New Furniture

 Now I can let you know what I've been up to the last couple weeks! I've been painting a piece of my furniture.  I know what you're thinking...that this is NOT organizing.  But for me, anything that I get done that makes me happier, is another step towards my organization. ;)  Especially since I definitely had to organize my time to make room to be able to even DO such a project!  Here's the BEFORE:
This is the armoir in my front room.  We have had it for 6 years now and it holds our television.  I love that I can close the doors and hide the tv/dvd player/cable box mess.  It has been looking old...it's a little more scratched up on the inside and the bottom cabinet doors have been played with way too much. 

Anyway, I found out about CHALK PAINT....specifically Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I was immediately interested because it says it does NOT require sanding or priming...the paint will stick to anything!  The catch is that a QUART of this paint costs $39.00 and then you need the clear wax to seal the paint, which is $27.00.  I researched so many blog posts from people who have used it and they said it goes such a long way...you should be able to paint several pieces of furniture with one can. 

I was SO nervous, but I took a chance and just decided to try it.  I took the doors off and cleaned the entire thing and put it in the garage.  The paint was pretty thick....my first mistake was that I should have watered it down a bit to help it spread a little better.  My second mistake...even though they say it sticks to everything, it didn't want to stick very good to the part in the back....it's cardboard-like...you know, the stuff they use for cheap furniture? I got this at Target and it is a nice piece, but fairly inexpensive. Anyway, it did NOT want to stick to it and it was looking like this :

It took several coats to cover this up and it still isn't even completely covered, but I let it go because I wanted the whole piece to be a little distressed anyway. ;)
Well, I ended up having to get ANOTHER quart of paint, just to finish.  I was not happy about this, but I realize there was a lot more to paint than I thought...not only the outside of the piece, but inside each little box and there was also the doors and shelves to paint...both sides! So, chalk paint was probably not the cheapest choice for this piece of furniture.  BUT once you get it on, it is VERY easy to work with as far as distressing.  It sanded down smooth and beautiful.  I LOVED this part.  The doors are my favorite!

Lastly I just needed to cover it with the clear wax to finish the job and it feels like a smooth piece of brand new furniture! I certainly love the "Old White" color up against my dark walls.  It's very refreshing.  If any of you are wanting to try it, I would suggest just using it on smaller pieces of furniture, but that is just me. You can check out Annie Sloan Paint here : http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html.  There are many beautiful colors.  The only downfall is that you can only buy it at certain places...so you can click on American Retailers and look to see if there is a place that sells it near you.  Here in Utah, you can go to Park City or to Highland...which is where I bought mine. If you are traveling a long distance I would call first to make sure they have exactly what you want and that someone is there to answer any questions you have! Good luck!