Country Blue Wardrobe




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For other storage ideas see Swedish Cupboard, Primitive Cupboard, and Stepback Cupboard

Congratulations


EfexGiveaway1

We have a winner in the Efex™ Furniture Appliques Sweepstakes. Congratulations to Mmbienkowski @aol.com. Thank you to everyone who participated. Colorways will be having another Contest/Giveaway later this month so stay tuned.

Efex™ Chinoiserie Cabinet





I love almost anything Chinoiserie so when I had an opportunity to redo this cabinet with Efex™ Furniture Appliques, I couldn’t wait to get started. Every room needs a pop of red so I chose Emperor’s Silk Chalk Paint from Annie Sloan. Two solid coats and I was finished.
Efex™ offers a huge selection of appliqués and trim. They have a reed and flower (T 63) that looks very Chinoiserie,  almost a faux bamboo, that was my first choice but it wasn’t quite wide enough for this project. But the  Efex Large Art Deco (T 27)  trim also has a great repeating pattern and it was the perfect width. I still had Rustoleum  spray paint (Metallic Brass) left over from my picture frame upgrade so I sprayed 2 pieces of the T 27 trim. Once it was dry, I cut it into 6 pieces and attached it with contact cement.
To enhance the handles I cut 2 complete patterns from the Efex Greek Scroll (T 14) trim and painted them with the same Metallic Brass paint. Because they are flexible, I was able to slide them over the handles and glue them almost as a faceplate. The two patterns work well together and give the cabinet a more Asian style. I also used Gilding Wax on the feet, and as accents on the edges and already existing trim.
Using the Efex™ trim allowed me to think outside the box, especially for the handles and I love how this cabinet turned out. If you are planning to add trim or appliqués to a project, check them out. They are so easy to work with and look amazing.
Efex™ is sponsoring a fabulous giveaway for the readers of Colorways but it is ending on the 29th, so be sure to sign up today. You don’t want to miss out. Click on the link below  to register. Good luck and I hope you win.



Swedish Cupboard




An Antique Swedish Cupboard is the inspiration for an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® color palette of muted greens and soft lavenders.

New Post on  Colorways  @ www.lesliestocker.com


You can find more custom colors made by mixing 2 colors of Chalk Paint here, here, and here


I love consoles and sideboards. For more of my posts on these great serving pieces see,  Country Sideboard,   French Sideboard, and  Country Console


Efex™ Picture Frame Upgrade



You know I am all about sharing projects that are easy, fast and, foolproof, so when an exciting new company, Efex™, approached me about trying out their Flexible Furniture Appliques, I happily agreed. There have been many times where I have wanted to add some trim or moldings to a project, but the whole cutting, mitering, nailing part of the process was too intimidating.  Efex™ appliqués  are unlike any I have seen. They are made of latex and completely flexible. You can cut them with ordinary household scissors. And when your measurements are less than perfectly correct you can still make them work because they stretch.  Contact cement is used to apply them. And they can be painted with almost any paint, including my favorite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and waxed with her clear and dark wax.  What's not to love?

For my first project, I had a small oil painting I had picked up at a local thrift store. I love original signed paintings over prints and you can never have too much art. The frame was a dark oak that did nothing for the painting and was  definitely not my style, and being an odd size, the cost of reframing didn't make sense. Perfect for my first time with Efex™. I wasn't sure which trim would look the best so I ended up spraying two different styles with Rustoleum Metallic Shiny Brass.  I also removed the painting and sprayed the rest of the frame. One piece of Efex was more than enough. I did a fair job of cutting to size and mitering the corners and applied the contact cement to the frame and the back of the Efex™. After waiting 15 minutes, I applied the trim. The whole project was about an hour and most of that was waiting for paint to dry.

Since I had spray painted another style of Efex™ that I didn't need for my frame, I made some samples of different paint combinations for future reference. You can see those on the bottom half of the image. All in all, a fast, easy, inexpensive way to upgrade a frame. Thank you Efex™!

Efex™ is sponsoring a fabulous contest give away this month for the readers of Colorways. If you haven't already, you can sign up here.


Rococo Chest




New Post today on 



You can see a different Rococo Chest painted in a bolder style,  or another Soft Surroundings inspired color scheme, this time on a Sideboard.

Inspired by Martha Stewart




See how to get this look from Martha Stewart with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®
on 


If yellow is one of your favorite colors, click here, and here for more inspiration. Or you can go to the Color Palette to see other posts featuring English Yellow.

New Efex Furniture Appliques Contest/ Giveaway


Colorways  and Efex Furniture Appliques are partnering to bring you this exciting new contest and giveaway featuring a package of 14 of their most popular decorative appliqués. Recently, Efex gave me an opportunity to try out several of their amazing products and this fall I will be sharing a few of my ideas and projects on my blog at lesliestocker.com  Look for the first post this Saturday.

In the meantime, click on the link below to enter.  The Contest closes on September 28 and the winner will be announced the next day. Good luck, and who knows, you just might win.



Restoration Hardware Finish



Today on Colorways at LeslieStocker.com 

4 techniques to recreate a Restoration Hardware Finish with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®


For another technique that yields a strangely similar look, see my post, Mirror Image.




Chippendale Commode on  Colorways at LeslieStocker.com


Commodes are very on trend. For more commode inspiration see these posts you may have missed. If you love anything Rococo, you will want to see these posts you may have missed. Rococo Commode,  Past Perfect, and  Scandinavian Pink

Country Sideboard




A soft white color palette on a country sideboard. New post at




If soft whites are your favorites, a similar palette is used for this French Secretary and also on this Country Pine Server.

On the Bias




On the Bias Watercolors. New post on Colorways @ LeslieStocker.com


Antibes Green is one of the most popular Chalk Paint Colors. For more ideas to use Antibes Green, see these posts you may have missed .  Old Table, New Look,  Custom Purple and Lime Green, and   Stack of Bowls


Congratulations



Head over to Colorways at lesliestocker.com to see who won the the contest/giveaway for this lovely vintage mirror, painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.