Just when you thought I had moved on from blogging about tea sets….. I am here with another colorful tea set! This is my first tea set to paint in this color palette AND free of transfers. As in…… where’s Alice? Sometimes Alice isn’t for everyone…. but painted colorful tea sets are! And, that describes my next client. You may remember this client as she is the owner of my Piano Armoire that was such a special project for me! If you haven’t seen that Piano Armoire yet, click HERE to view it’s blog.
Choosing your colors
The colors I chose for this set is based on a fabric swatch that she sent to me. I will never outgrow my love of red…. and this color palette had me really excited! I also felt it was the perfect fit for this wooden handle! Have you seen one like this before? My sweet painter buddy, Leah of Leah Noelle Designs, so thoughtfully purchased this in Indiana and sent it to me here in Texas! As always….. wash your tea set with White Lightning to remove any oils and old cleaner residue. Rinse well with water and let dry. Paint one even coat of Slick Stick (by Dixie Belle)…. which is the magic formula to a successful painted colorful tea set, let this dry overnight. Paint a second coat of Slick Stick and let dry a few hours. Now your tea set is ready for color!
I drew my lines with pencil based on the “draw stripes in a circle” formula that I have taught many times on video. Then began striping my pot with the chosen colors: Rustic Red, Collard Greens, Kudzu and Rebel Yellow. This has to be done freehand with a 1′ flat artist brush.
There wasn’t an idea in my head of what my finished design would look like, so I just painted one section at a time…. and let what happened, happen!
Painting the Teapot
The lid was done by using my black and white checkered pattern and added a touch of the same pattern as a small ribbon stripe around the pot. While I had black on the worktable… I used a tiny liner brush to outline each bold stripe of color! This is tedious but completely changes the bold look of the piece!
Creamer & Sugar Pots
Both the creamer and sugar pots were done exactly the same… just using the the reds on one and greens on the other. I chose to use an ombre blend on both. Red is Barn Red blended into Rustic Red and the green is Kudzu blended into Collard Greens. I added the ribbon of black and white check around the edge with freehand using 1/4″ flat artist brush.….. Fluff first followed by Caviar Stripes.
Painting the Tray
The tray had been previously painted in Plum Crazy by accident! It happens. Tray sets get moved around a lot and this was paired by accident with another set. So….. time to convert that Plum Crazy into Kudzu and Collard greens! * Start in the middle with your lighter color. * Add your darker color around the edge…. and let both dry. * Go back to your lighter color for a second coat…. and while still wet * Add your darker color to the outer rim….. using a wet brush and slowly blend the two together in a circular motion until the line is nicely blurred.
The trays outer rim is painted in Fluff and striped with Caviar….. again…. free hand with a 1″ flat artist brush.
Add Your Bling
The last step is to add your bling! Using Dixie Belle’s Gold Gemstone Mousse, I infuse it with the Topcoat in Gloss until I get it to a paint-like consistency. It covers in a single coat which is like magic!!!! When infused with the Gloss top coat it is dry within 30 minutes! Let the entire set dry overnight. Then I sprayed a protective top coat with Dixie Belle’s Top Coat in Gloss for that diamond hard shine! Don’t you absolutely love the BOLD playfulness of this tea set!?! I hope you are inspired to give it a try yourself! Just choose your colors…. order them with my link here for Dixie Belle Products…… find a tea set to dress up…. and have fun with it!