Some of you might remember waaaaay back in December that I was the lucky winner of Marcus Design’s giveaway, ‘Postmodernity’ by Nancy Marcus! If not, you can read about it here, or check out Marcus Design Inc on Etsy.
Since then I have bought 2 frames, a replacement piece of glass, Rub ‘N Buff, Pearl Ex Pigment powder, and Krylon Matte Finish spray! There is a story!
Here’s the first frame I bought.
But I decided the black overpowered this piece. So I prepped the frame to spray out in a metallic silver.
I had my make-shift spray booth all ready to go and was giving the frame a quick dusting before spraying, and it broke apart in my hands! No kidding.
I couldn’t find another one like it or a metallic frame to fit, so I ended up with this black replacement.
It’s wider with more detail, and since I already knew black was too much, I got the frame prepped for spraying.
A light sanding…
And then the first coat of paint.
And a second coat to finish it off.
I decided I wanted to try Rub ‘N Buff on the frame to dull it down a bit, and give it a more aged look. But the Rub ‘N Buff was harder to get than I thought. The Victoria store was out, and so was the warehouse! I ordered what I needed, but in the end I should have tried ordering online for how long it took my order to arrive at the store!
I wanted something bronzy-gold because of the fleck colour in the background of the print. It was hard to tell the actual colour online, and in the end I ordered European Gold.
I’ve never worked with Rub ‘N Buff before, so was surprised at how fast it dries!
After I started buffing it, I kind of liked how it looked, but wasn’t convinced.
You can see below where I’ve buffed the frame.
I wanted a gold sheen, but wasn’t so sure about how much silver was showing through.
I decided to keep going with this look, but as I buffed away, some of the original black started to show through from the frame!
And when the print was placed in the frame, the frame looked way too rustic. Also, the silver that was showing through now looked too blue for the print.
So I decided to go over the frame and dust it with Pearl Ex ‘Antique Gold’ pigment powder.
This is a close-up before applying the pigment.
Once the pigment was dusted on, I used Krylon Matte Finish to seal it in place, and then let it dry.
I did this in 3 layers before I finally got the frame to start taking on the look I had in mind.
Can you see how there’s more of a gold shimmer now, and how much the black spots have been toned down?
I finally decided to leave it, place the print in the frame and live with it for a while before deciding whether or not to do anything further.
That’s when this happened!
When I was carrying the glass over to the frame it flexed in my hands, cracked and broke! Definitely crappy glass! Trust me, the replacement glass is much thicker!
After living with the print in the frame for a few weeks, I decided it needed one more thing.
See where the wax has been rubbed on to the right?
What a difference it makes in the finished look.
And here’s a peek at where ‘Postmodernity’ has been hung in the office.
The frame looks slightly darker in this photo than it actually is, and the gold highlights shimmer more than you see here.
But remember where we started?
I’ll admit, I would’ve liked another frame that had the clean lines of this one, but do you think the black frame is too heavy?
There’s more to come, styling to be done, I’m working on another Rub ‘N Buff project… and I’m trying to find some specific vintage pieces that will keep pulling the look together, but for now…
‘Postmodernity’ is finally in place! Thank you again, Nancy!
So tell me. Do you use Rub ‘N Buff? What’s your secret to success with its application?
I hope your week got off to a great start. Can you believe it’s already Wednesday?
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY AND READING!
xo
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