Back to oils for the love of family!

Punctatum  24" x 36" Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

A few months ago, my husband's cousin wrote and asked if I could do a painting for his wife.  She wanted a painting of Punctatum (aka wild azalea) for their foyer.  She preferred oil and wanted it to be a generous size, 24" x 36".  I've worked in a few different mediums, primarily watercolor and acrylic and have played around in oils a bit as well but it's not exactly my comfort zone.  

However... this is about the sweetest couple you could ever meet and I'd try about anything for them!  So I did it!

Although the blooms have a fragile appearance, she wanted some pop.  I studied a few photos and decided to feature one full bloom against a dark background.  I am my harshest critic so I continue to pick it apart but overall, I'm pleased. It actually motivated me to try some others in oils in the future.

NOW... I want to do this same subject using brilliant watercolors and see how that turns out!  That way, they can take their pick!

Until next time!

Lori

Watercolor... meet Abstract!

I've always found the creation of abstract work relaxing.  In the last year I've grown to love watercolor as a medium so it just made sense to finally put the two together!  This is the second in a series I'm working on.    The first is hanging in my office until it sells.

                  Not the greatest photo but hopefully you get the idea.  

What a difference a mat makes!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

Goodwill, good paint, good hard work for a son home from college!

My son, Robert, is home for the summer after a successful freshman year at the University of Tennessee.  He looked for a job diligently but had little success.  He's trying to raise funds to take a trip to the Dominican Republic in late July and have a little saved for spending money next year.  When his job search became so desperate that he applied at Captain D's, I decided I'd let him in on my little secret.  

Goodwill, good paint and good hard work can pay off big!  

This is one of the first pieces Robert helped me with.  Total cost for the piece and supplies... $40.  Sold for $175 within about 2 weeks at our favorite shop, Then &Again Home Marketplace, in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

We painted the base with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Step one was a coat was in Old Ochre and then we did a French Linen wash. I found these fabulous little knobs at Hobby Lobby... never seem them before or since.  They add a little tasteful bling.

A close ip of the knobs.  Great.... right?  :-)

We added this little decorative piece which added lots of character and covered a tacky little carved flower.  It's little touches like that can totally change a piece. 

Here's the little stool after we finished with it.  Want to see the before?

Lovely... right? And this is AFTER I cleaned all the disgusting gunk off of it.  

 Here's a "Before" of one of the drawers.  I'm not a pink person and this was NOT appealing to me.  (Sorry to you pinkies out there!  I'm in a house full of men!)

So... what do you think?  I just loved the final product. 


Oh... I didn't mention... Robert is now a masterful painted.  I think he's done over 10 pieces at this point.  I'll share more!


Thanks for stopping by!


Lori

OId frames, old furniture, old lamps, paint and stencils = busy weekend!

When I'm stressed I start creating things.  Obviously it's been a stressful week!

This is a frame I found at Goodwill.  I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and applied a dark wax finish.  I bought the handles at Lowe's for $2.50 and the fabric at Goodwill.  I stenciled the fabric chalk paint to match some other pieces.  

This is my favorite.  This was another Goodwill frame.  It was red and I painted it with Graphite chalk paint and distressed it slightly.  The handles cost less than $5.  The fabric is actually a napkin I had on hand.

I was on a roll!  I painted a lamp and lamp shade and stenciled it.  I also decided to make a vintage book bundle.  I simply walked through Goodwill's book section and looked for old yellowed paperback books with a tag with the half price color. 

And continuing the theme... I found this striped fabric at Goodwill.  I really like it on these pieces. 

I found this coffee table at a thrift store for $12.  

I painted it, distressed the finish a bit and added the stencils and finished it with an oil finish.

Another frame tray.  I didn't change the frame at all.  I simply added fabric behind the glass, added handles and added a back to support it.  Of course, I added the little rubber bumpers to protect furniture.

This is a ceramic plaque I found at Goodwill.  I tried chalk paint on it. It came out pretty well.

So that was last weekend's accomplishments.  It's Friday night at 7:20 and I've already got my bedroom paint trim cut in.  Tomorrow, we roll!  Can't wait to see the end result!!!   I'll share!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

Mountain air made me brave!

I'm still a rookie at painting and have never really tried watercolor so on our trip to the mountain house I took along my paints.  I had fun!  Watercolors are pretty cool!

Let's see... what to call my first mountain watercolor???  This is the view from Mom and Dad's porch (sort of!) so how about.... "View from the Porch"

"Sunflowers"  I saw this picture in a magazine and  decided to try it with watercolors.  I'm not thrilled with it but decided to show you anyway!

My favorite painting is one I left with Mom and Dad as a thank you for our week. and I forgot to shoot a photo!  Oh well... maybe some day I'll get a photo and post that one!

Bathroom transformation progress!

You've seen lots of photos of other people's homes on my blog.  I don't always time to work on my own home but I have spent a little time on our bathroom.  Wanna see??? Let's start with the "before" photo.  I took this picture when we were looking at the house.

Not bad. Right?  The problem was that I'm not exactly a "brown" person.  Getting up each morning and showering and getting ready for the day in a sea of brown was kind of a downer for me.

Very simple changes.    I love this color.  It's Sherwin Williams "Silvermist."   It's relaxing and bright, and it looks great with the black counter and the wood floor and cabinets.

I found this mirror in a thrift shop over two years ago.  In fact, it's probably one of my first thrift store purchases!  I think I paid $12 for it.   I loved the shape and architectural detail.  I was not crazy about the gold finish so it's been sitting in storage waiting for it's moment in the sun.   I painted it with brushed nickel spray paint to match the light fixtures and hardware and I LOVE it!  It's the dramatic piece I needed.

I found this Champagne bucket at Goodwill a couple weeks ago for $3.50.  I cleaned it up a bit but it's still a bit tarnished.  I've decided I like it that way!  It adds character!  It's handy for our washcloth supply!  I also considered putting a houseplant in it.  Maybe one day!

   

I love the smell of this lotion.  It's the aromatherapy "icing" on  the cake !

 Now on to another room!    Thanks for stopping by!!


Linking to "Wow Us Wednesdays!" at Savvy Southern Style.  Check it out!

Lori

Crazy or brilliant? The test chair.

In an earlier post, Delicious Dining Rooms,  I showed some dining room chairs that had been painted white.  I just love the look.  My Mom gasped when I mentioned painting my chairs.  It's one of those decisions that seems huge but really... they ARE just chairs.  Not antique, priceless chairs... just nice cherry chairs that came with the set.  They are not irreplaceable.  So... I found two similar chairs at Goodwill.  (Got to LOVE Goodwill - right?)  

Here's the test chair....

BEFORE

AFTER

 So... what do you think?  I did learn something very important.  Painting these by hand is NOT going to be a good idea.  With that many little crooks and crannies, it's hard to get good coverage without drips and runs.
Fortunately I have one more test chair to work on before I take on my chairs.  The arm chair that matches the first one is waiting to be refreshed.

 I'm debating purchasing a professional sprayer.  I've been looking at a HVLP paint sprayer.   It's going to cost $400-500 but will allow me to transform my 6 dining room chairs (and the test chair!) and as many as other pieces of furniture as I can get my hands on!  Stay tuned!

Test chair #2... coming soon!

I'm linking to  the following blog parties.  Be sure to check out these great blogs!

 Thanks for stopping by!

Lori

In the painting mode!

I've been in the painting mood lately.  Here are a few of the works I've done in the past week.  I'm gearing up for the Monthaven Art Society Fall Exhibit at Monthaven Mansion in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Autumn Fire
Acrylic on Canvas
16 x 20
(Scheduled for display at Monthaven Art Society's Fall Exhibit November 21 - December 17)

Liquid Fire
Liquid Acrylic on Yupo
11 x 14

River of Fire
(segment)
Mixed Media on Yupo
11 x 14
(currently exhibited at Hallmark Hyundai through the Art Around Town program)

Sweet Ashley girl!

My friend and talented artist, Debbie Richmond, captured the spirit of our little dog that passed away a little over a year ago.  The painting arrived today and will be hung in a place of honor to remind us of our devoted companion and so many good memories!

Enjoy more of Debbie's work on her website:  www.debbierichmondart.com 

Check out My Romantic Home's "Show & Tell Friday"