I went to work stripping and had a mighty hard time with this! I don't know WHAT finish was on it, but it certainly didn't want to give way to the new vision I had in mind. After I had gotten half way through this stripping process, I wish I had just painted over them, but it was too late now, so on I went with too many hours of stripping and sanding!

I pulled out my Velvet Finishes Paint for this project (my fav!). I used Rococco for the top and Cosmopolitan for the base, which is a really subtle mint hue.
To learn more about Velvet Finishes paints, you can use this link:
http://www.velvetfinishes.com/shop.html

I transfer my designs using carbon paper. Then I do a light coat of paint to get rid of the harsh carbon marks.

I got started on my artwork. I used Minwax Ebony Wood Finish stain for all of my artwork, but this time, I decided to use two different stains, as I thought the Ebony would be too dark/ harsh for these feminine pieces. So, I used a Minwax Grey as well.

One of my many helpers was by my side! :)

At this point, the design was done except for more shading. You have to let the stain dry enough before adding more shading, otherwise, you end up with a mess.

Can you see the added dimension in this picture from the picture above with the added shading - it gives the whole piece more depth and makes the petals pop off the base.

Now, the final decision - do I distress the base?? Undecided as of right now, but leaning toward a slight distressing with a glaze.
Hope you enjoyed!
Starting it's matching piece with a complimentary Dahlia design.