A transformational tale of the pitiful pine table

Everybody loves a love story, especially tales of transformation. Think the Ugly Duckling, Beauty and the Beast, Pretty Woman. Now while I have officially given up on men as "projects" and highly discourage it far and wide, my obsession with all other kinds of tranformation remains the key guiding force in my groovy life.

With that in mind, I want to help everybody get some vision and see past the ugly ducklings in your own lives: garage sale furniture, parental hand-me-downs, and maybe even your house you've given up on. All of these just may need some paint and inspiration!


OK, it's not so bad. But it's really not inspired either, is it?


My really cool client Susan had a feeling something could be done with this table. She really needed an outdoor dining table. Enter the transformation-obsessed person who wants to paint everything that isn't moving. Years earlier, I had painted a brand-new potting bench to look old and crusty for her powder room. She's so clever she used a bucket for the sink. I sure wish my computer guy would backup my old laptop that died so I could show you a picture of it. You'll just have to take my word for it. It's super cute.

Anyway, after putting our heads together, we came up with a hammered copper top and painted legs, with some stenciling. I saw this design somewhere and had to make the stencil but it wasn't hard. All you have to do is go to Hobby Lobby and get the clear sheet of stencil plastic. Trace your design using a Sharpie and then cut it out with an X-Acto knife. 


These candlesticks were an inspiration.

And, I had just finished working in this bank.
That's hammered copper wrapped around the bottom.

So anyway, this is how the table turned out. When Susan emailed me a picture last night, if I had had on a skirt, it would have not just blown up, it would have blown off. I delivered it in the dark and never got a chance to see it on her patio, in good light. I think it's even prettier at her house than it was at mine while I was painting it.



It's my new favorite thing.

 Now I am seriously on the prowl for an old pitiful table to paint for myself. You can so do this. And if you have any questions, just ask!!

Mondays are not all bad

After an inspiring weekend day trip seeing beautiful things with the beautiful people in the beautiful Hill Country, and after an awful back-to-reality Monday morning, I prayed my way through my day well enough to put together this metallic plaster ceiling.  Maintaining the creative groove isn't always easy when the realities of life like dirty dishes and crabby kids crash into my chi. 

Thank God for my work!!! Yes, my scaffold gave me fits, but made the job much easier than moving a ladder around, at least once I adjusted it to the right height. That isn't real easy when you're working alone. There were a few times when I was tempted to say screw-it and go get my ladder.

But the end result made me really, really happy. It was exactly what this dining room needed, just as I suspected (and suggested). I love it when people are open to my big ideas and then I get to put them into action. It happens just every so often ... not near enough, but just enough to keep me going.

If only I could implement some of these big ideas at my house ....

Ahhhh romance … with a faux flair of course!

Ahhhh, Valentine's Day. That day we remember our lives are supposed to be infused with peace and love, and mostly aren't. With kids and work and the everyday hectic pace of life, some of us forget to surround ourselves with romantic touches that can comfort our souls and make our hearts feel good, regardless of whether we have anyone to romance. As a decorative painter and faux finisher, much of the romance I create is, alas, for other people.

Here's a look at some beautiful interiors I've just come across on the web. These beautiful images are courtesy of House Beautiful for MSN Lifestyle. I picked my favorites, let me know what you think! 

 We all spend so much time in the kitchen, why not make it the most romantic room in your house? Here, artist Michael Duté uses a blue-and-white design to create a light-hearted, almost whimsical sophistication to a kitchen. A much-coveted farmhouse sink, below casement windows and marble counters make it justcountry enough, but not too much. Although it might take me a while to find my way, I think I could get used to hidden appliances like the Sub-Zero drawer refrigerator, which lets the super sexy stove and decorative walls get all the attention.

The blue on the walls reminds me of a beautiful French blue glaze I applied over StucoLux in a teeny tiny powder room. It was gorgeous (and the client's idea!) I have the smartest clients.



 In this fancy French-inspired living room, what gets me excited are the faux finishes! Now I can't be certain, but I'm almost 100% that the fireplace is a faux limestone. It just doesn't look real enough to me. And though it's certainly excellent work, the grout lines seem a bit too neat and flat. Of course, it could be real, who knows? I would mess it up a little and make it more "real."


Antiqued cabinetry is another favorite of mine. See the doors to the left of the fireplace? I bet they hide entertainment components. And this could be done to any old armoire. Right up front, I love how the gold makes the lamp so much more fabulous. According to the article, designer Erin Martin had the sofa is upholstered in Provence Hay, a Dintiman Design Associates hand-painted linen. I love it, especially with the furry pillow. Relaxed romance is always best, if you ask me. 

While on the subject of romance, where's a bedroom we can all dream of? 

Ok,this one may be a little too fussy and orderly for me, but I'm including it for the dreamy walls! Think shimmery custom-mixed Lusterstone, or a gorgeous Venetian plaster in blue. Even a lime-washed treatment would be fabulous – and romantic.

Here again, designer Erin Martin used a hand-stitched French needlepoint headboard from a French flea market and combined it with a new canopy bed from Ironies. I especially love the wood finish on the settee. So doable.

After a night in this dreamy bedroom, it's only right to have breakfast here:

 

I selected this picture because I love the subtle tones in what I'm pretty sure is gorgeous pricey wallpaper. I would propose a similar color scheme, but with a stencil design. The pattern could be raised, or subtly obscured with plaster. And with a stencil and paint, there's hardly the commitment to love it for the rest of your life (after it goes out of style) based on what it cost you. Once you're ready to move on, all I would need to do is paint over it with whatever has become your new favorite faux inspiration! J

 To read the entire article, and see many more images from the online article, click here:

Change is good! Or, one transformation leads to another ...

Change is good, for people and our spaces. In this particular case, my client (and friend) wanted her living room to feel warm and comfortable. She wanted people to want to come into her already beautiful home, sit down and stay awhile. A previous remodel had improved upon "builder white" flat walls with a three-color glaze. Everyday sheetrocked columns had been covered in tumbled marble tile.

Ten years later, my client wanted to warm it up. She had purchased new, comfy furniture, and built-in shelves on either side of the fireplace had been replaced. There was a new mantel and a generously sized TV over the fireplace. Yet, the frosty walls and cool gray tones of the columns were killing the comfy vibe.



New oversized furniture and rustic lamp
with a linen shade are much more casual.






















To begin the transformation, I suggested we bring down the 12-foot ceiling with a warm-toned metallic plaster. A new scaffold I bought myself for Christmas amazingly straddled this enormous sofa so I was able to work on the ceiling without moving the furniture out.

New ceiling is Antique Parchment Lusterstone,
a product from Faux Effects.



But as you might imagine, one project leads to another. And for me, that's not a bad thing. The ceiling turned out so warm and wonderful that my client wondered whether the walls were crying out for a warmer paint color. No problem. We needed to work with the new sofa, and the new ceiling. I didn't even flinch when I painted over my original 10-year-old glaze job with plain old vanilla paint in an eggshell finish. It's Sherwin Williams Basket Beige, to be exact. It blends beautifully with the Antique Parchment Lusterstone, and the sofa, but isn't matchy-matchy. Beautiful white crown moulding defines both perfectly.

After all this beautiful toasty transformation, the columns that had been wrapped in tumbled marble tile stuck out like ... well let's just say they needed a little help, in the form of a wash.

The columns before. Nice, but too cool.







A tinted Lime Wash solved the problem.
It dries lighter.  





The columns now blend in beautifully. And yes,
the white ceiling fan is on its way out. 

  

The change has been amazing and provides a perfect example of what I love most about what I do ... a completely transformed space and a finite sense of accomplishment. Although, from what I understand, the blue walls in the kitchen are now screaming for something warmer ...

(to be continued) 

What I liked this week …

I've decided to not let my perfectionism to keep me from blogging this year. So here's a peek at what I liked this week.

My Mom's new chair. A total impulse buy, on sale at World Market. The best part: I put it together with an allen wrench (sp?) and Bambi was the first dog to sit on it.

While some may say this was just an average chair from World Market, I must stress this chair brought new life to my Mom's living room, brightening up the space and detracting at least 20 years from the decor. My mother is certainly not one to embrace old age willingly and this chair is just as sassy as she is. Way to go, Mom!

My fake Suzani tablecloth. I completely ADORE it don't care if it is a fake Suzani tablecloth from Target. I live in a real house with completely real kids and husband (that I ADORE, of course). And just this morning I washed it in water in a real washing machine like normal people have and then dried it. Now it's back on my table all fresh and clean. I didn't buy it trying to pretend I have a Suzani. I like the pattern and the colors are my favorite colors and it disguises the dreary, too formal table.

I don't especially love my dining room table ... in this setting, as our only eating spot. Under other circumstances, I think it's lovely. It's a family heirloom but in this house, we have just one dining area. So yes, it's a little formal for daily use, but hey, it's what we have. The fake Suzani ups the fun factor.

 All this happiness of the week is sure to be surpassed by the luxury of being able to do nothing on Saturday, at least for a couple of hours while I drink coffee and snuggle with my girls. After that, my perfectionism will kick in and I'll be forced to go transform or improve something, like the laundry situation or a table I need to finish. I'll probably start by making a list. But then I'll take a nap. It's going to be a glorious weekend with few plans.

In praise of new beginnings (and get the party started already!)

Is it just me or is everyone just a little bit excited about the start of this new year?

I can't remember a time when I have felt this eager to get going, reach new heights, make lists, clean and throw away, start new projects. In fact, for the first time ever, the day after Christmas I was ready for all the Christmas decorations to GO! And as I took them all down and disassembled the tree, I reduced the bins and boxes by one HUGE bin! Yay. Did that ever feel good. So now it's on to real jobs, the paying kind  ...

I was discussing new directions with one of bestest friends today and she said maybe our newfound optimism comes from just being glad 2010 is OVER. That is how I felt about 2009, the year we were forced to come to terms with the fact that the gravy train was slowing down. My friend likened 2010 to a bad hangover.

Come to think of it, last year did feel a little bit like dehydration (monetary) and a pounding headache (fretful indecisive immobility) at times. Like hangovers, those bad feelings came to an end. We just put our noses to the grindstone and worked (drank) our way out of it. No whining allowed. Who promised the gravy train would chug on forever? We just have to be better and smarter now. I know I learned a lot last year and I'm ready to put that newfound knowledge to work!

Today, I found some pictures today of a little job I did in New Braunfels a while back and thought I'd share them. This is the kind of thing that blows my skirt up and makes me really, really happy:

Crystal and plaster and antique mirrors! Can I get an amen? Let me just say, this massive mirror is to die for. That's what makes this teeny tiny bathroom so fabulous: The mirror is enormously out of scale and some snooty designer type might snort that it's too large for the space. Someone else might say the chandelier is going to clonk someone tall right smack in the forehead. I sayWHO CARES??? I say the chandelier is rich and drippy crystal fabulous and the enormo mirror enlarges the space and distributes good energy all over the room!

If you can have this chandelier and this mirror and me to create warm and yummy champagne-colored plaster walls, why the heck not? Life is too short to live with mediocrity and it's really waaaaaay too short to worry about all the rules of convention!

Here's a close-up of the wall, the corner of the mirror, and the bead board below. I painted the bead board and trim a gorgeous warm cream from Benjamin Moore. It had been a cold, stark white with no soul.

What's worse: Above the bead board, where you now see the beautiful champagne plaster, was blue and white striped wallpaper. It was lovely and cheerful in the 90s, but we've all grown up since then, haven't we?

Love it!