TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA ~ CHRISTMAS CANON

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA ~ CHRISTMAS CANON

"This night we pray

Our lives will show

This dream He had

Each child still knows"

HAND PAINTING STRIPES & A PLAYHOUSE, PICKET FENCE & FLOWERS IN A LITTLE GIRL'S ROOM

HAND PAINTING STRIPES & A PLAYHOUSE, PICKET FENCE & FLOWERS IN A LITTLE GIRL'S ROOM

One time a family was moving into a new home.

The little girl's room was blue and the mom asked me to paint stripes for her.

I drew and hand painted the yellow stripes and green ivy as a border.

Then, I asked if I could paint her a playhouse.  

So, I drew and painted the outline of a playhouse.  Then, I painted the picket fence and flowers.

They placed a little table and chairs in the corner with the playhouse.

The little girl just loved it and her mom said she played near it all the time.

That was a fun project!

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I found this picture in a stack of pictures of my work and thought it would be great to share it with you just before Christmas, in case it might give you some ideas for a little girl or boy's room.  The playhouse can be any color.  Maybe it could be brown and they could play like it's a fort or a cabin.

Or, draw the outline of a spaceship. 

 I bet they would really love that!!

PAINTING & GLAZING DEBBIE'S NEW ENTERTAINMENT CENTER CABINET

PAINTING & GLAZING DEBBIE'S NEW ENTERTAINMENT CENTER CABINET

Debbie's entertainment center is in her great room.  She had been wanting to change it and make it nicer because you can see it from nearly everywhere on her, very open, first floor.
 So, she designed and told the contractor what she wanted.  

She wanted it more open and she wanted a great big arch above it.

She designed this cabinet for her collection of beautiful pieces of art and asked me to paint it for her.

I used an oil based semi-gloss off white paint for the base coat.  Then, I used a dark stain and brushed on and wiped off, leaving stain in the crevices and streaked it on the flat surfaces.

This small cabinet and shelves were next to the new cabinet and I painted it to match.  The mantel is soft off white stone and my colors tied in really well.

This is Debbie's wonderful Nickie.  He's so friendly.  A while back when I was painting her bedroom, Nickie kept getting on my ladder and I had to call his mommy to get him down so I could paint.  It was funny.

And, little Issy and Bella.  Issy is the little sister.  So cute!!  Sweet Bella is older and blind.  I always think Debbie is so sweet to her.  She knows her way around the house.

This is a view of the cabinets and fireplace.  Before, Debbie thought it didn't look right, maybe cluttered.  Now, with her new design and paint she's very happy.

I love how Debbie decorates her home.  It's so comfortable, yet elegant.

Thank you Debbie!  I always love working with you.

PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING ~ I'LL BE BACK SOON

 PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING ~ I'LL BE BACK SOON

I'm really behind posting and sharing my work with you.  I'll be back very soon.

My clients are preparing for the holidays and needed me to help with a few paint projects.  

The kitchen I'm painting right now will, finally, be finished Saturday or Sunday.  

Then, I will be at the grocery store shopping for our Thanksgiving meal.

Hoping you are looking forward to a warm and Happy Thanksgiving, too.

One of the migrating birds visiting my yard in September.

Not sure what it is, but it was really beautiful and it's tummy was a vibrant yellow-orange.

PAINTING & DISTRESSING PATTI'S BEDROOM FURNITURE TO CREAMY WHITE & GRAYS

PAINTING & DISTRESSING PATTI'S BEDROOM FURNITURE CREAMY WHITE & GRAYS

Patti is doing some major redecorating.

Several years ago, when she was designing and building this home, I spent lots of time doing special paint projects for her.  That wall behind her headboard was one of the projects.  Back then, she wanted her new home and decor to be a darker Tuscan style.

It was (still is) sooo beautiful!

 The black, distressed finish is the original finish and paint colors..  I do love the finish!!

The insets on the headboard and footboard are brown leather.

I almost forgot to take a picture of "before".

Look at that black and beige carpet!!

This is her cabinet "before" I painted it.

It was really nice, too.

Now, years later, she is wanting everything to be lighter.  For her bedroom furniture she chose a creamy white, light gray white and a medium gray.

She showed me a sample of the finish she wanted and here it is.  

The leather, I primed with an oil based primer and painted the soft gray color.

Then, I sanded the seams and distressed a little in the middle.

There are upholstery tacks holding the leather.

Patti asked me to paint those metallic silver.

In this picture, the silver doesn't shine.  But, in person it does reflect the light and is shiny.  

The metallic silver looks really nice with the colors she chose.

(The picture above is more true to the colors I painted.  In the other pictures, 

  my camera made the creamy white look more creamy than it really is.)

Aren't those bedside chandeliers amazing!!

Patti sent this picture to me.  That is sweet Stella.  She looks so pretty snoozing on the new bed.

It's a king size bed.  Her camera angle makes it look like a twin.

Here is the cabinet painted with the new colors to match the bed.

(Creamy white NOT this yellow)

I used a gel stain to paint the inside of the top and bottom and the shelves.

Also, I used the gel stain to paint the cabinet top.

It was a very large cabinet and LOTS of distressing.

This was Patti's husband's grandmother's dresser.  It goes in the bedroom, too. 

Patti wanted me to paint it the same way I painted the darker areas of the big cabinet.

I have worked with Patti for many years and I always enjoy working with her.  

She has such great taste!

As she is redecorating, I'll keep sharing pictures with you.

Thank you, Patti!

MY NEW "HOW TO" EBOOK~PAINTING FAUX "ANTIQUE COPPER"

MY NEW "HOW TO" EBOOK~PAINTING FAUX "ANTIQUE COPPER"

Finally, I have finished my second eBook.  In this one, I have shared my technique for painting faux "antique copper" on kitchen vent-a-hoods.  Actually, you can use this technique to paint just about anything that you want to look like "antique copper"

Here is a link to my newest instructional eBook:

PAINT A KITCHEN VENT-A-HOOD FAUX FINISH~"ANTIQUE COPPER"

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While you're visiting my blog, here is a link to my first eBook about using gel stains:

PAINTING WITH GEL STAINS

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~THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISITS~

ANITA WANTED A BLUE FRONT DOOR ~ PAINTING ANITA'S FRONT DOOR

ANITA WANTED A BLUE FRONT DOOR ~ PAINTING ANITA'S FRONT DOOR

This is Anita's beautiful home.
The white trim and stained door look very nice.  But, she really wanted a new look and asked me to help her make her front door look more inviting.

She really, really wanted her front door to be blue. 

 Not light blue or dark blue, just a medium happy blue.  So, she and I picked out a blue paint color and I suggested she paint her flower pots blue and plant blue plumbago to enhance the blue on her new door.

This is her new front porch.  She sent this picture to me after she planted the blue plumbago in her blue pots.  It looks so pretty and inviting and she's very happy with her new entry.

I suggested that we paint the frame around her door alllllll the way up, including the arch.

I'm used to climbing on my two story extension ladder and that's just routine to me.  What is a bit harrowing is moving that ladder around all of that glass.

I picked a color that was in the same tones as all of the other light trim on her home, but a couple of shades darker so it would be noticeably different.  

Her front porch looks so pretty, now.

A few years ago, I painted these stripes, this red ribbon and bouquets of flowers all around her guest bedroom.  It was nice to see it, again.  Not painted over, yet.

While I was there, she added a lot of fall decor.  Her decorated chandeliers look so beautiful!!

One day Anita came home and that big rooster was in her yard.  A friend had surprised her and put it there as a tease, but she liked it and it's still there.  It's really cute and colorful.

And, it looks good with her new front door.

Thank you, Anita!