Shabby Chic Furniture on the CHEAP!

Hey, Lazy Decorators!

It's Traci here again to give you the most

rawkin' awesome

tip!

Have you heard about Annie Sloane's Chalk Paint?

No, I'm not talking about this stuff:

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This is real paint.

Real AWESOME paint.

Its claim to fame is that

1) you don't have to sand or prime your furniture before you paint it.

2) It makes the most awesome shabby chic finish that is mucho easy

to sand and distress if you like that look.

Here's just a few examples of the amazing

things you can do with this stuff:

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The possibilities are endless!!!

The bummer?

It's ridiculously expensive and it's hard to find.

You mostly have to buy it online, unless you live in one of the

handful of cities who carry it.

So, what's my Dirt Cheap Decor solution?

Make your own!

What do you need?

1) latex paint

2) baking soda

3) water

I used a 1/3 baking soda to 2/3 latex paint ratio.

In your baking soda, add a tad bit of water.

Obviously, the more water you add, the more runny it will be,

so go easy at first until the baking soda is nice and smooth.

Then stir the mixture into the paint.

Mix well....

voila!

No pre-sanding or priming required!!!

{how much do you love it?!}

Here's what my bar stools looked like before I used my version of chalk paint.

Very much in need of a facelift!

before:

and after:

If you want the shabby chic look, be sure

to sand the corners a bit and

"rough" it up.

When you're done, finish it off with furniture wax.

Here's  a great tutorial on how to do that.

So, before you throw away that old dresser,

table and chairs or frame,

try giving it a whole new life!

Gotta give a shout out to my friend, Jen, who told me

about this. In her quest to find a chalk paint alternative

she got herself into a sticky situation with another

recipe that involved Plaster of Paris.

Thanks for being my guinea pig, Jen!

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Posted in: Decorating the Lazy Mom Way