Hi people! Brini here with this week’s episode. We’re finishing up the fireplace this week and it looks great. Have a gander!
The insert we used for the fireplace is a log and grate set that uses gel fuel to create a flame that looks and sounds like a wood fire, but doesn't give off any smoke. It's a lovely alternative to an expensive gas fireplace. Some safety precautions must be observed, however. never leave the fire burning unattended, and never add fuel to an already burning gel pot - it can create flash fires. If you use it safely, it can make a lovely glow!
Hello people, Brini here with this week’s episode. This time around we’re starting on my faux fireplace. It’s such a fun project and I got a fun girl to help me with it. Her name is Rose Wood and she’s one of the restorers at John Cory Studios. Rose built an enormous door that creates the impression of a flue for my fireplace while concealing oodles of storage! You’ll see us install that door, after getting a little sidetracked by some of Pebbles baking.
Hello people, this week on the show it’s all about cork. Part of our renovation found us lining the walls of the office and eventually the ceiling in the kitchen with cork. It a wonderful retro 60’s/70’s treatment and it’s practical to boot! It makes a perfect memo board. The process isn’t difficult – just a little messy. Contact cement is the adhesive of choice and it’s a bit like rubber cement – apply it to both surfaces, wait for it to get tacky, then fuse the surfaces together. As with last week’s project, this is essentially a tile job, so plan out your tiles so the seams are centered on the wall for a professional look.
Hello people! Brini here again with some more ideas for your home. This week it’s all about decoupage! Yes, it’s not just for Victoriana anymore – decoupage is a technique that can be adapted to all sorts of fascinating projects.
Now I used it as a furniture finish for the surface of my desk and it’s proved to be both durable and decorative for 7 years now. It’s an easy solution for unfinished furniture and can become the focal point of a room.
What makes decoupage interesting is what you choose to apply to your surface. Now we used computer printouts of a wall paper pattern that mimicked tile. We just scanned the paper into the computer, broke out an individual tile from the pattern using a photo editing program and then printed it out 60 times. We laid the job out like a traditional tile job, working out from the center of the surface. We also planned out the job first, so we could just lay the pre-cut, pre-fitted tiles out without cutting as we went.
Now you don’t have to use tiles or even computer printouts. There are so many options for decoupage out there – magazines, newspapers, playbills, virtually any paper product can be decoupaged to a surface. Some things to remember are that edges can catch and peel, so thin paper is best, if you plan to decoupage a table or desk top it’s a good idea to cover the art with glass and plan the project out before you glue it down – the medium is notoriously unforgiving.
Hi people! Brini here with this week’s episode. We’re finishing up the fireplace this week and it looks great. Have a gander! 
