French Laundry Ironing Board

About a year ago I seen one of the coolest up cycled wooden Ironing boards & since then I have wanted to paint one.  I found one last week from a fellow vendor that was perfect.  You can see my inspiration here.

I sanded it all smooth & painted it black.  Now it was ready for graphics.

 I had my eye on a sweet french script stencil & this was the perfect project to try it out on.

I found this stencil from a shop on Etsy called "Wall Masque Stencil Co."  I love it's versatility.

I had a vision for the look I was going for.  There was an application I used to do when I did faux finishing called "Shadow Stripe".  It was a shiny stripe next to a flat/matte stripe. This was the look I wanted, but with words. So I used a gloss black for the stenciled words over the flat black paint.

How cool is that!!?

Now I'm not done yet.  I wanted to add white graphics over this.  I created it on my computer & transferred it on with my overhead projector.

I  had intended to paint the words in solid, but after outlining the letters, I liked the way it looked.  Unfortunately I lost a lot of the contrast of the background when I applied the wax.  You can still faintly see it when the light hits it just right. 

It was really hard to get a good picture in this bright light.

I still love how it turned out. These old ironing boards are so much fun to paint.  There are so many new ways to use them nowadays. Pinterest has a ton of ideas.  I would use it for a sofa table or it's perfect for entertaining.  Couldn't you just see it in someone's vintage style laundry room or sewing room?

I'll keep working on this technique.  I've already got a few ideas rolling around in my head.  I just need to get my hands on another Ironing board.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check out our Facebook. Take time to enjoy your summer,  Dee