Victoria Larsen's Plaster Molds Get Attention from Glo Magazine

I've always loved it when our products get featured in a major publication!

Glo Magazine included us in their "DIY's That Instantly Change a Room" article!

It's easy and a lot of fun to create plaster wall art using our Plaster Molds.

For instance, choose a medallion mold and cast it in plaster of paris.
Create a wall hook by simply unfolding a paper clip. Bend it in the the shape of a "U".
Crimp the ends to create hooks then insert those ends in to the wet plaster leaving about 1/2" of the closed end of your hook protruding from the wet plaster. Once dry, this will serve as your wall hook.

Once the piece is totally dry, prime the piece and then paint it a pale color. Wall paint or craft paints are perfect for this.
Mix a deeper shade of the same color with translucent wall glaze and paint the piece with this mixture.
Now, using a dry terry towel, wipe off all the excess, leaving the darker paint in the recesses of the design.
This brings out the beauty of the piece.

Hang groups of different pieces on the wall to create a collage of ornamental plaster.
It's beautiful!

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for more great ideas plus tons of plaster stencils, painting stencils and plaster molds to help you create the beautiful home you've always dreamed of.

Decorative Plaster isn't just for Victorian Decorating

Decorative plaster has been around since Egyptian times and has truly never gone out of style. Mansions such as the Woolworth Mansion recently featured in the news and stately homes all over the world sometimes use ornamental plaster extensively on walls and ceilings to add beauty to expansive spaces.

I personally have used ornamental plaster in my own large home and enjoy it's delicate elegance on a daily basis.

But though ornamental plaster decorating found it's US popularity in Victorian Era decorating, it has also crossed over in to today's modern decorating as well.

Ornamental plaster is actually very easy to create. It simply involves casting plaster molds, then arranging the cast plaster pieces in to frames, medallions, frieze and border designs on both vertical and overhead horizontal surfaces.

 The beauty of ornamental plaster in today's world, is that it can be used in our own homes, or incorporated in to our Faux Finish businesses to decorate everything from furniture to vases.

Case in point is Beth Savoie who recently emailed me about using our Ornamental Cabbage Rose Plaster Mold to decorate a bed head and foot board.

Beth is in the business of re-finishing and selling furniture. She found that our plaster molds came in quite handy when creating a new finish for an old piece. The results are incredible! And combining Raised Plaster Stencil designs with plaster molds gives her options she might not normally have for her one of a kind, truly beautiful pieces.

Visit her website at http://www.savoiestyle.com/ and enjoy her designs and maybe purchase a piece for your own home.

Visit the VictoriaLarsen.com website for inspiration, stencils and plaster molds to make a more beautiful home, a more creative life.

Turning an Old Shed in to a Work of Art

The sun finally came out in the forest of northern Idaho, and when it did, all indoor projects came to a screeching halt! (Meaning, the round table I've been working on, now sits in the garage unfinished for the moment).

Our beautiful valley came alive with the sounds of tractors and hammering, mowers and yard tools. I added to the breaking of the peaceful calm with my own project noises. The re-do of my old shed.

It started out as an eye sore. One I've been wanting to change since I moved here a year ago.

Neglected and tired, it needs new life and I am just the gal for the task! You would think it was a total waste of time. But I simply see a diamond in the rough since it's structurally sound.

My first task was to evict "Prissy" (the chipmunk) since she's been using it as her home for the past 7 years. Prissy didn't take that well and sat on a limb above me in constant chatter as I removed all her many nests, her stockpile of pine cones (that were even stuffed in to each piece of PVC pipe that had been stored in there), and piles and piles of debris from her many years of residency. ICK!!!!! But it's now all been cleaned out and my yard tools now take her place.

Seated beneath an enormous pine tree, I've gotten the idea to give it a "foresty"  new look with paint, caulk and plaster. All in a pine design. Watch it all un-fold over the next few days. You're going to be amazed at the transformation!

Back to my saw horses and tape measure. Stay tuned!

(c) Victoria Larsen 2012

New Raised Plaster Trim Designs Stencils for Furniture Sparks New Project

I love re-doing furniture. There's just something about taking something worn out and considered "discardable" and making it something to love again.

I found this solid wood, round table at the flea market and instantly, my new
Raised Plaster Tremont Furniture Border Stencils came to mind for the trim on this table. Not only was I delighted at the sight of this aged treasure, but also at the price! He gave it to me for a song...(OK, not literally, but I would have paid him in music too!).

My Plaster Tremont Furniture border stencils are perfect for wrapping around the upper trim to create ornamental detail on this plain table. Don't you think? Then maybe I'll use the Raised Plaster Tremont Element Stencils in the center of the top of the table.

Watch the progress!