Shabby Shoe Cabinet

 I have something totally different to show you today!  I recently got myself some Annie Sloane chalk paint as I have been wanting to alter some of my unloved items of furniture for a long time and just haven't got around to it.  The shoe cabinet in our porch being one of these unloved items.  It was the only cabinet that would fit in the space and I was just not loving the faux pine at all!  I was so excited to get started on this project that I didn't even take a before photo lol.  If you want to see how it looked before the transformation it is this cabinet from Ikea.  I knew I wanted to put some sort of french script on the top compartment and finally found one I loved at The Graphics Fairy!!

 After reading up on some tutorials about how to transfer an image onto furniture I finally decided I'd try my luck with the quickest sounding one - i.e. one without me having to spend hours hand painting all the lettering!!  I used this tutorial here.  The photo above is when I'd just nervously peeled the backing off.  Oh my word all the paint and the transfer started lifting right off the cabinet!!  I managed to pat it back into place but as you can see it tore the transfer and the paint with it in various places - but I LOVE that it did that!!!!  It looks so distressed like someone has started to use a blow torch to remove the old paint!!  I sealed over the top of it and now it is held in position perfectly underneath the final two wax coats.

In fact, my favourite bit on the whole cabinet is where there is the great tear right through the word "Manufacture"!!!  This is only my second altered furniture project and already I'm hooked!!  The first one was a little bedside drawer unit but I put too much wax on and it needs to be redone.  I'm so pleased with how this turned out though seeing as it is only the second piece I've altered!  Watch this space as I'm now painting everything in sight!!  Thanks for looking! x