3/31/12

The Skinny on Homemade Chalk Paint


This is something I have been dying to try ever since I first heard of Chalk Paint for furniture. Chalk paint is designed to create a weathered or time worn finish. The big attraction to working with chalk paint is that there is no prep work involved. There is no need to sand or strip a piece of furniture to ensure that your paint will adhere. You can simply just paint over the existing finish and then once the paint is dry it is suppose to distress beautifully!

3/30/12

A Happy Friday

Can a great day get any better???

Today my Images of Ireland post is one of the featured links over at one of my most favorite blogs AT The Picket Fence!


Did you see their feature in this month's issue of Romantic Homes magazine?


And not ten minutes ago as I was sitting here writing my next post the doorbell rang and it was the postman with a certified letter for me. It was from Denise over at the blog A Girl and a Brush and she sent me my winnings from her latest giveaway!!!
Wohooo is all I thought when I opened up the cute card she sent and a fifty dollar bill slipped out!


Thank you lovely ladies of At the Picket Fence for the feature today and to my friend Denise for the fifty bucks!!!

Hold on...wait up a minute...I just received an e-mail from Michelle Paige that my Easter mantel is being featured today over at her self titled blog...Michelle Paige.


Thank you Michelle!!!

Have a really great Friday everyone!!

3/29/12

God Knows what He is Doing and A Sneak Peek at My Next Painted Furniture Project

Last Sunday was my first Sunday to volunteer in our church's gift shop. The shop itself is located in the basement of a building which lies adjacent to the church. It has a lot of beautiful items which are sold at incredibly low prices. The only trouble with the shop is that it's ahh, hate to say, it kinda looks...well it does look rather dumpy!

In talking with the gal who runs the shop I found out that they are planning to spruce it up in the coming months with paint and some newer used displays.  All I thought was God put me here for a reason because this is sooooo up my proverbial alley! Anyway they had these card stands which are probably older than me if you can imagine that, and the gal in charge was going to toss them out. But being of the "don't throw that away we can make it better" mentality, I immediately volunteered to paint these sad forgotten relics and give them new life!

Here's what I brought home to paint...



 I told you these things were ancient...



And look how dirty they were. Yuuuuk!!! I literally had to give them a bath in the tub to clean them up!


So with 2 cans of my trusty spray paint I was able to transform them into up-to-the-minute and stylish black card racks. I used Krylon's Dual paint in a glossy black which is both paint and a primer, and can be used on metal.

Don't the girls look just lovely decked out in basic black?





I can't wait to bring them back this Sunday to see what everyone thinks. It always amazes me at what a little paint can do!

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Now here's a quick peek at  my next painted furniture project. I bought this desk for twenty bucks two years ago and it has been sitting in my garage ever since.






I plan to keep the top a natural matte and then make my own chalk paint using calcium carbonate in regular latex paint.


I ended up buying the calcium carbonate from Amazon.com. The cost was $8.26 per 12 oz. container so I bought 2 because I lucked out and received one of Amazon's special $10 gift certificate discounts. My total cost here was $12.69 including both shipping and handling.

I'm very excited to get started on this desk...I'm looking at beginning tomorrow as long as the weather is nice!


If you like this post please vote for me. You can vote by clicking on the image below.
Thank you







Sharing my oldies but goodies at these parties...

vif187

shabby creek cottage



Photography Tip Thursday # 8 ~ My Final Five Photograph Choices


First of all let me give a big shout out to all of my Bloggy and Facebook friends for your active participation in helping me select the final five photographs for last night's straight photography presentation. You all were truly very helpful and I have to say extremely consistent in your choices!

So with that being said...here are my final five in order of popularity...







And my personal favorite...




All in all avery good collection! My presentation went well and I should get my final grade in the next couple weeks.

Last evening after the presentation and critiquing of all student photos, we went on to do some Photoshop projects of which I must say, Photoshop not only eludes me but also stresses me out to no end! For any of you who have ever worked with Photoshop you know that it can help you produce some amazing images but...and a big but at that...it is also something you really need to work with a lot to be proficient, you can't just sit down and do it. There is no self teaching due to the fact that the format really does have a language all of it's own, and that language takes some time to learn!

So my next assignment is to create a photo landscape alternative and yes...I will have to work with Photoshop in order to create my picture. Most likely I'll also need a tranquilizer or two and bring a big flask with me to class to help me get through this one. Although I have plenty of ideas for this assignment, I technically feel incredibly innept as far as executing them in the Photoshop format.

Well I have a little time anyway! I just may have to talk Mr. Rosemary Lane into purchasing one of the less expensive Photoshop packages so I have something to play with. Mmmm...maybe it can be an early Mother's Day gift from the kids!!!

Have a great week and to all of you who gave me your input yesterday...thank you so very much!


3/28/12

Please Help Me Choose Photographs for my Assignment Due Tonight!!!

Help please...I have my straight photo assignment due this evening at 6pm and I have to present 5 photos for critiquing. I am having a hard time deciding on which ones to submit although I have at least 3 I know I want to go with.So since you all have an amazing eye for style and design, I am asking you to please help me choose.

Straight photography is just what the name implies...it is pictures of the world as seen by the human eye with no added special effects. In this genre light and pattern are common elements in the photographs.

Take a look at the photos below and then let me know which ones evoke either a feeling, you just like looking at, or are simply drawn to. I am hoping that you will like at least one and let me know. There are 20 so your comment can be as easy as ..."I like 3". 

Thank you and I look forward to reading your choices!!!

 (All photos have been taken by me over the last 2 1/2 weeks.)

One


Two

Three


Four

Five


Six


Seven


Eight


Nine


Ten


Eleven


Twelve


Thirteen


Fourteen


Fifteen


Sixteen


Seventeen


Eighteen


Nineteen


Twenty

Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos and vote!!!

Asking for help at these parties...


{Junk in their Trunk}
 

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