Thanks Britta!

I'm always amazed that someone likes what I do. I often ask my husbands' opinion and being the smart man that he is; I forever receive positive feedback. But when someone I don't even know...yet :-) e-mails me out of the blue and asks if she can feature MY work on HER blog; I'm totally surprised and completely honored.

So, I'd like to send out a big "tHanK yoU!!!" to Britta over at The Handmade House because today on her blog is a little story about The Painted Turtle. And I'm doing a happy dance!!!

Thanks again Britta...you've made my day!

What A Great Weekend!

Hello blog world!!! I have been MIA but once you see these pics hopefully it will make a bit of sense.

I have been busy, busy, busy...painting, sanding, waxing etc...all for my annual show at the Lincoln Art and Balloon festival in my hometown.

And what a weekend it was! I love this show because so many great friends and family stop by to visit. Each year I meet tons of wonderful people and invariably make new friends as well.

It's also so fun to see how everything comes together in one place. Once everything was set-up I thought...WOW! I have a look!!! It really turned out better than I planned.

Check out my for sale page later this week. I plan to list all the items still available.

Finally, a big shout-out to my muscle for the weekend. Thanks so much for all your help guys! I couldn't do it without you!!!

How May I Help You?

Well, shoot!

OK, so it's no secret I have a hard time writing these posts. I am not a writer. It doesn't flow easily. I began writing this post several days ago and came back to finish it up this morning...only to find that it hadn't been saved!!! Oh the frustration :-)

Here's what I'm thinking...keep is short and simple.

I painted this desk with the it's final destination in mind. My friend, Melanie, is opening a new office here in town and asked that I help her decorate the space. A blank slate...how exciting!!!

 

She had picked out an inspiration photo, which helped define the color palette.

These colors work so well together. I like bright, vibrant colors and Mel really needed a more subdued look for her office...gotta keep it professional :-) The cream and charcoal keep it neutral and the blue adds that subtle "pop".

This is the third desk I've painted in the past year. The color-combo possibilities are endless and so much fun!

Rope detail...yummy!!!

What would a project be without a little distressing? It always adds character and interest.

Congrats to my friend Melanie. It's so exciting to watch your professional career blossom! I hope to have pics of her finished office space soon. It's coming together very nicely.

On a side note: my camera finally died. It's been a long, slow death. I'm looking for any suggestions you might have for a new digital SLR.

Have a great week...keep cool!

I'll be linking up to a few parties. Check them out!

Going Green

As I've sat on the couch in my living room and looked into the dining room a few things just didn't {sit} well with me...pardon the pun :-) My dining room bugged me and had for a while. Finally, one day I got it...my dining room was decorated in a way that I thought dining rooms "should look" not necessarily the way I wanted it decorated. 

I like color...I think I've mentioned that before...and this room needed COLOR!!! Everything I saw was brown. The floors, woodwork and dining table were all...yep you guessed it...brown. However, those three things were not changing. I will NOT paint my floors, beautiful woodwork or 100 year old gorgeous table. Soooo the color had to come in other forms.

 

I started with my buffet. I had painted it black many years ago so it was an easy choice for an update. Green is my favorite color and I love putting a pop of color on large pieces in my rooms. Also, the tapestry we picked up in Belgium 15 years ago had to be put away in storage. I would never get rid of it but WOW...15 years...it was time for a change!!!

Here's a before pic of the buffet. My grandparents gave this to us about 18 years ago when they moved to a new home and no longer had room for it. They bought it shortly after getting married so it's now close to 70 years old; and still an awesome piece

I decided to paint a harlequin pattern on the top to add a bit more interest. 

First I painted the whole piece green and then added the pattern on top. This allows for some of the green to peek through the gray. When distressing it's always important to think about what will show underneath. You have to think in layers.

Annie Sloan's Antibes Green is a bright green. Too green for even my tastes so I toned it down using brown wax.

 

I found these awesome knobs at Hobby Lobby. Aren't they great? Pardon the folded piece of paper that keeps the door closed...did I mention it's 70 years old :-)

 

Yummy distressing!!!

 

Now whenever I look into my dining room I smile :-) I love the added brightness and color!

I'm linking up to a few parties. Check out the awesome inspiration!

 

Itsy Bitsy Spider

My friend Annie stopped in this morning. She has, what I like to think of as, a magic bag. It seems as if she's always pulling treasures out of it each time she visits. Today, she pulled a super cute top out for me...it's WAY too big for her! Did I mention that I could snap her like a twig?

Sorry . . . I digress :-)

She also pulled out this dirty, old metal spider that came from her garden. The thing about Annie is...she NEVER likes to throw anything away without trying to find another purpose first. Sometimes her "treasures" are more junk but not today!

 

Annie said she thought one of the kids could paint it up real cute. And my son, Murphy, jumped at the chance. He couldn't find a paint brush and was too excited to wait for me to find him one so he used his fingers!

 

I loved how this turned out!!! Murphy has always been so creative. He has a sixth-sense with color that amazes me :-)

 

 How often do you look at your children and wonder what they will become?

With the look of joy on his face and his raw talent, I can only dream that it will be a life full of creativity and color!!!

I love you buddy!

 Linking up to these parties this week. Check them out!

Mademoiselle

Hello blog world!!! I've got a few questions for my follow bloggers out there. Do any of you ever have a hard time coming up with something to say in your posts? Lately, I believe this has been my block. I want to post more, often plan to but once I sit down and "try" to get started all that comes to mind is...here's some furniture, I painted it, thanks.

Interesting huh? I'm looking for some tips. Do you use a notebook and write down funny thoughts throughout your day? Let the world in on the day to day happenings in your life? Where do you get your inspiration? Please help a girl out!!!

So....hmmm what to say :-) Here is a cute little table I picked up from someone's basement. It started out dark and scratched but with those legs I knew "the little lady" could be so much more! I was inspired to add the french postcard artwork on the top of the table because of the legs.

 

The grooves on the legs are just so....groovy :-) They add tons of interest and; I really love how after I distressed them the brown comes through the blue and the colors compliment each other.

If only my curves looked this good! The nice thing about the size of this table is it's versatility. It's the perfect side table but also just big enough to be used as a coffee table in a small space.

I love to conjure up what the original sender and receiver of this envelope were like and what he letter inside had to say. Was it from a son to his mother, a boyfriend to a girlfriend, father to his daughter? It's so fun to imagine the possibilities and let your mind run wild!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with family and friends and perhaps taking a moment to remember all those who have gone before us.

 

p.s. Don't forget to comment if you can give me any tips on how you come up with inspiration for your posts.

Also, linking up at these parties.