Shabby Chic Style Kitchen

Seven years ago when we bought this house, my mind was full of ideas on how I was going to decorate and paint our tittle house. I painted murals on ceilings, the walls and the kitchen cabinets, replaced windows, etc.Everything turned out just like I wanted. My sense of style changed a little; now I really like white decor. All my furniture said paint me! When I painted my kitchen cabinets the first time, I wanted to match my dining table--a dark mahogany color. I found a technique on how to paint faux mahogany. It took me a long time to paint those cabinets, specially painting the grain of the wood. When I finished, the kitchen appeared  smaller and dark, but I was satisfied with the look.  I want to share with you how I decorated my kitchen cabinets this year. I love the beautiful Louis XVI furniture; the carved details, and the garland appliques is what inspired me. My kitchen looks more like a collage style, but the beauty of the furniture applique brings an elegant chic style to my home.

I used All-Purpose Joint Compound to make the appliques using a cake decorator kit. After the compound floral motifs are dry, primed and painted they will look just like those commercial furniture appliques. If you don't feel comfortable using a cake decorator, I am sure a good friend can help you. I encourage you to not be afraid to try new things, practice on a piece of wood.

 The kitchen cabinets before.

My house was built in 1948. The kitchen cabinets are old, but I love them; it's amazing how with the magic of paint you can transform an ugly duckling into a swan. The faux mahogany turned out beautiful, but its time to paint the cabinets again and brighten up my kitchen; this color is too dark for me.

 Making furniture appliques--rose motifs. 

 Drying the floral appliques.

 My kitchen after

 I really love my kitchen; the carved details all along the door panels, the swags and floral wreath.

 We bought a chandelier; I didn't like the ceiling fan that I had before. The chandelier had a gold finish, but I painted it white, and wrapped it with pearls and beads.

I applied swags and floral wreath on my dishwasher. First I primed the dishwasher door panel with a primer for metal, then I decorated it with the floral motifs. After the appliques had dried completely, I primed and painted the surface. Now the dishwasher matched the rest of the cabinets. I really love how everything turned out.

Furniture appliques on my kitchen island.

 The appliques bring a cottage chic elegant style to my kitchen. I didn't want to make it look faded because I wanted it to happen with time.

My next project will be focused on the counter top of the kitchen; I don't like it.

 Pearl and beads chandelier.

  

 I used 4 m m pearls and gray beads for this project, and pearl buttons.

I just wrapped the beads around the chandelier; using fishing string. 

~Have a wonderful day full of beautiful things~

Making a Giant Clam Sea Shell

I was inspired to create this giant clam sea shell for my living room. These amazing Tridacna Gigas Giant Clam Shells can reach up to 4 feet across. The clam shell that I made measures about 28"X 15 1/2"; I was trying to make it the same size as a real, average sized clam shell. I am really happy with the result.

First I drew and cut this shape like you see in the photo out of cardboard for the sections of the clam shell. You could cut about five or six sections depending on how big you want your clam shell.

Then I cut small sections along the edge, and bent the cardboard to give it a curved shape. This way it is easy to handle.

I glued together the cuts along the edges with hot glue. This is the form I obtained.

Then I glued them together.

Then I covered all the sections with paper and white glue diluted with water.

To give it a more ruffled edge to the shell I cut this shape from cardboard, and glued it on the joint sections of the shell. Then I covered it with more paper and glue solution.

Here you can see the shell all covered. 

After the clam shell was completely dry, I covered it with All-Purpose Joint Compound using a sponge, and I let it dry. To give texture to the shell I first worked the exterior of the shell, applying a generous amount of compound, then spread it with a wide comb, and let it dry.

 Then I applied joint compound to the interior of the shell as well. To give a more smooth surface inside the shell, after applying the joint compound with the sponge, try to make long, smooth strokes with the sponge. Let dry. Instead of sanding it, I used a wet sponge to smooth the surface. If you are thinking of using the shell to place plants inside, you could apply several coats of a clear synthetic resin or clear finish for boats. 

This is how I applied a good amount of joint compound and spread it with the comb.

Spread the joint compound in a horizontal motion with the comb.

After it was completely dry, I painted it with a primer+paint acrylic paint. To give it a more realistic look, you could glue tiny shells or dried barnacles between the sections of the faux shell.

I really like my faux clam shell; I Love to decorate with sea shells.

~ Have a wonderful day and blessings always~