Cuckoo Redo

Call me cuckoo, but I wanted to try painting and distressing a cuckoo clock. They are funny little clocks. I like their cuckoo, but I wanted to see how they would look in another color other than their standard red/brown. I found a little antique cuckoo and painted it using two colors of Annie Sloan chalk paint. If you like shabby chic accessories, than why not try painting your own little cuckoo.

For this project you will need:

Cuckoo Clock

Annie Sloan paint in Old White & Duck Egg Blue

Paint brushes- 1 standard, and one small 

Sand Paper Block ( med grit) or sand paper

Annie Sloan wax in Clear, and Dark

Remove the weights, pendulum, and back door of clock.

Start by painting your clock with one coat of old white. Use a small brush to get in the cracks and corners. Be careful when lifting the clock to handle it delicately. Do not paint the dial mechanisms, but do paint the hands of the clock. 

Paint a second coat of Duck Egg blue.

Take a slightly damp cloth and wipe away some areas of the duck egg blue to expose the old white.

Take a small brush to paint the chains and weights duck egg blue. You will need to paint the rest of the chain hidden in the clock last. Take a paper towel and run it along the chain to make sure there is no paint inside the chain links.

Let Dry.

Take sand paper and rub away on the corners and raised areas to expose the brown wood in small areas. Do the same to the pendulum exposing some brown metal.

Apply clear wax and use cheesecloth to rub. See this post for the how to on waxing: http://craftingrebellion.blogspot.com/2012/03/antiqued-and-distressed-bench.html

Next apply the Dark wax and make sure to get it into all the carved detail. Rub again with cheesecloth. 

Here is the top of the clock that came off during painting. You can see where the dark wax got into the crevices. 

Let dry 24 hours and buff. Once the clock is running take a small paint brush to paint the chain that was inside the clock after it has dropped down. Again make sure there is no paint inside the links. 

I link up at these parties:

http://craftingrebellion.blogspot.com/p/linky-parties_28.html

Check back soon for our next tutorial!

XOX,

The Rebel Crafter

Chalk Paint Makeovers

I wanted to share with you some furniture painting I have done using Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue chalk paint. I wanted to show how the results can be quite different depending on the wax you you choose to finish the piece with. I painted over two wood pieces and a black painted candle holder. I know many of you might be fearful of painting over a wood antique piece, but if you aren't loving the piece go for it! It will immediately change it's look. 

For these makeovers you will need:

Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue Paint

Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax

Annie Sloan Dark Soft Wax

For the desk and Candle I also used Annie Sloan Old White Paint.

To achieve the look on the claw foot table I used 250 grit sand paper to gently rub off any old flaking varnish.

I Painted  two coats of Duck Egg Blue.

Take 250 Grit sand paper and gently distress the edges. Do this randomly over the piece to the areas that would naturally get bumped. I choose not to sand the top of the piece, only the sides. 

Finish the piece using Clear and Dark Soft Wax.

Start with the Clear wax working it into a portion of the table and wiping off.

Once the entire piece has been waxed using Clear, do the whole piece again using the Dark wax.

Apply a good amount of the Dark Wax. Work it into the cracks and crevices of the table.

Too much aging? Reapply the clear wax and it will come off when you wipe.

The Dark wax turns the Duck Egg Blue into a more green/blue hue.

Buff 24 hours later.

For the desk I also painted two coats.

Also sand the sides and legs to reveal the wood color below.

Paint the medallions Old White.

Make sure to sand the metal drawer pulls before painting. 

For this piece I only finished using clear wax. This will keep it a clear duck egg blue color. Again Buff 24 Hours later.

For the Candle I painted a black candle holder with two coats of paint. I used Old white on the details of the holder. I painted it rather primitively so it would appear older. I finished it with clear wax and then dark wax. 

Refer to my Antiqued and Distressed Bench Project for the how to's of painting and waxing: http://craftingrebellion.blogspot.com/2012/03/antiqued-and-distressed-bench.html

I link up at these parties:

http://craftingrebellion.blogspot.com/p/linky-parties_28.html

Check them out for great craft ideas!

Check back soon for our next tutorial!

XOX,

The Rebel Crafter