A Coat (of paint) of many colors - CeCe makes it easy

People ask me all the time how CeCe Caldwells Paint and some of the other paints on the market at the moment are different. There are a ton of differences.
One of the ones that I enjoy the most is the subtle changes in the color of our paint.
Because our paint is made not only of  natural chalk but also clays - you can add some dimension to your painted pieces simply by lightly sanding or burnishing the paint.
I get asked all of the time "What did you put over the paint to make it look like that?" Nothing, is my answer, our paint does all of the work.
After painting your piece, you simply need to use a very fine sand paper - I use 320 grit and do a little sanding. That find paper will burnish the paint, highlight any brush strokes or roller marks or imperfections in the paint..leaving a slight differing in the color.

 Destin Gulf Green  - you can see the burnished brush strokes.

Kentucky Mint

Seattle Mist.

I love that the color variations can add some dimension and interest to a piece when it lacks embellishments or when you don't want to distress.

What if you don't want to see the brush marks or the color variations? Use a coarser grit sand paper, don't sand or when putting on your second coat when brushing your paint on - dip your brush in some water first and then load with paint - less brush marks...

Give it a try....it's paint made easy.

A Happy Accident - Story of a little table that would not behave.

Have you ever done a project with a certain  look or finish in mind but the piece will not cooperate?

That is how this story begins. I have had this little table for a bit now and wanted to do something really fun with it. Finally, I had the vision and decided to start working on it.

The vision was to sand down the top of the table  - then to use my new stencil and use stain to stencil the top and paint the bottom in a nice neutral.

So I sanded down the top of the table - not realizing that the top actually had a veneer on it. To make a long story short - there were a couple of places that got a little more sanded than some others, leaving light spots.....darned sander...I am sure it is defective.

Anyway, I thought no big deal - I will go ahead and do my stencil technique. I used a brand new script stencil that has just come out and a foam brush and gently sponged stain onto the stencil. 

I thought this will cover the light spots or disquise them....not so much.  I did not take pics of this ugliness because at the time I thought I would have to paint over the top to hide them. 

Them I had the bright idea that I would dark wax over the light spots and that would blend in the lighter spots. So I waxed and wiped and waxed and waxed and waited.....nothing...not a bit darker. So I thought I will leave the dark wax on over night...brilliant.....I know. So I did. The next morning, I can into hardened dark wax in globs on the light spots...what was I thinking....I buffed my butt off and finally had to sand off the dark wax.... yeeks. 

 Can you see the ugly dark marks? Yup, dark wax blobs. I didn't take pics of that either because again, I thought I am going to have to paint the top....but I loved the stained script and really did not want to cover it up....sigh.

So....today, I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to paint over the stained script and decided that I would use Virginia Chestnut. So I painted over the top of my gorgeous stained stencil.

I just couldn't leave it be....all covered up...that pretty stained stencil...so, I decided to just try and wipe some of the Virginia Chestnut off to reveal the script here and there. One of the things that I love about CeCe Caldwells All Natural Chalk and Clay Paints is that you can distress the paint simply by using a damp cloth. I wetted a cloth and went to it. I figured if worse came to worse, I could always paint over it again.

So I wiped and looked ....wiped and looked....I liked what I saw. It looked like the paint was worn away exposing the pretty stained stencil...yay. I wiped it back a bit until basically the ugly dark and light spots were left covered and the rest revealed......A Happy Accident!!!! 

I love it and am soooo pleased with myself.

I added some clear wax and a good buffing had it looking great. It actually looks better and more subtle in person but I don't have great lighting for pics...but you get the idea. The customers in the store all loved it as I was finishing it up.

I love how the top turned out. I decided I would paint a coat of Virginia on the bottom followed by a coat of Myrtle Beach Sand - some light distressing and clear wax...and voila... she is ready for a new home.

She is so cute in person. If you are close come by and take a look. I already am thinking about the next project that I am going to use this technique on...a nice drop leaf table...I think. I love this stencil and will have it available in just a couple of days. 

You can see our other great stencils HERE. We are happy to ship and shipping  on stencils are FREE!!

This girl is ready for adoption. What do you think? Happy Accident?

Special Christmas Gift for our Followers.

We have a special gift just for all of our Followers!!!! We are offering a special Christmas Gift Certificate to use for yourself or to give as a special last minute gift!!! You get a $75.00 gift certificate for just $50.00!! This offer is valid until Dec. 24th at noon. The certificate may be used in store or online - on any merchandise!!! This is a great deal. Once your certificate is purchased, you will be sent an email with the certificate to print out to give and a special code to use online....just that simple.

WE have a great selection of stencils with lots more designs to come.

Just click HERE to get yours today!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

I love me some Stencils!!

I love me some stencils!! I love the look of typography and wonderful artistic additions to furniture. I would love to be able to say that I can do it all by hand....I can do some of the artsy stuff myself but a good stencil makes it so much better and easier.

The problem that I have here in the town that I live in is that there is really no place to buy great stencils. The typical Hobby Lobby, Michaels and blah, blah, blah.....nothing really great. 

Then I found a great company that makes great stencils and I decided that I would carry them in my shop and offer them online.

Last week we were giddy with anticipation waiting for them to arrive. When they did I quickly opened one and started working with it right away.

This little lady was very pretty in her Vintage White and Clear and Dark wax but her top was a little funky because she had some old wallpaper on the top that I could not get completely off....so I added this French Post Card Stencil and added some dark wax. I think it looks like an old letter and I love this. I actually want to take this little baby home.

Next up was another pretty table that I did in Vintage White and Clear Wax... pretty curves and a nice big table top that was just ...well...blah...It needed something special. I love the french script that is so popular and I opened up the nice big French Script Stencil. I positioned it so it looked like the script was running through the table...if that makes sense....even if it doesn't, it looks great. I used Seattle Mist Gray and lightly distressed it.....again, I love this look.

So soft, I think it looks like it has been there for a long time....just what I wanted.

My friend also used this stencil on a sofa table that she did in Seattle Mist and stenciling in Vermont Slate. It looks like someone took a pen and wrote out a beautiful love letter.

Oh, those were not the only stencils that we got or played with....but these are the couple that we got all done. I can't wait to try these on some fabric and pillows. There are lots and lots of gorgeous stencils on my website now and more coming.

If you are interested in ordering some you can order HERE!
ALL STENCILS SHIP FREE!!!!
There are several other designs coming soon.

Putting on the Glitz - Glamour Vanity

This is one of those pieces that people kept telling me not to paint. It was one that even I thought - "I can't paint this.

It has great variations in the wood and was just so pretty.

Alas, she had some problems with the veneer and some pretty deep scratches that just couldn't be rubbed out.

So I decided that she would have to be painted. I wanted to do something really special for this girl though. She looked like a movie star to me - so....I decided to put on the glitz.

I started with a couple of coats of  Young Kansas Wheat. I love this color because it is a neutral without being white. I also love that I can paint indoors without any VOC's or nasty smells - cuz, baby it's cold outside.

I loved this color but knew she needed a little bit more somethun, somethun. I added some metallic paint in a soft silver to the bottom drawer and jewelry box. This is a great paint by Modern Masters that I just painted on right over the CeCe Caldwell Paint. It gives a great sheen. I wanted to give her the glamorous old movie star look...so I added some mild distressing. 

After she dried a bit, I added a couple of classy stencils to the doors and some clear then dark wax - again, I used dry pigments to tint my clear wax. 

I love the CeCe Wax....again, no harsh odor and it spreads on like soft butter. 

The dark wax looks great in all of the great carved details of this pretty girl.

I love the inset mirror and am crazy about the huge mirror - which is full length. She also has a great little bench that goes along with her.

Now just to add some blingy hardware and she is all ready for her closeup.

We are official retailers for CeCe Caldwells Clay and Chalk paints. You can purchase paints, waxes, pigments and the buffing tool HERE.  We are happy to ship nationwide.

Want us to custom paint your piece? Contact us @ orphaneddecor@yahoo.com

This piece is available in store now.

We also offer classes so that you can finish your piece yourself. Class schedule HERE.

The right Toys - umm tools for the right job - CeCe makes it easier

One of the good things about having my own shop is that I get to try new things and I get to buy new toys....or tools and fun products.

I  love painting with CeCe Caldwell Paints. I love painting with a brush but my hubby likes to "get things done." So he bought himself a Graco Sprayer. I don't mind using a manual stapler but the hubby got a new compressor and staple gun. 

I don't mind sanding by hand.....ok...so that was a lie... I hate sanding by hand. My hubby bought me a Craftsman Cordless Multi tool.  I guess what I am trying to get to is that I am finally understanding what my hubby meant when he says "the right tool for the right job."

So today I decided to work on a little table that the hubby bought while out picking. It had great lines but some cosmetic problems.

She has rings and some scratches that look like they may have been inflicted by a cats claws.

So I took my little Craftsman Multi Tool Sander and made quick work of sanding the top smooth and removing the old finish. The legs took a little longer but again with the right tool it goes quick and easy.

After sanding down the top I used two coats of dark walnut stain to cover. I love how easy it i to just wipe it on and then wipe off.

The bottom legs got just one coat of Mississippi Mud - again the right tool. This paint goes on so richly and covers so nicely, it makes painting so easy.

 I love this color...kind of a neutral without being white.

Once the paint dried, which took about 25 minutes...it is cold here. I waxed with clear wax...including the stained top ( I waited overnight for the stain to dry first.)

I wanted to add some more dimension to the table so I tried something that I had not tried before but heard lots of the gals talking about. Natural powder pigments....a new toy.

We do have a wonderful dark wax but I liked the idea of being able to mix any color wax in any amount that I needed.

You only need a very small amount of pigment to do 4 oz of wax - which is plenty for several projects....a little dab will do ya.

So you take just a tiny bit - about 1/8 teaspoon and equal parts of denatured alcohol - vodka works well too. Mix this together into a paste and take this tiny amount and mix it very well into about 3 or 4 oz of wax.

Ok...do as I say and not as I do...mix it well...more well than this.

I painted it on and wiped it back and I loved the look. Really that easy...just wipe on with a chip brush and then wipe it back with a cloth.

After about an hour I got to use my last new toy....my buffing brush. If you have not tried one of these you do not know what you are missing out on. I love the look and feel of a buffed piece - it also adds to the durability of piece.

Take a look at this sweet toy.

And then you do this.

Yup, I got your attention now don't I? It whips right through buffing, removing extra wax and what a shine.

I tell ya - you gotta get one of these little babies.

So the finished product.

The top.

Sexy long and curvy legs.

All ready for a new home.

We are official retailers for CeCe Caldwells Clay and Chalk paints. You can purchase paints, waxes, pigments and the buffing tool HERE.  We are happy to ship nationwide.

Want us to custom paint your piece? Contact us @ orphaneddecor@yahoo.com

This piece is available in store now.

We also offer classes so that you can finish your piece yourself. Class schedule HERE.

We are sharing here.  

Getting my ArtSeY FaRtSEy (AF) Back

So, this past June I celebrated my 3rd Anniversary of my store.  When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them, that "I am living my dream". I really mean that....everyday I get to go to my shop and create, paint, meet great people and decorate. All of the things that I love to do and I make a pretty good living doing it. I get to try out my ideas and most of the time someone wants to buy them. A win- win for all of us.

So what is the problem with this you might ask? Well, when I first started out, I feel like I was more creative. Or perhaps, I should say,  felt like I could be more creative. Of course, I had more time then - I didn't have the customer traffic. I was talking to my husband the other day and asked him if he remembered when the store was first open....how everything was always so cute....all of the displays were perfect.... the floors always clean.....windows always washed? We would sit around in this gorgeous little store and wait for customers...but it looked great.

I spent a lot of time crafting, decoupaging dressers and tables, doing hand painting, hand lettering and sewing  and such.

Now, I have customers waiting at the door when we get to the store to open. Gone are the days, that our gorgeous displays last more than a day or two. 

Now, I am not complaining...I feel blessed for every single customer and for how busy our shop has become. 

Again, you might ask, "so what is the problem?"  Well, as our business has grown, it has become a matter of volume...the more you sell the more you have to paint to replace the inventory. When trying to increase our volume it is sometimes necessary to cut out the Artsey Fartsey stuff.  What I mean is that sometimes the plain  white or black or just blue is what sells.

Lately, I have been feeling not as satisfied with just painting something white. I want to make something different. Sometimes something blingy or unexpected....something one of kind.

Do you know the feeling? I don't just want to pump out the furniture. I want to be able to take time to make something really special. Not to say that I don't sometimes want to paint something white....I love that....but not just because I have to pump out something to fill my store.

So, I have decided that I have to find a happy medium. I need to be able to do some Artsey Fartsey (AF)stuff...and still fill the store with gorgeous things that are more mainstream.

Today, I was feeling AF.

Of course, I forgot a before picture.

I got this little solid wood desk that has a lift up top. I think it may have been a sewing machine or type writer cabinet in its previous life.

It had beautiful wood that was in bad shape in some places. I didn't want to paint all of this gorgeous wood but had to do something. I decided to leave the inserts and drawers without paint and did the top in a reverse stencil so that the wood grain would show through.

I happen to love it. I am curious to see what you think.

This color is CeCe Caldwells Vermont Slate and is a gorgeous charcoal, slate color.

You can order Ce Ce Colors online from us. Just click here.   Please know that I didn't end up doing this desk without some resistance. My Junk Hunk thinks it would be better with the top painted solid and the drawers painted two tone....what do you think? I know I am feeling better now.