Hiatus

I took a much needed hiatus from blogging & painting & junkin' for the past couple days. Took it slow.....and this weekend a beloved pillar in our church passed away.....so it became very easy to take these days and count their blessings......I didn't have enough fingers.

I thought about my handsome husband. How just after two years of teaching, he was bestowed one of the biggest honors in teaching.....an award from a student as the teacher who made the biggest impact on him. Wow. Hearing that student speak nuances about my husband that I had only hoped kids would notice.......it was such a blessing to everyone.

I thought about my girls. How at 2 and 7, they truly are the greatest joys of my life. Sophie....a firecracker. Speaking new bits of language each day that I never knew she knew (she actually said, "question mark" the other day....I had no idea she knew that word!). However, deep inside Sophie, she's proving to be more cautious than we thought......a little bit of a momma's girl.

Grace. A second grader in 4 days. She's reading chapter books like a champ....I'm searching to find books that she doesn't finish in one day....she's had a great year with lots of field trips.....nominated to be in GT.....and even though we're learning how to be an older sister without being "old"......she's doing a great job. They really are sweet to one another (most of the time!)

Life is full of the unexpected. I think I scared my hubs a little tonight with my strange thoughts about being gone for 12+ days to Uganda. I'm getting a little nervous myself. I just have to remind myself that God has already mapped it out. I am just following His lead. We all are.....

Hiatus was good.
God Bless.

80's Bedroom Makeover

Do you remember those yellow bedroom sets from the 80's? Complete with the vanity that had the middle part that opened? I had one when I was growing up. And my sweet FIL went 'junkin' for me the other day and found a whole set: a four poster bed, nightstand, and vanity. It was in horrible condition.....left in storage I'm sure for years. But look at her now!

She's All Prettied Up with Paris Grey & Old White Dry Brush

3 Piece Set in My Booth

My Hubs Installed Glass Door Knobs on the Posters

Sittin' Pretty Vanity

She was hard work, but I think well worth the effort!

Chippy "Littles"

I'm always on the lookout for "littles" to fill my booth at Winnie & Tulula's. Pretty little items that people can see and say, "Oh, that would look great in my ____!"

Recently, I came across these four perfectly chippy pieces of miscellaneous wood at a yard sale. They were stuffed in a box....I'm sure someone had great plans for them, but never got around to it (sound familiar, anyone?)

I had a great idea for them. My sweet hubs did the manwork attaching the iron hooks, and voila! A sweet, authentically old addition to your bathroom, kitchen, or wherever! Love, love.

What's this Drybrush Stuff?

Sometimes when I'm painting a piece, I step back and it's.....not to my liking. Here's my current project. One piece of a bedroom set for a princess-y girl (I imagine crystal chandys and twinkles) I started painting it Paris Grey.....and realized it needed "ooomph".

Enter the Drybrush.

If you've never drybrushed before, I would say it's an easy way to add that "ooomph" without going overboard. You can layer colors, or just stick to one as I did. I layered Old White with a drybrush .....

Top Before Drybrushing

Top AFTER Drybrushing
You see? It just gives it a nice marbled effect....nothing too emphatic. Just a smidgen of interest.

With the Pulls

Drybrushing (to those who've never done it) is just a fancy term for dipping your paint brush lightly in paint, squeezing most of it off with a rag, and then swatting away with the mostly dry bristles covered with the leftover paint. You can then rub it in with a clean rag (or not...). It works best with wood that already has some natural grain in it....not really super smooth.

I haven't waxed this yet (I'll finish the other pieces first, then 'wax on/wax off' in one fell swoop). However, I think it'll be grand ...in a smidgen-y way.

Fabric Fetish

Fabric Love

(photos from Kathryn M. Ireland website)

I've always had a thing for fabrics....prints....heavy upholstery.....but of course, upholstery has never been in my repetoire of things I really know how to do. I can cover your basic seat, but after that....leave it to the professionals, right? Nope.

This Mustard Yellow Kills Me! In a good way!

So this weekend, I purchased these two lovelies off of CL (where else?) and I've got some pretty good ideas in the works for them. First, I want to take a true upholstery class. Several months ago, an article in Southern Living talked about Spruce in Austin. A fabulous upholstery biz that offers classes! Low and behold, there's a chair upholstery class coming up in June. I'm thinking these chairs are perfect for me to learn on........we'll see.


They'd look gorgeous painted, distressed and fabricated up in these......

Anyone interested in taking the class with me? .....sigh.

PS. Like the new look of my blog? My awesome sister designed "Goin' with the Flo" a logo.....so I can literally flllloowwww all my business cards, tags, & blog all together in one. She rocks!

He Started It....

Several people have asked me recently, "So how did all this painting stuff come about?" I've been just an average mom/wife/teacher....doing life like normal. And now, I'm enjoying life with the addition of a wonderful little booth named after this blog. When asked that question - there's no clear answer. I've taken one painting workshop....refinished a couple pieces of my own furniture before I officially sold my first piece a few months ago to a stranger....and just in the last three weeks, I've sold all the large pieces I've ever done! Who'd a thought?
.....well, He did.

I've always been into art. I worked alongside my mom, painting ceramics...watching her create her own pieces. In highschool, I longed for a career in an art/design field. I went to UNT for one semester and majored in art....taking Design and Drawing courses....but none of that turned into much. I bowed out for a while.....fast forward to me wanting to teach. I first sought after an Art position - didn't get it. And now, I get it. Really.

It's wonderful how you can look back days, weeks, years into your life and see a carefully orchestrated plan. How what seemed like wrong turns at one point, were actually right turns. What seemed like barriers to entry, were actually doors being closed for a reason. God knew exactly how Flo would 'get her art groove on'. He's the ultimate artist....lending me His expertise for a short time.

Each piece sold at Winnie & Tulula's is thrilling. It's encouraging. It continues smashing away at those devilish doubts that make me think, "Give this up...You're no good." And your words of encouragement (you know who you are....) have been undeniably effective.

I'm just typing away on cloud nine tonight.......my booth is empty from furniture sales (gotta get to work, natch!).......my Uganda trip is fully funded now from donations, generosity, and God's little timing quirks ; )..........my hubs has raised over $900 through running that was going to go to my trip, but now will benefit & bless someone else's......and mostly, I am just thankful that God's allowing me to do all these things Through Him.
Blessings,

Picky, Picky

You know that cat in "Ramona & Beezus"? Pickypicky? That's me. I cannot stand clutter. Pretty clutter in my booth? Yes. Clutter in my home? No. See my above kitchen photo. It's been over 6 months since we remodeled....and you see - no curtains. No cool vintage-y countertop display thingamajig. I'm picky. It might take me a year to find that vintageycoolcountetropdisplaythingamajig.
But when I see it, I'll know.

So my sister-in-law dropped off one of her paintings to go in my booth. Well, it was supposed to go in my booth.....it "puppy-dog closed" itself into my home. Somehow found a way on my wall (I have no idea how!). And filled one of my "trying to find the right thing" spots on my wall.....it's been blank for a while.

I love it. Thank you, Molly from The Lead Cup. (Now I just gotta pay you! ; )

Playing with Wax

I've been a busy girl. Almost every night this week, I've been painting away until 11 or later. I'm still working on some client pieces, but inbetween dry times, I'm playing with my new favorite toy - Dark Hennant's Wax. I posted about it a while back, but I didn't have the courage to do anything of "importance" with it until I got my bearings. After tonight, bearings are got. : )

I painted some of my metal card catalogs with Old White, then the dark brown wax...I love the patina on it.

All of them ready to go to my booth! (I'm keeping one for myself though!)
I even painted these formerly black metal "fruff stuff" with Old White & Hennant's Wax. I likey.

And finally, a side table with what else?....Old White & Hennant's Dark Wax.

I must say, I feel confident using them on a "real" piece now. I'm thinking a gorgeous hutch .....gotta find one first.

Happy & Busy,

Neglected

I'm pumped about summer for several reasons.
No work. Sleeping in. Uganda (got my passport, yea!)

and....finally concentrating on my bedroom.

I don't know about you, but my bedroom has been at the bottom of my list since we've owned a house. It's truly uninspired. I'm almost ashamed to give you "before" pics, but I will....and I will be cringing when I upload them. (It's that bad).

I've always heard you need to focus on your bedroom first.....making it your sanctuary. Why it's always on our bottom rung of 'to do's', I don't know why. Maybe because it's such a challenge.

So this summer, I'm tending to the neglected, unaffected, uninspired room.

New paint color (I loathed it's current 'tan'....ugh!)

Me, painting and distressing some great furniture.

Rustic art on the walls.

Beauty. Sanctuary. Bliss.

Somewhat like these.....(maybe not so white I do have children!)

(above photo from dreamywhites.blogspot.com)

On a final note, OMG. Have you visited the "Cottage of the Month" archives from
The Old Painted Cottage? Talk about inspiration. Love, love.....

http://theoldpaintedcottage.com/pages/cotm-jan-11.htm

From Beast to Beauty

"There's nothing much to look at here. A few old metal storage files. Want 'em?"

Me: "Do wild bears live in the woods? ....Got anymore?"

I just knew these beastly things could be beauties......as recipe boxes, storage containers, sitting pretty on shelves, the possibilities are endless. I snatched the ones with working drawers and snuck away, secretly feeling a little guilty. Just another day of turning junk into jewels!

Boy Dresser

I have two girls and to me, it's very easy to clothe girls, decorate for girls....basically anything I want to do there's "look". Shabby chic. Princess-y. Classic. Vintage. But boys? Oh man. I couldn't imagine.

I had this dresser with very modern lines. No frills, no swirly edges. So in my head I thought, "Let's try to 'boy it up'." Give those boy mommas a little distress, but keep it "manly". (I even got out the power tools to distress, gals!) I gotta say, I'm not sure if it worked. Here are the "after" pics. I'm not 100% in love with the finished product, and I'm so beyond posting only perfect pieces. This one? My verdict is still out.

Painted in Paris Grey chalk paint with Ebony Stain

Franc's Morning Junk

Sometimes when I'm junkin', I feel like "Franc" from the The Father of the Bride. He walks up for the first time to that gorgeous two-story, white house and says, "Ohhh.....I love the house, love the shutters, love the yard .......we'll change it all."

This morning, I got up early to hit some yard sales. The yard sales were a bust, but there were a few sales going on at some flea markets. I scored this metal cabinet and of course, "I'll change it all". I scored a chair and a medicine cabinet and of course, "I'll change it all".
Just call me "Franc".

I won't change the color on this! Love, love....
Nor this....

But yes, this....

"Lucy....you got some paintin' to do!"