Faux Mercury Glass Tutorial

Mercury Glass Anyone?

Or how to DIY some vintage inspired sparkle a.k.a faux mercury glass

I am so in love with the shabby French vintage look and think the aged elegance of mercury glass is the perfect finishing touch to complete the effect. I have a small collection of authentic pieces but wanted a fast way to beef up my stash….thankfully I stumbled upon Take The Side Street’s  awesome tutorial on how to make your own faux mercury glass. She gets all the credit for figuring out the how to and below is my step by step take on the project.

The HOW TO:

Step 1:  Find a smooth, clear, glass piece. Any old thing will do BUT there has to be room for you to spray INTO it so just keep that in mind. Make sure it is clean, free of dust and dry.

Step 2: Get some of this happy in a can; Krylon’s Looking Glass spray paint. You should be able to find it anywhere artsy/craftsy. I purchased mine at  Hobby Lobby. Go somewhere you can use a coupon, it is about $12 a can.

Step 3: In a spray bottle mix equal parts white vinegar and water. I knew I would be making several pieces and used a cup of each. You only use a few squirts so it does not take much.

Step 4: Quickly (it dries crazy fast) and lightly spray the INSIDE of your glass item with the Looking Glass paint. You are not going for full coverage here just a light coating. The paint is VERY runny {VERY} so try to move over the area quickly to avoid run marks as it dries.  Do not stress over it though (not worth the future frown lines ladies), I had a few runs and by the time the project was complete you could not see them at all.

Step 5:  Once the first coat dries lightly MIST the inside the glass with your vinegar/water soloution, over the dried paint. Let the droplets sit. They will bead up nicely.

Step 6: Spray another coat of the Looking Glass paint OVER the droplets. *Note* as you are watching it dry you can tell if you have the coverage you want by this coat. Three was enough for mine but just trust your gut. Set the piece aside and let it dry for a bit….flip through a magazine….update your Facebook status….say about 15 minutes? This gives the vinegar’s acidity time to eat through the mirror finish a wee bit. Aged fabulousness unfolding!!

Step 7: Fold up a few paper towels to create a little pad slightly smaller than the palm of your hand and saturate it with the vinegar/water mixture.

 

Step 8: Lightly (the goal is small flakes not chunks) using the pads of your fingers on the pad, rub where the droplets have beaded up. This will cause the etched paint to lift off leaving that gloriously mottled, aged, mercury glass look! Repeat as you like till you get the level of distress you want in your piece.

Step 9: Step back and admire your finished piece. Then reflect in awe at your own awesome talent and mercury glass making skills! Enjoy!

Go forth and sparkle!

Stay Posh,

XOXO, Tricia

Beauty

My friend asked me what the goal of my blog was....my year....my life at this moment in time. Ouch. That's a toughie. So it got me thinkin' and this is what rang true for me. She encouraged me to capture the goal and to share it with the Posh Nation. Here is how I answered her question.

My desire right now is to make my house into a home; which for most women I think is a deeply rooted desire so surely my madness will touch someone? Who knows how many someones! So if I have the guts to move forward and put it all out there then surely the inspired action can create something wonderful. Most people just don't show up. I am gonna show up. And I am gonna shine.

My passion....beauty. Whether it is in a home, in a moment with my daughter...or when I see someone know how much the Lord truly loves them...it is all  such beauty. So, there ya go, I am going to make the world more beautiful.

The Faux Mercury Glass Tutorial will post tomorrow. I hope you enjoy it!

Now, go add YOUR beauty to the world! XOXO

Stay Posh,
Tricia

New Year, New Goals

I am blessed to have a beautiful home. I truly love my house. When we first moved in I rushed getting the visible rooms (entry, living room, kitchen, breakfast area) DONE. At the time my hubbie and I both liked the "Old World" look and he liked burgandy so fast forward to an old world-ish few rooms heavy on the reds. My point is if you walk in to my home and don't move past those rooms you think I have created a home....well, not so much. Every other room looks a bit like an episode of hoarders and are all decidedly NOT done.

The funny thing is at my worst as a person I am detail obsessive, a control freak and a tad neurotic; at my best I am visionary like and free to chase any whim of an idea....in a nutshell I am a designer through and through. Trust me, it takes a great deal for me to type that out because it took a long time to accept how deeply run my creativeness is. I think in pictures. I see things that do not exist yet. I see beauty in rust and I swoon over old junk. I design like I breathe - it's just me. I say all that to say this, to live in an "un-done" house that does not feel like a pretty but extra comfy sweater is torture. I explained it to my friend who is a gourmet cook this way: I said, "if you could only serve cheese and crackers everyday wouldn't it be agony knowing what you COULD do????". That is how I feel. Pretty house, no decor, burning desire to create a nest, enter January 2012.

So, watch out, over the next year you will see me bring to life my HOME. I will take what is done (in burgandy--geesh) and make it light, cosmopolitian, vintage and all combined into my gumbo of design. One. Room. At. A. Time. That's the rule. I will start one room and complete it TOTALLY before I move onto the next. I will share with you the great finds, the inspiration, the hair brained ideas, the disasters and the finished looks. Oh, and lots of easy to follow tutorials along the way!

I have completed my daughter's room and bathroom....next is the guest room into vintage-y, french, yummy deliciousness. Here is a not so great pic (better one soon I promise!) of how I took an antique mirror frame and added it to her existing builder grade vanity. Little paint, new knobs, bit of glaze, bada bing bada boom and voila a shabby Posh princess look appears!

More soon, XOXO
Stay Posh,
Tricia