Chalk Paint Magic ~ There’s Money in the Basement!

• By Barb
• Posted in DIY home and garden craft projects, Home decor, Recycled and repurposed items as garden art, Things that inspire me in the garden
• On January 28, 2018
• 6 Comments.

True confession time!! I frequent local garage and estate sales and buy “projects” that I never seem to get around to. Do you, too? At the time that I buy them, these odds and ends seem like diamonds in the rough. Later, I realize that there isn’t any perfect spot in the house or I really don’t want them any more. What to do? Become a hoarder or load everything up for Goodwill? Nope, I decided to make that collection of cast-off items into some money with Chalk Paint Magic!

 

Off to the hardware store I went to buy one quart of Rustoleum Chalk Paint in Linen White. That stuff really is magic! And, a quart will do so many pieces you will wear out before you run out of paint! Supplies are minimal: one quart of chalk paint, a face mask (for when you sand), a paint brush and a sanding sponge.

Three Easy Steps:

1. No priming needed, just wipe the piece down and brush on the first coat of chalk paint.
2.  Let dry for a few hours, then apply the second coat of chalk paint. Let dry over night.
3.  Throw on your mask and sand the whole piece with the sanding sponge, rough up edges and corners for a distressed, vintage look. Wipe the piece down with a damp cloth/paper towels to remove any dust. (* note: the sanding is best done outside or in a well-ventilated space)

Here’s the first piece which can be either a mug rack or jewelry stand. Can you believe this little cutie had been bright lime green? Probably why I picked it up brand-new at the amazing clearance price of $3.00. But look at it now! A friend gave me the little wooden tags which I painted and stamped for some added cuteness.

This sweet little hanging shelf moved with us from our former home. Just couldn’t find a good place to put it. Then our son decided he might want it. Well, ten years later, it was still sitting in the basement! Time to jazz it up and move it along.

How about this little garden trug with stamped pots, some garden gloves, seeds and plant markers? Formerly stained brown, it took on so much more character when the paint went on. Some gardener is going to love this!

A three dollar tired wood piece transformed into a lovely magazine holder or wastepaper basket. From frumpy to fabulous in two coats of paint and a little elbow grease!

Probably my favorite redo is this vintage metal kitchen step stool. It was splashed with four different colors of paint drips and had obviously been used in someone’s workshop. It is also my best find at only two dollars! Actually, the gentleman was embarrassed that it looked so rough and wanted to give it to me free. I insisted on paying, but he would only take two dollars. Now it is ready to shine in someone’s modern farmhouse kitchen complete with an old egg whisk and a sweet tag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An old window got a little sprucing up to become a vintage window picture frame. You could fill the panes with pieces of old quilts, or pictures. My own watercolor bird prints on vintage sheet music are featured here. See the details on this project here.

A friend plucked this cast iron plant stand out of a neighbor’s trash and gave it to me! It was a dull green. Soft white perked this up nicely, and it’s ready for plants now, don’t you think?

All of these treasures are headed to a local vintage/modern farmhouse style shop on consignment. So, I will be making money from clearing out our basement – found money! You can find these items as well as many of my bird and flower prints at The Vintage Pantry Company in Wilmington, Delaware.

Just so you know, I did all these pieces plus a small table and two shelves we are keeping and still have about 1/5 of the can of paint left! That’s Chalk Paint Magic!