Swede

DIY Project - Restoration Hardware Candlesticks Redo

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 

Dining Room Changes: My DIY Gallery Wrap Canvas Project

 

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.

I like how all the cremes, beiges and whites go together.  I added more gold leaf to the candlestands after I purchased them.

So what do you think?  You will keep my secret, right??

Summer

Photos: Swede

Decor Style: Shopping Marburger Farm at Round Top

 

I attended the fall antique show at Round Top, Texas last week in the 96 degree heat.  I came home a day early. Yes, unheard of for me to be a quitter at an antique show. I got to the point where I was drained of energy and just couldn't focus on another booth of fabulous stuff. I guess I shopped until I dropped. Just too hot to shop after about 10:00 in the morning. On the second day of shopping it rained for all of five minutes and didn't even get the ground wet. Texas has a big struggle with livestock survival this year as the long-term intense heat dried up all the grazing land and ponds. Driving across Texas the land looked desolate. Even the Red Oak trees couldn't survive and the Live Oaks were struggling. Everything was brown. On the highways we noticed truck after truck hauling hay bales into Texas.  

 
To see past posts I've done on the spring antique show at Marburger Farm, go HERE and HERE. Marburger Farm is just one venue at this event. There are more venues all up and down Hwy. 237 and in the small surrounding towns near Round Top.  Mile after mile of antiques. I did notice that the former sign that said the population of Roundtop was 77 had been changed to 90.  Now imagine 20,000 people showing up for a week of antique shopping. We certainly helped the local economy. 

First, if you have never attended, I want to show you how big the tents are at Marburger Farm. They must be the length of a football field.  There are three this big [below], another one this long but only half as wide and then another two that are almost this long and wide and three a little bit shorter and then two small tents.  To get through the eight major tents and 11 wooden buildings on the promenade takes a full day if you move fast.  I try to move through them at a moderate pace and take two days.  Then I go down the road to The Red Barn [air conditioned!!!] for a half day. Sometimes I hit Bahia or go to Warrenton.  You really can't see it all even if you stay a week.

 
Do you think this tent is 100 yards long? These tents are not air conditioned. See how brown the ground is - grass has all died. If I go back again, I think I'll only go to the spring show in April.  I saw Leslie Sinclair outside one of the buildings under an awning selling her new book, Segreto. That's a dedicated but brutal way to sell your book. Also signs were along the road pointing to Rachel Ashwell's place but I decided not to go to her book signing party at her new ranch Tuesday evening.

Walk through the tents with me and I will point out the things I liked and the best booths. They claim to have 350 dealers on 43 acres, so I only photoed a few. My camera got very heavy in the heat so I didn't take as many pictures as I have in the past. I must say that they do have fabulous items - so many incredible things your head spins.  I have never found a bargain here either. Mr. Swede calls it "high retail".  The most I hope for is just a fair price. Much of it is out of my price range, such as a set of 8 Swedish small kitchen chairs for $16,000. Looking at the eye candy is inspiring and I find it uplifting and joyful.

 
This is the General Store. Inside are six dealers with fabulous china, glassware and other decorative treasures. On the porch is Maison de France of Leeds, AL. I never miss stopping by the porch for antiques brought over from France by Ginny. I purchased a metal floor candlestand here.

 
I like how the antiques are displayed. Mirrors stacked in front of mirrors, architectural salvage and big French chairs.

 
Designing with alter candlesticks is still going strong. Nice country fruitwood chest.

 
Sconces, neutral pale pottery, and big meat domes are plentiful. Gilt and silver leaf finishes always get my attention. I am seeing severly distressed objects being considered "perfect" condition. I like aged finishes but not distressing on purpose to create age.

 
Sunburst mirrors of all styles going strong. I loved the pattern on the frame of this silver mirror. I still see many lamp bases made of iron salvage. Those looks don't seem to have faded in popularity.

 
I don't think French chairs will ever go out of style. These Louis XIV chairs have been recovered in linen. Beige linen upholstery or white upholstery is still a great neutral choice.

 
Small tables and French mirrors of any size are always in demand. I always get my fill of eye candy at Ginny's booth.

Next building - Legler House on the promenade.

 
There are two wonderful dealers in this building, Designs by Grace and Kelley Zeleskey of Houston.

 
These dealers show repainted furniture in lovely shades of gray and white. Here you see some 1960's blue dining room chairs waiting for reupholstery. Do you remember this style? There were thousands of this style French chairs made in the 60's and 70's.

 
They do a great job of merchandising and display. They always have nice mirrors. I enjoy this very pleasing booth since I am a lover of white and neutral interiors.

 
Here are two cute white painted chairs and another look at the French cupboard which was probably brown wood before. Now it is sporting wire door panels.

Next, in big tent A, we have Willow Nest Farm from almost local Burton, Texas. It is a booth not to miss.

 
If you love white, romantic interiors or feminine style, don't miss this booth. Above you can see the beautiful white children's clothing.

 
The Aubusson flat weave rug and coverlet is in a soft shell pink color. Just beautiful!

 
Linda and Ludmil put together a stunning booth.

 
Linda's attention to detail of small objects is just total eye candy.

 
In Tent A, this is California dealer Machtolff's Mercantile. Linen and hemp fabrics are still going strong along with Belgian decor.

 
This is a wider shot of their booth.

 
A couple dealers had these zinc baskets. None of them could nail down what they actually were used for. Machtolff's said they were to dip olives into a brine during harvest and were from France, others said they were from Turkey and others said they were to dip flowers into water during field harvest [don't think so]. I first saw them online at Atelier de Campagne HERE in California. I also got the popular zinc wire baskets from Machtolff's that dealers weren't sure what they were originally designed for.  They reminded me of baskets to pick potatoes [but too tall] and one dealer said they were for harvesting mussels. Lifting those filled with mussels would ruin your back! I would guess they are from the 1960's.  I think it is best to buy them only if you like them and not count on dealer information to be accurate. HERE are the wire baskets at Atelier de Campagne in California. It would not surprise me if some dealers purchased them there at the recent container sale to sell at Marburger Farm.  Mine has a maker's mark on the handles that does look Belgian.

I bought two zinc baskets from Machtolff's to use for burgundy colored fall Mums for my front porch.

 
I saw prices all over the place on these -- from $65 with a lot of rust to $295 - that's crazy! You could use them like I am as cachepots for plants with internal pots such as ferns or any seasonal plant or for rolled bath towels at a beach house. Pretty much as versitile as a woven wicker basket. Mr. Swede loved buying wayyyyyy too many gourds and pumpkins in Burton at a roadside stand.

 
Louis Vuitton trunks are for sale outside the Gulf building.

Also in Tent A, I always stop at Antiques on Holiday's booth.

 
I'm always anxious to see what Ann and her husband brought back from France and Belgium.  They have the best prices on glass demijohns.  Ann always has things like bird cages, antique books, china, tables, chairs and this time a taxidermed blue peacock.

 
Here you can see the peacock.

 
Ann's shop is in Destin, Florida. She has a good eye for selecting merchandise.

 
Sconces, paintings and architectural elements like shutters and doors are still going strong. People are still faux painting in light paint these brown wood French buffets, chests and armoires. The two big books above are French dictionaries.  

Another dealer not to miss in Tent D is Mitra of Houston's Art & Antique Hunter booth.

 
Mitra has fabulous trumeaus, chandeliers, tables, mirrors and chairs.

 
I believe she said she is a fourth generation importer of Italian and European antiques. My eye caught the coronas on the table.  A wide variety of lovely things to choose from in this booth.

Next in Tent A is this eye candy booth which I think is East of LA. One thing I don't like about Marburger Farms is that the booths do not have the seller's logo prominently displayed so you know whose booth it is.

 
I love this gal's style. She does a great job of merchandising her wares. Gold leafed chairs and metal objects, white/light fabrics, great display pieces.

Maybe because I am attracted to white and light interiors, I found many booths at Marburger in this style. I don't think it is going away anytime soon.

 
Cute little French desk in the front. Lots of white pillows, slipcovers, etc.

 
White chest, white marble sculpture, white iron planter, etc.

 
Light wood chest and mirror with iron lamp bases.

 
Another light wood chest, metal lamp bases and painted metal box for flowers.

 
Every shade of gray is still going strong. Notice the salvaged wood used to back the sconces.

 
This painted white antique chair is ready for reupholsery and a better faux finish on the frame. Very unique and a true antique. If there were do-overs, I would have purchased this.

 
There was an unlimited supply of brown wood furniture painted light colors -- gray, white, beige and pale greens or blues.

 
Chairs reupholstered in white.

 
Chests and nightstands ready for a new life.

 
I am so glad the recycling of these pieces is popular. I can't imagine how much furniture went to the landfill before this style became chic. Sorry I don't know the name of this dealer.

 
Here is another dealer with a fabulous booth. Wonderful canape/settee.

 
Needlework pillows and a framed piece on the wall.

 
We do see some brown wood tables that were not repainted.

 
Old beds are always popular especially with white bedding. Lots of ruffles. I think this dealer is J. Hill Designs.

 
Very attractive look of the lace top on the dress form. Nice French cabinet also.

 
Clock faces in decor hasn't faded. This dealer was also selling Leslie Sinclair's new book, Segreto.

 
Silverplated meat and food domes are in the height of popularity.  Very beautiful display.

 
Crackle painted old kitchen cabinet.

 
And, here is the latest style --typography used in interiors.

 
What do you think? Do you like subway style?

 
And the industrial look. 

 
Another building not to miss is the Silver Dollar Saloon. The dealers in here sell excellent transferware, majolica and estate jewelry.

You can also find an English transferware dealer at Zieger House.

 
Christopher English and Dennis & Dad are the dealers here.

 
They have an extensive collection of transferware, earthenware and pottery. I have a platter very much like this one.

 
Some nice painted chairs here on the porch.

Note to Dealers:  If I could not find you or your business card in your booth to identify you in my photos, I want to give you credit. Please send me an email and I will add your name. I don't want to leave you out but I couldn't be certain from the Howdy map who the owners of the booths were.

We came home to a cool 70 degree temperature.  My flower garden is loving it -- and so are we!!

Hope you enjoyed your tour of Marburger Farm.

Summer

Photos: Swede

Faux Painting: Unlimited Designs for Your Beautiful Decor

 

Do you faux?

Can you envision this turquoise and gold on your powder room walls?

 

Are you curious how this is done?

 

Have you ever wanted a silver drop dead foyer?

 

Can you imagine this painting over your fireplace mantle? [with your signature in the corner]

 

Would you like your artwork frames to look nicer?

 

Ever wanted kitchen cabinets 2die4?

 

Does this cabinet door lift your spirits every time you see it?

 

Or maybe you love an oriental look.

 

Ever wonder how this is done?

 

Does this take your breath away?

 

Or this?

 

Can you imagine where you could put these?

 

Does this make your heart pound faster?

 

Need choices?

 

Love turquoise?

It's all here:

 

Let this lovely lady teach you how to make your home expressly unique.

 

To see available classes, go here: Southern Institute

You will love the endless possibilities of how you can change your decor yourself.  I've loved every minute of the three classes I have taken here. The instruction is supurb.  I only wish I had discovered this Institute years ago.  The fun awaits you!

Summer

Photos: Swede

Annie Sloan: Chalk Paint Inventor's American Tour

 

 

  

Annie Sloan of England brought her Chalk Paint to the American market. Formerly only available in Europe, the formula is now produced and distributed in Louisiana.

Her American tour, March 1-15, takes place in Louisiana, Mississippi, California, Texas, North Carolina and New Jersey.  To learn more, go to her website: here 

Virginia Weathersby, owner of The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Brandon, MS hosted the one-day workshop on March 4. For the website go here: TSIFF 

 

This workshop, taught by Brit Annie Sloan was to introduce her paint line called Chalk Paint to American painters. As the old addage goes, "necessity is the Mother of invention", Annie created Chalk Paint to get the desirable properties in a paint where others failed to perform to her liking.

What is Chalk Paint and how is it different? In Annie's words, this water-based paint available in 24 colors is a soft matte paint for use on almost anything to allow the user to work in an independent, intuitive and creative way. 

 

You can create a distressed French or Swedish look, a plaster look, a washed wood look or even do a blackboard. Each of the 24 colors can be expanded to more colors by combining paints.

 

This storyboard shows examples of fabulous applications on furniture, walls and doors. Love that door on the right.

The 21 women and men in this workshop prepared six boards to demonstrate the techniques: Two Color, Textured Colored Wax, Clouded Stipple, Crackle Paint, Textured Paint and Lime Look Wash. Starting with this:

 

And ending with this:

 

 

I guarantee you this is not difficult. It is a lot of fun and you can do it too. Students in the class ranged from professionals who make their living faux finishing to students who had never painted before.

I'll walk you through a few of these techniques. The first one is the Two Color Technique on a piece of egg and dart molding.

 

 

Let dry between each coat.

 

The secret here is the English wax. Clear always goes on first. Wipe off excess brown wax to suit your taste. Below is what the Hannant's wax looks like.

 

Next, sand through to expose the underlying color. You can distress as much or little as you like.

 

Here's the end result. See, how easy was that.  With a little instruction, you can paint anything.

 

Let's walk through another one. This is my favorite called Clouded Stipple.

 

Versailles is the base coat. Then dapple on small amounts of Old Violet and Old White with the tip edge of your brush and merge to make cloudy.

 

Brush on sizing and let get tacky. Then apply the gold leaf sheet.

 

This is how mine looked.

 

 

 

 

You can also remove some of the brown wax by using another coat of clear wax.

 

I won't run you through all six finishes step by step.  Here are some random shots of the Textured Colored Wax, Textured Paint, Crackle Paint and Lime Look Wash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wipe off as much or as little of the brown wax as you prefer. That was easy, wasn't it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

And you're done!

 

 

 

 

 

Here are various finishes you can create with Chalk Paint.

 

 

And here are photos of the class.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed your class with me in Brandon, MS via this post.

If you would like to take a Chalk Paint class, the next one at The Southern Institute is April 15.

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede

Shops With Beautiful Things: Annelle Primos, Jackson, MS

 

Whenever I am near Jackson, Mississippi, I must stop in at Annelle Primos. I am always looking for beautiful items for the tabletop, and, of course, I love light painted antiques.

 

Annelle Primos's interior design shop is in Highland Village right off I-55.

 

Have you been to a shop that is so "you" that you want to ask for the key so you can just move in and never leave because everything is to your liking?

 

Annelle Primos provides interior design services as well as a bridal registry. Visit the website here:  Annelle Primos

 

My favorite item in the shop is this French mirror. The chest is wonderful also.

 

Here is a closer view of the fabulous top. Notice the birds.

 

How gorgeous is that? The gold bowl is 2die4.

 

I love light-toned neutral furnishings and painted wood finishes as they are so soothing as well as flexible when switching out accessories.

 

This mirrored pair of white painted doors makes a great backdrop for the Swedish sofa.

 

These light woods make decorating so easy. 

 

I liked the shape of this piece by Bliss Studios in California.

 

So pretty.

 

Another light toned cabinet.

 

Nice console, trumeau and framed intaglios.

 

Antique altersticks. Notice the little bird under the glass cloche.  And, the table below has a bird cage.  Birds are a favorite accessory for spring.

The shop always has several dining tables. I like the way they display the tabletop items on each table in place settings.

 

This makes it so easy to see how these items will look on your own table.

 

Here is a close up of the place setting.

 

The Kim Seybert fringe beaded placemat with the antique china plate. Charger is clear glass with a gold rim. Totally elegant. I do like that this shop carries antique plates and mixes them with new ones just like I do.  It gives the table so much character.

 

Here is another dining room. Note the painted green cane chairs.

 

The tablescapes are designed for Easter.

 

Cute rabbits and eggs.

 

Below is the place setting.

 

Neutral tones with lots of varying textures.

 

This dining table's cloth has a burlap look to the fabric's weave which goes great with the seagrass rug. It is tied so cute at the corners.

 

A really smart way to update a dark wood table that you are tiring of.

  

I love how they have mixed the antique plates here with new chargers and placemats. Note the unusual shape of the goblets.

 

A small table in Easter decor with a "feather" tree. Love the stemware here and the napkin with the aqua colored plates.

 

And here is another one.

 

A cute Easter rabbit with her baby. I like the planted carrots.

 

Another room at Annelle Primos has decor for more casual, rustic interiors and lake cabins.

 

Look how big and sturdy this dining table is. The antique French bench provides interesting seating instead of chairs.

These deer plates were a nice look for a hunting cabin theme.

 

I loved the amber stemware with the glass buttons. They were very reasonably priced. I will show these in my tablescape in a few weeks.

 

The deer napkin rings are unusual. The green placemat and octagonal plates make a great look.

 

This paneled screen is very pretty. Bird cages are very popular.

The registry section of the store carries exquisite china and stemware.

 

The cabinetry was painted by Virginia Weathersby of The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing.  I came to Jackson to take my third class at her shop. I will do a post next on that topic. Virginia is the one who told me about Annelle Primos and I am so glad she did.

 

I see they carry my favorite French china, Jaune de Chrome. The cabinet above is displaying Juliska.

 

You won't want to miss the chandeliers.

Here are a few of my purchases on my dining room table.

 

Maybe I should say this is the "before" shot.  Being a painter, you didn't think I would leave them this way, did you? 

 

These three Bliss Studio pieces didn't make it 24 hours in my house before getting some gold "make up".  They needed some added character so they didn't look like they all came out of the same Chinese factory [which they did]. 

 

Love the shape but it needs some help.  First step is to add French gilding wax.  This took me less than one minute on each piece.  I just put the gold on the pad of my index finger and rub it on. You could use an artist's brush, but I like to feel how it is spreading.

 

I am using two different colors of gold wax for variation in the finish. This is the first step on the finial below. Next it will get a darker gold wax and then some paint.  

 

Here's how all three of them looked after three minutes.

 

Ah, you say they all look the same again.  Yes, they do. But wait until you see what I do to them next in another post.  They each need their own individual character.

I hope you have enjoyed shopping with me at Annelle Primos.

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede 

DIY Furniture Painting Fix Up of Karges Chest

 

A year or so ago I purchased a chest made by Karges knowing I would have to fix up the top surface.  I finally finished this project this past September. When I want to repaint a piece of used furniture, I search for the highest name brand quality I can find which to me is a company like Karges or John Widdicomb. They are probably the most expensive furniture brands made in America with the exception of bespoke custom made pieces. For the most part they are bench made with a lot of care taken by highly skilled workers.  They also retain their value more than other brands so even used you are not going to get them cheap. 

Here is the chest with the drawers removed sitting on the dropcloth ready to go.

 

I do not know when this piece was made.  I would not say it was mid century modern. Maybe made in the 1970's or so.  I think I paid around $515 for it delivered to the house.  I knew it had a dated painted top that was no longer in style and someone had left a drink on it too long and there was a circle where the paint had lifted off.

 

That's pretty ugly, huh? It is not marbelized, just some crazy black string lines all over. I considered for a long time what color I should paint the top.  I finally decided on a metallic gold because the drawers had inlaid brass.

Keep in mind this is NOT how a professional would have done this.  I had several requirements: 1) not to mess up the bottom 2) not to strip it down to the bare wood; and 3) make it liveable but not a high grade finish.  I was wanting a simple fix.  I did not use the kind of paint a pro would.

This is just paint from Lowe's. This is actually wall paint. Valspar Brilliant Metals line.

 

Here's the base coat going on. 

 

Here is the finished piece.  It has a calmer look to it now. I think it looks fine with the brass inlay on the drawers. Designers say you should have at least one black painted piece in a room to "ground" it, so I guess I am grounded. What I do like about Karges is the sound it makes when you close the drawers caused by the air rushing out.  It just has a very high quality sound to it.

I might add, if you have a project like this, do it right, don't do what I did. Since this is a water-based paint, I don't know how well it will hold up over time.  I might have to strip it down to the wood and do it right the next time.

All the best,

Summer

Photos: Swede

Starting to Decorate for the Holidays

 

 

I'm running late decorating for the holidays. Here is a little display in my home office. I love to mix real coral into my holiday decorating. Metal painted shadow box is from Wisteria catalog. Cross in shadow box is from Hobby Lobby. Cabinet doors are the ones I painted in a class at The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Mississippi this summer. Turquoise painting is a 4'x6' gallary wrap canvas I finger painted a few years ago and then added some gold leaf.  Are you through with your holiday decorating?

Summer

 

Testing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: My Trial Results

 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  It is all the buzz in faux painting circles. 

 

The newest paint.  The latest and greatest.  There is nothing like it they say. Certainly a lot of excitement.  Once somewhat difficult to obtain because you had to order it from England [but I think it was manufactured in Belgium], but now no more waiting, converting from pounds to dollars and shipping issues.  It is manufactured in the United States to Annie Sloan's exacting specifications and available from the distributor through stockists. I ordered several quarts from The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Brandon, MS and had it shipped to me.  You can also take their Chalk Paint classes. 

This is where I first learned about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I fell in luvvvvv with it when I saw Virginia Weathersby's samples at the Institute.  My favorite was Chateau Grey on top of Duck Egg Blue. The cost is $35 a quart. I used less than a pint on my chair.

Duck Egg underneath Chateau Grey is the sample on the right.

My trial of the paint [unscientific, of course since there was no control batch] is done on a French chair I purchased at a neighborhood garage sale.  Since I like Swedish and French furnishings, I chose Paris Grey for the color of the chalk paint.  The chair has a lot of detailed carvings which I thought would look good in gold metallic. For the upholstery, I chose a cleanable white fabric that I seem to use on everything. The cost of the upholstery work is always the most expensive part of the project.  I love white but I also need any spots to be easily cleanable with water and soap.  This fabric is one of my best decorating secrets. This is a new, made in China, reproduction chair that has a gloss seal on it which I presume is varnish.

The test that I was most curious about was the claim on the AS website that you don't have to sand or strip the current finish.  Just paint the chalk paint right over the top.  So I wanted to see if that really worked and if the paint did stick, but further, did it stay on. In Annie's book, "Creating the French Look", on page 83, she also states that the surfaces do not need to be prepared or primed.  Would it stick to my varnished surface?  

http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/copy_of_How_to_use_the_paint.html

 

First step:  Apply the Chalk Paint.  I like working with an artist's brush on small surfaces like these instead of a regular paint brush for better control and neatness.  I applied two coats.  To keep track of which surface I had painted, I rolled the chair in a clockwise motion and painted only the side that was face up and letting each painted side dry before rolling the chair to the next position.  I knew if I didn't do that I would not be able to tell what had a second coat and what didn't.

The second step:  Apply the gold to the detailed carvings.  I decided to try a new product I learned about at The Institute called gilding wax.  It is made in France and costs about $16 for a 30 ml jar.  It comes in about five colors and I chose King Gold since I wanted a lot of metallic contrast between the gold and the Paris Grey.  I applied it with a tiny artist's brush and then rubbed it with my index finger.  The rubbing effect is what makes it glow. I luvvvvvvvvvv this stuff.  Finding out about it was worth the entire tuition to my last class.   

Here is a collage of the painted details:

  Next step:  Apply two coats of Faux Effects Dead Flat Varnish.  I wanted the surfaces to look more antique Swedish with no gloss.  The varnish did "grey-out" my paint with a hazy cast.  It knocked down the gloss of the gold paint. I am debating whether next time I would use Faux Effects Varnish Plus product instead.  

Last step:  Take it to the upholstery shop.  I tried a different one this time as I wasn't satisfied with the last one I used.   So here is the end result. These photos are taken outside on my front sidewalk in the sun to get better light than I have indoors.

So what do you think? I'm pretty happy with the results.

My star system for evaluation on a 1 star to 5 star scale of what I look for in a paint are:

1) Odor - this gets 5 stars for no offensive odor or smell
2) Ease of Application - 5 stars here. It went on very nicely.
3) Thickness/Coverage - I always do two coats anyway, so I'll give it 5.
4) Clean Up - easy here with water, so 5 stars.
5) Sandability - light sanding resulted in "smooth as a baby's bottom" so 5 stars. 
6) Green - see website.  Good here.
7) Cost - at $35 a quart, it is pricey, so 3 stars.
8) Durability - does the paint stay on?  My jury is still out on this as my chair legs came back from the upholstery shop with the paint rubbed off in several places down to the wood that I had to retouch. Not sure how this happened because I transported it on a white soft blanket. This is definitely something that I will continue to evaluate.
9) Looks - 5 stars here.  It just has a beautiful "euro" look when it is sanded smooth and the touch of the finished paint is just wonderful.

For my unscientific summary, the question is would I use it again?  My answer is Yes, but on selected pieces.  I would like to get brave and paint my 1983 Henredon dining room table a light color - Old White or a beige with a gilded edge.  Do I trust this paint for that project? I would not want the paint to scratch off from use of china and flatware.  My sweet husband who occasionally reads my blog just fainted with that sentence. I would use the chalk paint on an antique, new or vintage piece of little value to give it an entirely new look without ruining an important piece if the piece was for my own household. Would I use it in manufacturing new Swedish/French furniture pieces, No.  But I would on a custom painted individual piece for a client. Production finishers do not like working with water-based paints. Long-term durability is a key issue.

Here is another look at the before and after:

 
I look forward to sharing with you my next chalk paint project.

All the best,

Summer Day

Photo Credits:  All Swede

Learning to Paint Furniture at The Southern Institute

 

Last week I returned to The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Brandon, MS for a second class.  This one was on furniture finishes.  I loved every minute of it. 

This Institute is close to Jackson, Mississippi.

 
Our beautiful instructor, Virginia, who is not only extremely knowledgeable with 15 years of experience, but also an excellent teacher who makes every second a fabulous event.

Here are my photo collages of the six furniture finishes we did.

 
The finish names from top to bottom, left to right are:  Veranda, Arabesque, Chalk, Chinoiserie, Versailles, and Delicato.

 

Making the Veranda finish.  This finish is named after the cover of Veranda magazine's Jan/Feb 2007 issue of a room in the Belgian residence of couturier Edouard Vermeulen.  The console table is 2die4 also. This cover is probably the most talked about cover Veranda has done.  Another cover in similar blue-greens is the September 2009 issue.  I love both of these.

   

This is the gold-leafed Arabesque finish which uses Aquastone for the raised dimensional look.

 

This is the Annie Sloan chalk paint finish.  The Annie Sloan brand is a new introduction to the United States from England so is all the rage lately. The texture sets it apart from other paints. It is now being manufactured in the US giving better access to it than ordering from England.  Virginia will be teaching an entire class on Annie Sloan chalk paint the end of August at the Institute. Unfortunately, I have to be in Seattle but purchased several colors and am testing them on furniture pieces now.  The cabinet in the lower right portion of the collage was done for one of Virginia's clients.  It is the same finish we did in class.

 

Here is Chinoiserie in black and red as a plaque with the symbol for "home" made with a stencil and Tamise gold leaf.

 

This is the making of Versailles named for the motif found in the French castle Versailles. It is one of my all-time favorites.

 

Here is Delicato which is stunning with the aqua against the black.

 

We also learned about antiquing mirror.

 

Students having soooooooooo much fun.

 

These paint finishes arranged by 12 colors are done on small sample mouldings. Each one is uniquely fabulous in it's own right. It would be so hard to choose just one.

 

These finishes are done in the cabinet class. Looks like another fun one to take.

 

And, here are some inspiring wall finishes to intice faux finishers to take that class.   So many wonderful classes are offered at the Institute.  Is it possible to quit work and just go here full time?

 

I plan to hang some of the samples on my home office wall.  Here is Versailles and Delicato displayed on my office console table.

I hope you have enjoyed being a student with me.

All the best,

Summer

Photo Credits:  Swede with the exception of Veranda cover by Francis Amiand.

 

Class At The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing on Time Aged Finishes

I want to share with you a very fun class I took in Time Aged Finishes at The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing, http://www.fauxfinishbiz.com/, in Brandon, MS the first of July.  It was about a 3.5 hour drive south of the Memphis International Airport through the very green landscape of rural America. Brandon is near Jackson. This was my first class in faux finishing although I've experimented and tested some products and attended demos in the past, some were failures, some with okay results. I won't mention my Venetian Plaster episode.

Over the past few years I have painted quite a few furniture pieces; a queen Baker bed, Karges console, John Widdicomb desk and chests, Henredon table desk and chest, etc.  I will do a post and show you before and after of those sometime.  Generally, I purchased French pieces made by these makers on eBay because of the quality of manufacture.  Karges and Widdicomb are just tops for quality. If I am going to put my time in on redoing a piece of furniture, I want to start out with something that needs updating but is not junk but is not a priceless antique on the other hand.  These pieces were built to last. I've gone through my phase of re-dos of older pieces and am now only painting new ones.  So, I attended this class to learn more about painting new furniture with an aged patina. 

I am always a little unsure about signing up for classes with a concern for disappointment in the instruction.  Believe me, I was not disappointed!!  If you have any hesitation about the kind of instruction you will receive at the Southern Institute, don't hesitate!  I would say I have high expectations when it comes to paying for instruction and my expectations were exceeded.  I could not have been more pleased with the entire experience and I highly recommend this Institute for the quality of instruction and the overall experience. In this class we did six different aged finishes on six-inch moulding boards. The paints used were Faux Effects International silver line which are sold at the Institute.

 

 
Candela and all the supplies.

 
In the front of the studio are samples of finishes for walls as examples of boards that a student would prepare in other classes. 

 
The second one from the right was 2die4 -- so unique. 

 
An easel full of boards you can look through for ideas and examples of the wonderful looks that can be created.

 
These silvers were fabulous.

 
So yummy!

 
I believe this was a stencil.  Very lovely.

 

Of course, you would expect the walls of a faux studio to be painted.  Here are some of the hallways and walls.

 
This was the bath.

 
 

 
Notice how the switch plate was done.

On the back wall of the studio were samples of kitchen and bath cabinet doors and furniture finishes which are covered in another class.

 
I just loved these cabinet door finishes below.  My favorite is on the upper left.

 
Hard to choose when there are so many fabulous options. I also liked the mercury glass one which is second from the left on the top row. Here is a close-up of the one I liked with the gold in it.  Virginia said she designed a special tool to do this finish.

 
  

Here are a few samples I pulled out of the pile that attracted my attention.

 
Italian finishes of green and gold are always at the top of my favorites list.

I just loved this.  Even though I love a white or neutral Swedish room, these blue-green pieces just steal my heart.

Here are a couple of the paintings on the studio walls over the prep sinks.

 
This silver panel's texture was incredible close up.

Virginia told us about a sale on fireplace over-mantles at Lakeland Moulding near Flowood, MS like the one she has here.  I went over and purchased one a little smaller than this.  Now to decide what color to paint it and take a class in antiquing mirror glass.

 
There are many classes taught at the Southern Institute by Virginia Weathersby each month.  I signed up to return for a class in August.  The first thing I noticed was how strikingly beautiful Virginia is in person.  Move over Gwyneth!  And, more, she was lovely, extremely knowledgeable, very experienced in her trade, has a great artistic ability, a wonderful teacher who is willing to share her talent including all tips and tricks and trade secrets.  Her mother was there helping as well as her assistant, Candela. The studio can seat probably 20 students, but we were lucky in that we had a small group so received nearly private instruction. 

When I showed my husband the photos, he said, "Looks like all you did is eat!"  Can you believe that Virginia made a fresh Tomato Pie and Giant Stuffed Mushrooms for us for afternoon break!  The Tomato Pie was fabulous, and she was kind enough to give us the recipe. Remember, a tomato is a fruit. Oh, this was sooooo good.  

 

It was a very fun experience and I look forward to my next class.

All the best to you,    Summer.