Create An Aged, Leather-Like Finish Using Wood Icing®, Decorative Napkins And A Stencil

We are sharing this post by blogger Debbie Dion Hayes of MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

 

You may have already discovered that using pretty, patterned, dinner napkins as a background can become lovely and aged after découpage and glazing. But have you ever gone one more step by adding an overall raised stencil with Wood Icing®?

I just experimented with this process as a new idea for walls, cabinet door inserts, book covers and canvas art. Use different napkin patterns and stencils for ever-changing effects. To see more of the background pattern, use less glaze or a smaller stencil design.


SUPPLIES
 

• WOOD ICING®  Textura Paste, Tree Bark and Tomato Furniture Glazes
• Royal Design Studio Indian Floral Wall Stencil
• Large decorative napkins
• Mod Podge, Elmer’s Glue, or any type of découpage medium. I used Elmer’s
• tin foil for a palette, color shaper tool, rags, containers

DECOUPAGE THE NAPKINS ONTO THE SURFACE
 

Open up as many napkins as you need for your project.

 

If you use a white glue, water it down about 20 to 30%. Use a wide brush to coat the surface with a generous amount of glue.

 

Crunch up the napkins, then lay one down into the glue, beginning at one end. Press gently to marry the paper to the glued surface. Brush a coat of glue on top. Let dry.

ADD A RAISED PATTERN WITH TEXTURA PASTE AND A STENCIL

 

Mix some Textura Paste with about 30% water to thin it some. But don’t let it become soupy. You don’t want it to run under the stencil.

 

Position the stencil on top of the surface. Put some of the mixture on tin foil. Load some up on the color shaper and gently pull it across the stencil. Try not to push it underneath. Mine ran under a bit, but I liked the way it looked. Let dry.

GLAZE

 

Pour some Tomato Furniture Glazing Color into a container and add about 20% water, then mix well. Using a large brush, cover the surface with the glaze.

 

Wipe with a damp cloth to soften. Let dry.



Repeat using Tree Bark.

 

Soften with a damp towel. Let dry.

 

What you get is a soft, aged, expensive-looking finish. Sort of contemporary antique. I added piles of old family and found books to my vignette. It feels like fall, don’t you think?

 

Do you need to protect the finish? It depends upon traffic and use. As artwork, no topcoat is necessary unless you want to add some sheen. For protection, you could add Wood Icing® Poly Acrylic Top Coat in Dull, Satin, or Gloss.

Ready to try your hand at this look?

Find your local Wood Icing retailer here. Often you will find that Wood Icing retailers also sell Chalk Paint® and Royal Design Studio stencils. How convenient is that?

{This post is sponsored by my wonderful client, Wood Icing®. They allow me to experiment with their cool products, and the ideas and comments are my own.}

Get A Stone Effect Using Wood Icing®, Artisan Enhancements And A Royal Design Studio Stencil!

 We are sharing a post by Debbie Dion Hayes from her blog MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

{Although this post is sponsored by Wood Icing™, the idea, experimentation, and comments are my own.}

 
Are you always looking for these two things: a cool new furniture finish AND another picture frame to showcase your evolving family, friends and accomplishments? Me too!

You may know that I have the unique opportunity to work with several wonderful DIY products. Yes, I admit it, it’s a little slice of creative heaven for me.

Rose Wilde, co-owner of Wood Icing Co. had a great idea for a stone finish – let’s try some Artisan Enhancements Fine Stone on top of Wood Icing products to get the look of stone. So naturally I added a perfect Royal Design Studio stencil to enhance it all on this flat picture frame I unearthed in my clutter of “great stuff to use for blog posts.”


SUPPLIES




FROM WOOD ICING Licorice & Tree Bark Furniture Glazing Colors, offset palette knife, Graphite Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

FROM ARTISAN ENHANCEMENTS Fine Stone

FROM ROYAL DESIGN STUDIO Peacock Fancy Stencil

OTHER ITEMS rags, paint brushes, painters tape, sand paper


 
 STEP ONE
Paint one coat of Graphite Chalk Paint® and let dry. Knock off any points with sandpaper if needed.

STEP TWO
Lay the stencil over the frame in a pleasing position. Tape if you like. I chose an off-center placement since this is a frame and I wanted the look a bit artsy.

Put some Textura Paste on your palette knife or color shaper tool and pull it over the stencil openings. When the entire frame is covered, level out the paste. Let dry about 15 minutes.

 
 STEP THREE
Brush on one coat of Graphite and let dry.

Stipple or pounce a coat of Fine Stone on the entire surface of the frame and let dry. Due to the base coat of Graphite you will see some mottling of color. Sand the tops of the design to expose some of the white Sand Stone.


 STEP FOUR
Brush on a wash of Tree Bark Glaze. Let dry. Brush on a coat of Licorice. Before the Licorice drys, wipe the surface with a rag to expose some texture and pattern. When you like the effect, let dry for an hour.

Brush on one or two coats of Dull PolyAcrylic. Let dry.

 
 Fill with a favorite photo or momento. I left off the glass and found this old script in French on TheGraphicsFairy.com which I printed on soft brown card stock. Find it here.

 


 Time to enjoy! Lacey Jane just woke up and she insists that I use her photo in the frame. Who can resist those eyes?

Falling For This Seasonal Candle Holder Made With Wood Icing™ Textura Paste And A Glass Vase!

Shared by Debbie Dion Hayes of MyPatchOfBlueSky.com

Posted on October 2, 2014

{Although this post is sponsored by Wood Icing™, the idea and comments are my own.}
It’s finally fall! What a relief from our ultra-steamy heat and humidity here in North Carolina! Over the weekend I planted pansies and mums and added gorgeous funky non-traditional pumpkins, so my mind is on fall decorating. But you probably know that I am not a passionate, overly crazy seasonal decorator. A few carefully chosen accessories and I am happily DONE.


So, while I am thinking fall leading up to Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), my mind is conjuring up ideas for using Wood Icing™ products in new, inexpensive, easy and fun ways. One item I do enjoy using daily is a candle. And with three very fuzzy rescue kitties, a must in our home is a glass container.

Let me tell you a quick, crazy story. Years ago, our sweet kitty Lacey Jane jumped over an open flame candle and, yes, caught on fire. When she jumped down, she literally put herself out and sustained only a bit of singed fur. A heart-stopping moment for her, me and Steve! We had only had her for a week and one of her nine lives was already gone!

That candle was way up on top of the television cabinet, but in a goofy feline moment she jumped to the speakers, then on top of the cabinet.

That said, let’s use a dollar store vase to make a glass candle holder that we can use for the entire fall season. Safe for pets and kiddos.

SUPPLIES



• One or more glass vases and an equal number of candles. My vase is about 4″ wide and I suggest that yours be at least as wide to keep the Textura Paste from cracking from the candle heat. (And, as always, never leave a candle unattended.)
• Wood Icing™ Textura Paste, Baby’s Breath stencil and Furniture Glazes in Mud Pie and Rusty Nails Furniture Glazing Color. (For the stencil, call Wood Icing to order at 1-866-966-3423)
• brushes, tape and rags

STEP ONE



Tape the stencil in place on the vase and using a vertical motion, “butter” on some Textura Paste. Hold the stencil details down with a finger as you go. Complete the entire piece and let dry completely. It may take 30 to 45 minutes.



When dry, gently sand off the peaks.

STEP TWO



Brush on some Rusty Nails glaze, wipe back with a rag and let dry. Then brush on some Mud Pie and let dry.



Done!

I like the crusty, rustic color and texture that can take this candle holder from dinner to Halloween to the Thanksgiving table with ease. It truly glows. I chose not to seal this project because it won’t get handled much, but if you are concerned that yours needs protection, just add a coat of Wood Icing™ Dull Polyacrylic sealer.

If you like texture, don’t miss my previous post on creating a tree bark-look finish here.

{Disclosure: This is a paid featured post in conjunction with Wood Icing™. All opinions, projects, and ideas are based on my own experience.}

Wood Icing/Compass Stencil Project

Mary Nasser, a very talented artist friend, has created this amazing "Compass" stencil for Stencil Girl Stencils and to celebrate with her she invited me to participate in her blog hop. 

 

As the inventor of  the Wood Icing I thought it would be best to use the Wood Icing Textura Paste to showcase how easy it is to create the appearance of carved wood with a simple overlay stencil.  If you have never seen or heard of Wood Icing this is just the tip of the iceberg for our super versatile product.  We have so much more in store to share with you at www.woodicing.com. 



I decided to makeover an unfinished wood frame.  We use these frames in our Wood Icing Studio in some of our workshops for beginners.  They are something everyone enjoys working with and they allow the students to learn the techniques while creating something that fits their personal style.

 

I spray a little repositionable adhesive on the back  of my stencil to keep it in place.

 

Spread the paste evenly over the top of the stencil.  The thickness will depend on how high you want your raised relief to be.  For the more detailed and intricate cut stencils you will need to spread the paste a little thinner to avoid the paste coming up when the stencil is lifted off.

 

Remove the stencil immediately after spreading the paste over the top. Allow the paste to dry.  Drying time depends on the humidity and how thick the paste is applied. You can speed up things with a hair dryer.

 

Sand all the bumps and harsh edges with a higher grit sandpaper (160). Take care not to create scratches which will show up later when the glazing color is applied.

 

Using our Wood Icing Glazing Color "Mud Pie" brush it on all over in a generous amount.  Blot away the excess without removing too much.  Our glazing colors are semi-transparent, unlike semi-opaque stains, allowing the wood gran to show through more readily.

 

Use a dry brush to manipulate the glazing color for the desired shade. Keep in mind when working with unfinished wood, you will want to see the wood grain showing through.

 

While the Glazing Color "Mud Pie" is still wet apply a thin line of Wood Icing Glazing Color "Licorice".

 

Blot back the excess "Licorice" glazing color then blend with a soft cloth to create a shaded effect.

Once you have your shading perfected on the entire frame, and in order to apply a lighter shade to the raised relief, sand the glazing color off the top edge of the raised relief.

 

Apply Wood Icing Glazing Color "Rusty Nails" using the same method of a generous amount of glazing color, then blot back the excess color. Dry brush to the desired shade.

 

Once you have the Wood Icing Glazing Color "Rusty Nails" shaded then add some depth using the Wood Icing Glazing Color "Licorice". 

 

Allow everything to dry then apply the Wood Icing PolyAcrylic Top Coat.  We have three choices Dull, Satin and Gloss.  I have used the Satin for this project.

 

What do you think?  Doesn't this photo of Mary Nasser look pretty inside this frame embellished with her "Compass" stencil? 

 

Thank you Mary for inviting me to participate in your blog hop. I enjoyed my journey with this project and I love the "Compass" stencil you have created.  I cannot wait to try more of your creative stencil designs.

 

To see the beautiful and inspiring work of Mary Nasser please visit http://www.marycnasser.com/ 

 

*Mary Beth Shaw is a distributor of the Wood Icing product 8oz. Textura Paste. Please visit http://stencilgirlproducts.com/ for more information.

 

StencilGirl Talk
Mary C. Nasser
Mary Beth Shaw
Jessica Sporn
Janet Joehlin
Heather Haymart
Judy Shea
Pam Carriker
Nancy Wethington
Talk2TheTrees
Corrine Gilman
Rose Wilde
Nancy Curry
Kristen Powers
Carolyn Dube
Maria McGuire

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Refurbished for an Industrial Decor Finish

I found these photos in a file on my computer and thought I would share the process with you. A few years ago I found this old trunk at a flea market for $30. It had great bones with a beautiful cedar lining.  I knew it was a great Wood Icing project and I just couldn't pass it up.  At the time I found this piece, I was really into the metallic and industrial designs.  I loved the challenge of taking something old fashioned and changing it to fit into the loft/industrial décor. 

Most of my projects require a few repairs, usually the veneers and minor broken pieces and this project was no exception.  There was a crack all the way across the top of the lid, which broke right off and fell on the floor while I was preparing the surface.  This caused a delay in progress because I had to call on my handy dandy husband to put it back together for me.  Since I have the patience of a gnat, I feel he is a little slow to the finish line but once he gets done with a repair it is nice and solid and good forever. 

This area had to be filled in with Textura Paste and smoother over.  I allowed this layer to dry. Then sanded smooth before I applied the checkered design for the metallic finish. 

I removed the raised pieces off the front with a chisel and hammer which caused more damage to the veneer.   But of course that is never an issue with an open bucket of Textura Paste around, just fill and sand smooth.  Now I have a clean palette to go with. 

I am in love with foils and texture together.  First thing I did was create my design of large squares of plastic canvass, custom cut in the exact size to achieve a checkerboard finish  I then spread the Textura Paste over the entire surface (one side at a time)  then pressed in a square of the plastic canvass  into the paste, leaving every other space smooth. 

Once I had allowed it to dry overnight, I sanded it smooth, removing all the boogers and cleaning up the edges. I then stained it with a dark color comparable to our Wood Icing Furniture Glazing Color (Tree Bark mixed with Licorice).  I allowed the glaze to dry completely.

Wood Icing Glazing Colors  click here to purchase









 

Wood Icing PolyAcrylic Top Coats - Dull, Satin and Gloss





Next was the addition of the metallic silver foil and a clear glossy top coat, comparable to our Wood Icing PolyAcrylic Gloss top coat. The goal was to create a finish  inspired by the look of mercury glass.

We raffled this trunk off during one of our events in our Wood Icing Gallery a couple of years ago.  All proceeds went to Breast Cancer Research.  I would love to get my hands on another trunk like this and do this finish again.  If I just keep my eyes open I feel it will appear on the horizon sometime again for me.

Join me in a workshop, if this finish intrigues you and you would like to learn this and more metallic finishes for furniture and cabinetry  Tuesday, September 10, 10am – 2pm  (lunch included) for $159.

You will create the following finishes

one metallic finish with texture using foils for a rustic finish
one metallic finish with texture using foils for a contemporary finish
one metallic finish using Iron & Rust activator
one metallic finish using Brass or Copper along with the Patina activators

Click here for more info

Call the Wood Icing Gallery at 636-536-0409 to register.