Swede: Do It Yourself

I purchased a pair of these candlesticks from Restoration Hardware maybe 8 to 10 years ago. Last week I decided to paint them. I had been putting off the project because one was wobbly in a joint and didn't stand up straight but I finally got my husband to fix it.

Above is the before and after.

The candlesticks originally had some kind of sealer on them but that is all. They had never been finished.

On the right you can see my first base coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in beige. For the second coat, I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Grey dabbed on with a natural sea sponge moistened in water and then mixed in a darker grey by using Artisan water soluable oil paint in Payne's Grey. I applied it lightly so the base coat would show through.

And, here is what it looks like with the Payne's Grey.

On the right is the next step which is to sponge on with a water dampened natural sea foam sponge a little bit of Amy Howard brown stain. The Payne's Grey paint looked blue so I wanted to knock that down a bit to look more aged and grey.

The last step is to add on French Gedeo gilding wax in King Gold.

Here is how the pair look on my Swede Collection buffet. They are 37.5" tall which is what I needed in height because the mirror reaches to the ten foot ceiling.

I am happy with the way they turned out. I can use them now instead of storing them away because they weren't presentable.

Colleen

Photos: Swede

I am in the process of changing the dining room. Tired of the old look -- want something different. More posts to come as I make changes. I am changing the chandelier, rug, wall paint and chairs. I am aiming for a total neutral look so that any tablescape I put together in orchid, aqua, purple, etc. will not clash with the room. I want colors to only be accents in the design, not a major part of it. That allows me to switch the accent colors with the seasons.

Anything that I can do myself at home, I enjoy doing. Particularly if I can get a good look and save money.

Some people hate to paint. I enjoy it. Love to see the color change. First, I had to paint this accent wall from peach [Martha Stewart Nasturtium] to beige [Lowe's Soft Camel].

Today, I am sharing a gallery wrap canvas painting that I did for the dining room. I am sorry but I forgot to photo the canvas with the base coat on.

I purchased a 60" x 48" large gallery wrap canvas at Michael's. I only get them when I can use a 40% off coupon as they are a bit pricey - about $100. To put the base coat on, I used various beiges in acrylic craft paint.

I just wiped the various colors on dabbing a little here and there in small sections until the entire white canvas was covered. You will be able to see the variations of the beiges in the finished canvas. I also taped off the side edges with blue painter's tape and painted the four outside edges a medium brown. Sometimes I use black or bright gold, but did brown this time. After the base coat dried, I stenciled it.

PLEASE keep in mind this is NOT how I would do it if I was going to sell it or do it for someone else. I wanted this for something quick to put on the wall that I could do in two days. You will DIE when you see what I stenciled it with.

I already owned a large damask stencil from Royal Design Studio, No. 724L which is 24.5 tall and 21 wide. I love damasks and the bigger the better. I was going to paint the wall beige and then stencil this damask on with irridescent pearl paint. Then I decided to not do the dining room wall but to do the canvas and then I could move the canvas anywhere I wanted in the house when I was ready for a change. Look on Royal Design Studio's website to see how fabulous this looks on a wall. Loved it!

Since I was in a big hurry to have it on the wall for Thanksgiving Day, I didn't have time to use actual stencil paints -- would have taken many hours. You will die -- I used spray paint. I am the disgrace of the faux paint industry!!

There it is. Brilliant gold spray paint from Michael's. Notice the size of the stencil compared to the paint can. That will give you some idea of scale. If you get the crazy idea to do what I did, here are some tips for you.

1. Put blue masking tape over the dashed and open registration marks. If you don't you will spray paint over them and then cannot align your repeat designs.

2. I also put 2" blue painter's tape around the outside edges to keep spray off the brown paint.

3. If you are right handed, use a disposable glove on your left hand or you will paint your fingers. Since the canvas "gives" you will need to hold the stencil down tight with your left hand or spray will go underneath the tiny parts to mess up your design.

4. Do NOT use stencil adhesive. All it did was deposit the glue onto the canvas and keep the paint from sticking. Wish I had not done that. Also, spray the paint down directly from above, not at an angle, or paint will spray underneath the stencil.

5. I also used 2" wide blue tape along the edges of the stencil and put newspaper over the remaining canvas so it wouldn't get spray residue.

6. I also recommend putting the eye hooks for the back wire into the frame interior itself so the canvas will lie flat against the wall with no gaps. I place my hooks 11" down from the top for better balance.

On this 60" x 48" canvas, the hardest part was finding the center of the stencil to line up with the center of the canvas. Not hard to find the center of the canvas, but finding the center of the unusual shape of the stencil was a pain. Of course, they are never marked with grid lines. I think I came pretty close and see where I am off by 1/8" horizontally on one repeat, but only a professional could tell [don't look]. This size canvas will take five full designs and then you fill in top and bottom with partial repeats. I put the first stencil in the center and then worked out top to bottom.

Keep in mind, I am doing this on the dining room table covered with a dropcloth with the front door open to get the fumes out before Mr. Swede sees me using spray paint in the house. Thankfully, he was upstairs on the computer for the 30 minutes it took me to do this.

So here is what my crazy project looks like.

Wahhhh-laaaa! Since the height of the canvas is 60", it goes to within 4" of the crown molding in this room with 10 foot ceilings.

The console table is 37" high and 50" wide. It is hard to get a good photo without getting the chandelier. Have to take the photo at an angle and it distorts how big the canvas really is.

Need to have Mr. Swede mount the sconces for each side. I have an antique pair that has been in a box for 20 years.

I like the reflected sheen off the metallic gold from the light of the chandelier. I made the deadline of Thanksgiving morning, and I actually like how it turned out. Although there is pattern in the damask design, I don't think it will conflict with my tablescapes.

I wanted the metallic paint to pick up on the gold leaf on this Marsta console table I designed for Swede Furniture HERE.

For accessories, I am using beige with gold leaf candlesticks, white coral in cachepots and my wire shell sculpture from the Phillippines that I found at Round Top.