Just entered into my first blog party over at Domestically Speaking!  Since I'm new to the blog world I'm not sure how to use all of the appropriate buttons and such so just click on link and head on over!
Thanks to Maryann for hosting!

Crackled Table

So I randomly got the itch one night to paint my kitchen table because I was really sick of looking at it.  It is a really cheap table that we picked up over 10 years ago for $98.  It is a natural colored fake wood top and stainless steel frame bottom.  The top was really worn from all of the craft projects and use over the years so it needed some help. It also had bright pink, blue, green and some other assorted colors on it from said projects.  I was just going to paint it black and distress it but then I remembered I had some crackle paint. I usually do not plan projects ahead of time. I get the itch, go to my paint cabinet and see what I have "in stock" to use.  People think I'm crazy that if I'm home on a Saturday night I may just repaint a room but thats just how I roll. :)
      Ok, so I decided the natural finish crackled under black would be pretty so I sanded my fake wood.  You can't sand too much though or it gets really papery.  I then applied the crackle.  Let it dry and then painted on the black. I think it turned out pretty cool. One thing I will say about crackle is that it's NOT forgiving. You have ONE shot.  You can't go over the same spot twice. If it's your first time doing it you may want to practice on something you do not care about like scrap wood.
       In order to keep the finish nice on a table that gets MEGA use I clear coated it with 2 super thick coats of satin water based poly. I actually poured it on the table and brushed it around.  I let the first coat completely dry overnight and did it again.  We can clean it with pretty much any chemical and it does nothing to the finish.  I did so little planning I took no before picture and only an "almost done" pic.  So I'll post a pic probably with a kid or a pile of junk in it to see a before shot.

So I told you it would be a bad pic.  At least you can see a little of the top?  It's sort of covered with my new fun stuff! Best pic I could come up with!

Here is the middle of the project.  All the way crackled.  All the way painted black, just waiting for the rest to crack. 

So that's the finished product.  Clutter free ;)

Faux granite counter tops

I live in a house that has almost hit the 20 year mark.  Needless to say it's time for some re-do's.  My budget, however, does not make such upgrades as granite or all new cabinets possible.  With that said I have to get creative. And crazy.  I make it up as I go.  I know (most of the time) what I want it to look like in the end, I just have to figure out on my own how to get to that point. I drive my family crazy.  There have been many Sundays spent in Home Depot for 3-4 hours scouring the isles looking for the "right" item that will work or picking the brain of the staff and picking out wood, dragging them behind me.  They benefit from this too, right?!?!?  RIGHT????  :)
     My kitchen has white cabinets AND counter tops. YUK! WAY too much white. So I decided that I would paint my counter tops to look like granite.  Knowing quite well that paint would chip and scratch over time and to get the real granite "feel" I would need a shiny top coat.  I searched until I came across an epoxy.  Luck would have that Home Depot sells it!  It's like the stuff that you see on a bar top. Thick and shiny. Epoxy has a mind of its own and if you do not follow the directions EXACTLY you will have the biggest mess ever. I have yet to experience this mess but have read about it and would like to keep it that way. 
     I guess I should mention I have a degree in painting. I also used to faux finish homes for a living and still do murals actively. This part of the process would not be so easy I guess to someone that did not have an art background.   It isn't that hard but it does take practice. Oh and time. Lots of that.  It's a blending process that pretty much looks terrible for the first half of it then starts to look really amazing.  It has to do with layers and texture. That is key.  With all of that info I'll get to some pictures!

Here is what we had before. Plain white. Terrible picture but you get the idea. White on white.

You'll need to prime your surface with Kilz or another type of primer to ensure all paint adheres to the surface.  Then I put on a solid base coat of standard Behr wall paint (satin I think) in a dark brown.  That will provide the background color for my "granite".  If you like a lighter granite use a lighter background.  I did my island about 5 months after this using a lighter background and I like it so much better.  Personal preference I guess.  I also added veins to that one that I didn't to this one.  Trial and error.  It's the story of my life.

Now comes the fun part....I used a sea sponge.  Just a small part of one.  Dry.  That is very important!  A wet sponge will get you a mess!  Here are the colors I used.

Dark brown, black, beige, and light brown. You start alternating colors by blotching them on the surface.  Just make sure you aren't doing a uniform pattern.  The biggest thing that helps me is to have a reference.  Get a piece of sample counter or a picture of a counter you are trying to mimic and try to recreate that pattern.  Nature does not have perfect patterns in granite.  It is all over the place.  So remember this when doing your tops.  Look at me pic above the paints.  Doesn't really look like much right?  I went back over that spot probably 10 more times.  Add more color on top of color.  You are trying to create depth and texture.  So do exactly what I did there over and over and over.  And then go back over it and over it and over it again.  Just when you think you beat a dead horse ( no animals were harmed in the painting of these counters) go over it again. You will be shocked by how much better it gets with the layers.  At some point you will have to stop.  It will be 2:35 a.m., your eyes will be red, you will have to work the next day and the kids will have show and share at 9am. This will be you que to go to bed. Let it dry.
It's epoxy time!!!!

(Look I decided to paint my walls too!)
The epoxy (Parks Super Glaze) MUST be mixed equal parts and then poured into different containers 2 times in the process.  Poured out and level with a plastic trowel.  Blow out the bubbles and watch for drips, they are permanent! It is self leveling and back splashes are super challenging because they are a vertical surface.  Use a foam brush for them and go over them many times with THICK amounts of the epoxy.  DON'T miss any spots or the bare paint will be exposed to everything in the future. Oh and did I mention you only have 20 minutes to do this before it sets?  Good luck and may the force be with you!

Check out that shine!!!  :)

Please ignore my horrible accessorizing.  I just quickly threw 2 items up there to get a shot but there it is finished. I have had many people in right after I did this say to me "did you get a new granite counter top? "  They all take a closer look to see that it's not real.  Pictures never really look as good as the real thing but I was happy with it.  My second attempt, the island, turned out WAY better and I LOVE it!  I did a whole island add on so that post will be coming soon!  The cabinets also are getting a facelift in the very near future.  The paint has already been purchased. Happy painting! 

                                                                  
                          This is my entry into Domestically Speaking’s Power of Paint Party is
                             sponsored by Appliances Online and the Bosch Washing Machines.

I'm not really blogging...or am I?

I'm merely setting up this blog-like (ok, it's a blog) site to share pics and how-to's on projects that I tell friends about.  So this is the (drumroll please) official 1st post! Hello!