Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Plaster Roses

Here is how I made the plaster rose from my last post.




I had a rose to begin with.


You can use a silk rose, or a plastic one.  Just make sure either are clean.


This is a messy, but pretty simple project. You're going to need latex or vinyl gloves, plaster of paris, gesso,  a stirring stick, and a bucket or wide container for your mix.

Start with plaster of paris. Mix with water, till you get the consistency of pancake batter.  Make enough to immerse your rose in.  Then add a little white gesso. This will dry super fast if you don't have water on hand to keep the batter like consistency. Keep adding water if it starts to stiffen. Have your flowers ready. Put on your gloves and dip.



You want to saturate the rose with the mixture, and get in the crevices. If you are using a silk rose, you may have to do a little sculpting to get the shape you want.  When you're done, shake off the excess, and lay it on a plastic surface. I just used a plastic bag.



Depending on how thick you coat the rose, it will take a few hours to a day for it to stiffen and dry really well.





The finish will be chalky. You can dust it with a small paint brush.  Now, this is purely decorative. This is not something you want to bang around a lot. The plaster will chip. You can leave it this way, seal it with spray, or paint it.  I like the raw irregular look.  I put some of them in my vintage bottles.

There are a multitude of variations to this technique, but I wanted to give you a simple one.

Sharing With:
Thrifty Decor Chick: Before and After Party
Under The Table and Dreaming: Sunday Showcase
The Rose Garden in Malevik: Saturday Show Off
Remodelaholic: Remodelaholics Anonymous
My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
My Repurposed Life: Catch as Catch Can
The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
2805: Potpourri Friday
The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home
The Shabby Creek Cottage: Transformation Thursday

42 comments:

  1. very pretty...I think I like the raw look as well..I think this would look lovely mixed in with shells in a shelf or in a bowl...
    what a fun project too..
    best,
    maureen

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  2. Hi Rosemary,

    Well you just think of everything!! These plaster roses are amazing!!
    So much texture love the white... Could you add colour to the plaster to make different hues of roses?

    All the Best,
    Christine

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  3. I think I like the raw look too! I love whites and neutrals so this is great!

    Kris

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  4. May be simple for you, but me, not so much LOL. They are pretty.

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  5. just stopping by to say hello :o) Thanks for sharing your tutorial!

    Blessings & Aloha!

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  6. We are now on creative overload! LOVE everything....of course we would! These roses are fantastic...simple yet so very cool! Love the stool in the last post - especially how you upholstered it with the torn fabric - love it! Oh....we've loved every minute hanging out with you Rosemary - thanks!!
    Karla & Karrie

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  7. oh my heavenly days girl ...

    I'm thinking theme wedding ... I was just asked to help plan a location wedding in Oklahoma!


    I'm, getting the dipping bucket ready

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  8. Oh my gosh, Rosemary....THAT is the coolest thing ever! Seriously....! :) Thanks for another wonderful tut!

    xoxo laurie

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  9. Holy roses, I love it! I can't get to the "pin it" button fast enough!
    Thanks for stopping by my place!
    Kerry at housetalkn.blogspot.com

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  10. These are just perfect. I'd wondered if this could be done, but had just assumed the plaster would just clump everything together. Thank you SO MUCH for your tutorial and your inspiration! I want a cluster of these on a mirror, just for starters.

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  11. Rosemary,
    girl, is there anything you can't do!!! That is to cool! They turned out great. Very clever!
    Rebecca

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  12. Rosemary I'm bowing to you girl! LOVE this! And I just happened to buy a french jardiniere today and was wondering what to put in it to do it justice?.....And then you came along with the perfect idea!....I'm thinking palest grayed pink.....*winks* Big smacky kiss on the cheek girlfriend! Vanna

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  13. So neat I notices the flowers on your dresser and thought they were lovely. Thanks for sharing your secret. Ginger

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  14. These roses are fantastic, Simple yet so very cool looks also eye catching. The stool in the last post is marvelous- especially impressed to watch how you upholstered it with the torn fabric.
    printed stickers

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  15. WOW, Rosemary--this is completely ingenious!!!! AMAZING and beautiful!!!
    XO
    Cindy

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  16. I like the raw look as well. This is definitely a project that I want to try. I like the white but just curious how you would add color to the mix.

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  17. Love, love, love...now I want some!
    Debbie

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  18. These are funky and doable! Get DIY for a cute project! I like them white! andrea@townandprairie

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  19. These are so neat, I just luv your post...suddenly all of these ideas are creeping through my head. Hope I stay sane long enough to do everything (LOL). Thanks for sharing I definitely want to give it a try.

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  20. This is basically the same things the old times did with wax. They would make roses from crepe paper and dip the into hot wax. It was the fist fake flowers. Theses are darling and I could see a big urn full of them. Thanks for sharing, Richard from My Old Historic House.

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  21. I love how these turned out! I love the jars the flowers are in too!
    www.shabbytochicqueencreek.blogspot.com

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  22. I am in love with what you did here! so lovely & fantastic! thanks for sharing the tutorial - just might try it out? xoxo, tracie

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  23. This is a fabulous and ingenious technique! Love it! And love the look!

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  24. You are so talent, I love your roses, thanks for sharing:-)
    Have a great day, hugs Biljana

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  25. Love the tutorial Rosemary. I like this technique to incorporate the roses in an architectural detail in the house, make them like they belong there. I don't know if I can expalin myself here, but for sure I'm gonna try it. Heading to Michael's for some plaster of Paris.
    XXX Ido

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  26. That's really a neat project! I You're just so creative.

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  27. These are gorgeous, Rosemary. So happy to did the tutorial. I actuall saw this done on an old Christopher Lowell show (about 110 years ago) and did basically this same thing using a floral stem that was put on a placque, so when it was finished it looked like a all plaster thingy. The roses are magnificant!

    Thank you so much for joinging Potpourri Friday. I appreciate your participation, Rosemany!

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  28. What a cool idea! And I love the end result. If I'm brave enough I may even try a few roses myself! Thanks for the great tutorial!

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  29. Rosemary,
    How wonderful is this! I didn't realize you made these but, it makes so much sense. Such a great idea. Thanks for showing us all your great tricks! Thank you for linking it to Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

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  30. I love these -- I wonder if you could add a few drops of acrylic paint to get some pale pinks or other colors? You know, just something VERY faint.

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  31. what a great touch if you had an area that needed just that something. Thanks for showing how to do it....love it
    Hugs,
    Ellen

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  32. This is such a great way to re-cycle "silk" flowers past their prime. Thanks for sharing!

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  33. Hi Rosa, just want you to know I tried the plaster roses and it turned out great (well, not as nice as yours)"smile". You can read it here. Thanks for sharing. http://decoratingwcents.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-inspiration.html

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  34. completely adorable! Must try! Thanks so much for sharing your DIY

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  35. thank you again rose mary you gave me a new idea for the garden. i been going to this church flea market they have a yard full of rustic things been looking at this rough iron small gazebo for at least a year no one seam to like it im ready to make a offer now that i see your roses my inspiration drailing deep yellow rose vine i found last year one 1932 milk jugs all rusted for a amazing price other one have to find out what year was made but they are beautiful to my eyes and thats what count.

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  36. hi...so nice idea...loved the flowersd...but i have doubt is there a chance of pop getting chipped and falling later on...how seal and protect it

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    Replies
    1. It's going to be fragile. It's not intended to be something that gets handled a lot. A spray sealer will help.

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