In more ways than one our Efex frames are flexible. Yes, we all know they can bend every which way but our new lovely blogger friend Lauri from My Home In The Garden really showed us how to do something clever with our F15.
She took 2 F 15 and cut them into little scrolls. So taking two small frames she made a major statement piece out of a large frame. Wow…. we fell in love at first sight.
This is taking up styling to a new level. yet the project is quick, easy, and not complex.
Here is her blog post in her words on how she did the project.
Great Job Lori
The Mirror with a French Touch
Think I rescued this from an old chateau? I’ll tell you the real story.
My mom rescued the mirror from a church yard sale … for all of $1. Notice the glass around the mirror. Not sure why. And whatever glue they used to stick the mirror to the glass has caused some damage to the reflection. The wood trim was originally that strangely patterned brown stain you see at the bottom. The white is just where I cleaned my brush off on the wood. What is it about ugly stuff that makes me want to start with the graffiti?
My thought was to use Efex bendable furniture molding to transform this from the 1970’s to the 1770’s. I drove out to the Empty Nest in Warrenton, VA. They are my closest Efex dealer and still about an hour away. But the drive was worth it to meet Janet and her wonderful staff. I have been cyber-stalking them for months and knew they would be able to give me the inspiration I needed. They took the moldings out of the packaging to let me play with them and even let me cut a frame into pieces before I paid for it!
I ended up with two Efex frames (F15), two cans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen and Versailles, and the seed of a plan.
The first step was to paint the glass with ASCP in Versailles. Yes, you can paint glass with this paint. Amazing, huh?
The second step was to paint the wood with ASCP in French Linen.
The next morning all was dry and ready for some fun. Here is the frame before I deconstructed it.
This was my original plan, but I thought I better make sure. Looking pretty good. But what if I put more of the decoration at the top?
I’m liking this better. But it feels a little top-heavy.
Now we’re talkin’.
But the short pieces are not doing it for me. My original thought had been to cut apart the four sides, but I decide to cut the short sides in two also, leaving me with 2 large pieces and 4 small pieces from each frame.
I think it is best to stretch the material and then make the cut with scissors.
You can see how each of the short sides can become two pieces that are mirror reflections. The edges are a bit blunt, but that is easily fixed with the scissors.
You can see the little crumbs that I trimmed away.
After I finish all the cuts, I have four pairs of leaves and four large pieces for the top, bottom and 2 sides.
I first put all four of one shape together, but it reminds me of a bad ’80s hairdo.
Alternating is definitely much preferable.
Time to glue. There are loads of tutorials out there, but the short story is: trace the shape with a pencil, apply contact cement to the back of the Efex and where you are going to attach it, let dry 15 – 20 minutes, press the piece on. Done.
Next I apply a second coat of ASCP in French Linen, covering the moldings too.
Here’s the truth -Not real sure what I’m going to do next. So I put a touch of ASCP in Versailles on the molding and apply Annie Sloan Clear Wax. Hmm. Now what?
I want it to look really old, so I start with some Annie Sloan Dark Wax and rub it back as I go. Again, there are lots of videos on how to apply the clear and dark waxes. Watch those if this is new to you.
I’m liking the look so I keep going, covering both the French Linen and the Versailles, adding extra in corners and around the molding, like hundreds of years of dust and grime are covering this thing.
Then I apply gilding wax to the moldings. This is getting fun!
And the close-up.
It turned out even better than I imagined.
I am thinking about using it at the top of the stairs. Or maybe near the front door.
Thanks so much for the kind words. If you like this, be sure to check out my blog:
http://myhomeinthegarden.blogspot.com/
I am sharing furniture make-overs, a major home remodel, and the resurrection of a garden.
It is just gorgeous! In my book, the better the bargain, the more valuable the treasure. And no one will ever know it was a $1 mirror. I’m totally inspired.
It needs to be near the front door….it is your masterpiece and it works so everyone coming in (and going out) will check their reflection !!
It looks FANTASTIC. Homerun, girlygirl!!
Pretty amazing! I enjoyed “seeing” you play around with the pieces until you got it right.