Can I tell you how excited I was to receive these in the mail?
I was provided these products, but all of the opinions are my own. I am required to tell you that, but of course it’s not hard to rave about Chalk Paint® Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan. I haven’t met a color in her collection that I haven’t liked yet.
This is the little guy getting the big makeover today. I found him at a church flea market for $15. I love those!
And here is his beauty shot:
I chose the harlequin pattern because it’s one of my favorites.
I used Pure White and Paris Grey. It’s a beautiful combination.
For this makeover, I painted my bench, no sanding or priming required. To create the harlequin pattern, I followed this method:
You can see the full tutorial here.
I used Delicate Surface Frog Tape to create the pattern. My favorite is pulling the tape off. Be sure to remove the tape while the paint is still wet!
Perfect lines!
As you can see I removed the top…
That was easy because it has storage underneath! It was likely a piano bench.
I lined the inside with pretty contact paper.
Can you see that beautiful sheen? I sealed my bench with Clear Soft Wax also by Annie Sloan. The best part was trying out the Annie Sloan Wax Brush!
No more using my kiddo’s old underpants to apply wax. I spared you that photo. You’re welcome.
The wax brush made waxing a breeze and it allowed me to apply just the right amount, which was not always the case when using a cloth (or SpongeBob underpants.) The best part though is no more wax all over my fingers!
Cleaning is easy using a grease cutting dish liquid and warm water.
I applied the clear soft wax, wiped off the excess with a clean soft cloth and buffed to a beautiful sheen.
The silver teapot was recent thrift store find. For $5 it I knew it would be perfect to display my newly dried hydrangeas.
One more time before:
And after:
I love this paint and you already know I use it all the time, so it’s easy to rave about it.
To find your local Chalk Paint® Stockist, you can use their Stockist Locator.
My favorite colors is Duck Egg Blue as seen on my Rolling Kitchen Cart Makeover. One of my favorite makeovers using Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan is my Dressing Table, done using Graphite and Pure White. And if Pure white is too bright, one of my most popular makeovers was my Dining Room Table and Chairs using Old White. There are so many beautiful colors to choose from.
I hope you enjoyed this little bench makeover and thank you SO much for all the birthday wishes on Monday.
I got a little more personal and it was fun!
XO,
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Carolyn Price says
You. Are. Too. Funny! The comment about your son’s “drawers”! Too cute.
Beautiful … as always, Christy!
Christy K. James says
Ha ha…I was really going to share a photo. They are all crusty with wax. I figured nobody really wants to see crusty underwear, even if they are tiny spongebob ones. 🙂
Chris Faircloth says
I have to confess, I love your blog and especially your creativity! I’m always looking forward to your next post! Great job on the bench.
Christy K. James says
Aww thanks, Chris! That means a lot to me, so glad to have you following along! 🙂
Marie@The Interior Frugalista says
Another excellent makeover Christy. I love Paris Grey and Pure White together. Great tutorial that I’m definitely pinning for future reference. Love your pretty bench!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Marie! I love Paris Grey…I have quite a bit of the sample pot left. I’m going to try to squeeze out enough for a small side table. 🙂
Shanna Gilbert says
It turned out gorgeous Christy! I love the harlequin pattern you chose! Sounds like I need to try out that new waxing brush!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Shanna! I love the brush…it made applying the wax so easy! 🙂
Tami @ Curb Alert! says
Christy, I love this makeover! It looks so pretty 🙂
Christy K. James says
Thanks so much, Tami! 🙂
Terry says
Great look, great job! One of my favs
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Terry! 🙂
Katherines Corner says
GORGEOUS!!!! I invite you to share at my Thursday Favorite Things blog hop ( you can start linking up tonight at 8PM MST) Hugs
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Katherine! All linked up 🙂
Breanna says
This turned out so great! I love the pattern on top and pulling off the tape is most definitely one of my fav parts too 🙂
Christy K. James says
Thanks Breanna! XO
Pauline Henderson says
This is beautiful!
And those lines are perfect. You got skillz!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Pauline! XO
Julie at Being Home says
Gorgeous as always! Love your work. I really admire anyone you can paint straight lines or do the designs that you do. Mine would be crooked. lol
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Julie! You are always so sweet to me. I can’t paint a straight line either…thank goodness for frog tape! 🙂
stephanie @ Simply Swider says
It’s so beautiful Christy!! I’m getting ready to try chalk paint for the first time on a bathroom vanity! Wish me luck!
Christy K. James says
Thanks Stephanie! This is perfect for a vanity! Can’t wait to see it 🙂
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
LOVE the bench! I am going to have to try your Harlequin pattern technique!! I haven’t done that yet.
Maybe my next project! 😉
xo
Nancy
Christy K. James says
Yes! Try it…it’s one of my favorites. This is the post I was supposed to do the china hutch for. I ended up doing the bench instead. Still dealing with the hutch…
Pamela-FromMyFrontPorchToYOurs says
Christy love your bench! Thanx for the tutorial. I think I am going to do a similar design on our breakfast table. Nice seeing you at THT!
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Pamela! I wanted to do a similar pattern, but larger on my dining room table using tone on tone white and ivory maybe, but ended up staining the top instead. I’d love to see a table done with this pattern. 🙂
Paula@SweetPea says
Love this makeover. Thank you so much for sharing your easy way to make a harlequin pattern. One of these days I will try it! A wax brush just may be on my Christmas list. I use old tee shirts to wax and feel like I waste a lot of wax and have a hard time applying it evenly.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Paula! I never bothered with the wax brush before because I thought it would be a pain to clean, but when I got the chance to try it out, I discovered that it is so easy to clean! I love that it applies a nice even coat too!
kristin says
This turned out so pretty! Love it! Have a wonderful weekend.
XO
Kristin
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Kristin! Hope you have a great weekend too! 🙂
michele@hellolovelystudio says
really really fun and brilliant.
stop by when you have a moment: http://hellolovelystudio.com.
smiles.
michele
Andi says
Waxing is my favorite part of finishing a chalk-painted piece. Yours turned out beautifully!
-andi
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Andi! I love the waxing part too. I love seeing the beautiful finish that comes with waxing! Have a great week, my friend! 🙂
Julie says
So beautiful, I love everything about this, the hidden storage is great and the simple classic design on top just perfect.
Christy K. James says
Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Julie! XO
Gina says
Oh how I love harlequin – this turned out gorgeous!!! I’m so in love with chalk paint these days – I’m making everything over 🙂
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Gina! I want to paint everything these days too. Chalk paint makes it so easy! XO
Anam (Delicious and DIY) says
Absolutely in love. I’ve never been able to get that diamond pattern down but after looking at this makeover I am definitely trying it out it. Beautiful job.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Anam! The first time I tried it on a little table, it involved lots of math…not my favorite! I just knew there had to be an easier way. This method is so much easier 🙂
Tammy Winchester says
This is so pretty. I’m curious in one picture I see a drawer on the bench with a handle but I can’t figure out where the drawer is located. I would love it if you would email where it is at and include a picture. Again, you did an awesome job on this piece. I love all you work and have really learned a lot from your post.
Christy K. James says
Thanks, Tammy! The drawer you see is on a small chest I painted using the harlequin pattern. I used it as the example in the harlequin how-to graphic. You can see it here: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/plain-old-box-gets-a-harlequin-twist-a-how-to/ Hope I cleared that up. 🙂
Robin All Things Heart and Home says
Christy I LOVE it! I want to do this project it’s just stunning! I pinned it to my best board so everyone could see it! ox
Christy K. James says
It did turn out pretty spooky, but I was glad to be able to use that pumpkin with the confused expression in a new way. 🙂
Christy K. James says
Oops, I replied about my spooky pumpkin here…that reply didn’t make any sense at all in regards to this cabinet ha ha. I’m so glad you like my bench, Robin. It was fun to do. Thanks so much for pinning! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! XO
Bev from REinspired Decor says
I love the Shabby Chic softness of the grey and white of your harlequin bench and how you staged it is beautiful. It caught my eye as I recently did a harlequin pattern on a round table (talk about hard to map out the pattern nicely). I used the white and grey also but added pink too. Have a look on my site, I’d really love your opinion on it.
I just came across your site and after seeing a few projects I’m definitely going to subscribe. You use such beautiful colour schemes.
Christy K. James says
Thank you for your sweet comment, Bev! I love how that piece turned out also. I imagine it would be much harder to map out that pattern on a round table top. I’d love to come by and check it out. The harlequin pattern is one of my favorites! XO