Stain Shaded Secretary

by Misty Gaines-Johnson

3 Materials

$20

5 Days

Advanced

Well the new year is here and I started off with this cute little secretary I picked up for $15 on my local swap shop site. It was pretty wobbly so I decided to add 1x3 to the back to sturdy it up. I chalk painted it a bright white to begin with because I was looking for a stark contrast between the stain and the paint. After it was done I did not like the look at all because I stain shaded a whimsical sunflower on the front and it made me really want a more primitive/country look. I repainted it antique white and dark waxed it. It really pulled it together. I also wanted to replace the hardware with something different that would go with the primitive/country piece so I used rope. I also had problems with the legs wanting to come off!!! Legs can be a problem on older pieces. I ended up having to replace the whole bottom of the piece just to make sure the feet would be sturdy. I pick up a lot of pieces for free and really cheap but it comes with a lot of work sometimes. To stain shade my sunflower I drew it on lightly with a pencil and used brushes and my finger wrapped in a cloth dipped in stain and then you dab a lot of it off before applying to create the image. I used Jacobean miniwax stain (my favorite color right now) on my flower, shelves and 1x3 back. I am absolutely in love with the finished project. Hope you enjoy and ease see my link to see more of my work.

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