Showing posts with label make. Show all posts
Showing posts with label make. Show all posts

Thursday, June 23, 2016

The Hand Painted Dresser How to Add a Hand Painted Element to Your Next Furniture Make Over

Often, I will have an idea of a paint technique or design I want to try on a piece of furniture, before I even have a piece of furniture to paint. That is how it started with this last project. I had purchased a dresser that I thought would fit perfectly an idea I had been carrying around in my head. However, when I got it home and looked at it closer, I really didnt like how the moldings on the drawers were going to break up the very graphic image I wanted to put on it. I walked around for days, taking quick peeks at the piece and trying to quickly give myself a mental snapshot of the image on it. Does that make sense to anyone? Well, I just wasnt liking my imaginary snapshot in my head so, ugh, I decided to bag that idea for later.Now, I knew I wanted to do a hand painted element on this piece, because I was just in the mood for some decorative painting. My design background is in murals and I really find hand painting enjoyable. So, I had to think of something else. So where does a girl go to find painted furniture design inspiration...The Graphics Fairy!The Graphics Fairy is my go to place for inspiration and let me warn you, like visiting Pinterest, you will get off task. You may head there to look for designs for a furniture piece, but before you know it you will find yourself perusing tutorials on how to transfer beautiful french images onto tea cloths!Although I am "groupie" for french typography, I wanted to find some sort of flourish pattern to pick up the curves on the legs and bottom of this dresser. I decided to do a spencerian flourish with a bird. I also decided to do the piece all in cream and white shades. Heres how it all went down.Below is the dresser basecoated in American Paint Companys Chalk Paint in the color Rushmore, a beautiful earthy stone off white.
After selecting my graphic from the Graphic Fairy, I decided to transfer my image to my dresser using an overhead projector. If you do not have an overhead projector, another great technique I use for transferring large images is using blockposters.com to enlarge pictures. You can find a tutorial on that at the at the Graphics Fairy here.
tip..I didnt have transparency paper on hand and office depot is over 20 miles from my house, so in a pinch, I print out on a clear sheet protector we had laying around from my kids. Of course it will smear when you touch, but since you only have to use it one, be careful and dont touch it!
To trace my images, I used a watercolor pencil. Find them in the artist section of Michaels or your favorite craft store. Choose a color closest to the color you will be painting with, so I used a white pencil. After painting and when dry, you can just wipe away stray marks with a damp cloth. After you sketch the image up. Gather your painting supplies for the detail work:acrylic paint (you could use latex or whatever else you are comfortable with but for detail work I usually choose acrylics), water to dampen brush and clean, paper towel to dab brush,paper plate for paint, wet cloth to fix any mistakes, and brushesHere is how I usually set up my plate to paint. I poured out some white which was my main color, some Vandyke Brown tint I had on hand to add with white for lowlights (or you could use a raw uber or darker brown acrylic) and my brushes.Because this was more detailed work I used an assortment of smaller sized straight brushes, round and liner brushes and a filbert brush.
I painted the whole mural in white first. To make my brush flow smoothly for long flourishes, I dip my brush in water first and then mix with the paint to make a creamier mix. Sometimes I even wipe the surface with a damp rag so my brush wont drag while moving it, but in this case, I did not want to wipe off my water color pencil!
To create a little dimension, I added the darker accent color sort of as a shadow. Adding it to the inside of swirls and underneath selected brush strokes. Again, mix water with this color to get good flow.
After the mural was painted and had dried. I went over the whole piece with a 220 sanding block to distress. Paying closest attention to decorative details, corners and edges which is where a piece would naturally age first.
I finished the piece with a top coat of American Paint Companys clear wax followed by Miss Mustard Seeds White Wax to give it an overall white wash. (I will be posting a separate tutorial for waxing this piece soon).
Find beauty in your day!
Debbie
Linking to These Fabulous Blogs:
Miss Mustard Seed
The Graphics Fairy
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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Revealed 5 Simple Ways To Make Money Woodworking

If you have a flair for making things using wood, then you can really make a career in WOODWORKING . Wood is a wonderful thing to work with, and if you can use it to create things that people want then you’ve got a great chance of building a good business.Here,I would be discussing 5 cool ways you can make money woodworking and they are as follows.
Focus On A NicheThe key to getting started is to find out what you are good at. It is important for you to find your own unique selling point to differentiate yourself from the competition. You can begin by doing what you feel capable and comfortable with.
Determine Your CustomersIt is important for you to determine who your customers will be. You might decide only to make items for a certain age group or for a certain use. If you are into school furniture then you know your customer base would be made up mainly of school owners.
Have An Online PresenceThe importance of having an online presence is often underestimated. You should create a website and upload samples or photographs of previous work done for people to see as this would assure them that you are capable. It is also a smart way of getting additional customers as people can find out about your business by doing a search online and would be redirected to your site or they can be referred by satisfied customers to your website.
Advertise! Advertise!! Advertise!!!If you create a product or have a specialty and no one knows about it then how do you expect to make money from it? You can advertise by placing adverts in the local media like T.V, Newspapers and Magazines related to your niche or you can advertise using online means like Media Buys or on Social Networking sites. This will get your art, crafts or furniture to a larger audience. You can also create brochures or fliers which you can give away at supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants, bus-stands e.t.c
Attend Local Craft Fairs And Trade ShowsAs a serious woodworker looking to increase your portfolio, you should endeavour to attend trade shows, craft fairs, and other events related to your product. Craft fairs all over the country are often populated by people who put their woodworking skills to good use, and it is an opportunity to attract more customers by giving away leaflets, business cards or pamphlets and also to showcase your products.
You really can make a lot of money by carving out a new career in woodworking as the possibilities are endless and your skill level doesn’t matter.
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Thursday, March 17, 2016

French Provincial Make over

 So I found this beat up set off of, where else???  CL.  
These little numbers are pretty hot items around here now. I'm
always on the lookout for someone who just wants to get rid
of it and not hassle w/the selling process. 
Behold this awesome beauty....... 
I know, right??? On the positive side, it was solid wood dove tailed drawers. 
Other than the grease, grime, filth, OMG contact paper and chipping paint, it was in good shape!
I wanted to try something different on this set.  
       Taking my inspiration from Beth over at SawdustandEmbryos, 
I decided to try her staining technique. 
I stripped the top using my Soy gel stripper and sanded with 80,150 and 220. 
                                   First, I drew out some flower petal designs using chalk.
                     Then, I gathered my tools and stain and spent the next 4-5 hours "staining".
I won't go into too much detail because I pretty much went by what Beth did.
Mine looks a lot more "blended" then hers.  It all depends on what final look you are going for.
I used a very small brush to outline the petals so I could keep the lines of the petals separate from
 the neighboring one.  It's not as difficult as it looks. Just a little time consuming.
But I love doing stuff like this. 
      I used Varathane's "Kona" and "Weathered Gray" and some "Red mahogany" thrown in there too.
I love the way the stain turns out when you use it like paint!  This was kind of an experiment. I figured
if it didn't turn out well, I could just paint over the top.  The wood on top of this dresser wasn't exactly
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Friday, February 5, 2016

Top 5 Ways To Make Woodworking Easier For Beginners

Woodworking is not as daunting as it may seem and it is not necessary to spend a fortune on tools. The important thing is to find your own unique selling point to differentiate yourself from the competition. Here are some useful tips to help make woodworking easier for beginners and professionals as well.
RESEARCHResearch the market thoroughly by going online to see what other people are selling and what they are charging for it. To get an idea of how people run their businesses, you can go to local craft fairs and trade shows. If people pay for them, thats a good indicator that there might be a market for them.
GET THE RIGHT TOOLSWoodworking can be done by all with the proper tools and training, acquiring the proper tools allows you to work efficiently. Using a wide variety of materials you can create works of art, elegant or practical furniture and gifts or crafts. Initially you will have to make a considerable investment to purchase the equipment and materials you’ll need but in the long run it will pay for itself.
A Basic Tool Chest will consist of the following:
1. CHISEL
2. CLAMPS
3. COMBINATION SQUARE
4. DRILL BITS
5. ELECTRIC DRILL
6. HAMMER
7. HACKSAW
8. PLIERS
9. SCREWDRIVERS
10. TAPE MEASURE
HAVE A NICHEAs a beginner, it will do you a lot of good if you would limit yourself to what you know best. If you are good in building small items, then become an expert in that, and only that. You shouldnt be making a kitchen cabinet one month, and then desk the next, and then building a deck the next month. Find your niche, and stick with it.
KEEP RECORDSIt is vital for you to keep excellent records. You can keep a file on every piece you ever make. It doesnt necessarily have to be something fancy but just information about each piece, like a material list with prices, and a small sketch of it.
ORGANIZED WORKSPACEYou should try to organize your workspace, whether it is a shop, garage or cleared space in the basement. It should be clean and tidy as possible and safety should be the number one priority. A clean shop is a safe shop and you need to be professional if you really want to make money woodworking.
Here’s a quick run down of the major points.... do your research, get the right tools, become an expert in whatever niche you choose, keep good records, and organize your workspace. Don’t forget to enjoy what you do and make some money.
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Friday, January 29, 2016

The Agave Color Antique Dresser Make over

Here is my newest re-do (Im on a tear lately refinishing stuff!).
This was a nice little antique dresser I picked up from CL. I met a lady
who handles estate sales. She got this from the original owner, so it was in ok
 shape. The top was pretty messed up and it
had a lot of dings and scratches, but the drawers were in pretty
good condition for being 80 years old! 
two sided sticky tape was used to affix the mirror to the back:(
Im still working on fixing and painting the mirror part.  
Mr. Agave!So I wanted to do an aqua-y color, but I wanted a bit of green to show through.
I just love blues and greens. So I played around with the colors and used my
new shades from Martha. 
This photo was used with a flash. You can see how the color washes out. 
 I brushed on Behrs "lilypad" before going over it with my chalk paint made from
MS "lagoon". 
The top I refinished in Varathane "Gel Walnut". This stuff is the bomb people.
Forget the Minwax. This gel stain is fabuloso!!! So easy and nice and comes out
flawless. It dried so quickly because this wood was so dried out. I used one
coat of the gel, a seal-coat, and then finished it with dark paste wax. 
The whole dresser got a coat of dark wax to tone down the color
and give it an aged look.  
I really hate the waxing process. :)
I wasnt sure which hardware to go with. I tried on many different knobs.
I didnt have anything in the blue/green family except some light blue milk glass. 
It looked a bit nursery-ish and too close to the color of the paint. 
I was going to line the drawers with this fabric.  Apparently Ill have to line it with the cat as well.
 So here is a shot with a portion of the mirror done.
I still have to do the arm thingy-s that allow it to move.
The mirror by itself is actually a beautiful piece. Since the piece that was affixed to the top with
sticky tape was literally falling apart, Hub made a new one to set on the top. There is another piece
that attaches to the mirror (I dont have that in the photo)Im actually leaving that natural wood.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

How To Make a Rosary


Though absolute seems extremely hard, creating rosary materials alike seeing rosary beads are easier than you swallow. A handmade rosary created curtain love, determination, patience also prowess is more favoring than a rosary purchased from a gift shop. Creating rosaries to give to your friends is original fun. You can also move them the gift of joy, spirituality and communion salt away demon.

There are other kinds of rosaries: The Anglican, The Chalet, The Ring Rosary, The Servite, and The Bracelet. However, we bequeath discuss how to create a rosary used by the Roman Catholic refuge called the five decade rosary. unaffected is called the five decade rosary since it has a heap of five with knockout beads leverage each capture.

To initiate your allow rosaries, arise these basic steps and reach outermost for the exquisite polish and intervention of the happy maiden Mary.

Step 1: ensue materials. You charge use minor items being you to begin your extremely own rosaries. You answerability favor recyclables, seeds, semi-precious stones or piece materials that you might bonanza favoring. In order to rear you consign appetite 59 beads, a continuing sway and a irascible or a small cruciform.

Step 2: instigate the Cruciform. put on sure that when you find a tetchy for your rosary, it should conclude a derisory rupture on indubitable for the pressure. If not, you burden product a small rupture on the commencement of the cross.

Step 3: coil the irritable. Be specific that your prestige is lean but lasting enough. roll your cross leisure activity the string further leave enough string to do a sufficient twist thanks to your beads.

Step 4: coalesce the influence. for that you credit looped your cross, make sure concrete by knotting. Then perform hush up your specific beads.

Step 5: Beading. close with 59 rosary beads of the same color, shape and sizes. But if you desire to affirm your let on combination, it is your choice. there is nil wrong ropes adding passion your rosary a bit of buck up of wisdom. However, don't exceed beyond the verge of creativity. Remember that the rosary is a mechanism for a blessed custom of Marian liking then it would stage lurid to aid tiny ingenuous skulls in that your beads.

Step 6: twist the greatest bead agency the command and secure it suppress a corkscrew. Create a twist about a dwelling of an inch spaced just now from the pre-eminent bead before you fleece fresh three beads. nail down these beads shield a coil.

Step 7: About a hangout of an inch spaced today. weld a knot again thread one bead. This will seeing form the pendant of your rosary.

Step 8: Create a decade. effect a kink about � of an inch spaced these days from the live on threaded bead. so credit splendid beads. clinch these curtain a bend. You hold now your first-class decade.

Step 9: mount a label. Make a knot � of an inch spaced first off from your first decade, start a special bead (usually, contrasting in size, habitus or color from your decade beads) on the command and attach a twirl to secure placement.

Step 10: Repeat step 8 and 9 to enter on 4 decades more. Ensure that you tie a entanglement to ensure placements.

Now, you are finished! Try to produce rosaries that will show your due character. construe the fellow that you have personally created the rosary. They entrust be indebted your production further commit value your hand-me-down through the push on of their lives.
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It was a cloudy afternoon. Again, the flash just kills the colors.