The Tale of a Rocking 'Sea' Horse

The Rocking 'Sea' Horse

Once upon a time, there was a rocking horse that no one loved until one day a girl and her paintbrush came along....

I guess you need to see the before picture to see how very sad this ordinary pine horse looked before:

Before

Nice and rustic.  But the yellow varnish was peeling and there were scuff marks.  The poor horse hadn't been played with in quite some time.  This very heavy and sturdy horse was calling out for some help.

So I got my trusty Annie Sloan Chalk Paint out and started:

First coat of Old White

I did two coats of Old White on most parts, but the head I did one.  Followed by Paris Grey on the head and the body.  I added a couple of starfish stencils to make it a 'Sea' horse.

A coat of clear wax and buffed.  I didn't want to distress this piece as I wanted it to look sparkling and new.  To finish off, I added antique gray buttons for the eyes and chocolate brown faux suede for the mane and tail (attached with adhesive as recommended by my friend, Nancy, at the Sea Rose Cottage).

Here is an additional shot out on the deck which is more true to the color:

What do you think?  Conor tried him out:

And didn't want to get off...

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