Unconditional Giving

"And still, after all this time,

The sun never says to the earth,

You owe me."

Look what happens with 

A love like that,

It lights up the whole Sky."

        

                               ~Hafez

Paula

Alice In Wonderland Chest Gets - Gold Leafed

If you have not tried gold leafing....you really should.  It is a great way to add accents to your pieces and make them stand out.

Here I've added some gold leafing to the corners of this piece.  You can see that the gold leaf is not perfect. You can fill in any gaps with gold paint or a gold "rub n buff" that you can get at most craft stores.  If you want to learn how to gold leaf, look at my blog post Gold Leafing.  It will show you how to do this step by step.

I also thought this piece would look cute if I gold leafed her legs for added detail.

I will be finishing this piece later this week.  Can't wait to show you how she turns out.

Have a great day.

Paula

Alice In Wonderland Chest - Continues….

It has been a busy week here in our household!  Lots of things going on.  For those of you following up on the sweet little Alice In Wonderland Chest with a Mackenzie Child's feel, she is coming along.  You can look at any of my posts from the previous Mondays to see how she started. But here is a recap.   I painted her an off white to start.

 Then I added checks to the front drawers and top of each side.

Then I gave her some classic checks on the bottom and top.

 And striped her sides in similar colors.  She is really starting to look beautiful!

I think she is looking great.  What do you think?

Paula

Fresh Summer Pies

Making a fresh fruit pie might be the easiest thing to make in the summer.  You just need a few simple ingredients and you can have your pie in the oven in less than 5 minutes.  Seriously, 5 minutes. 

 You don't have to make your pie crust from scratch.  I know some of you are going to email me and tell me the benefits of making your pie dough from scratch.  I get it.  The crust is better.  But for busy moms, it's easier to buy the roll out dough from the grocery store. And trust me, no one in the family is going to complain about it.  Just buy the Pillsbury roll out dough in the box found in the refrigerator section.  (not the frozen ones)

I love blueberries because they are wash and ready.  No slicing needed.  Place two quarts of blueberries in a bowl.  Add a cup of sugar and 3 Tbsp of corn starch or flour.  Mix them up and place them in the rolled out pie dough.  Depending on your pie plate, you might want to put a little Pam on the bottom so it won't stick.

Place the second roll of dough on top and pinch the two dough pieces together. If you don't pinch the dough together well, the berry juice may leak out in your oven.  I like to sprinkle a little water on top of the dough and then sprinkle a little sugar on top before I throw it in the oven.   :)  Cut a few wholes in the dough and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Yum....

Enjoy.

Paula

Mackenzie Child's Like Chest - A Work In Progress

I want to show you all my Alice In Wonderland chest that I'm doing for a friend from beginning to end. The great thing about paint is that you can transform a piece a little...or a lot!  If you want to see how this chest started out, you can take a look at Last Weeks Chest Blog.

This is the chest with a simple coat of Old White paint.  Quick and easy.  One coat takes about 30 minutes to dry and you are ready for the next step.

Now it's time to add some checks and get this little chest all dressed up!  She's already looking so pretty...

I will keep you posted on her progress.  :)

Happy Monday.

Paula

Friday Obsessions.....

Peach ricotta crostini.....

Beach wine glasses.....they float and go in the sand!

Frenchie....

Arched doorway...

Dressed up chests....

Have a great weekend!

Paula

Alice In Wonderland Chest

Look at the fun little side chest that showed up at my house yesterday.  A friend dropped her off with instructions and color choices written on paper inside one of the drawers.....  :) I'm calling this the Alice in Wonderland Chest because of its shape.  Isn't she just darling? She was chalk painted and distressed previously, but this piece calls for something a bit more dramatic. 

The really cool thing about this chest, aside from its shape,  is that it doesn't have a back.  Which makes it super neat for any room as an accent piece.

I can't wait to see what she becomes!

Hope you are having a great week.

Paula

Being Happy

Happiness is a choice they say.  Sometimes it's hard to be happy when circumstances around us are less than that. But there are ways to look at our circumstances and not be sucked in and overwhelmed by them.  It's kind of like observing what is around us rather than reacting to what is around us.  And, not letting our emotions get the best of us.

This caught my eye the other day in the book store.  It made me stop and think.

7 Steps To Happiness

Think Less, See More

Frown Less, Smile More

Talk Less, Listen More

Judge Less, Accept More

Watch Less, Do More

Complain Less, Appreciate More

Fear Less, Love More  

All actions I can take.  :)

Paula

(p.s.  the door made me feel happy)

More Summer Buckets....

I've been getting lots of questions on how to paint buckets recently so I want to do another post and show you how easy this is to do.

A client brought me this large copper looking bucket that she wanted me to paint.

Usually, there is some inspiration behind a project.  Sometimes not, but for me....I usually need a little direction.

My client sent me this picture of a pillow that she has and asked me to do something like this on her big bucket.  So I got to work.

Most buckets need to be primed in some way.  When you buy them from the store, the manufacturer has prepped them so they can be cleaned and used frequently without leaving any kind of residue.  In order for your paints to stick, you need a surface that will accept them.  So I typically wipe my buckets down with white vinegar and use a degreasing soap like dawn.  Then I use an etching primer that you can get from your local hardware store.  Etching primers are used as a first step coating that provides excellent adhesion to metals.  It sticks to metal surfaces and allows your paint to stick to the primer.  Just like wood primer, this is one for metal.  I get this in a spray so it's easy to use.  You do have to spray this outside and I would let the piece sit outside for a few days to let the smell evaporate. Please don't try to do this on a windy day.  Take it out back and clear from anything else close by.

Then, I take a pencil and map out what I want to do on my bucket.

I striped and checked this and then added some color.  You can use this for anything really.  My friend filled it with ice and put sangria pitchers in it for a party.  That works!

Hope this answers your questions.  Let me know if you have more.

Paula

 

Friday Obsessions...

Summer buckets...

Wine barrels...

Sequined tanks....

Cherry Galette....

Old chippy dresser...

Have a good weekend.

Paula

Repurposed Bar Carts

Bar carts are making a come back.  It's a great accessory for your home.  And, you don't have to use it just for bar items.  Take a look at a these great carts....

So cute right?  I'm on the hunt for an old coffee cart.  How about you?

Happy Wednesday.

Paula

Refinished Chest In Nursery

Look at this beautiful chest of drawers.  This is found on Pink Peonies and is the dresser in her new baby nursery.  Isn't it beautiful.

You can do this?  Using a little paint and wax and you can create something this pretty.  Check out her blog and see how beautiful her room turned out.

Happy Tuesday.

Paula

Flip Flop Bucket

Flip flop buckets....what a great idea!  If you are like me, I can never remember where I put my flip flops.  Have a bucket at the front door and you will never have to look for your flip flops again.  And, if you live at the beach or have small children, it's a great way to keep the sand out and keep all the flip flops in one place.

I started with a regular bucket and spray primed it with an etching primer in white before I painted it.  My friend wanted her bucket checked, so you can see the grid I made before I started.

Once it was checked off, I added a bit of color and created a little paint whimsy....

.....and the bucket was ready to go.  This looks so cute by her front door and keeps all her flip flops in one place.