Shabby Chic Mirror

I've been wanting a mirror for above the fireplace mantel since we moved in. I wanted something white and neutral to go with different holiday decorations. I've been watching the shabby mirrors on etsy for over a year, and my goodness, I love them, but they are expensive! You can imagine how excited I was when I found one at a second hand store. Excited doesn't even describe it. I rushed home to paint it.

 I'm getting ready to decorate for Spring. I'm beyond obsessed with cherry blossoms, so I had to have some on the mantel. My favorite all time family pictures were taken with cherry blossoms, I planned them around when they'd be in bloom. They are one of my favorites of God's creations. I love Spring!

 I love how old this mirror is! It's shabby, but not overly decorative.

 Look at the cracks!! They add so much character. I love them!!!

 This mirror makes my heart happy.

 A couple random spring-y decorations.

Our family picture with the cherry blossoms. My fireplace mantel is coming along. One of these days I'll love it as much as my mirror. Hopefully..;)

I almost forgot the before!!

Antiqued Vintage Mirror

 I found this mirror the other day. I loved all the detail, but the green and gold color scheme doesn't quite fit in with my house.

 

I wiped it down really well, primed it with Kilz primer and spray painted it with Flat White Rustoleum. The difference paint makes...

 I love it. Funny that it's almost identical to the mirror above my buffet.

It's actually not going to stay on my mantel, but I haven't figured out where to put it yet. The candleholde are going to be moved also, they just don't go with the feel of this room. Someday I'll love my fireplace mantel. ha ha

Chippy White Vintage Entertainment Console

 I was told by an antique finder that this dresser is from the 70's. There was a trend in the 70's to create a worm-hole appearance on the wood. Super ugly. I don't know about you, but when I look at my furniture, I don't want to think 'worm-hole.' However, I loved the design of the dresser, the smaller size and all of the detail. It was perfect for our bonus room.

 I waited to paint it for a while. I kept going back and forth between a teal color and white. Finally I decided I wanted it white and I wanted it to look more vintage. Here it is all primed and ready to be painted.

 And here is the final product. So I really wanted a different chippy look than what the vaseline was giving. I always want to try different things. I wanted this to look like the paint was actually chipping off of the dresser.

 I love how it turned out.

 Can you tell I was frustrated the morning I did this? I really took out some emotions on this dresser!!

 I decided to paint the hardware white and distress it also.

 See the upper brown part with the dark brown specs? Worm-hole. LOL

 

What do you think? I personally love the vintage look and I'm really excited to show you the rest of the room, when it's actually done. 

And the tool that created this chippy look?? The 5 in 1 painting tool. Love love love it!

Common questions about this dresser:
"How do you make a dresser look vintage?
First, I make sure the dresser is completely painted. Seems pointless since I'll be chipping away the paint, right? Wrong!! You want to make sure your dresser or piece of furniture is completely painted before chipping or antiquing.


"How did you make it look like the paint was peeling?" "How do you make it look chippy?"
On all the edges I scraped the paint with the 5 in 1 painting tool. I had to apply a good amount of pressure to peel up the layers of paint and primer. I chipped the paint on the sides, on the top and on all of the details.

You can also use candle wax, vaseline, steel wool and sand paper to antique or to get the chippy look.


"How did you glaze it?"
I like to glaze by buying water based stain. Once the paint is completely dry, I sponge brush the stain onto the furniture, then wipe it off with a damp rag. (I did not glaze this dresser. ;)


"How do you keep the paint from peeling off?"
I seal in my paint with polyurethane. If I'm painting with dark colors, I use oil based polyurethane. If it's a light colored piece, I use water based polyurethane.