Mar 19, 2019
Antiquing with Zinc Wax
Deciding how to antique your masterpiece can be is always a little tricky. Which color antiquing wax should I use? Many times as furniture painters we choose brown wax working on replicating the lovely authentic patina that replicates dirt or grime collecting in corners and crevices.
Other times we go to a black wax making the aging feel sometimes sooty, and ironically industrial in feel. Then…. Along came Miss Mustard Seed’s Zinc Wax
Not a rusted look but a more subtle and unique look. Like well… zinc.
Zinc wax has a very slight metallic shimmer on flat surfaces it is not shiny. The wax is reminiscent of the lovely grey details appearing on aged patina surfaces. It is made from beeswax with a little carnauba wax and is then lightly tinted to with metallic gray pigments, perfect for emulating the look of zinc.
Using a round wax brush dip the tips into the Zinc Wax wiping off the excess. Apply to all of the little details and across the surfaces. Then using a lint-free cloth or blue shop towel wipe the excess off leaving the beautiful grey tone of the Zinc
This is not a metallic wax and you won’t get a super shiny surface, which is why I love it. Try it on different colors of paint for different effects – or is that efex?
Here we show it on a table, with our T42 trim. On this dark or industrial backdrop, it is perfect but it looks just as good as a grey touch on white or light paint.
Subtle yet elegant. Just what we like.
That’s all for now
xoxo Lydia
Jan 4, 2019
Whenever were are looking for inspiration it is easy to say, sigh… I love that photo. But the image moves from pretty photograph to motivation when you figure out why you like it.
Each month we curate an image or a selection of images based on a style that is currently inspiring us. These images found on the web are my creative muse’s, and the goal is to help you to find your inspiration. This week we are looking at Winter Rooms.
Winter Rooms to Inspire.
Winter rooms tap into the quiet of the season, the soft layers of snow. Winter can be such a peaceful and productive time of the year. In northern climes with their layers of snow on the ground, January is a time contemplation, organizing and decluttering for the rest of the year.
Candlelight dances around the room as the reflection of the mirror and its unique embellishments. The silver vases offer up some old-world elegance.
The holidays are gone, and the bling and colors on the trees are put away until next year. Now is the time for a long winters nap and some winter calm.
But that doesn’t mean greenery and glamor need to be banished with the old wrapping paper.
This photo from victorian Magazine shows a beautiful winter scene.
Bark, branches, pine cones and the like play off the cool tones and the greens left over from the December holidays. Baubles are replaced with bulky knits and fur pillow and throws, while silver, candles, and crystal help reflect the winter light. Set the mood by lighting the candles so the candlelight dances around the room as the reflection of the mirror and its unique embellishments. The silver vases offer up some old-world elegance.
Try getting this look in three simple ways:
Dress up and old frame or mirror with Efex.
Make some lovely soft glam by taking some old simple glass vases and spray painting them with looking glass spray.
Paint some books to blend into your display.
Most importantly, have a lovely beginning of the year.
Xoxo
Lydia
Jun 11, 2018
Little French Basket
The French have a distinctive style that pervades everything French, including the simple wicker basket. At Maine Country Home we have several that we purchased at the Paris Flea Markets years ago.
Imagine our trip home on the plane with all of these?
Nowadays, however, it is as easy to take a dime store basket and turn it into a work of art. You need two colors of paint, paintbrush and of course a cute little Efex to embellish your masterpiece.
Grab your supplies NOW! This basket project is super quick and easy. In just minutes you will create this beautiful French Country basket with a gray washed look on ordinary wicker or cane.
Step One:
Attach your Efex applique to the basket. Here we used one of our pediments P8.
Step Two
Paint your first coat of grey paint, inside and out, making sure you squish the bristles into the nooks and crannies. In the summertime, I use a Wagner paint sprayer for this part of the project.
Step Three
Dry brush the white color over the gray. Once the gray coat is dry, dip your clean brush in the white paint and wipe the excess paint off. Using a cardboard plate remove even more paint – to achieve “dry brushing” on this step.
Gently brush the tips across the surface of the gray, cause the white paint to just “highlight” the basket slightly.
The key to successful dry-brushing is a very light touch and whispering the brush in the same direction
Step Four
Highlight your Efex with a little artist brush using the same dry brushing technique.
And you are finished! This small project took me less than an hour to complete. What a quick and easy way to get a cute Farm To Table Style.
xoxo Lydia
Apr 8, 2018
A Feminine Dressing Table Full of Faded Grandeur
Faded grandeur with a feminine touch is what this wonderful dressing table has. It has ever attribute necessary for the faded grandeur look and is exquisitely painted. Here’s the story.
It all started when I found our new rosette R9 in New Zealand and fell in love with something we already own. How exciting, no remastering, no fixing, just making. Yeah!. I had a couple of old ones lying around the factory but had just not noticed them. How did I miss this? It is so Scandinavian!
While I was off discovering, my friend Stacey was home creating. And wow did she create.
First, she found this great flip top table which she is using as a dressing table in her new home, To give it a new life she chose a color which is both bold yet feminine.
First, she added a pair of scrolls (SC49) around the rosette (R9). These were eventually gilded.
But… it is how she got the look of faded glory that makes this dressing table stand out. The first coat was a light pink Antoinette from the Annie Sloan Line. This layer was applied in a slightly haphazard manner some places thick, other thin.
The second coat is a mixture of Antoinette, and Scandinavian Pink applied thickly and stippled to achieve a grand old world look. In some places the paint was mixed in other it was not thoroughly blended.
After drying, a careful coat of dark wax was lightly applied. Finally, Kings Gold was used on the Efex and rubbed back with dark wax. Then the edges were gilded and rubbed in.
I love the faded grandeur of this piece and look forward to many more like it. Thank you, Stacey.
xoxo Lydia
Dec 8, 2017
White on White
Maybe because it’s about to snow, I woke up this morning thinking about white on white. With five of the next six days produced for light snow, my world here in Maine will turn into white on white slush.
White is the most popular color for painted furniture by a country mile. And it is surprising to me how well white furniture with white embellishments work.
I would have thought that some tone on tone, glitz, or other contrast would be significant. But… it turns out in the popularity contest of color white wins hands down even as an Efex color.
I have always had a big crush on these projects.
The first two pictures were customs pieces for clients at Maine Country Home.
The next picture shows off Efex at my house.
Now my house is very white! White walls, white furniture, etc. but I tend to gild our Efex projects because I have a love for the European gilding wax.
The slant top desk has a black glaze over a pure white base coat.
And the final frame is from my friend Janet Metzger at the Empty Nest.
All a little different but all very white on white.
xoxo Lydia
Oct 7, 2017
It’s October
October is breast cancer awareness month and as a 12 year survivor I am currently obsessing over the color pink. So is everyone else in the world I might add.
And I am loving the pairing with green. Not the Lilly old style but the new softer style. Years ago I had a pink living room, with chintz couches. That’s not the look I’m dreaming of today.
All of these images have sent me racing to Craigslist looking for new things to paint in pink.
First, the gorgeous bath from Architectural Digest. In the London home of model and actress Poppy Develigne, it is simply to die for. The wall paper is had painted and that’s not the only room in this home with pink! See the story here.
I love how these chairs in this home office are done in pink and I especially like the gold accent.
So… for our version of pink, we took this lovely dresser from the Ave Home collection and used Annie Sloan Antoinette. Finished with white wax this dresser is a dream and not just for little girls. Rather than use green as the accent we paired it here with a Duck Egg Blue mirror and twin beds in Old White. Yes, we used plenty of Efex on the mirror, the bed and the dresser is sporting our latest new trim.
More fun things next week
Caio for now
xoxox Lydia
