French Linen Chalk Paint® as a Beautiful Backdrop for Glass Beads and a Damask Stencil

I’ll be honest. I love texture. I love fabric. I will buy a gorgeous scarf in a heartbeat.

But. We have very few window treatments in our home.

Why? It’s a custom ranch, built in the boxy, small-room, 8-foot ceiling 1970s. And, well, we have four rescue kitties. They are well-behaved, loving creatures that would love to swing from some lovely long curtains. So somehow, all of the above is not conducive to fabulous drapes of luscious fabric, even though Steve has raised the ceiling eighteen inches.

I’ve been pondering what to do with the large accent window in our living area. It floods the room with brilliant sunshine each morning and this is where our kitties get their daily kicks while their humans are at work. They perch on the little metal settee and watch the outside world go by, or laze sleepily in a pool of sunshine.

I hemmed. I hawed. I contemplated my options. I designed a minimalist cornice for hubby Steve to make out of wood scraps. Just three pieces nailed together to fit outside the window frame. He mounted it for me after I painted it with French Linen Chalk Paint® decorative paint, to match the wall color. See it, just at the top left of this photo…

Old distressed capitals, white slipcovers and glass accessories are our simple decor.

Layers of beads on top of more layers created this effect. Plus Swarovski crystals and old chandelier crystals.

We love our slouchy matching sofas. You can see a kitty asleep behind the pillows on the right.

More crusty capitals with off-white accents on top.

A found chippy shelf topped with more glass and a random grouping.

My glass ball collection reflects the morning light.

How did I do it? Really, I scrounged through my stencils and found this Fabric Damask by Royal Design Studio, that fit the width and depth of the cornice exactly. Just luck. I was going to simply stencil using Chalk Paint, but found some tiny beads in gel medium and decided to give it a try.

YOU NEED: Any color of Chalk Paint as a base coat, a stencil, stencil adhesive, gel beads in a medium (consider Goldens from Michaels), tape and a flexible trowel, optional Swarovski elements and E-6000 glue and old chandelier crystals.

INSTRUCTIONS: For your base coat, paint two coats of Chalk Paint and let dry overnight. Decide where the stencil of your choice should be positioned. Spray THE BACK of the stencil with stencil adhesive, per product instructions, and then place in position. Using a flexible trowel, spread the glass gel medium through the stencil opening. Leave the stencil in place and let dry. If you wish, add more medium until you get the look you desire.

OPTIONAL: Glue Swarovski crystals at accent points near the stencil design. Drill tiny holes at the bottom of the cornice, and tread the chandelier crystal wire through the holes and twist. (You may need to add your own wire.)

Voila! This rescue kitty, aptly named Sunshine, (aka Sunny Delight) told me that personally, she was quite pleased with the new cornice.

LOL.

What are you painting with Chalk Paint these days? In this post, you can see that Annie’s brilliant paint can be used so simply. It provides a fabulous matte background for tone-on-tone subtle design.