Hello Gorgeous

It's all her fault, I was very happy with  my old girl until I saw her, I was smitten and intrigued. How would she look in my house? I was saddened to know that she could never come and live with me. The price was to high. When you see her you will understand the source of my fascination and desire. Here see for yourself why I was smitten:

Photo shabbychic.com

Isn't she a beauty? I became  so enraptured that I started to look at my old girl in a different light. She had been with me for years, but like all girls eventually do, she needed a new look. We talked it over and she agreed a makeover was in order. But how? What could we do to take her from this

To something like this:

shabbychic.com

The Quest  started with a google search. There I found the answer.I learned what tools to use to transform my old girl into a newer version of her self. After much research and with a lot of excitement and anxiety she was transformed into this:

texture detail

She has given me permmssion to share the secrets of her transformation. Here's what we did:

1. Wash  with a mild soap and water.
2. Rub over leather surface with denatured  alcohol
3. The alcohol removes all wax and polish
4. Sand the leather lightly with fine sandpaper to allow the paint to adhere
5. Mix a 50/ 50 mixture of  paint and water, this creates a wash
6. Apply a very thin coat of the wash
7. You should be able to see the original color through this first application
8. Let dry one hour 
9. Apply second thin coat let dry one hour
10. Repeat until you get the desired coverage.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I was really worried that it would look painted and not like leather anymore. I'm pleased to say it really does look like white leather and not like leather that has been painted. It's also very soft and supple. I used Pink Sea Salt by Martha Stewart, its a very creamy white with a whisper of pink. It looks very warm and soft, not stark at all. The best part is that the texture of the leather is still visible. The secret is to use very thin coats and and let it dry very well between coats. The photos have a shadow on the right, the color is very even and smooth so what you are seeing in the pic is not on the ottoman.  I used about 8 thin coats to get the desired effect. It's  a time consuming process but worth it. Here is the before and after again:

Before

After

The bottom detail and legs are wood so I had to prime them before painting. I didn't dilute the paint for the wood part. I really love it and even my  husband who was skeptical  raves about it every time  he passes it by. I think he's told me its beautiful 100 times. I hope you  like it too. Stay tuned for the chair later next week. Have a happy and Blessed Easter everyone. I'm  joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.  I'm joining  Centsational Girl's Fair Weather Forum Linky Party. And Layla  at The Lettered Cottage for How To's Day and Funky Junk Interiors SNS and The Newbie Party at Debbie Doos Blogging and Blabbing  and Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party.
and Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage  

Homemaker On A Dime for Creative Bloggers Blog Hop.