DIY nautical table numbers

One day I got a lovely email asking if I would be interested in sharing the Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan goodness with my readers. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity because I've used these paints for many projects in the past and love them to death! They're mostly used on furniture pieces but I wanted to do something different, show how freakin' awesome they are for other applications too!

Wedding season has hit us down under and for me that means lots and lots of orders through my etsy store! I love making things for peoples special days but I REALLY love teaching people how to make their own wedding day goodies.

Nautical is always a popular theme for weddings and right now it's bigger than ever! If you have a nautical event coming up these will be perfect!

Here's how to make them...

You'll need:
Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan
Annie Sloan Clear Wax
Clean scrap fabric
Sand paper
Saw
Wood
Acetate (stencil)
Ruler
Paint brushes
Good quality masking tape

Cut your blocks to size and give them a good sand to smooth up the freshly cut edges. Mine are 15cm heigh.

Put a bit of white paint into a container and add water. You only need a little bit of paint. Mix the paint and water together. Brush some onto a scrap piece of wood to make sure you are happy with the level of transparency. If you want it more transparent, just add more water. It you want it more opaque just add a bit more paint.

Using a big brush (and not a lot of paint) give your blocks a white wash coat. Allow each side to dry before turning them over. I used a hair dryer to speed up the process. Once it's dry, if you want more white and less wood showing through give them another coat. I'm using one of the Annie Sloan brushes, they are the most amazing brushes in the entire world! So good for doing big pieces like furniture.

Measure 4cm down the block and tape it off. Doesn't have to be 4cm of course, can me whatever you like, just depends how big you want the colour dip top to be. Be sure to press the tape down as firmly as you can.
TIP: Do your self a favour and only ever use GOOD QUALITY masking tape! It will save you a lot of heart ache. Trust me. I know....

Get colourful! Brush your paint onto the "colour dipped" area. The colour I'm using here is called Aubusson Blue. So gorgeous. Perfect for this project.

While the paint's still wet use a piece of paper towel or a clean rag to rub the paint removing some of it. This is one step toward getting that great distressed look.

Give the coloured area a light sand before removing the tape. You want the paint to "wear" in spots it would normally do from use. Give the edges and corners more attention. You can distress the colour as much or as little as you like. If you think you took to much off just apply some more paint. Easy fix. :)

Number painting time! I have a kick ass electronic cutting machine so I made stencils for mine. If you don't have a cutting machine you can either make your own stencils or simply paint the numbers on by hand. If you are using stencils, apply some spray adhesive to them before sticking them to the block. This holds them in place and should prevents paint from leaking under the stencil. I cut my stencils a little bit short so I covered the ends with masking tape. I'm using the colour Graphite for the numbers.

Get painting! Don't load up the brush with to much paint. This is to prevent the paint from bleeding under the stencil.

Just like you did with the coloured top rub paint with a piece of paper towel.

Please, oh please take your time with this step. Rushing and using to much paint is a sure fire way to get paint bleeding under the stencil. You will be sad. Very sad... Trust me. When you're happy with the paint leave it to dry and peel off the stencil.

This stuff is the bees knees! A project like this doesn't need wax but this stuff is so seriously awesome I couldn't resist! It's generally used on furniture but it feels to good to not use it on like, everything! You can't really see the difference the wax makes in photos on this design but if you had these puppies in your hands you would see why I'm so in love!

To apply the wax use a clean scrap of fabric and rub the wax into the wood. Before doing this clean the piece with a paper towel focusing on the blue area. If there is any loose pits on the surface the wax may spread the blue into the white area. To be safe I applied the wax to the blue area first then used a new fabric scrap to do the rest of the piece.

Ta-Da! Finished and beautiful! I'm going to add these to the Etsy store soon. But I urge you to try and make them yourself! You will love this paint. Trust me. :)

Super cool right? I'm going to make more stuff using these paints so stay tunes for more Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan awesomeness!
To check out more about Annie Sloan products including Chalk Paint visit the website. anniesloan.com
Have you used Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan before? What have you made?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I was approached to write projects using Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan. I was sent these paints, wax and brush to make the pieces. I was in no way compensated with money. I honestly love these paints and I would never encourage you guys to try a product if I thought it was no good. Never. Ever. :)