STUDIO PLASTER WALL

My love affair with all things vintage continues in my studio.  I have always been fond of vintage store fronts.  The type with old signage and peeling plaster.  Because of that, I've had a project in mind for my studio for a long time and finally found the centerpiece I needed to begin this project. 

It's a poster from the Empire Sewing Maching Company (est. 1861).  This baby is large!  54x36 to be exact.  My mission was to "age" her.  So the first thing I did was take it outside to my back porch along with a spray bottle of water, a pair of scissors and a rock from my garden. 

I went at it for about 30 minutes transforming her.....

 just getting started

The next step in the process was plastering.  I used DAP Patching Plaster.  There was absolutely no science to it, other than I wanted it to look as if the plaster had been falling off over time.  So, a combination of plaster, white washed brick and the red brick shining through in various spots across the expanse of the wall.                                                                                                               

 As I was putting up the plaster, I realized the print on the poster was still too vibrant.  Nothing that some sanding couldn't take care of!  Yup.  I literally sanded the poster.  It worked great.  Really fading the colors nicely.  Oh, and I also tore it some more since it needed more aging.

inside the dressing room

                 Then it was a matter of plaster, step back, add more, step back, etc., etc., White washing the (faux) brick was done with white paint and various sponge brushes, and regular brushes.  Some paper towel, water, a little bit of everything really. 

The final step was sanding the plaster not only to smooth it, but also to create some additional negative space where needed.

There's a couple more transformations that I'm still working on for this space.  The curio cabinet is being toned down from a pale blue to a grey.  Also, I have a neutral slipcover due in for the love seat.  Fingers crossed, it's going to work well since the floral pattern needs to go and I really don't want the expense of re-upholstering.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

This coffee cake recipe comes together pretty quickly and the blueberry flavor is super satisfying.  It has a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping that adds a nice surprise.

STREUSEL TOPPING:

6 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar

½ cup all prupose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into ½ inch cubes

CAKE:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs 

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1tsp. packed lemon zest

½ cup milk

2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen may be used, but do not defrost)

Make the streusel topping.  Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.  Using your fingers, mix until no lumps of brown sugar remain.  Rub in the butter with your fingers until it reaches a cumbly state.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 375 and set an oven rack in the middle position.  Grease or spray a 9 inch square pan.

In a medium, bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating on low speed to combine.  Add the berries to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed.  Do not over mix.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the batter.  Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes.

NOTE:  The cake is best eaten the same day since the topping is super crunchy.  The streusel softens the next day.  It still has a wonderful flavor, but the crunch is gone.  Since there's only two of us, I sliced up a bunch of servings and froze them to enjoy another day. 

Enjoy!

recipe c/o:  www.onceuponachef.com