Something Old, Something New

Something old, something new… How fun is it to re-purpose something old to have a completely new function in your home?  After making over my daughter’s room this spring we were left with one wall that we decided to use to display her artwork.  The problem was we didn’t know how best to display it so the wall remained blank and the artwork remained in a pile.  Frames seemed the most likely choice in all sizes and I envisioned them painted black with hinges to easily change out the work.  However I did not have an overabundance of frames on hand and the more I thought about it the more unsure I was that this would be the best solution.  Unexpectedly I was given some old things to re-purpose and among them were two 5 foot old screens framed in wood. Driving home with them in the car I just couldn’t get my mind off the possibility that this could somehow be the answer to my design dilemma.  The frames were old with lots of character I could see them adding the perfect blend of rustic meets modern to my daughter’s room.  Wheels turning in my mind I called my mom and within a few minutes the design was coming together crystal clear in my mind and hers.  You just gotta LOVE moms!  I couldn’t wait to get home and as soon as I unloaded the screens I pulled out my paint and went to work.  I painted the Eiffel Tower and several French words/sayings directly onto the screens in different shades of the same color and in different fonts.  As luck would have it the wooden frames of the screens already had a crackle finish in just the right color for the room I would be using them in.  However, this would have been a simple step to complete for this particular project, just in case you want to try this at home.  After painting on the design I added 4 sets of picture wires and hooks to the front of the frames and added picture hangers to the back of the frames.  Just like that the project was complete and ready for display.  Small close pins were painted with an accent color and used on the picture wire to hang artwork.  I think you will like the results and how easy and fun it will be to change the artwork up without having to worry about what size it is.  This is the perfect solution to our dilemma and looks great when displaying artwork or as a work of art itself. 

Summer Fun

We all like to find and do fun or special things with our children over the summer so this post is in honor of summer fun.  Recently my girls used glow chalk for the first time.  It was a birthday gift received earlier in the summer and frankly it’s been too hot to even think about using it.  We finally had a small break from the summer heat and by small I mean instead of being 100+ at dusk it was in the low 90’s .  The girls jumped at the chance to give the glow chalk a try.  You add water and shake then pour the chalk into molds (provided in the chalk kit) then the hard part; literally…you have to wait for the chalk to harden.  This takes a good 45 minutes.  Once the chalk is ready you head outside to draw anything you like on your drive or sidewalks.  The effect is amazing!  My girls not only covered the driveway but then used the remaining chalk to draw on themselves.  The tiny little bits that were left after all that fun were crumbled around the walkway until it looked like Tinkerbelle herself had recently visited my garden.  So, if you are looking for an inexpensive way to have a little late night fun with your family this summer, I highly recommend glow chalk!  I know for a fact we will be using it again very soon.  I am also certain it will find its way into Christmas stockings, Easter Baskets and lots of future get togethers with friends and family.  Happy Chalking!

A Very Happy Birthday!

My home is most certainly MY CANVAS!  Those who know me know that I am not afraid to paint, paint and repaint all the rooms in my house to my heart’s content.  Often I like to think of a room redo as a gift to myself.  For example; Vine in the dining room, a house warming to myself, Mural in living room, a mother’s day gift,  I think you get the idea. Basically I am more than willing to use any excuse to try a new wall color or add artwork to an existing wall.  This year’s birthday was no exception!  My family and friends treated me to a lovely night out at a local business called Paint Your Art Out where we all painted a picture of poppies together.  Oh how I love to paint poppies, all colors, all sizes and on just about anything for any reason I can think of.  This was the perfect celebration, sharing something I love (painting) with my friends and my girls.  All of our paintings turned out GREAT and I’m thrilled that I get to hang a gallery of three in my kitchen.  Thanks to everyone who played a part in making my birthday memorable!

1-2-3 Pear Table

For me the creative process starts as a small longing to create something and that longing continues to grow until I release it.  Sometimes I’m so excited to begin a project that I start with little more than a fuzzy concept in mind, such is the case with this Pear table.  I knew that I wanted the end result to be a continuous design regardless of how many table leafs where in place.  While sanding the table to prep it for paint the idea of the pear came to me, if I cut the pear perfectly in half then I was certain my design idea would work.  Placing all the leafs in the table I freehanded three pears attempting to keep them all about the same size and then added small touches of detail like stems and leaves.  Once that was complete it was time to make sure each pear lined up no matter what piece of the table provided the other half of the pear.  Put a table leaf in, check the pear; take a table leaf out, check the pear.  You get the idea; believe it or not the most difficult part of this process was the stems.  Painting came next; I painted each pear to be similar but not identical keeping in mind where my highlights fell on each pear so that when they shared sides with each other it would look as if I painted it as a whole pear even though I might not have.  I absolutely LOVE the end result of this dining table!  With no leaf in the table it is one pear with lots of leaves at the stem, with one table leaf added it becomes two pears and with the second table leaf added it becomes three pears.  All in all this project took me one day to complete and two days to seal.   I would love to hear what you think!

Currently this table is for sale so if you are interested email me at yourhomemycanvas@cox.net 

Entering the world of bloggers

Entering the world of bloggers I find myself a bit intimidated and at the moment speechless.  I am certain that I'm not the first to encounter these feelings so I will press on and learn as I go.  I will also be somewhat thankful that as of yet I have no followers and therefore really no reason to be intimidated by this new adventure.   My plan, while really more of a loose concept, is to post about the murals, canvases and furniture that I paint.  And, just to be sure I'm giving you a reason to check back in with me I will also attempt to post helpful tips about painting, decorating and crafting.  A sort of do's and dont's learned I assure you by my own trials and errors along life's merry way.  Here we go...

About a year ago I decided to jump into the world of the self employed and start my own Mural business.  Even though I have been an independent distributor with a home based business for the past eleven years and counting and claim to know a thing or two about sales, this would prove to be quite the adventure.  I have always done paintings and murals for family and in recent years for more and more friends so with a little encouragement I set out to build a website and claim my spot in the world (okay maybe just in Oklahoma and surrounding areas) as a working artist.  My website for those of you who have not visited it yet is; http://www.yourhomemycanvas.com/  Welcome to "My Canvas" and be sure to check back soon.  I'll be posting later this week about a table I painted in early May.  I call it the 1-2-3 Pear Table.