Inspired Chifforette

 

Something that has stuck with me from Annie Sloan's American Tour Workshop was her stating that her paint was "an artists' paint."  I never really felt like an artist before I painted a piece of furniture with ASCP.  I used to buy a gallon of white paint from our local hardware store and slap coat after coat onto every piece of furniture I could find, and then I would distress it a little here and there.  The end result was good and my furniture usually sold well at the antique store, but I felt so limited in what I could accomplish with that gallon of latex paint.

 

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I keep going back to this image of an old weathered clock on Pinterest!  I love the colors and the texture, and the way it looks as though the paint was rubbed on rather than brushed.  I knew that if this finish could be reproduced, it could be done with chalk paint.

 

 

I will admit that it's not an exact replica of the clock finish, but I think you can see where my inspiration came from.  I used a more muted pallete but aimed for a similar look. 

  

 

I found this dresser on Craigslist a couple of months ago.  According to the label, it is called a "Chifforett."  I had heard of a Chifferobe, bot not a Chifforett.  I am guessing that it is just a smaller version of a Chifferobe which would have had an armoire portion in it for hainging clothes. 

 

I felt like this piece was so unique, and in such good condition that it was worthy of a little something extra, so I splurged and ordered the pretty wreath appliques for the cupboard doors.  They are exact replicas from original antique furniture appliques.

 

The hardware on this piece is so beautiful and I loved the aged patina so well that all I did was clean it up a bit.

 

 

Inside the cupboard doors are two narrow drawers.  I wanted to do something fun with them and I imagined that a Victorian era lady might keep her undergarments in them, so I painted the words "Corsets" and "Pantaloons" on them.  If it was a Chifferobe, the armoire portion might have had lacey crinolines and petticoats hanging in it! 

 

 

I used a combination of Duck Egg Blue with Paris Grey, Paris Grey with Old White and straight Paris Grey followed by clear and dark wax.  In some lights it has a greenish hue and in others it looks more blue/grey.  I was a little frustrated trying to photograph this one as clouds kept moving through the sky, covering the sun and then revealing it again casting such variations of light into the room.  The color of the piece looked so different in each picture.  As it turns out, it looks quite different in person depending on the lighting as well.  I am anxious to hear what you think!  Do you like the variation of colors and the "rubbed on" or is it a "rubbed off" effect?  I am considering teaching this technique in my next workshop.   

 

Thank you for your sweet visit today!  Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

 

 

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