Tutorial: Artichoke Sconces Makeover

Recently we came across this set of artichoke sconces and we thought they could be transformed to look way better with our Amy Howard's Natural Legno Gesso and Toscana Powder Paint.

Here is how:

After a thorough cleaning with a degreaser, we prepared the Legno Gesso. 

Note: Amy Howard's  Legno Gesso is a 32oz can of powder that can be diluted with water. We calculate one part gesso to one part water and we dilute enough powder in a container for the project at hand. 

We applied one coat of Legno Gesso on the artichokes and left them to fully dry.

Once fully dried, the Legno Gesso adds a very interesting crackled and aged finish. 

As with the Legno Gesso, we prepared the Amy Howard's Toscana Powder paint. We chose the Cote D'Azure color for this project. We applied one coat of Toscana Powder paint and left to fully dry.

Note: Amy Howard's Toscana Powder paint is also a powder that dilutes in water, found in an 8oz clear container. Mixed by adding enough water to the Toscana Powder until there are no more lumps in the paint. 

After the coat of Toscana Powder paint was fully dried we applied clear wax to the artichokes as well as dark wax. Directions on how to apply wax finishes can be found on this post: Stool Makeover.

We also distressed the tips of the artichoke layers as well as some areas of the sconce base to add on aged appeal.

And here they are, all refinished and beautiful. 

We hope you enjoyed this post and that you'll find some time to visit with us, either at our shop in town, here on blog or our Facebook page. 

How we did it: The Gilding Process

The gilding process dates back over 4000 years in ancient Egypt. Among the finest gilding was that carried out in France in the 18th Century and established France's undisputed leadership in decorative arts. 

Gilding in gold, silver and copper leaf can add beautiful accent and detail to any piece of furniture or accessory item. Gilding can be used on glass, metal and wood. It is important that applied gild shows wear in the gold or silver leaf to look authentic.

Here we have a wooden carved mirror frame that we brought into the studio originally painted in white.  We thought that it was a perfect piece, with all of its detail, to paint first and then add an

aged gild finish. 

The Process:

~ We started by painting the frame using Amy Howard's One Step in Black. (Further details on using Amy Howard's One Step paint can be found here: 

http://marketstreetartisans.blogspot.com/2014/09/stool-makeover.html )

~ Using an accent artist brush, we applied a nice even coat of Amy Howard's Gilding Size, applying in long clean strokes much like we would apply nail polish. The Gilding Size (adhesive) is white so that helps in making sure that it is applied to all areas we want gilded. Then we let it dry for about 10 minutes, to a tacky finish.

~ The silver sheets come in a book and each leaf will be in between sheets of tissue. We cut the silver leaf just a little larger then the area that we are gilding. Removing the tissue off of one side, we laid the silver gilding sheet down and with the tissue on top of it burnished it with our fingers to made sure it was laid into the size adhesive. 

~ After dry-brushing off the loose leaf, we buffed the leaf with a clean rag to make sure it has a shiny patina.

~ Clear wax was then applied and buffed.

~ Then using a dry brush we powdered the frame using Amy Howard's Dust Of Ages and buffed off excess using a rag like one would buff a shoe. This step brings out the highlights and sheen of this beautifully gilded piece.

 

And here is the amazing looking finished mirror, gilded in silver leaf and ready to be a show stopper in any room.

It is available for sale in our store at 235 Market Street, in downtown Mount Airy.

Hope you enjoyed the walk-through of the process of this gilded piece. 

Tutorial: Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

Finding thrifty treasures is not as hard as many make it out to be. It's just a matter of looking at, for example, a piece of furniture, a lamp, a frame, etc... noticing its shape and details and then imagining it in another color if you are not pleased with its current finish. If the item has potential and you can see that it can easily be painted and transformed into something beautiful, then why not? Amy Howard's One Step Paint is a water-based paint that adheres to almost any surface, including wood, concrete, iron, stone, formica, even brass and so much more.

This brass lamp definitely had potential. The lions on each side are interesting details and we thought it could transform into a beautiful piece.

How-To:

1. Wipe down the lamp’s surface to clear any dust, dirt, etc. Use a degreaser (like Simple Green or Zep) and spray your piece thoroughly. Wipe it clean and allow to dry.

2. We decided to paint our lamp in two colors using Amy Howard's One Step in Barefoot In The Park and a custom blend of chocolate brown. In this case, tape off the edges of the main part of the lamp with painters tape. 

3. Start painting the lamp, letting the first coat dry for about 20 minutes. Brush on a second coat to cover all the way and let it dry again for another 20 minutes. Further details on the painting, waxing and dark waxing processes are found on our previous post, Tutorial: Stool Makeover.

4. Remove the painters tape. 

5. Now tape off the accenting areas of the lamp with painters tape, such as the base of the lamp and the  area which holds the bulb.

6. Paint with your accent color as in Step #3. Remember to paint the finial of the lamp as well.

7. After the lamp is painted well and dried, remove the painters tape. 

8. Now is the time to wax and buff the lamp to give it a smooth, shinier finish. We used Antiquax Original Wax Polish. (The details for waxing are also included in the stool tutorial.)

9. After the light waxing process, its time to use Dark Wax to highlight the details on the lamp. The lions and the ridges are the highlight of this lamp. Brush on a heavy amount of dark wax, then buff, making sure that the dark wax is left behind in the crevices of the details. 

10. And finally, take 10 steps backwards and admire your now finished lamp. "Enjoy the bragging rights!" 

Tutorial: Faux Mercury Glass Wine Bottle

In this really easy tutorial we are going to show you how you can turn an ordinary 

wine bottle into a faux mercury glass bottle that lights up with string lights.

You will need:

~A wine bottle that has been well cleaned and dried and labels removed.

~3/4 inch diamond bit and a drill

~Water spray bottle with water.

~Spray can of Krylon's Looking Glass

~Sponge brush

How-to:

Using the diamond bit and the drill, drill out a hole towards the bottom of the bottle.

Holding the water bottle sprayer at about 3 feet away from wine bottle, spray lightly a few drops onto the wine bottle. Try not to spray on too much water that starts running down on the bottle. Keep a paper towel close to wipe off any running drops.

Next step is to start spraying the  wine bottle with Krylon's Looking Glass. While spraying, you will notice that the Looking Glass spray traps the water drops underneath. Make sure you have the desired covering for a mirror looking surface.

Let the Looking Glass coat dry for about 2-3 minutes. With a sponge or dry cloth, you can start wiping off the trapped water bubbles to remove some of the Looking Glass finish.

With a sponge you can scrub off more of the Looking Glass coating to give it a distressed look.

Feed the string of lights into the bottle through the drilled hole.

Here is another way we used our faux mercury wine bottles: 

by topping them with a wine bottle candelabra, available in our store at Market Street Artisans. 

Stool Makeover

We would like to share how easy it is to give any piece of furniture a makeover using Amy Howard's One Step paint. 

What we needed for this project:

Any color of  choice of Amy Howard's One Step paint

Amy Howard at Home, Dark Antique Wax

Antiquax, Original Wax Polish

Three brushes to use with each product

For this tutorial we used an unfinished stool. 

~  First step is to thoroughly clean the piece with an industrial degreaser . It helps to remove any grease, grime, oil or wax from the piece.

~  After making sure the furniture is dry after cleaning, we began to  paint the piece with Amy Howard's One Step paint. It may take one or two coats to paint. Our stool was a light color and only took one coat to cover with maybe a retouch here and there. 

Amy Howard's One Step usually takes about 15-20 minutes to completely dry.

~   Using a different brush now, we are waxing the entire piece using the Original Wax Polish. After dipping the brush into the container of wax, make sure to unload some of the wax on a piece of cardboard for better distribution of wax on the bristles. Use a polishing rag (any cloth that does not leave lint residue on the furniture surface) to buff the piece. Make sure to wipe off wax excess and smooth the surface by wiping in a circular motion.   

~  Changing the brush, we are applying the Dark Antique Wax to add visual interest to any detail in the woodwork. Same way we applied the wax polish, make sure to unload the brush on the cardboard. Brush the dark wax over the detail making sure it's entirely covered. Then buff with a lint-free cloth.

And here is the finished stool. Makeover took about 2 hours on this piece. Amy Howard's One Step paint can be applied on most any surfaces. No need to strip, sand or prime. 

Hence the name One Step.

All products are available at Market Street Artisans, including the stools which can be pre-ordered.