Chalk paint by Annie Sloan

I thought it was going to be only a short romance with a diffrent type of paint. But today I'm sure it's true love!
The best kind of paint I have ever used, the best results, splendid colours, smooth surface at the end...
Also, the wax is brilliant. Easy to apply, not too smelly...

It took me only 4 hours to decorate my new chest. I used new Italian decoupage paper (as promised last time :) ), chalk paint: Old Ochre and Chateau Grey, and some other colours of acrylics.
No varnish this time, as a layer of soft wax (Annie Sloan) done the job perfectly.

 

More Italian inspirations...

Apart from wonderful memories and spectacular sun tan (it's now disappearing under English rainy clouds), I've brought gorgeous decoupage paper. To my mind, Italian papers are the most beautiful, to say nothing about the quality. Those I'm showing here today will be used to decorate bedroom furniture. 

I'll share with you some photos, when the project is completed.

Keep warm and dry! :)

In memory of auntie Mary and other retro ladies

There are many old photos kept by my family. Some of them looks a bit shabby, the paper is torn in many places. But all of them are sharp so we can easily recognise faces and notice interesting details. They bring memories and work like an amazing time machine. I've chosen 3 pictures to show you this time. As a true lover of the 20's, I'd like to make something in memory of that golden epoch.
Do you know that you can create your own decoupage paper? Choose some photos, scan them and add some effects (or not) and print them on thin paper. It's better to use a laser printer to avoid smudging the image. As I'm struggling with my printer at the moment, I had to use ready paper from the art shop. I used it to decorate another children's chair in some romantic style. The images are older then my photos, I think they are from lovely victorian age.

Members of the cathedral choir in Siedlce, Poland. 1922.
And these purses... In my opinion - nicer than from Accessorize :)

My grandma's cousin. Early 20's.

My aunt Maria Waszewska - Jackowa (grandma's sister). Around 1925.
All women from my grandma's side had so beautiful hair.

In memory of auntie Maria. My design idea for a "family t-shirt". I'm wondering if my cousins would recognise who's in the picture :)


Retro children's chair - victorian motifs. Decoupage paper

Decoupage with crackle effect

Another wooden peg rack. This time I used a two-part crackle glaze that imitates old cracked varnish. To make the cracks more visible I filled them with a special powder called porporina.





I decorated this wooden box for my friend Nicholas. Hope it will remind him his last year's pilgrimage from England to Rome - 2000 km on foot in 79 days. Wow, this was something, wasn't it?
I used: decoupage paper in one piece, decoupage glue, acrylic paints and varnish.
.