Easter Re-run

I don't do much "Easter" themed decorating.
But, last year I re-created a store display I had seen at a cute local shop called Topiaries.

It's a bit crazy and over the top but I thought I show it to you again!
It's not the kind of thing you can put on a dining table.
In fact, it may need a room of it's own.
But, nonetheless...I LOVE it...my...

Nest Egg
(elaborate tutorial to follow)

Supplies:

grapevine wreath to fit over whatever size urn or container you want to use

raffia

assorted trims and ribbons

a faux egg, whatever size you choose

I was inspired by the store display, as I mentioned but until I saw a 
freakishly large egg in Michaels, 
I didn't think I would be able to do it.
I mean the pterodactyls died out awhile ago I heard...

Anyway....a piece of advice:
Find your egg first because it will dictate the size of the container you use.

I spray painted it turquoise

And then flecked it all over with spots.
While that dried, I assembled my "nest".

I put the grapevine wreath over a floor lamp so the bits I was adding could dangle down. It helps to see how it looks and be able to walk around it and make adjustments.

I actually thought...."if I was having a luau, this would be great over all the lamps"...keep that in mind for your next luau.

Anyway, I just tied lengths of the raffia onto the wreath.

Once the base of raffia is done. Just go crazy tying stuff on....
It's a great way to use up some stash of trims because colorful and even gaudy can work.

I used grosgrain and satin ribbon, tulle, rickrack...

and even this wired floral garland...
anything goes...

Once I was satisfied I had enough crap beautiful trims
on there......
I put it on the urn and set the egg on top......

Oh yeah....
a thing of beauty...
only the "Wererabbit" could carry this sucker into the house....

My "ever so artistic" family just stared at it...
a couple of them said "wow, that's really something".

sheesh....

I knew YOU would understand...
That's why I'm sharing it again.....
I just need to know it's REALLY something....

Isn't it?


Stay tuned...I even have another version 
because I know you can't get enough of my 
crap creations....


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Spring Sunlight

We are all wondering if Spring is coming at all.
We may not be socked in with snow like some of you are but it has been about 20 degrees cooler than normal here and now we have cold and rain again. It's snowing and hailing just an hour from here.
On Sunday it was hailing here in Virginia Beach!! Strange season!
There's a common statement here..."Don't like the weather? Wait ten minutes...it'll change."

I'm so  glad I took some pictures last week! When we all thought Spring WAS coming!

One of my favorite things about seasonal changes is how the light moves around the house. Suddenly, light is streaming in a window from a new direction...changing everything.

It's a metaphor for life...isn't it?

We're walking in one direction and suddenly our direction needs to change a bit.

Looking towards something that seems blocked....although we can get a glimpse of what we long for.

And then, suddenly, like a curtain is drawn back....we see.
We can look through.
Things are different!

Words that were unclear, become clear.

We notice the small things again.

Things seem fresher, ....renewed, .....the old and dusty find a new purpose.

Dark areas become light filled.

We're in love with the world again.

And hope...

as they say....
Springs eternal........

Spring IS coming........

Change IS coming..........

If we can be patient........

And wait for the sunlight......

For all my friends reeling under yet ANOTHER storm...

I hope this is just a tiny bit encouraging....

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Olive The Other People Have Them...Why Not Me?

This has certainly been a stressful couple of weeks!
I found out I was hosting Easter so had to remove some of the Christmas decor early and start decorating for Spring!

I had to share all my secrets of junk/crap Treasure hoarding aging!

And had a near death Heat Transfer experience!

Thank goodness I had something to fall back on...other than wine that is....


Of course, this could be considered a wine go-with I suppose.....

Because if what it originally was used for....
Other than holding Quince branches that is.....

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style has a nice bucket....
I'm sure her husband likes her bucket but I am referring to THIS kind of bucket....

She's always showing off her bucket...flinging her bucket ownership in my face...
Her bucket goes everywhere! 
In the kitchen, on the porch, in the family room....yada yada yada.....

Believe me...I have EVERY INTENTION of moving MY bucket around too.....

PLENTY

I'm no shirker when it comes to competition!

Right now it's on the breakfast table but NOT FOR LONG! HA!
No longer do I have to stare longingly at Kim's bucket......
No siree......

Oh, and Kim....just so you know....

I BOUGHT TWO! 

Which means I can move my buckets TWICE as much!

Don't you love that quince? Here's my secret....Target...on sale.....



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A Harlequin Table and How to Remain Calm in The Face Of Trauma

I'm going to show you the transformation of this petite coffee table

to this pretty harlequin table

I am also going to teach you a valuable lesson on how not to panic in the face of trauma.
Only you will understand WHY this could have been a disaster...
The uninformed people would sneer and say..."over a stupid table?"
Those people are like gnats that buzz around your head...just shoo them away because they cannot possibly understand the seriousness of this.....

HEAT TRANSFER TRAUMA!!

As our story begins, I am calm and confident.....

I painstakenly transferred a harlequin design to the table using chalk paint...
I handpainted the squares because I am TOO lazy to tape all that off 
plus Frog Tape costs the EXACT SAME AMOUNT I plan to charge for this table....

I was going for a vintage look and was not worried that it could be checked for accuracy by a guy with a slide ruler 

YOUNG'UN SIDEBAR:
Slide Ruler: a stick with numbers and NO batteries that allowed people to bring back Apollo 13 from whipping out of Earth's gravity to char up in the sun like a marshmallow on a stick........that and some duct tape

Looking good...now for something in the center. You can hear the creepy sound behind me as the audience screams...."no! Don't do it"!! 
I sneer in the face of danger.....

This crown from Graphics Fairy looks good! Tape it onto the table... 

.....set up my cute little work station...you'll notice I didn't even put my name on this one...Go ahead...steal this pic....I know you want to copy it you shameless people.....

Off we go into the wild blue yonder....
Exactly what the Apollo 13 crew said before they realized they were up the atmosphere without propulsion...

Handy dandy MS heat tool....

Heating, and rubbing, rubbing and heating...sipping tea...
thinking about how people will mob my booth to get their hands on this 

CUTE Harlequin Table....

coming up with CUTE names...(I love people who name their furniture)...

Regal Harlequin Table

The Queen's Table

 Un Petite Table d'un Apartement de Paris

Un Petite Table de Roi

....sigh...

I LOVE doing furniture......

 let's lift the corner and see how it's going shall we?

cue 'screaming knife sound from Psycho'

Uh...that would be paper stuck onto the table.....only I didn't say "uh"...

Here's the part where I tell you not to panic...remain calm.......

Lesson One: Don't Quit Too Early

You don't need to repaint your table with all those little squares...two coats in each one.....no you don't.

Here is why I knew that...because I understood the science of why this heat transfer works in the first place....

Lesson Two: Understand the process of what you're doing and you can avoid problems 

OR fix problems

Here's the science....laser printers are toner based. They function by spraying powder onto paper which then goes through heated rollers to make it adhere to the paper. There's a lot of complicated stuff going on with electrostatic charges and such but basically that's the idea. That's why the paper is warm when it comes out. Using a heat tool, re-heats the printed area and releases it from the paper. When you rub it, it rubs off the paper onto your object. It does not come off with water.

So, after talking myself (out loud) through Lesson One.....I laid the paper back down and kept heating and rubbing...screw the tea...I wasn't thirsty anymore..... 

Lesson Three: Chalk paint does not like water

As I worked on the image I knew that the paper was going to be stuck all over the table. 

I knew Lesson Three already which made me review 
Lesson One before I went to Lesson Two again......are you following all this? 

I used a rag dampened with water to barely wet the paper...

Pulled off what I could and began to rub gently...remember Lesson Three....

It all came off and I was happy......

I finished it off with a mixture of MMS clear wax and AS dark wax.....

It came out just great.......

Piece of cake.....

Oops...I almost forgot...

Lesson Four: after a near death experience it is always advisable to have alcohol....who cares what time it is.......then have yourself a little lie down until you're calm enough to write about how you 
transformed a boring coffee table into this 

CUTE harlequin table!!.........

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French Drinks Tray

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I've been working like crazy this past week and I'll try and show you some things during this week's posts.

One of the items I finished and dropped off at the shop was a drinks tray with a French feeling.
It's portable so is perfect for using on the porch for Spring or Summer get togethers. Instant bar area!

It started out like this.....

A really large tray in very good, paintable condition...

And ended up like this....

Voila! The magic of time lapse!

I started with a coat of CeCe Caldwells Smoky Mountain Gray. I recently had a chance to try some samples. I found this gray to be VERY blue and at first, I thought I might scrap it. But, then I decided to leave it and see if it sells or not. I tend to use grays and whites and all the combinations thereof for the shop as colors seem to just sit there but I was willing to experiment with this one and see.

I used graphite paper to transfer this great "wine and spirits" advert from the Graphics Fairy....

 Graphics Fairy graphic

I enlarged it to fit the tray more fully....
Once traced and painted on, I sanded it back.
Something I haven't mentioned about sanding these painted graphics...you have to be prepared for how they darken everything around the words. The dust from the black paint gets into the base paint and does that....so it will always give an aged appearance...

If you don't want that look, then you have to choose a color paint that is something you won't sand. In other words, if I didn't want an aged look on this piece, I may have chosen a gray tone so it was more faint to begin with....eliminating the need to soften it with sanding. You can "distress" a bit while the paint is wet using tape or just a rag to remove some of the lettering.
But, I wanted the aged look here so I was fine with my usual method.

I also decided to use a poly finish on the inside of the tray so it could actually hold up if someone did use it for drinks. I use Deft brush on poly usually. It will resist alcohol. To reduce the shine some, I sanded it back a little. I waxed the rest of the tray after using some dark wax. Poly CANNOT be used over wax, so make sure you decide what you want to do before you add wax!

I'm pleased with it, let's see how this color sells.....

What do you think of the color?

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Crafty Texas Girls
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