Gorgeous Books Painted with Chalk Paint®!

I can’t remember when it happened. My love of reading. I was little. Maybe Dr. Seuss did it? Or Dick and Jane?

Stopping at the library on the way home from school, I checked out so many books that I staggered all the way home. My parents came in my room at night and demanded that I stop reading and go to sleep. I did. For five minutes. Then I made a tent out of my covers and read by Dad’s treasured flashlight. Wonder if he ever figured out why his batteries wore out so fast, or, why I was so sleepy at breakfast?

Nothing has changed. Just recently, I rescued a whole collection of the most beautifully aged encyclopedias from the 1870s. My dear friend, who will remain nameless (her initials are BS and we both share the middle name Lynn), was gleefully pitching them in the dumpster. Then she assisted as I plucked them back out in horror. Now they are prized possessions, adding ambiance to the decor in my home. In several rooms.

Not only do I love to read them, I like to look at pretty ones.

Last fall, I wandered through a myriad of International Furniture Market showrooms, many that used books as accessories. Here are a few of my favorite photos:

So, what does a book-lover do during these dreary winter days, when not reading? My answer is to paint some used books with Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan, what else? Who doesn’t have a pile just waiting for redesign?

Here is my project, all done:

Do you recognize Annie Sloan’s new fabric “Paris Noir”?

And do you also see Annie’s new Charcoal Pastorale Toile on this pretty chair? Not to mention the pillow that Barb Skivington, Unfolded’s Director of Education & Customer Support brought back from her visit to Annie’s shop in Oxford, England last year. The painted books blend beautifully.

Want to know how I did it? Here is my process, but most any of the finishes in Annie’s books will work.

MATERIALS: Graphite & Old White Chalk Paint®, Clear & Dark Soft Waxes, silver gilding cream. OPTIONAL: twine, old keys, lockets, chandelier crystals

1. Paint the books and the book edges with two coats of Graphite Chalk Paint®. Let dry.

2. Stencil to taste with Old White Chalk Paint®. I used sections of stencils from Maison de Stencils.

3. Wax with Clear Soft Wax and buff.

4. Wax with Dark Soft Wax and buff.

5. Dip your finger in the silver gilding cream, and rub across the book edges.

Now, I’m a bit addicted to this mini-paint-project and, like the in some photos above, I want to fill whole shelves!

How about you?