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 |
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.
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.