mirror, mirror on the wall

so my entryway has been bothering me for some time now. i felt like i needed jazz up the mirror, so i added the "F" decal {found here on etsy}, but i still felt like it needed something else. the mirror is beveled but the frame is metal {and i'll add, purchased from tjmaxx for only $49}.

so...let me let you in on a little secret. while at the COUNTRY LIVING fair, my mom and i came across a vendor who was selling something oh so fabulous..."smoooshing paint"! yep, that's right! Caromel Colours is a company that has partnered with CL magazine to sell their products. the product is a super-thick paint {almost paste} that you "smoosh" on anything.

yes, anything. it covers glass, wood, metal, etc. and it gives you that distressed look!

all you need is 2 products. the textured basecoat and the toner. {i used the bayberry basecoat...and i purchased the last bayberry color at the fair- it was really popular and it's a gorgeous color}.

i also purchased the parchment basecoat as well.

{taken from the website}

distressing can add charm and character to any object. painting a piece of furniture to change its color is a simple task. telling a story about that piece of furniture through the art of distressing is clearly a whole different experience...it's your distressing story to tell.

for example, when applying your basecoat color, if you paint it thin and do a lot of sanding, your piece may look as though the paint has been worn away over time by wind and weather. if you apply the paint thick and sand only the edges it may look as though your piece has had many coats of paint over the years and has gotten minimal wear and tear. don't be afraid to paint thick or thin, to sand a lot or a little, to bang with a brick or a nail.

here is my story...

{before entryway}

 

why do i call it "smooshing", you ask?

the sales representative used this word when describing the technique to my mom and i. we loved it and it stuck. don't confuse "smoooshing" with "smush" from jersey shore... completely different...

{the smooshing process}

{wet smooosh paint}

{the sanding process}

{the glaze that is brushed on after sanding}

so much better!!! i loved the way it turned out.

best part- no prepping {sanding, primer}.

 just smoosh. sand. glaze.

after the mirror was complete, i put the bench back, but then ran into another problem.

 

remember this chair in the master? well adam hated it. he said there wasn't enough room for it in the small space under the window. so, honoring his wish, i moved the chair...

...and replaced it with the bench from the entryway. it fit perfect and the shelf under the bench was a perfect storage are for our eye-sore noise machine that he can't sleep without.

the chair {that was in the master} is currently for sale in TWObirds booth.

e-mail twobirdscollective@gmail.com if you are interested.

it's an antique chair that i re-upholstered in a teal "coral" print.

so here's the entryway now. i swapped out the bench for a rattan sofa table that i had for sale up at TWObirds. i kept my art books from the bench and put them on the table complete with a pumpkin for fall. my copper tub was the perfect container for our halloween candy.

i found the perfect little cabinet for the entryway at the queen, but it was $275...i'll have to save for that little piece, but for now, i'm happy with the change.