Have you ever wondered about Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, and whether it was all that? I’ve been reading about this paint for years, but I finally got to play with it last month at the Haven Conference. When I got back home, I warned everyone not to stand still too long, or they might get painted!

What really sold me on this paint was that it’s super easy to work with. My Haven roomie says she sits in front of her TV at night and works on her chalk paint projects. A project I can do inside, no fumes, any type of weather, and in the near dark after kids are asleep??? I’m in.

So I took a few of my sample goodies from Haven, including Frog Tape’s new ShapeTape, 3M Patch Plus Primer, and a sweet little stencil from Royal Design Studio Stencils, along with Chalk Paint® pots of Provence and Versailles, and made something just a little more fun than yer average file cabinet.

I’m chuckling at the pink glass knobs the last owners put on this little beauty. Yeah, that helps.

It breaks my heart when clients don’t have a proper place for their stacks of paperwork. You just have to keep your eyes open. This cabinet was a yard sale find in the single digits, but it had all of the important features…it is all wood, has a sturdy wood back, has the hanging rails built-in to the sides, and (bonus round) was Made in the USA. What it lacks in charm, it makes up for in durability.

Before painting, I did something I’ve always wanted to do. I roughed it up a bit first. I wanted it to be even MORE pitted and scratched, so I took a screwdriver to it. I did OK, but this could have taken even more abuse. Then went the base coat of Provence. Look, Ma! No primer! This is one of the huge benefits with this type of paint. I did one coat on the body, two coats on the drawer fronts, because I wanted a bit of the dark to peek through. Once applied, I positioned the chevron stripe tape from Frog Tape on the drawers, carefully lining up the tips.

Paint over the shape tape, then remove it when the paint is dry. I used Versailles for the accent color.

I had this Sweet Tweet from Royal Design Studio Stencils, and wanted to try him out, too. (You can tweet that!)

Then comes the waxing step. This was my first try, with some wax I already had on hand, that shall remain nameless. I did not like it, especially compared to the Annie Sloan stuff that I got to try at Haven. But you can see how the wax deepens the color once applied. This is the case with all waxes, and it provides a protective layer.

Then I added new hardware. You might remember that I really, really like my countersink bits. It’s the fastest way out of a jam, when your new hardware comes with too-short screws. Any of my DIY pals wanna give me a woot, woot on that?

Oh, that white bit in the middle? That’s the 3M Patch Plus Primer, since I was going from a single hole to a two-hole pull. Finally, on goes the updated hardware.

For some reason, she’s giving off the Ralph Lauren vibe to me. I was going to style her all up for you in a fancy picture, but the truth is that I don’t have room in my place for this sturdy little cabinet. So if you are interested in making me an offer, please do! I’ll make you a reasonable deal. I just need to make enough to feed my new Chalk Paint® addiction. I’m sure there’s a college student out there who needs something exactly like this to stay organized!