Maple and Pear Confectioners? ~ The Sweet Shop Exterior Part 1

Okay, I know, this project is supposed to be my 2011 project and here I am starting it already... but I have an excuse... I was bored :( The days are long with everyone in work or school and just me, the cat and the dog home alone all day! Plus, we have a big commission to work on in the coming weeks and I will be showing that stage by stage... plus I am keeping my fingers crossed that the doctors will let me go back to work in the new year.....so..... I thought I'd start my sweet shop posts now, you don't mind do you?? ;0)

So... first a name???? Well I liked Maple but didn't know what to put with it. Maple Confectioners I like, but is the name long enough?! Maple Syrup Confectioners?? No, too sugary.... Maple and Pear Confectioners?? I like that one, but I want to make labels and sweet boxes with the name on them, so it could be too long... oh, I'm getting so indecisive! LOL

Anyway, I will keep thinking about the name and concentrate on the building whilst I am doing it :) First, I took the front door off, it's easier to paint off. Then I took the mantle above the doorway off, it had been glued on too low down and I wasn't happy with it.. but goodness knows what glue they used, it was sooo hard to get off!!

Then I painted all the exterior walls dark grey.

Then hubby got to work on it, starting with Art Mache, he put the stone work in patches on the front and one side of the building. The stone is slightly grey because he added some grey emulsion paint to the art mache when he was making it up.

The next day, when it had all dried, I painted the window bays, frames and pillars. I used the Craig and Rose 1829 Chalky Emulsion paints again.. I love these paints ;)

That evening, Hubby added the layer of plaster to the exterior walls...

The plaster is good old DIY Decoraters Pollyfilla, which was white, but I forgot to take a photo before I painted it dark grey.. sorry!

I then left this to dry overnight and hubby got on with making some shop shelves. Can you see them through the window? He's busy trying to make me a sink unit tonight!! What do I need a sink unit in a sweet shop for... well... you'll have to wait and see ;0)

So.. on with the walls.... this is the bit I love.. adding all the ageing...

With an old plastic container, I added a few drops of white, black, burnt umber and green acrylic. I only mix in patches, so I have a varied palette of aging colours. I then use a thin pointed end artist brush to begin to build up the colours on the stone. I also tend to keep a pot of water nearby, so that I dip my brush in and then pick up some colour if I want the colour to look slightly lighter or smudged.... if you get what I mean!

I painted the stonework on the front ...

Then with a larger paintbrush I added a layer of burnt umber in a swirling action on the plaster and before this dried, I blotted wet kitchen roll all over the paint. This smudged the colour and worked it into the uneven finish of the plaster.

After all this had dried, I did the same with a mix of 60% white acrylic paint and 40% water.

You can see it below, before I worked it all in with the kitchen roll.

And that's as far as I have got with my photos! I will take more soon :)

Hope you like it so far :)

Julia xxx

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