Pretty Things

So, when you have an affection to create, re-create and alter, you look at 'things' in a different perspective. You always try to figure out how you can make it better......the unusual, but pretty way you can put your own twist to things.


Sewing is a great outlet for such. You can take a simple square shaped pillow and with just a design on an otherwise boring fabric, it can become artful.


Collecting simple elements over time, then 'bringing' it together for a functional piece is pure joy to me. I mix decorative elements with my everyday stuff. It has to work in my house! My home is my home, not a stage setting for a magazine!, not that I don't like that look, but it just does not work with our lifestyle. My husband is rough and tough, living among vintage elements......it's got to work around him. Therefore, I really don't have the white and pink stuff around. I chose to go with 'gaudy but functional' stuff in colors that blend with camoflage!!
So, vintage glassware in amber, amethyst and green make for a good mix.
No white walls with pink roses and creamy distressed furniture here. It's more like antiqued woods fauxed with fun and love......It's got to work.........

Myra's Wall Plaque

The very much needed 'lighten up' wall plaque!!

My sister let me redo this wall plaque that she had. It was way too dark. The thing was heavy and finished in a dark brown that masked all the gorgeous detail. Sooooo, of course I forgot to get a before shot!! But this is what it looked like after I primed the thing and started to apply a base coat of taupe.
Then, turquoise!!! Yea turquoise!!! (did I spell that right?....lol) But boy was it bright!! That's OK, it's a process.

After toning it down just a notch...
Than, add rich gold metallic paint and age it...then.....

Looks really different! I wish I had one for myself....

A Mini Chest Re-Do

This set of miniature chests is a junque find. Very dark, gloomy, not very inviting for a conversation piece in home decor. Found at a garage sale. Well, while at the camp, I decided to redo this thing. But first, I did remember to take a before picture (after I primed the first two chests....)
Couldn't decide what colors to paint it, so.......Why not three? Or really, four.
Sage green, mustard yellow and a terracotta something or other for the chests; and cream for the shelf unit. Glazed everything for an aging effect. Also, painted the trim with bronze paint. Really had a lot of fun with this...Picture is a little off on the colors, but you get the idea.

Much better, now where to put the thing....

It really doesn't go on this table, it was just a place to take the picture. I'm still a little decorator impaired when placing objects.....I may get better, but for now I enjoy redoing these things....makes me happy!!!!!!!!!

Mosaics

Sometimes you just wonder.........why you really have an interest in something. I started to play a little with mosaics. My first project I featured was on a previous post, my candlier.
I had a great time cutting and gluing all of those pretty little pieces of glass to those wooden balls.

You wonder.......when I was a little girl, this mosaic was on the front of a building on Main St. The building was one of my Great Grand-Father's businesses. As a little girl, I was amazed with the colors in the 'picture'. I had no clue what was a mosaic. The closest thing to that sort of art was the stained glass windows on the church. Still, it held my interest......
Don't let the picture fool you, the mosaic is actually about 15+ feet tall and wider than that. The original building was demolished, but they salvaged the mosaic and re-established it in the front entrance of the new building. It depicts our way of life on the bayou....fishing, raising cane, the oil-field, industries on land, in the marsh and offshore. It's sort of sentimental with this big ole oil spill in our 'back yard'. Down on the bayou, it's our way of life........and we want to keep it that way. Our way of life depends on fishing and oil...........we need both.

The Patio

Well, this is a side view of the building at the camp. A work in progress. Since there are no porches, a patio was definitely needed. My husband is constructing the interior. So........
During a trip to the local town, we brought in a pallet of 12" brick pavers..........I'm very proud to say that I off loaded the dang thing myself. Refused help from hubby (his work on the walls was a priority!!! for me!!!)....then, off to laying all 130+ tiles.....
Of course, give credit where credit is due. Hubby did do the leveling for me....to me that was the hard work.
Project supervisor....Phoebe...
Tuck them close together....
There you have it!!! It looks smaller in the picture, but believe me, there are over 130 tiles! During the summer, I hope to have some plants in the ground around the patio instead of the temporary one you see here. It's a great place to sit and enjoy the sunset and the evening breeze........

The Re-Created Shelf.....

My husband just gets a kick out of bringing me something out of the discarded pile to see my reaction. This piece was one of them. He was given this shelf from someone who was moving and decided not to put it in the moving truck. Looks like it was built some time ago, not sure if it was purchased or handmade. The finish was already stripped of the varnish coating but the wood was still stained.

When I told my husband I wanted to paint it, he reacted like I wanted to dismember the very core of the piece. Granted, it didn't have enough form to leave it just stained wood. Soooooo, defying the very principle that stained wood should never be painted (according to carpenters!), I primed the thing and held my breath........Hubby was not amused. Then painted on a sage green.

Plain painting does not exist well in my home...oh no....out came the need to embellish.....out came the stencil. I scraped on some 'Fast and Final' spackling onto the stencil and quickly removed the same. Then painted the raised area a bright red, yes, bright red.

After all was dry, then I heavily glazed it in a dark brown, wiped off most of the areas, but the glaze pretty much stayed heavy.

Now, it holds my jars of elements in my craft room next to my sewing table. Not the most 'beautiful' place in my house, but a spot that I can enjoy...for me. My Hubby will survive, he's getting used to it....

Aprons

I was at a craft show with my friend about a year ago and was fascinated with a booth that just sold handmade aprons. All styles from vintage inspired to BBQ style. I was hooked. My friend and I looked for a vintage inspired pattern and the rest is history. I've sewn aprons for her and her two daughters, flowery and girly camophlage styles.


I sewed this apron for my daughter a couple of weeks back. I finished a wild pink floral one for my daughter in law, but did I take a picture? no....Did I take pictures of the ones I made for my friend? no...... I'm trying to get better with the camera. What's the use of a blog without visuals????


I added a little interest as well. I had these mod earings in my stash of elements. They looked great on the apron.. Now, if I can just get mine done!! Until next time......

Re-Created Tray

Wow!! Two blogs in a row!! I must be on a roll. Had a very relaxing weekend and got to start up my etsy shop... it's under the name 'shannaandree'....... I have this tray listed. It started out as a junque find, just plain bamboo with silver colored metal handles and sides.


After painting a bright teal, it needed to 'calm down' a bit. So, I added the brown flourishes and glazed it with brown.....much better. The silver metal then had to go, painted gold and glazed with bronze. Then, sealed with a few coats of decoupage and it's done.


This was done while I was at the camp, again......I seem to get more stuff done at the camp that at my house......till next time.

Time.....

Where has time gone? Well, for a busy working woman, it has gone by way tooooooo fast. I must get back to basics. Back to things that really matter instead of the day to day grind. I looked around in my craft room and saw some things that I created, sewed, and spent my very little precious free time on. I'm still bad at taking before shots...as you will see.

The above picture is a ceramic trinket box that I have in my 'stock of stuff'. It is similar to the one I painted below, yes, I forgot to take a before shot......Lord help me!!!



This is the little beauty now. Delicate roses painted in yellow and edged in faded pink...More roses painted pink with yellow ribbon. The whole accented in a lush silver brushing. This little trinket gave me great joy in painting while I was at the hunting camp.

I've started an Etsy store.....I know, where do I find the time for that....Well, I have to, it's part of an outlet for the creative energy that is stored within us all. The ones who have time for blogging and wishing that they would blog. It's another world out there.............Until next time...

Peacocks!!

I always loved peacocks.....the colors, the gracefullness of the bird and feathers.....just love everything about peacocks, but I don't want to raise them. I have this bunch of feathers leftover from my son's wedding which was a peacock theme....loved it. I just admire them in my art room, awaiting inspiration.......


Has anyone done a project with peacocks lately?

Ahhhh!

Can you feel it? The soft warm breeze of a perfect summer day........ahhhh.......I'm waiting, for the warmth and brightness of that perfect day....later in the year of course. But for now, I'm enjoying reading blogs and escaping to my art room to doodle a little between phone calls, typing reports and brainstorming through my work day.......later......

New Inspiration

It's been an long time since I've blogged. Too many distractions, but new inspiration is upon us now with spring in the air. In bayou land, the shrimp boats are getting ready for the May season...the hunters are taking a break from their long elated winter activities. It's time to get the flower beds ready and the lawns cut.....love it...looking forward to another great season the Lord has given us.....

Flowers

Part of loving to re-create, is to take elements and either try to preserve them, or re-create them. I love flowers. I'm definitely not a gardener, I did not inherit a green thumb. But, I do enjoy being around them and enjoying their beauty. Whether they are silk, another fabric/material, ceramic, dried, etc.






Yellow Roses, I love them. These are some that I dried. Yes, they are dried! I placed them in Borax and corn meal, waited very patiently for three LONG weeks, then took them out and was very surprised that the coloring was maintained as well as the beauty......I'll have these guys around, awaiting inspiration for a project....








Yes, I even love ceramic roses on a perfectly gorgeos teapot. One of my sisters gave me this little beauty for Christmas.










And we can't forget this little guy from a previous post. If flowers are scarce, just rip up a pine cone and create your own!!
Silk flowers, they are lovely, even rescued ones from a gift package!!


Then, you have other dried creations of inspiration. These beauties are dried blooms from orchid trees which blooms in the fall. I love the faded pink. Aren't these just great for color inspiration!!


Hope you enjoyed the flowers...till next time...

IT'S DONE!!!

Finally, I finished the candelier! I love Saturday mornings when I can stay in my PJ's and finish a project. Phoebe stayed with me during the whole fun. I guess she likes the twinkling glass....


I guess it's true, you put something in front of me long enough and I will paint it gold!! Enjoy

Candle-ier update and such

I took a couple of pictures if the present state of the candle-ier. I'm in the accent painting phase now. It's coming along, can't wait to put it all back together, possibly this weekend. The spindle balls are no longer wood/white. After I mortored all the mosaic glass pieces, I painted the remainder with antique gold.


The glass pieces are green and gold. The green have an irridescence to it which reflects the light beautifully.

















Here's a picture of the pine cone flower that I made. I finished painting it. Still I don't have a clue as to what I will be doing with it, but oh well.......I'll have it for something.

Here's Phoebe........my substitute for grandchildren.....I'm an empty nester, no grandchildren yet.... Phoebe's a maltese with the sweetest personality. She's dainty and just a 'princess'.




















She loves to hang out with my husband and I, wherever we go. She is at home at the hunting camp as well. However, she does love to sleep, on a folding chair right next to me when I am crafting. I guess she feels she is doing her part to 'keep me calm'. Therapy...in all forms.....

In Progress

Ever started a project and then realized you forgot to take a 'before' picture.....well this is one of these times. My neighbor and I bought matching old chandeliers from a thrift store and thought it would be great if each of us would redo the thing, our way. Well, her's is too cute, painted pink and looking like the perfect compliment to a tea room. Below is a picture of mine, torn up and being redone. It was originally a light fixture with wooden spindles and wrought iron. It didn't have the globes. So, I tore it apart, painted the spindles white for the glass tiles to be more reflective. Then, cut glass and paste..........I have a lot more to do with it and can't wait to have it finished. I'm thinking antique gold accents! More color and lots of shine.......anticipation.....