Angel candlesticks

While cleaning my workroom I came across this pair of angel candlesticks.  One of my saved for the future projects I had forgotten about.

I liked the shape but not the color.  There was a bit of white wash but still too much gold tone for my tastes.

So I am painting them with chalk paint.  I couldn't decide if I was going to use pink or white.

I decided to go with the white first.

close up of original finish

I went with a combination of both.  Here is a picture of just the white paint on one of them.

First I painted the entire piece off white and then mixed some of the white with pink to create a blush color that I used on the high areas to give them an overall blush color.  I let that dry.

Next I mixed a little pearl acrylic paint with alcohol in a mister and sprayed the areas I wanted to give a very slight sheen to.

I had a really hard time photographing these to show the blush color I ended up with, they are actually as softer shade of blush pink in person . No matter the lighting or background I just couldn't get a true color.

They have a very soft pink tint.

I am afraid I need to get to bed since I ended up working on these after dinner and then took pictures.

Hallie is sitting here looking at me with that look of "why are you still up" I want you to go to bed so I can cuddle for awhile before I start my night antics.  If you have a cat you know what I mean.  They don't sleep at night.  For them it is time to play.

Here are the finished pieces.

Really bad lighting

Happy Crafting!

Urn Plain to Shabby Chic

As you may recall I picked this urn up at an Estate sale before Christmas.

It was pretty beat up, rusty and not that great looking,  but I liked the shape, so I gave it a make over this morning.

 I decided to go with a blue and white chippy look,

Front

With touches of worn gold.  I painted the urn with an aqua blue chalk paint, let that dry and came back with a few touches of off white chalk paint, leaving some of the original color showing in the deep crevices of the base and around the relief parts.

Back

For the design I used Mod Podge and glued on a print from a patterned napkin after the Paint was dry, separating the layers and only using the top layer of the napkin. 

 Below is the detail of the decoupaged design on the front of the urn.

And here is the detail of the back.  I cut off the border of the napkin for the blue band around the back side and decoupaged that to the urn, also.  When everything was dry I went back took off the paint in places to give it some chipped and worn areas.

Since this urn is a metal I used a craft knife instead of sand paper to chip away at the paint.

This is a close up view of one of the handles.  Here you can see the distressing and chipped paint along with the bits of worn gold.  

I used a gold leafing pen to add the bits of gold color here and there. And then went back when that was dry and lightly went over parts of the gold with a dry paint technique using the white paint to age the gold a bit.  I didn't want it to look too shiny and new.

Happy Crafting!

Making Progress

Well the cleaning continues.  But can you believe right in the middle of all this cleaning Fex Ex delivered a 100 pound box to my front porch.  I had ordered a new patio swing for summer but didn't expect it to arrive this week.  Had to get Mr. K help me open the box and drag all the parts to the back yard.  Another projects awaits.

Hallie and I love to sit in the swing while I drink my morning coffee.  Our old one finally fell apart after many long years of good service.

Today I uncovered the bed.  It was really under all that stuff.

Ah, a nice spot to read a book or take a nap.

From this ......

to this!

And my assistant checked out the progress...

...and gave her approval.  I think she will love to nap right here.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Week in Review

Here is a review of this weeks posts.

Monday

One More Trip

Tuesday

Organizing my Workroom

Wednesday

Extra day off

Thursday

And the Cleaning Continues

Friday

Pretty Little Box

Happy Weekend!

Pretty Little Box

I needed to run a couple of errands today, so not much progress on organizing my workroom.

I did have a few minutes this afternoon so I decided to make a little box for all the little things that can collect on a desk, like erasers and paperclips.  Just wanted to make a little something pretty to keep my desk tidy.

Used a deckle edged cutter on the lids bottom edge for interest.

I started with just a plain cardboard box that jewelry comes in.

My box measures 4" x 4 1/4" x 1 3/4".

Next I covered the box in this mercury glass paper I got after Christmas at Michaels for half price.  I decided to use the rose gold colored paper.

Once I had the entire box covered with the paper I added the filigree piece with hot glue on the center top and the acrylic clear mini knob.

Here is the knob on the box with filigree piece and a couple of teardrop rhinestones, also glued on the top.

All ready to get to work collecting all the little stuff that can clutter a desk.

punched Martha Stewart medallion glued on inside of lid.

I glued 3 mm white string pearls around the bottom edge of the box.  Then hot glued 8 mm pink pearls  in each corner for feet to match the rose gold color.

Nice inexpensive container to pretty up my new computer desk.

Happy Crafting!

And the Cleaning Continues......

I have another smaller shelf that needs to be organized, also.  That will be another day.

But yes, there was a worktable under all that stuff.  Yea, I have a spot to work again, all clean and ready to go.

All my Martha Stewart punches are hanging on the wall and all my scrapbook papers are stacked in the colorful containers on the right.  Paper cutter is ready to go as is the container of Washi tape on the table.
I was so exhausted yesterday I had to skip my daily blog.  At least now I have hope there really is an end to this project.

This isn't a very large room.  It is actually the smallest bedroom in the house and I have a lot of stuff to cram into this small space.  Paper crafting supplies,  journals and albums making supplies, paints, brushes, stamps, inks, paper punches, beads and jewelry making supplies, my Cricut machine and cartridges and my Minc machine, paper cutters, fancy edged scissors, instruction books and the list continues.

So, you can see why I need to get everything labeled. 

I also have a big box of future projects to complete when I have the time.

People always say they don't know how they will spend their time when they quit working.  I say I don't know how I found the time to do anything when I was working.  My hobbies take up more time than there are hours in the day.  Did I mention I knit, crochet, sew and also have a few small weaving looms.

Sometimes my brain makes me just a little crazy, so much going on in there.  My husband says I am like a 5 year old.  Always wanting to learn something new or make something or figure out how to take something apart and put it back together again,

I live each day learning and doing as much as I can.  With plans to make things that I will probably never live long enough to complete.  It seems the more I create the longer my future list of projects become, instead of shorter.  

This is only my crafting and blogging room.  I have a sewing room downstairs with it's own long list of future projects. I think my brain would explode if I couldn't create.  That was one reason I became a pastry chef.  I was able to make a living and create something new everyday.  I tell everyone I was able to play my whole life and get paid to do it.

So, do something that makes you happy.  Find a hobby or a project that will keep you engaged for your whole life. Keep learning new things and keep up with technology.   It will help you stay younger, happier and healthier for a very long time.

More organizing tomorrow.......

Happy Spring Cleaning.

Organizing my Workroom

I have spent two days tearing everything off my shelves, emptying boxes and now have two huge stacks of stuff to sort through.

My cleaning began when I bought a new to me gently used computer desk last Saturday.  I had been working on a little table which wasn't very comfortable.  Now everything has a place. I feel so organized already.  Wait, don't turn around.

I also love having a spot for the two little vintage rose painted lamps I inherited from my mom.

I guess this is going to take a few days to sort all my supplies.  I have one bag for trash and one bag for donation.  I have been putting this job off for some time.  But I know I can be much more creative and productive in an organized workroom where everything is in it's place and marked.  No more wasted time hunting through boxes for something I know I have but just can't find. I am labeling all my boxes and using a lot of clear containers.

Here is the main shelf in the room in a before picture with all the mess cluttered and stacked in unmarked boxes recycled from trips to Costco.

Can you begin to see the theme for this room ? Animal print, faux fur on the bed for a reading nook
and old Hollywood movie star pictures. Movie posters.  I'm thinking Gone with the Wind and Casablanca.

Here is a stack of stuff on my work table.  Yes, there really is a table under there.

And there is another stack on the double bed.

By the end of the first day I have a little order on the shelf.  At least I can see some progress now. 

Tomorrow is my shopping day so probably won't make that much of a change until Wednesday.

But at least now I have a great spot to work on my blog with my new computer desk.

Happy Spring Cleaning!