Too Perfect

I saw this mirror on Craigslist and remember just how much I've always wanted a standing mirror. The very nice gentlemen who sold it to me, in perfect condition, let it go for $40. He originally wanted $60.

It was perfectly fine the way it was. Actually, it was in perfect shape. But, I don't like perfect. For me, it just doesn't feel true. So, before I would let this find inside, I needed to make it feel more me.

I finished this piece in approx. two hours. Cleaned, sanded, painted. Sanded, painted. Sanded and painted. And over again. Probably about 5 times. Then I used my accidentally discovered method of crackling without chemicals. No chemicals were used at all on this piece actually. My paint was made from milk.

I didn't use any topcoat on this piece, as I accidentally learned that top coats and crackle don't work. The weight of the top coat/varnish flattens the crackle and it doesn't look natural to the piece. I thought of using a coat of wax, for added protection, but decided against it for now. Because it's a mirror, and won't be handled much, I am thinking it's ok to leave it as it is.

This is the first piece of furniture I did. My goal is to paint all our bedroom furniture. Or should I say future bedroom furniture, because I haven't bought it yet. The fun is in the find. And instead of buying a new set, we decided to search for pieces we really love and refinish them to our taste. I don't want to buy what Crate & Barrel has decided will work for us. I want to find out what we think will work us. And by buying used furniture, the possibilitys are endless. I have years and years of furniture to look through. Not just a few pages in an online catalog.

Tom is not easily impressed. But, when he saw this, he was. So, of course, I was beaming. He said, I'm psyched for the new furniture now. Now, that I've seen what you can do. How I love a compliment from the boy who will not blow smoke up my as*. His compliments are always geniune and I can be sure he will tell it like it is. For good or for bad.

I feel like I am starting a new journey in creativity. I am loving creating my own recipe for my furniture's icing. And we all know the icing is the best part!