Beach Cottage Chic Cabinet

Other Supplies

Unfinished wood bookcase with cabinet doors, Brush basin or container for water, Paper towels, Foam bowls and plates for palettes, Pencil, Lint-free cotton cloth, Craft knife, Medium or fine grit sandpaper, Hammer, Decorative knobs, Stencil tape

Instructions

1. Begin by sanding the unfinished wood bookcase and door panels to smooth any rough areas as well as open the wood pores.
2. Into a foam bowl, pour FolkArt Home Decor Chalk - Patina, load the 2" FolkArt Milk Paint paintbrush by dipping the bristles into the paint. Brush along the side of the foam bowl to remove excess paint.
3. Paint the inside back panel of the bookcase with Patina. Allow to dry. Sand smooth when dry and reapply a second coat. Let dry.
4. Continue painting the remaining parts of the bookcase FolkArt Home Decor Chalk - Seaside Villa using the same techniques. Allow to dry after applying the second coat.
5. Lightly pencil mark the position of each shelf placement on the back panel.
6. Using basic dry brush stenciling techniques, stencil the bird and branch (facing left) just above the top shelf using FolkArt Home Decor Chalk - White Adirondack. If desired, stencil additional leaf elements to "fill out" the design. Immediately clean and dry the stencil. TIP: To properly load a stencil brush, dip the bristles into a small puddle of FolkArt Home Decor Chalk. Offload the excess paint by working the paint loaded brush into a paper towel. It is always best to stencil using a "dry brush technique" as this will prevent excess paint running under the stencil creating an unwanted ridge of color or a paint smudge.
7. Reverse the bird stencil, (now facing right). Stencil the bird above the second shelf as shown and if desired, stencil additional leaves to complete the design. Clean stencil and allow to dry.
8. Add a stenciled bird accent (without the branch), on the face of the right front door in the corner.
9. Finishing – Working one section at a time, brush a coat of FolkArt  Home Decor Wax - Clear onto the entire bookcase and shelves. Allow the wax to penetrate into the chalk paint and into the original unfinished wood to seal and protect from the inside out.