The 'Shop Is Open

I have been very busy as of late readying my little shop for customers. The paint has been flying, and I've been having lots of fun using my B&D orbital sander, my new best friend!

This past Saturday was the first of many open houses that will take place.

Here is my 'showroom floor'

I also had a table with smaller items including necklaces featuring my artwork:

One of my favorite pieces went to a good home that day:

All in all, a great day, and I look forward to many more!

In fact, I just got out of the staff meeting (in my head) and decided the next open house is.....

Saturday, May 25 10:00-4:00

see you there!

Hope you all have a great week,

                                                    Sue

PS

Don't forget, you can catch me on Facebook

Workin' on the Workshop.....

.....which is why I haven't been around here since, well, a long time ago.

We have a detached garage with an 18x24 workshop area that is separated from the garage by two huge swinging doors. We had been in this house for about 10 years when it dawned on me, 'hey, why don't you use that as your studio?' I have told you before I am slow on the uptake. Have I also told you that when I get a crazy idea I act on it right away? Well, I did, and I kicked my husband's things outta there and started using it as my own.

Let me tell you a little about this space that I had moved into. Like I said, it was quite large, so I could have lots of storage space, so that was good. If you looked up, you saw the beams were exposed, which was such a cool look, and in the winter it even felt cool!

So we talked about putting up drywall, I pouted because I wanted the wood, but somehow, the husband convinced me to get some insulation and drywall up there. So guess how we spent Thanksgiving weekend? And that was alright with me because I hate shopping, especially then, and we had our two boys helping us, so it was a team effort and it felt really good! (By the way, the drywall lift is one of the best inventions ever!)

We had to cut four holes in the drywall for lights. One for over the workbench, which was already there, the light, that is. I plan on making a wire light cover for that.

In the workshop area we put an antique brass track light to provide task lighting, annnd, I can work at night- hooray!

For the other two holes, I will put a small ceiling fan to help keep the place cool in summer, and a chandelier for my 'staging area'.

I also have two 'Edison' string lights on opposite walls to provide warmth and ambiance.

I almost forgot to tell you one of my favorite stories from putting the ceiling up. I went to Home Depot to get the mud and tape. I had asked a gentleman where I would find them, and told him I was working on finishing up the ceiling. He had asked if I was doing it myself, I said I was, but may get help from hubby, to which he replied, 'that's what I thought.' That was it! Game on! I was doing that muddin' and tapin' myself. And I did! It is not hard, it just requires patience, which I have more of. The hubby will attest to that. It turned out ok. I won't quit my day job, but people will be checking out my product, not my ceiling ( hopefully).

After all of that fun, I was finally able to get to the walls. The guy that built the garage/ workshop was your original repurposer. He used whatever he could find for the walls; pressboard, drywall, paneling, what have you. So as a nod to him, and because I didn't want to drywall the whole place, I caulked the seams and started painting with an antique white.

As I started painting the mismatched walls, I wasn't thinking, 'this looks great', instead I was thinking it looked a bit ho-hum. So I looked at the white door and took my paintbrush dipped in a smoky purple to it.

That definitely helped, and when I started putting things on the walls, and over the windows, it made all the difference! And decluttering, from the last couple of months, that helped ALOT!

I've started painting furniture in my space again, and it feels great. I still have tweaking here and there in the 'shop, but I am finally feeling inspired in there!

I hope you have been inspired because I find inspiration in so many of you!

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It's Like A John Hughes Movie; Furniture Painting Style

Girl meets boy. He's the popular jock; she the freshman dork. (Much like me, but I'm a painter, not a freshman.)

Boy meets girl. He's the tough burnout (don't know what that is? go ask your parents); she is the snotty rich girl who couldn't be seen with anyone who was 'below' her.

Boy, that Molly Ringwald is/was a diverse actress.....

OK, what in the heck does that have to do with painting? Well this is a little story about how a revered paint, and a knock off ended up together- on the same piece!

Let me take you to the humble beginnings of this little piece. She was sitting there on a Saturday night, on a curb, waiting for the garbage man to come and get her, but Teemie and I came along first and wisked her away.

This girl was beautiful, and had great bones. nothing was structurally wrong with her, just a little wood filler here and there.

She hung out in the corner of my workshop for a while until I could figure out what to do with her.

I thought I would paint this piece one color, but I was awoken one night with the white top, blue bottom idea.

The bottom was painted with Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue with accents of Louis Blue here and there. At some point, it felt like dueling paintbrushes, but I liked the effect, as it gave more depth.

Enter homemade paint. I once again used baking soda 4Tbsp (dissolved in an equal amount of water) to one cup of paint. I rolled the paint on, but I needed to do a second coat, as the piece was originally a dark wood.

I don't know what it is, but I just can't keep anything white, I feel like I need to add something, so I used my Minwax Paste Wax with a little Annie Sloan dark wax to give the piece an antiqued look.

When using wax, I always go with the grain of the wood. That's just me. I've heard of people swirling their brush or cheesecloth around when applying, and with their cloth when buffing. I personally don't like that look, but maybe I have not perfected that technique yet.

TIP OF THE DAY: Always use a practice board with your basecoat when you want to antique a piece to make sure you like the look and you can get the technique down.

Anyways, I stayed on track with my schedule I set for myself, posted the pics on FB, and within minutes, it was claimed. I am really happy with how it turned out.





Here is my take on ASCP vs homemade chalk paint. First, mad props to Annie Sloan for what she has done for the furniture paintin' world. She has taken the US by storm with her product, and has inspired so many people to let out that creative genius within, and for that I say thank you!

I have to say, though, that I like working with homemade much more. I feel like I have more control, from the endless choice of colors, to the amount that I want to distress a piece. I think it's almost too easy to distress with ASCP.

When I paint with homemade, it seems like the paint that is on the brush goes further, and yes, I did add water and used a wet brush to ASCP.

Lastly, and most obvious, is the price. When I can pay 1/3 with flat latex, I breathe easier. The cans of ASCP have sent me into panic attacks on more than one occasion. Since I save $$$ on the paint, I can then pass that onto my clients.

Again, this is just my opinion. Many swear by ASCP, and that is fine, and there are INCREDIBLE pieces out there using that paint, it's just not my cup of tea.

Here's hoping for an amazing week for you all,
~Sue

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'Ready Made' Table Transfer

My very first table I ever painted happened to be a table from my mom's house as a kid, with her blessing, of course. I painted it white and antiqued it with dark furniture polish. (Who knew back then I'd be doing this professionally.) About a year later, I discovered more of a creamy white I think I used on a wall, and repainted that table yet again. It still needed something, so I took some floral scrapbook paper, grabbed my Exacto knife, and began cutting out the intricately patterned rose, actually, I cut out two roses, and decoupaged them onto opposite corners, by using the traditional 'put the mod podge on the back of the picture, and place it on the table'. It did look nice, but the edges were pretty obvious. I sanded down the edges to kind of make the transition from paper to wood a bit smoother. It kinda worked.....

But when I came across the transfer methods on the lovely Graphics Fairy site, I was so excited! I have heard that a few friends tried the method using Mod Podge, printing the image backward, and placing it on your piece of furniture.

My first attempt didn't work out so great, and I'll tell you why: I put the Mod Podge on the furniture instead of the paper, and I cut out the image in a rectangle instead of the oval shape that the artwork had. Putting the Mod Podge on the furniture left to much of the product on the table, especially on the corners, so not only did I have extra paper I had to 'roll' off with my fingers, but there was a thick layer of MP on the table. No prob, I thought, I would just get the excess off with Goof Off- what a mess! Then I thought I would strip the MP and paint with soy paint remover- what a bigger mess. It was very sticky and even when I got all the paint off, and cleaned it repeatedly. So then when it was clean, I painted the corners,

 but it just didn't cut it, so I sanded everything off the table top and started over. It's all a learning process, right?

Second time's the charm. I knew exactly what I had done wrong, and was able to have my 'do over' go much more smoothly.

I antiqued the table with Annie Sloan's dark wax,

 
and took my handy dandy palm sander to the edges and the legs, to go along with the sign.

Have I told you how much I love vintage ads?

Here is another view the finished piece.

 

If anything, I hope I can save you from making the same mistakes that I did, and I also want to encourage you to keep going. If something's not working, try it a different way, you will get there!

 

~Sue

 

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A Couple of Lessons For Sharing

I have got to get better about this whole blogging thing! I have been keeping busy in my studio painting this and that and learning so much from new techniques to interacting with clients.

How do we learn? Well, mainly through mistakes or 'happy accidents'. I have decided that instead of wallowing in self pity that I would share with you what to do when certain, um, occasions rise up. And, no, wallowing isn't one of them.

So on that note, I need to tell you I changed my homemade chalk paint recipe. I was using unsanded grout, which did work out great with light colors, you know, like white. But then I had a piece- a veeery large piece painted brown, and that's when I saw it- clumps, yes, clumps of unsanded grout that didn't mix in well enough. No prob, you say, but then I sanded it smooth and had little white spots everywhere. Yes, I am obsessive about stirring frequently, didn't matter, still happened. Ugh! Good thing I was good at dust spotting in photo school- an ancient technique used long ago when you developed your film and printed your pictures in a darkroom. Don't know what I am talking about? Go ask your parents, they'll tell you, but I digress......


Here is the big brown hutch in pieces:

It went back home for hardware, tiling, and well, something going on the back. when it's complete I'll take pics and show you.


I had heard about people using baking soda with their paint because it is close to calcium carbonate, the main ingredient in chalk. 1 part baking soda to 2 parts flat paint. I have actually changed my recipe to 1 part baking soda to 3 parts paint. Before I mix the two, I mix the b.s. (like that?) with an equal amount of warm water, to help dissolve it, therefore minimizing clumps. Another thing I discovered is that you should make small batches and use them within a couple of days or the clumps
start comin'.



Here is my first piece with the baking soda paint. I loved that blue, sorta Tiffanyish, dontcha think?

 

 

I also made my first stencil. The inspiration? The design on the handles. I took a picture of it, printed it the size I wanted, covered it with contact paper and cut out the shape with an exacto.

 

TIP OF THE DAY:

I used a technique called reverse stenciling. Basically I paint the top surface white because that is the color I wanted my shape. Then I used spray adhesive for a temporary stick, and rolled on the blue paint.

 

 

Now here is the back story on this little princess:

I know, why ever would I change it, right?

So that's some of what I did on my summer vacation. Hopefully this fall I will get drywall up on my ceiling and get some insulation installed, so I can keep on painting through winter!

Hope you all enjoy these last few days of summer and delight in the beauty of fall.

~Sue

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Inspiration Is Everywhere!

Happy Friday to you all! I am still working on a large custom order, so I haven't painted any new pieces, but I have three waiting in the wings! A couple of weeks ago, we were able to go with my dad to visit my sister in NJ; we went to the shore- apparently where the Jersey Shore is filmed. The only thing I know about it is there is a woman named Snookie, but I wouldn't know her if she was standing right in front of me..... Was a great day, the waves were awesome, it wasn't terribly hot, and it was rather cloudy with some sprinkles. Doesn't sound like it, but it was the perfect weather!

The next day we went into NYC and visited the Empire State building after wanting to for years.

What amazing views from the 86th floor!

We then made our way to Central Park and were greeted by the Mad Hatter as part of the Alice in Wonderland sculpture.

As we made our way through the park we came upon a beautiful tunnel adorned woth gorgeous tiles and mosaics. It was so beautiful I just had to take pics to keep in my idea library.

Next it was onto Strawberry Fields where we saw the John Lennon Memorial

Did I mention how hot it was that day? It was VERY hot! As well as being overheated we were hungry, and we ate in a little Italian restaurant. Cooled off and bellies full, we made our way to the bus, when my niece found a cupcake shop. I couldn't even look at food, so with my eyes averted, I saw this way cool floor:

Why yes, yes, I am a huge dork, thanks for asking.....

If you think it's bad that I am looking at a checked, painted floor, I had struck terror in my sister's eyes as I looked at her dining room table with it carved legs telling her how I would LOVE to paint it- her new table. I have a feeling she will not let me alone in her house for a very long time! She may have breathed a sigh of relief as we backed out of her driveway, heading for Philly- our country's first capitol. History was everywhere as we again were broiling in the heat. We took a tour of Independence Hall, which was air conditioned. I bet those Founding Fathers of ours would have given anything to have.
Our tour guide was a vat of information while we were in the very room that the Declaration of Independence was penned. It was really cool to hear about all the history~and then I looked up, and saw this:

How fab is that? I'm sure that's what they were going for when they built this all important building.


Then as we were exiting Independence Hall, I spotted the detail on the stairs:

What can I say?

Inspiration is everywhere!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to let your loved ones how much they are loved!

XOXO,
             Sue

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My Checkered Table

Good morning! We are finally getting much needed rain around here. I was out of town for the last several days, but the husband told me it was hot- umm, yeah, 102 in Mi is very hot! I've decided to plop myself in front of our window A/C and post a little post. A couple of months ago, a good friend of mine, Debbie, from the Mill was liquidating her antiques in order to prepare the Mill for its new life as a destination for events (still thinking what kind of party to throw there, as I am already married, and am long done with babies.) Stay tuned, I'll think of something.... Anyhoo, I bought this cool round side table from her, and couldn't wait to get started!

Now this little table had a 'bubbled' area, so, of course I scratched it and found the paint was coming off quite easily, so I had to strip it. I had some of the soy based stripper that I tried to use on another project with no luck, but with this piece, the paint came off easily.

Now it was time to start painting and I knew right away that it would be black and white. I used my homemade chalk paint, and these colors look very similar to another well known paint product's graphite and old white. It didn't take long for me to decide to use my harlequin patterned stencil for the top, but it took a wee bit longer to come upon the idea of using a white background and black diamond for the smaller surface.

TIP OF THE DAY: I traced one of the harlequin shapes on a piece of paper, placed some Press n Seal (that you use to cover containers with) over the paper making sure that it was larger than the paper, so that I could position and stick my homemade stencil without it moving on me to my surface. Worked like a charm and because it is only slightly tacky, it doesn't leave residue behind. In the end my table came out looking like this:

I am happy with how it turned out, and now I am inspired to create more of my own stencils. Creatively yours, Sue

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