DIY Wall Art

Hello friends! Aimee, my niece just moved in with me, and she's off to a very creative start!
She didn't want to write this so we're just going to talk. Ok?

          Glamazon Princess: Did you think you could paint before you started?
          Aimee: NO . I thought it would turn out terrible.
          GP: Do you think you are a creative person?
          Aimee: No. Not at all.
          GP: Do you feel more creative now that you have finished it and it turned out awesome?
          Aimee: Yes, lots more creative. Just being in your household, gives me a creative vibe. I painted the                   big mirror, my own piece of art, I helped you spray paint the table, AND I painted shelves for the                 bathroom.
          GP: Do you have any other projects in mind?
          Aimee: Well, I really need some curtains for my window so I guess that will be my next project.
          GP: Awesome! I have lots of fabric that you could choose from to make your own. You know how to            use a sewing machine right?
          Aimee: Yes I know how to use a sewing machine... duh.

Anyways, back to Aimee's artwork

she made this really cool picture for her wall

She brought with her the sole surviving glass, from a set of 6, that made it through junior college. She loves the pattern so much she decided to use it as her inspiration for a painting in her room. 

So, this is how she did it.  She drew out her design using a thumb tack and a string tied to a pencil. She used 4 canvases that were 16" by 20".

We debated on what colors to paint it, Here's our test run.

As you can see, the purple background just makes all the colors pop.
So, the next step was to paint the background.

Then she added in the other colors, and ta-da! it's done! 

here it is on the wall. she hung it up by using thumbtacks in the top corners of each canvas.

Then she painted the mirror.

before

after, in black

I am so excited to have Aimee here, I can't contain myself! I can't wait to see what other creative projects and ideas we come up with! 

Here's another shot of Aimee's painting...

                          Hugs! Caroline

Welding

Had a great day yesterday! My query of a patient's surgery with my doctor/boss turned into an impromptu discussion about art. Which lead to my art degree, sculpture, and welding. The boss shared how he always seems to gravitate to the welding section in hardware stores (Me too!) And Of Course, I'm totally going to show him how! We even talked about making crazy sculptures out of scrap metal! LOVE IT!! He said this is a great excuse for him to clean out the garage (of the real house or the party house, he couldn't decide. lol) so we can set up shop and weld, weld, WELD! SWEET!! Totally made my day!!

Cause everyone looks like Mr.T when they weld 

 Even if it's more of a pipe dream than reality, (that garage cleaning might be a while) it was still an awesome conversation. So much fun discovering and talking about shared dreams.

Hugs!

Caroline
 What random things do you want to do?

More gold!!

Well I got a little crazy with the gold spray paint last night.  so I painted in the dark. and Dang! looking good! Like they say, everything looks better by candlelight. lol!

See, Gold really does make everything better

I found these really big flower pots at Big Lots a couple months ago for $3 each!! I got four of them. They were a really cute lime green.  Which is nice, but since I'm going for Palatial Kitsch* lately, Gold it is!  (You like my solar patio lights? I got those at IKEA. best $12 ever!)

Whew! I'm so glad these look good in the daylight too! :)
(see the little bit of the original green on the inside of the closest pot? Yeah, gold is so much better!)

I'm looking forward to planning and planting my garden! Even if nothing grows, it'll look good!
Hugs!
Caroline
*Palatial Kitsch = Liberace's decorating style. Check out the movie review here (Look for it in a Vegas house near you!)

Chair makeover

So.. instead of doing all the millions of things I'm supposed to be doing today, guess what? I decided to finally tackle a project from last year, to redo some chairs I saved out of a dumpster.

After

Here's the before: 

the Before shot

If you were wondering, yes, I scrubbed them down (a couple times!) after the dumpster experience, but I haven't ever gotten around to changing out the seat fabric to something nicer. They've been living out on the patio for a while now. (I didn't take a picture of the other chair, but let's just say the questionable white seat was the color of my cat and dirty paws).
I had some work cut out for me!   Ready, Set, Spray Paint!!

Cause everything looks better in gold!

The chairs in their original state aren't bad. Just for me kinda boring. For a bit, I questioned the validity of painting these chairs. What if they are really expensive antiques, and I just spray painted myself out of thousands of dollars!?! Aaagh! I'm cheap at heart, so the thought of that KILLS me!! After lots of researching/internet surfing, these chairs are English Regency style with saber legs. Mine are pine or a white wood, under the dark stain, NOT Mahogany that are typical of real antique regency style chairs. Whew! There are some other subtle differences too. but, Bottom line, Paint away!

The seat cushion was covered in off white/cream polyester knit!!! Ugh! No wonder everything stuck to it! There were signs of another earlier fabric, something in yellow, but that was just around the tacks. This seat board is kinda thin and bendy. (And painted silver! And to think I was worried earlier about antiques. pff!) I was eyeballing that board. Is it going to hold? I tried to break it using my knee. It was just slightly bendy, but it didn't crack or break... Since it lasted this long with who-knows-who sitting on it, it can go on holding a little bit longer.

(photo bombed by a fork!)

I covered the seats in black fabric. It's not velvet but it does have a nap. (Kinda silly considering I have a pet, I know. I have a rubber scrubber brush that works miracles, so it's all good!)

I think the middle circle needs a little something. don't you? I added my initials. What do you think? One day I'll use vinyl letters, but so far the sharpie marker is doing ok. :) I might make it darker, so it's more of a contrast. I can always paint over it later if I hate it. 

After

The pictures don't really do the gold justice. I don't want to color correct too much since the gold turns orange. I'll work on my picture taking. :)

And since no one can resist pet pictures, here's a shot of RoyAlice Cooper checking out the chair makeover.

Here's to everyone having a great rest of the day!  I have a hour left to get back to the rest of the stuff I need to do!
Hugs!
Caroline