Sexy Legs

I'm sure this title will probably get me some not so sexy hits on the Google search Engine, but as they said in Advertising 101, "Sex Sells!"  So, with that said, let me introduce to you, my idea of a sexy leg!

I can spot a sexy leg from miles away.  Even driving by something on the side of the road at 55mph, my eye immediately goes right to the legs.  If the legs aren't sexy, chances are I'm not going to be excited about a piece.  Who's with me here?! Okay, no one...I think I just heard a cricket?  Well maybe, I have some weird fetish, but good legs turn me on.

When this piece was dropped off to me, I could hardly contain myself, "What a leg!"  The curves, the thickness, it was beautiful. Sigh....just take a moment.  Call me crazy people but it was swoon worthy.

I usually start at the top of a piece and work down, but this time I built up.  I had my color palette. The customers front entrance was a taupe/brown color, her front door black, but she wanted this piece to make a statement.  She told me reds, greens, browns.  Of course it was perfect because I was feeling some "Fall" colors coming on.  

Now, for just a moment, look past the legs here and bare witness to my shelf of paints!  Some people are crazy cat people, me, I collect paints.  That is only the corner, it runs the whole length of the wall, onto the floor and into every crevice of the studio.  Seriously, when I say I love paint...I LOVE PAINT.  Anyway, I digress, back to the legs.  

After I base coated them out I went back in with gold metallic paint.  These legs seemed almost regal to me, and a gold accent always amps it up.

This is the best metallic out there, at least for me.  I've used a lot, but this one is thick and takes the least amount of coats to get the desired look.

The top part of the leg was painted brown and a little blah, for my taste.  Even after I painted a design on it, I still wanted it to have more visual interest, so I crackled it.  

I buy a crackle paint that goes on top of a piece.  Then you let it set, and as it sets it cracks.  

Or if you are impatient like me, you blow dry it.  What you get are these tiny little cracks (or larger, depending on the amount you brush on).  It almost gives the effect of porcelain. Here a some pieces I've done this technique on in the past.

The Checker Table  

Spring Inspired Table

A Peace Offering

Stars & Stripes

The Leopard Print Table

You get the point.  The thing is, this is a fast and easy way to give character to a piece.

You brush it on in a well ventilated area, unless you like getting high on fumes.

 Blow dry it.  It only takes minutes to set up

Then you see the cracks appear. It's really kinda cool.  If you spread it on in different directions you get cracks going in different directs (see how that works).  Once I have the cracks I want, I take some stain, rub it into all those little cracks, and get that beautiful aged look we love so much.

Okay, so we've got the sexy legs going on, now for the top.   Over the past years, I feel my art work is evolving into a more folky, indy, type of art. Like this cedar chest and this podium or this end table.  I like the flower patterns, circles and pointillism if you will.  You kind of just keep adding and going deeper into your piece, until someone has to come in and slap you into reality. I felt this piece was calling for that slap worthy kind of style.

I laid out the basic design first.  I just used stencils that I cut out of manila folders (love manila folders-but that's a whole other post) and traced around them.  I'm a planner to a degree, I don't usually just PAINT I always draw out my design first.

The end result were these bold, detailed flowers. Once the flowers were finished though I knew the perimeter needed something, but I didn't want it to compete with the inner part, so i opted for a scrolling design (caring your eye gently around the piece) in a very similar color, making the design, very subtle.  

Then I brought in stripes around the underneath part.  Using a credit card to smooth down the tape is a fabulous idea!  NO BLEEDS!

A lot of this piece was done in monotone colors, to create visual impact without really taking away from the focal point, which was the flowers.  

In that spirit, I added light brown circles to an espresso brown drawer and added a new knob (which I changed out for a handle as you can see in the below pictures).   Slapped on a cute tassel for bling and here's the final piece, sexy legs and all.

So there you have it...I guarantee after this post  you wont look at furniture legs without a little smile on your face.  You'll think of me and say. "She's right, those are damn sexy legs!"

Happy Holidays!