There’s something wonderful about having a sister who can help you when you’re not sure you’re doing things right. I probably could have figured out everyting on my own, but it was much more encouraging (and fun) to chat with Cindy as I did it!
This project started over 20 years ago…at least. My mom and my hubby and I went to a place called Buttermilk Hill (just an area out in the country) and picked up a table and a buffet from a lady. It was a solid wood antique and has been a piece of furniture we’ve kept all these years.
Our kids grew up beside it…Rebecca was probably around 2 in the pictures, so we’ve had it at least 27 years.
About 20-25 years ago my mom and I decided to paint it dark green…but right in the middle of painting it, my mom had a stroke and it never got finished.
You know how you sometimes see things that need to be changed, or finished or painted and you tell yourself, someday I will….well this week I tackled the buffet.
Deb had painted a coffee table this color, Smokestack Gray, and I thought I’d like to redo my buffet in that same color. Deb gave me the rest of her paint (a few years ago…) but I never forgot about doing it.
Once I decided to plunge ahead, I took a closer look at my buffet and was pretty much grossed out at how long I had been living with it this way..chipped paint, streaked single layer of paint, and just all around nasty looking. I guess we had just gotten used to it…
You can see it a little better in this picture.
My hubby brought in some saw horses and we lifted it up on a door, which made this whole project MUCH easier on the back!!
I took a sanding block and sanded the whole piece pretty quickly… smoothing out the chunks and rough spots. It wasn’t hard at all. I don’t know what happened on this drawer, but it WAS NOT PRETTY!!!
After sanding and sanding and sanding, I finally got most of the bumps and bubbles and ridges off…
I decided to chalk paint the buffet so Cindy gave me the ratio of 3 parts paint to 1 part Calcium Carbonate (lime). My hubby has had this bag of lime for years and years and it’s a very fine grade so you don’t get as many lumps in the paint. I’ve used it before, but had forgotten the “recipe” for chalk paint. Stir the paint and lime together and you’re ready to start paintng. (You can also use Plaster of Paris powder)
She said to just use short “hatch mark” like paint strokes. Keep your brush on the dry side too…meaning don’t dip the brush in the paint and lavishly coat it on the wood. Keep swishing your paint brush against the wood and get all the paint out of the brush…
It was fun to see it start to change…
It was facing east, right in front of a big picture window, so it appears pretty aqua blue…but just wait…
It looked a little uneven so I decided to give it a second coat…then we moved it to the dining room. I did use a sanding block and lightly distressed it.
As the sun set and it STILL looked on the bluish side, I waxed it with clear Miss Mustard Seed wax and buffed it off. Then I decided to see what it looked in the morning. When I saw it this morning in my dining room, it just appeared kind of flat looking, no definition and the details weren’t popping like I had hoped they would. So I took the top drawer out and used some dark antiquing wax by Miss Mustard Seed. The detail on the right has the dark wax, the left doesn’t. Yep. That was what it was missing…
So I began brushing the dark wax on all the parts that had cracks and crevices.
This was before…
…and this was after the dark wax had been lightly buffed off, leaving the grooved areas dark.
It was about this point that I thought, Hey, I’m gonna like this…I looked at it from every angle possible.
Then the fun began… figuring out what to put on top…
…and this is what I decided upon…
As I stood back and looked at it, I realized the little “The Lord is my Shepherd” picture and the ornate metal stand were my moms. The plant was also given to me by a very dear friend at my mom’s funeral. I started crying…again! There was nothing my mom liked more than a project…especially a painting project! If you mentioned painting, she was “all in!” I think she would have liked the buffet this color… after all these years!
I hope you enjoyed seeing this 20+ year long project come to completion!!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, Jeanne, your vintage buffet turned out beautiful! Who knew some dark wax could make it “sparkle” like that?!!
I think it’s fitting that some of the things on top of it have to do with your mom, since she had helped you the first time you painted it. And, it’s okay to cry….my mom’s been gone 13 years last month, and daddy 15 years as of tomorrow (4/29) and I still cry about one or the other of them at times.
Thank you Charlotte,
I thought about my mom the whole time I was working on it.
I miss my mom all the time too!!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh my goodness, this turned out just beautifully, Jeanne, and was well worth the wait! For sure, it is a one of a kind, and holds so much meaning for you and your family. I love it! All those older wood pieces were so dark, and hard to see the touches that made them special, but when you lightened up the color, the carvings just pop and give a lightness to the piece and the room it is in. It is just lovely there by the bay windows, and the light just dances around it!
That is so fitting that you topped it with pieces reminding you of your mom, since you started the project together.. What a special thing to do!
Thank you Linda,
I’m sitting in a chair right now glancing st the buffet every few minutes. I’m sorry I waited so long to finish it…
I’m glad you like it!
Blessings ,Jeanne
How wonderful. A lovely tribute!!!!
Thank you Laura,
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing the buffet come back to life… I did too!
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, it is absolutely beautiful! And what a sweet tribute to your mom! I miss her!
Thank you Leann,
Wouldn’t she have loved it? I know she would…
I’ve kept my plant alive for almost 3 months!! Woohoo!! Thank you so much!
Love you, Jeanne
Well, what a showpiece. It turned out lovely. Looks perfect in it’s dining room location with the beautifully painted walls and new floor. Your choice of display items is delightful. Wonderful memories. On the next big holiday in your dining room, the buffet would be a beautiful place to showcase your yummy prepared dishes. I can just picture your family and friends serving themselves from the beautiful buffet and then sitting down at your decorated table for the big feast. The stuff of magazine covers. 🙂
Awww thanks Joy,
It was fun working on this and waiting to see how it would turn out…maybe not quite worthy of a magazine cover, but certainly much better than before.
I’m glad you enjoyed the transformation!
Blessings, Jeanne
Your buffet turned out just lovely. The gray is very calm and pretty. The dark wax is amazing in how it shows all the details. It’s a lot like when you polish silver, you never want to use a silver dip because it takes the tarnish out of all the details and would leave it flat looking. I’m familiar with Miss Mustard Seed, but haven’t ever used it.
It’s wonderful that you showcased things of your mom’s on top. Your house has certainly been transformed in the past few years.
Thank you Laura,
I’m glad you enjoyed this project…it was much needed and so long overdue. I learn something new every time I do a painting project…
My mom would have been right there with me if she could have been when I did this painting project. She just loved how paint could change things…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, it is just lovely. Your sister is so great with ideas.
I like the pieces you have chosen to showcase. They aren’t simply for decoration; each has a special meaning.
I have been hoping that the elves would come and help me organize my doll room, which has unfortunately become the junk room, but they have not yet appeared. I think I am going to have to email them again (laugh).
Hi Dorothy,
Thank you so much for your kind words..
I have another little miniature buffet in my living room right now that was my moms and she absolutely loved it. It’s painted a dark goldish brown color. My hubby asked me this morning what color I was going to paint it? Guess he knew that was coming soon…:o)
My sewing room is a disaster too…we went to a parking lot sale at a friend of ours antique shop and I found something for my sewing room. My hubby actually had it setting up on the sawhorses this morning when I woke up this morning!! I guess that’s another hint!!
I’ve got to make my sewing room a priority and quickly!!
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I wish I was more into refinishing furniture myself but I do love seeing what others do. Your buffet turned our beautifully. What a wonderful piece of furniture you had to start with. And I love your windows. I have a set of corner windows in the dining room (great for the Christmas tree), and a set in the guest and master bedrooms. I love them and they always look great with nice window treatments. Our house only has one bath, but we planned on putting in a master bath after we moved in. Problem is I would have had to forfeit my corner windows and I didn’t want to do that. We then decided to put an additional bath behind the garage and off the breezeway. It would be easy enough because it would back up to my washer/dryer connections so the plumbing and electrical is already there, but it’s one of those projects that never got done and now it’s just hubby and me so it probably won’t. It might get done if we ever decide to sell the house.
I’m off grandkid watch indefinitely at the moment but I do have a “son do” list ready for my son when he’s available. Actually I need him to come spread my 3-in-1 in the yard sometime soon but we need to make sure there will be rain after. We’ve had rain every couple days lately but he’s been occupied with A/C work so I had to wait my turn. When he comes out he will bring Skyy and Jaiden and hopefully within the month we will be back at church again. We’ve been there as two of ten for the service (actually it’s more like 8) but we’ve missed having them there and going out to eat after. Our restaurants will be opening up the end of the week with limited occupancy. It will be interesting to see how all that works. Hopefully they will go back to taking reservations so you don’t get there and find you can’t get in.
Hi Barbara,
Those dining room windows are the last 4 windows for us to replace.. my hubby and I have replaced 19 or 20 of them in our house…it’s quite a chore in this old house getting them straight and I hope and pray we get them done one of these days.
The governor of IL was on TV today saying he was extending our stay a home order till the end of May.
I hope things settle down for you sooner than us.
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
enjoyed your post so much. Seeing the pictures of Rebecca and Kris was neat. They were adorable little children.
The buffet looks beautiful, Jeanne. You did a wonderful job with the paint and it looks fabulous. I also love how you decorated the top. The Lord Is My Shepherd picture is just wonderful. A clever picture the way it was done and of course a beautiful remembrance to your mom.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Paula,
I always loved that picture of my mom’s… it was made by a lady who had an antique shop down the road from us. She was very famous for her Scherinscnitt and just died right before my mom.
Thank you for your sweet compliments!
Blessings, Jeanne
WHOO Hoo! Just brilliant! Love the way it looks with the wood finish top and colored bottom I even liked it green😜 we had one at the farm that we cut most of the legs off…just maybe 5 inches left of leg. It was in the olive green/ antiqued era…but we used it forever too…then when my son bought the farm they used it and her had it redone one Christmas in a dark tomato red/antiqued. Lovely!The things that are getting done are amazing…maybe each year we should have a month of staying home.😉
Well off to Walmart to pick up groceries. Stay well!
H Kathie,
Truth be told, the legs on this buffet were cut off too. I used to get my broom all tangled up in the rails that went across the bottom of the legs…so my hubby cut them off…yikes!!
You should see all the things my sister, Cindy is accomplishing. Maybe she and I should be in a race!!
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m seconding all of the Comments. What a wonderful transformation! Your mother surely was there in spirit. You and Deb are sure on the same wavelength when it comes to decorating. Wonderful that you and George work together so well. I remember the Lord is My Shepherd from the other time it appeared.
Suggestion: I ordered a 300 count 100% cotton flat twin bed sheet from Amazon for under $7 to use for lining masks ðŸŽ. Ordered on Saturday and arrived on Monday. Fabric stores have been out of stock on this kind of yardage for weeks and sometimes charge as much for one yard. I really like cotton plisse but just try and find some!
Forgot to say how wonderful the pictures of the children with the buffet over the years are. Can’t beat those windows either.
Thank you Susette,
I like my windows too, ( what I really like is the light that comes in them) but they, like the buffet, are in need of being replaced. The glazing on them is pretty bad.
Rebecca brought home a few pieces of fabric yesterday and asked for a few more masks…its almost fun to look st everyone’s masks when I’m out. I find myself looking st different styles too.
Thanks Susette,
Happy sewing from me to you!
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m so glad you have a sister to chat with. About anything. Mine has been gone 5 years and it’s so hard. Now my mom is gone too. No more girl chats in my family. And of course we cry about our losses.
Your buffet is gorgeous. It was worth the wait.
HI Julia,
I was making my bed this morning and counting my blessings that my sisters and brother are so close to me… I was thinking about living life without them… It was almost unbearable to think of… So sorry for your losses.
Thank you for liking my new buffet. It feels loved once again! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Wow what a lovely transformation. The color works well with your new floor and your wall color. You did well styling it too. It’s nice to hear your mom enjoyed helping with painting projects, I’m sure it brings you happy memories.
Spring is here! Finally yeah… My little man and I spent 2 and a half hours outside, it felt so nice to be out. We watched a snail slow warm up and emerge from his shell… my grandson was enthralled. It’s so much fun viewing the world through a three year old eyes.
Hugs
Ingrid
Hi Ingrid,
The buffet truly did have a wonderful transformation, didn’t it? I really enjoyed doing it and it was so quick! That was even more wonderful! :o)
It was a pretty day here too, but windy, and we are supposed to get strong winds through the night.
I hope your grandson enjoyed being with grandma! I’m sure he did!
Blessings, Jeanne