{"id":23882,"date":"2024-09-20T17:25:05","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T14:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenochkabcreative.com\/?p=23882"},"modified":"2025-03-17T13:31:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:31:01","slug":"a-valuable-lesson-while-upscaling-my-wooden-candle-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenochkabcreative.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/20\/a-valuable-lesson-while-upscaling-my-wooden-candle-stand\/","title":{"rendered":"A valuable lesson while upscaling my wooden candle stand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’ve had this wooden candle stand sitting in the corner of my living\/dining room, like forever. Almost discarded, I would say. Probably because I didn’t much like it. The carving is pretty but the colour didn’t do it for me…. So I made a mental note, admittedly quite a long time ago, that one day I would do something about it… and so the day arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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I can make the excuse that I just didn’t know HOW I would upscale it. What colour(s) I would use, and so on. There was also a bit of arguing going on with my inner voice as to whether people would criticize me for painting over wood. I am aware that to some the act of painting over wood is pure sacrilege. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I finally got over it and took the plunge. The rebel in me was winning over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now normally I would use my acrylic or Flashe (vinyl emulsion) paints<\/a> to paint on wood or ceramic surfaces with a base coat, which is what I began with – a base coat of gesso, that is. But then I remembered that I had been wanting to try chalk paint, which I thought could be more suitable for furniture and such decorative accessories. So, after working out my palette, I ordered a couple of colours from Chalk of the Town<\/a> in Athens plus some cold wax, which was recommended for finishing it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But I’ve jumped ahead of myself. The first thing I did was to work out what I was going to do with it. So I started going through some of my saved inspo images on Pinterest<\/a> and it wasn’t long before I found something I had liked in the past. Using the image of the pretty jug I found I then worked with my photo of the candle stand and ‘painted’ it digitally to see how it would look. (See image to the left below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Having ordered the desired chalk paints I then proceeded according to my digital mock-up. I loved painting with these paints. I only needed to dilute slightly with water and the colour went on so smoothly and beautifully. I probably didn’t even need to apply a base coat as these are pretty opaque. Still, I did need two-three coats in some places as I’m pretty fussy about getting a really matte and opaque finish. I must also say that these paints have really good coverage, meaning you don’t need much to get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, as I usually do when completing job, or the first phase, I sat with the candle stand for a couple of days to see how I felt about it because something was niggling me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, of course, the inevitable happened. I just couldn’t help myself. I just felt the pull to add more colour. A little bit here, a little bit there\u2026.. and before I knew it, well, I was having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The paints I used for these extra colours were my all time favorite Flashe vinyl emulsion<\/a> matte paints, which I have a lot of, and, I might add, worked superbly with the chalk paints. Yes, I did mix them sometimes to get the desired matching\/harmonious colours and they mixed very well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what was the valuable lesson I gleaned off this project and how it turned out?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Well, if I’m honest, when I began this project I was still trying to create something that would be universally liked and accepted. I was afraid that I would get a lot of criticism painting over wood. So I was still trying to be reserved, playing it safe (aka not going my usual colour-crazy self). I was holding back my true impulse to play with the colours I love. In essence I was holding back my true self and authentic self-expression. I was still trying to fit in. And most importantly, I forgot that I was supposed to be having fun!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


It so happened that the week that I painted it was my 60th birthday.. A major milestone in anyone’s life. So much so that I thought to myself, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lena, you don’t know how many (good and healthy) summers you have left, so stop trying to fit in and just BE YOURSELF!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

May this be a reminder to you too my friend….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out more of my furniture makeovers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Lenochka B Artworks (@lenochkabartworks)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>