I'd like to introduce you to my new gal! Her name is Tessie Faye, named after my Great-Grandmother. I have been searching for a vintage French mannequin for quite some time now. There have been many on Ebay but they usually sell for $250-400 and I just couldn't see paying that! So, I bought a brand new one last week and have been sprucing her up a bit to look more antique.
She came with a white fabric cover which I first sprayed with primer. Then after that dried I added a coat of paint (Churchill Hotel Wheat by Velspar available at Lowes) and lastly I used a watered down glaze by American Tradition called Faux Antiquing Glaze. Then I just used a French inspired stamp on the neck to make her look more authentic. Then it was onto the base which came gloss black and I kind of liked. So for that I just sanded the edges and added the glaze to those areas.
Then for her debut for you I made her a garland sash of fresh roses from my garden! Doesn't she look so beautiful?
I'm so excited how this project turned out! I'm going to be using her lots to photograph items for the website such as jewelry, aprons, t-shirts and such. So you will get to know her quite well! There have been quite a few advantages to buying a new mannequin, she's lightweight, can be transported easily in her carrying bag, doesn't have that old smell, and cost a mere fraction of an antique one! Here's what she looked like before her transformation.
Quite an improvement don't you think?
