Category Archives: CeCe Caldwell Before & After

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Before & After End Table

It’s amazing what a little bit of paint can do.  Here is a table that I picked up at a yard sale for a few dollars.  Super sturdy, but not very pretty.  With just a little bit of paint and imagination, look at what you can do to upgrade and make it pretty.  I took off the old handle and replaced it with the stylish knob. This only took me a day to complete.  Come visit us at Keys to the Attic to see other pieces that we finished and we’ll teach you how to do the same thing!

 

 

Before & After ~ Santa Fe Turquoise

Here’s another great upcycle from one of my favorite customers:

“My daughter bought this solid wood dresser at a thrift store for only $30.  We cleaned the dresser, removed the lamb and the knobs, painted just the edges with Virginia Chestnut and the rest of the dresser with Santa Fe Turquoise.  We then gently “distressed” the edges using a damp cloth to wipe away some of the turquoise so the brown peeked through, applied clear wax, and attached new knobs.  She now has a gorgeous “new” dresser in her bedroom.  I am sorry my photography is not good, but the dresser is absolutely beautiful.
Your paint customer, Noreen ~ ”

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After

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Before

Before & After for Display

I just took a quick shot of a table that I did for a Before & After display at Keys to the Attic.  I had a pair of identical tables (in identically beat up shape) and I painted one with Myrtle Beach Sand – now one of my favorite colors – and distressed.  I have them in one of my display windows to show everyone what a difference a simple paint job can do.  Check it out.

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New CeCe Caldwell Finishes Are Here!

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a CeCe Caldwell’s Paints workshop, in Fall’s Church VA, where we got to meet CeCe, play with paint and learn about the new finishes that are now part of her fantastic line. Lots of fun!

Shout Out – to Theresa, from Stifel and Capra, for being such a gracious host. Check out her facebook and website to see the phenomenal items she has … believe me, she is quite the artisan.

So, I am now happy to tell you that I have the new finishes at Keys to the Attic for everyone to enjoy.  (See below the image for a description of each one.)

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Aging Dust
The Aging Dust is a fine micro-powder, made from natural pumice and natural pigments, that is used over clear wax to produce a truly authentic aged look.  (Instructions for use)

Waxing Cream
The Waxing Cream is an alternative to Clear Wax that produces a little more of a shine, while using less product to attain it.  This wax penetrates deeper into the wood, ultimately requiring less buffing than other waxes.  (Instructions for use)

Endurance Finish
The Endurance Finish is a stronger satin finish that we now recommend for cabinetry, table tops and other surfaces that endure heavy use.  It is non-yellowing and, as with all of our products, safe to use indoors.  (Instructions for use)

Clear Glaze
The Clear Glaze is generally used as an enhancing technique, rather than a final finish.  It can be tinted with dry pigments, universal tints, or CeCe Caldwell’s Paints to achieve a desired color.  Or, it can be used clear to give a light sheen to decor that will not be handled regularly (i.e., picture frames).  (Instructions for use)

All of these items can be found at www.KeystotheAttic.com.  Check them out and let us know what you think!

Great Cabinet Job, Pam!

Want to share a great project that one of my BFF’s (does anyone even use that anymore?) from high school did.  Pam was looking to change up her bathroom a little bit and decided to paint the cabinet.  Pam used CeCe Caldwell’s Michigan Pine ~ distressed ~ then finished up with the Satin Finish.  Here’s what Pam said when one of our other friends asked what she did to prepare:

“I did not do any prepping other than taping and removing hardware. I just winged it and started painting. It dries very dull, chalk like, but then the satin finish I applied, changed that look. I literally completed this in less than 2 hours.”

Great job, Pam!!

 

Before & After ~ Alaskan Tundra Green End Table

A few weeks back a purchased this single, beat up end table at a thrift store that I just knew had promise.

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Great for a chalk & clay paint project!

Though it was quite beat up and drab, it was in very sturdy condition.  So, I got the paint brushes out and went to town.  I used Alaskan Tundra Green for the body and Omaha Ochre for the drawer and stenciling.  Some things to take note of about this piece is that the top was quite shiny and the other areas were a mix of shiny and wear.  If I had to start over again, I have to say that I may have sanded this baby down just a little bit prior to painting – nothing extreme, but just a little once over.

I waxed the entire table, with the exception of the top and two shelves.  I ended up doing a satin finish on those because I wanted to seal in my stencil work.  When I waxed the shelves, some really strange patterns took place and it looked like the Satin Finish was literally wiping off the paint.  So, I just walked away and ignored it (very calmly, I might add).

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Satin Finish acting weird.

Thank goodness, when I came back later – after the Satin Finish had completely dried – it looked totally normal.  Whew!  And this is my After picture 🙂

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Before & After Wall Shelf ~ Spring Hill Green

This is a big, ugly, black wall shelf with multiple layers of crappy paint on it.

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Big, ugly wall shelf with multiple layers of crappy paint on it. 

So, I was in the mood for a happy, warm weather color and decided to test the Spring Hill Green.  Now, you all know the drill – paint, distress, wax, buff.  But, the interesting thing with this project is that after painting the shelf with two thin layers of paint (the paint was very slightly watered down), I decided to wax immediately after the second coat dried to test a theory.  So, I did not do any distressing and immediately waxed.  What happened is that while waxing, the shelf distressed itself!  This gave it a sort of distressed, washed look.  I think this is super neat for projects that don’t demand a definite look because you can kinda play around and just see what happens.  Fun!

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Shelf painted with CeCe Caldwell’s Spring Hill Green and finished with Clear Wax.

Mirror Using CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White

This was just an old wood mirror – that a billion people have had over a dresser at one time or another.

I slapped on two coats of CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White.  Distressed.  Applied clear wax. Buffed. DONE!

I’d love to make the directions more complicated … but that’s all there is with CeCe Caldwell’s Paints & Finishes.

CeCe Caldwell's Vintage White ~ Keys to the Attic

Old Mirror redone using CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White and clear wax ~ Keys to the Attic

Upcycled Indoor/Outdoor End Table ~ Just Like Pottery Barn!

 

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Note:  Where the edges of brown look like they have smudged white paint on them – they don’t.  Again, it’s because of my very sad photography skills.

OK … so, don’t kill me … but it looks like I forgot to take a “before” picture of this table.  I could have sworn that I took a picture of it months ago when I first brought it into the store … so maybe the secret cyber picture thief took it.  Either way, if I come across it I will post again with a before/after shot.

Moving on, this is table that I picked up at a yard sale last year and I immediately envisioned it fixed up and sitting in my yard, or on a porch or deck.  The table is wood, but  the wood was dried out and looked really sad and tired.  I knew, if possible, I wanted the top of the table to have a natural wood look with the sides and legs painted white and distressed for that shabby chic/cottage style look.

First, I rubbed (using an old t-shirt) the top and underside of the table with hemp oil.  It took about 2  coats to revive it because the table was really dehydrated, so it slurped it right up.  It made the top look happy and perky!

Then I painted (two thin coats) the legs and sides using CeCe Caldwell’s Vintage White.  Once the second coat dried I did some light distressing.  As I usually do, I started with all of the edges.  Once the edges were done, I decided that I liked the look as it was, so I left the distressing at that.

For a finish I used two different products.  I used CeCe Caldwell’s Satin Finish on the top and underside – simply because I wanted those areas to cure a little faster since, more than likely, the top of the table will be heavily used.  Then, I used CeCe Caldwell’s Clear Wax on the all of the area that was painted white.  What ended up happening (which I really, really liked) is that the top had a little bit more of sheen to it, while the white parts of the table had a very muted sheen.

So, this my indoor/outdoor end table.  Come on in to the store and check it out!