What colour is your front door?

Last weekend DH and I repainted our front door. 'Green Fog' above from Plascon. The swatch above doesn't really do it justice. It's a sage-like green that complements the 'broken white' walls.  A classic combination chosen for it's simple, inoffensive nature and hopefully enhanced by the lavender bushes in the garden. 

What colour is your front door? Statement red? Chic black? Greige? (love that word) or have you chosen the 'safe' route, like me?

Top image VtWonen moodboards, bottom image Plascon.

Waxed flowers

I happened to see Martha make some waxed flowers and beautifully style them under a bell jar recently. So I tried it at home. I've made scented candles before so I have all the wax paraphernalia.

I was hoping for an ethereal type effect, something over styled or reminiscent of a prop from a Tim Burton movie but alas, my skills/choice of flower/patience weren't quite up to the task. It wasn't a total waste of time though...

Things I have learnt from this craft:
1. I will never be a flower arranger.
2. I'd rather have my flowers die quicker than cover up the scent of blooms.
3. The end result always looks better in my mind.
4. It's fun to make a mess. Of course I knew this already, but it was nice to be reminded.
5. If you fail at a particular project, just shoot a few close up pics and hey, you can still blog about it : )

Instant gratification

I bought some lovely ribbon at the Design Indaba Expo earlier this year and haven't had a use for it. Decided to make some covered 'Alice bands' over the week end. It was the easiest thing in the world to do and they really did only take 5 minutes (aside from the glue drying time). I used inexpensive plastic Alice bands and left the drop of glue drying (secured by a clothes pin) overnight. I was actually quite pleased with the result. Tah-dah, new hair accessory.

SIDE TABLE PROJECT

Image and some info from Domino how-to section

From drab to sassy from cheap to expensive? Using a high gloss lacquer-like finish is a great way to elevate a wood piece from plain to luscious and add glamour to any room. Its the look-of-the-moment.

But how to duplicate this high gloss finish? (Apparantly the practice started in ancient China and caught on in Europe during the 1600s.)

The look to achieve (in white in my case):


The furniture in question:


A little research here gave me some information - but it sounds like a timeous and tedious process...

Lacquer can be used to achieve a beautiful finish. Lacquer is considered more difficult to apply than other finishes because it requires several coats with sanding in between. It dries very quickly and is usually sprayed rather than brushed. It cannot be used over paint or other topcoats since it will soften and lift the finish.

For the best finish, lacquer should be sprayed. There is at least one product available which combines a lacquer base with a sealer in an easily applied topcoat which can be sprayed or brushed. If you use a brush, work quickly and apply lacquer with the grain using a good, natural bristle brush.

A properly applied lacquer finish is a thing of beauty worthy of the finest furniture. The final coat can be rubbed out with 0000 steel wool and paste wax, or it can be polished with polishing compound (automotive compound is fine) for a soft luster.

I'm wondering if it's possible to achieve a similar look with Velvaglo hi gloss white paint? I'm hesitant as I don't want to see any brushstrokes on the end result. Perhaps better to go with the Duco spraypaint? At least that is 'sprayed'.

Found some info here on duplicating a black lacquer look - but its all too complicated for me and unfortunately the products are from the US.

The last thing I want is a real 'home made job' effect on this project... advice?