Janet Creates – It could be a weekly TV show…. and if you’re anything like me, you would be waiting for every chapter.
Our friend Janet Metzger from The Empty Nest is not only a great furniture painter, she is an amazing talent using many art mediums including Chalk Paint®.
Today we are sharing some stunning Easter projects.
Janet’s “Treat du Jour” are these lovely jewelry boxes, decoupaged and
decorated with roses from Efex.
Jane’s creativity doesn’t stop and start with furniture and Efex.
Meet Hortensia
Hortensia is one of my favorite primitives. For more of Janet’s art hop on over to her website, or
if your near Warrenton, VA stop and see this lovely almost finished painting.
Do you lust after French Boiserie panels? You know the lovely ones we see in pictures of manors all over Europe. We even have a Pinterest board dedicated to them. As the lust became an obsession, I decided that one easy way was to design panels using our Efex.
We have chosen three easy designs mixing some of our 180 Efex patterns. They would be great on stand-alone panels, added to a raised door, or as designs on a piece of furniture.
The first one is a small panel that is so easy to make.
The inspiration came from an antique carving (French, of course) found on EBay. It’s easy to see the elements we used to mix and match They are an F15, 4 Fleur di Lis, and one small rosette R72.
Our frame measures 14” x x 8”. The FDL 1 measure 3.6” x 2.5” and the R 72 is 1.5 inches round. It would be perfect for a panel that was up to 18″ x 12 “. The bonus is you can set the design either way.
Our second inspiration is from a panel found on 1st dibs.
The recreation is easy, Just 1 SW8 swag and 2 D2 drops. Our example measures about 11″ in length and 7″ wide. You could stretch it to be a little longer, or a fix the swag to make it slightly deeper and shorter. It would fit perfectly on any panel between 12 and 14 inches.
Our final example is suited for a slightly smaller area.
B21 and R41 can be put together for a piece that is 7.5″ long. Remember, Efex are flexible so the tails of the bow could be bent at a different angle.
Or for one final idea for the day, look at the panel our dealer Paint Passion designed.
It can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task to update a bathroom that lacks personality and character. Especially when you’re starting with stock materials that are bland and boring to begin with. You know, those vanities and cabinets that every contractor gets when doing a remodel? Yawn…
Well our retailer Robin Burpee of Chicken Coop Treasures in Kalamazoo, MI had the perfect remedy for plain bathroom cabinets. Here’s what she started with:
Oh yikes. Did we forget to mention Robin was updating the entire bathroom at the same time? Focus your attention on that cabinet on the wall. Look familiar? Have one in your home? Wood has its place, but every time we see this orangy fake wood it just makes us cry a little inside. Thank you, Robin, for showing us the light.
After putting a coat of Manor White Mud Paint (which already made a HUGE difference!) Robin took 8 C7 corners and used them to dress up the inside corners of the cabinet doors.
A little more paint and this cabinet is perfect!
Simple upgrades gave this bathroom a ton of personality and pizzaz. A once stock cabinet now looks like an expensive custom-made piece of furniture all thanks to some bendable latex corners.
Made in the USA is important. Finally have 3 years we can proudly say that about Efex.
In February of 2014 we received our first shipment of Efex from New Zealand. A lot has changed and we have grown tremendously. Two years on the journey continues in ways we never dreamed of.
It was early 2014 sharing a glass of wine with our friend, New Zealand artist Margret Wolley’s, that I uttered these simple words… “Margret what a lovely mirror, where did you find it?”
Her answer surprised me, “I made it dear.” She then proceeded to leave the room. When she returned she had a brown paper grocery bag filled with little latex bits. “I used these!”
I was enthralled! By the time we left New Zealand, we were the sole distributors for Efex Decorative Moldings. The adventure had begun.
The mirrors that started it all are stunning. Notice there is another one in the reflection. You can see more of Margret Wooly’s Efex Art here.
It was no surprise that our first Efex project was a mirror. February of 2014 after a hectic week unpacking all the Efex. We took a break from all the bagging and tagging to finally create and see what these latex pieces could do. We chose this lovely large mirror to adorn with some scrolly corners and pediments. (C45 corners and P13 pediments)
Today this mirror sits in our home. It brings a smile to my face every time I walk by.
This year we took the ultimate plunge purchasing the manufacturing side of Efex and moving production to the USA. As of this month, our two year anniversary of distributing Efex, we can officially say our moldings are made In Maine.
Our Efex video series shows off many of the different styles of Efex. Today we’re showing – “How To Dress Up A Dresser…Escutcheons”.
We have 4 different escutcheons. The little petite E1 is just perfect for small projects, and E2 has a little more curvy detail. E3 is tall and skinny, perfect for a taller piece or behind drawer pulls. And E5 is just an elegant lady. Where’s E4? We’ll you’ll just have to stick around to find out!
What’s that I hear you saying? What’s an escutcheon?
Simply put a fancy French word for key hole cover.
We used E2s to makeover this lovely navy blue highboy.
While E3 turned this IKEA hack from modern to classic.
Here is the original bronze of our fabulous French E5.
So whether you’re dressing up naked keyhole covers, or making faux ones, you just can’t go wrong with these escutcheons.
Visit a retailer near you online or in store to find these and more!
