Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Sophia and I! May your day be filled with peace and joy!

Ceiling Tray

Here is the ceiling tray I painted in the same home as the small columns. It is a very lovely metallic finish that can be completed quickly and without too great a cost. The chandelier is a family antique, crystals with gold fleck embedded, which really benefits from the complementary shimmer of the ceiling.

Missing photos

It's been a while since I've followed up on my work, but here are the garage doors I finished last month, and columns that I did two days ago. These are not in the same home. I enjoy working outside when the weather is nice; however, these doors were in the bright sun most of the day, which meant I only had the first few hours of each morning to work. When the sun heated up the fiberglass it was impossible to move the faux product and would have produced undesirable results. Not a problem - loved the challenge!

These columns were a simple plain cream color which was a distraction, so this soft finish really packs a punch! They don't steal the show from the beautiful doors or lovely marble surfaces - they blend well and add to the textures and colors of the home. I was able to complete them in one day because of their small size.

Wonderful stuff - give-aways

Check this out! Chrysti has some awesome images on her site! http://chrysti.wordpress.com

Traditions

My family really isn't close, and we don't have too many traditions. Sometimes when I have gone home to visit for a week, my sister has only had time to see me once for 45 minutes. So this visit last week was very special, because in my four day stay I saw my sister three days in a row and the rest of my family twice for several hours at a time! I met my great nephew for the first time, and reintroduced myself to my great niece - they are so cute and we had a marvelous time playing together. Although it didn't snow, it had snowed, so we did get to see the white stuff on the ground and have some great photos. We probably won't get up north again for several years, but we do so hope that some of the family can come down to Florida to enjoy the sunshine and beaches!

Back to work tomorrow, and I'll have some new faux finishing photos soon!

Fun with a friend!

Saturday I drove over to Daytona Beach to see my friend, Vicky, who recently moved back to Florida. She helped me load my U-haul when I left Wyoming, and we have been friends for fifteen years. My head is spinning from all the talking and laughing, designing and decision-making, painting and mess-making! Her new home had a "circus peanut" orange color on the kitchen walls, which we promptly base-coated over so that faux could be added. We decided to faux her entry columns in a copper base with black glaze over, and the accent wall in the living room next to the columns in a copper stone, which I extended to the bridge over the columns. She has promised to send me pictures (of course I forgot my camera)- I'll post them!

We stayed up late working and being goofy, posing on top of the high open wall, painting faces on my leg, talking, crying, and otherwise doing all the things long-time girlfriends do. I taught her how to glaze, and she glazed the lower kitchen walls - beautifully, I might add!

Unfortunately, I had to cut my visit short by a day to come home to take care of my puppy's injuries, but she knows how to do the last finish we were planning for the upper kitchen and dining room walls, and has a great start to adding the color she loves to her house! She took good care of me with lovely accomodations, homemade food, and whatever drink I desired :). I'm going back, and she'd better come here!

Several weeks ago I posted about more exteriors doors - here they are! Although I am experienced with exterior doors, I did have some unexpected complications, so there was a learning curve for me this time. By the end of the month I'll have another set of garage doors to post!

Old is new again

Funky, right? This is Tom's grandma's mahogany buffet, morphed into our T.V. stand. We have needed storage in this area since the remodel, and decided to "reuse, restore, recycle" this piece for the purpose. There is a metallic English brown finish underneath a crusty antique white wash. I love it!

Design consultation

Above are pictures of a dining room I just glazed. By clicking on the first picture, you can enlarge it and see the very subtle glazing effect on the wall. This gentle treatment adds interest and enhancement while allowing the dramatic ceiling treatment, chandelier, and furniture to be highlighted.

The client had a $500 gift certificate she purchased with her high bid at the Heart Ball, a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. We used the overall feel and decor of her home, the fabric that her window treatments were being made of, the upholstery on the dining room chairs, furniture colors, etc., to decide upon a treatment for the tray ceiling. At first we had planned to paint an anaglypta paper with coppers and gold. She didn't know of a wallpaper hanger, so I did some networking and found her one; in the meantime she found a similar wallpaper for purchase, so she decided to use the gift certificate on her walls instead. I was so happy to be able to help her complete the elegant look of the dining room by offering ideas, providing a referral for paper hanging, and applying a faux technique!

More wood doors!

I have another job coming up to change a previously painted front entry door to one that looks like wood. The client gave me a lovely wooden piece of fruit to use as inspiration, and these are the color combinations I have put together for her. Eventually she will also put this finish on her garage door, which will bring a very rich, natural look to the exterior of her home.

Outdoor transformations

Here you have it - a transformed fiberglass garage door! The owners are working on a total home remodel, so when they are done with the front of the house I will take a picture how beautifully this dark wood look door blends with the architecture of the home. I'll be matching their new front door to this, too.

Playing with paint

Just a couple of sample cabinet fronts I've been designing to show clients interested in seeing what can be done to update cabinetry or furniture.  I have a few more, but haven't been able to get a good photograph of them - maybe when it stops raining and I can shoot without a flash in the studio.  One of the others is a medium blue with very subtle, lighter blue glaze on it, one is a soft yellow with an off-white "distressed" look top color, and the other is a sage with brown glaze and true distressing.  

The rest of the story....

Didn't Paul Harvey used to say that?  Am I dating myself?  

Here is a photo of the entry/dining room columns.  Today I sealed them with a satin polyurethane.  Thank you to the owners of this lovely home for giving me the honor of creating a new look for them.  

The little things...

At the moment I'm busy with the little things - painting a bed for a client, a sample cabinet door for a potential client in Odessa,  and other sample cabinet doors for potential clients.  While I'm at it, I  thought I'd post a picture of a living "little thing" that won't be little much longer......Sophia!  She will be four months old this week, and is about 50 pounds and 23" high at her back.  

Beautiful home

What a beautiful home I had the opportunity to work in!   These columns are in the master bath, but there were 4 more that I painted just like these in the foyer and dining area.  Those, however, were 12 feet tall.  It was hard work due to the fact that once you begin on a column, you must continue until finished in order to get the best results, but it was rewarding.  Going from white to this was a huge change!  I love my work!

Inspiration

I have been asked about the links I share to the right of my posts.  Why those links?  They are visual holidays, color inspiration, design delights, or just plain make me feel good!  Sometimes the smallest element of a photo or piece of art can spark the idea for a new finish, or application of a well-loved finish.  Do you have a link you think I would like?  Just leave a comment to this post, and I would love to check it out!  And THANKS!

Ceilings, Modellos, and Fun!

Yesterday and today I worked with my new friend, Katy, on a project she is working on.  She, her muralist friend, Heather, and I  glazed two trays and one very large living/dining room ceiling together yesterday.  Three people who had never worked together turned out to be an incredible team!   Today I helped Katy install a 5' X 7' Modello on the glazed dining room ceiling.  I have worked with small, individual Modellos before, but never one this large, and never on a ceiling.  Thanks to Katy I now have lots of words from the wise and a super experience under my belt - and we had a lot of FUN!  I can't wait to put a large Modello on cambric cloth to show my clients how rugs can be created on hard floors, and I hope that someday I'll get the chance to design a ceiling for someone.  

New Ideas

I just came home from convention on Sunday, and I'm finally catching up!  I got so many great ideas and learned some new techniques that I am anxious to use - want to see some?  I'm adding one or two pictures to this post, but the rest of the new stuff can be seen in my faux gallery, which is linked here.  This year I made several new friends from around the country, met three new fantastic teachers, and learned a dozen new finishes to put in homes and places of business.  I have that renewed excitement and the high from being creative!  

Cabinetry magic

Here are photos of the cabinets I refinished in April.  The client's oak cabinets were in great shape, but there was just too much oak in the open kitchen/family dining area, and she wanted an updated, old world look.  I especially love the blue island as an accent!  Feel free to visit my faux gallery, linked to the right, to see more photos.  

Small touches

I was finally able to get to a previous client's home to take pictures of the large wall, column, and niche that I fauxed over a month ago.  The large wall is beautiful, but difficult to photograph because of the glass block windows that glare in the picture.  The niche and column, however, photographed well, so I thought I'd share a picture.  

Distractions

Here is my latest distraction....Sophia, the newest member of our household.  She's spunky, soft, and sweet, and we can't wait until she begins to look like a real Great Dane.  I was broken hearted to lose my dear Bella at only 4 1/2, but couldn't live without another of these wonderful family dogs.....so she's here!

Builders Care Beauty

Builders Care did it again!   I was very impressed with the work of the landscape company, Renfro Jackson, who provided the mature plantings and labor to install them all around the house.  The owner chose the door color, and I chose three colors to compliment the door and home color on the stone.  She was thrilled with the results!  

Exterior facades

Last week at the Builders Care extreme home makeover I volunteered to help improve the exterior facade on the home.  On Friday stucco was being applied, but the lower three feet of the front of the house were covered with concrete molded to look like large stones.  This surface had been painted turquoise.  On Wednesday I will use the new color of the house and trim, plus two additional colors, to create a realistic look to the existing stone facade - an easy and effective faux fix!  I am excited to be able to use my passion for painting to help out!

Time for Fun!

I'm going to spend a wonderful weekend away not worrying about work, chores, or cooking!  I saw this quote and it made me laugh, so I want to share it with you.

"Some days its just not worth chewing through the restraints."

Have a great weekend!  Laugh freely!

Yippee!

Next Wednesday I get to put my faux finishing touches on the Builders Care home!  On the lower 3 feet of the exterior of the home there is a stone facade which is currently painted a bright, Florida color.  I get to make it look like stone!  Yippee!  I'll be sure to take a before and after photo and post them next week.  

Builders Care volunteering

Tomorrow I'm going to lend a hand with the latest Builders Care project, a total renovation.  I'll only be helping to set up for lunch for the guys, but it's a great feeling to lend a hand to someone in need in a small way.  I'd love to say that I am painting, but the contractors they use have bigger paint contractors who go in and spray on this type of project.  Someday.....

The last time I helped I met the sweetest older woman as I was trying to help her go through years of stored items in order to choose what to keep and what to let go.  Another time I cleaned, another I moved stuff out to a storage unit.  They often just need muscle, and I can lend mine.  :)

Check them out at www.LeeBuildersCare.org.  

How hiring someone else saves you money

Okay,  okay, I know this sounds like a sell.  And I guess in some ways it is.  But how many times have you tried to do something yourself and were disappointed in the results?  or found that it simply was too tricky? or took too long? or the directions you found on-line didn't tell you how to approach that corner or work around that plumbing?  

Then you understand the saying, "Time is money."  We are all busy people, with more than enough to do on any given day.  We don't like to waste our time.  Hiring a faux finisher can get you the results you want without wasting your time.  Not only that, a good business person will explore different finishes and looks with you if you are having trouble making a decision, work with existing fabrics, colors, and art work in your home, and customize a sample board for you if you desire.  

Perhaps you think it will cost too much to get the finish you desire.  When you are holding your initial meeting with a faux finisher, be sure to let them know your budget.    They will show you finishes that are more likely to fit into your budget; even that keeps from wasting time, both yours and theirs.  If the finish you really want is a bit too costly, maybe they can devise ways to enlist your help, such as base coating, which saves them a step and could reduce the cost a bit. Or maybe they can work with your current base coat.  Perhaps just painting an accent wall would make enough of a change, and would be a more budget-wise option.  It doesn't hurt to ask.  

Another huge money saver is having your wood cabinets refinished instead of replaced. Although this is a multi-step job which requires an extended time period, the difference could be tens of thousands of dollars!  The client whose cabinets are pictured above was told it would cost $40,000 to put up the new cabinets she wanted, but I refinished them for less than $6,000!  Definitely worth it, don't you think?  If you click on the flickr link on the right, the before picture of her kitchen is in my faux picture set, and the change is quite dramatic. 

Think again about creating a special finish for that room you keep changing.  Don't be afraid to contact me and get a quote or two or three - you might learn that together we can achieve a beautiful look within your budget. 

Communication is key

Here we go!  I'm beginning this blog in an attempt to communicate with previous and future customers about my business, faux finishing news, and new finishes I'm learning.  I plan to include ideas for custom finishes, tips for saving money, pictures and links, and anything I think will be of benefit to my readers.  

I'm excited to be attending the SALI convention again in July, taking classes in cabinet finishing (one of my favorite new things to do that saves thousands over buying new cabinets), unusual finishes using unusual mediums,  and finishes for countertops (cool!).  I can't wait to share what I learn with you!

Last month I learned how to use paint to apply layers of color with a trowel, creating an "old world" look with inexpensive materials.  The rough look is very attractive, and some blending of color naturally occurs.   This is a picture of my sample boards from class - my favorite is the blue and yellow one.  Notice that on the one to the left there are two effects, a striae on the left side of the board but not on the right.  I was experimenting!  :)  A colored wash looks awesome over either of these boards, also!

 I'll be back with more thoughts in the near future!