Bedknobs Without Broomsticks

Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Who remembers that Disney classic? The little boy's bed has been cast with a magical flying spell, and it flies to Naboombu in hopes of saving Mother England. The bed flies, people! What little kid doesn't want to experience flying from their cozy bed? I know I did when I was little. Anyway, this post has nothing to do with the movie itself, but I will talk about my boys' beds! I just needed a somewhat catchy title to get your attention ;-)

I finally finished the boys spindle beds, just in time for my oldest's 6th birthday! I used the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, which is to die for because there is the slightest trace of blue and I love that! Have you heard of Chalk Paint? It's amazing. Let's talk about the product, shall we? Annie Sloan, who is the creator of said paint, is the Queen Bee of the painted furniture craze. Like the name, it has a 'chalky' finish but the beauty of it is that it can be polished to a subtle sheen with a little or a lot of buffering. First coat dries within 10-20 minutes. I know, that's crazy, right?! You'll want to finish off your piece and seal it with furniture wax. Annie has her own wax that she sells, but I just went down to the hardware store and bought Minwax and it got the job done just fine! Here is a little shot of the paint below:

The beds turned out really well. I ended up applying two coats before distressing and waxing with the help of my uber crafty mother-in-law. Although I think I was a little heavy on the distressing. I get so carried away. I sit there, distress, and say to myself "That's awesome! You're awesome!" Then a couple days go by and I think..."huh...you went cray-cray on the distressing." Thankfully it's easy to go back and just retouch the spots that need a little TLC. Then seal it with the wax and you're set. I have fallen in love with chalk paint because of how easy it is to use. It's foolproof! Even the most novice of DIY'ers (ahem...moi) can create the most beautiful of pieces with this paint. There are a ton of chalk paint tutorials on YouTube, but one of my favorites is this gal, Christen from Blue Egg Brown Nest. 

                      

 Fun Fact: These beds have been in my family for 40 years! They belonged to my Noni and Nono, who gave them to my cousins, who then gave them back to my Noni and Nono. Did you follow that? These are the beds my sisters and I used to slumber in, at my grandparents, when we were little girls. Surprisingly, they were in pretty good condition!                

Lucky is really good at pointing out the aesthetics of the bed ;-) 

You can get a little idea of what one of the beds look like. It was so tricky getting both beds in the photo based on the way the room is laid out. Let's hear it for a TWIN mattress...WOOT! WOOT!

 I am really happy with how they turned out. The best part is the boys have REAL beds, not mattresses sitting on the floor anymore, and they are a family heirloom to boot! Yay for us! Now that you've been slightly schooled in chalk paint, you should go out, purchase a can or two, and create something amazing!

Creatively Yours,

The NorCal Contessa