My First Link Up!

I have been so inspired by the many blogs I am following.  Til now I have been a spectator and have not participated in any link ups or contests but this weekend I said "Gosh darn! I'm going to get involved".  I improvised with items I had available so I'll show you how I turned this ...

Into this ...

I started with a mirror that I have had for years, I've tried to sell this mirror in garage sales but I have moved it 4 times!  Somehow it even survived my goodwill donations, so it was time to Use it or Lose it!  I painted out the mirror with Caromal Colours Paint,  this textured paint sticks to almost anything.  My first coat was in Colonial Blue ...

As impatient as I am I was able to leave this to dry over night.  While this was drying I used some Omni Gel to transfer an image to use on this sign.  I was inspired by some art that Miss Mustard Seed used for one of her hand painted signs so I created something close to that ...

I started coating my copy with Omni Gel, as I mentioned I used what I already had, I wish I had professional sign equipment like Donna at Funky Junk or even a Cricut so I could create a stencil so I could paint the sign instead.  I don't care for the glossy textured finish that the Omni Gel has. 

This morning I gave the mirror a coat of white paint and started soak my image transfer to remove the paper.

Next I used the omni gel to add the expression to my painted mirror

Once the gel dryed, I applied some aging gel, sanded back the paint to distress.  You will notice the shine in the image above.  I don't like the shine so adding paint and sanding back helped to remove this finish.  I completed the job with a coat of wax and a string to hang ... Whala!

Thank you to all the wonderfully talented women who inspire me by sharing their projects and how to's on their blogs!

Finished Tray

It's done! I didn't put an expression on it in the end, a last minute decision.  It's true that you need to "feel" the project as you go.  So here is the before ...

It was a sage green which no longer goes with our decor so it became one of my first projects using the  amazing paint from Caromal Colours.

And here is the After ...

 

Here are some up close images of the finish,  Caromal Colours paint is thick and adds an aged texture to any piece you apply it to and it sticks to almost anything!  Once the paint was applied and dry I used my handy dandy sander to smooth and distress, then I applied the aging toner, for a finishing touch I stenciled a decorative accent and sanded it back to appear old and worn.  The final touch is Liberon past wax in neutral .... Whaaalaaa!  done.

Fun with Paint!

Last night I started to play with some Caromal Colours paint.  This paint is so much fun!  We are going to be using it to paint our kitchen cabinet so I wanted to get used to the feel of the paint.  I started on 2 mini projects ... a piece of board that was calling my name for a sign and a tray that I finished with crackle medium 12 years ago.  Here is a pick of the tray "before".  Isn't it pretty (not!).
Here is what the paint looks like, it's thick and blobby (is that a word?)  This paint has been specially formulated for distressing and easy refinishing projects.

I'm using the colour "parchment" and will sand, distress and age with a burnt umber.  Below is a photo of the plank I worked on, I just played with the paint, sanded and appled a Welcome vinyl expression that I had.  I did not age the plank ... I was to anxious to finish something ... I know I have to learn patience but I'm trying to cram in a lot in my 2 days vacation.  I promise to be patient when I finish the tray ... stay tuned.  Watch out, you never know what I will paint and distress next ... maybe the chair or pot in this picture.

A Beautiful Fall Weekend

What a fabulous weekend!  I love fall, we had the blinds wide open today, here's the view out our front window.

We didn't get any painting done this weekend but I enjoyed some Fall nesting ... cleaning, and cooking.

I received my Epicure prize shipment this week courtesy of Nancy McKay Watts (aka The Spice Nut) with Epicure Selections.  One of the items I decided to get with my $85 winning was a 12" fry pan with a glass lid ... this sucker is huge and it is my new kitchen fav!

Friday night I made a beef and noodle stir fry, there is sooo much room in this pan it is fabulous for one pot cooking.  It's so much more then a fry pan.  Tonight I made Pork tenderloin with a mushroom pan sauce and served it over a cornbread stuffing.  Here are some pics ...

Love the tempered glass lid!

I made Frank take a picture of his plate before he started to eat!

Back to decor ...

Did a couple of "practice boards" on some paint finishes this weekend.  We want to do some faux brick on the wall behind our gas fireplace/stove.  Frank will do the texture portion of the bricks with drywall compound then I will paint the bricks, this photo just shows some of the colour palette but the texture will make such a difference to the final outcome.  I had also been wanting to paint faux wood beams, I did practice boards of barn board, pine to match our floors and a darker stain but right now we are leaning toward a full wall of brick only.  My pine practice painting is below.

There will be more texture on our wall from the compound which will make it easier to add dimension with paint (I haven't mastered adding dimension on a flat surface)

If we had decided to do a beam I would have gone with a  less "mustard" base, maybe something a little more grey.

Well this was a mish mash of an update wasn't it.  I read so many great blogs, I hope to pick up on their style as I get more accustomed to updating here. 
Have a great week!