One of the sad parts about being a busy teacher and designer, is that I rarely get an opportunity to take a class myself.
There are teachers and designers out there that have wonderful ideas, and techniques that I would love to try my hand at, but i just never seem to be able to find the time. Until now.

I recently registered for  an online class, to brush up on some lettering skills and learn some new techniques. The best part about it was I could access it at any time, I could work at it at my own pace and as often  as I could manage. Though I have been doing it in small doses it is paying big dividends!  Education of any kind is never wasted. The waste is in never stretching oneself, or in allowing our skills to wane.

www.artplaydate.com

This is the second time I have been involved with ART PLAY DATE. Ms Kelly Hoernig has been an inspiration, and the driving force behind it. The woman never stops... she is driven to provide great classes, great content and diversity, and given the list of teachers for 2016 ( among whom I have the privilege to be included) She has suceeded admirably.

A list of 22 experienced  Teachers , utilizing media of all sorts,  they have created  a series of classes that are touted  as mixed media, but it is my feeling that they are so much more than that. These classes offer techniques specific to the teacher, product knowledge you can't get anywhere else, and such fun designs!!

If you want to have a Look Go check out the ART PLAY DATE BOOKLET  to see WHO  you will be painting with, What you will be doing and what you can learn!

Giving a Pie Crust Table, New Life ,With DecoArt Americana Outdoor Living.

I Love flea Markets! The Sunday flea Market here is a wonderful place to find all kinds of paintable treasures, this past Sunday I found one of my favourite things... a Pie Crust table.. Half Moon variety. with Shelves! Though it looked a bit sorry, it was solid and in generally good shape, upon  inspection it appeared to have very few issues. certainly nothing that couldn't be managed with a little elbow grease.

Once I got it home the first thing on the agenda was to clean it up, to see just what I was dealing with, and to have a good look to see if there was anything that needed to be repaired. There was but it was relatively minor. A small area where the wood had been chipped. It let to a rather pleasant surprise... and that was to discover that the table wasn't made of a Ply wood with veneers but solid birch!




 Step 1: CLEANING!

These little shelves and tables were quite common during the  Edwardian Period, ( 1901 to 1914)and were still made into the 1930's so it has accumulated a good 80 to 100 years or more of furniture polish dust and grime. So a good cleaning is in order.

TSP ( Tri-Sodium Phosphate) mixed with warm water and a fine (000) steel wool, will help remove almost anything that shouldn't be there, as well as any loose varnish. rinse it well with a clean wet cloth and wipe it down several times to remove any residue. Let it dry thoroughly!

A light sanding to smooth out any rough areas or burrs is a good idea. when you are done, wipe the table back again to remove any dust.

     
                                                                STEP 2: REPAIRS!

I use a good quality wood fill, paintable variety. I don't worry about the colour as I am painting the table, but if I was going to gel stain it or use a not penetrating stain, I would use a wood fill that is close to the colour of the wood.

It is best to apply wood fill in thin layers. ( I hate piling it on , only to have it crack or worse shrink, then you have to do it again anyway) . Take your time , fill holes and chips like this one with two to three thin layers, sanding between layers , you will have more control, and in the end the patch will be nearly if not completely  invisible.


STEP 3: SANDING.

I like a great sandpaper....it has to cut in well but not leave gouges and scratches. One of the best on the market for this kind of work.. is 3M Pro Grade Precision, It's an ultra Flexible sanding sheet available in different grits. it is washable and reusable.  I use a P150 for the initial sanding to remove old finish, and burrs. then I switch to a P320 ( extra Fine) to smooth everything out. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove any dust and debris. use a clean cloth to wipe it a second time to remove any remaining residue. Let it DRY thoroughly.




STEP 4: PAINTING.
Two very important things here...first a patch test. Find a spot to test the paint you are going to use. and paint a small area 4 or 5 inches. Leave the patch area to dry well then have a look at it, just to ensure that the existing finish isn't going to cause any bleed through.  If you are NOT SURE. Apply a coat of STAIN BLOCKER to the piece.. It is far better to err on the side of caution than to have your hard work ruined by blotches seeping through the paint.  I applied a coat of stain blocker over the wood filled repair, just to ensure a uniform sheen.

Second: Buy a good quality Furniture painting brush , there are so many out there, and in all honesty if you are going to be painting furniture for fun or profit, INVEST in a great brush for the purpose. , It will make your life so much easier and the results of your work will reflect it. I recommend Wooster brushes  for interior or exterior and  for a number of DIY applications. You can get them in a variety of Filaments for different media.

I like to paint all the Spindles  first... they are the most tedious , so I get them out of the way first. Work with small amounts of paint at a time and paint the grooves horizontally and the longer flat areas vertically.  If you keep the amounts of paint small you will have fewer issues with drips or runs. I would rather have to apply 3 coats than try to sand out nasty drips and runs.

When painting larger open spaces, apply the paint in long pulls edge to edge. if you run out of paint in the pull, you can pick up more then apply this in the opposite direction going over the last pull, edge to edge. ( this will help you avoid stop and start marks in your finish and  provide a nice even coat.)

Be patient. Let each coat dry well before you sand lightly and then wipe it clean with a damp cloth before you apply the second coat. I followed the instructions on the jar, and the finish is excellent!

This is Just 1 Coat!

These DecoArt Americana OUTDOOR LIVING Paints, Apply very easily. They are quite smooth and creamy in consistency, and spread beautifully! The coverage in one coat is very nice, but a second coat will give you a beautifully opaque finish. It dries to the touch very quickly, and self levels, so brush marks in the finish are almost non existent.  This paint was designed for exterior applications,  and is formulated to adhere to a variety of surfaces including Wood, Masonry , Concrete, Terra Cotta, even Plastic furniture and accessories.
If you are painting a porous  surface, be sure to apply paint to ALL surface areas ( Inside , outside, edges etc) to prevent moisture getting behind the paint finish. Once dried and cured this paint is light and colour fast.
It's also an really easy clean up!! Soap and water! It came out of my brush quick n easy.

A wonderfully affordable and effective way to spruce up your outdoor living space.

Wonderful!!

            Visit www.DecoArt.com for more information and Creative Ways to Use this Product!

Refinishing, and Relief Stencilling Your Kitchen Cabinet Doors...

This is a republishing of an Older Blog post from a few years ago.. I think it bears repeating as the resurgence of refinishing and up cycling  has continued and this technique is easily updated with a change of colour. Or even using Chalk Paint!!

So this is it.. the post about How to refinish and Relief Stencil your kitchen cabinets. Enjoy...!


If you ever wondered how to update your cabinetry , within a budget and end up with something that you can live with for a long time to come.... I have the answer.it takes a few steps , but in the end it will have been worth it. This is the beginning of our Kitchen makeover, we'll post more as we go...for now this is just the first step.

step 1: Convincing your husband that Painting those tired 80's oak cabinets is the best idea to refresh your Kitchens appearance .... it's easy to accomplish, call in three of the most expensive cabinet makers in town to quote you on your "Refreshment Project"... Hubby's reluctance to "Paint Good Wood" will rapidly disappear.

Step 2: DO NOT allow hubby to select the paint colour, but you must drag him to Home Depot, and ask for his opinion and reject each one until he reaches the colour you prefer.

Step 3:Once you have hubby select the sample that you have clearly indicated as your choice. Come to a mutual understanding that your choice is quite obviously the best one, and congratulate him on his excellent taste.

Step4:Pack Suitcase.

Step:5 Before leaving for your SPA weekend with the girls,:make a list to remind hubby to remove all the hardware, clean, sand and prime the doors and boxes of all the cabinetry, and apply three coats of your colour choice to the lower cabinets, while you are away.

Step 6: Enjoy facial, Massage, manicure and pedicure, then dinner with the girls. Drink wine. Email hubby for update on his progress.Ask for pictures.

Step 7: Show pictures to the girls, Respond to email with compliments from Girlfriends, thank girlfriends with more wine.

Step 8: Enjoy final day at the Spa and celebrate the progress in your kitchen with more wine with Girlfriends. Return home.

Step 9: Now That the hard work is done ...it is time to do the pretty stuff.We have chosen to do a stencil relief on the center panels of the Upper cabinets.So we tested the Finish on an old door, but a piece of MDF will work too.

Pictured above are the materials that I used for our Kitchen cabinet redo.... A little texture Stucco.... my favorite stencil... and "Hubby" Primed Cabinet doors. I used one of my favorite palette knives but , if your more comfortable with a taping knife than by all means use it!

Step 10:Start by taping your stencil in place on the primed surface,( a small piece just to hold it steady) then using the knife, apply a thin coat of the Stucco over the image of the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil and let the stucco dry before repositioning the stencil. Repeat this for each door and allow it to dry well.

Step 11:Lightly Sand the stencil relief to remove any sharp or loose bits, and to smooth out any rough edges. The Stucco is very hard when dry so you can be fairly aggressive with the sanding.

Step 12:Have Hubby Apply two to three coats of Your colour of choice over the relief letting ech coat dry thoroughly before applying the next.

Step 13: Have hubby Spray the existing hardware with a metal paint, the colour of your choice. Encourage hubby by reminding him that this team effort will be worth it!!

Fortunately for me , My husband has a sense of humour and enjoys DIY as much as I do...We'll post more as the cabinets are completed but thought you might enjoy this quick tutorial.
Thanks for playin in our sandbox!!

Tracy and Chuck

Change and the Painted Door

Photo Credit  www.theberry.com 

     'When one Door Closes...Another opens" as tired a phrase as it may be , it is apt. There are a great many opportunities in change, and refusing to adapt to it, quite often, just leaves you on the wrong side of the door.
     I like to look at Change as a catalyst to creativity, How do I adapt what I do to suit these changes , or if they cannot be adapted, how do I change what or how I do things? It's not as scary as you think it is... it can be a lot of fun.  Sometimes you just have to scrap it all and start from scratch, but that can be fun too!  Being intimidated by change is normal, we are always frightened by what we don't know or understand, but the best way to deal with the unknown, is to get to know it.

"NEW" DecoArt Media

  New Art and Craft Products are a perfect example, as products in this industry change constantly!
      Knowing  what you are working with and what it's limitations are, is the first step. Dig in , read everything the manufacturer has to say about it's product and how to use it. Look for project sheets, product information, and Tutorials.  Ask other designers, and artists what they do with it, what they use it for, what they recommend.
      Then it's time to get dirty, start playing with it, see how it responds to the brush , to the cloth,to the knife.  Manipulate it, colour it, wash over it, push it through stencils , stamp with it, stamp on it, freeze it, thaw it, spray it, TRY anything with it! Do a hundred sample boards with it, see what makes it work and what makes it fail. When you do these things  you will clearly see the potential in a product as it applies to your work. Not only that, you will have a clear understanding of what the product is capable of.
     All too often artists won't attempt things with a new product because " I don't want to waste it"........ it IS wasted if all it does is sit on the paint rack. If you learn something from it while playing and experimenting , it has NOT gone to waste. Even if what you learned , is that it isn't for you.
     Trying out new Products in your  design work can have a positive and rejuvenating effect, on both your work and on your attitude. We can often get a little bogged down and uninspired , adding a twist to what you already do, can often be just what the DR Ordered to put the spring back in your brushes.

Photo Credit Tracy Weinzapfel Studios 

      You want a twist?? You have to Check out Tracy Weinzapfel Studios....Here is an artist that just runs with it!!
     She is utterly fearless when it comes to playing with product. She has tremendous creativity and a go for it attitude when it comes to change. She has a very positive approach with a  colourful personality and exudes confidence ! All of those attributes are reflected in her work! It's colourful, vibrant and dynamic and above all it's FUN!

Utilizing and capitalizing on the change within the industry and with product, is essential to a fresh take on your artwork. We creative types get bored easily...as is evidenced by the STASH of STUFF that we have collected. I for one will have to live to 125 to paint and paint with  everything I have accumulated , and thats assuming I Don't accumulate more in the mean time.

Change to this industry  with Shop Closures, and The minimization of the Big Boxes in the last decade has brought us  to Web Ordering for supplies, to Video Tutorials right at home via You Tube and Streaming Sites. It has brought us to E Patterns and E Zines. Blogs and Online courses , things that didn't exist  just 10 yrs ago. It has opened up the WORLD to us as designers and painters. Change... Is a good thing , if we embrace it's potential.

When One door Closes....it gives you the opportunity to paint the other side of the door .