French Chairs - Painting Technique

I'm picking up where we left off yesterday with my newly acquired French arm chairs.  So, the upholstery was removed and the frames were painted Georgian Revivial Blue by Sherwin Williams.  This color is a little shocking at the moment, but just wait. 

Before moving on to the next step, I want to point out the texture I left on the frame.  I did not sand this piece before painting it and that was intentional.  This texture is going to work in my favor. 

Once the darker blue was dry, I used a brush loaded with a very small amount of Light French Grey (Behr) and hit the high points of the frame.  I made sure to brush with the grain of the wood and kept the brush "dry."  Now, remember when I said a couple of weeks ago that there is a point in every "faux" technique where it will look terrible.  Yeah.  This is that place.  It looks like a streaky, bad paint job.  Don't quit here, though.  It's about to get better.

 Once the light grey was dry, which didn't take long, I sanded the edges with 80 grit sand paper.  I like a really rough sand paper for this step, because it leaves great scratches in the paint.  I also like to do this step by hand.  It's harder on the biceps, but I have more control and it looks more natural than an electric palm sander. 

Working in small sections, I brushed on an antique glaze (I'll share the formula on Friday), making sure I worked it into the crevices. 

I followed immediately with a wet paper towel to wipe off the excess.

Remember that texture I left...

Oh yeah.  See what I mean?  Imperfections really work to your advantage with this kind of finish. 

And a word to the wise...wear gloves during this process.  You see, I am a fool and I spent about five minutes at the sink with a nail brush and soap.  

Oh well. Look out for more details and the grand reveal in a couple of days. 

Now that I am out of my funk, I had a very productive day.  On top of running, feeding kids, changing diapers, building trains and painting these chairs, I finished two more photo shoots for HGTV.com. 

I am loving my new lenses.

Only three more Christmas projects left and I am done.  Woo hoo!  I'm hoping to get the writing and photo editing done in the airport and on the plane next week. 

For those who didn't notice the little button on my side bar, I am attending Blissdom this year.  I am really excited, but a little nervous.  Well, I was only a little nervous until I read this post about what to wear to Blissdom and now I'm about to cry.  Maybe vomit.  I need a formal outfit?  I need cute shoes?  Do grey Chucks fit in that category?  I'm ready to throw in the towel and wear my very worst painting pants. 

 I need a fashion consultant.  Like...now.  Can someone nominate me for an emergency episode of "What Not To Wear"?