Painter Girl

Revisting a few issues

This week I have been working at a new client's home and revisiting two old dilemmas.  One is being faced with a huge house with ALL white walls.  When I first entered this lovely home, I was a bit taken aback by these white walls because my client dresses very colorful, has very contemporary tastes with her furniture, rugs and accessories, and clearly has no fear of bold colors and interesting textures.  She and her husband have lived in this house for six years.  They are both ready for some change and very open to the idea of bringing in some color, but non-the-less, there is a lot of hand holding here during this first stage!

The first floor is large and open.  As you enter the front door, you stand in a very open two story foyer.  From here you can see the dining room, living room and kitchen.  These are the areas I am concentrating on this week. 

I started off by applying a Lusterstone finish to the fireplace wall in the Living Room.  This is the largest wall in the room and very visible from the foyer and the back hall entrance, which the homeowners use, coming in from the garage.  It's a mess because of me, not because they are messy homeowners! Look at that great chandelier in the foreground.  That is over a small kitchen table. There are a lot of such accents in this house, which led me to believe some color on the walls would not be too hard to sell.

Here's a closer look at the finish.  The color is Tequila Sunrise and in this shot you can see how it shimmers and has highs and lows.  The finish is smooth, but appears textured and has a lot of depth.  That fireplace has got to go.  I will be tackling that later!  I don't know what these builders are thinking when they put up a 15' high wall and then stick such a tiny fireplace in the middle of it.  Something on a much grander scale would have been a better fit for this large room.  But, it is what it is, so I will try to make it work a little better in this space. 

Now, this wall, being 15' is a bit out of my comfort zone when it comes to heights.  For many of you who do this type of work, you are probably laughing, but it is no laughing matter when you are afraid of heights and have to get right up to that ceiling line with the base color, plus 3 layers of the finish.  Per usual, I thought I'd be fine with this, but when it came to working around the fireplace, that's when I called it quits.  I was on an A frame ladder, for most of this wall, but then had to switch to an extension ladder to reach the wall with the hearth jutting out at the floor level.  I spent a fair amount of time agonizing about it all, tried going up and down the extension ladder a few times, then got on the phone and begged Stacy to come and do this top section! Luckily, she lives nearby this job, so came over to rescue me. :-)

With the Lusterstone wall out of the way, I moved on to the opposite and adjacent walls to do a simple one color soft rag finish.  The wall opposite the fireplace also goes up to 15' for most of it, then slopes down to a more manageable height.  This wall I actually could do myself, because I did not have to straddle a fireplace hearth.  Still, it was an uncomfortable height for me and you can bet I was gripping the wall for dear life all the while I was up here.  One of my tricks to get the very top portion of the wall and not have to step higher than the third run from the top, is to duct tape a wooden stirrer stick to my brush handle for an extension.  You may laugh, but it works!

This shows a corner of the Living Room, where the one color rag finish meets the Lusterstone wall.

Next week I will be featuring the Dining Room and Kitchen/Hall spaces that adjoin this room.  In the photo above, you can see I have already base coated the formerly white Dining Room walls, purple.  That is just a base color. A deeper tone, in Lusterstone will be applied to those walls.

I've made a new furry friend here.  She is loving her new perch, atop the overturned hassock on the chair.

Quick Kitchen

On Friday I completed this small kitchen job.  There were really only 2 walls to glaze and a very small section around the kitchen window and above the back door.  This was the job I had to run out and buy new chip brushes for! 

This finishes uses 4 glazes all applied at the same time, randomly with chip brushes.  I then just use a rag to blend the colors. 

This 2nd photo is a close up look, which also shows the veining that is added last.  The true colors of the walls is closer to this second photo. I like this finish because it looks different throughout the day, as the light changes. 

This was a new client for me, a fun, young couple with 2 small children.  I took some photos of their dining and living rooms, which we will discuss more after the first of the new year.  They were having a Christmas party the very next night after I finishes on Friday, so I just sneaked this little job in under the wire! 

Health Insurance

Most of what little computer time I have available to lately, has been taken up with researching Health Insurance Plans.  This is a task I undertake yearly, since the cost of Health Insurance only increases each year.  I rank this task right up there with getting my finances in order to file my taxes. 

In Massachusetts, effective  January 1, 2009, individuals must be enrolled in plans that meet the minimum creditable requirements or be hit with fines that can exceed $900. Added to the minimum creditable requirements is mandatory prescription drug coverage.  The cost of my health insurance is almost as much as my monthly mortgage payment.  With this mandatory prescription coverage my monthly premium will be increased by $40.  This is enough to make me endure hours of researching new health coverage and several phone calls to help me navigate the confusion on all of these websites.  I have a headache just thinking about it all.  The kicker is, once you actually figure out the website and get to the correct page, none of them will list any prices for the various plans offered.  For actual pricing, you then have to get on the phone and sift through their complex phone systems!  I was able to get a very helpful woman on the phone last week, from Blue Cross/Blue Shield,  who immediately sent me several PDF's to open, all with pricing information.  I'm afraid to open them, so am waiting another day or so when hope I will feel more up for all of this.    All of the insurance companies want to price out coverage two ways, one as an individual seeking coverage and the other as a business owner.  So, great... double the amount of reading to sift through.

On a happier note, I begin a new job today and am also meeting a new client for a quick consult.  More on both tomorrow.

Quick Job

I had a very quick job to do this week, so I called Stacy and asked if she would like to join me, so we could get it done even faster.  The owner will be putting her lovely condo on the market for sale soon, so was eager to get this ceiling fixed.  Her upstairs neighbor had some water problems (twice!), so this is the 3 rd time this ceiling is getting the same finish.  Someone else originally did the decorative painting in this condo, but they were unavailable to return any time soon.  I personally, never quite understand why you would not cater to your existing clients.  I did some checking to be sure there were no real problems with the client and found none.  The client is actually a very nice young woman who works some long hours and just wants this ceiling done so she can show the place to perspective buyers!  This picture shows where the water damage occurred.  It was already patched when we arrived, so we just sanded lightly and primed.  It's hard to see because the lighting is very poor in this room, but the entire room...walls, ceiling, trim and built-ins are all done using a metallic strie. 

Because the technique was done in metallics, it could not really be repaired without being very noticeable.  We rolled on 2 layers of the base coat over the entire ceiling, up to this soffit area over the bed.  Today we will be doing the strie, which should only take a few hours.

When we first arrived, I was a bit nervous at the site of all of these paint cans in the dining room!  The homeowner had already given me the colors used, so I thought we were all set on that front.  She was just nervous that she was given the wrong information, but I did a sample on some poster board and all was fine.  It turned out that whoever did the 2nd repaint of the ceiling did not use the exact glazes that were on the walls, etc.  It was a little off.  Now we have the right match. Oh, I see my coffee got in the picture. :-)

The timing was right for me with this job, because I can really only work an half day today since I have to go home and get ready for the opening of the Holiday Tables event in Newport tonight.  Why is it that when I have to go to an event after work I always seem to be doing a ceiling, where I am sure to get paint in my hair? And of course, this had to be metallic paint to boot, so I'll probably find a big glob of it on my arm somewhere this evening!  Well, at least it is a festive silver shade.  I'll report back next week about the Holiday Tables.   Have a good weekend!

One Job Finished, New Job Started

I just realized I did not give an update from the Commercial Job, the Apartment Complex ceiling I was working on last week.  I think I was just so happy to get out of that oven that I put it behind me to enjoy the weekend!  When I last left off, I was wilting away, toiling with the lovely Rattan stencil.  It was repeatedly falling on my head because it was about 100 degrees and very humid in the entryway space where I was attempting to stencil the ceiling.  My friend and fellow decorative painter, Denise, came to my rescue and gave me a hand.  Now, I am sure she is cursing me, since it just got hotter and more humid the 2 days she helped me out.  We both had our cameras with us, but decided not to take a picture of each other, fearing I would alienate the few readers I actually do have reading this blog!  We really looked and felt miserable. 

We added a 1 1/2" border around the ceiling design in both buildings. Buidling #600 is completely done, but Building #700 still needs to have some areas touched up.  I'll do this after the 4th of July holiday when I return to start work in the Clubhouse.  I am only going to attempt to touch up that ceiling if it is much, much cooler and less humid.  Same goes for even beginning the ceiling in Building #800!  I'm going to have to forget all my pain and suffering before I will be able to start one more identical ceiling in the final Apartment Building!

Today, I began a new residential job.  I am using a combination of stencils and freehand painting.  All work is being done on some new cabinetry and a bathroom vanity.  Both have been painted an off white by the cabinet maker.  The theme is Fish and Seashells.

In the new bath, my inspiration was this glass tile.  I have been dying to try some of Helen and Rachel Morris's stencils from their Mosiac Line.  I used a great shell border, but had to make a few adjustments with the layout to make it fit the panels.  I am using all Modern Masters Metallic paints for both sets of cabinetry.  Additionally, I am highlighting with Goldens Interference colors, which is really giving the mosiacs the look of glass tile.  On the other designs I will be using (not mosiacs), it is just giving the shells and fish a great, shimmered look that changes with the light.  I haven't worked with the Interference colors a lot, but think I need to do much more exploring with this line!  The colors are expensive though.

The vanity went well and fairly quickly.  The major obstacle today, was myself!  I was nervous because I feel these clients are not totally convinced I can do a good job.  They have had me do some furniture for them over the years, but never have allowed me to do work in their home.  They have used another decorative painter extensively throughout this home and a second vacation home they own.  I'm not typically nervous on the job, even with new clients, but this one had me a bit jittery today. (and I did not even have coffee with me!)

Try moving your monitor around a bit, to see this close up of the mosaic.  This is the effect the Interference colors have.  I brushed the Interference colors over the Modern Masters colors I used.

So, just to prove how out of sorts I was... after I finished the vanity, I moved onto the main room, a basement level playroom, newly remodeled.

First I stenciled the 3 drawer fronts, no problem.  Then, I moved onto one of a set of 3,  fish panels.  I had almost one panel done, stepped back to view, and realized I had stenciled it upside down! :-(  Fearing I would be discovered by the homeowners, I raced around looking for my supplies to wash it all off.  This, I did, successfully and undetected. :-)  Next, I quickly put the stencil back in place, the correct way!, and continued.  I did not quite finish the panel, but it was nearing 4 pm and time for me to head home.  I hope to be finished by Wednesday with this job.  The homeowner looked at me quite skeptical when I told her this, but I did add, I would come back on Thursday if needed.  Here's hoping tomorrow goes a little smoother and quicker!

Rethinking the Clients Needs

A few days ago, I posted about the 2 hour consultation I had with a couple who were a new referral to me.  I did not have a good feeling about what the outcome of this consultation would be.  I sensed a lot of conflict between the husband and wife over what work, if any, should be done in their home.  The husband had actually contacted me by phone 3 different times before we met, very excited to set up a consult.  The wife works full time, while the husband is retired, so he was the one spearheading a makeover for their home. 

Yesterday, the husband called me and apologized for not getting back to me sooner.  He explained that he had no idea what was involved in doing the various finishes they had selected for their rooms until he read through my proposal.  Now, because this couple was a referral from a neighbor and their condo is located in a development where I have done several units, I made the assumption that they had actually seen my work in their friend's unit and discussed the process and cost.  Maybe that was an incorrect assumption, but that is what has been the norm when I've done other units here.  The homeowners in this 55+ community, have seen their friends units and know a ballpark price.  This was not the case here.  This couple had only spoke on the phone to their neighbor who just told them what I had done in her unit and gave them my contact information.

When the husband called me, I was happy that he was acknowledging and thanking me for the time and effort I had already expended.  As I said, a "thank you for your time" goes a long way with me.  I had priced out their quote, room by room, as I always do.  This way, there is the option to pick and choose which areas will be done and not the feeling that it all needs to be done at once.  I do, however, offer a discount if multiple rooms are done at the same time.  It is just more cost effective.  On the phone, I pointed this out, and suggested they come up with a budget, a priority list of rooms, and contact me again if they would like to further discuss possibilities that would fit into their budget.  Here is where I had a choice.  I could easily file their folder away as an uninterested client or I could see if another approach would win them over.  I decided to go with the latter, and expend just a little more time on this couple.  My thinking is, here is a client who is interested in doing something to their home, since they were the ones who initially contacted me,  but obviously have a budget they want to work within.  Since they are not divulging this number to me, and I am not a mind reader, I will just assume the high end finishes they originally selected are out of line with their budget. 

The bulk of the work was already done for me in the first proposal, so all I had to do was plug in some less costly versions of the finishes originally proposed.  In the new cover letter, I explained the difference in labor and material costs.   

In my earlier post I wrote:

"I first either email or phone in the quote, put a hard copy in the mail, and then follow up with a phone call a week later.  If I get no response, or a negative response, then after I enter their contact info into my data base, they are filed away. "  Now I feel I have given this my best shot.  Btw... this is not an inexpensive housing development.  It is on the higher end of luxury 55+ townhouse/condo developments.  I, myself, could not afford to buy into this development.

More Waiting Time...

Recently,  I met with new clients, a couple referred to me by a friend of theirs who is a good client of mine.  When I get a referral like this, I do not charge a consultation fee, because it is almost a given, that I will do some work for this referral.  The consult took way too long.... 2 hrs.  I typically do a 45 minute - 1 hour consult.  This couple was very new to decorative painting, and did not have a clear idea about what they wanted.  They did know they wanted something for their kitchen back splash, a finish in the powder room, and a finish in the master bath, oh...and a finish under the counter in the kitchen, where the stools are.  There was a lot of disagreement with the selection of the finishes between the husband and wife. The wife was very concerned about spending the money to do this work and seemed quite un-enthused about all of the finishes I suggested.   The husband, on the other hand, was very interested, enjoyed placing the various sample boards around the room to view,  and was excited to have the work done.  Finally, finishes were selected and I went over the process, which would be for me to price it all out and get back to them.  At my home office, I spent about an hour pricing everything out.  I phoned the clients with my pricing, on the day promised.   The wife was the one who took my call, and again, very non responsive to it all, just stating she'd get back to me.  No "thank you for the time you spent at our home "; no questions about anything.  This is one of those jobs that I feel will not happen at all, and I am just kicking myself for not charging a consultation fee.  Two hours of my time on a busy Saturday, not to mention the gas to get to this clients home and back, and my time pricing everything out.  I do feel my rate covers all of this, but when the consult results in no work at all, it's a loss.  With the high price of gas right now, I think I am going to re-institute my consultation fee for all new clients.  A "thank you for your time" goes a long way with me.  I don't think that is too much to ask, do you?  I will do a follow up call to this client later today.  That is my process.  I first either email or phone in the quote, put a hard copy in the mail, and then follow up with a phone call a week later.  If I get no response, or a negative response, then after I enter their contact info into my data base, they are filed away.  You never know, some clients contact me a year or two later, some never, others will pass my name along to a friend.

The Waiting Game

"The Waiting Game" is what I refer to as that period of time when I am waiting, impatiently, for a client to make up their mind whether or not they are going ahead with the proposed work.  Sometimes I have a good sense of  what the outcome will be, other times...I am clueless.  For the 2 ceilings recently proposed, I knew this would be a go, just not so certain 'when' work would begin, or if both ceilings would happen at once.  This client was supposed to call me the next day after I met with her so I could place the order for the Modellos ™.  No call came.  I did not want to keep bugging her, so waited it out through the weekend.  Still no call.  To keep my own schedule on track, I really need to get in there and do the prep work, while I am waiting for the Modellos™ to be made and shipped.  This way, the ceilings will be all ready, and I will fit in another job while waiting for the arrival of the Modellos™ and installation of the beams.  Finally, I gave the client a call yesterday and she told me she was just waiting for me to come over and begin!  Grrr....

Both ceilings are a go, so I placed the order for the Modellos™ I will be using for each project, this morning on line.  Over at the Modello Designs website, ordering is all so very easy!  I had already picked out the designs I wanted to use for the 2 ceilings and stored them in My Design Library on this site,  so just had to click away and request confirmation for the quote.  I did that around 7 a.m. (EST) this morning.  Then, I went out for the day, returned at 4 p.m. and had a message waiting for me from Michelle at Modello Designs, asking me to give her a call to finalize the order.  Very quick, responsive, and pleasant service!  Michelle went through the order with me and answered any and all questions I had.  The order will be shipped out Thursday.  Since I am not in a huge rush for this, having to get my prep work done first and also have the beams installed, I had the order shipped Ground UPS.  Michelle says some sample pieces for me to do sample boards with will be included with my order, so I will get a few boards prepped for their arrival.  This will be great, because I have not totally worked out the colors I will be using for the Modellos.™

Here are my client's 2 ceilings again... just waiting their transformation! ;-)

The Office Ceiling, pictured on the left, will have "beams" installed to form 9 panels. I will paint the ceiling first and do the glazing, before the wood is installed.  This will be easier than working around all the wood.  The Sunroom Ceiling, pictured on the right, will have that center beam darkened and wood grained, plus a corner scroll design in each of the four corners .  The Ceiling in this room is a nice shade of tan, so all work will be done directly on this color. 

Off To A Good Start!

My first job of the new year truly exemplifies why I love this job. When I first met Mary, at our initial consultation, I immediately liked her.  She was a referral from a former client, her sister.  Mary was eager to bring a little life into her small kitchen and new powder room.  She gave me free reign!  After much discussion, we decided on some assorted fruits in the kitchen, a small spray of flowers over the mirror in the powder room and a few birds between the 2 rooms. 

When I returned to do the work, Mary kept me entertained with her life stories and a constant supply of herbal tea.  At 75, this remarkable woman has had quite the life, raising 4 young children alone when her husband was killed in active duty, early in their marriage.  Mary's many interests and activities had me in awe of her energy and enthusiasm.  What a fun day and an half of painting!

Cherry design by Royal Design Studios

Grape Cluster design by Royal Design Studios.

Orange design by The Mad Stencilist.

Far shot of Pears stenciled over bay window. This design is by Andreae Designs Stencils.

A closer look at the pears.  This clock features a different bird for each number.  Each bird has it's own chirp, and does so on the hour!

This fruit tree was created using the Free Form Fruits stencil by Royal Designs Studios.  I used the Painterly Ivy stencil, also by Royal Designs,  around the base of the tree; and Andreae Designs Bird in Flight. The wicker basket for the pot is a free hand design.

A close up of the Fruit Tree. The leaves with this stencil design are beautiful and I use them often to make trees or garlands.  The Painterly Ivy is one of the quickest stencils to work up.  A few embellishments with a liner brush results in a vine that looks like you spent hours on vs. minutes!  It's a 1 overlay design.

This design uses Royal Designs Large Nest as the focal point, with some Sweet Peas, Trumpet Flower Vines, and more of the Painterly Ivy.  Three small Hummingbirds from the Stencilled Garden fly about a the top of the spray.

This bird is on the adjacent wall in the powder room.  The bird stencil is a free stencil that comes in The Artistic Stenciler magazine.