DIY Kitchen Pendants

When I decided I wanted pendant lights over my kitchen island, I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of money, so I looked into DIY options.  Here is what I found at my local Lowes........ Read More

Pop Of Red

This week when the temperature briefly hit 50+ degrees, I was able to get to some projects that required spray paint. As much as I love Chalk Paint, when I want a smooth glossy finish, spray paint is the way to go.... Read More

Advice Needed

source: Overstock.com

Just like everyone else, I am always looking for attractive storage solutions. Over Christmas break, I cleaned out and ....... Read More

Sunbursts, Large and Small

I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I find myself getting heavy handed with gold paint......................  Read More

And if you are wanting to paint something Gold, or even just add some sparkle to your home, check out my posts  ,DIY Gilt Mirror ,  Faux Mercury Glass Sconce,   Easy Picture Frame Upgrade,  and   Sparkle Your Holiday Decor.

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.

DIY Sunburst Mirror

On some days I like to take a break from painting furniture and do different projects. I love sunburst mirrors and have been able to collect a few small vintage ones . But I have never found a large one that I liked that wasn't outrageously priced.  After a little research on the Internet I discovered several tutorials that explained different ways to make a sunburst mirror. The one pictured above is the first one I made (I have made several since) and it is my favorite, probably because it is less than perfect. If you look closely you can see the largest layer which is made by gluing shims (Home Depot) together, starts to spiral out  a bit at the bottom from the circle.

If you decide to make one of your own, google "DIY Sunburst/Starburst mirror" to find instructions. Mine is actually a variation and I will share a few tips. Auto parts stores have the best prices on convex mirrors and offer many sizes, from 2" to 36" in diameter. I used an 8" mirror which I put in a circular picture frame and mounted on a vintage (1960's), 24" diameter Syrocco clock. This was glued to the almost perfect 36 " circle of shims. The Syrocco clock was already a gold metallic, but I used Rustoleum Gold Metallic spray paint for everything else. In the end, I think the layering of the different components gives it a far more interesting and finished look, even with a proportionately smaller mirror.