The Dress. I know. I know.
The last thing you want to see on this blog is THE dress. I don’t think any blue dress (or is it white?) has ever garnered such attention. Well, perhaps there was one…(But let’s not go there – that’s another show).
This particular dress was a great talking point. EVERYWHERE. It questioned how people ‘see’ or perceive certain colors. My life seems to revolve around color these days (which is not a bad thing). I originally saw White/Gold and then when I went back to it (after reading the article) it changed color. Weird. I’m pathetic enough that I even took the test on Facebook. The results would tell me if I have four cone cells in my eyes, instead of the standard boring three. The “scientifically-accurate” test confirmed that I did have Tetrachromacy. (yes, I knew it, I just KNEW it!). Not only do I have the burden of carrying excessive psychological baggage with me, I now have to think about the extra cone. On the plus side, my extra cone allows me to see more colors than the Average Joe. Therefore.
I Am Special.
Filled with new confidence at my sudden ‘Special-ness’ I checked (Debbie Downer) Snopes website to reaffirm said ‘Special-ness’ only to find out that it’s all baloney. Therefore.
I Am Not Particularly Special.
I’m just Average. Gosh darn it. Barney was right, all along. 
But, there must be something different in my eyes. When I ordered this vintage mirror, my three or four cones (whatever), did not see the PEACH. 
OR the BUMPS.
Yes, it was a nice shape. But – I don’t care how reasonably priced a mirror is, if it’s peach and bumpy it is not a good look. And no amount of good lighting or staging can make it good. It’s not happening.
The only endearing thing about the mirror (and I’m really stretching here guys), is that it reminds me of my Aunty Elaine. I’ve talked about her before. In my eyes (then and even now), she was perfect. Except. She was a terrible decorator – and I can’t even try and pretend that she wasn’t. (I’m going to Hell for this, I just know it). When she discovered fabulous wood chip wallpaper in the 70’s, she made sure that every wall in her tiny Yorkshire cottage was covered in it. It was like a wood chip infestation. And I know that some of those walls were PEACH. 
But love is blind and often unconditional, so we could look past the PEACH and the BUMPS.
BUT NOT IN MY HOUSE.
Stuck with a mirror I didn’t particularly care for, I needed to come up with something to amend this little screw-up mistake. Artisan Enhancements VP Antico to the rescue. Those bumps were going bye-bye. I’ve used VP Antico before on my French Hens piano stool. This time I didn’t want to ‘add’ texture, I wanted to remove it.
Easy, right? Well, yea. It kinda is. All I did was mix the VP Antico to my paint, as a thickener. I used a palette knife to apply it. I used a few different colors, to add to the layering. While it was drying, it actually cracked a little. I can not lie, I’m not sure if it was supposed to crack. Sometimes, things happen by mistake and you just go for it. I actually liked the cracks, it added to the aged look.
I smoothed it out a little using a razor blade (I love to use them). Probably not enough on my legs, but….let’s not get off topic. I put a thin coat of clear wax over the top, buffed it, added some acrylic blue detailing; some Silver Leaf – and now it looks like this. 
This was probably the easiest makeover that I’ve done in a LONG time. I think the lesson learned here is that if you have a piece and you love the shape, the finish can almost ALWAYS be changed. There are so many great products out there these days, that you really can have the finish you choose.
(as long as it’s not peach and bumpy).
{insert catchy ending phrase here}
Diane aka The Paint Factory
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