It Had To Be Alice

Check out this cutie!! Isn't she just perfect with her diamonds and creamy white and gray paint??? Well, guess what?! She isn't even wood! She is that junky pressed wood that so much of everything is made of these days. Alice was a freebie that was thrown in when I purchased a daybed frame off of Craigslist several years ago. I don't have the bed anymore, but Alice has stuck around. She currently resides in my living room.

Let me tell you about my living room. It is BROWN. Brown has to be one of my least favorite colors and right now my sofa and chair are brown leather. The coffee table is brown, the floor is brown, the TV stand is brown. The cabinets are brown. Even the walls are a light shade of brown. It was driving me crazy. We are in a rental and there isn't too much we can do about the walls and we don't really want to by new furniture when we will be moving soon. So what do I do? I paint the tiniest piece in the room. HA! She has actually made a big difference or at least she makes me smile when I walk by her.

Here is what she looked like before. Okay, maybe she was black but it all just ran together with the brown.

Since Alice was so glossy and laminated I knew I should use a chalk paint that sticks to everything. I went with FolkArt Chalk paint in Castle and Sheepskin. I love this classic combo. I also painted Evelyn and Chip using these colors. I painted the entire table in Sheekskin and then Papa Bear and I did a whole bunch of measuring. This is not my strong point. Thankfully we got it figured out after I read and re-read this post from Confessions of a Serial DIYer. Thanks for bearing with me as I learn how to do this whole blog thing. I forgot to take pictures during the taping process, but follow that link and Christy will show you how it is done.

After measuring, making a template, and taping and painting and re-taping and painting, whew, I finished her off with FolkArt antiquing wax. I especially love using antique wax on pieces that are laminate along with the chalk paint. The brush strokes from the chalk paint along with wax gives texture to a piece of furniture that had none and adds a little more authenticity.

Next , I did a light distressing. I am kind of wishing I hadn't distressed because she looked so perfect, but in my house she will inevitably be run over by a train (toy), hit with the vacuum or mauled by three boys, so a little upfront distressing helps ease the blow. I actually painted this piece over a year ago and just now got around to taking after photos. She has held up pretty well to three boys and lots of scrubbing!

Next I lined her with a pretty pop of color! This is the best part! I knew I wanted to stage Alice with this green and black ribbon banner so I wanted a matching motif for the drawer liner. Does this ever happen to you? You see something in your head but then you can't find it anywhere?? Well I only had a short amount of time to sneak into World Market while I was supposed to be grocery shopping. I was hoping to find pretty wrapping paper in bright green. No such luck. Next, I went to the table cloths and napkins. I found a napkin I thought might work but it wasn't perfect. I had to get going as Papa Bear was at home with the three little ones and bedtime was fast approaching. Well guess what!? As I was checking out I found this bag!!! PERFECTION! Just what I wanted and it was already coated for extra protection against spills and what not.

Well, I cut that baby up and lined Alice's drawer! What do you think? Pretty awesome, right?!

With Alice next to my gray couch, I almost forget about all that brown...almost. Oh and have you figured out why I called her Alice?? It had to be!

If you are loving my black, white, and green ribbon garland you can grab it at my Etsy Shop! It's party of a party package but message me and I can make you a single one if you like!

#coastalcottage #Chalkpaint #AliceInWonderland #Sidetable #decor #paintedfurniture #furniture