Perfectly Imperfect... i get it now, and loving it

       Again, i cant remember when i started liking the look of 'aged' things- vintage, shabby chic, distressed, well you get what i mean. It must have been motherhood, but of course, i will never exchange my 'angels' (well, at least when they are asleep i feel like they are) for some extra gray matter. It didnt take me long to convince my husband the beauty behind the 'look', but im not too sure if my parents will ever see it the way i do. I still remember the first time my dad laid his eyes on my dining set. He asked me, 'where did u pick this junk from?' -.-
       'Perfectly Imperfect'.. i saw that phrase somewhere, and it just lingered in my mind for a bit. It took me awhile to get it, and now im loving it. Unfortunately for a Singaporean like me, its really difficult to find such things here. I neither have the time to scout around for one, nor the cash to spare, even if i do stumble upon one. Apart from this dining set which i got at a bargain from King and King Wong during GSS, i dont think i will ever buy a distressed piece of furniture ever again.  However, that isnt going to stop me from trying my hands at creating the look myself. Here is my inspiration.

       I  bought a vintage mirror  for 15USD on etsy about a little longer than a year ago, which i painted white just so it goes with the all white scheme in my house, but i knew i wasnt going to stop at that. I finally got my sand paper out this morning and worked my hands on it. (before)

This is how it looked like after sanding it at the crevices. Seriously, i wasnt sure if it was a good idea, but there isnt turning back at this stage.

        Im then supposed to use this thing called 'antique glaze' to create that aged hue, but like where am i going to get that from?  So i ended up using a paint i bought from spotlight in 'raw umber', rubbed some on a damp cloth and wipe it along the edges. I really didnt like the colour, because it was more of brick red rather than brown, so i wiped it down a little more with a
clean damp cloth so that the tint becomes lighter.

       Here's how it looked like after drying up. Not totally in love with it, but well, its my first try after all.:)
    

 

First baby step

       It was a friday, and sitting in the train on my way back home, i was intensely reading the pages on my cracked iphone screen. yes, i have yet to send it for a replacement screen, but not surprisingly, that's the last thing on my mind right now. of course i do get stares from people, but sometimes i like to see their reaction. anyway, back to what i was reading- reviews on sewing machine. i cant remember when i first thought of my so-called 'dream' but in the last few weeks, my mind was saturated with ideas and plans. With no concrete plan and support, i set my heart out on the first step towards it. After all, it has to start somewhere, and i will never know if i can do it unless i try...


        Ok, so i know i was supposed to buy the kids' milk after work in tampines mall, but it surely wont hurt if i drop by Courts to 'survey' some sewing machine right? yeaps.. of course it wont. Half an hour later, i find myself crouching over a middle aged woman, looking intensely at her handling the not-so-alien machine, but sometimes feel like it. I left the store with a 7kg box in my hand, feeling unsure if ive made the right move (it was the cheapest one around), but excited at the same time. Then i remembered about the milk and i felt my phone vibrating in my bag. Must be my dearest wondering why im taking too long to get the milk. Sheesh how could i forget about that. I had no choice, so i went to ntuc-and yes, dragging the 7kg load along.....
                                          

              (it suffered lots of kicks from the kiddos even before the box was opened)

(at the rate at which the kids are 'abusing' it, not sure if it can even last a few months. But that's a gd excuse to get a better one i suppose ;p)