(Faux) Blackened Wax Fruit Tutorial~Thrift Shop Bowl Makeover

 If you read my blog on a regular basis you already know that I'm a thrift shop junkie. I have a favorite local shop run by the sweetest little ladies. They are exceptionally kind to me and always seem to have the "good stuff". Last week I stopped by, and among other things, found this...

...large wooden bowl filled with faux fruit, only $4. This is only a few pieces of the fruit, as I nearly forgot to snap a "before" photo. I had an idea brewing and was impatient excited to get started.

I've always wanted a big ol' bowl of the beautiful blackened wax fruit that I see in shops, but being the cheapskate that I am, have never wanted to spend the money on something "I can make myself". Yes, yes we've all been there, haven't we? We CAN make it...but we almost never do. Well, when I saw this lovely big wooden bowl filled with fruit I got the idea to turn faux fruit into "blacken wax" faux fruit. And if it didn't work...well, the bowl was still a deal at $4, right? And while I was at it, I decided I'd give the bowl a new/old finish.

~Before~

 I already had everything I needed, so I gathered my materials.

 

 For the faux wax fruit you only need a few things.

Black Acrylic Paint, Matte Finish (the cheap stuff is fine)

Ground Cinnamon  (the cheap stuff is fine here too. I bought ALDI brand)

Small Artist's Paintbrush

Drop Cloth

Handheld Hairdryer (optional, but sure speeds up drying)

This project is so easy...you're gonna love it.

Spread out your drop cloth and give yourself plenty of room to work. If you do a lot of pieces, you'll have fruit drying everywhere. Using full strength paint, begin painting each piece of fruit with a nice even coat. I painted one side of each piece of fruit then sat it aside to dry and did the next piece. Then I went back and painted the other side of each piece. I checked each piece in bright light to be sure I had good coverage. You want the original color of the fruit to be completely covered. 

 Like this.

I didn't paint the stems. Tip: If any of the fruit is missing a stem-or if they look "fake", you can replace them with stems from real fruit. Just poke a small hole in the top using an awl or a large needle and glue in the replacement stem. Do this before adding the cinnamon.  

 Now for the tricky part. OK, not really...there is no tricky part.

After the fruit is completely dry (this is where the hairdryer comes in handy), pour your bottle of cinnamon into a shallow dish. This project only uses up a small amount of cinnamon, but you can keep what's leftover to use on another project. Just don't use it for cooking. Now, roll each piece of fruit in the cinnamon. You can gently pat, rub or sprinkle...whatever works for you. I just rolled mine around, then sat each piece aside while I painted my bowl. 

Now for the bowl...I started by giving my bowl a good washing and allowing it to dry overnight before painting. There was no previous finish on the bowl. For painting the bowl I used Old Century Colors, acrylic paint in the color, Olde Pewter 2023. I used full strength paint to get the look of a heavily painted old bowl...but you can water your paint down (one part paint, two parts water) for a more transparent look. 

 My painted bowl, before the antiquing process.

I painted the bottom of the bowl, going around in a circular motion, with the grain. Pay special attention to the rim and the bottom where you would see natural wear, were it an antique bowl. If you get too much paint on the bowl, just use a wet cloth to scrub some off, again following the bowl's contours. You can also use fine sandpaper to remove a bit of paint. When you're happy with the way it looks, set it aside to dry. Again, I used a hairdryer to speed up the process.

After your bowl is dry you'll want to go over it with an antiquing medium to give it a bit of age. I used Folkart/Plaid Antiquing Medium, in the color Apple Butter Brown, to stain my bowl. Mix one part antiquing medium to two parts water. Remember a little goes a long way. Brush the mixture on over the outside of the bowl and quickly wipe off excess stain with a dry cloth. Then repeat on the inside of the bowl. The antiquing medium drys fast and the longer it sits, the darker the wood will be. If it is too dark for your liking, wipe some stain off with a wet cloth. 

The  bottom of my painted bowl, after a light sanding and applying the antiquing medium.

I antiqued both the inside, and the outside of my bowl. Keep in mind that you won't want to use these products on the inside if you plan to serve food in your bowl, as they are not food-safe. 

 The inside of my finished bowl is a nice warm brown color.

~After~

Looks  and smells just like the real deal...and just in time for my Thanksgiving table!

That's it! Told you it was easy!

Until next time...

Rhonda

Painting Upholstered Furniture

We recently decided to change up our living space by swapping out several rooms. While trying to decide which furniture would work best in which rooms, I realized that I was in need of a sewing chair in my studio. I wanted something pretty, pink and comfortable. I watched Craigslist for over a month with no luck. Finally, I spotted a listing for this chair, just a short distance from my home. In the listing it looked pink, but when I went to see it in person, it was definitely a peachy orange. Still, it was a great style, clean, comfortable, and in good condition. And the price was right...$50. I convinced myself that I could make it work.

After

When I got home, I moved the chair upstairs next to the window and looked at it. I let it sit there for a few days, hoping it would grow on me. It didn't. It looked awful in my pale pink world. This is when I decided I'd change the color. After an extensive internet search, I determined that there was no colorfast way to dye the chair...then I came across Kristy Swain's blog, hyphen interiors. Kristy posted a tutorial that showed how to paint upholstery. I was intrigued. After reading and rereading her instructions many times, I thought, "I can do this!" 

I gathered my materials. 

1. One quart of  Behr indoor, satin latex paint.  (There's enough left over to do 30 more chairs-you could probably get away with a sample size paint)

2. A large bottle of Delta Textile Medium (I used 2/3 of the bottle)

3. Six Foam Brushes (I used one brush)

I already had a spray bottle for water, painters tape, and a pint jar. And although this project was surprisingly not messy, you'll probably want some sort of drop cloth under your project...just in case.

Getting started was the hardest part. I had to tell myself that if I ruined the chair, it wasn't the end of the world...so I took a deep breath and jumped in.

First things first. Even though it was in great condition, the chair had a wee bit of what I like to call, "old lady smell". I am a bit of a germophobe, so I decided that before I painted it, the chair must be shampooed. This is a photo of the clean, damp chair, before. The fabric on this chair was a beautiful nubby silk with a flame stitch pattern in the weave. Because the color I envisioned was an old fashioned dark pink, I chose a bright pink paint, hoping the combination of colors would be exactly what I had in mind. 

Before

Before getting started, be sure your piece is clean with no lint, dust or dirty spots. This will ensure that the paint goes on evenly as possible.

I used the upholstery attachment on my Bissel Rug Shampooer to clean my chair, making sure I didn't leave it too wet. While the chair was damp, you could see lines where the various types of stuffing begin & end...which was a little worrisome at first. But by that point I was already too far in to fret over it.

Next, I mixed equal parts paint, textile medium, and water in a pint jar. If your paint is really thick you might need to add more water until it's about the consistency of a glaze. I refilled my jar only once, using about 1.75 pints of my paint concoction altogether.

I began by taping off the wood with painters tape. Since I planned to replace the faded gimp trim on the chair, I left it in place and painted right up to it. The trim acted as a natural barrier between the wood and the painted areas. 

 My chair was already pretty damp from cleaning. If you are starting with dry upholstery, you will want to get it damp before beginning. As Kristy said, don't be shy...you want the fabric damp. Keep your spray bottle handy, the upholstery dries out as you are painting. 

To begin, I took the seat cushion off and painted the inside arm of the chair. I painted slowly and deliberately, blending the paint as I went.

I worked my way around the chair, spritzing with water and blending the paint. On the deep sculpted back, I used the foam brush to paint between the tufted folds of the chair. I finished the seat of the chair last, then tackled the cushion.

After I finished painting, I used a fan to dry the chair. I painted it late at night and it was completely dry by morning.

I'm sure different fabrics will react differently to the process. I found that one coat of paint was all I needed on my chair. The color is perfect and the fabric remains soft & pliable. In Kristy's tutorial she used several coat of paint to achieve a darker richer color. She also recommended sanding areas that might be too stiff. 

I finished my chair by pulling off the old gimp trim and using a hot glue gun to attach the new trim. I had a hard time finding trim to match so I did what I always do...I checked Etsy.com. I found Peggy's Shop there...she was offering 6 yards of  (new) vintage trim in the exact shade I needed. In retrospect, I think I'd buy my trim first and match the paint to it.

After

I think you'll have to experiment with your own upholstered piece to see what works for you. Kristy's tutorial is a must read...and be sure to read through her tips at the bottom. It's also a great place to see more painted upholstery projects done by her readers. Some of them are really incredible.

What I Did On My Summer Vactation (OR where the heck have you been?)

Some of you might be wondering just what happened to me over the summer...I've really missed being part of the blogging community these last few months. I've missed seeing what you've been up to, your projects, your photos, your offerings...I've missed YOU. I really appreciate my faithful readers...THANK YOU for sticking with me, I hope you'll return again and again.

I can't believe it's fall! Seriously, summer flew by so quickly that I almost feel like it never happened. We were just incredibly, incredibly busy here. It seems like we went from one project to the next... 

There was a lot of painting, remodeling, and exchanging of spaces. My studio moved from a small crowded room on the main floor of the house, to two large rooms on the second floor. My old studio became a cozy little sitting room just off the master bedroom. 

This may not sound like much to some of you, but with the exception of moving the heavy furniture, I did most of the work myself.  The moving, sorting and organizing of supplies was probably the biggest part of the project. I made myself go through every button and spool and was relieved that my family didn't call the producers of "Hoarders" when they saw what was packed into my tiny studio. Mr. Kattywhompus said it reminded him of a clown car...where no matter how many clowns emerge-there's always one (or two) more. *sigh*

The changes have been a dream. I not only inherited a bigger space, but three more closets and room for an office, packaging area and permanent spot to take product photos. I was able to move most of the inventory for my vintage shop into one space, and still have a pretty and functional area to create. Of course during the move, I wasn't able to get a bit of work done...but I feel like I will be able to be much more productive now that everything is in one space and more organized.  I also have plenty of room to host gatherings with friends, which has happened a couple of times already. :)

As the mother of three sons, I've lived in a world flooded with testosterone for over twenty years. Now that the two oldest have their own place, I lost no time in creating what they refer to as "The Pink Room".

I really wanted a pretty (and comfortable) chair to sit in by the window and stitch. It's pretty now, but it certainly wasn't when I found it. I'll tell you in my next post how I PAINTED the upholstery and transformed this Craigslist find. You might be as amazed as I was at how easy it was!

In my new space, I even have room to to create vignettes with all the little pretties I've collected over the years.

Surrounding myself with things I love inspires me.

Fabric at my fingertips.

 

Pretty storage all in a row.

The "Hoosier" makes great storage (but was a booger going up the stairs).

Needfuls near the sewing machine.

On the tabletop, a sweet stemmed dish, a gift from my mother-in-love. Each time I made her a grandma, she brought me a pretty piece of glassware. One day I hope to gift them to my daughter-in-loves. The little kitten was a Mother's Day gift. I can still picture four year old Nash, standing by my bedside at 5 am, with a tiny gift wrapped box. :)

Favorite things...vintage rabbits, Tasha Tudor storybooks and shiny dragees unearthed at an estate sale by my friend Joan.

More Inspiration...

Everyone needs a helper...

Supplies...

Another corner...

A turn of the century, white cotton day dress and antique ladies pocket watch, gifts from my Momma.

I have one last project to finish in this room. I want to paint my worktable a creamy white. It's a big round claw-foot table that we've had since we were first married. Right now the finish looks like this...it really needs a makeover.

 

Well...I hope you've enjoyed the tour. I look forward to sharing the rest of my summer with you...including a tutorial on how to paint upholstered furniture, a special outing with friends, my first big feature story in Mercantile Gatherings Magazine and what I am looking forward to for fall. Until next time...Rhonda

(Please forgive my crazy spacing...blogger seems to be buggy tonight.)

Rainy Saturday

Today was the day Mr. Kattywhompus and I were to go to The Hill Climb in Newport, Indiana. But when we woke up to rain this morning, we opted for sleeping in and a day at home instead. While Mr. K watched a movie with our boys, I decided I'd tackle a few of the endless small projects I have sitting around the house.

Like many of you, I have an affinity for anything with lots of little drawers or compartments. Today I thought I'd show you what I did with two of my recent finds.

This first piece is one I found at an estate sale. Most things at this sale were a little pricey so after a quick peek inside, I headed to the garage. I found this hanging on the wall, filled with nuts & bolts, and a $10 price tag hanging from one of the knobs. Of course it caught my eye because of all the drawers...but what really fascinated me was that it's made entirely of old wooden cheese boxes and packing crates. Then there were all the funny mismatched knobs...

This is what it looked like after a good scrubbing, but before hubby repaired the bottom drawer and I replaced the missing knobs with old spools.

I also stained the little red knob so that it didn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Even with all its flaws, I think it's a fun piece...which goes to show that one man's trash is truly another man's treasure.

And speaking of treasure...take a look at this diamond in the rough.

I bought this spice box at a local shop for $16. Again, the rows of little drawers got to me. Because a number of things in the store were painted this exact shade of blue, I suspected the paint job was pretty recent and would be fairly easy to sand down.

I was right. It had been painted with a latex paint and a light sanding was all that was needed. As I sanded, I kept waiting to see the crack or repair, the reason someone had painted over the old finish. But as I finished the last drawer I realized that this spice box was in perfect condition. Someone painted it because they liked this color. I'm just glad they didn't like lavender or fuchsia.

Here's a picture of the spice box after sanding, a coat of Briwax, and a good buffing with a soft cloth.

 

As you can see, I left some of the blue paint.

I'm pretty happy with the result. Briwax is a fantastic product, don't you agree?

Isn't it amazing what a little elbow grease can do?

It's suppose to frost tonight, so Mr. Kattywhompus picked the rest of our butternut and spaghetti squash. And he dug the carrots. I suspect he's hoping I'll bake my granny's carrot cookies...and I just might.

I love all the crazy shapes that real carrots come in. I'm so lucky to be married to a man who brings me vegetables. As it turns out, I don't mind that we stayed home today. And the rain...really is quite lovely.

Our view from the front porch late this afternoon. Some things are almost  too good to be true.

Until next time...