Friday, March 30, 2012

Bathroom Latest: baskets, vanity and fabrics

 One of the hottest finishes lately has been the Belgian washes 
you see on furniture and baskets.
 Its a gray wash~I wanted to make all the
baskets in my bathroom shelf look Belgian~
 French Linen Chalk Paint® is what I used and a big paint brush.
This is the latest color I was dying to try~
and it works well on these baskets I am happy to say.
 Don't load up the brush, apply it with a dry brush 
and it is the easiest thing in the world!
 I had all the baskets done in 15 minutes.  
Have you noticed I like quick projects with big results?
 The baskets have cotton duck liners and they
sit in this built in next to the commode.
Don't ask me why there is a built in right there~
maybe it was supposed to be a library!
However all the bathroom closets hold my clothing,
so the towels had to go here.
This was the way they looked when I bought them, in a dark brown finish.
 Now they are all washed out in the Belgian finish.
They look a lot softer and go with the linen draperies.
This basket on the tub was the finish I was trying to copy,
and the French Linen paint is pretty close to perfect.
 One of the things I am working on is a new vanity skirt~
I ordered the toile, 
but the pink is wrong and its just too much pink...
 The tiny french print on the right looks pretty
 with the walls and the gold and the austrian valance~
the one on the left is very elegant and monochromatic...
but I might just go with something else...
 While that is percolating in my brain, 
I turned to waxing of the bathroom cabinet. 
The base coat is Antoinette Chalk Paint®, 
so I need to apply wax to seal the cabinets.
I am trying out the Minwax brand 
of paste wax as it is easier to find at the local store and cheaper too. 
 I splurged on an Annie Sloan wax brush and it was lovely to use. 
This brush  is dedicated for clear wax only.  You can't get the dark 
wax out of your brush, so since I will use a clear wax more 
often and over greater surfaces like kitchen and bath cabinets, 
I want my big fancy wax brush to be my clear wax brush. 
I used a cloth for the dark wax application.
 First I applied the paste wax to all the cabinets 
and after that I put on the dark wax.
This brand of paste wax is a harder wax than the Annie Sloan™
clear wax, which is way easier to apply. You can use either,
and I was curious to try this one, however I can see
that I will go back to the softer easier wax after this project.
Now for the dark wax~
See the splotches?  I dot it on and
then rub it into the pale pink areas~
it gives a nice aged finish and it tones down
 any color it goes over...so in this case the pink 
now has a brownish layer.
 Then I took my dark wax and put some on the 
chandeliers to make them look a little nicer.
 By nicer, I mean older! 
The dark wax does a pretty good job 
of antiquing metal too.
See the three cabinets on the left have only clear wax 
while the rest of the vanity has both clear and dark. 
Its a matter of personal preference, 
so use your wax accordingly!
I hope this answers some of the questions
 I get from you on the wax process.
I'm waiting on the hardware for the vanity to be delivered~
and I am excited about it! 
I still have a few more things to do~
but all these little projects take time and 
do add up to creating a whole new look.

I'll be headed into Boston on Monday
 for the Annie Sloan paint workshop!
I am hosting Jami from Freckled Laundry
as my house guest too~so that will
be really fun to meet this sweetheart in person.  
She is driving up from New York 
to attend~and then after the workshop we were invited
 to a dinner reception with Annie Sloan herself!
So I will be rubbing elbows with the high and 
mighty of chalk paint land and you can be bet
I will be blogging about it all to you guys!
(One thing I want to do is get a new pic of Annie~
is this the only photo that exists of this woman?)
Ok~gotta get the house cleaned up for Jami's arrival~
have a great weekend everybody!
Photobucket

32 comments:

  1. Love Jami! She's such a sweetheart. Your bathroom looks fantastic. I only wish I had built-ins like that. My bathroom is still atrocious. So small I can't even figure out how to make it work yet. Wish you could work your magic on it.
    Brenda

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  2. How creative and sophisticated lady you are.Loved loved loved your works.

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  3. Hi Amy,
    You are going to have one gorgeous bathroom when you are done. I love the paint treatment on the cabinets, the chandeliers and the fabrics. The baskets look great.
    I love anything Belgian. I lived there for two years, many years ago and I have a special place for it in my heart.

    I love the pink toile. I have that same fabric in my dining room drapes.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  4. Have fun I think you could teach the class already everything looks so awesome
    xxoo
    Pam

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  5. Oh-it is looking so good in there, Amy. I kept my big AS brush for clear wax, too. I like the way it feels...no drag and good coverage.

    Have fun at the workshop. I'll be you are over-the-moon excited. That IS the only picture of Annie S that I have ever seen. Give us the REAL Annie! xo Diana

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  6. I love the wax on the chandeliers! As always, everything looks great. Have fun at the workshop!

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  7. Your bath is looking just wonderful, have fun at the workshop. I know you'll have a ball with Jami, she's just adorable!!

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  8. Great idea on using chalk paint on those baskets. I may try that sometime. That would certainly update my baskets! Your bathroom is coming along nicely. Looks like you're staying very busy with it. Have fun at your seminar too. Kim was bummed that she missed hers.

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  9. I just saw that French Linen color on another blog this morning, Amy, and I've marked it as my next one to try. It looks great on the baskets! I have similar ones only it is a natural finish. I painted some with Oil Rubbed Bronze when I did my little French dresser makeover and used them to replace the missing drawers. I can see your point on the toile. I think you can find something that might incorporated what you are looking for ~ you'll hunt it down!

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  10. Love the color of the baskets. Can't believe it only took 15 minutes. That's my kinda project!

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  11. Gorgeous,Gorgeous,Gorgeous.Can you tell I LOVE it.What a fab idea to paint those baskets.Next basket I find I am getting that paint and stealing this idea ;-).Love that those cabinets too.How lucky for you.Meeting up with sweet Jamie and also meeting Annie.Have a wonderful time.I can't wait to hear all about it.
    Anne

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  12. Your bathroom looks great, Amy. Have fun at the workshop.

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  13. Your baskets turned out great....love the grey color!!! Thanks for the tip on using wax on the chandeliers...I would have never thought of that!
    ~Des

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  14. I love Jami!! Have fun you two!! :) The gray looks great on the baskets!

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  15. Amy! This looks great and I love the baskets. Today I bought (my first) Annie Sloan chalk Paint - graphite, brush, and clear wax. I am planning to paint the (outdated)oak below my marble island in my kitchen and the surrounding cabinets will be in white. I'm so nervous.. My hubby will be out of town early next week and I think I'll tackle it then. Hopefully it will be okay!!!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    leslie

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  16. Hi Amy,
    I love the color of the monochromatic fabric with the colors you already have in the room. I think those colors in a stripe pattern would look great as your vanity skirt.
    Have fun on Monday!

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  17. That is one of the coolest transformations I've ever seen for baskets. That's the sort of thing you would pass right by at Goodwill, and say, "no thank you"! Thanks for showing us this great little trick!
    Speaking of Goodwill, I Posted about an amazing round mirror I picked up there "for a song" last year and finally found the perfect spot for it! Too Fun!
    Happy Spring,
    M.L.

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  18. Amy your bath is coming along beautifully!! Love the wax finish on the cabinets!!

    The baskets are perfect, I haven't tried the French Linen yet!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  19. I love the fabric that didn't work out. That's too bad it didn't work in your space. I'm sure you'll find a perfect spot/project for it. Where did you order the fabric?

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  20. Love the chalk paint on the baskets. I need to try that, they look wonderful.

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  21. I LOVE what you did to the baskets! I have some "brown" baskets in shelves in our bathroom too and I can't wait to do the same thing to ours! GREAT IDEA! It looks SO much better!

    How fun for you to be hosting Jami! I follow her blog regularly and participate in Air Your Laundry Friday too. I just love her writing style (AND her mom-ing style too)! Tell her hello for Nan at You Could Make That!

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  22. Amy, you are so amazing with paint. I never even considered painting baskets, but after seeing yours, it seems so obvious. I love everything in this post. LOVE your built in bathroom shelves...don't think I've seen those before. I also love what you are doing with the cabinets - you are a paint guru for sure
    Stacy

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  23. Amy, this is just turning out beautifully. I love the baskets and the vanity is looking great. I love everythng!

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  24. Hi Amy! Your bathroom is georgous! You're so talented! Looking forward to seeing more pictures when it's finished.
    Have fun with Annie!
    Charlotte

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  25. The baskets look great..I used my paint on a basket too and love it...The bathroom is looking wonderful!

    What a chance of a lifetime to meet the great Annie Sloan...Have a wonderful time at the workshop and dinner and your house guest...Looking forward to the pictures!

    Want to get that brush..was wondering if it was really good and now that you have tried it..then I am convinced!

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  26. This was one jam-packed post about so many wonderful things, Amy! Loved it! The tips on waxing, your fabric, your cupboards and baskets....and best of all ~ getting to meet and spend time with Jami! You two are going to have the best time! Give her a hug for me, will you? ♥ And have a fabulous time with Annie!!! (you will share what you learn with us, won't you....?) lol!

    xoxo laurie

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  27. You've been BUSY! I have those same baskets in my kitchen - the before ones. Maybe I should try this . . .

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  28. amy, those baskets look fantastic. lucky you going to the a.s. workshop!!!! really adore that sheer linen fabric for your bath window treatment. gorgeous!

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  29. The bathroom is coming right along, I love the little chandys painted gold with the dark wax on them. I do the same thing to my baskets too and it takes no time at all. Have fun at the workshop!!!

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  30. I'm a couple of years behind in commenting but I just saw what you did with these baskets. Painting them is something that I never thought of so thanks for sharing this idea. Fast projects with big results are the best!

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  31. Gorgeous baskets! Can you help me? Cotton duck liners for the baskets...did you make them? Where did you get the fabric? Can you briefly tell me what to do it add it to the baskets for that complete look? I've never heard of cotton duck. So all and any help will be greatly appreciated!

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