metallics

Proceed to Lifestyle Finishes – Rebranding

August 17, 2018 By Jennifer 2 Comments

I’ve been a distributor for Proceed for the past six years and I am very proud to distribute their product line! If you didn’t know, Proceed is actually manufactured by Golden’s Artist Colors. Golden’s Artist Colors makes a fabulous line of materials for artists!

Well… Golden’s Artist Colors has decided it is time to “re-brand” the entire Proceed line. I completely understand, especially being in business for the last 30 years I have always said that we have to re-invent ourselves every couple of years. We have to stay fresh and on top of our industry especially with the constantly changing trends!

With that being said, Proceed has morphed into Lifestyle Finishes! Most of the products are the same, but names and labels have changed quite a bit. We are still getting used to all the new names and I know it can be confusing to you as customers. So… stick around until the end of this blog post and you can snag the Cheat Sheet I created for you (and me LOL).

We love all of the new names and obviously love the fabulous products that we have depended on for many years. With the “rebranding”, we have been blessed with a few new products as well. We LOVE the new Venetian Plaster, Metallic Slate, and Protective Sealing Wax. I always love new materials to play and create with! Makes a creative girl very HAPPY!!

Did you know we ship worldwide and have a full stock of products at all times?? Yup, we try to never run out of anything!!

If you are interested in learning all about these wonderful products, you will definitely want to join me for a full day of learning, creating and understanding the Lifestyle Finishes line. I will cover each product, what it’s used for and how to use it, you will learn different techniques to apply these products, and you will also learn a couple different finishes to put into practice.

This workshop will be online in a Private Facebook Group. The training will be Live on October 3rd, BUT you can watch anytime if you aren’t available on the 3rd. The videos will be hosted in the Private Facebook Group which will also be a continued learning group for the Lifestyle Finishes Products and Training. So, no matter if you can make the Live date or not, you can be a part of this training and ongoing educational group.

CLASS DETAILS:

Date: October 3rd

Time: 9 AM – 4 PM (We will have an hour lunch break at noon.)

Cost: $29 per person (Such a fabulous deal to receive this type of training and knowledge!)

Early Bird Special Pricing: $25 per person (Sign up by August 31st and save some money!)

SIGNUP HERE

PS: Grab your Proceed to Lifestyle Finishes conversions “Cheat Sheet” here.

Multi-Medium Canvas Art

July 13, 2018 By Jennifer 2 Comments

I personally have a ton of stretched canvas (new ones still in the plastic). You just never know when you might need one. And who can pass up a fabulous sale on them, you know what I mean, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s or Aaron Brothers – they just have to tempt us!!!

So, I’m sure like many others I have a pile of unused canvas just laying around and occasionally I find some time to play. This particular one had been started once before and never finished. But, I had an inspiration that I thought would look awesome.

The first layer on this canvas was my Texture Medium troweled on thin and then I used the Tiger Roller. I rolled through the wet material creating three passes. I allowed the Texture Medium to dry and then sanded down the high points. At this point, I’m really not sure what the “inspo” was, but it was painted in a Coral color… Hmmm, not sure why and couldn’t remember that particular inspo, so I went with the new inspiration that was rolling through my head!!!

I grabbed some paint and stencils, then decided to share my idea with all my Facebook Peeps and turned on FB Live! Why not?? I think it’s always more fun painting with friends than by yourself. With the camera rolling, I shared what I had done and was starting to work on. The canvas was repainted with General Finishes Milk Paint Coastal Blue (I love this Navy color) and then I used the stunning new stencil La Provence and stenciled it with Modern Masters Metallic Paint Warm Silver and Champagne and created a layered look. Once the two repeats were completed with the La Provence stencil, it was a hard decision to either stop or add one more element… I couldn’t help myself, so I added another layer.

I had to add the Hampton Medallion stencil embossed with Glass Bead Gel mixed with Glitter. So yummy!!

This beautiful painting has it all, texture, metallic, stencils, glitter and Glass Beads!!! One beautiful piece of ART!

A canvas can be a place to create fabulous art or even a place to experiment with techniques, products, and styles.

Grab a canvas and get exploring!! Let the Artist in YOU come alive!!

Blessings,

Jenn

Let’s get FOILED

June 15, 2018 By Jennifer 3 Comments

FOILS…

What the heck are they and why is everyone so excited about them?

First, let me try and describe what foils are and how to use them. Foils are a metallization on the back of plastic and create a bright and shiny surface. The most brilliant metallics will always be Leafing, but Foils are not far off and much easier to work with or maybe I should say not as messy.

Foils come in soooo many different colors, patterns, and holograms, that you have a ton of options!

The process is also pretty simple. It is simply applying a Foil Adhesive, allowing it to tack up and then transferring your foil. Okay, I will give you a little more details and step-by-step, but it really is that easy!!

First, you do need a Foil Adhesive for this process and I have a fabulous Foil Adhesive for you. You need to apply the Foil Adhesive to your surface and allow it to dry to a firm tack. You can brush or roll this onto your surface, but all your application marks can show through the foil. Make sure to roll or brush in one direction to minimize your roller marks or brush marks. Allow the Foil Adhesive to dry for at least an hour before trying to transfer the foil. The Foil Adhesive that I sell does not dry beyond a firm tack, meaning it is sticky for life.

Once the Foil Adhesive has dried for at least an hour and is a firm tack, you will apply your foil over the surface. You want to make sure that the shiny bright side is facing you when you apply it. Use a terry rag or any soft rag and rub the foil into the adhesive surface. Don’t use your hands because they can leave marks. Always peak underneath the foil and determine how much you want to transfer before removing the foil completely. There is no standard or correct application, you can transfer as much or as little as you would like to see. If rubbing with a terry rag is not transferring enough foil for your liking, then get out a scrub brush. Make sure to scrub the surface up/down, do not scrub in a circular motion. Again, the scrubber marks may show in your application, so make sure you are scrubbing up and down. Once you have transferred as much foil as you desire you can remove the plastic.

Due to the fact that the foil adhesive never dries past a firm tack, you will want to apply a top coat not only to seal in the tack but also to protect the foil finish. Foils are delicate and can scratch easily, so you want to make sure and protect them. It’s best to make a sample board with a foil transfer and then section off areas to apply different top coat sheens and determine which one you like the best. Anything in a top coat below Gloss will alter the sheen of the foils. Sometimes we want to keep them bright and shiny and other times we want to dull the high sheen using a lower sheen top coat, like satin.

Grab yourself some foils and foils adhesive and just play!! They are easy and fun to work with!! Just go get creative and create something bright and shiny!!

Decorative Signs: Stenciling Techniques

October 27, 2017 By Jennifer 3 Comments

Some of the decorative signs I started painting with dry brushing techniques and stamping rollers in the previous post are ready for stenciling! I am going to do two different techniques, a dry brush stencil and a foil transfer. See the previous posts in this series: Base Coats and Adding Texture.

On two signs I’m going to dry brush stencil the words “Love” and “Faith.”

You will need:
Word Stencils (Stencil Garden #877)
Stencil Brushes
Paint
Tape
Rulers

Dry Brush Technique:
Start by centering your stencil on your work. Using two quilters rulers which are see-through, one on each side, can help center the stencil easily by allowing you to just move the stencil until the distance from each side is the same. Once you’re happy with the centering left and right, center from top to bottom and then tape down the stencil.

Wet your stencil brush with paint, then swirl on to a foam plate or palette, then dry it again on paper towel. It might seem like you’re taking all the paint off the brush, but this is what you want to keep the sharp lines of your stencil. Use this dry brush to stipple or pounce the color into the void of your stencil. Stencil brushes are round with a blunt cut and have stiff bristles which is necessary for traditional stenciling technique.

You can choose to pounce on the color or swirl it on, but a light color over dark surface will work better with the pounce instead of swirl. You can check on your coverage by lifting up a corner of the stencil, making sure to hold the stencil in place with one hand. Chalk paints will dry lighter, so keep that in mind, but also you can’t keep going back over it or you’ll start to remove some of the paint. You will need to let it dry before doing a second coat.

I used Modern Masters Silver Metallic Paint for the word Faith. I used the same technique as with the word Love, putting a bit of paint on my plate and swirling it into the brush and then wiping it on a paper towel before pouncing it into the stencil areas.

Now these signs just need some time to dry, then I’ll put on a finish coat to protect my work.

On a third sign I’m going to put the word “Hope” on it with decorative foil. Hope is always something good to have! This board was first finished with a diamond pattern and stamping roller which creates a really great textured background.

You will need:
Stencils (Stencil Garden #877)
Foil Adhesive
Foil
Stencil Brush
Scissors

Tip: My ArtsSyVille Foil Adhesive is simple to clean up, water soluble. Your stencil will get some adhesive on it during this process, but it will wash off easily.

Start by centering your stencil and taping it down. Using the foil adhesive and a stencil brush, pounce on the adhesive through the stencil. Keep the brush rather dry so the adhesive will not bleed under the stencil. Stipple the foil adhesive over the stencil twice to make sure it has good coverage.

The foil adhesive will wash off with water, don’t worry that you’re ruining your stencil!

Remove stencil carefully, and give the adhesive time to dry. Don’t rush to transfer. With the foil adhesive you aren’t limited to a window of time. You can leave it for days and even weeks before transferring the foil!

Once your adhesive has had enough time to dry, use scissors to cut your foil to size. With the metallization on the back, lay the foil over your project. Using a soft cloth, rub the foil and then pull back just a part to take a peek at your work.

If you want to transfer a lot of foil, use a scrubber brush. You can control how much foil is transferred by varying the pressure you use on the brush. Once you’re happy with the amount of transfer, peel off the film. Top coats are a must when foils have been used to protect the finish and cover any adhesive that hasn’t adhered to foil.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of projects! As always, we love to see what you’ve made with metallic foils and stamping rollers!

Decorative Signs Project Series:
1. Base Coats
2. Adding Texture
3. Stenciling Techniques

DIY Foil Pumpkins for Fall Decor

October 20, 2017 By Jennifer 2 Comments

Want to add some bling to your fall decor? How about covering pumpkins in foil? You can use craft pumpkins or real pumpkins, real pumpkins will last approximately two months if you don’t cut them open. I also suggest you paint real pumpkins first, I recommend Debi’s Design Diary DIY Paints.

In this tutorial I’m using craft pumpkins and I did not paint them first.

SUPPLIES
Pumpkins (real or craft pumpkins)
ArtsSyVille Foil Adhesive
APS Foil
Brushes
APS Glitter
ArtsSyVille Glass Bead Gel

Start with ArtsSyVille Foil Adhesive and coat your pumpkin while holding the stem. I prefer using an Art Wash Brush for this step. You want an even coat, not too thick, but not too thin. The foil adhesive will go on with a milky white color, but it will dry completely clear. I set my pumpkin on top of an open bucket to allow it to dry so the least amount of surface was touching the bucket. You want it to dry to a firm tack, this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours, depending on the humidity where you live. You can even allow it to dry overnight, there’s no risk of waiting too long. Foil Adhesive is water soluble, very easy clean up.

Once your adhesive has dried long enough, cut a few pieces of foil about 12-15” wide. I used two different colors on one of my pumpkins, copper and bronze. Set your pumpkin on a clean surface far enough away from your foils so they don’t stick before you are ready to use them!

Instead of laying the foil on the surface of the pumpkin, I bunched up the foil, being sure that all the film is on the inside so no film will adhere to the pumpkin, and pounced it on the surface of the pumpkin. This gives the pumpkin a nice textured appearance. As you’re doing this and the foil is being pulled off the film, open the bunched up foil and find a new section to use. You might need to use a couple pieces of foil. Once you’ve pounced the foil around the whole pumpkin, switch to the next color. This method is not going to give complete coverage, but it will give a great dappled texture.

To accomplish more complete coverage, lay the foil over the pumpkin and use a stiff brush to release the foil. Pumpkins with deep ridges will have the foil adhered mostly to the high areas unless you really work it into the crevices. If you have trouble getting tight areas, like under the stem, try balling up a paper towel and using that to rub the foil.

If an area is still really sticky, that means there’s still a lot of adhesive in that area, so go back over it again with some new foil.

Now it’s time to glitter! I covered my tray with Press n Seal wrap so clean up will be easy later and I can save any of the glitter that doesn’t stick to the pumpkin. I used a glitter color called Rich Chocolate, I loved how the dark glitter looks really rich with the copper and bronze foil. With the pumpkin on the tray, I just scooped glitter on the top of the pumpkin and into the low areas. Once I had a good amount of glitter on, I shook it and tapped it a bit and even used a soft brush to thin it out the glitter and move it into the crevices. The glitter will stick everywhere there is uncovered foil adhesive. After letting it sit for a bit, you can gently tap the pumpkin to get more of the unsecured glitter off the pumpkin.

On the second pumpkin I used Seafoam and Rose Gold foils. I cut pieces of the Seafoam foil, approximately 8” lenghts. I needed five of these pieces to cover my medium sized pumpkin.

Before applying the foil, I crunched it first, I feel like this gives a little better transfer, but then I just laid it on the pumpkin and used my scrub brush to get the foil to transfer. Because the pumpkin is not an even surface it’s going to take quite a bit of work to get good coverage. Use a rag or smaller brush to get down into the valleys.

Odd shapes are challenging and you will need to use more foil than you think so that you don’t move the foil to a new area and have an empty area of the film adhere to the surface which can be difficult to remove. Try different transfer methods, a stiff brush, a toothbrush or even your fingers can get the foil to adhere.

If you find that there’s an area that’s not taking the foil at all, if it’s dry to the touch, that area was missed with foil adhesive. You’ll have to go back and touch those spots up with adhesive, let it dry and then reapply the foil.

I didn’t want the seafoam foil to cover completely. Once I worked my way around the whole pumpkin I moved to the second color, Rose Gold. I used this to fill in the empty spots. I had to scrub a bit harder to get this foil to transfer in those spots since the adhesive wasn’t as strong after going over it once.

At the top of this pumpkin I put glass bead gel. ArtsSyVille Glass Bead Gel has tiny glass beads suspended in an acrylic medium. I used a small brush and just painted them on around the stem and out into the crevice areas just at the top of the pumpkin. Don’t let it get too thick, you want just a level row of beads so that it will dry crystal clear. Don’t force dry these, either, allow them time to dry naturally so the gel medium doesn’t haze. It can take a few hours depending on humidity and how thick your application is.

Putting a clear coat over top of your pumpkin is a great idea, especially if you don’t have 100% coverage with foil. The clear coat will make sure there’s no sticky adhesive still on the pumpkin where it could grab on to dirt or other things you don’t want stuck to your pumpkin. Semi-Gloss Final Coat is a great product for this purpose.

I hope you enjoyed this project! If you give it a try yourself, please share your photos on our Facebook page.

A Year Long Transformation!!!

September 17, 2017 By Jennifer Leave a Comment

I always have high hopes when I find a great piece of furniture to transform! LOL But, then reality sets in and I discover that my work schedule is just so busy, that I don’t have much time to paint!

I found this piece (guess is was a China hutch at one point) at least a year ago – thought it would be wonderful for my office and I would use it as a book shelf. The current book shelf I have is falling apart and needs to be replaced!!!

Whatever paint that had been used on it was just scratching off – so I decided to take it back down to the wood……You know I LOVE to sand – NOT!!!

By the way – those wonder little dollies that the legs are resting on can be found at Harbor Freight – they come in two different styles and I own both!!!

Now, the time that had already passed from the date I brought this to the shop, to the time I started to sand it was over a month or so…….so much for getting anything done fast!

Time to start at least the drawers. I created my Hammered Metal finish using the Texture Medium and Ostrich Roller. Tape off the drawer fronts to isolate the area, then trowel or brush on the Texture Medium. While the Texture Medium is still wet, roll the Ostrich roller through it several times (I like the messy look). Just allow the Texture Medium to dry and then sand down any of the peaks or rough areas.

Once the drawers were dry and sanded – then I painted two coats of the Modern Masters Antique Copper. After the Paint was dry, then I added a layer of glaze to create depth – Modern Masters Wall glaze and Tobacco Brown Colorant.

All the drawers are finished – now it’s time to tackle the rest of this piece……LOL

Finally adding some color to the base section – I started this in September of 2016 and I hate to admit that it’s April of 2017 and I’m still working on the same piece of furniture!!! Talk about being a little slow…..

This was painted with DIY Paint Seaglass by Debi’s Design Diary – I love their Chalky paints. Easy to use and great coverage.

Hammered Metal finish with Embossed Stencil

The ends of the cabinet were created with the same technique as the drawer fronts and I just added the Hampton Medallion stencil embossed with the Texture Medium (TM is wonderful for embossing stencils)!!!

I created a “Wet Blending” technique using both the Seaglass and Mermaid Tail DIY Paints and then stenciled with Bronze Foil!

Bottom section of this cabinet finally completed – I think it’s at least June at this point!!!

I used my Foil Adhesive and Bronze Foil to transform the hardware!!! This was soooo fast and easy! Just apply one layer of Foil Adhesive and allow to dry to a firm tack and then transfer foil – I didn’t try for 100% transfer, I liked a little of the original color coming through. Top coat to protect!

The massive hutch finally started – one coat of primer done!!! This piece is really heavy!

It’s sometime in July and the hutch is moving along. The back section of each “cubby” was created with the Hammered Metal finish – Texture Medium and Ostrich Roller – apply the first layer of paint. Modern Masters Antique Copper – applied two coats!

Just about finished with the painting!!! First coat of DIY Paint, Seaglass – love this stuff!!!

The complete hutch/cabinet – yes, I really do finish things! I have discovered that if there is NO deadline for something, it takes me a year to do it……..that’s really not funny but it is what it is!

For complete details on the most of the steps to this project, watch the videos posted below – I did tape most of the process!!!

Hope you enjoy watching the process and my goal for my next project is that it only takes 6 months and not a complete year!!! Next project in line is my dinning room table – hoping to start in October!!! Let’s see how that works out 🙂

Blessings to all,

Jenn

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