This past week we were able to squeeze in a project over at a new Hip and Cozy Lounge downtown Minneapolis.  Its called Elixir and its located to the left of the Fineline Music Cafe.

I’m calling this Part 1 because I’m going to show you my dark and dusty photos from behind the scenes.  A sort of sneak preview to the venue before its all clean and fabulous.

The Grand Opening will be on May 15th, so we will hope to see you there to celebrate another great establishment by Jado Hark and his team.  I hear the menu is filled with scrumptious goodies and have a feeling I’ll soon be becoming a regular at the new place to eat downtown.

Just getting started…

Deco Palette Faux Effects

Working on one of our signature finishes, “Blue Coral”

Finishing up on a Deco Palette/Silkstone Custom finish made unique for Elixir

working on ‘Blue Coral’ Soffit

Handsome Jado in front of Faux Marble beginning stages.

Stay tuned for more pictures…or just go see the real deal on the 15th like everybody else!!!

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YES YOU CAN deck your walls out with paper bags if you so choose!!!  Here is one of the many paper bag finishes offer at  Patina Designs.  Terri created a leather look by crumpling up the paper, then treating it like wall paper to adhere to the walls.  Finally, Terri glazed and added some metallic stencils in a random pattern for more DRAMA!!!!

Yay for going Green!

www.hometips.com/articleimages/20070814094914

Peg’s Tissue Paper glaze recipe

Tools:

Paint – satin or semi gloss

White tissue paper

Soft bristle brush

Stiff bristle stippling brush

Paint tray

Small paint roller

Chip brushes

Technique:

1. Roll paint onto small section of wall (2 x 2)

2. Crumple tissue paper and un-crumple somewhat

3. Lightly apply tissue to wet section of wall and brush over with soft bristle brush

4. Re-roll over tissue paper with paint

5. Work next section, overlapping existing edge

6. Let completely dry

7. Apply glazes in random manner – small section (2 x 2)

8. Stipple with brush to blend colors

Helpful Tips:

Tissue paper usually has a shiny side and a dull side, be sure to be consistent with which side you put onto wall.

Work small area of wall at a time.

Be sure to keep a wet edge.

This Terri’s famous Coffee Grounds Plaster Recipe.  I think you’ll find it quite easy,  and hopefully enjoy yourself when your resorting back to your inner child.  This recipe gives you permission to play with your food once  again…

Here is what you will need:

A trowel
Veniciano Lime Based Plaster
coffee beans
stir stick
coffee bean grinder or blender
coffee maker
sugar and cream to taste

1.) Grind up your coffee beans for your morning pot of coffee.  After brewing remove the coffee grinds and and grind them a second time in the blender or coffee grinder

2.) Pour yourself a cup of coffee, mix cream and sugar and enjoy

3.) Run the grinds through the coffee maker again..Remember to empty the pot so as not to overfill.

4.) Grind for a third time, and re-run through the coffee maker again.  You are breaking up the beans with heat and moisture.  The more you grind and boil them, the more of that natural coffee colorant is going to seep out to help color the plaster.  The beans should be soft and paste-like.

5.) Mix the grounds into your plaster and stir till completely mixed in.

6.) Use your stir stick to load your trowel and and put your trowel on your first coat onto the walls.  This is your base coat so do not worry about making it perfect.

7.) After plaster dries, trowel on second coat with desired technique.  Remember to push hard on the beans to break up even more pigment to get a nice rich color.

enjoy the aroma while it lasts…it goes away once the plaster dries!!!

To the left is a picture of one of my esteemed partners Peg Malanaphy, hard at work on a focal wall for a client out in Stillwater.  The wall was done using a technique in which you layer waxes over a top coat to create dimension until you reach your desired color.

You can see in this photo she is on her second layering of wax.

At this same location we also were working very hard at once again taking some dull boring cabinets and making them a beautiful addition to a gorgeous home.

At this particular job we used, Setcoat from the Minneapolis Plaster Center, and then glazed lightly over them to add a nice compliment to the granite counter tops, so the cabinets would not appear to washed out. 

(In this picture Peg applies the third layer)

I don’t have any of the finished results photos yet because I spent the last few days of the project getting some much needed rest and relaxation.  I’ll be sure to post them once the girls send them over though.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! love, lulu

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