
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed’s
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
and probably some more I’m forgetting! 🙂 Find the links in my sidebar or under “Friends & Inspiration.”