Paint Couture Russian Red, Black Walnut Glaze, and a little Crackle

I have a hard time deciding on a color when I paint. I usually go to Pinterest or my magazine stack to get inspiration. I've always loved the color red and for this piece I chose one of my favorites by Paint Couture, Russian Red with Black Walnut Glaze. Paint Couture has one of the prettiest reds of all the paint suppliers. It's especially pretty with Paint Couture's Black Walnut Glaze. And of course everything looks good with a little Paint Couture Crackle so that gorgeous glaze can ooze into those tiny cracks to give you depth and texture! If you haven't tried these products and you are interested in painting furniture - fair warning you will be hooked!
Here is the small desk I painted in Paint Couture Russian Red  and Black Walnut Glaze by Paint Couture. 

Here's how I painted this desk:
I painted two coats of Russian Red and that needed about 4 hours to dry. I then took the Crackle Step 1 and painted the top and the shelf beneath. Crackle 1 goes on milky but after about 45 minutes it dries clear and is very sticky. Here's a picture of the Crackle 1 and how it looks when you brush it on.

Once your Crackle 1 has dried you are ready for step two Crackle. This medium is very thick and you must not over work this step. The thicker you brush it on the bigger the crackle. So I usually do some areas thicker so I get a variation of crackle effect. Here is a picture of the crackle after it's dried and prior to the Black Walnut Glaze. Isn't that a gorgeous red!

I like to let my crackle set over night or at least 8 hours. It doesn't take very long for you to see cracks after 30 minutes but it needs plenty of time to dry and cure before you apply the glaze.
I applied the Black Walnut Glaze after my crackle had cured.

I added the gold arrow drawer pull once the desk was complete. This project took me a couple of days to complete! Yes, it's just that simple to do a make over with a furniture piece with our paints and products. I love to talk paint and I invite you to stop by Fresh and ask me any questions you may have about painting. We also invite you to contact us about setting up a date to bring your small project into the studio to paint on location where we can guide you. We call this our "U Schedule It" Workshop. 
Leave me a comment or question on this post! I'll be back with more makeovers next week. If you are in Jasper I'll be in the studio Monday working on more furniture. Stop by and see what's getting painted and made over.

Vanity Make Over Using Colors of Sweden

This sweet vanity was in good condition but it needed something to bring it out of it's drab existence! What better way to do that than a Color of Sweden color with Paint Couture Glaze and Paint Couture Crackle? 
After cleaning with Simple Green, I applied two coats of Misty Fjord by Colors of Sweden. I love the hues of the Colors of Sweden paints. Here is the color board for all the Colors of Sweden - it's hard to pick just one! Micki Coles the inventor of the Colors of Sweden has been painting for many years and she has some really informative you-tube videos. You can go here and see how she applies glaze to a cabinet door.

It is recommended to let the paint dry for four hours. I had fans going in the studio so it dried fairly fast. Next I applied Step 1 of the Crackle Medium which is a size that needs to dry for at least 45 minutes to an hour. It goes on milky but dries clear and will be very sticky when it's dry. You can apply two coats of size if you want bigger crackle but I wanted it smaller.
When the Step 1 Crackle Medium is dry I then applied the Step 2 Crackle Medium. It's very thick and I brushed it on with a chip brush. There a few important facts to know about using Step 2. DO NOT over work and the thicker you apply the medium the bigger the cracks. I like a variation in my cracks so I apply it thick in some places and light in others. You will notice cracking quickly but you need to let it dry for at least 8 hours or more. 
Once the crackle was dry I applied Paint Couture Glaze. I love the mixture of Zinc and Weathered Wood to get a nice shade of gray. I used 2 parts of Weathered Wood to 1 part of Zinc. Have you ever applied glaze? I have several different ways that I like to apply glaze and it seems to work well for me. Leave me a comment and share with me how you apply your glazes. 
Here a few pictures of the final make over. 

Coffee Bar Talk

Pinterest is packed with ideas for cute coffee bars. My favorite are those that use re-purposed pieces of furniture and I've painted a few for the shop in the past few years. This one is an antique radio cabinet minus the radio. I painted it Miss Mustard Seed's Yellow and replaced the old fabric that covered the speakers with stenciled burlap. 
The ornate wood arch hanging above the mustard yellow cabinet came from an antique wash stand. I've painted several of these when I find them and they are great for framing a sign, a mirror, add hooks to hang cups or dish towels, and so many other uses. 

Have you up-cycled anything lately? I'm working on several painting projects right now and I will share those when I'm finished. I'll be working in the studio at Fresh tomorrow from 9-5, so if you need help getting your paint or supplies stop by. July 18th is our next scheduled workshop in the studio. But did you know that we offer workshops at your convenience? Just email me with a date and time that is good for you and we will coordinate a date. Classes are listed on our website and you can go here to register.
I do have a warning for you though, if you learn to paint, it's very addictive and you may not want to do anything else! Have a wonderful day and leave me a comment. 

Painting Laminate Counter Top

 This is laminate from the 50's or 60's era. Most of you have probably encountered this white sparkly counter top at some point. It has little flecks of gold and silver. My grandmother had this on her counters when she and my grandpa built their home. 
A friend of mine called and wanted me to look at some items that were in an old store she was liquidating. She thought there might be a few items that I may want to paint. I came home with a few items and this old counter was one of the treasures I bought. 
It had a door but I removed it because I wanted open shelving. 
I added bead board and trim to the front and sides. 
I painted the top and added embossing medium by Paint Couture and used my wood grain applicator to give it a new faux top.

Wood grain is an easy way to cover the laminate and give it a totally different look. Do you have laminate counter tops in your bathrooms or kitchen? This is an easy and economical way to change the look of those cabinets. 

 I purchased my bead board at my local Lowe's and cut it to fit the front of my cabinet with my miter saw. I then used my staple air gun to attach the boards. Paint Couture Angelic was painted to the front and sides of the cabinet and then Black Chiffon Glaze by Paint Couture was applied. Glaze is great to use on bead board since it goes into the grooves and gives depth and dimension to the look.

The picture above shows the steps I used to get this look. When doing the wood grain look you add the colors that you wish to show through for the grain. I chose black, brown, tan, and white for my colors. 

I'm pleased with the make over. 

And here's the finished cabinet in the store. I may add casters to the base later because I think it would make it more convenient to use. 

If you would like to learn how to make over your counter tops with a little paint and embossing medium stop by the shop and I'll help you get started. We also have a great website to order the products and you can go here to place an order. 
Please leave me a comment on here! Have a blessed day and keep on painting!

Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Blues

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint has beautiful shades of blue. I decided to play in the studio with some of them. I've had these oak children's chairs for years and figured these would be perfect to paint in these hues of color. Growing up, my children had a small table in the kitchen and these were the chairs that were nestled underneath. 

I chose French Enamel, Artissimo, and Flow Blue to paint my chairs. I thought I had four of these cute chairs but could only find 3. So I'm on the hunt for one more! 

I cleaned my chairs with Simple Green and used a sanding block to smooth out the rough edges. 

I decided I would not use Bonding Agent because I wanted a little chippiness and crackle. 

I always flip my furniture upside down and start on the bottom first and then the top. These chairs were fairly easy to cover since the surface was mostly flat. Chairs with spindles are the devil to paint and I do not enjoy painting those! 

I mix my milk paint in throw away cups and I use a 1:1 ratio. I like to start out with 1 part water and 1 part milk paint. I stir it really well for several minutes and then I let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. It thickens as it sits so I usually add more water a little at a time to get a good consistency. Since I like to multi purpose I mix my paint up first, clean my furniture(the paint has time to sit and thicken while I'm prepping my furniture), then I stir my paint and add water and then I'm ready to start. You will need to continue to stir the paint throughout your project.

It took two coats to get the coverage I wanted. On the second coat of paint I used my heat gun to force a little crackle. If you heat the paint with a heat gun it will cause the paint to crackle. Here's how some of the crackle looked.

 After the chairs were dry, I sanded them slightly with a sanding block and then sealed them with Miss Mustard Seed's Top Coat. The Top Coat is a Matte finish and it's a wonderful, easy to use finish.

We carry a full line of MMSMP in our store and online. Go here to order any of her products and supplies. We also have her new Look Book in stock and a few of the first book still available. If you want to take a class from our studio we offer "u schedule it" classes. What is this? You call us or email us and set up a time that fits your schedule for a workshop. We also love to host your bridal parties, birthday parties, mother-daughter parties,etc. at our studio. We provide everything, all you have to do is show up ready to paint! 

Have a wonderful day and I would love to hear from you in my comments below. 

Here are pics of the oak chairs painted in hues of blue -

French Enamel, Flow Blue, and Artissimo with Top Coat Finish

Antique Vanity Painted in Paint Couture Vera and Angelic

Antique vanities are my favorite pieces of furniture to paint. The 1940's style are my preferred era but very hard to come by these days! This vanity pictured in this post belonged to a friend of mine and she inherited it along with the bed, side table, and chest of drawers. It's a very nice set with good details. 
I painted everything except for the chest of drawers which I plan to start on soon. 
The bedroom for this little girl is absolutely beautiful. Her mom has it arranged so cute and she loves it!
Vera at the Ballet and Angelic by Paint Couture are the two colors we chose for the vanity and the side table. The chair and the bed were done in Angelic. And the chest of drawers will be painted in Angelic. 
If you love pink and white in a little girls room or a shabby chic room I highly recommend these two colors. 
I finished the pieces with Satin Finish Lacquer by Paint Couture. It's a durable lacquer that will protect the paint finish.
We carry a full line of Paint Couture products at Fresh. You can also go here to order supplies from our online store. We have everything the DIYer desires! If you are interested in learning how to paint furniture and taking it to the next level we offer workshops at Fresh. You will learn the best applications and techniques from us on how to get you started on painting your furniture. Leave a comment and let me know what you think? 

Easy Art Using Artisan Enhancements

I've been using Artisan Enhancements products recently in our Fresh studio and I am so impressed with what can be done with these wonderful products!
I painted a white art canvas with American Paint Company's Cerrillos Turquoise. It took two coats of this beautiful Chalk and Clay paint. After the paint dried, I took Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone and my stencil to get the design on my canvas that I wanted. 
I was anxious to get this project finished so I used my heat gun to speed up drying time. Also, using a heat gun or hair dryer gives the fine stone a neat old world look. 
Once this was dry I stippled Crackle Tex in random areas. Crackle Tex gives a cracked texture that is wonderful for the look I was trying to achieve. You won't get the crackle effect until you add paint on top of the Crackle Tex. 
I applied Limoges by American Paint Company all over the canvas and this is where the magic begins to occur! The Crackle Tex begins to crack and as the Limoges dries take a dampened Sea Sponge and begin removing the Limoges from the canvas. This will create lots of crackle and texture goodness! 
To finish this project I used Paint Couture Glaze to give it depth. Two of my favorite glazes were used - Weathered Wood and Zinc. Again, I used a dampened sea sponge to remove some of the glaze. 
Lastly, I applied Foil Size by Artisan Enhancements and Gold Foil to the Canvas. 
I'll be teaching a class in our Studio on how to create this lovely piece of Art. If you are interested in learning more let me know. You can go to our website www.freshjaspertexas.com to register for our workshops. 

Image Transfer Using Artisan Gel

Monday night we offered an Image Transfer Workshop at our Fresh studio. Have you heard of Image Transfer? Here's a quick run down on what it is in case you've not? 
First you need an image that has been printed from a laser printer. When I initially became interested in trying this application I tried my ink jet printer with some instructions from several sights but none of them worked. 
Where is a good site to get images to transfer? You can go to Graphics Fairy and get them for free! Go here and check out their website! 
Next you need a good transfer gel and we used Artisan Enhancements Transfer Gel. 
We also used Paint Couture Size and Crackle Medium to get a nice crackle on our projects. 
The last step was applying Paint Couture Black Chiffon Glaze.
We are offering these workshops throughout the summer, if you would like to register go here and click on workshops. We also ship all of our products that we used in this workshop. All are listed on the website.