Sette Design: how to painting

Showing posts with label how to painting. Show all posts

Chalk Painted Chest

chalk painted chest

Hello everyone! I disappeared because my computer stopped working or letting me work. Having a Macintosh computer in Italy is like… well it is like being a barefoot California girl in cut-off Levis, when everyone else is in 3-inch heels and has straightened hair. The fight between Mac and PC, it’s going on over here too, isn’t that insane except no one has Mac unless it is a phone.

I learned something fun recently from a very lovely stylish client of mine who owns one of my favorite café’s in town. She taught me, you can just buy the metal bolts that go on to furniture in stripes. This is what they look like.

distressed faux finish

Nailhead Trim

Then you just line up the stripe and hammer in a bolt every 5^th bolt and thus pinning the stripe down. It makes me think there are so many other projects I could use these for, upholstering a chair, making numbers on a door inside or out, one big SEVEN for example could be way cool, because seven is hip. Man, I think they would be fun to do on a wall also. Does anyone out there know what these bolts are really called in English, it isn’t rivet is it? (the answer seems to be nailhead trim)

Here’s what the chest looked like before. I made my own chalk paint by adding powdered stucco sifted into a small bucket of taupe colored flat paint. I used about two tablespoons of stucco and mixed it really well. It thickened up very quickly so I am thinking that the Plaster of Paris homemade chalk paint recipe might work better. I haven’t found Plaster of Paris over here in Italy yet.

the before shot

The good thing about Chalk Paint is it covers everything and it was easy to sponge off in areas to antique the chest and let the wood come through. After it was painted I wiped over it with a hard dried out sponge to make the surfaces smooth.

The ball gown was one of my mother’s that she wore when she was 18. It has a twelve ft. long satin shall that goes with it. When I was young I used to put it on and stand over the kitchen heater that was on the floor and blew up warm air, the gown became huge like a hoop skirt. I am slowly doing a photo essay of photographing all the girls in the family in this dress. It is quite lovely.

chalk paint and satin gotta love it!

Cheers,

Natalie

I'm linking with:

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

French Country Cottage

Romantic Home

Miss Mustard Seed

Between Naps on the Porch

How To: Faded Pattern On Shabby Chic Furniture

shabby chic furniture ideas

I had so much fun doing this project because I love pattern and it scares me a bit also. I guess I’m afraid I’ll mess it up. I believe with pattern in an interior it is more difficult to make the space look pretty and simple, which is an aesthetic that I desire. Yet I also believe that our brains and souls want the stimulation and repetition of pattern. It makes us happy, we think owwwh che bello!

I changed the knob to green glass

Here’s what I did, it really did not take me long at all, just a few hours. Granted the piece is small, but there is waiting time involved.

before shot

I painted this piece pale blue gray, leaving the ochre color underneath.

sometimes I use heavy books to glue veneer down

Where the tapped veneered edge of the door was coming apart. I took a tiny brush and added some glue in the gap. I tapped it with masking tape to ahead it together. This is a simple trick if you don’t have clamps or the angle is strange.

off-white motif

I free form painted a scroll type, leafy design in off white. Here is a Big Secret for those of you who are new to painting, go buy yourself a liner brush. They make everything look magic and you can touch up your own designs afterward by lining in on the edges. You could also do this process with a stencil. With a liner brush you want to pull the brush, never push it. Then the brush does the work for you.

easy to add in the finesse after

my best friends

I painted in metallic silver on part of the molding. This gives the piece a slight glow.

you can leave it sanded off to your preference

When my white design dried I sanded it a bit on the edges of the cabinet and over the motif to fade it down, part of the original ochre shows through. Then I took a small brush and painted over some of the motif with the original blue-gray base color. Let that dry.

I paint over the design to fade it out

I tinted some clear wax in a dark kiwi green color with Universal Tints. I like to cut up old wool sweaters to use to apply the wax (use a light color). First I apply a lot of wax, then I wipe it off right away. After about a half hour I get a new clean piece of wool and buff the waxed finish, a light shine comes up.

tinted wax in kiwi green

buff the wax in and off

keep life simple

so pretty and faded

Do you think it’s pretty? What do you think about pattern in your home? I like the idea of fading the pattern to tone down the force of the motif and make it aged looking.

Happy Weekend dear readers.

Natalie

I'm sharing with these fun Link Parties:

Miss Mustard Seed
Between Naps on the Porch

Romantic Home

French Country Cottage

Little Wax Painted Chair

little wax painted chair in our foyer

I found this little child’s folding chair in the trash. I couldn’t believe my luck. Presently I’m using it in our foyer to hang my keys on. Then it will go to Elisa’s room, she is almost 10! When and if she cleans her room, she would rather clean the house than clean her room.

luminous

First I painted it off-white.

here is the before shot

Then I heated clear wax and tinted it with universal tints. I put the mixture on the stove in an old clean tomato can. It heats up in a second, watch out for hot wax, it can burn.

troppo Americana a me!

I painted on the deep blue wax with an old brush. For me it came out too dark.

tomato cans can be used for everything

So then I went for the kiwi green and some yellow (separate can). I painted that on and I liked it more.

I covered the deep blue with pearl acrylic paint to tone it down, mess it up, to add texture.

covering up the deep blue wax

here's with the green wax and pearl paint

What do you think? Could it look good sanded on the edges a bit too? I love the idea of a chair as a side table or to stack books on, hold the keys.

hot wax on chair

Cheers!!

With affection

Natalie

I'm linking up to the link party at:

Miss Mustard Seed
Between Naps on the Porch
Mod Vintage Life
Romantic Home

Painted Shoe Boxes - 7th Day of Spring

gray painted shoe boxes

Happy 7^th Day of Spring

I was too crazy painting a retail store last week to post a celebration. The 7^th Day of Spring because this is Sette Design, 7 because there are 7 colors in the rainbow and because 7 is way cool. Later I’ll show you the store because it came out quite modern and rich.

Elisa's little hand full of spring

All of you who do not want to do any Spring cleaning, (that's me!). Here is a fun idea. Paint shoe boxes instead and organize something in your life. It is that simple to feel that you are reaching a little closer to spring.

Here is the before photo.

all the different colors make the boxes look cluttered

To me it didn’t matter what size they were I just wanted the shoe boxes all the same color, so that they would look more like a group. I picked gray because I like it as a neutral, it makes color pop. I painted a basket the same color too.

One had a gold lid that I liked so I let the gold show a bit.

uniformity makes good design

i let the brushstroke show

Color or pattern can look good peaking through, if you paint the boxes lightly or patchy in some areas. I use one coat in some spots, 2 in others. A clear coat of polyurethane and they will last longer under use.

and happy Easter too!

Happy 7^th Day of Spring chile beans!

Natalie

I'm linking to these link parties:

French Country Cottage

Romantic Home
Creations By Kara
The Shabby Creek Cottage

Shabby Chic Ideas

some shabby chi ideas

Happy International Woman’s Day

Here in Italy the men bring a spruce of Mimosa to the woman that are important to them. It is a symbol that they respect and love us and acknowledge that there should be more justice and equality for woman all over the world. I concur.

cappuccino anyone?

I’ll try to keep this post short today because I’m rushing off to work on someone’s window displays.

I put together this scene to reflect some Shabby Chic ideas that I have. If you follow this blog at all you might know that I like things easy and fun.

A old wicker chair with a beautiful Italian lace thrown over it, cushions underneath.

An old inner window shutter plastered with Venetian Stucco and gold leaf with some pearl paint, white paint and gold leaf.

I like the little bit of ochre that there was

A chair that was crying for a Shabby Chic look because it already had a good patina on it. All I did here was add some cream-white paint a bit of pearl (yes I’m obsessed with pearl). Then I sanded the edges, put a piece of fleece as stuffing and hot glue gunned on a piece of moss green velvet. Isn’t it pretty I love a quick transformation.