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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Ikea Pots Paris Style


I don't know what it is about French labels and French typography, but we don't seem to be able to get enough of them, do we?  Or maybe I can only speak for myself.  Yesterday I shared with you that my project for the day was a complete failure, and it was.  This is the salvaged and saved project, and I'm pretty darned pleased with it!
 Little did I know when I started this it would be a product comparison between three products, but that's exactly what it turned out to be.  I started out with a couple of Ikea pots.  I liked the shapes of them because they were not the typical terra cotta pots.  I have had wonderful luck with two projects using the Splendid Blender to transfer images so I thought I would try the same method on my pots.
I have no idea what went wrong because these pots are not shiny at all.  They were flat paint, then had acrylic craft paint dabbed on and zero, nada, zilch.  My image would not transfer with the Splendid Blender and I was using the required laser copy, not inkjet.  Soooo I sprayed the pots with Valspar clear flat spray to seal in the acrylic paints.  Still zero, nada, zilch.  No transfer!
Well, darn it!  I wanted this image on my pots.  So I had Mod Podge on hand, and what blogger doesn't?  I also had purchased some Liquitex Matte Gel medium which I have read works great with transfers as well.  So I put the products to the challenge.
In my book Mod Podge won hands down.  I put it on my mirror image laser copy and stuck it on the pot and left it overnight.  I did the same with the Liquitex on the small pot.  The Liquitex left a calcified water appearance behind which would not budge.  If you like that look, then that's the product for you.  Next to each other, you can see the results of the two products and compare.
Here is the pot as it started out.  Kind of gray.  Then I added some Delta burnt umber and dabbed it on with a dry paper towel.
After that, I came back with a new paper towel and dabbed on Delta leaf green.  Then I dabbed the Delta terra cotta.  It was all sealed in with the Valspar clear flat spray, and then I applied my mirror image laser copy to each pot using the two respective products.  I let them both sit over night and then I dampened my paper labels and gently backed them off with my fingertips.  I had to repeat about five times throughout the day to get most of the paper removed.  Then I came back with light steel wool, and knocked off the little remaining particles of paper.

I dabbed the inside too, just because it looks better when it's for sale.  The photo below was before I took my steel wool to knock off the excess pieces of paper, but I love the result and will definitely try this method again.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


14 comments:

Jennifer @ Town and Country Living said...

I love French typography, too. I really like the paint job you put on these pots!

Donna said...

Oooh, la, la! Your pot is amazing, Maggie! I really love that graphic, thanks for the great tips. I may get brave and try the transfer method again!!

Cynthia said...

I love everything with a French touch. I used the same graphic for my pots. Love yours they are beautiful.

Cynthia

miss flibbertigibbet said...

Great tutorial Maggie...they look wonderful!

Pat C. said...

See? I *knew* you would pull another masterpiece out of your hat! Both pots look terrific!! Love the colors you used and the graphic.
Congratulations!

xoxo

Liz @ Quirky Vistas said...

Nice technique and good to know which product does what. The results are stunning. You really transformed those pots! Thanks for stopping over at Quirky Vistas and leaving me your kind thoughts!
Liz

Botanic Bleu said...

When you apply the Modge Podge, do you apply it to the pot, OR to the printed side of the transfer image, OR to the back of the transfer image?

These pots turned out great! I also like that the shape is unusual.

Gayle Page-Robak said...

Loved reading about your experiments with the Ikea pots...everything looks awesome! Thank you for sharing. I am now a follower of your blog and look forward to return visits. I invite you to join me as well on my blog at http://atastefultouch.blogspot.com
Hugs, Gayle.

lilwhitelife said...

Beautiful. I wish they were on my kitchen counter. I found you thru French Country Cottage's Feathered nest Friday and I look forward to looking around your blog. Leslie

Bohemian said...

A Great 'Save' and alternative way to Transform ordinary Pots to Extraordinary ones! Just Beautiful!

Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Heaven's Walk said...

Great job on those sweet little pots! I did the MP transfer method last summer and fell in love with how fun it was! My pots sold like hotcakes in my booth! So glad that it worked well for you, too. :)

xoxo laurie

Sue said...

Maggie, your transformed pots are gorgeous and I'd love to have some just like them! I need to get a toner based printer so I can do these transfers. :-)

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Sooo cute! Love them and sharing at the party tonight~ thanks for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday!

karen@somewhatquirky said...

Maggie I absolutely love these - saw that they were highlighted at one of the parties last week! Congrats! I think something like this will be on my to do list.