Poppies

This one rolled around in my muse for awhile...

It is a mix of wool felting and polymer.

 

Have a great Mothers Day weekend!  M

Spring Please

This has been a long gray winter even here in Delaware.  We usually have a lot more sunny days than we have had this winter season.  We are all ready for some warm sunshine and blue skies!

I have been busy with needle felting and embroidering with thread and beads.  I enjoy hand stitching.  It is soul soothing.  Color and texture just draw me in... always.

 

 

 

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!

Mixed Media Wall Art

Finally coming together with lots of my favorite things.

needle felted wool...
    

         bead embroidery...

                 old buttons...

                         old lace and doilies...

                                old costume jewelry...

Next I want to do something on a canvas with paint then add some of my favorites to that...

Have a great weekend!  I am so ready for Spring!
                   

Painting With Paint

I love painted furniture. I am in awe of the artwork on carousels.  I wanted a piece that I could add a few colors to...

 

 

  I have been looking for a piece to refinish with paint for an entertainment center.   There is a second hand shop in Bridgeville, DE called The Church Mouse that has some awesome treasures.

I found this buffet in a mustard gold color.  It had seen better days but I liked the details on the piece.  I had visions of carousel colors!

 

I brought my DH with me to look at it.  We decided that he could make a shelf where the top drawer is for the components and game box.  So we bargained a little and loaded the piece in our SUV.  This was before Thanksgiving...

 

With the holidays upon us it sat in my studio just like you see in the picture.  After Christmas I got busy.  I sanded the sides and legs by hand.  (wish I would have wiped it down with lacquer thinner or sanded a bit more).  I turned it upside down and painted the legs and under parts first.  I decided to paint every nook and cranny because it did have that old furniture odor.

 

I took my time and let it dry a day or two between two coats of paint.  My DH took the drawer to square it up and reglue it for stability.  I got the paint at Lowes.  I did get the most expensive Valspar paint that they had. 

This color is a colonial green and has more of a yellow to than this picture is showing.

 

I also picked up some of the sample jars of Valspar paint to do the detail colors.

 

LaFonda Nightfall and Gas Light are the two colors shown here.

 

Churchill Hotel Wheat and Secluded Garden are the two colors shown here.

 

So do you have the carousel vision yet?

 

 

Here is a close up of the shelf that my DH made.  You can see that I did not paint the top yet.  We did the shelf after the upside down painting was done.  He also got out the sander and really sanded the top.  It had some chipped paint and water glass marks that were sanded out. 

Once I had everthing painted the base color of  Homestead Resort Olive and had let it dry for a few days I was finally ready to do the fun part!  I added the colors.  I didn't really have a plan but I am pleased with where my muse went!

This picture shows the detail before I added the antique glaze. 

 

After the detail colors dried again for a few days I used a black antique glaze on the whole piece.

 

 

 

I have done antique finishes on lots of wood paintings and furniture in years past.  This glaze was something new for me.  The directions said to wipe it on with a cloth.  I wanted the nooks and crannies to be dark so I brushed it all over and then wiped it with a cloth.  After the antiquing dried I added two coats of clear satin polyurethane.

 

 

My DH drilled some holes so we can hide the all of the wires.

 

This is inside the cabinet on the right.

 

This is inside the shelf on the top.

 

We still have to attach the cords to the back of the cabinet to get them out of sight.  I couldn't wait to show this you the finished piece even though the wires are still showing.

 

I am very happy with my carousel entertainment center!

 

 

I am linking to this Creative Inspirations Linky Party!  When I decided I was going to try some refinishing I searched Pinterest and found an awesome blog called Embracing Change!  Stacey does beautiful furniture makeovers and sounds like a really fun person!

 

Check it out here at  Embracing Change!

 

You will find all kinds of creative endeavors!

 

 

 

Painting With Wool

I have been wanting to try painting with wool.  The colors are vibrant and the effect is a softness that makes you want to touch it.  I found a picture of thread art and decided to try it with wool because of the colors.  

 

The thread art can be found here.  Trish Burr is an amazing fiber artist and has wonderful tutorials available in her Etsy Shop TRISHBURREMBROIDERY.

 

 

Hope you have a great week and Happy Valentine's Day!  Thanks for stopping by! M

The Month of Pink and Red

It is February!  Hard to believe a month of 2013 is over already.  What have I been doing?  Trying not to hibernate... I could just stay under a blanket this time of year! 

I have pulled some of my stash together and made a happy piece that makes me think of Valentine's Day!

 I made the polymer focal a few years ago actually.  I did some macrame with pink yarn and wrapped some cord with darker pink yarn a while ago too.  So I finally put them together to brighten up my day!  I was given some really pretty glass rose beads from a friend and they fit right in there.

Hope your winter is peaceful and cozy!  I am starting to think about spring!  Yay! 

Time to Get Cozy!

Getting through the winter is always a struggle for me.  I get so reclusive during cold blustery weather.  It has been in the 20's this week and we are supposed to get some snow. :0(  I know some of you love that white stuff! 

I have been having some fun with needle felting to help me cheer up and feel cozy instead of overwhelmed with the grayness of winter! 

I am learning that you can needle felt all kinds of fabrics together...

Yes that is a piece of  cotton lace  that I dyed with alcohol ink felted right into the wool!  You can learn about dying lace here.  Scroll down the page to see how she dyes the lace. ivoryblushroses.blogspot.com is an awesome blog about fiber and other crafts.  Of course I found this link on Pinterest!

So I have been needle felting with bright colors to brighten my mood!

Hope you are staying cozy this winter.  You really should try needle felting.  It works up quick and is a relaxing way to spend an evening.  Of course I add bead embroidery and have been making some polymer beads to mix with some felt for spring!  I can't stay focused on just one creative path so sometimes they all have to come together!  I have to use all those beads somewhere...

Welcome 2013!

It is time to reflect on 2012 and look forward to 2013.  My  word for 2012 was "blessings"!  There were so many and I am so grateful.  The biggest blessing for me was the addition to our family of Adrienne.  My new daughter-in-law!  It is refreshing to see a sweet young couple so in love!

My word for 2013 is "purposeful".  I want to be purposeful with everything I think, say and do.  Life moves along at an alarming rate of speed.   I tend to be a home body... loving my artroom or being on Pinterest!  I was very aware the past few months of others talking about going here or there, seeing this movie or concert, and just plain doing fun things! 

So my goal for this year is to plan some events in my life that sound like fun!  We have a camper that needs to be on the road a bit more. We live close to a few big cities that have awesome venues.  I just need to be "purposeful" in planning my life!

What are your plans as the new year rolls in?