wax + paint = awesomeness!

Over the weekend I tackled these cute wooden boxes.  I've had these boxes for 10+ years and all that time they stayed in their unfinished form.  Natural wood.  I always intended to do something with them but I couldn't decide what to do.  Finally though, inspired by our recent move, an empty home that needed decor, and my new found bravery to break away from beige, I produced this:

I wish I would have taken a "before" picture but in my creative rage I complete forgot.   Just imagine them as plain, unfinished wood.  So, what do I love about them?  Ummm, everything!  However, the fun part of the project was the painting technique I used.  I used wax to create a resist and I love the result.  Here's how:

1-Prepare your painted surface.  Sand, clean, etc...
2- Paint your first color.  I painted yellow but I didn't paint the whole box, just in the spots I wanted the yellow to show.
3- Paint your second color.  For me that color was orange and again I only painted it where I wanted it to show, I did not paint the whole box.
4- Once your paint has dried take a candle, preferably a white or off white one - no color - and rub it over the area you painted.  So, for me, I just rubbed it lightly on over the area with the yellow and orange paint.
5- Then using your main color, for me that was blue, paint the rest of your project.

Because of the wax, the paint will not coat over the other colors.  Cool, right?!

6- After the blue paint had dried, I scrapped and sanded some of the wax off and then I applied one coat of Polystain, it's stain mixed with polyacrylic, and I was done! 

So easy!  I love how the yellow and orange look like old paint layers and how the stain gives it a distressed, antiqued look.  It may have taken me 10 years to get this project done but I tell you what, it was so worth the wait!