Retro inspiration

Okay, so honestly doesn't this image crack you up?  How groovy are those yellow tights and socks?  Are these girls are like the bright and colorful Charlie's Angels?

I do love the color palette though and jumped at the chance to work with these colors. I think these colors are real snappy and offer a fun twist to a fall themed layout.

Here's what I created with the October GCD Studios Kit of the Month.

A million little pieces

I've got a super easy technique to share this month that perfectly illustrated how I was feeling about our son growing up. He's a sophomore this year and we realize that time is ticking and before we know it he will be leaving our nest. :(

Here's a close up.



I just punched a ton of cardstock in the color palette of my page using a super small and an ordinary sized hole punch.  Stretched out two-sided tape and poured the "confetti" on to one side of the tape.  Be sure to keep the backing on the other side until you are ready to adhere it to your page.



I found that some of the empty spaces needed to be filled by hand and some of the larger pieces needed to be removed because they were only partially sticking.  Lastly, I filled in the spaces with the teeny, tiny punches.  I found the best way to do this was to press the tape onto my non-stick matte covered with the tiny punches.

I think this technique has great potential, such a great way to use scraps and bring your color palette together.

Here's one more look.

Supplies:  All paper and embellishments from GCD Studios except washi tape, 7 Gypsies and unknown. Letter Stickers: Basic Grey, October Afternoon
Thanks for stopping by!

Decorating with palettes

Well, hello there! So glad you are still checking out the ole blog.  I've recently been wearing way too many "hats", as they say, and just haven't been able to get to the blog to share.

It's a shame really, because I have tons to share. In the few stolen moments in between my graphic design work, running and everyday mom duties, I've been a busy little worker bee.

Let's start with free palettes today.  :)  I've learned that despite being free, they are really quite the little buggers to work with. You definitely need to be ready to put on your working gloves when you deal with these bad boys.

Via

For my first palette project, the palette was fairly agreeable when it came to taking the boards apart.  I was able to remove most of the long boards without splitting them by whacking the backsides with a hammer until they came apart.  It was good hard work and great way to work out some aggression. ;)

Here's what I created with the boards I got in the end.  I've been wanting a rustic element for my fall mantle.  I plan on redecorating it after Halloween with more traditional fall decor, a wreath maybe?

Anyway, I just love it. It's exactly the organic looking element I was hoping for.  And I love that it gave my "spooky" banner I created for GCD Studios last Halloween new life. (Click on the first link for a complete how to.)

Very simple construction really and so much easier than the deconstruction!  I just took some of the other board pieces and made a cross support to hold the long boards all together.  The weathered patina is perfect for this type of decorating and of course that's why I went to all the trouble to work with a palette anyway.  Well, and they are free.

The next project evolved from my desire to have an extra large tray on our ottoman and not wanting to spend $75 to $100 to get one.  I plan on slip covering or reupholstering it the ottoman this winter, but until then I thought covering it with a larger tray would be a good place to start. (I'm so over this rusty color and am tired of trying to decorate around it.)

The second palette had much sturdier, thicker wood and therefore was much harder to get apart.  I pretty much decided the only way to tackle this one was to cut it up with a circular saw.  Much to the dismay of my husband, Richard, who came home while I had abandoned the project half way to go to a meeting, I made a complete mess in the garage.

The two shorter, long boards are still attached to the bottom boards they were originally. So basically I cut off one of the sections divided by these boards.  Does that make sense? After I cut them to the right length,  I then used other boards I removed as the ends. As simple as this sounds, it was by no means easy, but in the end, it came out pretty cool, I think.

After I got they tray built, or the crate as Richard calls it, I sanded it down really well and applied clear and dark waxes and then buffed.  I kind of like the process of adding both the clear and dark waxes at the same time.  Feels more fluid to work with and easier to control the coverage.

Of course this solution brought about a new dilemma... what to put in the tray.  For now I threw in a few ceramic pumpkins, a box we sometimes store remote controls in (wink, wink) and the magazines I had on a smaller tray. 

So if you have any great suggestions for what to put in my new tray after the holidays, I'd love to hear them!!

Recently...

Newsflash...I haven't been here. Here's what I've been up to instead of blogging.

1. Finishing up long overdue projects. Here's a sneak peak of the antique pedestal table I bought earlier in the year.  Still want to paint the chairs to match.

2. Enjoying the mild temperatures and going hiking with friends.  I love having a state park nearby.

3.  Attending Soccer tournaments.  Last weekend Emily's team played in a tournament in town.  It's nice to be local, but it does make for a full weekend.

4. Attending swim meets.  Miles actually had a meet at his high school's pool last weekend as well.  It was good to see him swim for a change. He's in the silver cap.

 


























5. Working on Graphic Design projects.  For one of the projects I've been working recently, I created an identity package including a blogger site. She's a friend of mine and just getting it started, but she's got big plans! A click on the screen shot will take you there.

6. Making a huge mess in the garage and bringing out the Halloween decor. I'll share more about this later, but here's another sneak peek.

7. Enjoying the fall color. These maples are just brilliant in front of Richard's office.  (I'm dropping him off and picking him up most days because Miles takes the truck to his 5:30 AM practices. )

This weekend is a little lighter than last weekend as far as scheduled events goes.  A few things I plant to do are; work in the yard a little, work in the garage a little, go for a run, miss and worry about Miles as he heads out today for an overnight swim meet.

Have a great weekend!!

A little bit of Paris...grey

So remember a while back I mentioned that in addition to this piece, I also purchased several companion pieces while at the auction?

Well, I'm finally sharing. :)

Here's how these girls started.

I scrapped and scrapped and then lightly sanded until there were no more loose bits of paint. In fact, there was enough paint flakes to fill a standing dust pan! Despite the condition on the outside, both functioned well as you might expect from antique Thomasville pieces. The only work I had to do was to replace the latches on the inside of the armoire.

After two coats of Paris Grey, center details of Paris Grey mixed with Graphite and details with Old White, here they are.  I don't usually name my furniture, but I spent A LOT of time with these girls and came up with names for them during the long hours.

Meet Bella and Beatrice.  Bella is the armoire and Beatrice is the little sister, side table.

Closer...

You'll notice that I chose to just embrace the chippy paint look.  I think it adds to their charm.

I also added small touches of Annie Sloan Dark Wax at the end, just to warm up the overall color.

They were sold to a friend of mine for resale in her booth at the Market Place in Columbia, Mo.  I wish I would have taken a photo of them when I delivered them.  She was happy to fill these drawers and shelf with oodles of Christmas ornaments and other seasonal display items almost as soon as we decided where to place them in her booth!

I'm very proud of my first pieces bought and painted with the intention of selling.

There may have been a few times I wish I could have kept them. ;)