Chalk painting

Well I finally got around to chalk painting my first piece of furniture, I got a bedroom suite for my daughter and we undertook the project
first of all I scoured the internet for DIY Chalk paint well I came up with some good and bad and figured it can not be as hard as it looks  ( had gone to the store and seen the chalk paint that you can buy @ $50 a quart and being the frugal shopper that I am I decided that I would go the DIY route.. first and foremost find a piece of furniture that has some character.. I am sure it will work.

First of all you have to sand like crazy and get all the old shellac off ..." NOT" this is why Chalk painting is soooo great you do not have to sand the piece or prep it in anyway i found that it worked great just as is..

Supplies I used
Drop cloth
plaster of paris
satin paint I picked a light yellow 1 quart can of latex paint
3" brush from dollerama
foam brush
black craft paint from dollerrama
small plastic tubs ( with lids) again from dollerrama you can use a margarine/yogurt container if you like
stir stick

warm water
screw driver to remove handles as we wanted to keep their original look
sand paper both fine and more gritty
cheap chap stick
minwax paste wax clear
 to start I set took out all the drawers removed the handles and set everything on a drop cloth
I brushed the black acrylic craft pant on the edges where I wanted highlights to come thru
after it was dry I took the chap stick and put it on lightly on the surfaces where I wanted the distressed look  of the black paint to come through.  When I was ready to begin I put about half a cup warm water into the plastic tub then I slowly added the plaster of paris to make a almost thick pancake batter consistency ( as real chalk paint is real thick and alot of sites have you just add a few tablespoons I found this worked best for me) I then eyeballed the paint to make the color come through the POP (Plaster of Paris )but still to keep it thick enough .. you may have to experiment with this to your own liking...
My daughter and I  then proceeded to brush on the paint  all over the pieces makeing sure it was coated but not so thick it would not dry..
after 30 minutes or after it was dry we gave them all a second coat.. (make sure to  put lid on paint so the POP will not harden
after the pieces were dry we were able to start the distressing of the pieces this is the fun part , as where you have put the chap stick it come off fairly easy along sharp edges you can use you nail.. then if it is getting harder use the sand paper we used both fine and gritty to get the effect we wanted.. then I gave all the pieces a light sanding with the fine sand paper to get any lumps of paint or streaks


off then wipe down with a lightly damp cloth to remove fine dust .. then rub on wax let sit for a few hours then you can lightly buff with cloth and wallah you have a fine new piece of furniture that will have all your friends amazed ..have fun and remember if you don't like it repaint it...