Fauxology: Studying the Visual Magic of Faux Finishing and Interior Design (brought to you by Garay Artisans)

As you may or may not recall, we started the Mailbag section of our blog last month with a question received about stripes.  Check it out if you are thinking about doing stripes (horizontal or vertical) — I put some of my best tips in there.  This month, we have a question that came in directly from our You Tube section.  In addition to our first How-To Video, the section has our Company Promo and an About Us interview by WFTV ABC-9.  The Mailbag question was prompted after watching the how-to on a Glazed and Gold Powder Bath finish.

Dawn from New York writes: I watched your video about gold leafing and it was really informative.  I just wanted to ask you about the imitation gold leaf shabin.  I have never heard of that before and I wanted to find out first of all how to spell it correctly and also where you would purchase this product.  Thank you so much.

From Regina: Hello!  Thank you for e-mailing us on the instructional video…I had so much fun creating it with WFTV and it’s nice to hear from those who have seen it.  I love gold leaf schaibin — I try to use it whenever possible.  It is irregular sheets of imitation metal leaf and comes in gold, aluminum/silver and copper.

I’m going to recommend three separate locations to purchase it: (1) Orlando (my supplier): Star Scenic, (407) 246-5118; (2) New York: Sepp Leaf, (800) 971-7377 or (212) 683-2840, and (3) Mail Order only: Gold Leaf Company.  Schaibin is sold by weight and prices can fluctuate.  The most popular size sold here in Orlando by Star Scenic looks like a regular shoe box but you can order more by the kilo.  In case you’d like the recipe written out (with a few more details), please click on our previous blog post link.  Have a great day!

Here are a few shots of schaibin in action.  Hope you enjoy!

Hello…and Happy New Year!  I cannot believe it’s been December 20th since my last post.  Seriously, where does the time go?  The holidays were a complete blur (just a lot of working and a lot of family) but they were wonderful and I hope yours were as well.  (I’m secretly glad they are over with so I can move on!)

I’m going to dive into more posts in the next few days but I did want to send along a little tidbit of info.  My very favorite faux finishing workshop studio, the Sarasota School of Faux & Architectural Finishing, is having a free Open House this Saturday, January 5th from 10 am to 5 pm.  It’s an all-day soiree.  You can arrive at the start and stay till the end or pop in at any time and leave when you need to — it’s a very creative and laid back atmosphere.

Donna Phelps, the owner and a good friend of mine, will have class samples, guest teachers showcasing some of their techniques and drawings for over $1,000 in give-aways, including supplies, tools and stencils.  To me, Donna consistently comes up with some of the most beautiful and creative classes to teach - - I go to her studio at least once or twice per year.  This year, she has Gary Lord (who last year won the country’s top faux finishing prize), Deb Drager, Jodie Baldanza (the very popular former instructor for Faux Effects, Patti Halstead (one of my personal favorites) and Lara Lazenby slated to teach.  They are also introducing new products on the market and an introduction to SALI and its local chapters by president, Valerie Cuzzola.  (If you recall, she was a Faux-cus on the Pros interview last October.)  I’m a bit too excited, I think!

The studio is located at 5376 Catalyst Avenue in Sarasota, FL.  To RSVP, please call (941) 921-6181 or (888) 454-FAUX.  From Orlando it’s about a little less than two hours — but this studio is worth it, trust.

I hope to see you there!