Painter Girl

My Birch Trees

I was very restless and not feeling too sociable this weekend, so I decided to spend a little time tackling my Birch Tree Project.  A few weeks ago, I had drawn the outline of the trees on the wall and did a sample board.  Originally, I was going to use a plaster to give the trees a little dimension.  After thinking about how often I like to change my walls in my house, I decided to go with paint instead of plaster and just have the illusion of dimension, no actual texture on my walls.  I have 2 windows on this wall, so I did this series of 4 trees at the left end of the wall....

and this series of 3 trees at the right end of the wall.  (That ugly radiator will be a future project!)

I love my trees!  When I came into the room the next morning, the sun was shining on them and it looked so nice as I walked into the room. Birch trees have always been my favorite trees. :-)

Since I was only doing a few trees for myself, this was a quick project, maybe 2 hrs total.  But... should I do an entire wall of trees, or decide to use some texture or a different technique... I will be looking to those clever gals over at the Stencil Library.  Keep a watch on their blog for a new tree design they will be introducing shortly!

A Break from Straight Painting!

Today I took a little break from the Big House Job to do a quick ceiling, actually 2 ceilings, at another home.  Remember the house I did the Tuscan kitchen w/grapes?

                               

They decided to add a little interest to the two front rooms of their home.  When you enter their foyer, the dining room is on the right and a music room (with a beautiful black baby grand) is on the left.  Both rooms are painted this beautiful shade of blue with  off white trim.

                               

I will just show the dining room because I did the same design in the four corners in the Music Room too, but not the center medallion.  Both rooms had most of the furniture removed or pushed out of the way, so I asked the homeowners if they would take a few digital pictures and send to me when they have the rooms put back together.
Here you will just see the work in progress and ceiling shots, but not full room views.

I used another one of Melanie Royal's great Modello designs, an Ornamental Center. Here you see it positioned on the ceiling, with the top, protective paper still in place.  I had the Modello cut in 4 sections so it would be easier to deal with around this chandelier. 

Now the protective layer of paper has been removed and is ready to be stenciled.  I used 3 layers to achieve the gold tone desired and rolled each layer w/a small foam roller. 

This view is from directly under the chandelier.

Here's a closer view and if you look in the far right hand corner, you can see the matching corner design.  Also, this shows the pretty blue wall color fairly well.

A closer look at the corner design.  This design is also in all 4 corners of the Music Room.

While I was at this house, they showed me their finished basement which they use as a sports room and exercise room.  They are interested in some type of sports mural... maybe Fenway Park/Red Sox.  :-)  I will send them some ideas.  They DO have the perfect spot and already have some great framed sports photos.

Baseball Season is Here

Ah...what a nice way to start the day watching the Red Sox play Oakland in Japan this a.m.!  A refreshing break from my usually morning routine watching the local news and Good Morning America. 

To start off the season I am posting a few pictures of some of my favorite baseball themed rooms that I have done over the years:

Nice Weekend

Oooh... it was VERY nice to spend a 3 day weekend visiting with my Mom, out in the Berkshires where I grew up.  I go here about 1 wkend each month, but usually it is rushed, with me driving out on a Saturday and returning on Sunday.  Every once in a while, I can take a few extra days off, spend more time with my Mom and enjoy the area.  Last week, my best friend, who was my next door neighbor growing up, contacted me through my website.  My friend moved away when when we were in 5th grade, but we were inseparable until then!  She moved to northern VT w/her family and we lost contact.  What a nice surprise to now hear from her.  She is currently residing in Boise, Idaho.   My family has only found memories of this family and everyone was eager to hear about them.  One of my 2 brothers was also home visiting for Easter weekend, so we got to reminiscing about what an idyllic childhood we really had.  We roamed our neighborhood freely; our parents never worried about our safety.   No one locked their doors, day or night.  When we wanted to play baseball, we just rounded up our friends in the neighborhood and set up our bases in someone's backyard.  We did not have organized teams/leagues/uniforms, umps, etc.  We played until our mother's called to us for dinner... and I don't mean on our cell phones!  Our Mom's just opened the back door and yelled out.  My friend's Mom had a big bell attached to the side of the house that she would ring to summon her kids home.  When I was growing up, we had a huge field behind our house with cows grazing.  We tested the electric barbed wire fence with a blade of grass to see if it was on or off.  We patted the cows, tormented the bulls, and rode on the top of the hay bails when they were being picked up and put in the truck during bailing season.  Now there is a road in my field and a housing development.  Gone are the cows.  Everyone locks their doors, day and night.  While the simplicity and innocence of that time is gone, the area still remains quite beautiful, nestled at the foot of Mt. Greylock.  The town is quiet and far removed from the hustle and bustle of Boston.  It's always a nice respite for me and I inevitably return relaxed, rejuvenated and grateful that I have this peaceful home away from home with which to escape.

Easter Weekend

I will be leaving early this Friday morning to spend Easter weekend out in the Berkshires with my family.  For those of you who celebrate Easter, have a Happy Easter! 

Monday I will be back at the Big House Job finishing up the last of this first round of rooms.  Wednesday, I will be returning to the house where I recently did the Tuscan finish w/grapes in their kitchen.  I will be using some Modellos on their dining room and music room ceilings and will post some pics from that.  Wait until you see the beautiful shade of blue the homeowners have painted the walls in each of these rooms!  I'll have to get the name and # of this color, because it is just a beautiful shade of blue.

So Many Classes, So Many Options

I spent a large portion of my weekend reading class offerings at 2 upcoming decorative painting conventions.  This year, SALI, (Stencil Artisans League, Inc.) is hosting their annual convention in Charleston, SC, July 21-26th.  This is a great opportunity to network with other decorative painters, learn about new products at the Expo, and take some classes to add some new samples to my portfolio.  The top decorative painters, nationally and internationally come to teach at the SALI conventions. 

I have my issues with the SALI organization and the direction it has taken over the years.  My two pet peeves at the moment are 1) the vague, non-descript Mission Statement they have recently adopted; and 2) the decision of the board to change the name from Stencil Artisans League Incorporated to one of the following: either International Organization of Decorative Artisans (IODA), or International Decorative Artists League (IDAL).

I am very disappointed and dismayed with this organization for making choices that, in my humble opinion, do not honor the history of this organization.  I'll just leave it at that for the moment. ;-)

The three classes I am interested in taking are 2 that are being taught by Helen Morris of my favorite stencil source, the Stencil Library,  and 1 taught by my other favorite stencil/modello designer, Melanie Royals, Royal Design Studios.  Helen is teaching "21st Century Print Rooms" and "New Stencil Techniques".  Melanie is teaching "Faux Marquetry Decor w/Modellos".  I hope I get into these classes!  While there are many, many classes to choose from, I feel these best represent the type of work I like to do and what sells in this area.  The emphasis is on all the plaster finishes at these conventions.  I  enjoy doing plaster finishes, but they are costly both in product and labor, and not an easy sell, at least in this area.  If I had to survive on the number of plaster finishes I do in the course of a year, I'd be one hungry gal.

When I go to a SALI Convention I get the opportunity to connect with several members of my online Stencilers Group.  This is a group of women from various parts of the country, who broke away from a larger online SALI chapter years ago.  We have supported each other both personally and professionally for several years now, and many  of us have never met!  So... it's always a thrill to get to meet another member or two and reconnect with others.

The second large convention that will be offered on the East Coast this year is the Decorative Arts Show/The Faux Event. This will be held in Atlantic City, NJ, September 7-13.  Now,  I do like many of the classes being offered here too, and it is a bit closer in location, but I do not have unlimited funds or time for these conventions and must do what I think is the better business decision for me. 

Lastly, I will be attending a Convention in September in Delaware. This is the annual convention of Stencilers & Decorative Artists Guild or SDAG.  This is mostly a social gathering and small in number compared to these 2 other events.  I signed up to be on a committee to help organize this convention, and look forward once again this year, to connect with this fun group.  Many in this group were the founding members of SALI and are very accomplished and respected stencilers.  I am always in awe of their talents.  Last year their Convention was in Providence and due to some health issues with my Mom, I was only able to attend 1 day.  I had so much fun that I vowed to attend the entire convention this year.

More on these Conventions later.

Networking

Last week my friend Marc Bordet of Bordet Interiors, invited me to join him for an evening event at Lucia Lighting & Design in Lynn, MA.  The evening was fun and informative with great food, drinks, and a guest speaker Denis Caldora who spoke about trends in lighting.  If you live in the Boston area and have not been to Lucia Lighting & Design, it is well worth the trip!  The 12 showrooms are located in a beautifully restored mansion.  Owners Lucy "Lucía" Dearborn and David J. Solimine, Jr., as well as their very knowledgable and friendly staff, could not be nicer!  They go out of their way to make you feel welcomed in their "home", and will gladly answer any of your lighting questions and concerns.

March/April Newsletter is Ready

I just finished the March/April Paint It! e-newsletter.  If you would like to receive this e-newsletter, please sign up using the subscribe box in the right hand column here.  I am really enjoying the positive feedback that I am getting from this new venture.  I send the newsletter out to my client list, with some family and friends thrown in the mix.   My clients are reporting that they enjoy seeing some new ideas and it is definitely bringing in more business.  So, all good things! ;-)

As I receive more and more feedback from the readers of the e-newsletter, it is helping me to further define the services I provide.  I often do pieces of furniture for clients, so I just assumed ALL my clients knew this.  Not so.  When some of my clients saw the furniture pieces featured in my first two e-newsletter, they wrote to me, asking if I did furniture and would I consider doing a certain piece that they own.  Another client just wrote to me to ask if I ever travel to the Cape to work,  since they have a vacation home there.  I do, in fact, often take on projects on the Cape, since I have a friend who always allows me to stay at her vacation home, to ease the commute.  I am pretty much willing to travel anywhere for an interesting job!  Sometimes we just assume that our clients know all of the services we provide, but I now see that it is a good idea to not assume this and to state ALL services that I provide.  I will be addressing this in my next May/June issue.  For those of you with small businesses, I highly recommend going the e-newsletter route.  The cost is low, and it is a great way to grow your business.  If you are already sending out an e-newsletter I would love to hear how this experience has been for you.

Selecting paint colors ...

I am still working on The Big House Job and will put in another full week over there next week.  By then, I should have almost all of the rooms that are ready for prepping and painting on the 3rd and 2nd floors.  Although most rooms on these 2 floors are just being straight painted, I love the soft, muted tones that the homeowners have selected, and am finding this change from decorative painting to be very relaxing.  It is fun to see each room come alive, especially on the 3rd floor, which needed the most TLC to get the walls back in shape. 

The client has a very clear idea of how she wants each room to feel and look:  clean lines, soft, serene colors.  It can be overwhelming when selecting a paint color for a room, and when faced with selecting paint colors for an entire house full of rooms, it can be  down right exhausting!  To unify the entire house, the ceiling and all woodwork are being painted with Pratt and Lambert's Designer White.  This is my first experience using Pratt and Lambert paints and it has been very positive, other than trying to actually acquire the paint!  This white is not too bright and as pure of a white as you can get.  I'm not seeing gray, blue, pink or yellow tones in this white, that often happens with many of the white paints.  The problem of finding this paint in my area has been a pain in the butt.  One store is in the next town, but in the opposite direction of where I am traveling daily.  That store opens late, for a paint store, and closes early. :-(  Yesterday, I drove there to buy more ceiling paint, arriving 45 minutes after the opening time of this store, and it was closed.  There is another P & L dealer, sort of on the way to this job, but it NEVER seems to be open!  My last choice is a dealer in Boston, which comes with the traffic and parking problems, and very surly help.

To get the color desired, we have been creating our own colors by cutting most colors by 50%.  If you find a paint chip that you like, but feel is a little off, it's easy for the paint store to make adjustments with the formula.  The colors flow nicely on the 3rd floor.  The room that will be the Home Office is painted with one paint and that same paint, cut by 50% is being used in the adjacent room that will be the Library.  That same paint will be cut again, for the Guest Room on that floor.  With the white trim and white ceilings the clean, serene look is being achieved.  While the ceiling and trim paints are Pratt and Lambert, most of the wall paints we are using are Benjamin Moore.  This makes me very happy, because my dealer is just down the street from me and they are experts at mixing up colors. :-)

The second floor, which has the Boys Bubble Bedroom and Bath will be done using shades of blues.  We will cut the blue paint used in the Boys Bedroom by 50% for the Play Room walls.   I'll be working on that floor next week, so will have more on that later.

Today I will be working on getting my March/April e-newsletter out, as well as pulling together some color and design options for the first floor of this house.  Also, my friend, Marc Bordet contacted me about doing some work in a Lobby of a commercial building we had looked at several months ago. 
Recently I saw this picture posted on 2 different blogs and loved the cane design used for the background. It is a Rattan stencil design from one of my favorite design companies, the Stencil Library.  I emailed Rachel for some specifics so I can price out this job over the weekend.  In the meantime, Marc has showed this picture to the client and they love the idea, so hopefully this will be a go for me in the near future.  This design comes in several sizes and can also be customized to your needs.  I am also going to try to get this design in somewhere at the Big House Job.  I could see this on a ceiling or behind a headboard in their new Master Bedroom... hmm.. maybe this could be in both the the new Master Bedroom AND Bath.  More ideas to work on!

Boys Bath Finished

I am just going to post this one picture of the Boys Bath because I am still having difficulty getting the bubbles to really show up in the photographs.  I have determined that it is not my camera, but the lighting.  By the end of the week, I hope to have some decent shots of both the Boys Bedroom and their Bath.  The bath is the reverse of their bedroom, with white walls and pale blue bubbles.  I put some bubbles on the ceiling in this room too, because the wall space is limited in here.  I made good progress on this job today and have moved on to doing prep work in their 2nd Floor Play Room. That room was slated to have some giant trucks painted on the walls and one wall will be a magnetic chalkboard, but the trucks may end up being painted in the 1st Floor Play Room.  This room will have a lot of large wall units for their books and toys and will be used more as a "quiet room", to wind down and later, when they are older, will be used as a homework room.  The First Floor Play Room will house their trucks, balls, etc. and be a much more active Play Room.  Now I am working on a few options for the ceiling in this 2nd Floor Play Room. The Chalkboard Wall w/the giant paint brush and palette are still staying in this room  ;-)