Hello, it’s Heather from Thicketworks, with a lovely technique to create Shimmery Antiqued Paint Effects!
With this method, we’re allowing touches of gold from the original (gaudy) finishes to peek through, creating a look that is rich but not ostentatious.
The amazing creative team at Heirloom Traditions Paint provided the products for this project, and has sponsored this post.
Supplies:
- Heirloom Traditions Ultra Guard Primer
- Heirloom Traditions Chalk-Type Paint in French Vanilla
- Heirloom Traditions Chalk-Type Paint in Row House
- Heirloom Traditions Spray Wax in Dark Umber
- HTP Metallic Masters Gilding Patina Champagne Shimmer
- The Best Chalk Brush, Medium
- An ordinary small paint brush
- Clean, damp rags
How-to:
Just the right amount of bling can bring a touch of elegance and flair to the most ordinary objects.
Overdone, though, and it’s just sad and tacky:
This neglected thrift store frame had some lovely detail, but it was languishing under a worn coat of shiny gold-toned finish.
- A quick coat of Ultra Guard takes care of the garish gold, and allows us to discern the nuances of the sculpted detail. For a super-slick finish like this gold, a pounced, rather than stroked application of primer provides excellent coverage.
2. While the primer is still damp, wipe the details carefully with damp rag to reveal slight touches of gold on the high points.
3. Once the primer is dry (usually less than an hour), give the entire surface a coat of French Vanilla. This is a lovely warm white, classic and understated.
4. Once again, wipe back the paint while wet to reveal touches of the original gold.
5. When the French Vanilla has dried, mix up a wash of Row House, a warm beige. About 2 Tablespoons of water and one loaded brush full of paint will do it.
6. Apply the wash to the entire surface, then wipe back along the larger surfaces of the piece. Allow a gentle layer of Row House to collect in the recesses.
The piece is beginning to acquire some nuance and layers of aging are emerging:
7. Now it’s time for the Dark Umber Spray Wax! Now, I know it’s spray wax, but for this application it made more sense to brush it on. The Best Chalk Brush is perfect for applying either Soft or Spray Waxes.
I love this stuff – it flows on effortlessly.
8. It’s super easy to wipe back with a damp rag:
Now we’re getting somewhere:
9. Time to add the softest touch of shimmer.
Metallic Masters Gilding Patina Champagne Shimmer looks like molten gold in a jar:
10. Just brush on a single coat. Cleans up with water – dries quickly. It adds the most subtly elegant layer of gleam. Perfect!
11. You could easily leave it there. But I can’t…something inside me won’t rest until I’ve added another layer of Dark Umber. There is no buffing required with Spray Wax – the finish is durable, smooth and silky.
Now I’m happy:
That’s all there is to it!
Now you have the secret recipe for creating subtle layers of shimmery goodness.
I never know when to quit, so might as well take care of this gaudy little thing while we’re at it:
Ultra Guard, wiped back to reveal a bit of the gold:
After a coat of French Vanilla + a wash of Row House:
Dark Umber Spray Wax, Metallic Masters Gilding Patina Champagne Shimmer, and a final application of Dark Umber:
These two lovelies can hang around on my walls any day!
Thanks for joining me for this little paint therapy session! Our two subjects are feeling much better now…if you’d like to rehabilitate some gaudy old cast-offs, have fun experimenting with Shimmery Antiqued Paint Effects!
For more information on Heirloom Traditions Products, please visit www.heirloomtraditionspaint.com
*Full Disclosure: Heirloom Traditions supplied their products to be used in this project, and they sponsored this post – however, I supplied the elbow grease, thrift store cast-offs, design concept, and opinions! All of which reflect my own point of view, regardless of affiliation…
Anytime you feel the need for a little inspiration, drop by Thicketworks and poke around – you’ll find many strange ways to create magical transformations!
Take Care,
Heather
Dawn Melson says
I have a question and hope you can maybe give me some direction. I have 2 small italian antique gold scounces. I have these 2 reindeer sitting on my mantle that have a shimmer grey over the bronze. The more I look at them the more I love the color and want to change the scounces. Could I email you pics of both and could you maybe give me a suggestion. Glad to pay for a consultant fee or however it would work. Look forward to hearing. Your pieces are beautiful
graphicsfairy says
Hi Dawn they sould lovely but I do not do that type of work. Have you tried Etsy? They have tons of people…experts that would be a much better fit for you. This actually was a guest post from the incredibly talented Heather Tracy over at Thicketworks. Images are my thing 🙂 Best of luck to you!
Christina says
Your work is amazing. I’m working on the Mixed Media class from GF, and it makes me want to see everything you do. Wow.
graphicsfairy says
Thanks so much Christina 🙂
Cindy Fear says
I love love love both pieces. Great job.
Heather Tracy says
Thanks, Cindy! Playing with finishes is one of the best things in life! xox
Dedi says
Thanks Heather for the effort you have put in to not only experimenting, but also photographing all the steps you took to achieve your final look. Like Claire, I would, thanks to your tutorial, have stopped before the dark wax was added, but this is purely personal for my tastes and not a reflection on what you achieved for yourself. Without your great pics I would probably not even have tried this. Thankyou for giving me the confidence to give it a go. Love your blog and look forward to more adventures.
Heather Tracy says
I’m grateful that you found any part of this useful, Dedi. It’s always a matter of personal preference what finishes suit us…it’s always my hope to simply show a range of possibilities, so that any who care to can experiment for themselves. Thank you so much for your kind words, my friend.
Julie Shearer says
Beautiful
graphicsfairy says
Thank you Julie 🙂
Kristie Taylor says
Oh heather! This is such a beautiful technique! Thanks so much for sharing!
Heather Tracy says
Hey Kristie! It means a lot to me that you like this one, my friend. To me, it’s the perfect combo of pretty + grunge! xox
Claire says
Too dark and dingy. Should have gone easy with the dark wax. Lost the elegance.
Heather Tracy says
Hi Claire – Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I love that we all get to explore the finishes that please us, and that we are all such distinct individuals. I’m sure you would have created something lovely with these!
Tanya says
This is beautiful and I went and looked at the champagne product especially and I’m glad you showed what it looks like because they have nothing on their site where you can really see! They should pay you to use your images!
Heather says
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for your kind words! I’m so glad you got a good look at the Champagne Shimmer – it is gorgeous stuff! If you ever have any questions about HTP products, I will do my best to help.