Adding the Element of Velvet Colour, Exotic Elegance!

Sponsor: Velvet Finishes

www.velvetfinishes.com

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links with Velvet Finishes, which means I get compensated if you purchase Velvet Finishes using these links. However, my views on this paint remain the same, whether compensated or not - I LOVE THEM!!

For those of you who have been following along this journey with me, you know that I make art out of discarded or unloved pieces of furniture. I call the technique I use #stainpaintedfurnitureart. For those of you who haven't seen my work, here is a collage of a few pieces.

As you can see, all of these pieces are done on raw wood using stain.

Not long after I started this technique, I decided I wanted a white background or a lightly painted background. I didn't know if the staining would work on paint, but I saw this piece and new this was EXACTLY the color I was looking for!

I did some research and found that this was done by Kellie Smith using her Velvet Finishes paints. Kellie and I emailed back and forth regarding whether the stain would take to the paint and/or glaze, and Kellie said to give it a whirl and see, as she had never done this technique.

And THAT is how I first came in contact with Velvet Finishes paints.

I gave the technique a try on a small piece, and it worked! I was (and AM) hooked on Velvet Finishes paints!! Here are a few pieces of my work on painted surfaces:

But there was STILL another element I have wanted to add to my staining technique. COLOUR!! ~ not just in the background, but with the image itself. I have envisioned it several times with pieces, but have never had the courage to give it a try.

A few weeks ago, I read about the Fab Furniture Flippin Contest and GUESS who was the sponsor for the month of November... None other than Velvet Finishes!!! YAY! THIS was my opportunity - or rather, the push I needed - to give this technique a try with color!!

I had a small table in my "arsenal" of furniture { I actually have a matching pair } that I thought would be the perfect candidate.

Now to decide on color... with all of the beautiful array that Velvet Finishes offers, this was difficult! Just look at these beautiful colors available

By entering the contest, I would be able to choose two colors of Velvet Finishes paints along with a glaze and a bottle of Ready, which would all be sent at no charge!!

I went with Kellie's inspiration.. she had posted on her Facebook page a beautiful trio of colors. Not only do I like the colors together, but Exotic would be perfect for what I was going to do!

So let me show you how this little beauty came to life!

I first used Velvet Finishes' "Ready" to get rid of the shine. This product is very unique and prepares the surface for the paints. Velvet Finishes are a "no prime, no sand, no wax" paint. I wish I had taken a picture of when I put the legs down on a coffee table (that needed refinished anyway) and sprayed them. I took the legs and wiped them down {per instructions for Ready} and didn't pay attention to the coffee table - I walked past it a bit later and I could definitely see the dullness from where the Ready had been sprayed!

Once the surface was prepared with Ready, I used Rococo (I didn't have Understated) on the top of the table and I painted Timeless on the legs. It took two coats of Timeless and 3 or 4 coats of Rococo to cover the cherry underneath. I then painted Exotic on the area where the rose would be. I also added some Ethereal for a little dimension. {ETHEREAL: light, airy, tenuous, celestial. The perfect shade of pastel pink.}

Now it was time to pull out my MinWax Ebony stain for my staining. I tried to block the fact that there was color on this piece and just try to go about staining as I normally do.

I sealed all of the pieces with General Finishes High Performance Topcoat. Velvet Finishes has an alternative to this, which is called Protect.

{And here is why I didn't use it. Lately, I have been having quite a lot of issues with my sealers. I recently tried a new sealer (new to me) on a piece and it nearly destroyed the piece. Because this staining technique takes me so long, it made me sick that I had to sand it almost all the way back down to raw wood. So, I was a bit nervous and just wanted to stick to what I knew on this piece. Next time, I will definitely be trying the Protect, after I practice with it!! }

I assembled the legs back on and got her staged and ready to be adored!

Stay tuned... Remember I said I had a pair of these little cuties? Well, I plan on doing something similar with its mate; HOWEVER, I plan to add an EXTRA element to it. It will be interesting and just may not work out, but I will never know until I try....

A big THANK YOU to this month's Fab Furniture Flippin Contest's featured hosts Lynn and Thea! You can check out their contest posts here:

http://www.onfernavenue.com/2016/10/color-your-world-painted-layered.html

http://www.sweettearefinishing.com/2016/10/colour-your-world-with-velvet-finishes.html

If you are a blogger and are interested in joining in the fun...contact info@fabfurnitureflippincontest.com

And also, a huge thank you to Kellie Smith - the creator of these wonderful paints! You can take a look at all of their products here: Velvet Finishes

One more thing, I almost forgot to mention... The Color of the Month!!