Our Hopeful Home: The Graphics Fairy, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a Shabby Apple Winner

March 31, 2013

I have a long-awaited project to share with you. But first, it's time to announce the winner of my Shabby Apple Giveaway! I'm very excited for the winner since I know she's bound to pick out something really spring-y with her $50 Shabby Apple gift certificate!
And the winner is No. 21, April G. who said, "I follow you via GFC:)"! Congratulations, April! I will contact you soon. Now on to other matters.

This is a project that languished, untouched, for ~~years~~ months. It started out as a mirror in my son's room when he was a baby.

Isn't it cute? I just loved the detail. It was a vintage-themed room and I thought this fit in perfectly.

"Le Cirque Flottant

Magasin de Jouets

Paris"

"You say you saw a floating bear?

However can that be?

A dog in a barrel, a hippo too?

What a wonderful sight to see."

Little did I know {until now} that the words Cirque Flottant refer to a very famous, now defunct, children's store on Paris' left bank.

Cirque Flottant, or Floating Circus, is also the name of a once-regular dealer at "les Puces de Saint-Ouen" flea market on the outskirts of Paris. I read that it's also the name of a vintage French children's book, although I haven't been able to find a concrete source to confirm this. But I do know that Ebay {and other places} are charging $50 and upwards for the matching wall clock. I'm unable to find another one of these mirrors anywhere. Guess I should have done my research before I went ahead and painted over it, non? Has that ever happened to you?

Be that as it may, I DID paint over it, and turned it into a chalkboard, to boot! No surprises there, I guess. I'm just getting used to it, although it took a while to get it where I could finally live with it. {Luckily I did not pay too much for it. I got it at Marshalls on sale many years ago.}

First I painted the mirror with spray chalkboard paint, two light coats. Then I painted over the children's scenes with a beige-ish paint that I later decided was too blah. In came Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey. Two coats and I was feeling a bit better.

Then I tried the wax paper method to transfer some Frenchy-ness onto it, but I wasn't happy with how it turned out. You can find that method over at The Graphics Fairy. Sorry the picture leaves something to be desired.

It was ok, I guess, but I really thought it was still a bit blah. I also wished that the graphics had turned out a bit darker. So I painted over the faint graphics and tried again, this time with the Mod Podge method. Only problem was, I didn't realize that there were different types of Mod Podge. I should have used the matte formula. Turns out I used the gloss formula. Who knew? Suffice it to say that it just looked wrong, really wrong. {So wrong, in fact, that I didn't even take a picture of it.} Mod Podge lesson learned.

Three times must be the charm because I finally got it right. I got the graphics from The Graphics Fairy HERE and HERE. I also tried my hand at an Easter chalkboard. I got my inspiration for that from Nest of Posies HERE.

The graphics did not come out perfect, but that adds to the charm, as always.

Now I'm kind of sorry that I got rid of the cute French mirror, but hindsight really is 20-20. And I know my family will get a lot more use out of it as a chalkboard.

I hope you all had a wonderful spring Easter weekend.

Thanks for stopping by!