Happy Camper Buffet

I know I've been absent from blogging for a bit!  It seems the blog is always the thing that gets pushed aside when I'm busy.  I got a bit overwhelmed with projects and then we went on vacation for 9 days.  We got back on Saturday and I'm still not back in the swing of things.  Some day I will be able to balance it all.  Not sure how people manage to post so often and get everything done.  I think I need some tips!  Anyway, on to the post.....

My most popular post is my White And Neglected Craigslist Dresser Makeover.  I get a lot of emails about the color and the homemade chalk paint I used on the dresser.  The color green is one of my favorites and I'm not normally fond of green.  The color is called Happy Camper by Behr and it really does make me happy when I see it.  I loved it so much I even painted my Kitchen Table in Happy Camper!  So a few weeks ago when I found a buffet for sale on Craigslist for a friend of mine I kept coming back to that same happy green.  

Here is the buffet before

It was missing some trim pieces that had broken off and the top was a scratched mess.  I was drawn to the detailing on the drawers, the edges and the legs.  I LOVE the legs!  Plus the hardware is one of my favorite vintage styles. 

To start off I stripped and sanded the top.  I then used a combination of Kona and Dark Walnut stains.  It took a few coats with some sanding in between until I got the color I was looking for.  

Here you can see what the wood looked like before I stained it.  I had to quickly stop and take a picture when I realized I had forgotten to take one after sanding!

I also learned a very valuable lesson.....I don't like spray on Polycryllc!  Once I had the top completely done I decided to try using the poly in a spray can.  I read the directions and then started spraying the top.  It was a bumpy, awful mess.  After a few choice words (sorry neighbors) I came to the realization that I was going to have to sand off the poly.  I wasn't exactly thrilled about this, but I got to work and a couple of hours later the top was sanded and re-stained.  I decided to finish it off with a few coats of Annie Sloan dark wax instead of attempting anymore poly finishes.  

Next step was fixing the trim that was broken.  I searched Home Depot and Lowes for trim to match the trim on the buffet, but I couldn't find an exact match.  Instead I removed the trim pieces along the bottom and moved them to the top.  Then once that was done I used wood filler and sanded again. 

Next it was time for paint!  I painted the body of the buffet in Annie Sloan Pure White and the doors and drawers in Happy Camper.

Here are the drawers and doors after one coat of Happy Camper.  I have to point out here as well that I didn't make homemade chalk paint this time out of the Happy Camper.  I just used flat latex paint instead.  I wasn't thrilled with the homemade version and I was really happy with how the flat latex went on after some sanding.  

After two coats of paint I let it dry for a day and went back and distressed a bit with some 220 grit sandpaper.  As a last step I put on a coat of Annie Sloan dark wax.  

These pictures are after a bit of distressing and before I applied the dark wax.

For the body of the buffet I used two coats of Annie Sloan Pure White, then distressed and finished with a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.

Look how all the details pop now!  They weren't as noticeable before the paint.

If you're a regular follower of my blog you'll know I love to take pictures of my furniture pieces outside in front of our tree in the yard.  I had every intention of doing this, but Mother Nature had other plans.  It snowed and there was no way I was going to be able to get outside pictures before my friend's Hubby picked up the buffet.  

I finished the waxing in the living room so that's where the pictures ended up being taken.  The lighting is horrible in there which meant the pictures turned out nowhere near what I would like them to be!  I didn't take very many pictures too because I thought I was moving the piece outside for staging.  

Here is the finished buffet.

The lighting gives it a yellow tinge, but the paint is definitely white and the green not so yellowy!

For the hardware I cleaned and scrubbed it with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda.  I let it soak for a bit in the vinegar then scrubbed it with baking soda and a brush.  I love how coppery they were after a good cleaning.  I had originally planned on spraying them, but they worked perfectly with the green paint.  

Once the buffet was delivered to my friends house, we decided it wasn't going to work for a media cabinet.  It was too high and just didn't look right.  I'm a firm believer in things happening for a reason.  I listed the buffet and it quickly sold to Mandy, who I did some custom work for in the summer.  She was the lucky person who bought the beautiful Creamy Yellow Empire Dressers.  She had the perfect place for this gorgeous and happy buffet.

Mandy took a picture of the buffet in its new home and posted it on my Facebook page.  It looks like the buffet was made for her entryway!

Although my friend was really sad to see the happy green and white buffet go, it all worked out in the end.  I'm happy it went to a great home with someone I worked with before.  Now I'm working on my friend's entertainment center and giving it a makeover.  Everyone is happy!  :-)

Melody