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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Scripted Vanity Benches

Today I'm posting about two projects that I just finished.  They are both vanity benches and both started out as wood benches.  Well, one of them started out that way.  The first one you see here I think was actually one of those little French side tables that had the round glass in it.  There was no glass, no seat, just the wood frame.  To me it screamed vanity seat.  It got painted and chipped up, had a wood seat made and then I covered it with a scrap of drop cloth that I stenciled my French poem on.  Now it's a shabby little accent piece.
This next piece started out as a bench with a dark wood frame and some dated rose fabric.  I love rose fabric but just not that fabric.  I used the same drop cloth scrap and stenciled the script in white to match the painted frame.  I like them much better with their new update.
It's super easy to stencil on fabric with this French poem stencil from Royal Design Studio.  Just make sure you have a large enough flat surface to support the stencil as it is large.
Both these cute little benches are off to the Little French Flea Market this weekend in Tarzana, California so if you're in the area and you want to come out and sizzle with me, I would love to see you.  It should be a very warm triple digit weekend.
Thanks for stopping by.

I may be partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy   
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Rusty Letters and a Modern Masters Rust Finish Tutorial

A while back I showed you a frame I had done in a rusty finish using Modern Masters Metal Effects rust finish products, and I told you how the views of my post were solely my own and that Modern Masters had no idea who I even was let alone that they would compensate me to promote their products.  No one was more shocked than me when I received an email from them and an offer to receive some of their product to try out on my blog.  So I will disclose that this product was supplied to me by Modern Masters but the views of their product are my own.

I did three projects simultaneously with the Metal Effects rust finish so don't let my photos confuse you.  I'll show you the angel I did this week as well.  You can see her in my tutorial photos.

All of us crafters have seen these paper letters.  Our Joann's carries them in a lot of sizes and these that I found at a yard sale are about eight inches tall.
My first step was to use the Metal Effects primer and I gave my projects two coats.  Do the first coat, wait 30 minutes and then do the second coat.  The directions said to let the primer dry for 12 hours but I let it dry for 24 hours.  Please excuse the mess in the background.  I am purging and sorting my entire house right now and things will be worse before they get better.  That will also be the subject of a blog post this week so stay tuned.
After waiting 24 hours for the primer coat to dry, I applied two coats of the Metal Effects iron paint.  I allowed and hour in between each coat.

I let that totally dry for about six hours and then coated my letters with the Metal Effects rust activator.  For the letters I used a sponge applicator and laid the letters flat.  You can spritz the rust activator on, but I wanted a heavier coat and I laid the letters flat so there would be no run off.  For this step, apply the rust activator, wait five minutes and reapply.  Then just sit back and watch the magic begin.  It takes a while but there is definitely a chemical reaction and you will see the rust appear before your eyes.
After my rust appeared (I waited over night to make sure all the rust had come forth), I mixed the Permacoat Supreme, which is a final top coat, with 50 percent water, in other words, half water and half Permacoat.  I applied it with a small chip brush.  When this step dried, I applied the Permacoat full strength.  The label does say Interior/Exterior so I'm sure you could leave your project outdoors, but since my projects were papermache, I intended them for indoor use only.
Since I acquired my letters from a yard sale, I only had a few letters to choose from, but I had a lot of fun making them into words.  
This finish is perfect for fall decorating, don't you think?  I have to say, and this is my sincere opinion, that I have tried about four different product lines from Modern Masters and they all do what they promise to do.  This company knows how to manufacture artist's supplies, and they have been around a very long time.
Thanks for taking a peak and, thank you, Modern Masters, for letting me have loads of fun with your Metal Effects rust finish.  

I may be partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy  
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style
                                           
Thursdays        The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays