Mantel Shelf

Hey Friends! Hows your day?  Mine is good. I made another shelf.  My most favorite shelf I have ever built.

and I discovered the I'm feeling lucky button in Picassa.  So it's been a good weekend.  I can't believe how much better my photos look after hitting the button, 

This photo above is after the Picassa I'm feeling lucky button

this is the before, quite a difference isn't it?

So as always I will show ya how I built it.

I started with this shelf that I made years ago from one piece of molding and a 2x2.  I haven't used it in quite awhile because it just wasn't deep enough.   

I grabbed two scraps of molding I had and two pieces of bead board.

then glued & nailed it all together.  To solve the problem of it not being deep enough the cove base sticks up from the top to give a plate or a picture frame something to keep from sliding off. I mitered all the corners.

Dontcha just love what a little molding can do? 

For the finish I stained the whole thing with Minwax stain in the color Jacobean then after that dried I painted it with Annie Sloan's Old White Chalk paint.  I heavily distressed (I LOVE how chalk paint distresses) and finished with paste wax.

Even though I want to keep this shelf I am going to try and sell it.  I talked with a gal in town who owns a shop and I am going to bring in a few things this week and see what she thinks.  I am also working on a few signs, a chair and the blue frame above is getting a chalk board insert to take in as well.  Wish me luck. 

playing at the following parties:

Transformation Thursday- Shabby Chic Cottage