Are we lovin ©Websters & Léssentiel? Oh yeah .....

I simply HAD to let you know how these amazing products were working out for us here at FS Vintage.

I am in a state of shock to be completely honest.

So someone tells you : "Yeah yeah this is the BEST thing EVER" and you listen and you nod and then discover it is ok but not everything you hoped it would be...........?

Not the case with ©Websters & ©Léssentiel Wax.

Before ©Websters Chalk Paint & ©Léssentiel Wax

You all know by now my hands are horrific and I basically wear gloves all the time ~ (I rock the whole Doris Day White Glove thing ~ just sayin) and I ignore the snickers and smirks. I have seen the Safety Data sheets for the products and it is all very well and good for a Government Body to tell me it is all Natural and Eco friendly ....... blah blah and wont harm my skin ......... blah blah BLAH.
It's Fabulous these products meet the high standards set and I am very pleased to read the official documents ........

Bottom line is I have no idea what will cause a reaction so I basically approach everything very very carefully.
Today was a wee bit nerve wracking because I decided ~To be able to genuinely promote a product with absolute honesty ~I need to do the ultimate test ......

No gloves.

It was with great trepidation I took a very deep breathe and started on a couple of old chair's I had in the garage.

I love the metal inserts.

At the end of a long day ~Yeeeeehawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Nothing ~ not a tickle, not an itch, not a swelling finger to be seen.

There was happy dancing around the Shop and much woohooing and Ohhhh yeahing and even some fist pumping.

So ~ today we used my personal all time favorite ~

1 x Cup of Antique White USA mixed with
2 x Tablespoons of ©Websters Chalk Paint Powder
1 x Tablespoon of water

The mix actually did 2 and a bit coats and also an old frame I had sitting around. Now I must say ~ these chairs have metal inserts and the ©Websters simply glided over the metal exactly the same as the wood!

©Websters Chalk Paint powder available at FS Vintage

A very light sand and distress with a wet scourer ( my preferred method) then completely seal with ©Léssentiel Wax. I am seriously loving this Wax. Easy to use ~ a LITTLE goes a LONG way and it even smells nice.....

All in all:

* All Natural ~ Check
* Easy to use ~ Check
* Beautiful buffed finish ~ Check
* Does not have any affect on my hands ~Check Check and DOUBLE CHECK!

Easy to Use ©Léssentiel Wax available at FS Vintage

Léssentiel Beeswax Polish ~All Natural ~Available at FS Vintage

We now have an old chair ~ revamped to go! Super pleased with how well these turned out and they now available for sale.

The finished Chair. Do you see the shine?

Metal inserts in back

I will leave you with a couple of Tips.



Fabulous Tip #1: In between coats ~ put your brush in a zip lock bag then you don't have to wash it out before continuing your revamp.

Ziplock Bag will stop your Brush drying out

Fabulous Tip #2: Clean up after every revamp

This is the Jar I use for mixing my ©Websters. I take the time to wash and clean everything before I put it away. Sounding like an Old Nana much?

Oh yeah!

It only takes a few minutes to make sure your tools are clean & ready for inspiration!

Really it takes a just few minutes to clean up when using ©Websters and you are ready to go when the mood & inspiration takes you .....

Create, Restore, Revamp and make your home seriously Fabulous

©Websters Chalk Paint? Ohhhh yeah

How excited am I????? Super Duper excited!

©Websters Chalk Paint Powder

We are the North Brisbane stockists for this amazing product along with ©L'essentiel Beeswax Polish and I cannot begin to tell you how fab it is!

So how bout I show you a little project I have just finished using Websters and L'essentiel Beeswax Polish?

I found a set of drawers that were a little bit the sadder for wear and tear but I could see the potential.  (I found them at Redcliffe 2nd Hand ~ my "Go To Place " for Fab pieces to revamp. )

The Drawers Before

The top had been damaged somewhere along the way and I was a bit concerned about what to do to fix it.
But ~I am getting ahead of myself. Let us begin at the beginning:

You will need:

* 2 x Tablespoons of ©Websters Chalk Paint mix ~available at FS Vintage
* 1 x Tablespoon of Water
* 1 x Cup of any semi / low gloss latex paint in any color you like
* Jar for mixing
* ©LÉSSENTIEL Hand Made Beeswax for finishing

First take 2 x Tablespoons of ©Websters Chalk Paint Powder & pop into the mixing Jar. Then add 1 x Tablespoon of water.

Two Tablespoons of Chalk Paint Powder with One Tablespoon of water

Give that a bit of a shake to mix it up.
Next add your One Cup of Latex paint and give it a damn good shake! I shook it up while counting to 60 and then doin the Hokey Pokey after shaking it all about ....

Not really ....

Add One Cup of Paint

Well shaken!

You are now ready to revamp!

I did three coats ~ my choice ~ and I gotta say this product is brilliant! I used a bit of leftover bluey / violety I had as a base and did the other two coats in a tin of white that was in the garage and I cant read the name .........
My one jar did the full three coats including inside the drawers and went on smoothly and without any of the lumpy grainy bits you sometimes can find in Chalk Paints. Very impressed with how far it spreads and I really enjoyed how easily it went on! 
(Check the end of this post for an extra I did with the left over paint on the brush prior to cleaning!!)

Now remember ~ no prep work was done on the drawers except for my normal clean. I generally go over the entire piece with a damp cloth and warm water with a drop of Eucalyptus. 
I like the smell ....
I also really like the shabby look so I don't sand but it really is your choice!

Now came the tricky part. I was unable to leave the house while doing this so I had to come up with a way to fix the top as painting alone wasnt cutting it. 
Yeah ..Yeah ..I could have waited .... but I was so excited once I had started that I simply had to keep going!
I remembered some vintage receipts I had found on Ebay from a French Drapers. Hmmmm would they work? I knew I had scanned them into the computer so found them and printed them out slightly changing the color to suit.

I did not want to use the originals so thought this way I might be able to create some kind of collage.

I also had issues with the Drawer knobs. I could only remove one and even using a hammer could not dislodge the others so they had to stay!

Would this work? Could I do this? Would it look dodgy?

I used PVA Wood Glue to create the Collage and waited patiently ....... (* tapping foot) for the glue to harden and then put a little more water in my jar to create a kind of white wash with the leftover paint. I then sponged that over the replica dockets to create a softer look.

I then gently went over the edges with a piece of sandpaper to make it look chippy ( I love the chippy look ~the chippier the better). I have been known to use a paint scraper to make something look raggady and distressed. The whole point is: This is YOUR creation ........... so Create! 

Next came the scrumptiously delicious ©L'essentiel Beeswax Polish. This fab product is manufactured by hand right here in Brisbane by Vintage Roses & Things at Wellington Point. It glides on like a dream and buffs to a gorgeous shine and as a bonus? Smells wonderful. All natural and seriously Fabulous! I have FINALLY found a wax that works beautifully and does NOT hurt my hands.

So ~ you ready to see the final product? I finished the whole thing using one of our vintage look hand painted ceramic knobs ( available at FS Vintage ) 
I also have a heap of old frames we are re vamping into Blackboards and thought .....

"Hmmmmmmm would the glass from one of those frames fit over the top as a kind of protection?"

Indeed it did ~kinda sorta with just a smidge extra  on either side.

Recycling and re purposing at it's BEST!

 

As an added extra ~I had a set of Shoe stretchers that were a kind of dull red and just looked a little tired & and sad. 
Before I washed my brush I simply went over them with the remains of the Chalk Paint ~ cut up a little bit of heavy blue and white french fabric I had leftover and stuck it on with craft glue. Bit of a whitewash to soften and finishing with my ©LÉSSENTIEL wax.

Revamped old Shoe Stretchers

Our first Workshop showcasing these brilliant products is coming very soon. Spaces are limited so we can make sure everyone has the attention and help needed to leave confident they can revamp, re purpose and create beautiful additions to their homes.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

Stay Fabulous

fs vintage
xx