Friday, December 5, 2014

Tis' The Season

 
Put an element of surprise into your wreaths by adding an antique tool or a salvaged piece as the focal point for an unexpected touch!


No fireplace? No problem! Just tuck an old mantel in behind the tree for that Christmas nostalgia feel! Adding an old weathered wash tin makes the perfect tree stand too!


Add old wooden crates as risers, tuck in an old porch column for interest and then an old sleigh always works in perfectly with any winter display.


Residential site. this tree we keep in the natural woodland with berry look that blends with the homeowners style of decor, and whatever you do....don't skimp on the lighting....lighting is everything!

The remainder are various commercial sites that I contract with a seasonal company during the Holidays to do a bit of Christmas Interior decorating. No sleep, lots of glitter....you gotta love it to do it every year :)

Commercial sites-even the small details matter! 

Commercial Sites-offices

Offices

Corporate office
Corporate offices

Corporate office tree

Retail public space -A bit of whimsy for this commercial site!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

A dash of boho with a pinch of shabby chic








Started with an old antique bed frame, the seat was made with nice heavy pieces of slat boards.
Entire piece was painted in layers of clay/chalk/mineral paint from APC, then a wash of light glaze was applied to give it richness and dimension.


I then made a custom tufted upholstered seat that was permanently attached for a designer finished look

Custom tufting close up 
Great shot showing the light glaze technique effect.

Extra wood scrolling detail was added for that additional customized and designer touch.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Dance of the Painted Lady



Home from the Putnam Historical District in Zanesville, Ohio painted with the inspiration from "The Painted Ladies" style color combination.




The base colors here are applied in bright bold colors-almost shocking to the eye!

I then work in various layers with black glaze until I reach the exact tone and texture that is complimentary to the exterior of the homes surface.


Close up of the glaze, you can see all the movement from the grain of the wood, all the wonderfully naturally aged marks are brought out instead of hidden to give it a rich beautiful texture to the final look.


For more inspiration and projects visit me on Facebook and at my store on Etsy!
See you there!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Girl with the crystal chandelier

 
Isn't it just amazing how a great paint job can totally transform an entire look and style of a tattered piece of furniture?

I started with a really good cleaning! A couple to be exact-

The exterior of the dresser is painted in APC's (American Paint Company) Navajo white-2 coats, it's just a really nice crisp clean look!


The front frame and interior of the drawers are painted a lovely purple tone to give it a nice contrast, polished & finished look when the drawers are open-it's really important to pay attention to these hidden details, it gives your pieces that extra designer look that only comes from custom hand touched work!

Now...Possibly the hardest and most time consuming thing is trying to narrow down all of those creative thoughts that are racing through an artistic persons head! 
But once you get a clear focused idea -there's just no stopping you!
I started with a light graph that I sketched out with colored chalk-just to keep my angles fairly identical on each side.
Once again using the APC's paint- "Crushed Tea"  I began the design.



I looked at a few different chandelier designs to get a feel for what style I liked before starting and just kind of customized a personal design that I think fits the size and shape of the dresser.


This is the final look of the design, I really do love how the APC's, "crushed tea" almost looks like a watercolor painting!
The original handles were painted with a hammered metal finish, I think they fit in to the new look and style just perfect!
Until the next project, keep those brushes wet-n-flowin'!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Door Envy!







Do you ever drive past a home and just say "WOW"? There's just something about a beautifully painted front entrance that makes a home just stand out among the rest, you know the one, the one that has that flair and character. Makes you just know that there must be a very interesting story and family that is beyond that door.




This is the inspiration photo that I used to come up with the color, in particular the bright vibrant green and the rich purple of the wall. This homeowner has a deep love for the Mexican culture and is just moved by all of the rich colors that embrace the Mexican heritage. She wanted to be reminded of that feeling and wanted her entrance to reflect her personality and love for color!



I first layered the door with a bright pop of a green/yellow base, I would call it almost chartreuse in tone (it looks a bit more yellow in the photo than in true life) I matched it up close to the color of the chair so I would get that bight layer peeking through once the top layers are on.


Next is that deep rich purple tone just like the walls in the inspirational photo. I did a "dragging" dry brush application on this particular layer still leaving areas let uncovered allowing the bright tone to show through.

Time to glaze!!! This is where the magic happens! I just brushed on the dark glaze with a brush working in small sections, and immediately wiped it back off. I work very quickly when doing this stage so that the glaze does not dry out trying hard not to go back over it and overwork any of the areas. This will cause your glaze to pull back off in areas and it gets clumpy, so try to ignore that urge to keep going back over a section once you leave it.

So this is the final outcome, once your glaze is applied you can go back in and add little areas of the two base colors here and there if you want just to add a bit more dimension. This dimension is what gives the feeling that it has been painted years ago and is weathered naturally through the years.


This beautiful Red door was created for a local Holistic center, they requested a healing "chakra" color, a color that "gets to the root of the problem".......the interpretation is that of an antiqued barn finishe with just a hint of golden metallic for that extra shimmer that just slightly cathes the light. Just beautiful!



 Here are more "door envy" projects I have created in the past, this particular door was for a brand new home, the homeowner here wanted the door to look as though it had been there and had aged gracefully throughout the years, I think it turned out beautifully!


You would never have even noticed the door on this house before it's door envy makeover, see what that extra attention to your front entrance does? Just amazing!


This "door envy makeover" is still one of my absolute faves! The homeowner here said she needed something that would coordinate year round with her oversized cobalt blue planters. I immediately knew it had to be a bold purple/with a little fusia undertone. But how could I properly relay how this will look to my customer? Luckily I came across this photo of a beautiful bridesmaids dress that had the exact colors I had in mind! My brave customer said "yes, go for it".  And I must say it turned out GORGEOUS! Don't ya just love it when a plan comes to fruition??





Would YOU like to have a "door envy" makeover?? I'm booking appointments now, contact me to discuss details. This same technique can be made to any piece of furniture too! Have something you would like made over? Just give me a yell :)
See you all next time, and remember to keep those brushes wet!!!