How do you take your distress?

I've taken on another Annie Sloan Chalk Paint project. This is really my first try at using the paint, heavily distressing the piece and using the clear wax. It's still a work in progress but I thought I would share some photos and possibly get some advice or comments from those of you who have used the paint. I LOVE the look this paint creates and hope to eventually be able to use it to create something that looks like this...


I am in LOVE with that piece of furniture! Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? It was done by Michelle of Stiltskin Studios. You should go check out her Etsy shop. She has some really fun pieces and is very talented.

Okay, back to me and my project. I'll just go ahead and declare it up front - I am not talented! Everything I know about using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I have learned from youtube tutorials and ebooks. In other words, I have no experience and pretty much no idea what I'm doing. Yes, I realize a class would do me good. Anyway, I thought I should start small so when I ran across this stool at a local re-sale shop I decided it would be perfect for the task at hand.

Some of you may take one look at the transformation and say to yourself, "self, why would she go and ruin a perfectly good stool"? And, if you're not in to the "shabby chic" and/or distressed look I completely understand your question. With that said, here she is...

I covered the stool in one coat of Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint, allowed it to dry and sanded the entire piece with a very fine (150) sanding paper. Once that was done I applied a second coat of paint, allowed it to dry and sanded it again. With the second sanding I distressed the corners and high spots with sand paper and a sanding block. I then applied a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and allowed it to dry for 24 hours. Finally I buffed the stool to a smooth finish.

What do you think? Too much distress? I am considering going back and adding a third coat of paint and using less distress the next time around. I suppose, like coffee or tea, it's all a matter of taste. So tell me lovely readers, how do you take your distress?