Friday, February 17, 2012

Union Jacks!


I know I am sooooo 2011 with this, BUT I finally have jumped across the pond and did my versions of the Union Jack. I have a provincial dresser that I will do BUT I wanted to practice on these 2 side tables.. I think they came out really cute, So I wanted to share with you all in case someone else wants to try it!

You will need
LOTS of painters tape.
Piece of Chalk
Red,White and Blue paint.
Since I LURV Chalk Paint. I chose
Pure White, Emperors Silk and Napoleonic Blue by Annie Sloan.

*Since I did 2 different tables I will be interchanging pictures for the tutorial FYI*

Here is the before:

Clean your piece up (A little diluted TSP is my Fave)

In order to correctly draw out the union jack, I used a very helpful site that you can visit here


Tape off your red cross first..


Paint it, let it dry..and remove the tape..



I taped off the red now and painted the white outline 


Here's where your chalk will come into play! 
Draw out the rest of the flag and keep going..


I did the blue first..


You get the idea...


Here it is all painted, waxed and ready for distressing..



*Note, I LURRRRRV Chalk paint BUT this WAS challenging sanding and distressing, with all the vibrant colors so close to one another because this stuff distresses a little too well for this scenario..Make sure you wax each color section well before you distress, to minimize bleeding/blending of the colors.

Here's the white base table after sanding and chipping..

I then applied a second coat of my dark wax "mash up" to give it an aged patina 
Put your clear wax on a little plate,
Then, mix IN your dark wax..now you have a uniform blend of the 
dark wax & the clear and it just makes
it so EASY to wipe off, when it's mixed like this! 

So, apply your dark wax, buff and take their purrdy pictures!
















Cheerio Ol' Chaps!
~Melissa

23 comments:

  1. They are both adorable!

    Thank you for sharing how you did them.

    I am now following you too.

    Mel

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  2. These are so impressive! They look amazing! Thanks for sharing
    heronscrafts.blogspot.com

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  3. Both of these tables are awesome! Great tutorial! ~Marcy

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  4. Melissa, ya know what ... I've been wanting to jump on that same bandwagon for sometime yet I haven't been able to find the right piece/pieces. I LURV your tables. Great job there sista : ) Happy weekend to you ~ Deanna

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  5. Love it - check out my Union Jack tutorial on two dressers I did. You don't have to use tape if you have a good brush to cut in the colors. Recommendation - paint all the blue first, then paint the red, white last. Yours looks great!

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  6. Oh my. Quite a change to the French Provincial table, to be sure! Charles deGalle must be rolling in his grave right about now... Certainly a GREAT improvement over that purple (?) color. Who would paint such a lovely little table purple? I do not think I will ever understand why some people do the things they do. Oh well. Great job, I like them very much. I am a little partial to French Provincial :)

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  7. So cute! I am still wanting to try the Union Jack on something, and I think I have the perfect table for it. Thanks for sharing! Pinning next, so I will have the directions!

    PS I haven't check my link ups, but if you haven't stopped by to link up at my party, I would LOVE it if you had time before midnight when it closes!

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  8. Lovely. Come and see my union jack cake here if you like
    http://www.desireempire.com/2012/02/lie-back-and-think-of-england.html
    Carolyn xx

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  9. Pretty cool! I love all things UK, so the Union Jack always catches my eye. :-)

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  10. Awesome! this two tables are amazing and you are so talented! Yeah, I love UK things, the Union Jack and dishes, lol! Thanks for your lovely visit sweet girl, hope you come over again...I will visit too!
    FABBY

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  11. Two two tables! Great job and I am sure your dresser will turn out just as awesome.

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  12. I've never done a Union Jack piece, but I love them all! These are great! Your tutorial is wonderful, who knows I may go there someday! Thanks!

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  13. these look fabulous- i especially love the one with the white base! it was the perfect piece for this treatment!

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  14. these turned out great! I want to do something similar when I do up my little boys' room!

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  15. Very pretty tables. Thanks for sharing how to paint things along with the tips about chalk paint. I am going to be trying chalk paint for the first time soon, so need all the tips I can get.

    Thanks for linking up to the Your Cozy Home Party this week. Please remember to include the link back next week when you come again.

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  16. Wow, what a awesome transformation! Thanks for sharing your tutorial. Hope you will visit Magnolia Cottage. I'm your newest follower.

    Lisa

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  17. Hi lovely lady.
    Both of these tables are awesome! you did a Beautiful job great Idea. Im your newest follower on your blog now. I hope you come join me, and I hope you have a wonderful week with your family.
    XXOO Diane

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  18. Thank you so much for sharing. I am featuring this at my weekend party which starts this afternoon. -K

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  19. Your tables turned out amazing. Love them!

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  20. Love me some union jack! I'm your newest follower-stop by for a visit!

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  21. These are adorable! Thanks for linking up to Share the Love Wednesday--hope you'll be back this week!
    Mary @ Very Merry Vintage Style

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Thanks for the message Doll face!