Whenever I think of Key West, I think of traveling all those miles in an un-air-conditioned Chevrolet with the windows opened and the fresh smell of sea and sand as we all made our way to the small hotel where we would vacation…
The thing about the Florida Keys is the Cuban and Caribbean influences as far as color is concerned…You will see a lot of “Sherbet Colors” as I call them…paler shades of pink, orange, yellow, blue..more pastel in nature.
So, I set out to create a cute piece of furniture that recreated some of those images…First, I wanted a softer paler green…I achieved this by mixing Antibes Green with Pure White.
I then added a small amount of Florence and a tiny bit of English Yellow. Remember that one of the beautiful things about Annie Sloan Chalk Paints® is the way they blend together so easily giving you hundreds of possible combinations. Get creative!
1) I took a small chest and wiped it clean of dirt.
2) In order to make the top of the piece unique and thematic, I took some wrapping paper styled as a huge map. I applied MogPog to the entire surface to help seal the map onto the wooden top. I pressed on the map trying to get out any air bubbles – use a dull, flat surface to push the air bubbles to the edges to get rid of them. While it was drying, I took a razor knife and gently cut it to size removing extra ‘map’ hanging off edges. After it was dry, I took some watered down mogpog and painted a coat over top to seal the map and it’s edges.
3) I then painted my chest with Pure White.
4) Then, I painted on two coats of my ‘hand mixed’ light green that I prepared with Antibes Green, Pure White, Florence and a tiny bit of English Yellow.
5) When dry, I applied a layer of Annie Sloan Clear Wax to the entire piece, including the top, and let dry.
6) I distressed the piece heavily so that it would have that sun bleached, weathered patina. I lightly painted the hardware with Pure White.
7) I finished it off with another thin coat of wax and then buffed…and, what do you think?? I can definitely see this in a Key West Bed and Breakfast!! Give it a try!
– Cindy
