I’m going to go out on a limb here, with my assumption that most companies pay other companies to help market their products: their brand, if you will. And I would guesstimate that it’s probably quite a lot of money.
Marketing is everything. Getting your brand into the market is key to your success (ask the Kardashians). So, you can imagine that I was a little perplexed when I came across a rather strange name for a product, that I hadn’t heard before. And trust me, I’ve been round the block a few times.
SCUMBLE. Weird, eh? Who makes a product and decides to call it Scumble? Is that even a real word?? (actually yes. You all know that I am diligent in doing a ton of research for my blog posts. This week I turned to reliable Wikipedia (because if it’s on Wikipedia, it’s the God’s honest truth). This is what Wiki told me about Scumble:
Scumble
- A glaze painting technique
- Scumble, an alcoholic beverage from the Discworld fictional universe
- Scumble, a novel by Ingrid Law
Who knew? Not I. Although I’d like to plan my next vacation to Discworld. I feel cheated now that I know it exists in someones’ imagination.
So let me just backtrack for a moment. I’ve been getting bored. I paint almost every day and, while I think I’m pretty good at it, I know that I need to keep learning. I’m a little tired of doing straight two color distress. And I’m a lot tired of seeing two color distress everywhere. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that when you’re doing it every day you need to change things up a bit. If you plan on making a business from painting (which I would like to do), I have to be better than mediocre. I have to be the best painter on the street. Or the most creative, or the most likable. If my pieces don’t stand out by themselves, then they will simply get lost in the crowd. Harsh reality 101.
I am on way too many painting facebook pages for my mental health. But – I have a raw hunger for knowledge. I want to learn. And I want to learn from the best. So when I stumbled across a silly term on one of the painting pages that I belong to, I was intrigued. Scumble, Scumble?? I messaged Robyn and asked her to send me a can of Scumble.
(Now, here’s where there was mis-communication. Not Robyn’s fault (entirely), but she sent me a can of the first bullet point (the glaze), I was actually referring to the second bullet point (an alcoholic beverage). So sure, I was a little disappointed when my brown box arrived and inside it was was this boring can of Scumble? 
Wait – WHAT? What I was really expecting was a mean cocktail. Possibly with a paper umbrella. But whatever). 
So, I did what most people would do – I stuffed my disappointment inside (ready to bring out for another day) and got to work.
Artisan Enhancements Scumble is actually a clear glaze. It’s quite cool because you can use it with Annie Sloan chalk paint, to make up your own color glazes. I’m a little surprised that it’s not getting much attention? I should SO be in marketing!!
So, enough of the two color distress techniques for awhile. Let’s Scumble (still sounds weird, right?). This is the piece that I wanted to work on.
It has lovely bones, but the most awful latex paint job imaginable. Plus, when I opened one of the drawers, this is what I saw:
(Now, Mean Girl, did you ever think that Stephanie might have a thyroid problem? Maybe her father leaves his family for ‘business’, and so her mom is just too distraught to cook for her family, have you ever thought that perhaps Stephanie actually LOVES herself the way she is? Because clearly, you don’t. Ever think about that, Mean Girl? So, I’ve decided to call the vanity ‘Stephanie’s Vanity’, because I’m sure Stephanie is beautiful – whatever her size. So there).
Back to Scumble. I didn’t think about doing a tutorial on it. I should have. But I just didn’t think that I would fall in love with it halfway through the process.
But it’s very easy to use. Simple. If you want me to do one, just leave me a comment and I’ll look for a piece.
Because I was working with an already white undercoat, I wanted this piece to be light and breezy. And I wanted it to have a more watercolor effect, than a straight flat color.
I used Versailles Annie Sloan Chalk Paint as my first coat. Such a gorgeous color. Then I mixed Versailles and Louis Blue, and a touch of Old White for the top coat. The reason why I did the two different coats is because I wanted the Versailles to sink into all of the detailing. Once your paint is dry, you can apply your first coat of Scumble (glaze) with a regular brush. Use a clear coat to begin with and let it dry.
Then mix your glaze with whatever color you want. I actually decided that I wanted to do different color glazes, to try and get some variation in the color. I poured some clear glaze in a bowl, and then had smaller plates with Versailles, Louis Blue, Old White, and Napoleonic Blue. Then I took my small brushes and played with the colors. This is when I fell in love. Because you have the flexibility of playing and removing the paint, I could paint it on and then get a shop towel and blend all the different colors together. It’s really hard to get a good photos of the true finish. 
It took about a hour to get this finish. But it was fun! Like really fun!! I could have done it all night (said the actress to the Bishop). Because I wanted it really light, I stripped some of the wood areas and stained them with a Golden Oak stain. Most of the time I use General Finishes Java Gel stain – which I love. But it didn’t feel ‘right’ for this piece. Too much of a contrast.
Once you decide that you have the look that you’re going for, let it dry for a few hours and then put on a top coat. I used Artisan Enhancements clear top coat – basically because I had it. The can tells you to put a clear topcoat over the glaze for protection. I had wondered if I could use wax over it. (I just got a message back from Robyn Story – Yes! if you want to use AS wax over Scumble. Go ahead.) Seriously need a Red Hotline to that woman!!
The ‘original’ hardware that was on the vanity was blah. Just wood knobs. Blah blah, blahdy blah. These glass knobs that I put on, are not only beautiful but heavy. You could seriously use these as weapons. (*Fake Legal Disclaimer: The Paint Factory does not encourage any form of violence, of any sort – unless absolutely necessary).
So. That’s it. My beautiful Stephanie vanity and Scumble were meant to be together. Stupid name, great product.
If you don’t have a local stockist, here’s a link to order some on-line from Robyn.
{insert catchy ending phrase here}
Diane aka The Paint Factory
by 