The Long Awaited Table

This table was so much fun to do! From the moment I saw it I knew I'd love painting it. This was actually the second table, in a couple of tables they had given me, and although a bit more labor intensive then the first, I didn't care because the end result was pretty cool.

The first one I did for them was a smaller table. Per their request I used the same color palette.

  The Miniature Table For Two was an easier transformation compared to its larger counterpart

But I was certainly up for the challenge.  This table had great character and I was looking forward to  expanding on it.  

After priming it two times  I actually took it apart to start the painting process. 

I started with the base first then graduated to the top. 

When I first started I THOUGHT  I knew exactly what I wanted to do on the top, that was until I painted the base. It was then that I realized it was taking me in a completely different direction. This, crazy as it sounds, is when a piece just tells ME how it wants to be painted.

As I started painting the top Graphics Fairy came to mind. 

This website is a virtual GOLDMINE for anyone looking for free, really cool, clip art.  I could spend hours looking around there and find tons of inspirational graphics for furniture I was doing now and future pieces I had yet to conquer.  This is how I knew I wanted to put a vintage label on this piece, because while on the website researching another table awhile back, I came across this label.  

Once I printed it out on plain regular printer paper I used a projector to transfer the item to the top. I then used a white colored pencil to trace it out and a black Deco Art pen to color it in.  I then outlined the swirls in a gold metallic pen because I felt it added a bit of interest and contrast to the black and burgundy. 

When I had originally painted the top, I had painted the entire thing burgundy, but in the end changed my mind and opted for the infamous quarterly checks instead. I guess I wanted the sides to be different from the rest of the table, because when the sides were down I wanted the eyes to move all over the piece, instead of them just blending in. 

I was really pleased with how it turned out.  I think Mike & Joann will be too.

Just a quick note, I have recently joined the team of PaintNite Syracuse 

And will start instructing events in April!  I can't wait to share my passion of painting with others.  It's a very unique opportunity and I look forward to seeing some familiar faces out there in the audience.  You don't have to have creative bone in your body! So I don't want to hear any excuses! All you need is an open mind and willingness to have fun. I guarantee you will walk out with a fabulous picture to hang in your home and a lot of fun memories.  And I'll warn you now,  once you do one, you'll want to do it again, and again, it's that much fun!

Remember to

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Aymee & Lynette: A Love Story Remembered

Aymee & Lynette were each other's soul mates.  They met in the early summer of 2006 and felt an immediate connection. Although they faced adversity from outside forces, their union was the blessing they both had been searching for.  

On June 3, five years after they first met, the fun loving ladies were married.  Life was good.  They were inseparable and their union grew everyday.

Then tragedy hit. One day Lynette was riding her motorcycle, and the next day she was lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life.  Aymee was by her side every step of the way.  Despite severe complications Lynette was a fighter and showed signs of recovery.  The road would be long, but Aymee took her vows "in sickness and in health" very serious and would be by her wife's side, loving her through it all. 

Then, again without warning, Lynette was gone and Aymee was left to navigate life without her soul mate.

This past Christmas was the first holiday Aymee would be spending alone.  She reached out to family and friends and asked, if they felt moved, could they send small items that would help her memorialize Lynette.  That's when a mutual friend of ours reached out to me.  She really admired these two ladies and wanted to have me design a personalized gift for them.  After going back and forth on a variety of items, Marcia decided to have me create a memorial table for Aymee & Lynette.

Lynette's favorite colors were hot pink and neon green, so that would be the color pallet.  

Also, they would often say to each other, "Live everyday as if it's a gift.  That's why we call it a present." So this quote had to be incorporated as well.  

Lynette called her bride "sweet pea" and Amyee affectionately referred to Lynette as "babee girl". These would need to be represented too, but most of all she wanted butterflies.  

Aymee felt that butterflies symbolized freedom. 

"Therefor, we are free to love whomever we fall in love with." 

Butterflies would be the focal point.  

With all this beautiful inspiration I started to paint.  As I reflected on the memorial table set before me I couldn't help but feel so sad for Aymee's loss, yet inspired to create a piece that would represent Lynette's love of life, as well as, the love these two women shared.  I was emotionally invested.

The heart with wings is something that came to me one night when I couldn't sleep.  I often will find inspiration during these times.  I felt it was wonderfully symbolic of  Lynette and decided to include it, along with their wedding day.

I think Aymee was touched by her memorial table. 

 I know I was touched by their story. 

I hope you were too.  

I am so honored to be apart of people's lives this way. 

REMEMBER:

"Live everyday as if it's a gift.  That's why we call it a present." 

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!

Trending right now; Owls! I'm loving it!

Lately, everywhere you turn you see owls! Cute, fun, funky owls!  And I must admit, I'm completely on board with this whimsical trend.  You see, I have a secret, I have an owl fetish   Those big beautiful eyes, their cute little wings-just swoon worthy.  Then slap a pair of black rimmed glasses and I'm done-too cute for words! Whenever I "have to" paint them, secretly,  I'm totally enjoying myself.  So. when it came time to do this next piece, can you say ecstatic ! I practically squealed with girlish delight.

These are the the pics they sent me of her room, the patterns and colors, plus the inspirational owl.

This is a mirror that I sell in my Etsy shop.  

You can custom order them in any particular style or design, to match any room, or any space. You can find this simple version with just a small owl accent in the shop as well.

Now, I can paint all kinds of stuff. Use any color scheme you so choose, but my personal favorite; kids items. Can I get a WHOOT! Whoot! (like how i worked in the owl sounds?) They always make me smile just a bit-and lets be real, it's hard to be depressed when you're painting flowers and owls in hot pink and aqua.

So, this was the final piece.

And mom was even kind enough to send pictures of the piece in her room.  Guess what she liked best about the mirror?  Yep...the owl!

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