Before and After : Antique Carved Wood Mirror

This project was super fun, and didn't take a million years (but it looks like a million bucks!) It's a gorgeous antique mirror frame that was a dark gold color, and I gave it a fresh new look with a dry brushing of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue, followed by an lightly applied coat of Old White on high points. The trick (for me) to all those details is to try and find a fulcrum on which to rest a part of your arm - I often put my wrist down on the surface of the mirror or some dry part of the frame. That really helps me to keep a nice, even line. But with a vintage look, your lines don't *have* to be perfectly straight and 100% evenly saturated, and they shouldn't be! That's part of the hand-painted charm that distinguishes it from a factory finish.

Ain't she a beaut? Here's a close-up of some of the detail. I am just in love!

Normally I would put wax over a finished piece, but in this case I opted not to, because I can see this potentially being repurposed as a fancy frame around a chalkboard outside a boutique! However, wax coated pieces need to be climate controlled and it gets HOT in Texas in the summer, so I refrained. I also figured that there really isn't a lot of hands-on interaction with a mirror frame in the long term, so oil transfer from fingers or paint erosion wouldn't be as likely. But if we do wax it down the line, the colors will just become a little deeper and more intense. It'll be gorgeous either way!

Here's the inspiration behind the refinish - clouds! It was next to impossible to choose a photo because there are so many amazing options; these colors are in the clouds, sea, waterfalls... They must be perfect together, since they appear together so often :)

What inspires you? Leave a comment with your favorite color in nature, and I can help share your Color Story!