I'm Just Giving it a Little Character

I did exactly as Mrs. Weir told me. Dab the brush into the wax, making sure there is not too much or too little on the bristles. Apply to the wood in a circular motion or in cross-hatches so as not to create any streaks. Take a clean cloth and knead the wax into the wood until smooth. I followed the instructions with care as I hesitantly applied the sticky black substance to the pretty blue chest I had painted a few days earlier, yet I still managed to mess up.

No! I was doing so well! Everything I had painted turned out well and was happily received by their owners. But waxing, waxing was a different game.

See those dark spots? 

You never know how the furniture surface will turn out, especially with dark wax (compared to clear wax). You let the piece sit for a bit, and before you know it, the piece develops a different color.

So I sat and waited, and black patches appeared among completely blue patches. It was uneven and looked like the blue drawers had been thrown overboard into an oil-polluted sea. I quickly took my cloth and started to rub at the darker blotches hoping that the pressure would make them disappear. They didn't. I tried a little harder. Still no difference.

"Don't worry about this," Mrs. Weir said after I fetched her from her computer. "This typically happens. The wax is stubborn and wants to stick to some places and not others. But the discoloration in some parts is what gives a piece of furniture character." She calmly grabbed a tin of clear wax and lathered a glob into the dark areas. The dark did not disappear, but she could now move it across the drawer surface and give it a more even coverage.

I wiped my brow (giving myself a streak of wax across my forehead) thankful that I still have managed to go six days without ruining anything.

The final product 

~Laura