Arabella - Table Temptress

 
 Arabella is all dressed up and waiting for her fella!  You remember her?  I picked her up last week. Read here. She was just hanging around the back of Goodwill.  I thought she was quite lovely, but needed a little redo.  I started to call her Cinderella, but she is too old for a girlish name like that!

 



 Totally off the subject, but did you know that almost every culture for hundreds of years has had a "Cinderella" story in their folklore?  Sorry, for the interruption - I find it very interesting and did teach a unit about the different stories.

Arabella calls.

Here is how she looked - a bare naked lady.  No relation to the band.  (Though I do love to listen.)

Look at her six sexy legs!

Whoa, did you catch her undercarriage?

Beautiful curvy lines, Miss A!

Just a bit too white for me and there was some problems up top.

 Yeah, I got to do some distressing here for those details to show.

Just a little sanding - hit or miss - reveals a true beauty.

 This is the top after sanding.  I have no idea what that pink stain is, but it was not coming off there.  The chipping paint was sanded for a smooth surface.

Yes,  I know that sounds counter-productive to sand off chippiness to add shabbiness.

We all do it!







Several coats of homemade chalk paint using FolkArt craft paint and non-sanded grout with a little water.  I started with a coat of a mixture of turquoise and Sea Mist.  Then added a little white with each new coat to the paint.  I used a foam brush and changed directions every time I painted a new coat.  Left a linen pattern in the paint.

Then I sanded to reveal the layers.

Out came the stencils - a two stencil set of large and small dots.  Make sure you find the center of both the table and the stencil and start there.  I continued using the chalk paint with increasing amounts of white added to the mix.

A trip to the Graphics Fairy was needed to retrieve this ornate centerpiece.  (Thanks, Karen!)  I carefully trimmed all the way around the image.

 I brought out the Mod Podge, foam brush (I just keep a Mod Podge brush in a zip bag all the time), and a ruler.

I carefully measured to make sure the image and the dots were centered on Arabella's top.

This was a reverse Mod Podge transfer so the image was placed face down.  See how here!

After the image dried over night, I sanded the heck out of it to further distress the top. 

I dipped my finger in some watered black paint and lightly rubbed around the image for shadowing.

Then I was stumped.  I was not completely pleased with the results - they appeared unfinished.  I scurried around collecting craft supplies looking for an answer.  I decided to go with an all-over stamping design.

Now I do this a lot with canvases and a little on furniture, but never completely covering a piece of furniture this big.

I selected a quatre-foil stamp and a script stamp with black permanent ink.  This Archival Ink I knew from experience would hold up to acrylic craft varnish.  (I am not sure about waxes or heavy duty varnish.)

Disregard the letter stamps spelling "Paris".  I forgot that Arabella was English!  

She threw a teacup at me to remind me.

 Here is her top after stamping but before the varnishing.  I kept a light touch when inking the stamps so there were voids.  I eyeballed the design working from side to side with each stamp for the pattern.

I did not want her to be top-heavy!

 Arabella stands proudly in the living room after a makeover.

Isn't she gorgeous.  Wish I could keep her, but she will be traveling to the antique mall.

(Yes, I said she is sitting in the living room.  I know I promised Chucks no extra furniture in there, but it rained three inches and I could not work outside!)

 Here is her top after varnishing with three coats and a light wax on her bottom.

 I just had to keep her for a few days and display a small vignette with one of my sheep.

Sometimes I long for French, but I have primitive blood.

Maybe one day I will have just one room Frenchified.

There would have to be some rust though!

One last look before the final farewell.  The sheep has begged for her to stay, but he belongs on the mantel.

I am getting ready for Easter.

Yes, Easter!

Check your calendars, girls - Easter is early this year.

Time to haul out those bunnies, the eggs and the sheep.



Oh, does the seasonal decorating ever end!?!

See y'all!



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