Happy Holidays With Efex

Happy Holidays With Efex

Happy Holidays

Twas two weeks before Christmas and…I had failed to set up the tree.  Ouch… sounding a little like the grinch instead of Santa Clause here.

Every year we try to do something different with our holiday decor. However, the lead up towards the holidays has been hard this year. We lost our beloved Labrador Hooligan right before Thanksgiving, and I have had a hard time becoming motivated.

Hubs pushed me forward by bringing up our lovely Balsam Hill tree and arranging new lights. Slowly with Vince Giraldi playing the songs from Snoopys Christmas past, I have finally started to get in the holiday groove. So…. With less than 12 days to go before the big event,  I finally decorated!

This year I wanted something a little light and fun, so I decided to stick to light colors with a few tried and true family heirlooms mixed in. 

The rest of the decorations. You guessed it. Efex. 

The project was super. quick and easy.

Just paint, run a string through with a needle and thread and hang. Really a 1, 2, 3, project.

We used Marzipan and Boxwood  two colors from the Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint line for most of the shells, and ornaments.

For the rest, we just used colored paint and silver gilding wax. 

Super easy and super fun. 

And yes, I feel better now that I have decorated the tree. Finally, in the mood and holiday spirit.

Even though I still miss my little girls.

From our home to yours Happy holidays everyone!

Now I urge all of you to hop on over and see what all my friends are doing this holiday. It will be a fun trip around the internet.

Miss Mustard Seed

Cheri Kirk

Color Filled Cottage

The Lemon Tree Home

A Well Purposed Women

Hearthside Comforts

 

 

Hand Made In The USA

Hand Made In The USA

Bespoke – Hand Made For You

Did you know that all Efex are handmade in the USA and New Zealand?

It’s not just a marketing slogan we actually pour, trim and package every piece that goes out the door.

In every piece of Efex is a maker dreaming of something. I am usually dreaming of some period novel or movie, this month Pride and Prejudice 2005. The act of making is an act of joyful giving. Every Efex contains a tiny dream and a gift from us. Not just the applique itself, but the time and care that goes into making each item. When we sell you our product we are always excited about what you have dreamed up to make with our appliques. Please send us photos.

Sure, you can go buy less expensive wooden moldings online. These are often stamped or cut out of wood, they are all mass produced for a mass market often other furniture makers. There are the few, a very few, elegantly carved pieces, bespoke one-off styles, and items that take hours and hours of craftsmanship to carve and create. And the price tag reflects that time.

Ours are somewhere in-between. Totally bespoke, of the highest quality and detail yet still affordable.

Our moldings are unique. They are the only truly flexible moldings available today. Every other molding that says flexible either needs heat or steam to bend.

We don’t  create every design from start to finish. Often we find antique originals and reproduce them. Most of our antique reproductions have been re-carved to increase the detail. Though some of the older flaws do still remain. After multiple steps and hours of reshaping they are finally ready to become an Efex.

How We Make Our Moldings?

Historic antiques are remastered and sometimes hand carved to fix imperfections.

From this remastering process, we make both silicone and concrete molds. Some times this process can get a little messy as in the story of The Blow Out told here.

We then pour our secret formula into these concrete molds.

Hand Made

When dry, trim and package.

Simple, abet a little time-consuming in the initial stages.

We are fortunate that we can make our molding here in Maine and be sustainable. In today’s mass-market that is not always easy.

We hope you enjoy

xoxo Lydia

The Scandinavian Collection

The Scandinavian Collection

Introducing ……The Scandinavian Collect

Anyone who reads this blog knows I am head over heels in love with painted Gustavian antiques. We have written about many of them here. And have written about the history of King Gustave here in a post entitled Coup d’etat in Sweden.

But, finding pieces for our Efex line of flexible moldings that fit this style is not always easy.

We started with the pieces we already had in our line. However, I am always been on the lookout for others.

Gustavian collection

In our new catalog, we highlighted our Scandinavian Collection with the pieces shown above.. These appliques  reflect a Nordic feel all of their own. From top to bottom they are: a rosette R72, a very nordic swag SW1 and it’s companion drop D1, a small guilloche trim T42, and a round interlocking floral trim T20.

The swag below (sw1) is really fun when added to a little box. Thank you to Stacey of Faux Studio Designs for this project.

Scandinavian swag

And the small trim below makes this simple dresser totally Swedish.

I loved the look of this little table with our T20

Yes,  we do have a new trim coming to add to this collection.

It’s hard to believe that I had to fly halfway around the world to Auckland New Zealand to find this trim. Maybe we both just met in the same place.  It is called a guilloche trim, which is merely round interlocking connecting circles.  My friend John Stephens had one that was just perfect.

This new trim is in the process of being remastered and should be ready by late April. The only major piece I have left to find is some great rill work trim.

xoxo Lydia

The Top Instagrams of 2018

The Top Instagrams of 2018

One last look back at 2018

To kick off the new year lets look back at the old.  A quick review of the top three Instagram photo’s for 2018.

Starting with number three the third most favorite IG post is this simple vase finished in bronze foil with a simple T27 Art Deco trim on the top.

Number two on the list of our top three Instagrams is @staceysbrush little Scandinavian Pink table. She used scrolls, SC49, and a simple R9 rosette to give this dressing table a wonderful flair.

Scanpink stacey

And the most popular Instagram of the year is from my friend Haley Justice in Australia. Love this project, so simple and fun just one Swag 9

Celebrate these fun embellishments with a special 10% off discount when you purchase any of these three appliques this week.

Enjoy

xoxo Lydia

Introducing….

Introducing….

…………The Ultralight Collection by Efex

For over 40 years Efex has always used innovative technology to create historically accurate designs as moldings. We are the only company with the ability to make truly flexible molded – still totally unique after 40 years.

But… today we are focusing on a new technology, not flexible, but in this case super light and thicker than many of our existing appliqués.  The new Ultra Light series by Efex is exactly that ultralight. Made from a proprietary high tech resin mixture our molds weigh a small fraction of the originals or any mold of its size. 

Why? Most large molds today are complex to apply. Clamping and or nailing. With our new ultralights, you can simply apply glue and place them on your surface. They are ready to paint.  This makes them super easy to add to furniture, mirrors, and cabinets. That’s a time saver for sure.

The first seven designs of the Ultra Light collection include a lovely old swag, two pediments, two large rosettes, a big chunky bow and a cartouche we call Madam X. To see each product go here.

Yes, they all have stories associated with them which we will post about in the new year.  All of these designs come from original antique plaster and or bronze pieces that have stood the test of time in the design world. 

When to use ultralights? One of their biggest advantages is that each appliqué has a flat back. This feature allows you to set them on your project in such a way that the appliqué is raised above the surface, or below if you like of the project.  

Made to the same exacting standards our flexible moldings are made to, every piece is handmade in Rockland Maine. Simply put they are the best value for money on the market today.

Our ultralights are ultra-affordable Ultra large and as this post says Ultralight. Available on our website today.

XOXO Lydia

New Styles Fall 2018

New Styles Fall 2018

New Styles For Fall

The summer has gone by in a haze of sunny days and fall is heading our way. Where does the time go? Looking back a lot of my time was spent making new molds and designs. I love finding the relics from the past and that we use to recreate the most detailed flexible moldings available today.

The decision of which appliques to add to the collection is not random, or just based on what we see and love. Part of the choice is based on what we find, while some part is dependent upon the quality of the original mold. In the end, we have chosen designs that can give you the feeling of yesterday that can be incorporated into your home decor for the way we live today.

With that in mind, I would like to introduce the six newest members of The Efex Team.

First a trio of Rosettes!

R17 – You had a sneak peek of this lovely little rose on our Instagram Account, now you can use this beauty on your next makeover. Measuring 5.0″ x 1.5″, she is perfect for small tables and frames.

Next, meet R10 a lovely 3” round Neo-classic number that we are just itching to use. This would go very well with our larger swags such as SW8 or SW24.

The final member of this unlikely trio is our new pure and simple Celtic style rosette R18. Measuring 4.0″ x 2.5,” it would be a great embellishment to use on an Industrial Style Piece done in a metal finish.

Three new rosettes

The next members of the team are two new pediments. These will also be showcased as part of our new Tuscan Collection.

P12 is a pair of cherubs holding a laurel wreath. Measuring 6.0″ x 2.0″.

P9 is a pair of reclining ladies with harps. Measuring 8.0″ x 2.5″.

In our drops collection, we have one new addition. This large neo-classic shell with traditional bellflower drop attached. D19 measures 5.0″ by 3.5″ 

Finally, we are adding to our Scandinavian Collection with a new trim T20. Measuring 43.7″ x 2.0″ This stunner is ready to adorn your next table or frame project.

Al of our moldings and appliqués are fully flexible and come from authentic historical designs.

Enjoy

xoxo Lydia

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