Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Le petit jardin.

Hello all!
      I've been keeping busy with some more refinishing projects and for this one, I decided to freshen up an old wooden carry tote that I had picked up on one of our junking jaunts.  I don't have a before picture but it was just plain old dark wood, nothing fancy at all.  I also had a couple of potted succulents that needed a home so I set to with some paint and brushes!

                    I painted the whole thing with some black acrylic paint and once that had dried, went over the outside with some home-made grey chalk paint.  There are plenty of 'recipes' for chalk paint out there in web-land - some great info can be found here.   I've been using calcium carbonate for mine and I find it really easy to work with, plus it stays runny for ages (technical term!!). Anyway once that layer had dried, I sanded it back in some spots to show the black and to give it that gorgeous aged look.  Then I busted out my trusty Silhouette Cameo to cut out the text and fleur de lis symbols from black vinyl and voila, le petit jardin est fini.



     The perfect home for my little succulents in their painted and distressed (obviously) terracotta pots.  My husband is usually on board with most of my projects but even he raised an eyebrow at my painted pinecones!!  I wanted them to blend in :)





     I'm linking this up at -





Thanks for popping in!

12 comments:

Linda Palmer said...

Cool container. I like what you did with it and love the silhouette images. Great planter and love the sanding on it to let the black show through.

Nellie's Cozy Place said...

Love what you did to that carrier..............it really came out so nicely. and was perfect for your plants. Love the lettering you did too.
Great job.

Blessings, Nellie

Tracy said...

Well I like those painted pine cones. :-) Another amazing redo Dawn. Hugs!

Carol said...

Beautiful! Can I email you in a separate link to ask you some questions about the silhouette cameo? I am considering buying one but am not sure that it's capabilities will match my needs. Thanks! Carol

Sandra said...

Wow Dawn, you did it again!!! fabulous project!
Hugs,Sandra

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Oh I love this, so pretty and so simple. Thanks tons for joining Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

Tress said...

Gorgeous as always Dawn! You are my Silhouette idol!

Penny said...

Gorgeous, Dawn! Wonderful shabby-chic project! And I, for one, love the painted pinecones! :^)
Hugs, Penny

nwilliams6 said...

Well I love the white pinecones - they do blend in better! This is amazing and fun and a wonderful thing to house your cool plants. Amazing work. Thanks for the link to the chalk paint - I actually was planning to try and find where you get it but now I am set! Hugz!

Patricia St Martin said...

Just awesome Dawn!!!! Super idea for something that would of gone in the trash. That would make a wonderful gift or it works so nice as a planter holder and love the shabby look. Great job!!!
Hugs, Pat

Crafting with Darcy said...

Love this plant holder Dawn! Very creative!

MONICA LIVAS said...

LOVE this! Looks so vintage!