Tiffanie Quatraro I am wanting to do this over my brick mantle. Can you share details regarding colors, technique, etc., for achieving this look. I love it! Thank you.

Debbie Dusenberry, aka curioussofa.com I did not prep my fireplace at all- I have no patience for that and am pretty fearless when it comes to DIY. It was already brick and painted with layers of old paint. I bought a giant tub of drywall compound and began troweling over the entire thing. Start with the sides so you get your technique down. Use a 4" wide slightly flexible plastic trowel with a handle. Apply compound thick and smooth out as you go along trying not to leave the lines a trowel can make. My fireplace was already shaped as you see here with the indentations. I wanted the edges a little rough as shown. Once completely dry (at least 24 hours, use a fan if you want), I sanded just slightly to smooth out some areas. Then I dry brushed it using Ralph Lauren glaze in a tea stain color but any aging glaze or paint will do. Stand by with a spray bottle of water, a giant rounded sponge and old towels. Again start with the sides (and good light) so you can get used to it. I did not paint this at all. The color is simply the plaster and glaze. Add more/less here and there for a natural look. Because drywall is so chalky, as you go it will dissolve a little a soften, this atually helps blend it more. Once dry, it can still be sanded lighten, to remove a little or start over. That's it. No sealer either.