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This might be my favorite project of all time. It was so easy with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Clear Wax. I started out with two beat-up nightstands that I got for $20 each on Craigslist. They were pretty dinged up, but had great wood bones. I just used them as-is for about 2 years before finally deciding to create an Indian Inlay pattern with paint.
Here Is one of my inspiration pictures. This one.
The first step was to remove the hardware and then paint two coats of Annie Sloan Old Ochre on the pieces. The beauty of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is: no prep, no sanding, and great coverage. I wanted full coverage for the Indian Inlay look and did two coats, but one coat would have been great for a distressed look.
The next step was to select stencils and decide on borders/patterns. I just selected a variety of stencils from Joann’s Fabrics, but I haven’t seen them there lately! This stencil set by Kim Myles is awesome and this would be what I would use if I decide to do another piece.
I worked in sections, doing the borders first and then filling in the more abstract patterns in the middle last. If you are new to stenciling, here’s a great tutorial that shows stenciling materials and techniques. I was not going for perfection, so I didn’t concern myself if some of the paint got out of “the lines.” I used Annie Sloan Graphite to do the stenciling. I had to do the stenciling over the course of a few days (just working about 30 minutes a day), since I let the paint dry in certain areas so that I wouldn’t smear it if I had a stencil that overlapped a bit. I also cleaned the stencils with soap and water after each session. 
Once all the stenciling was done, I added one coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax with a paint brush, let it sit for about 24 hours, and then buffed it to a shine with a cotton cloth. This wax adds a lovely muted sheen, and I haven’t had any issues with water glasses that I love to set on my night stands 🙂 It really repels the water.
Here they are in our master, I love the look! The hardware came with the original night stands, I just put them back on. 
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