The Birth of the Blues

Blue Paint Washes the Blues Away

Somebody has proved that, right?

Blue is my favorite color, so naturally, I gravitate towards it when I'm painting furniture. It's a happy color and is proven to work wonders on the psyche.

Blue and White Shabby Chic Vanity and Chair

For these two pieces, I mixed a couple of colors to get the blue just right. The new

Valspar paint samplers at Lowe's are a furniture painter's dream! They're about $3 ea. and the perfect amount needed for several projects. The best part is that you can mix them together and if you get a color you're not happy with, well, it was only $3.

Bentwood Chair SOLD!

     The first project was the white bentwood caned chair. I purchased it completely white, then banged it up a bit in my car getting it home from the auction. I noticed that underneath the old white paint was an even older blue paint. It was instant inspiration seeing that ray of blue sunshine. I looked at the vanity I had bought at the same auction and the two just clicked. Mixing the paint to match the blue was painstaking in the hot sun since every time I finally got the color right, the paint in the pan seemed to dry faster than I could apply it. But other than that, it was easy going. I primed the vanity white and then applied the blue over. I took my sander to both pieces and shabbied off some of the white on the chair to expose the blue and vice-versa with the vanity. So, I was left with two wonderful pieces that compliment each other.

Vanity $135

Shades of Grey/Blue

Primitive Blue/Gray Gradient Table - SOLD!

This cute little primitive end table needed a good coat of paint. I decided to go with a gradient finish that fades from dark blue to light blue all over.

On a much-needed vacation to Florida, I was so inspired by the beautiful variation of the oceans colors of the Gulf of Mexico. I couldn't help but lie there on the beach staring into the vastness of the spectrum of blues that presented itself to me and the rest of the gaping tourists. Making sure to take a mental snapshot of the gorgeous blues and turquoise, I knew that one day I would have to incorporate them somehow into my furniture.

photo: http://reednightingale.com/

                    photo: http://www.floridaoceanfrontresorts.com/

I decided to attempt gradient and color fading on this piece. The legs go from dark blue to light blue and the top is painted with a couple of light blue stripes that fade into darker blue, reminiscent of a Mark Rothko painting (oh yeah, I wish). 

I had a great time trying this out and the results definitely look better in person than in the photo. The process, however, is a mystery. I basically just painted one dark stripe, then a light stripe leaving space in between, then blended the two together, repeating this all the way down each time with lighter shades. I hope to try this with some turquoise colors soon!