Following Along Fabulously

Since the time I was a small child my Dad always told me "be a leader not a follower". I always swore I would never say things like that to MY children, but I did (and still do). For the most part I have always followed that advice...until today. Why? you might ask. Because this time what everyone else was doing was so awesome I just couldn't help myself.

So what was so flippen' tempting that I had to follow along? Why chevron of course!

I have seen some of the most amazing chevron pieces in stores, on Pinterest and of course on blogs. I knew I wanted to use it, but hadn't found quite the right piece of furniture that was calling it's name. Finally, when I hit up my local Goodwill last week I saw this homely desk/vanity/sofa table thing. It had very simple lines which seemed a perfect candidate for my first attempt at a chevron paintjob.

I wasn't quite sure how to go about mapping the design out so I read up on a lot of different methods and finally just kind of "winged" it hoping for the best. I started out with primer and two coats of white satin. I measured the sides and front of the table and found that I could divide both measurements by three and end up with an even and pleasing to the eye grid which I transferred to the top with a straightedge and pencil.

From here I broke out my beloved Scotch bluetape (I love that stuff) and began chevroning with it. Once the taping was done it was time to use my chosen turquoise paint to fill in the untaped rows. Once the paint was almost dry I peeled back the tape to reveal the magic. I had to do a little touch-up, but overall I was very pleased.

I distressed the edges and added brown shoe polish to the edges and swiped some around on the top to tone down the brightness a bit. A coat of clear wax and she is ready to go. I went ahead and put the original hardware back on...not sure if I'm loving it yet.

One thing for sure though, at least she isn't homely anymore.

Linking up with these lovely ladies: