Urban Comfort

Excuse Me While I Have an Identity Crisis

You know that feeling of being caught between lives, when you've outgrown one way of life but haven't comfortably shifted into another? That's been my life for awhile now. It's difficult, sometimes. I'm a person who sees possibilities, all of the many, varied roads that stretch ahead of me. But I'm also old enough to quickly curb some of those possibilities, to instinctively know what won't work for the long haul. That seesawing of possibility and pruning can be exhausting. But as I know from all the other times I've been caught between lives, there's no way out but through. 

This feeling of "messiness" in my life has probably contributed to my wanting less, as I mentioned in my last post. I feel nearly obsessed, lately, with stripping away the layers so I can determine what I want to keep or add on for the future. And truthfully, for me, all that psychological clarity has to begin in the physical world.

To that end, I've taken an entirely different approach to purging my workspace and home over the last couple of months. You might wonder how that's any different from the usual spring cleaning one does, but this feels more urgent to me, an absolute need to rid myself of whatever might be holding me back - anything that's taking up too much valuable space in my brain, takes too much effort to deal with on a daily basis, anything that doesn't enrich my life.

I've always given things away; purging my workspace is an ongoing necessity. But I no longer ask if something is too valuable or too good to toss, which implies a level of irresponsibility or wastefulness if I do let it go.  Now, I ask, simply, if I've outgrown it, implying growth and movement, generally a more positive perspective.  

Remarkably, that mindset has allowed me to jettison possessions almost without thinking. Think too much and I'll find a distant, far-flung reason for keeping it. Move with my instincts and the separation is so quick it's painless. Honestly, I barely even know what I've gotten rid of, but I'm feeling lighter and lighter. The good news is that once you get rolling, it gets easier and easier to say goodbye. 

My creativity is on hold during this time. I'm focusing every ounce of energy I have into paring down, streamlining, clearing the clutter of my inbox, my laptop, my office, my home, my life. There will be clarity when I reach the bottom, that's what keeps me going. It may not be true, but at the very least, there will be a lightness of being. And when I'm all stripped down to a comfortable leanness, I look forward to creating again, from the bottom up.

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Does this resonate with you?  If you need to lighten your load or move into another chapter of your life, you might find the following book helpful, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. 

Publishers send me lots of new books, most of which end up at my local thrift store immediately. But The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up came just at the time I was beginning to purge my belongings, so I took the time to read it before handing it off to someone else.  While I ask myself whether I've outgrown something, Kondo asks you to question whether any particular item "sparks joy" for you.  If it doesn't, out it goes.  

At first glance, that seems simplistic. After all, there are plenty of tools in my house that don't "spark joy," but that I still find useful or necessary.  But I had a moment of realization, standing in my kitchen, admiring a container of hand carved wooden spoons in my baking area. They're out, exposed, but it brings me joy just to look at them. So I've resolved to take that approach even with utilitarian items.  If it's simple, beautiful, and well made, it will bring me joy.

My cake tester with the blue plastic top that didn't look good on display, but always got lost in a drawer when it was put away, replaced with this. Next on my list, this pan brush, vegetable brush, and bench scraper.  More expensive than what's readily available in local stores, but strangely calming. (I feel almost insane writing that, but somehow it's true.)

Other interesting tidbits - Instead of folding your clothes and storing them in stacks, Kondo shares a folding approach that allows your clothing to be stored vertically in a drawer (I tried this in my son's dresser and I can report that it's less messy in there since he can see exactly which shirts and pants he wants to wear, at a glance.) Another idea is to remove excess packaging and labels from bottles and toiletries, even those things stored in cupboards, more to reduce the visual chatter and calm the mind than anything else. 

There's more, but I'll let you read for yourself. And if you're not as obsessed as I am at the moment, or more comfortable with 1-minute tips to get you started, there's another book that just came out, Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness: One-Minute Tips for Decluttering and Refreshing Your Home and Your Life by Donna Smallin.

 

Inkodye Sun Print & the Inkocap Roller

It's been so quiet here, and yet my life has felt so full. It happens to me sometimes, the need to go away and do things without documenting every moment for public consumption. But then I get excited about stuff and I want to share and well, I come back. 

Yesterday was a good day. I set out with my husband just after my son went to school. We were in search of wild blackberries, which we found in plentiful supply, but first was the discovery of mulberry trees (and mulberries that begged to be picked), then photos to take and nature to enjoy. I snipped a few graceful, leafy sprigs to make sun prints with before the day turned cloudy. By early evening I had a new piece of artwork on my mantel (which is constantly changing) and blackberry cobbler in the oven. My kind of day. 

I tend to have a wide variety of craft supplies on hand, not just because it's my profession, but because I want the freedom to be spontaneous, before the moment disappears. I had a few bottles of Inkodye sitting around, waiting for spring, and I also had a kit the kind people at Lumi sent last year. It was a classic kit with a new tool - the Inkocap Roller. That roller, it changes everything! 

The hard rubber roller attaches directly to the bottle cap, with the Inkodye distributed out of a small hole in the cap. It eliminates waste and cuts my application time in half, at least. There's also very little cleanup, just removal of the roller cap and a quick rinse. If you're at all interested in using Inkodye, I can't recommend this little gadget enough. It'll allow you to make faster prints, making each session more productive. I thought it also helped me get more even coverage during application, which is helpful.

I was dissatisfied with some of my earlier botanical sun printing techniques, so I decided to shake it up a bit. I wanted a more moody, ephemeral feel, so instead of using pressed leaves or placing Plexiglass over my designs to weight them down, I focused on printing some areas sharply while allowing others to be less defined.  I love the results of this process, more organic, less structured. 

Yes, I should have taken a photo of the process, but it was breezy with the cloud cover starting to roll in, and there was a lot of moving around in search of light, so this is not the step-by-step tutorial you might have appreciated. But still, it's pretty simple and you can see some of my other tips on working with Inkodye here and here.

Basically, I applied the Inkodye (using the roller cap) onto a piece of white cotton muslin that I taped to a piece of smooth plywood (directly onto the wood, so use a scrap piece that you don't mind dyeing). Then I arranged my sprigs on the fabric, tacking down some of the leaves with short dressmaker pins with a flat head (longer pins are likely to cast a shadow beyond the leaf and then you'll see them in the final print). I used about 6 pins, concentrating mostly on the leaves around the edges so that I'd have some basic structure to the print. Those leaves print the sharpest, then gradually fade as the other leaves allow more light under them.  After about 7-10 minutes exposure (since I was dealing with variable lighting), I washed the fabric until all the excess dye was removed, then let it air dry. To finish it off, I wrapped my fabric around a 16-x-20-inch canvas frame and stapled it to the back.

All in all, a super easy project. Oh, and before I forget, more good news! Lumi has finally released new colors. They were on hold, trying to work out some manufacturing issues. But the old colors are back, along with a couple of new ones, I think. I especially like the new black. It's less blue than the old version. In some light, you see a bit of a navy tone, with dusky lavender/purple tones in some of the shadowy areas. It's really beautiful. I liked the last black as well, but this version feels deeper and richer.

So fun!  I have a million different things I want to print. Have I mentioned how much I love springtime?

Nature by Mail Order: Fall Finds

Yikes! It's been two weeks since I posted here, which might explain why friends ask me if I'm still blogging (and I am). Apparently I've just become one of those "slow bloggers." Things are decidedly not slow in my life this fall, which might explain some of my absence, but eventually I'll find my rhythm here again. It's time for change, but as you know, change takes time. I'll get there.

In the meantime, I've been finding some rhythm in my personal life. Over the weekend I started making seasonal shifts in my home, completely a mood changer. I'm always surprised by how the simplest of details can wake up my senses and give me a psychological overhaul. You see, while the rest of you are mentioning the nip in the air or the changing leaves, I have to create a sense of fall. The only sign of fall is that the highs are in the 80s instead of the 90s and the humidity has dropped enough that I think I'll be able to completely close my bathroom door within the next few weeks (if you live in a very old house, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about). 

At any rate, I collect a range of natural items that I use as props for photo shoots or to integrate into my home decor. I rotate these collections according to season, which keeps things fresh. Every season, I find something else that captures my fancy and sometimes completely dictates the look of a room. It's the element of surprise that keeps me from setting up the same vignettes over and over. 

This year I suddenly had an urge to have sprigs of Chinese Lanterns in my living room. I've never seen the plant in my life, but I looked on Etsy and $10.95 and a few days later, I had a bunch of Chinese Lanterns whose vibrancy made me so happy, I decided orange was the way to go this year. (It's also my first fall having a gray living room and boy, do I love it! Such a great neutral to work with for every season.)

I believe in local and making use of what you find around you, but I also love that the Internet and the US Postal Service can bring the rest of the world to my door. It's armchair travel of a different sort. So maybe I won't get to see the leaves change this fall, but don't you worry about me. I can order boxes of them and roll around in them anytime I want!

 

Sources for Nature (click through for links):

 

The Keepers' House on Etsy (the source of my Chinese Lanterns):  dried flower bunches, gourds, acorns, pinecones, etc. 

Botanical Art on Etsy:  live plants, real leaves, botanical & nature art prints

Ron's Rustic Woods on Etsy: order boxes of fall leaves (250 to 1000 count), also smaller amounts of dried leaves in green and plum.

Bee Balm Dreams on Etsy: dried gourds and various types of pinecones

Ridge Top Cottage on Etsy: lots of dried gourds

Garden Spell Ghost Tale on Etsy: American Bittersweet

Crow Hollow Farm on Etsy: American Bittersweet

Save On Crafts:      Preserved Oak Leaves (available in a range of colors)

                             Maple Branch Candleholders

                             Natural Preserved Basil Pear Gourds

                             Natural Branches

                             Wood Slabs and Tree Slices

Mountain Feathers on Etsy: wide variety of feathers, including cruelty free

Feather Store:  variety of Pheasant Tails as well as Turkey Quills

 

Happy fall, by the way! 

 

 

Something About Mary (Part II)

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to share a few photos of Mary Cooper's current home with you, a two-story 1830's Creole townhouse that she and her partner, Tomio, have lovingly restored. The house is in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, minutes outside of the French Quarter but seemingly many miles away. 

For when you ring the bell on the garden gate and step off the sidewalk of the city, you are immediately transported to what feels like a remote corner of a country setting. The garden is lush and overgrown, the house primitive, rustic, almost austere in its simplicity, the modern amenities of life nowhere to be found, making way instead for the chirping of birds, the breezes that pass through open doors and windows, the sound of rain on a tin roof, the laughter that comes from the open back porch, an inevitable gathering spot. 

I think it takes courage to live such a pared down existence. It's a lifestyle I am sure I could never willingly achieve. I love my central air and heat, the Internet, my smart phone, cable, Netflix, my Kitchen Aid...but I have a deep admiration and respect for what Mary and Tomio have been able to both create and maintain. It gives me pause. When I am there, outside influences ebb. I can focus on exactly what's in front of me. Honestly, it's a relief, an interlude in a busy day.

Mary and Tomio are moving on soon, ready to take on a new house, a new adventure. When they first put the home on the market, the realtor suggested they take out the good furniture, so that prospective buyers could focus on the house itself, not the magic they'd created. They didn't just move the furniture, they sold it, replacing it with the sparest of creations made by hand. And still, the magic lingers. It's intangible, not for everyone, but I hope a special person, someone with vision, steps through that garden gate and finds a place to call home.  

 

 Photo by Sarah Essex

  

Photo by Sarah Essex

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo by Sarah Essex

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If you're interested in reading more, there are good articles here and here, along with some of Mary's color advice here.

Something about Mary

 

I've been creating some version of a pin board my entire life. As a child, my walls were papered with colorful ads (certain my destiny lay in advertising), then glossy fashion pics (having moved on to working in fashion, something my friends would find laughable now, with my wholehearted embrace of a "uniform"), then on to binders, folders, and sketchbooks of absolutely everything that captured my fancy along the way - interiors and food, then photography, art, design, and finally, crafts.

My interests continue to evolve and become refined, and those clippings get winnowed out over time. But there are clippings I've carried with me from year to year, city to city, life to life. They've become old friends to me by now; I recognize that the subject matter has transcended the trends of the moment, speaking to a core part of my personality, illuminating my deepest desires, motivations, and needs.

Some of those tear sheets are photographs of the various homes of Mary Cooper, a chair caner (preservationist, artist, colorist, gardener, stylist, baker...) who lives in New Orleans. The earliest clippings are probably twenty years old, when she was about the age I am now. I didn't know her or know anything about her, but I understood her aesthetically and those aesthetics spoke to me in a way that transcended mere design.

Twenty years later, serendipitously, Mary and I have become friends.  I recognize her in all those old magazine pages, recognize that she is not given to trends, that she has a solid, confident, unshakeable sense of self and place, translated into surroundings that change according to practical needs, architectural design, or artistic desire, but never influenced by the comings and goings of the modern world (though she embraces IKEA as easily as she embraces antiques, which endeared her to me immediately).

The first time I spent an extended amount of time in her current home, I suffered from insomnia for two days afterwards. I felt so intoxicated by color, by her creativity. My sensitive nervous system was completely flooded, sent into overdrive by exuberance. That initial response led me to believe that I'd made the right choice in surrounding myself with neutrals in my own home. Subsequent visits have made me realize that I what I may have done was inadvertently "neutralize" myself into lethargy.

I find myself thinking more about color now. I think I'm ready to commit, to uproot the serenity I thought I had and give my home the sense of vibrancy that it's lacking - because if there's one thing I've learned from Mary's example, it's that your home should be an extension of who you are and what you need, on a soul level. Color, like everything else you surround yourself with, tells a story, the story of your life.  And me, I'm ready for the next chapter. Stay tuned.

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Below are photos from Mary's past home. Unfortunately, they're scans of tearsheets, so the quality isn't the same as a photograph. However, I think the genius of Mary's color pairings and overall aesthetic still shine through.

This 1885 house originally sat at the shore of the Mississipi River before being moved in 1908 next to a plantation on the outskirts of a young New Orleans. It endured one more relocation, a block away, threatened by collapsing levees. It was a flophouse for sailors, then abandoned for a decade before Mary rescued the house from ruin.

 

 

 

 

 
Tomorrow, I'll show photos of Mary's current home - a restored Creole cottage in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. 

Book Review & Giveaway: Furniture Makeovers

Almost every piece of furniture I own has come from a thrift store, a garage sale, an antique mall, or a curbside. It wasn't my plan, I've just been lucky enough to find a lot of secondhand stuff that I'm happy to live with. But it's rare that pieces end up in my home in the same state that I found them in; most need some sort of rehab from a simple paint job to upholstering. In the end, though, it's a lot cheaper than buying new and I like the eclectic look that my home has taken on. It feels like me.

But most of the time I've had to muddle through on my own, learning through trial and error. After many of these learning curves, I can tell you one thing - it's nice to have a helping hand. Which is why I think you'll love the book Furniture Makeovers by Barb Blair of Knack Studios, from Chronicle Books.

The book covers Barb's favorite tools and materials (most of which I use myself and can vouch for), then gets into prep with solid information on stripping, sanding, repairing, and priming furniture. Then the good (fun) stuff begins - painting, staining, waxing, applying metal leaf, using stencils and vinyl decals, designing with an overhead projector, color blocking, layering paint...26 different techniques in all! 

The end result is a remarkable compilation of projects that range from classic to modern, with before and after photos and an explanation of the techniques used on each piece, which you can then turn around and replicate for yourself (yes, you!). Part inspiration, part guidebook, it's a must for anyone who wants to feel more confident in transforming tired furniture, needs fresh ideas, or simply doesn't know how to begin.

 

Carlton Riffel Photography

Interested?  I HAVE A COPY OF THE BOOK FOR ONE LUCKY READER!  All you need to do is comment below and tell me what you'd like to learn to do or what piece of your furniture could most use a makeover. The giveaway will close at midnight (CST) on Tuesday, July 23.  I will select a comment at random and announce the winner on Wednesday, July 24. You can also follow along on the blog tour for more opportunities to win a copy from other bloggers.

UPDATE:  GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

Also, just to get you inspired, here's a sneak peek of two of the thirty projects included in the book -

 

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 

BEFORE:

 AFTER:

Photos by J. Aaron Greene, used with permission from Chronicle Books

Sunprint Botanical Pillow Sleeve

I was out of town last week, one of my husband's birthday gifts to me being a ticket to New York. I had a great week, on lots of different levels, which I'll share as the week progresses.  But for now, I'll get back to the blog post I had planned to publish last week.

I like to celebrate the seasons as much as possible, turning the natural materials just outside my door into art supplies.  I also like to make temporary decor for my home, pieces that can be put away after the season just as I do with holiday decorations. It keeps things fresh, and even if I bring it back the following year, I find that I can use it in a new way or mix it with whatever new finds I've incorporated into my basic decor.

Spring and summer are all about botanicals for me. I can't get enough of the bounty that grows in garden beds and pots, spills from trees and bushes, or comes up between the cracks in the bricks along the courtyard. Even weeds get an opportunity to be turned into something useful. This year, I gathered up a sampling of plants and pressed them in a flower press for a couple of days. When they were sufficiently pressed (and dry enough), I arranged them on a piece of fabric and used Inkodye to create a sun-printed botanical fabric that I turned into a temporary pillow sleeve for a basic accent pillow. Easy peasy, as my son would say.

Here's how I made it: 

Materials:

Collected plant specimens
Flower press or heavy books
Natural fiber fabric (I prefer cotton or linen)
Scissors
Rotary cutter and cutting mat
Ruler
Inkodye (I mixed red and blue for this project)
Foam paintbrush
Small dish for Inkodye
Paper towels
Sturdy surface (I like to use a piece of scrap plywood)
Laundry soap or Inkowash
Iron and ironing board
Fusible hemming tape 

Step 1: Collect and press botanicals

For the most part, I find that it's easier to handle plants on a dry day, when the leaf edges are crisper. But if you happen to be gathering on a damp day, just blot them with a paper towel before pressing them and have fine tip tweezers on hand so that you can arrange as desired, separating fronds and stems, etc. I arrange mine in a flower press I've had for decades, but you can also place them between the pages of books weighted down with something heavy, such as a brick. 

If flower and plant pressing is something you see yourself doing more of, invest in a press. It makes it easy to do a bunch at once. You can generally find them in abundance on Etsy and Amazon. If you'd like a more sophisticated version, I like this one from Terrain.

 

Step 2: Cut fabric to size and create a basic arrangement

 

You'll need to cut a piece of light colored natural fiber fabric to the desired length and width, leaving enough extra fabric in the length to accomodate a folded edge for the seam (I used a fine weave linen in a flax color, wanting to see how Inkodye worked over something other than white fabric). Also, I prefer to cut my fabric a little wider than necessary, then go back and trim the edges with a rotary cutter after the fabric has dried. This gives me more control over fraying the edges, which naturally occurs when you rinse the fabric anyway. 

Once your fabric is cut, wrap it around the pillow you want to cover and create a basic arrangement with your pressed botanicals, ensuring you have enough to cover the front of the pillow.  I don't get too strict with my arrangement, knowing I'll probably make changes in the moment, but if you create an arrangement you're particularly enamored with, shoot a photo to guide you when it's time to lay it out before printing. 

 

Steps 3-5: Coat the fabric with Inkodye, arrange botanicals over the treated fabric, then print.

You can use your Inkodye as it comes or mix the colors to create your own custom shade (See below). It took me 13 capfuls of Inkodye (from the 4 oz. bottles) to cover a 15-x-27-inch piece of fabric.

Once your Inkodye is well mixed, lay your fabric out on a sturdy surface (cover with a garbage bag or plastic if it's not a surface you want to get Inkodye on!) in a darkened room and coat the fabric with an even layer of Inkodye. You don't want pools of excess dye anywhere. 

When the fabric is completely coated, work quickly and arrange the pressed botanicals over the middle of the fabric (which will become the front of the pillow) - you will want to start exposing your Inkodye treated fabric while it's still damp.

Bring your botanical covered fabric outside to a sunny spot and let it develop for about 5 minutes (it can take more or less time, depending on time of day and quality of light).  When it's developed to the desired intensity, take the fabric back inside and remove the botanicals (in a darkened room since the fabric under the botanicals is still treated with Inkodye and therefore, still sensitive to light).

 

Step 6: Wash and dry your print

Immediately wash excess dye from the fabric, either by handwashing in very hot water or running it through 2 cycles in the washing machine (on hot). I'm too impatient to wait for 2 machine cycles, so I handwashed mine in the sink with a couple of capfuls of Inkowash. The important thing is to make sure that all of the excess dye has been washed out of the fabric. After washing you can soak it in clear water. If the water stays clear, then you know you're done. If not, keep washing (scrubbing it under running water is the fastest way to get the dye out). 

Hang to air dry or you can use a hot iron to speed up the drying process. 

 

Step 7: Create a frayed edge 

If you haven't trimmed your fabric to size before dyeing, go back and trim with a rotary blade. Then pull out a few threads on either side of the fabric to create a frayed edge. If you cut the fabric to size before you dyed, then your fabric will likely already have a frayed edge, albeit messy. If that's the case, go back and cut loose threads and clean up the frayed edges as much as possible.

 

Step 8: Create a finished back seam

Place a strip of fusible hemming tape along the top or bottom edge (the short edge) of the length of fabric; remove the paper backing.

 

Fold the raw edge of the fabric over the hemming tape, then iron to fuse together. Place another strip of hemming tape over the folded edge and press in place with your fingers (not shown).

 

Wrap the length of fabric around the pillow you're covering, with the finished edge covering the raw edge of the fabric; remove the paper from the hemming tape. With the hemming tape layered between the finished edge and the fabric below it, iron the fabrics together to fuse (I do this while it's on the pillow, so that I can make sure the finished sleeve is tight enough.)  When you're finished, your pillow will look like this on the back side.

Done! 

 

Color Mixing:

I suggest mixing tiny amounts of Inkodye and printing small scraps of fabric to test the shades beforehand. I only loosely took my own advice and I wish I'd waited until the last sample was fully developed before I made my final decision. I was looking for a red violet color, more red than violet. What I discovered was that a tiny amount of blue went a long way! If I do yet another version of this project, I'll test a little more extensively. But I admit, I was impatient to just get on with it!

The shade at top left was created using half blue, half red. The shade at top right was 9 capfuls of red, 4 capfuls of blue. The shade pictured in the title image (bottom color) consists of 11 capfuls of red Inkodye and 2 capfuls of blue Inkodye. To get a truly reddish violet, I should have reduced the blue to a capful, possibly even less. 

Quick Upgrade with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

To some extent, I think I'm cursed with a good eye.  Put 5 pieces of nearly identical furniture in a row and without knowing details, I will fall in love with the most expensive piece every single time. This drives me slightly insane because while I instinctively recognize quality, I rarely (never) have the budget for it. The upside is that it's forced me to be creative in my home. I look for reasonably priced knockoffs I can work with, better pieces at thrift stores, and I mix everything with enough personality that it works, hopefully (which is also an ongoing process).

This chair is a good example of my personal approach. I purchased it from Overstock as a prop for a photo shoot. I didn't have a huge budget, so I focused more on form than finish, figuring I could work a little magic if necessary. The chair in the Overstock photo seemed to fit the bill. I didn't even mind the wood color, though I would have preferred the burnt oak finish that I found at Restoration Hardware. But when it arrived, I discovered that the wood wasn't matte at all. Instead, it was finished with a glossy coating that, while protective, frankly made it feel cheap. 

Admittedly, this next part was an experiment, but it worked so well for me that I thought I'd share. I decided to try aging the frame with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a very small, flat paintbrush (as in a 3/8-inch brush from Michaels). The reason for the small paintbrush is that I was going to be painting the frame of the chair with the upholstery intact. I thought it might take forever, but it only took me a couple of hours and a single coat. To make it even easier, I didn't even bother waxing it (it was just a prop, after all).  Since then, this chair has lived in my house as an accent chair and it's been used and moved around a bit. The paint has worn very well, even without waxing, and I couldn't be happier with it.

 

The Chair from Overstock:

 

The look I was after (from Restoration Hardware):

 

Recipe for Success:

The reason this worked had a lot to do with the original chair. The carving of the frame, the rough texture of the wood (under its glossy protective coating), and the white streaks in the finish all helped in creating the final version. Don't expect the same results from a perfectly smooth, sanded, polished chair frame! But if you have a chair that's a rough, vintage European wannabe, go for it.

Manage your expectations - You will not achieve a factory finished piece unless you're a whiz with the paintbrush and/or an artist, in which case I'm sure you have a few things to teach me. But if you're like me, average when it comes to faux finishing, you can still achieve an effect that's comfortable and worn without being perfect, and in the overall context of a room, the imperfections are even less noticeable.

 

 

Chalk Paints I used:

I probably could have gotten away with using just Graphite and French Linen, but I also included a touch of Paris Grey and Coco because I had them on hand. The trick is to put a little bit of all the colors on the paintbrush at one time, then offload some of the excess on a stack of paper towels before putting your brush to the wood. If your  paint does get too concentrated in some areas, just go back over it with a dampened brush, dragging out the color until you get the translucency you're aiming for. You can also add more of another color over the first layer if you're not satisfied. In that case, offload the excess paint first (until the brush is almost dry), then brush it on with quick strokes. 

 

The beauty of the Chalk Paint is that it dries with a matte finish and it goes on right over the existing finish, no stripping or priming necessary, making the whole process even easier.  In my book, a quick upgrade to the original!

 

For more product info and inspiration:  Annie Sloan Unfolded

Not-So-Spooky Halloween Decor

I've shown many photos of my mantel over the last few years. But that's because it's usually where I begin to make seasonal shifts in my home. It's an easy focal point and it changes every year, all year, even though I reuse many of the same items. Before I had fireplace mantels, I used console tables or the top of a sideboard or dresser. It doesn't really matter what you use. I just find it helpful to start in one area. Sometimes that's the end of the story. Other times I slowly build out and around that vignette.

At any rate, I started this seasonal process over the weekend and enjoyed the element of surprise. I'm never quite sure how these little arrangements will work or what new creative processes I'll discover along the way, but that's most of the fun for me anyway. 

This is what I started with - the photos that inspired me:

 

I was completely taken with these pressed botanicals and how they appeared almost white against their black background. So I originally thought I'd do a small arrangement of these, painting my pressed foliage with a shimmery spray paint, since I wasn't going to be able to achieve that almost bleached look overnight. And since it was for Halloween, I wasn't taking it too seriously anyway.  (Country Living Magazine)

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'Dreaming of Flying Watch' by Anne Arden McDonald is so delicate and ephemeral, moody and dreamy. I appreciate all of the various textures at play here, too - something I wanted to explore for myself.

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Not your traditional Halloween inspiration, but I couldn't resist the allure of this ethereal shimmer and I thought it would play nicely against chalkier finishes. (V Magazine)

 

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My decorating began with the lanterns.  Normally, the filmier aspects of cheesecloth are played up for Halloween. But I love the textural element of it as well, so I wanted to see if I could use it in a more tailored fashion. To do that, I backed cheesecloth with fusible web, which left me with a piece of cheesecloth that had some structure to it (and wouldn't fray or wrap), but was still translucent. I used it to line the panes and give the lanterns a diffused quality.

The botanicals (weeds from my courtyard) ended up making their way off of the lanterns and into a framed display, which I then used as my foundation for the rest of the setup.

 

The Details:

I really thought I'd end up with pearl finished botanicals on a chalky black background, but I happened to put them aside for a moment, resting on one of the cheesecloth covered panes for the lantern. And then I changed my mind about the black and white botanicals, which changed everything else I had in mind, too.

 

 

For the lanterns -  

Measure the panes of glass in your lantern and create a paper template; check for fit.  Iron cheesecloth to lightweight fusible web following manufacturers directions. Trace around the paper template on the paper side of the fusible web and cut out. Peel paper backing off.  Lightly spray the back side of the fusible web backed cheesecloth with spray adhesive (repositionable adhesive if you want a temporary display).  Place in the glass pane of the lantern and smooth out with your fingers. Use the tip of an X-acto knife to push the edges of the cheesecloth between the glass and the frame of the lantern (or just trim any excess cloth, if necessary.  Repeat for all panes. 

 

 

For the frame -

Cut a piece of fusible web that's the size of the pane of glass in your frame and iron it onto cheesecloth, following manufacturers directions. Trim excess cheesecloth, then carefully peel the paper backing off. Lightly spray the back side of the fusible web backed cheesecloth with repositionable adhesive and adhere it to the front of the glass pane, smoothing out any wrinkles with your fingers.

Tip:  If you want to have a colored background behind your cheesecloth, cut a piece of paper or fabric the same size as your pane of glass and adhere it to the back side of the glass with 1/8 or 1/4-inch double-sided tape. I just wanted to warm up the color of the cheesecloth a bit, without adding a lot of color. I used a piece of unbleached parchment paper (the lantern doesn't have any backing). 

 

For the botanicals - 

Gather greenery (I prefer weeds because they tend to grow tall and wild, with a certain gracefulness after pressing) and press between the pages of heavy books for a few days. When they're pressed, lightly spray the front with a shimmery spray paint. Before they dry, lift them with a pair of tweezers (so that they don't stick to the surface you painted them on) and put them on waxed paper to completely dry before handling. When they're dry, arrange them on the cheesecloth covered frame and add a tiny bit of quick-setting gel glue to various parts of the plant, such as thicker stem areas or larger leaf areas. Cheesecloth has natural grab, so you don't need to cover the entire plant with adhesive. Embellish with butterflies or moths, gluing them down (I used butterflies made from vellum - which I will give a tutorial for in a few days).

 

I first discovered these bleached oak leaves a few years ago and fell in love with them for Halloween. They come a bit mangled and you have to sort through them, but they have a waxy finish that makes it easy to flatten them for easier handling. I pull the best ones from the branches, stack them up (flattening them out with my hand), then put them under a book for a couple of hours before handling. If you're in a hurry, you can iron them between two layers of parchment paper, on medium heat. (Note: They do have a chemical smell when you first remove them from their bag, but that disappears within a day or two.)

 

For the Garland - 

I used a quick-setting gel glue and glued the leaves together at the stem in bunches of three, then glued one bunch to the next, overlapping them slightly (I made 3 strips - one for each side and one for the top). Then I taped a piece of string to the back of each strip and hung them on my mirror, taping the ends of the string to the top.

 

For the Pumpkins -

I wanted to add a subtle shimmer to the pumpkins, but I still wanted the texture of the pumpkin to show through, so I needed translucency instead of the opacity that spray paint would give. I could have used a spray on pearl glaze, but I used luster dust instead, an edible shimmery dust that's used in cake decorating. I simply mixed a bit of the powder with a little water and brushed it on (almost like using watercolors). That's all I did for the white pumpkin, but the water beaded up a bit on the green gourd. To fix it, I just rubbed it in with my hands and it worked just fine.  I love how they catch the light, but still have a natural look.

 

These European drip candles are the most expensive item in my display (including the mirror, which I picked up for $15 at a thrift store and spray painted), coming in at $20 for a pair of tapers. But their detailing can't be beat. The candlesticks are thrift store finds, brass sticks that I sprayed with a glossy black spray paint.

 

The texture and color of reindeer moss is one of my favorite things to use for fall decorating. But don't buy the small, expensive packs at craft stores. Get more for your money by buying it in bulk, in a range of colors from bleached to bright chartreuse.

 

When you don't have room to spread out, you can dedicate a small tabletop space to a seasonal display, focusing on just a few elements. If you look for items that can overlap (like the bowl breaking the edge of the frame), you need even less space. 

 

Resources:  

Lanterns from TJ Maxx

Cheesecloth is available at some groceries and multiple online sources, including Amazon. Look for "ultra-fine" cheesecloth to get the tightest weave.

Fusible web is available at Jo-Ann and other sewing and craft stores (I like Therm O Web brand)

Elmer’s Spray Adhesive available at Michaels, Jo-Ann, and other craft stores

Unbleached parchment is usually found at better grocery stores such as Whole Foods

 Metallic spray paint available at craft stores

Frame from Michaels

Bleached oak leaves (1 bunch is plenty) and reindeer moss available from Save-On-Crafts 

Beacon 3-in-1 quick-setting gel adhesive available at Michaels, Jo-Ann, and other craft stores

Luster dust available from baking supply stores such as NY Cake and Baking (I used "Avocado" and "Antique Silk") and in the cake decorating aisle at stores such as Michaels

European Hand Dripped Candles from Knorr Beeswax

Back to School: Decoupage on Glass

Last week I felt like I had a bad case of ADD, a million ideas running around in my head with no ability to harness them and complete anything. So I tackled the never-ending chaos in my office instead, which usually gets me going creatively because I end up poring over tiny bits and pieces and eventually make something instead of cleaning up. Except this time, I didn't just make something - I went over the edge into OCD land, which is where I've been residing for the last few days.

It started with several glass plates in my office, left over from an assignment, along with some printouts of vintage postcards. I figured I'd do a quick decoupage project and use them in my home instead of storing them. So...I did just that, using my trusty bottle of Mod Podge. But when it dried, I realized there were some shiny spots here and there. Nothing terrible, just distracting. (John Derian would not be clamoring to hire me!) So I launched into research, investigating the best ways to decoupage on glass. And then I did it over and over and over again...and then a few more times after that.

Here's what I learned -

1. It's harder to decoupage on glass because it's not a porous surface. The decoupage medium dries through evaporation and any areas that contain air bubbles or not enough glue will turn shiny when the medium is dry.

2. It's a balancing act. If you don't press the air bubbles out, you'll have shiny spots. If you press too hard, you'll remove too much glue and you'll still have shiny spots and possible streaking.

3. Even after you complete a piece, you can always go back and remove the decoupaged paper with warm water. This means you don't waste your glass plates just because you made a mistake.

4. Mod Podge isn't necessarily the best medium for decoupage on glass.

(If you look closely, you'll see the shiny patches - which you can detect even from far away because they reflect light.)

It was during the removal of the dried paper that I started to think about different decoupage mediums. I noticed that my Matte Mod Podge still had a shiny coating when I removed it from the glass. I moved on to Elmer's Glue All diluted with water. Not as much spotting, but still shiny when the spotting occurred. Again, when I removed it, I noticed it had dried to a shiny finish. So I moved on to Liquitex Matte Medium and started to get better results.

The first time I used the fluid Liquitex Matte Medium I quickly dipped my paper into water first to relax the fibers and then blotted the paper. I noticed that the damp paper was easier to work with, but that the Matte Medium was thinner than the other mediums I'd used, which made the paper slide around more and didn't grab as quickly as I'd hoped. When it dried, I noticed that there were areas that would normally be shiny with other mediums. But this time they looked more like "texture" than shiny spots because they weren't reflecting the light. I was making progress, and for the first time, I had a completed project I'd be happy to give or keep for myself. But still, I thought I could do better.

 

(See around the edges where the medium must have thinned out too much. Those spots would normally be shiny, but as a matte finish, I think they give the paper more of an aged quality. This wasn't the easiest method for handling the paper, but I'm happy with the results.)
 

Next, I tried the Matte Medium again, this time with dry paper, but I found it wasn't as easy to work with. The damp paper definitely helped. I moved on to a Gel Matte Medium, diluted with a just a bit of water. I dipped and blotted my paper as I had before, so that it was just damp. It was a thicker consistency than the fluid Matte Medium, allowing me greater control, less slippage, and a faster grab, but the overall finish wasn't as nice as it was with the fluid Matte Medium. It had some diffuse, overall spotting, as if the Gel Medium hadn't fully penetrated the paper.

So FINALLY, I went back to the fluid Matte Medium. But this time, instead of dipping the paper into water, I brushed a thin coating of the medium onto the surface of the glass and the surface of the paper. The medium relaxed the fiber in the paper, making it easier to work with, but didn't further dilute the already thin medium on the glass. Once the paper was in place, I brushed a thin coat of medium on the back side of the paper and used my fingers to gently push out the air bubbles without pushing out too much of the glue. I was sure this was the brass ring. I was wrong. I still liked the results with the Liquitex Matte Medium and damp paper the best. 

Did I achieve absolute, John Derian perfection with all of my experiments? Nope. But I was able to achieve results that I can display. Knowing which technique was the most promising for me, I'll continue to work from that point, next time experimenting with different weights of paper as well (I used 20 lb. paper throughout, though I've read that 28 lb. paper is good). And at the end of several days, I can say this - I think John Derian might be willing to hire me now (as an apprentice with potential, anyway). So I've come a long way.

 

Materials:

Copies of clip art or illustrations, resized if necessary
Fine-tip scissors
Glass blanks
Liquitex Matte Medium
Flat paintbrush
Shallow tray of water
Paper towels
Craft knife and cutting mat
White acrylic craft paint
Colored acrylic craft paint, if desired 

Prep: Wash glass pieces with soap and warm water, then dry. Wipe the back side (the side you'll be decoupaging on) with rubbing alcohol or vinegar to prepare the piece for decoupage.

 

Step 1: Print out your desired clip art, first resizing it or changing the hue with your photo software. (I printed my illustrations using an Inkjet photo printer (Epson R1900) and didn't encounter any issues with the ink running or smearing. However, if in doubt, check how your ink responds to moisture. If it runs or smears, you'll need to use printouts from a laser printer or copier - or spray it with a fixative first.)

Step 2: If you're making layered decoupage, cut out individual pieces with sharp, fine-tipped scissors. Personally, I like my Fiskars Micro-tip scissors (which you can find in craft supply stores), but small cuticle scissors also work. 

Tip: When cutting, angle your scissor blades to the right. This creates a softer, slightly beveled edge that blends more seamlessly into the second layer of paper. Also, for easier cutting, move the paper that you're cutting, not the scissors. 

Step 3: If you're doing a layered design, apply Matte Medium to the front of the first cutout and apply it to the glass plate. Gently push out any air bubbles and wipe off any excess. Let it dry for a little while (at least 30 minutes). 

If you're only doing a single layer, skip down to Step 4.

 

Step 4: Determine the placement of the second layer and cut around the paper, leaving it slightly larger than the plate.

 

Step 5: Dip your paper cutout into a pan of water - quickly. Don't let it soak. Blot it dry with a paper towel.

Step 6: Brush Matte Medium evenly over the back side of the plate (Note: The picture above shows Mod Podge which is thicker than Matte Medium, but get as close to this level of coverage as you can.)

 

Step 7: Place the damp paper over the medium covered glass and adjust as necessary. Quickly brush a little medium onto the back side of the damp paper and use your fingers to gently push out air bubbles and excess glue. When you're finished, let the plate sit until it's completely dry, anywhere from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on humidity (if you're in a hurry, you can use a hair dryer to speed up drying time).

Step 8: When the plate is completely dry, turn it face up and trim the excess paper from the edge using a craft knife, such as an X-acto knife. You can also use the edge of the blade to remove any excess medium from the edges of the plate. 

Finishing: Paint 1-2 layers of white acrylic craft paint onto the back side of the decoupaged plate. This will prevent any color distortion of the image resulting from colored paint. Once the white paint is dry, paint 1-2 coats of paint in the color of your choice. 

(The overall winner)

 

Resources:

Glass blanks from Behrenberg Glass Company

Clip art available from sites such as The Graphics Fairy, Vintage Printable, The Vintage Workshop, and Etsy (the mushroom image is from Etsy vendor Tabitha Emma). However, I've created a board of clip art on Pinterest and will continue adding to it. (Also, if anyone else finds great clip art, please leave the link in the Comments section and I'll add it to the Pinterest board as well.)

All other supplies available from craft and art supply stores.

Back to School: Easier & Better Stenciling

  

I'm back. Hurricane Isaac and four long, sweltering days without power are behind me, so I'm itching to get down to some creative business. And in the spirit of a new school year, I've decided to add a new feature here. Back to School will cover subjects I previously considered myself well versed in, but have discovered something fundamental that changes, streamlines, or elevates my old process.

Today's Back to School involves stenciling. I've done my fair share of projects, with some nice successes, but I've also had my gripes with it along the way. First is the edge bleed. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've never been able to complete a project without some edge bleed, no matter how much adhesive I've used, how light I've stippled, etc. And I'm a little bit of a perfectionist, so I end up going back and fixing everything with a liner brush. Effective, but not the most efficient use of my time. Second, I abhor stencil adhesive. I've always assumed it was a necessary component of stenciling, but it's difficult to completely remove and I end up having to line all of my used stencils with waxed paper so they don't stick together. It's not all that cheap, either.  But honestly, I just didn't know there was another way.

 

So when I was learning about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Lisa Rickert passed on a stenciling technique she'd picked up from Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio. The first thing I noticed were the brushes she pulled out. They didn't look anything like the brushes I've purchased at Michaels and other craft stores. The bristles were longer and softer, not what I think of as a stenciling brush. The second thing I noticed (after she'd offloaded almost all of the paint onto a paper towel), was the light, swirling motion she used over the stencil instead of the traditional pouncing or stippling motion.

 

I tried it for myself and was surprised at how much easier it was than the stenciling I'd been doing, how little fatigue I felt in my hand, how quickly I was able to move across the stencil, how little paint was required for good coverage, how clean the final design was, and how not one bit of stencil adhesive had been used. I was so blown away, I went right home and emailed Melanie.

 

I've been thinking about what I learned ever since and with a set of Melanie's stencil brushes in hand, I tried my hand at stenciling fabric. I experimented with both smooth and nubby fabrics, small and large stencils, and used Chalk Paint for all of it (Lisa had informed me that Chalk Paint could be used on fabric without the addition of textile medium.) The swirling technique worked every time, on every fabric, just like it did on wood.

 

 

I have lots of experimenting to do, and as I complete projects, I'll post them. But for now, here's what you need to know:

 

1. Forget the cheap, hard bristled stencil brushes that you find in craft stores. Invest in good, natural bristle brushes instead. (I highly recommend the set of brushes from Royal Design Studio.)

 

2. Instead of using stencil adhesive, try either holding the stencil secure with your hand (which is generally enough for a smaller stencil), or tape the edges to the surface you're stenciling (better for larger scale stencils).

 

3. When you load your brush with paint, turn around and offload the excess paint onto a paper towel - until the brush seems almost dry.

 

4. Instead of using a pouncing or stippling motion, swirl the brush in a circular motion, working along the edges of the stencil first, gradually moving in to the center of each design area. (See this tutorial for examples.)

 

And if you try this out, I hope you'll comment and let everyone know how it goes for you. I'm truly excited about what I've learned because I know I'll be able to finish projects in half the amount of time it normally takes me - without having to go back and touch up!

Japanese Rice Paper Plant

 

Fa la la! Christmas is...OVER (at least for a little while). And like the actual season, it was great fun while it lasted, but now I'm happy to put away the decorations and Christmas craft supplies and get back to what's left of summer. 

But during my monthlong crafting marathon, held mostly at my dining room table, I couldn't help but notice how well my Japanese Rice Paper Plant has been growing, with only a minimum of care and a summer of torrential rains that have allowed it haphazard light at best. You know, a good plant for those of us with not-so-green thumbs. And it seems only fair that I share it with you, because I didn't even know these lovely plants existed until recently. So perhaps you don't either.

My cousin, Stephen, who not only has a green thumb but makes magic out of just about any material that passes through his hands, has great stands of these plants on his property and they're enormous. I like to stand under them and look up into their leaves, and indeed, their leaves are so large they'd likely shelter you in a storm. They are, in a word, dramatic. Which is exactly how I like my plants. 

I won't bore you with growing zones or a lot of details about care (so far, my care has consisted of watering it once a week. Some days it gets a little sun, some days not, and it's been in an air-conditioned 74 degree house all summer long). You can research that on garden sites, with experts who know more than I. But if you love tropical plants, this is a good one to add to your collection. It makes me swoon a little each time I pass by. Low maintenance, high visual impact. That's a formula I can live with.

 

Online source for Japanese Rice Paper Plant (Tetrapanax papyrifera): Plant Delights Nursery

Have a happy weekend!

 

Farm Cabinet Makeover

Last summer, my husband brought this cabinet home and it's been sitting in my kitchen ever since, waiting for me to do something with it. But I'm slowly and steadily working through overdue home improvement projects this summer and this is the second of my completed paint projects using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I really wanted to create an organized and efficient baking center. Up till now, my kitchen cabinets and drawers have been overflowing with baking supplies mixed in with a million other odds and ends - not a particularly workable situation. I needed a dedicated space, and this cabinet seemed like the perfect solution.

I used a vintage kitchen green as my inspiration and I when I went to buy my paint, the stockist worked with me to create the color I wanted (she painted a paper plate for me, so I could bring it home). I fine-tuned it a bit more when I got home, judging its effect when paired with my wall color and in both existing and artificial light.  (As I've mentioned before, I create colors using very small amounts of paint. Once I get exactly the color I want, I make a larger batch. But the great thing about mixing colors is that you can keep track of all your experiments, painting a little swatch on an index card and making note of the ratios. The color that isn't right for the current project might be perfect for something else down the road.) 

I didn't do any special effects this time as I wanted a solid, opaque color. Once I mixed my color and gave my cabinet a general cleaning, I applied two coats of paint directly over the old paint, then finished with two coats of clear wax. And fortunately for me, the original hardware and enameled top were still in good condition, making quick work of the entire job.

I find the finished piece more charming than the original and I finally have a dedicated space to store my baking supplies, with a little working space left over - exactly what I needed!

 

My Inspiration:

This photograph from The Fisherman's Cottage reflected all of the elments of my kitchen  - wall color, appliances, plenty of silver, white, and glass mixed with black accents. So this was the green I decided to introduce into my existing neutral palette.

 

Before:

 

Color Recipe:

 

2 ounces Antibes Green + 5 ounces Old White + 1.5 ounces French Linen  

 

After:

Conquering the Antique Mall

I have friends of various ages, some of whom are just starting to create homes for themselves. How to create a home is a topic that comes up regularly. They take a look around my house, trying to figure out how I worked everything into a form of personal expression.  They're not looking for a carbon copy of my home, just wondering where and how to start - and still do it on a budget. I tell them to hit the thrift stores, the antique malls, and the flea markets.

I'm not a purist. I happily mix IKEA and discount store items with finds from thrift stores and antique malls, interspersed with a few exceptional pieces. But I follow two rules - I don't overpay for something, even if I love it (because the knowledge that I overpaid usually takes away from any pleasure the item may have brought me) and I only buy what I truly love. I also edit my collections on a regular basis, disposing of anything I've grown tired of living with. I move things around a lot, too, bringing things in on a seasonal basis, creating different focal points in my home. 

But I think it's the details that really make up the character of a home, and a lot of my details come via visually crowded antique malls, thrift stores, and flea markets. Some people, in the face of such visual overload, shut down and only see junk. Others view it as an adventure. I'm the latter, but only because I've learned how to cut through the clutter to find what I want.

So to my friends who want to make the most of an antique mall (and create a home in the process), here are a few exercises I use to help make shopping a productive, pleasurable, cohesive process:

 

 (The industrial lightbulb will become part of an idea I'll share in the fall. The labware I find to be both useful and good for display. The child's muffin tin is a good prop and will store small craft items on my desk in the meantime.)

1. If you're starting with a virtually empty room, buy one thing you love and build a collection, room, or home around it. My kitchen began with a $20, vintage industrial find that dictated (and continues to dictate) everything else that followed. It doesn't have to be a precious piece - just something that serves as a creative lynchpin.

2. Set a tight budget for yourself before you go. If you strictly limit what you'll spend on any given trip, you'll be less tempted to scatter your resources and better able to hone in on what you really want to buy.  

3.  Set a theme for the day.  When I set a theme for myself, I can scan through clutter more easily and come back with a cohesive collection of goods. On my last trip, I settled on vintage industrial style and came home with the items you see in the photograph - culled from a variety of stores and vendors. My only deviation came at the end of the day when I saw the white serving dish and snapped it up. It works perfectly with the collection of white dishes I already own.

4. Shop by color. I think this is one of the easiest ways to unify a disparate collection of objects.  I have lots of dishes and serving pieces, but I limit myself to shades of white or neutral colors. That way, when I mix my vintage finds with newer pieces, they still work together and look good on display. To shake it up, I bring color in through table linens, napkins, or flowers. But if red is your passion, buy it in bulk and temper it with a neutral here and there. 

5. Shop by decade. When you shop within a decade, most of the items will work well together. This doesn't mean that your home can't be an eclectic mix of periods, it's just another way to create focus on a particular excursion.

6. Limit the displays. If I'm on the road, I feel the need to take in as many vendors as humanly possible. But if I'm shopping close to home, I'll limit myself to just a few vendors and spend time looking over each and every item they have available. Doing this, I've managed to find some prized possessions that would have easily been overlooked in a rapid scanning.

 

(The ruler I purchased was originally used to measure hemlines. I repurposed it to display a photo)



In addition to these exercises, there are things you can do to prepare beforehand. First, sketch out floorplans of your home, including things like electrical outlets. Fill in the dimensions of the space, along with the dimensions of any existing furniture. If you really want to flesh it out, include existing paint or fabric swatches. It also helps to bring along a tape measure.

Second, discover your personal style by exploring what visually inspires you. Tools like Pinterest are great for this. If you start pinning images of interiors that you like, however inexplicable, you can go back and look over your boards to see if there are visual themes that emerge. I like this because it's a more subconscious process and eventually, your style will become clear. 

 

And in the end -

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. William Morris
    

 

Dresser Makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I have no less than nine painting projects on the back burner - some for more than a year. A lot of it's been psychological because I swore off latex paint on furniture once I discovered milk paint, and using milk paint requires a certain mindset and commitment for true durability - like stripping the furniture beforehand.

I know there are tutorials that will tell you you can forego stripping or sanding when using latex paint, if you use certain primers. I did this with a stenciled dresser, before I discovered milk paint, and it will eventually need to be redone as the latex has started pulling off the top of it, despite the fact that I sanded and used a highly recommended primer. Annoying, to say the least. And milk paint can be used without sanding or priming, but it requires the addition of a bonder and it works, better than latex, but not quite as durable as the finish on the cabinet I stripped first. So I've been sitting around, waiting to get motivated enough to give each piece the care it requires.

But last week I had the pleasure (and luxury) of spending a day with Lisa Rickert at the U.S. headquarters for Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. It was my first time using the paint and I learned lots of different techniques and got plenty of hands-on experience. I know it's just paint, but I left greatly inspired and I couldn't wait to wake up the next morning and start painting (a small miracle in itself!).

So I tackled this dresser project first. It was a curbside find that I put in my dining room and it was in good shape structurally, but I wanted to remove the veneer from the front and give it some color. My inspiration was the cover of a notebook, the subtle variations in the blue background. I thought that would work well in my dining room where the light is moody and picks up nuance very nicely. 

To say that Annie Sloan Chalk Paint has changed my view of DIY projects is an understatement. After finishing this dresser, I'm no longer looking at the eight projects I have left, filled with the sense that I'll never get them done. Now I'm just wondering how quickly I can knock them all out. The most tedious part of my dresser makeover was removing the veneer (not difficult, just boring). The painting and waxing were a breeze and the finished piece has the same beauty and depth as my milk painted cabinet. In short, I am OBSESSED and I've already started my second project (another small miracle).

 

My Dresser Before:

 

My Inspiration: (the lower left hand side, in particular)

 

My Process:

My color recipe was 50% Duck Egg Blue and 50% Provence. After I'd painted the entire surface with that mixture, I poured a little bit of Duck Egg Blue on one side of a bowl and Château Grey on the other side. I used a damp paintbrush and dipped the left edge of the brush into the Château Grey and the right edge of the brush into Duck Egg Blue. I then offloaded the excess paint onto a paper towel and dragged my brush over the painted dresser, varying my brush strokes - left to right, up and down, etc. This mixed the colors of paint together, giving me some lighter blue areas and some brownish green areas. If my paint got too dry or the lines too distinct, I just dampened my brush again (without adding paint) and continued going over the painted areas until the paint was blended to my satisfaction.  

It's subtle, but you see the difference between the first coat of paint and the light wash I added on top (both are before waxing, which brought out the tonal variations even more):

 

 

To finish it off, I applied a thin coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax (clear) with a brush and after it dried, distressed it lightly with sandpaper, following the indentations and areas that had already been banged up and worn down on the dresser (distressing after waxing gently removes the paint with less dust and general messiness). I waxed the distressed areas again after 24 hours, then buffed the whole piece with a rag when the wax was no longer tacky.

 

 

You're likely to hear more about this paint as I work through my projects, but here's every reason I can think of now to encourage you to try it for yourself:

 

1. No sanding, no priming - Chalk Paint covers virtually any surface you can think of (including fabric) and it doesn't require sanding or priming beforehand. No bonders or additives required, even for fabric.

2. Flexibility - I changed my mind multiple times during the process of painting, from color to technique, and I was able to work with the paint all along the way. One of the things I learned about this paint is that water's your friend. If your brush strokes or color variations are too sharp, a damp brush smooths it right out. And if you change your mind about a color down the road, after it's waxed, you can paint right over the waxed finish (as long as it's been 24 hours after application).

3. Versatility - You can create an opaque, modern finish or a heavily distressed finish. It's suitable for all kinds of applications - color washes, thick gesso like finishes, crackled, cloudy stippled effects, dry brushing, layered, etc. Water thins out the paint or you can leave it with the lid off to thicken up and give you coverage that shows off brush strokes. 

4. Easily blended - It's easy to create your own colors with the existing palette, and the paint is sold in sample sizes as well as quarts. Sometimes you'll only need an ounce of a color when you're mixing, so it's nice to have that option. I used a detailed shot glass to create my color recipes (or you can try a kid's medicine dispenser) and once I had the color I wanted, I mixed it in larger quantities.

5. Great customer support - I went to one of my local stockists to purchase a sample size of a paint color I needed. The stockist wasn't just selling it, she was using it (in all kinds of ways) and had lots of insight to offer. We worked on a custom color right there, so I could make sure I had what I needed. She's not an anomaly - all of the stockists have been thoroughly trained in using the product and most offer workshops or demonstrations. 

6. Beautiful Finish - The paint dries to a matte, chalky finish (just like milk paint) and is meant to be finished with a coat of wax. The wax deepens the color slightly and gives it a silky, velvety feel. It makes your furniture look better than latex paint does. Period.

7. Quick drying time - It dries incredibly fast and can be recoated within a couple of hours - meaning that you can finish a piece of furniture in a single day, waxing included.

8. Easy cleanup - The paint itself is virtually odorless and you can clean your brushes with water, no soap required.

 

Resources:

Quick and Easy Paint Transformations by Annie Soan - An invaluable resource that gives great guidance on working with this paint.

Annie Sloan Unfolded (U.S. Distributor)

About the Chalk Paint

See paint profiles (click on the name of each color) for information about the colors, see them on finished pieces, and view color swatches.

Annie Sloan's blog, Paint & Colour

Beds to Nap In

There was rain, for more than a week. I felt like I was moving through quicksand, as if winter had returned. Then there was more socializing and entertaining than usual. A lot of fun and exactly what I needed...but now I must admit, I want nothing more than a good long nap. Any one of these beds would work for me.

 

via Wave Avenue

 

 

via Maison Boheme

 

 

Nibs My Points of View

 

 

via That Inspirational Girl

 

 

via Castles Crowns and Cottages

 

 

Desire to Inspire

Style Crush: Hans Blomquist

                                               © The Natural Home (Ryland Peters & Small)

I have a huge style crush on Hans Blomquist, stylist, art director, and author. Whether he's being moody or lighthearted, masculine or feminine, I get him. Right down to the soles of my feet. 

I discovered him slowly, as I found myself drawn to images from various sources, all connected by one name - his. Infatuation. Then I ordered his book, The Natural Home, and...love. Admittedly, his book will not be for everyone. If it's color and contemporary design that move you, his is not the book for you. But if you love the moody, patinaed, textured, quirky and eclectic, with a distinctly European style, this book is most definitely for you. 

What can I say? He's everything I hope for in a stylist.

 

More of his work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing Nature Home

I don't usually mention so many books in such a short time, but yesterday I received my copy of Bringing Nature Home and I was too excited not to share it with you. I think it's quite possibly the most beautiful (and accessible) floral design book I have ever seen - though it's not quite just a floral design book. One could argue for its interiors as well.

Conceived and photographed by Ngoc Minh Ngo, with arrangements created by Nicolette Owen of Brooklyn's Little Flower School, Bringing Nature Home contains page after page of gorgeous, yet doable, arrangements photographed in interiors that are equally beautiful and inspiring. The book is divided by season and includes a guide to arranging the flowers, but it's thoughtfully placed in the back of the book instead of interrupting the visual abundance of full page photos. 

It really is one of the most beautiful books I've ever seen, with accessible "back to nature" arrangements. If you're a fan of nature, flowers, interiors, or beautiful photography, buy the book. It's well worth it!  

(All photographs ©Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature, Rizzoli New York)  

 

 

 

 

 

Note:  I purchased my book through Amazon, which currently says it's shipping within 1-3 months. However, you can search online for independent booksellers who currently have it in stock.

Creative Display

                                                                                                Debi Treloar

I'm a collector.  I collect cakestands, glassware, photography, items from nature, white dishware, mismatched silver, typography...I don't formally set out to start a collection and I couldn't care less about the pedigree of anything I own. I'm driven purely by passion. I collect what I love.

As a result, I've learned to be a careful curator. I like to display my finds, but not all at once. I like to give them some room to unfold, to tell their stories to a careful viewer. I have no training in the art of display and I don't always get it right the first time. But I trust my instincts and over time, I'm usually able to add or remove just enough to make a vignette work. And truthfully, that's part of the fun for me. I get better as I go along. 

I also learn from other people. For instance, I saw a photo from Sania Pell with a pair of scissors on a mantel. I immediately thought of a pair of shears I had in my office, not yet being used, waiting for companions. It inspired me to bring them down to my living room and they became part of my mantel display with the Inkodye botanicals.

I always think of it as writing a story. You need a good, strong first sentence. And when you have that (hopefully), the story starts to take shape. I think it's the same with creating visually appealing displays. Choose what you love and build from that moment. When you have it right, the effect will appear effortless, but nothing will be there by accident.

 

Group by Color: 

(Martha Stewart Living)

 

 Tine K Catalog (via Flickr)

 

 (via Emmas Design Blog)

 

Group by Object:
 

 (Living with Lindsay)

 

(A Stylist's Life)

 

 (via My Sweet and Saucy)

 

 (My Sparrow)

 

Think Eclectic:

House & Home (via Wish!)

 

(Photo Problem) 

 

(Kim Ludy) 

 

Skona Hem (via Emmas Design Blog)

Rolland Bello (via My Sparrow)

 

Tips for creating visually pleasing displays from the book Creative Display by Geraldine James:

"Start looking at things in a different way and experiment. Move objects around in your home until you start to see shapes emerging..."

"Recognize beauty in imperfection and appreciate unusual, or even unique, qualities in run-of-the-mill objects."

"Give a display authenticity by creating it out of objects that have real meaning for you."

"Have the courage of your convictions to make unlikely alliances in your displays."

 

To see more examples, you can check out my boards on Pinterest, mostly Vignettes & Display and Natural History.

Title image from Debi Treloar Photography

 

*If you're looking for quick and easy Cinco de Mayo crafts and decorations, see today's post on Momster.

Inspired by Feminine Design

I'm having my annual girl moment. It seems to happen in the spring so it must be my Pavlovian response to the sight of flowers in bloom.  Almost subconsciously, I begin to lighten up my living space, indulge in a few pastels, use glass in my decor more (and retire elements that are wood based or deeper in color). It shows up in my Pinterest boards as well, when I find myself pinnning more feminine interiors and color palettes. It's fleeting, just like spring, but I enjoy the moment when it's in front of me.

 

via Lavendela

 

Photographer Edward Pond for Style at Home

 

 Period Living

 

 Country Living

 

Hans Blomquist for Skona Hem 

 

Tine K Home

 

Hans Blomquist for Elle Interior 

 

via Sacramento Street

 

Designers Guild

 

Top flower photo from Saipua