Altard Workshop

Being that this was my first time to redo a piece of furniture without just 'eyeballin' it, I figured I better take an easy piece to work with. I used this little chest....really of no significant value to me....and if I totally messed it up, I wouldn't shed any tears!

The process started by sanding it with a hand sander.....talk about power in your hands! The last time I sanded, I did it by hand. This was easier and quicker, for sure!

The ladies in the workshop all painted our pieces together. It was fun being around other women who were interested in the same topics I was : paint color, how much to distress, to glaze or not glaze. Plus, they were so interesting - some were preacher's wives, teachers, home schooling moms......lots of good conversation!

Here's the piece after two coats of paint. The color terrified me - I knew I needed to glaze it to tone it down a bit!

GLAZING!!! AARRGHHHHH!! It was much harder than it looked. The Altard workshop showed us how to glaze with a paintbrush, not using a rag to wipe off.

I don't think I was very good at that technique.

The big door's glaze looks terrible! : ) Once glaze is on, you have a very small amount of time to work with it before it's too dry to mess with anymore. I was near tears when I saw my (lack of) handiwork on this piece. I honestly expected more of myself! Thankfully, the Altard geniuses encouraged me that the first time working with glaze is the hardest....it gets easier the more you do it.

All in all, it was a very informative workshop. I learned to basics, and I also realized that maybe some of her techniques aren't exactly the way I would do them on my own. I'm ready to take another piece and work on my skills! Maybe one day, I'll be selling my finished pieces on this blog......hopefully!


The BEST part of my trip? Getting to stay with my former college roommate and seeing her precious daughter. So good to stay in touch with lifelong friends!