Jun 29, 2018
How to Create Industrial Effects with Paint and Efex
Waiting for paint and plaster to dry is a little bit like waiting for Gadot. You have plenty of time to dream up your next project.
It was in one of those waiting times that the idea for a series of “How to Create Industrial Effects with Efex and Paint” took hold. It is an effect we often strive for in our painting projects. Sadly if you’re like me, you usually revert to basic black as a synonym for industrial. But there really is so much more.
Many of our Efexs are a French Style but those of you who love French Designs know that Pris could be the home of Industrial Chic as well. With its preponderance of shades of grey and wrought iron ornamentation, it’s always the perfect place to start for inspiration. Did you know even the Eiffel Tower is made with a form of wrought iron!
Industrial Style is still very trendy, and there are many ways to achieve this look with paint. In this series, we have worked to make it affordable and accessible in both time and money. We have also avoided using pre-canned metal paints and chemical to achieve the look.
What we now think of as “Industrial Style” is rooted in the 1700’s and 1800’s all the way up until around 1920. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and it brought many new materials for everyday use. Cement, Wrought Iron, Steel, and Plaster of Paris to name a few.
This new material made gates and decorative embellishments for both homes and factories and began to set a unique style in architectural embellishments.
Our seven essentials of Industrial Style are:
1 – Wrought Iron
2 – Rust
3 – Concrete
4 – Tin
5 – Galvanized
6 – Zinc
7 – Patina Green ( Photo by Tanya Farragoz)
Over the next few weeks, we will look at each of these finishes studying how they form and how you can get a stunning effect for less with paint and Efex.
Have a great weekend
xoxo Lydia
May 3, 2018
An old glass vase gets a hip metallic foil treatment for spring.
Two weeks ago was Spring Break, and granddaughter Kate was here helping me with Efex projects all week long. Well, she is here all week long, not just doing Efex all week.
One of the easiest ways to add to your signature style is metallic colors. Two on-trend colors today are copper and brass. Yes, you could go to your local hardware store and buy spray paint, but that is soo.. tacky.
We love just taking our object of interest and applying foils for a beautiful old world look that still has a hip flair to it.
Foiling your efex is easy. As we will shop you with these samples of our Rosette (R4) and on a glass vase with our Art Deco trim (R47)
1 – Paint a base coat on the Efex. Because we were using a copper foil we used a green undercoat. In fact, you don’t have to paint the Efex, but we like the look if any of the foil does not adhere.
2 When the base is dry apply foil size. Size is the glue based substance used to adhere the foil to the object.
When size is tacky, approximately 20 min apply the foil
3- Apply the foil by laying it back side down on the Efex and rubbing the foil onto the surface. I use all sorts of tools to burnish, but for the Efex I like the back end of an artist paint brush. This allows you to get into the creases and work the foil into the crevices.
Once you have burnished the foil on, pull off the paper, and voila, you’re ready. Well maybe. Often they have little blotchy spots. To fix these take either add more size and apply again or test to see if still tacky then reapply the foil. Failure to burnish well will result in less gilding on the object at hand.
4 – Finally to finish, apply a light top coat because as we said the foil stays tacky.
Voila, a perfect hip design for spring. Our final project was this lovely vase. Thank you Kate.
xoxo Lydia
Jan 26, 2018
Every Picture Tells A Story
Everything has a story, and our little grey chairs are no exception.
One of four siblings that were found abandon in junk shop they had been given up as lost forever. Over time their original clothes were faded and worn, their legs were broken, and overall their hearts were heavy. Sigh…. headed for the dump and a sad ending. It could make a girl cry.
Hark, thrifters here to save us. “Oh, what great bones you have.” “Are you Scandinavian?” “Would you like to come home with me?” Maybe a new dress, some sunshine, and flowers would give you a new view on life.
I think the flowers did it! The siblings now live at The Maine Country Home and are lovely babes with flowers and bows.
xoxo Lydia
Jan 15, 2018
Easy Bathroom Storage
If you’re like me you never have enough storage for the stuff in your bathroom, right?
My solution has always been baskets of stuff, but then I got this idea to upgrade our storage. After finding four baskets at Homegoods, the rest was quick and easy.
Just paint the Efex first and then apply the Efex with Rapid Fuse by Dap.
From top to bottom B14, B21, B7 and B15
After hunting around the house for some extra goodies, we found a leftover vase and bell jar added to the mix. They got a facelift with Efex too.
Trim T34
Stars CC 8
Aabsolutely quick and easy.
xoxo Lydia
Jan 10, 2018
Silicon Moldings
Sometimes as a maker things don’t work out correctly. This week I had one of those days.
I have been working on a new and larger set of moldings. Remastering originals, make new molds, etc. One of the best new styles is getting ready to go into production, so I was making the last and best silicon molds to use in final manufacturing.
OK, I do this all the time right. Well, when you pour silicon you need to make a bounding box. And this one was unstable at best. Never the less I went ahead and for the last pour asked my husband to come to the barn and help.
I got almost a gallon of silicone ready and poured all was good.
“can I go back to my work now?” said Chris. Sure was the answer. After all, we were in the curing phase. 30 min and were done.
As he left the barn the wind slammed the door and bang, the side of the bounding box blew out.
Harsh words follow as I try to save it. Humm, I need some help here as a whole lot of expensive product is making it’s way to the floor. But…. my phone is on the other side of the room, and the only thing keeping me from this mini-disaster is holding the box together.
More harsh words. And yes I held the box for 30 min while the silicone cured.
All’s well that ends well, and we saved the project but not in the easiest of fashion.
The moral of the story, not every picture is a lovely here is how it looks. Behind the scenes, there are plenty of mistakes and accidents when you’re a maker.
xoxo Lydia
Nov 23, 2017
Tis The Season
Now is the time to think about Christmas…. I know it’s not even Thanksgiving and we’re thinking about Christmas…
One of the best things about the holidays is making special gifts for those you love. And if you’re like me, you need to start early or you just run out of time.
So for this week, we are going to feature gifts you can make over on our Instagram account. There are so many quick and easy ideas to choose from.
Three easy gifts that you can have on hand for the holiday season.
Here are three easy gifts you can make this season using Efex for a special embellishment. We love them as hostess gifts or last-minute little presents for anyone.
1 – Our favorite holiday hostess and party gift is this seasonal planter You can use almost anything: clay pots with a rosettes or swags attached then fill with seasonal bulbs or herbs like this rosemary plant.
2 – Next up, Efex make quick and easy Christmas Decorations for trees and wreaths. Paint and/or gild with gold and attach. And the best part, you can reuse them on another project later!
3 – Jewelry boxes are always fun. This box highlights R77 and gilding wax. Just so quick and easy to make and take.
Each of these ideas is so quick and easy. Just one afternoon and you can be set for the season.
xoxo Lydia
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