Fairytales have been woven into the fabric of our upbringing, so I thought it would brilliant to weave them into my projects. I had this idea of creating, regal, ornate, fairytale designs in a range of my projects. So, I went on an adventure to find some beauty in a beast.
Heating the decorative 1723 WoodUbend mouldings I created a loose border around the doors along with the smaller 1320 scrolls. Heating up the larger, elaborate 2152 mouldings meant I could easily slice them in half to allow the cupboard doors to open.
With the thin TR124 WoodUbend trim I created an ornate border under the doors, adding to the elegance of this piece. Next, it was time to use my handy heat gun to dry off the glue before cleaning up the excess. I was beginning to tease some beauty of the beast.
Excess glue can be wiped away, but to really get into the crevices of the elaborate styling of the mouldings, a slightly damp brush will work wonders.
The WoodUbend trim I was using was thin, this meant that it heats up and cools down very quickly. The temptation is to be delicate with thin trims, but this isn’t necessary. If I snapped a piece, it’s really easy to repair; just heat the two bits and stick them together again – the join becomes invisible once it’s painted. Even better, if I cut a piece too short? WoodUbend will stretch when heated, just hold it in place for a minute or so until it cools.
No wastage here!
I love blending, so I was excited to get my paintbrushes out. I wanted to draw the eye to the middle of the unit where I would add stencilling later down the line. So, I opted for a selection of Dixie Belle products, using Dusty and Savannah Blues along with Haint Blue. Blending the darker shades on the outside into the lighter ones in the middle – topped off with a bit of Cotton – meant that the middle was showcased.
Two coats later and the beauty was beginning to shine through.
Not wanting to muddle the design, I kept to a similar style on the sides, creating a loose border topped and tailed with the 2152 appliques, in one piece this time!
Back to blending again! I used the same process as the front but found a small chip brush really works well in getting into all the crevices of the WoodUbend designs. Two more coats again and the end was in sight.
Highlighting and stencilling were next up. Using Dixie Belle’s Moonshine Metallics really helped enhance the beauty and demonstrate the delicacy in the appliques. I used a light hand when stencilling, this meant that the final look was subtle, rather than garish.
If fairytales have taught us anything, it is that beauty is not skin deep! I wanted this project to reflect that.
It was back to the Dixie Belle again, this time I opted for Hurricane Grey to use as a base; it was the stencilling I was most excited for though. Finally, a chance to use WoodUbend’s upcoming range of stencils – keep an eye out for more news about our new product range! I chose the floral Solly’s Lace Stencil and brought the piece together using the Silver Posh Chalk Pigments, so vivid because of the amount of real silver in there.
Ornate appliques with blues silvers and greys used to create a regal design – it’s a tale as old as time.
