Painted Angel Wings Mixed Media

I have seen a pair of these rustic angel wings on Internet from 'The Little Bluebird Gallery" and thought I would make my own.

I began with a white primed canvas, 10 inches by 12 inches.  I painted the entire canvas with a dark gray acrylic paint then I went over that with a lighter gray paint and before that dried I made a rough outline of a pair of wings.

Using a palette knife I used white paint to sketch in the wings and let them dry.

Next I used Mod Podge to add a few pieces of white lace paper doilies, music paper  and paper roses to my wings.

Then I used Mod Podge to add some texture to the wings and let that all dry overnight.

  The next morning, again using a palette knife, I added some blue, aqua and brown paint to the wings and after those were dry I went over all that with white paint, leaving a little of the color showing through.

Next I added white, aqua and a few touches of silver to the background.  Then let all that dry and gave the final painting a coat of sealer to finish the piece.

This was my first attempt at using a palette knife to paint these rustic shabby wings.  Can't wait to try this technique again.  When these wings were dry I hung them on the wall in our living room.

Happy Painting!

Road Trip to the Mountains

We usually like to get away during August or early September to escape the heat of the valley for a few days.

It was an amazing drive to our destination of Hope Valley.  With all the rain this last winter the drive was spectacular.

We ran into rain on the drive up the mountain which created mist on the roadway.

The scenery was so beautiful after our wet winter.  I have never seen the moss so thick and bright on the tree trunks.  The shades of greens were so beautiful.

The mountain lakes are filled to the brim.  Plenty of water for this year.

And still there is snow on the mountain peaks.  Something we haven't seen in late August in many years.

I snapped this as we were driving past.

 What an amazing view of the Carson Valley with rain in the mountains.  This rain also brought lightning and by the next day there was a forest fire in these mountains.

Speaking of fire, the next day we drove into Carson City, NV.  Again lighting and a fire quite close to Hwy. 395 and the businesses along the road.

I caught a shot of this fire storm as we were driving.  It took many many fire trucks, 2 helicopters and an air tanker to save the building and put out the fire.

This was the view from our cabin in the woods.

There were wildflowers and other blooms showing off all over the resort.

And just before sunset a chubby Marmot came out to eat.

I took a couple of pictures of old barns.  I love the look of them and just can't help taking pictures while they are still standing.  So many have fallen into disrepair. 

Back at the resort I love how the cabins are tucked in between the Aspen Trees.  Those trees make the prettiest rustling sounds when the wind blows.

It was good to see the bumblebees enjoying themselves on these flowers.  We don't see the yellow and black bees at home anymore, just the plain black variety.

The day we drove home the rain had stopped and there were just a few clouds in the the beautiful blue sky.   We had to say goodbye to the gentle temperatures and head back to the valley to our lovely  100 plus degree days.  Can't wait for Fall to arrive.

 Happy Travels!

Updated Pretty Little Cabinet

I have seen a pair of these rustic angel wings on Internet from 'The Little Bluebird Gallery" and thought I would make my own.

I began with a white primed canvas, 10 inches by 12 inches.  I painted the entire canvas with a dark gray acrylic paint then I went over that with a lighter gray paint and before that dried I made a rough outline of a pair of wings.

Using a palette knife I used white paint to sketch in the wings and let them dry.

Next I used Mod Podge to add a few pieces of white lace paper doilies, music paper  and paper roses to my wings.

Then I used Mod Podge to add some texture to the wings and let that all dry overnight.

  The next morning, again using a palette knife, I added some blue, aqua and brown paint to the wings and after those were dry I went over all that with white paint, leaving a little of the color showing through.

Next I added white, aqua and a few touches of silver to the background.  Then let all that dry and gave the final painting a coat of sealer to finish the piece.

This was my first attempt at using a palette knife to paint these rustic shabby wings.  Can't wait to try this technique again.  When these wings were dry I hung them on the wall in our living room.

Happy Painting!

Second Time Redo Corbels

Last time I tried to change this pair of corbels I gave them an off white wash to tone down the bright pink flowers and green leaves.  They were better but I still wasn't happy with the look.  I put them away for awhile until I could decide what to do with them.

They are pretty large, about 10 inches long.

So, I finally decided to just paint them plain white with just a tiny touch of of blue on the eggs and birds.

before

Finally they are the way I want them to look.  Now I will hang them in the living room.

Sometimes you just have to try and try again before you are happy with the results.

after

Happy Decorating!

Update to Repurposed Coffee Table

I had ordered a couple of latches for the front of the coffee table.  They were suppose to arrive after next week but they arrived today.

 So I installed them right away.

I think they really give a more finished look to the table.  Plus they are so cute.

Happy Decorating!

Repurposed Coffee Table

Now that I have the living room back in order I decided our glass and metal coffee table was just too large.  Even though I like the shape it just took too much space.

So I started looking for something smaller and something with storage.

I really liked the size of this trunk but the price was just under $140.00.  Not in my budget.  Plus I wanted one with more of a French cottage look instead of the farmhouse look.

Then I remembered there was a trunk in the garage that my Mother had covered with fabric about 20 years ago.

I found it was plain unpainted wood once I removed all the fabric.  (Forgot to take a picture before I started).  

I was kind of excited once I saw what I had to work with.  The first thing I did was to paint it with white chalk paint.

Once the outside was dry I taped off stripes for a French look on the top and painted the stripes in a French blue.

I used a French stencil on the Front of the trunk using the same blue paint.

Once it was dry I moved it into place filled it with my seasonal living room decorations.

And on the top I decorated my freshly painted table with a few Summer items and white fairy lights.

I love the usefulness and size of the new table.

top view of stripes

Happy Decorating!