{Accidentally} Vintage ~ Swedish Grey

Greetings my friends!
I know it's been almost a month since my last post, so I apologize for the long gap in between.

Before I update you on what I've been up to in the last few weeks, thought I'd share with you a little Annie Sloan Chalk Paint project that I started early last August.

{Incidentally, this is NOT my first Annie Sloan paint project.

My first project involves a French Vintage Vanity that I am actually also done with ~ but will plan to post about it later. ;)}



It all began with this old mirror that was laying idly {on the floor} of my laundry room.

This mirror actually came with the house, and I knew at one point I'd want to repaint it white.



So once I had gotten my hands on some free ASCP from a previous giveaway, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to give it a new look.

I actually had planned to just paint it with a coat of Old White ~ no distressing, just plain old white by ASCP!



Well, after I hung it on my bathroom wall, I felt that the Old White mirror was clashing with the plain white wainscoting....so I decided to paint over it with a pale shade of grey, reminiscent of a Swedish Grey.

I started out with Old White, and then slowly added a few drops of Paris Grey until I was satisfied with the shade.

I had only wanted to distress this mirror ever so lightly. But as I was smoothing out the paint with my sanding block....this happened:



Turns out I ended up sanding all the way down to the original dark walnut wood frame {oops, my bad...I wasn't paying attention! lol}.

Soooo....I had to improvise because I surely didn't want to repaint it. So then I decided I'd just continue distressing it all around.



With some white paint peeking through in some places....



And with some dark wood showing through in others...



At first I was really HATING the way this was coming out because I was really disappointed at the fact that I wasn't going to have a plain grey frame.



But as I continued to use my sanding block here and there, I started to like the way the walnut wood and white paint layers were showing up underneath the grey coat, just the way it would have looked if a vintage frame had been painted a few times over the years...



And once I added a bit of dark wax in some places and then finished it off with a clear coat of wax all around, the light shade of grey deepened a bit to give it a richer hue...and this is how it turned out hanging in the main bathroom.



Please excuse the funky lighting, as I don't get much natural light in this bathroom due to just one teeny tiny window right above the bathtub.



It was also really hard to take pictures in such a narrow space, hence the angled images {otherwise, you'd see a glimpse of me in the mirror with camera in hand}. ;)



This bathroom is a constant work in progress, since I'm still searching for just the right piece to put into this unique and small space.

Also, you can't tell in these images but the paint color is actually a bluish grey color {way more blue then grey}, called "Iced Cube Silver" by Benjamin Moore {in Satin Sheen}.



This room also used to have really hideous wallpaper that was peeling and coming apart...so glad those days are over! ;)

Light blue Toile shower curtains are now hung with vintage inspired glass shower rods.



The tiny window above the tub is not "frosted," {we only put in new windows in the front of our house} so for privacy, I just use plain white tension rods and ring clips to hang some second hand linen up.



So there you have it ~ images of my "Accidentally Vintage" Swedish Grey mirror, and a glimpse of my main bathroom. ;)



In other news, I just want to let you all know that this school semester, I am taking a full load of courses ~ something I haven't done in more than 10 years!

With that said, I am "that much closer" to applying to the program of my choice...but depending on which route I will take, will then dictate how many more classes that I need to take next spring, as I wait for my acceptance.

Because if all goes as planned this semester, then I will be ready to apply to a program this January 2013....which just means more intense studying for another "X" amount of years!



But I am getting a bit ahead of myself there...so for now I have to just concentrate on getting through this semester in one piece.

On some days when I feel like giving up {it's not always fun feeling like you're the oldest person in certain classes}, I have to keep telling myself that this is just a means to an end, and that I have to focus on the grand scheme of things {because feeling isolated & alone at times is certainly not uncommon!}.



So looking at the brighter side of things, I am just thankful and feeling blessed for the opportunity! I am also thankful to my hubby and boys for being so supportive ~ they really are my biggest fans, rooting me on during this transition in my life.

And with that being said, even though I will be extremely busy for the next few months or so, I look forward to posting about all the "goings on" over here at A Cozy Cottage in the City!

Some posts may be short & sweet, or long & detailed ~ but regardless, I hope you can continue to join me on both my creative and academic journeys!



You can also follow me on my Facebook Fan Page or on my Twitter account ~ where I will be sharing both my personal & creative accounts along the way!

So until next time, enjoy the rest of your 3 day holiday weekend!!!



XO's,
Jessie

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