Painting Props in the Studio

I bought my most FAVORITE color combo of the moment- twilight blue and icy aqua. Or per the paint chip names: "Twilight" and "Jamaican Aqua". And now I am scooping up useful wooden objects right and left and turning them into display components in my little shop at home. Some are for traveling too.

My first expedition into painting was the motivation to buy these colors - a new sign for fairs (and currently hanging in the little shop too). My husband built it and it is made from primitive antique fence posts and clapboard plus one piece of wood with great rusty nail heads I found on the beach.

And here it is in action at the Puffin Festival in Elliston, NL:

Next I ended up at an auction in Trinity, NL and found this wonderful, discarded, handcrafted suitcase in need of some TLC. I sanded it, cleaned off the rust, replaced the broken hinges and then meticulously painted...for days. Once dry, I sanded some more to get the distressed look I wanted. I am still working on it to convert it into a traveling display; adding a 3rd panel, components to hang jewelry from and if really ambitious, wheels and a telescopic handle (wish list).

BEFORE:

AFTER:

And then I found this odd handmade pedestal at a thrift shop. It needed gluing. So I glued, sanded and painted it ombre. It can be flipped over too so either the light or dark can be the top. Inspired by the stairs in my friend Crystal's new studio, Little Free Radical.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

In action in the little shop with my new necklace displays and a mirror I also painted (another thrift shop score)...addicted to these colors right now!

The Trench Coat Project: Unveiling!

*Psst* I leaked The Trench Coat Project idea last week and before the suspense gets the best of you, *drumroll* ... ... ...

Meet Before:


And After:

To purchase #1 in the series visit my Etsy Store.

Born from a freak mistake with bleach leaving one of the lovely large spots you see, I've raised the hem, given it a flirty tuxedo line which is higher in front and gradually gets longer towards the back and have painstakingly hand distressed the giraffe print into the fabric. What I love, is that I left the belts on the waist and cuffs and the epaulets on the shoulders the original color so they and the buttons offer a delicious contrast to the giraffe print. The inside received the treatment too and looks great!