HomeTutorialsHand PaintedTablescapes

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Welcome Fall

Today is officially fall or autumn or whatever you want to call it and I say come on in!  Our temperatures are still in the high 90's and I guess this is called Indian summer, but I am so ready for cooler temperatures.  I'm itching to get back out to the garden and start trimming back before winter sets in.

Today I did four variations of this table.  I love these little fruit plates so much, I have had them hanging on my wall for umpteen years.  I promise next week to tell you what the maker's mark is on the back, but right now I'm lucky to get a post out today.  Believe me, you will see them again.
This week I paired my favorite green plates with gold chargers and amber stemware that was my mother's wedding crystal.  I brought out some red and green pears and placed them in this gorgeous amber bowl.
I love to use little stacks of books with ribbons tied around them.  I sat my little garden frog on these.  He's peaking out at us.
I also invited my little flying pig from the front porch.  He has his welcome sign ready to greet fall with a bang.
As for this bottle of red wine I put on the table, I don't even drink red wine, but I have been known to buy wine because I love the label.  I couldn't resist this one with the animal lawyers.  After all, I am a court reporter, and I this was too cute to pass up.  Isn't the label wonderful?
I used paper napkins today.  These are fabulous and so perfect for the season too. 

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Fall everyone!

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday   Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Friday, September 21, 2012

French Perfume Label Tool Caddy

I absolutely love this box, but then again, I have a thing for old boxes and caddies.  You probably don't recognize this particular box because it has gone through a major transformation, but I shared it with you about a week ago as one of my failed projects.  I think this box is great for display as well as functional too.

 It started out as a plain wooden tool box with a piece of veneer missing on the top.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Graphite inside and out after I removed all the hardware except for the back hinge.
 Then I repainted it with Annie Sloan Old Ochre.  Now I want to remind you to keep your chalk paints somewhere in the house where your temperatures are cooler than the hot garage.  I stored this paint for at least a year out there and it is very thick.  I need to add some water to thin it back down.  This was one of the things I learned in Annie's workshop and I broke the rules on this one.


 I selected a Graphics Fairy image, and one of my followers, Pat, was so kind to find the link so I could include it here.   Next I went to Kinko's and had some laser copies made of some different graphics I wanted to use.  If you don't have a color laser printer and you don't have a Kinko's, try Office Max, Office Depot, Staples or your local Fed Ex office store.  Maybe even a Mail Boxes Etc. or a UPS store.


 I put two images on one sheet of paper and ran my copy.  I brought it home and used my Splendid Blender.  I ordered my blender pens from WNC on the internet.  What got me excited about this project was that it transferred in color as well as black and white.  If this look is too faded for you, you can come back with your paint pens and go over the lettering.  That will make it crisper.  I wanted an old faded label look.
 You can see before I applied the image I sanded my chalk paint back pretty hard to expose the graphite base coat.
 Now do you remember the box?  This was my failed attempt at the heat transfer tool which I plan to try again until I master the technique.

I love the new look of my tool box, and I hope you love it as much as I do.  Thanks so much for your visit!
Pin It
I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Faux Zinc Mirror

This was the third of three faux zinc makeovers I have done thus this is my final project.  The first one was Chef Pierre and then I did the faux zinc lamps this week as well.  For this project I did not use wax to seal the project.  The mirror was originally painted purple.  No, that wasn't the original color, but someone painted it purple, but I loved the ornateness of the frame and bought it anyway.

 I sprayed it with primer gray which no matter what color I was going to paint the mirror, it had to be primered to cover the purple which by the way bled through a little bit, but just a tad.  I washed it down with gesso and wiped it back, then I came back with the Duck Egg Blue chalk paint and dry brushed here and there.  I took my acrylic glaze medium (found in the acrylic paint section of your craft store) and mixed it with the burnt umber acrylic paint.  I used a ratio of three to one, one being the burnt umber.  I used a wet brush, dipped it in the glaze and dabbed here and there on the details of the frame so it would appear "dirty" in the crevices.
 After the mirror sat and cured for awhile, I sprayed it with Deft lacquer spray to seal it all in.  I did remove the mirror from the frame when I did all of this so the back side got done as well.  This will be my final zinc-like project for awhile.  First I need to see if this finish will sell in our venue.  If it does, I will experiment with it some more.

Hope your week is going great.  Thanks for dropping in.

Pin It
I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

The Violin Lesson

I love old musical instruments.  I find them fascinating and I love to decorate with them.  I once did a whole Christmas tree themed around old musical instruments.  I wish I had some photos to show you, but that was long before blogging.

 This project was destined for the musical wasteland.  The strings were long gone.  The piece that holds the strings is long gone and there is a huge crack down the middle of the front.  So where do old worthless violins go when they are gone but not forgotten?  They become advertisements for violin lessons. 
 I went through an old music periodical from around 1900, and I found some old ads for violin lessons.  I used the ads for my inspiration.  I simply painted the violin with black paint and used some small scale stencils from Michael's to get my words on to the project.  Then I came back in with my fine point white paint pen and went over the letters.  They are not perfect, but I love that I saved this old instrument from the trash.  I think it makes an interesting decorating piece.  What do you think?

Thanks so much for visiting.  I do hope you find some inspiration of your own here.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Paper Source

One of my daughter's favorite paper stores is the Paper Source.  It's a chain, and I'm not sure if they are nationwide or not.  Even though I live in a suburb of Los Angeles, the closest store to me is 30 miles away.  The last time I stopped in there I signed up for their emails, and somehow they also have my address which I must have given them as well.  Yesterday I received their catalog in the mail.  They have a website as well.  It's www.paper-source.com.  I took a couple of photos from the catalog to share with you just in case you are not familiar with the wonderful ideas they have to share.

The first thing that really grabbed my attention when I was flipping through the catalog was this paper map dress.  I think this would be a great window display for a vintage clothing store or antique mall.  I could just imagine a window done in map blouses, dresses, pants, etc., just hanging in a window.  Very eye catching.  Almost reminds me of Anthropologie.  Don't you agree?
 Since I like to paint signs, I saved the pages with the different typography designs.  I love these examples.
Isn't this little sign above adorable?  I think this could be done using Graphics Fairy images.  She's had several circus images that I have fallen in love with.   The catalog lists the "big deal" sign for $21.95 for a 12" x 16".  On the following page, I spotted the candy corn banner.  Too cute.  The garland is 10 feet long and is $10.95.  By the time I would buy all the supplies, I would have spent more than that at the craft store!  If any of these things interest you, check out their website.  They have wonderful things to spark your creative juices.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to have a project done soon of a musical persuasion.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Monday, September 17, 2012

Two French Chairs

I purchased these two French chairs from a friend of mine.  They had a goldish-striped fabric that was in excellent condition and the finish on the chairs was wood.  I really didn't want to get into the expense of recovering them if I could sell them the way they were.  They were a little too traditional and dated so they did not sell and I brought them home and there they sat.

Do you see a pattern here with my last few posts?  Not everything a dealer takes to her space sells for whatever reason.  Right now I am trying to clear out old inventory by reinventing it so I can justify buying more.  I need the space in my work room for new projects so my philosophy must be "out with the old."  I try to only buy items that "speak to me."  They must have good bones to begin with or they don't come home with me.  These two chairs are the perfect example.
Here was my "fix" for these chairs.  I masked off the wood part and carefully painted the wood with Rustoleum's Canyon Black brush on.  Then I carefully sealed it with Deft Spray lacquer being careful to shield the fabric with a newspaper.  When the tape was removed, the goldish fabric now had more of a burlap tone next to the black paint.  Now, the photos of the chairs could have come out better and I think I should have cut out the inside of the transfer paper but I will tell you, the middle section of the image transferred clear and you can still see the stripes of the fabric through the transferred image.  This next photo was my practice run on simple plain fabric.
Now I'll explain the transfer paper I used.  Normally I use Avery light transfer paper on my dish towels, but I wanted to give this new paper a try.  It's by Lesley Riley and it's called Transfer Artist Paper or TAP.  It can be used on wood, fabric, and all sorts of surfaces.  The first packet I bought was 5 sheets for 12.95.  Ouch!  But I wanted to give it a try.  It does give a more crisp, darker image on the transfer so I like it a little better than Avery's.  I can't wait to try it on other surfaces and it also transfers in color too.  The best part for me is it can only be used with an ink jet printer so no hassle getting a laser copy.  By the way, the image is from Graphics Fairy.  I'll include the image here.

I'm happy to tell you I just ordered an 18 pack of the paper from Amazon and it was only $26.37.  That brings the cost way down.  The directions were easy and I will be a repeat customer.

Have a great week and thanks for visiting.


I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Faux Zinc Lamps with Grain Sack Shades


I found this pair of lamps at the flea market quite a while back.  It's hard to find pairs of lamps so I scarfed them up immediately.  They had a bronze finish and silk shades.  I had too many lamps in my space so I decided to bring them home and reinvent them.  I've shared this finish with you before.  It was inspired by Lorraine at missflibberigibbet.blogspot.com.  Click here to see the tutorial.  This is a great finish if you love the look of zinc which I do.
 Now that the lamp bases were modernized, I decided to tackle the shades.  I used an image from the Graphics Fairy which you can find here .
 I follow Rosemary at Villabarnes and she has done some wonderful transfers with Splendid Blenders so I decided to try my hand with this technique and I must say I love the result.  It was easy to do and transferred like a dream.  The only catch is you must use a laser jet copy, not an ink jet.  So I took my image to Kinko's and reversed the image and brought home two copies to reinvent my pair of lampshades.  I couldn't find the Splendid Blenders locally so here is the information on where to get them.  The pen says Chart Pak Woodcrafter's Marker.  The color is Splendid Blender WO.  Use these in a well ventilated area.  They are potent.  I ordered them on line from WNC Supply at http://wncsupply.com.  Their phone number is (623) 594-4602.
 I simply taped the laser copy with the image side down to the shade.  Then I held my fingers behind the image on the inside of the shade and rubbed it with the Splendid Blender.  It transferred like a dream.  Give this technique a try.  The following photo is my test run on a piece of muslin.

As always, I appreciate your visits.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy    
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life   
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best