UnResolved Resolutions But A New Year to Continue

2011 has been a good year.  I have been blessed in actions and activities that are not momentous but very appreciated.  And mostly there have not been any disheartening moments.  So my cup is more that half full.  Of this I am very grateful and hope that 2012 is as good and maybe better. 

My computer died in the beginning of November, so no post till now.  I really went thru painful withdraws and depression from not have access to my computer and all the pics and information I had on it.  I was able to save a lot of data, but the lastest pics of projects are still on that harddrive. 

Here a picture of the school desk that I painted and with the happy owner. 

The school desk was delivered to beautiful Florida when I took my mother to her winter home.  It was a pleasant 70 degrees for the few days I was there.  We worked hard for 4 days getting her Christmas decorations out and up.  Then I flew back home.  I had most of my Florida gifts done by Thanksgiving.  But not Mom's I am working on a painting for her even now.  Hopefully will get it completed this weekend.  It is now a New Years gift. 

I sold several items this year which is getting better.  The economy in my area of Kentucky has not been conducive to the unnecessary.  And since the computer death, my Etsy shop is in very dire need of attention.  This is one of my resolutions.  To maintain and grow my Etsy shop and sell more of my painted furniture and customized mirrors. (Wish I had some pics to show you).  I hope that you all will help me stay on track.  I have so many ideals but am so bad about getting side tracked or distracted.

I am working a regular job (8-5), but am not sure if it will be permanent.  I know that I will have
it for several months.  I am happy about a steady income and sad for lack of freedom.  And less time to work on projects if I want to reasonably maintain my laundry and home :-)

I think that I had better get to taking some pictures and putting items back in my Etsy shop. 
Here is one of the gourd baskets that I am going to place in my Etsy shop and hope to get a few more done this month.  Don't rush me, but please check distinctsurfaces.etsy.com once in a while to see what I have gotten done.

I also discovered Annie Sloan Chalk paint.  It is suppose to be great on furniture.  I have a couple of projects planned to test it out and will let you know the results in my next visit. 

Well, I better get to work on my resolutions. Love and Peace to everyone. Happy 2012.

Harvest of Life, Art and the Season

Happy Fall & Happpy Halloween.

It is a beautiful Autumn day.  Here is a couple of pictures up at my brother's Estill county farm. 

I have so much to tell you all.  My friends and I have had a busy season,  Had a great time helping and crafting at the Craft Camp in beautiful Jabez KY.  It is was cool and rainy but my friends made it a warm and fun time.  Here is a couple of the pictures of the project that I got to help my friend Pam taught (the Ghost gourd on the table) and my Homemakers group (Rowdy Golden Girls) having a great time on the porch.  

There are 2 reasons that I enjoy participating in

workshops. 

1.  The artist sharing their skills see a craft from different perspective and get you an opportunity to

use products prior to the investment and to see first hand results.  And 2.  It is a great way to be with current friends and make new friends that have the same interests as yourself.  
It was a wonderful weekend with the girls. 

Here are a few gourds that I have transformed

in the last few weeks. 

Did the jeweled gourd at the craft camp. 
 Angie Kilby (in the top) was the instructor
of this craft.  It gave me a chance to try a couple
of different alcohol inks and see how they differed.  
Angie had 2 types of alcohol inks available. 
One was "GourdMaster" available thru
http://www.wellborngourdfarm.com/ and
the other was "Adirondack" from Michael's. 
 I actually liked the more translucent
one on the gourd so that you can still see the
design of the gourd skin. This was the

"Adirondack"    I also used the alcohol

inks in this leaf bowl from a giant box gourd. 

 

My sunflower girl was quite a learning experience.
 I saw a painted  canvas doll made similar to it and
decided to try to make one using all gourds.   Her face is molded, and I used some Qwik wood to reinforce the petals, but I managed to keep of her
all gourd.  I am pretty proud of her.  I am trying to learn to sculpt faces to fit my gourds but so far they don't look too good. 

I am not too sure if any have read many blogs in the past few weeks.  I really haven't paid much attention this summer.  I am sure that my reading will pickup as the weather get cooler.   I have booked marked a few so that I can go to them when I have the time. 

One new blog site that I have found very interesting is kentuckynativeplantandwildlife.blogspot.com.  I have been trying to creat a native plant garden for several years.  But my gardening skills suck.  I do not have a green thumb unless  I dip it in green paint.   But I keep on trying.  I am very good a growing native weeds. Which are just plants in the wrong location.   My gardent looks great at this moment as it is mostly covered with the autumn leaves. 

  I finished the floor cloth for my son's room.  I could have put more color on it, but I decided to keep it simple with the two tones of gray and a few highlights.    

I am still working on the bar,  completed the new wall on the back of the cabinets to provide additional support to old the old reclaimed wood that will be the bar.  I never new that using a belt sander was so good

for building up biceps.  My arms and shoulders got so tired ;-)  Belt sanding old rough cut wood is alot more time consuming that I expected.    Even though my husband warning me.  I has been rumored that I am alittle hard headed. 

The days are getting shorter and I always need more time.  We have Christmas holidays to being to prepare for.  I am in the process and doing so and hope that everyone will give their friends and loved one something created with their hearts and hands.  These are the best gifts, filled with love.    Keep this in mind as we pass thru the next few weeks. 

Keep on Keeping On - Dog Days of Summer

"Be true to yourself; cherish whatever talent you possess, and in using it faithfully for the good of others you will not assuredly find happiness for your self, and make of life no failure, but a beautiful success." .... Louisa May Alcott

I must apologize for my lack of dedication.  I seem to get side tracked so easily.  I really appreciate you all putting up with me.  I have been on the road constantly and have projects spread out. I am working on multiple projects spread out in several locations.  I have run out of room in my studio area.  I really need to do some culling.  My sons threatens to turn me in to one of the hoarder shows, but I still have space, just not alot. 

 I am working on my floor cloth in my in-laws basement.  I have been putting 2 coats of gray tinted prime on each side of heavy canvas.  Today I get to put on my base coat of gray,  then will start stenciling and embellishing.  I have been waiting several days inbetween each coat so that every thing is throughly dry.  I clean a couple of times a week at my in-laws due to their various health issues and age (80s).  I have been blessed to be working for myself so that I have been able to help them out this summer. 

I also go to Mom's two or three days a week.  There an old school desk that awaits my attention at this spot.  This picture is of the desk just after it was cleaned and sanded.  I am not going to explain what I am going to paint on it.  It is for my cousin who (for painting this piece) gave me a piano bench.  I have one piano bench that I have a folkart painting on.  But this one will be much different. I will write about it when I am able to get it started.
 
At home, I got a new dishwasher for my birthday, so we have been switching them out.  Have you ever noticed that the connections never are the same.  AND they don't come with the new dishwasher.  Very fustrating when you live 10 miles out in the county.  I took off the back of the cabinets and removed my table.  I am going to put doors in to make access to the pumping in the corner easier.  Also am going to put in a bar with some 2 x 12 in oak that we have.  I hope that I will be able to cut it.  The longer oak sits the harder it gets.  Then LOTs of sanding.  I wish my brother and his workshop were a 1000 miles closer.

Plus, I am getting gourds ready for a class that my friend, Pam Price (a wonderful artist) & I are going to instruct a halloween gourd painting at craft camp in late September.   They are all washed, basecoated and pattern scketched on.  My old army cot make a great drying rack.  All of my gourds are clean.  Thats a first!  

For fun this past month, I took my first "Bob Ross" class.  I don't want to paint in oil .  I enjoy taking workshops and it is a fun way to learn new techniques plus get together with friends.  I did not finish my painting, but will. It just needs to a corrections and details. A lot can be transfered over to waterbase painting. 

Also, my homemaker's group (the Rowdy Golden Girls ;-) ) craft were these pinked and frayed cloth flowers. I got the directions off of Martha Stewarts web site.  They are fun and easy to make.  Just take a 4in strip of clothe folded in half.  You have to sew a basting line along the folded edge and gather to about half the original length.  Then roll up and whip stitch as you go.  The only tip I have is to keep your gather side as flat as possible. I glued my flowers to a purse that I purchased at Wally world and it really made it much cuter.   They can be put on hats, lapels, balls, anything!!!

I am glad that my Long Island girls, Sue & Kathryn, got thru Irene without any great losses.  Hope my family in the Carolinas didn't suffer too much water.  I haven't heard.  

I will catch you up on my doin's soon.  Stay safe.

PS. if anyone who reads this blog is interested, I have a "fencing" uniform that I am selling.  It is my son's and is a 42 in chest (medium). Just let me know and I will send you the info. 

Missed Again

Once again, I did not get a project completed on time.  Due to family emergency I did not finish the bedroom floor before my son moved back home.  I scrubbed the logs down and applied a new coat of varnish.  Laid down the underlayment and got the plywood down and 2 coats of the base coat (Medium Gray).   But then life interrupted.   We have decided to paint a floorcloth the same base color and apply the stencil and finish to it.   The family emergency involves our elderly parents and has been adverted but we are still working thru it.  We will be very observant for a few more weeks and hopefully more normal as usual.  As those who know me well, realize that my version of normal is not really normal ;-).

Here is the room varnished and base coated with my son having brought some of his stuff home. But I am glad he is home, maybe ;-).

Before life got out of control, I did get a couple of gourds transformed.  I have a coiled bowl and a blue gourd basket finished.  I work on these in the evening while waiting for something else to dry or cure.  And it keeps me out of trouble.  If you are interested in them, they are online at http://distinctsurfaces.etsy.com. 

On my soapbox. I have been worrying about America's economy lately and wondering how all this is going to effect those of us who work is not a requirement of life.  I know of many decorative finishers who have struggled or left this line of work in the past several years.  What we do is not a necessity but art is a part of having quality of life.  I can not imagine not being able to improve someones surroundings and making their life more serene, exciting, calmer, relaxing, inviting or how ever they want to feel when they view my art or step into a room.   I hope that all my artistic friends and peers are always successful in their hopes and goals. 

Art is not an easy job to be successful in.   I am still surprised at how hard I have to work.    I know that all whom might read this be supportive of your artistic friends and family, just as my family and friends have been of me.  I am grateful to you all.

Well, in my next blog I hope to show you the floorcloth and maybe a smaller project or two.  

I have a window and wall cabinet that I hope to put distressed mirrors in so I will focus on those for now.  I hope you keeping checking up on me to see if I get anything accomplished this July.  See you around the 30th.



Summer has begun, I am behind as ususal!

A Happy Summer to everyone!! It is hard to believe that the year is half way passed.  I always have so much that I want to do and learn (about blogging and marketing online).  My latest excuse... Family has been up visiting this past week.  And I have had a wonderful week with my aunts, uncles and cousins.  I really enjoy doing genealogy and have spent hours reviewing and scanning old documents and pictures.  But this does keep me from doing the necessary things to that I should be keeping up with.  Oh well, those things aren't going anywhere, I can do them tomorrow ;-) 

I did get my stairway stenciled.  I haven't added the color accents yet, haven't decided exactly what I want to use yet.  But I like the simple look of the two colors at the moment.  They brighten up a dark stairway.  

  

One thing I did find out about my stairway is that my stair's riser heights vary.  A couple were 6 inches, 6.5 in., 5.5in  this made for quite abit of adjusting and frustration. Things are never as easy as one hopes.  I repeated the stencils on the upper section of the stairway.   I am really happy with the results so far.  I decided not to put the faux bois graining on the treads of the stairs at this time.  I am afraid that it will make the stairs too busy and take away from the stencilling.  Before I finish with the accent colors, I am going to be doing my son's bedroom floor. (This is what I am behind on).   I hopefully will get the rest of the furniture out of the way and get the old carpet out.   I did order my Large Feathered Damask stencil  (www.royaldesignstudio.com) that I am going to use on the floor.  I am getting excited about finally getting this project moving.   I will post more details in the next posting.  

I do want to repeat that stencils are great tools to use.  They are useful to DIYers, artist and crafters.   I have been inspired in many way by looking at projects others have done using stencils.   The Royal Design website shows many of these. 

One last thing,  If you live around Clark county Kentucky,  The public library is having an art show of local artist during July.  I put my gourds in that I showed in my last posting.  I also put in a Altered Mirror Window and an acrylic  painting below. 

I have to brag that I have a fantastically talented friend whom will have artwork on display also.  This would be a fun day trip for the family or a group of friends.  I hope that my Rowdy Golden Girls homemaker group will met up together and go.   Clark county has a wonderful library.  They do alot of activities for the community and a great research department.  I hope that everyone will come by and visit.

See you all when the month is half past. 

Working on Transformations

I have not been ignoring my friends and customers.  When to Florida and got Mom to bring north for the summer.  I have been stripping a table to ready to apply a decorative finish too.  I have been working on gourds with my friends Pam and MaryAlice.  These are fun once you get past the mold.  Here are a couple of things we did in May.  

 

I also have had a yard sale and am trying to get ready for my son to move back home.  He is tired of not having any money.  Welcome to my world   ;-).  Of course, I had taken over his space as soon as he left home.

One last thing that I would like to mention is that I am basecoating my stairs today.  I have for several years been inspired by Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studios.  She did a set of stair that are stenciled all the way down.  I pulled up my worn carpet and will hopefully have this completed in the next couple of weeks (maybe three).  I have many stencils from http://www.royaldesignstudios.com/ and http://www.modellodesigns.com/ .  Hopefully my stairway will be as nice as Melanie's is.  It took a long time to decide what colors to use with my log walls.  I went with a dark gray base and will use light gray for a neutral design.  I will faux bois the treads with the light gray also.  I will do many coats of clear top coat.  And then I will use what ever accent colors I am in the mood for, to complete.  This way if I desire to change the accent color, I can do so with out changing the main works.  Here is how the stairs currently look. (only not sideways, I haven't figured  everything out yet) .  Hopefully I will do better in keeping you up to date. 

Another New Step

Hello everyone, glad that you have come to visit.  I hope to be telling you what I am currently working on or getting on my soap box about different issues.   The saying "do what you love" is what I am trying to work toward.  My family has always loved to fix, refinish and repurpose furniture.  I express that quality in painting my found treasures and make them in to functioning art if possible.   Most everyone that I know have seen pics of my painting on facebook.  I am trying to get my albums linked up to the blog but haven't been successfull yet.  Hopefully when you come back, I'll have it straightened out.

I have an etsy shop (distinctsurfaces.etsy.com) where I sell the smaller items that I have painted.   I haven't sold larger items in my shop cause I am timid about shipping them.  Hopefully I will get it figured out also.
I have so much to learn about selling, shipping, blogging, and not getting over whelmed by it all.

The past few weeks I have been working on mirrors.  I have been inspired by Melanie Royal's mirror and glass workshop.  I have been recreating mirrors for old window frames.  I have wasted several learning the process of distressing, etching, gilding the mirrors.  But it have been alot of fun working on them.  The Antiquing solution smells like rotten eggs so the animals think I am cooking. 
I am still trying to figure out how to get everything to work together so today I apologize for the looks of my blog, I hope to improve it quickly.  But for today, the clock as struck 12 EST.  Sweet Dreams.  I hope that you will continue to come and visit with me. 
Have a wonderful Week and upcoming Easter.