Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Painting with CeCe Caldwell's Paints and Finishes

I have blogged several posts about the CeCe Caldwell's Paints and Finishes that we retail in our shop. You've heard me say many times that we LOVE talking paint with anyone! We sincerely mean it too. Our goal is for you to learn as much as you can about the paint and enjoy your projects as much as we do. We love teaching classes and sharing what we have learned either from our training or trial and error. Here are a few tips that I would like to share with you when you paint with the CeCe Caldwell paints. 
1.  I prep most of my furniture with a cleaner called Simple Green. It's a great all natural cleaner that works well. 
2.  Next I look at the piece and ask myself -"Do you think it's going to have bleed through"? And if I think it is going to have bleed through then my next step is taking Shellac and coating it really well with this product. I usually let it dry for several hours. You may ask "how do I know if it's a bleeder"? Sometimes you don't know until you apply the first coat of paint and within a few minutes you see the bleeding. And if you have already put the first coat of paint on it's not too late to put the Shellac. Why do some pieces of furniture have bleed through? I have found that Mahogany is the worst to bleed. It can be old furniture oils that resurface when you put the chalk and clay on the wood. Some of the darker woods have tannin's that bleed too.
3.  Now I'm ready to apply my first coat of paint. I like to add a little water to my paint. How much? Pancake batter thickness is good. My first coat I don't worry about covering every little spot because the second coat is going to cover those spots that I may have missed. What type of brush should you use? We recommend a natural bristle brush and we love the rounded tip brush that we sell online and in our stores. The picture below shows the brush we use the most.
4.  I like to use two colors of paint so that I can distress down to the first coat and have those colors peeking through. You can layer as many colors that you like. Isn't that GREAT - you can determine what you like and go with it!
5.  After the first coat is dry you are ready to apply your second coat. After the second is dry you are ready to wet distress. 
6.  I let my pieces dry overnight after I have applied two coats of paint and wet distressed. Why? Because our paints are water based and then we wet distress so there is a lot of moisture that needs to cure. So I think it is best to let it dry really well before I apply my finish. You do not want moisture to be trapped between the paint and the finish.
7.  There are several choices in finishes - (they are all great)
     Satin Finish - water based and can be diluted.
     Endurance   - the most durable of the CeCe finishes. 
     Clear Wax   - all natural wax 
     Waxing Cream - a little goes a long way. 
     Aging Cream    - I like to mix this with the clear wax for a beautiful finish
8.  Choose a finish and apply it and let it cure for a few days and enjoy your custom piece.
The more you paint the better you will get. I didn't go into very much detail on the finishes but you can find more about those under "paint instructions" on our website www.freshjaspertexas.com
My last suggestion is to start with something small. I would not start with the kitchen cabinets as my first project. It could be a little overwhelming to start with such a huge project. 
Please stop by and talk paint with us! What are you working on? I'm working on the card catalog and two french provincial bedside tables. Pictures soon.
Have a blessed week.


Friday, April 4, 2014

Things of the past....

Today I am posting about a thing of the past. I will give you a hint - every library owned at least one. I was always intrigued by all the cute little drawers and the neat hardware. They came in all sizes but they basically looked the same. Whenever I see one at a good price I can't help myself, I usually buy it. There are many possibilities for the use of this "thing of the past". I use mine in my sewing/craft room for my rubber stamps and ink pads, laces, ribbons, brushes and other notions. I think they would be great in the kitchen for storage of utensils, jars, linens, or spices. Have you guessed it yet? 
I will remove all the hardware and clean the wood with Simple Green and Goo Gone. There is something sticky on the top of the base and a few of the drawers. If the cleaner doesn't remove it I will lightly sand off the residue. 
And then the fun will begin with a paint brush and earth friendly paint! Both of our paint lines are earth friendly and they are not harmful to use. 
In a few days I will post about the color that I am going to use for this project. In the meantime, if you need paint or supplies for painting just click on www.freshjaspertexas.com for all your needs. Email any questions or comments that you may have about the paints. We love helping you get started with your next project. 
Oh and my "thing of the past" if you didn't guess, is a card catalog. 
Card Catalog Before the Make Over


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Tricycle Red by Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint

I finished this small cabinet with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in my favorite color Tricycle and then used the antiquing wax by MMSMP. The antiquing wax is easy to use and I love the way it gives just enough of an aged look to the wood. After you brush on the wax, let it dry and by the way it drys quickly. Take a buffing brush or soft rag and buff it to a beautiful shine. I added the knobs from Anthropologie and another project is complete. What will I paint next? Well come back in a couple of days to see what I've dug from the junk pile! And remember if you need paint, finish, brushes, etc. we are only a click away. Log onto www.freshjaspertexas.com 
Our store will be open Friday and we have just returned from a great buying trip and we are still unloading our loot, so stop by and see us. We would love to show you our paint and help you get started on your next project. 
After
After
Before


Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Milk Paint Make Over in Tricycle

This little handmade shelf with two drawers was desperately needing a make over. After much thought, I decided to paint it with Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint and add new jewelry (knobs). I had a couple of nice pulls from Anthropologie that I thought would look really cute on this small cabinet. It's kind of like buying a pair of shoes and then finding the right outfit, don't you think? 
I'm using Tricycle red again - can you tell I LOVE red, especially MMSMP red! Here is a picture of the cabinet before I painted it. I cleaned it with Simple Green and removed the hardware. Now it's ready for the paint. The picture below shows how one coat looks as it is drying. It only takes two coats of MMSMP on most projects. After this dries I'll add a second coat and then sand with a sanding block and complete with a finish. I'll show you the finished shelf on my next post. 
Check out our website: www.freshjaspertexas.com 
Have a wonderful week!!
Before

One coat of paint