a cozy spot to dream

a cozy spot to dream by chicpaint on polyvore.com

How great are these bowler hat pendant lights! (click on the photo to be re-directed to polyvore....links to all items listed will appear)  I knew I wanted to use them in a room set, and I think they look great with my painting, "Sewn".  One of my favorite tricks in decorating is pulling out the least dominant color in a painting to be the main color that is against it, in this case a canary yellow sofa.

 I love pendant lights used in unusual places, like hovering over the end of a sofa. 

I am obsessed with lighting. I admit it.

Here are some of my FAV-O-RITE finds.

These orbs are so gorgeous I could cry. I don't know the original source (this photo has been through the pintrest/tumblr wringer, but the photo is listed as being from houzz.)

From Windfall Contemporary Lighting .  This WILL be in my house someday. One big gigantic one in my foyer. Yeah buddy!

I have lusted over these Parasol pendants in the Wynn Hotel forever!!!!

 

A collection of Moroccan lanterns is always beautiful.  (again, unknown original source.)  

Remember the gigantic sofa and Moroccan lantern combo from my trip to Florida?  You can find Moroccan lanterns rather easily online, they aren't even expensive!

 

I recently received the latest copy of Restoration Hardware's catalog. Mostly, that catalog scares the hell out of me. But I do love their lighting! Especially this crystal chandelier within iron spheres.

"Windows" painting in a room setting

"Windows" painting in a room setting by chicpaint on polyvore.com

Rust Painting Abstract Original Artwork
pinterest.com



I have been ignorning Polyvore lately, I've just been so busy working. I logged in tonight to find out my 'set' had been featured on their homepage!   That was exciting news!


I do love this painting. And I think it looks great with the tree stump tables, the silk rug and the sleek sofa. When I design, I like a mix of old and new, rough and sleek, and obvious and ironic. It's all about balance, baby! 


Thanks Polyvore, for featuring my little set!

Tutorial for Faux Vintage Sign Letters

I have long been obsessed with words as home accessories. 
In the midst of redecorating my own dining room, I have been searching for old vintage sign letters to spell out something meaningful ( I figured the word would reveal itself through whatever letters I would find.) 
Not being able to find any that were at all right or that could spell anything I liked, I decided to just make my own.
I've seen some tutorials on the intertubes about doing this, however, with all due respect, I think they could have pushed the idea a little further and achieved even more authenticity by using the technique that I'm going to share with you here.

 Just a few products are needed for this project, but be sure and use exactly what I recommend. This process is an actual chemical reaction, substituskies are not allowed ;).



For this project you will need :
* Papier Mache letters of your choice  (mine are from Hobby Lobby)

*Krylon Premium Silver Foil Metallic Spray Paint 
* Magic Metallic "Steel Metallic" and "Rapid Rust"   
*Any patina colored latex paint (blue, teal, aqua, robin's egg, etc.)
*Denatured Alcohol  (also VERY important)
*Sheet of styrene, or a poster board to use as a work surface.

Begin by spraying your letters with the Krylon Silver Foil spray paint. This will act as a basecoat.  Let dry completely.

Now, depending on how rusty you want your letters to be, brush, sponge and dab on the Steel Metallic paint here and there but not everywhere. Let some of the silver show through.  The steel paint has metal filings in it, which will add some authentic texture.  Before this paint dries, squirt or spray on the Rapid Rust. Use alot of the Rapid Rust, don't be stingy.  Also, apply more to some letters than others, you do not want them to be completely uniform.
You really cannot mess up this step.   Flip the letters over so that they are now upside down on your work surface. For some reason, having the steel paint and the rapid rust smooshed together onto a surface really breaks up any brush marks or sponge marks and just makes the chemical reaction look real.  Let the letters sit for 30 minutes or so upside down and then flip over and let air dry.



Now, you should have a very good rusty looking letter. But we're not done yet! 
Here comes the magic part.

Working on one letter at a time, flood the letter with Denatured Alcohol. I usually just pour it on, but you could use a sponge brush to apply it too. Immediately, spray some of the Silver Foil Metallic Spray Paint directly into the Denatured Alcohol. The Silver paint will have nothing to adhere to so it will just start to swim around on the surface. Tilt the letter to move the silver around where you want it. The alcohol dries relatively quickly so you can always add more if you need to.

This photo shows the silver beginning to separate.
I wanted my letters to be quite silver so I added a lot, however these letters look really cool just  rusted too. (In which case, I would use Copper as a basecoat, instead of silver.)




Now you can add a little patina blue or green here and there by dabbing it on and then spritzing with denatured alcohol. I like the edges of my letters to be a bit different from the fronts, so I mainly focus on those areas for the patina.  

                                                 A completed letter!


I guess you have figured out the words I chose: BE STILL.
BE STILL...and know that I am God...
BE STILL...my beating heart...
BE STILL...you crazy kids are driving me bonkers!
BE STILL...and stop worrying!

Here they are hanging in the dining room! 

Make a statement in your foyer!

I create a lot of custom artwork. Which is usually designed to go in a specific room. I love creating work for my clients, especially if I have painted the room.
 I also create a lot of art just for the sheer fun of it. Designed for no one in particular, and with no destination in mind.  I thought it would be fun to create a room around one of my paintings....in this case my mixed media painting entitled "A Crack in the Universe Through Which We Fell".



I imagine this piece to be in a very crisp setting, in this scenario, I imagine a foyer.  Because the piece is pretty chaotic, the rest of the setting needs to be razor sharp and clean.
This imaginary foyer would begin with a coat of  Fine Paints of Europe, Delft Blue. 

It is my personal belief that lighting can make or break a space, and I like to see my clients INVEST in lighting. I fell in love with this modern chandelier dripping with crystals at Victoria Dreste's blog.   The murano glass lamp is an antique, however I have seen lots of blue glass lamps at different major retailers like TJ Maxx and Crate  & Barrel.

The painting as well as the room are grounded by a simple black Bombay chest, this one from House to Home (.uk) To me it looks like a silhouette of a Bombay chest, which adds a little humor to the space.

I love a chair in a foyer, a place to sit and slip on or remove your shoes.  A slipper chair is perfect,  especially when upholstered in a pale neutral. It's an investment piece that can easily be changed with just a pillow.

The 'Bright Stuff" pillow from One King's Lane pulls the colors of the painting into the furnishings. The geometric pattern also mimics an element from the painting.

I am CRAZY over  this "Brooke" rug, by Madeline Weinrib in  Goldenrod yellow. I think the color is unexpected, but it refers back to the painting. This yellow sets a cheery 'welcome home' mood!

I really wouldn't mind re-creating this scenario in my own foyer!
If you are interested in having me create a custom piece of art for your foyer, or ANY room in your home or office, contact me through my etsy shop!

Etsy shop now open! And Spring upcoming events!

 
 It seems there is never a loss for things to do at Studio Chicpaint!

I finally got my Etsy shop up and running. Wow, what a lot of work! Not only do you have to have a marketable product, you need to be a pretty good photographer as well as a word smith!  I will be adding more and more pieces as they become available! Will you take a moment to check me out? Please feel free to link my blog, my shop, this posting....
Click here for the link to my etsy shop!


It's time to start planning for the next "Hollywood to Highpoint" Open House, held once again at Designer Finishes, which is now being called " "The Perfect Pair Antiques and Salon" in Warrensburg,IL, the weekend just before Mother's Day. My friend Wanda, owner of Designer Finishes, has decided to take on a new journey with her daughter Megan. They are teaming up to open a boutique/ salon, featuring Megan's styling talents, and Wanda's love of antiques and reproduction furniture.  To celebrate Mother's Day, and my own journey as a mother, I am creating a "Flowers for Mum" series of paintings for this show.

 I love the work of artist Christy Kinard, and am inspired by her whimsical, floral abstractions.  My work is less realistic, more abstract, but I love the use of bright color and happy subject matter such as this painting by Christy.

 Getting back to my etsy journey ( is it getting older that makes me thing of every life experience as a 'journey'! )....having to describe my own work made me realize that I'm not so much of a 'painter' as I am a 'layer-er'. My work leans heavily on texture and layered elements. I love how Christy's paintings too are a process of layered papers underneath the paintings.


When Mike was choosing a painting from my Cork showing for his office, he made the comment that my work was slightly girlie. Hm...never thought of it that way. I do love some rust and crumble! I always thought my work tended towards masculine. Well, I am going all out for my Spring showing...I'm not sure how it will end up, but I know there will be flowers and glitter involved!
 I will be posting more information about this show as it becomes available.

Unpainted Walls

I have been gathering some really cool ideas in my absence from blogging. This is the busy time of year for a decorative artist, everyone is coming out of hibernation and dialing those digits! "Hello, can you do something cool with my walls?"
I'd love to incorporate some of these non Paint ideas into my portfolio. Any takers!?
 All photos from Pinterest....to see original sources and more ideas too, view my board "Unpainted Walls".

 Tin can lids!

 Skateboard decks!

 Cookie trays!

 Scrabble tiles!

 Ceiling Medallions!

Firewood Slices!

Pennies!   ( although I think I would clean them all first)

Many of these ideas would be great for floors too. I predict with the rising cost of, well, everything...that recycled materials are going to become a viable option for many homeowners.  Now to start counting those pennies......

Postcard Inn, St. Petersburg Florida 60s Surfer Style

            Postcard Inn, St. Pete Beach        photo via Travel & Leisure

After a bit of an extended break from blogging, and a wonderful and much needed vacation in Florida, I am back and ready to embrace my design life again.

Because I typically blog about fun things I've seen on my little mini vacations, I was hoping that Florida would show me some blog worthy art, architecture and ideas. Florida did not disappoint!  My honey and I visited the Dali museum, which restored my adolescent love for Dali and his crazified surrealism. If you ever are in the St. Petersburg area, visit this museum. Here's the link.
The outside of this museum is as much fun as the inside!

We also visited the Chihuly collection, which is a 10,000 square foot art installation by American glass artist Dale Chihuly. It's a little pricey but definitely worth the price of admission. The space is a little slice of visual heaven.
 
This was my favorite display, a 'Float Boat' filled with glass orbs that just glowed because everything is lit just perfectly. I never wanted to leave this area. But of course there is so much to see here, and photos were frowned on so  Here's a link to the museum.  

One evening, Mike and I very accidentally stumbled upon this hotel called "The Postcard Inn". It was adjacent to a restaurant where we were dining and we were both completely bemused by it's decor. 

On my way to the restroom, I spied this  :  sliding 'barn' doors, skateboards on the wall as art, a 'light fixture/hammock/netting' on the ceiling....I had to take a peek.

What a cool hotel lobby, and so completely unexpected!
Guests are invited an encouraged to choose a book from the library , and choose a chair from the collection of mis -matched ,Mid- century comfy spots. Climbing on the furniture is allowed, as are bare feet, cut offs and flip flops!

I had to pick the funkiest chair, not the coziest!
There were several places to sit and read, or have a snuggle.
So,  I have this gigantic sectional in my living room. It has at times seated as many as 16 people. My sectional has NOTHING on this one....

I soooo badly want to find a coffee table/bench like this one.  This area has so many inspiring ideas. The feature wall behind the sectional is 2x6s attached to the floor and ceiling, you know, just because.  The little end table made out of skateboards reminded me of my punk hippie friends. I bet skateboarding IS allowed in the house here!

How about some Moroccan lanterns over the 'coffee table'? Love this idea!

Mike and I have a couple of traditions when we travel. We always photograph our feet (in the sand, in fancy shoes,on a boat, etc)  and we seem to stumble on to a lot of working photo booths.  Of course we took our photos here (they turned out very cute). I am in love with those re-purposed Wing Back chairs with their new mismatched legs! 

Let me talk about the floor in this place for a moment. Apologies in advance that I only have a cell phone photo of it but it appeared that the floors had been stripped down to cement, (you could see remnants of former grout stains and carpet glue), stained and then stenciled willy- nilly. Um, HELLO! I am the QUEEN of willy- nilly stenciling! I think I just solved my own flooring problem in my house...could this be my summer project?

While we're on the subject of the floor, we may as well talk about the ceiling. Because the floor was kind of a 'solution to a problem', the ceiling is a total focal point. There were walkways to nowhere, gigantic industrial fans, and these cool tungsten bulb pendants everywhere. 

Always a fan of the chalkboard wall, I loved this one behind the registration desk.

I am guessing The Postcard Inn used to be a motel of sorts, built around an open Quad. Now the suites each have their own 'front yard' complete with hammock and a tiny patch of grass. The Quad offered plenty of cool- people -friendly activities too, like sitting around the fire pit, laying on a blanket under gigantic lantern filled trees, and sunbathing on elevated mattresses around the pool. Live music poured from the poolside bar. Their beachfront had sand volleyball and pedal buggies for renting, and of course a beautiful view of the pristine beach. This is where we will stay next time! For more on this Hotel and to see interior Suite photos, click here.