Thyme to say that Life is Better when your 're Painting

It's no secret

 that 

I LOVE to paint!

I will paint on just about ANY surface.

It's easy to do when there are so many products out there to create with.

Today I wanted to show you an apron that I painted.
Often I just use "portions" of a design to create a whole new project.

I used a design

 by 

Judy Westegaard CDA 

to complete this project

I modified the design to fit my surface .

The design is part of

 Judy's

  Art Studio Fun Collection

from her

Chalk It Up Book

I have painted a few projects from this book.

You can see those projects by clicking on the links below.

Life is Better When Your Painting 

can be found

HERE

Creative Minds Are Seldom Tidy

can be found

HERE

My Palette

DecoArt Traditions Acrylic Paint

Burnt Umber, Carbon Black, Dioxazine Purple,Hansa Yellow, Medium Beige, Medium White, Napthol Red, Perinone Orange, Prussian Blue Hue, Raw Sienna, Sapphire Blue, Teal Green, Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Oxide

I began by first

  washing and drying 

the apron to remove the sizing.

Next I cut a piece of 

waxed freezer coated paper 

a little larger than the area that I was going to paint.

I used a warm iron , no steam 

to adhere the paper

 to the back side of the apron

under the area that I was going to be painting.

I then used white graphite paper to transfer the pattern to my apron.

I use a Sewline Tracer Roller Ball Pen to transfer designs to fabric.

* It won't tear your line drawing or graphite paper.

I used a white chalk pencil 

to darken any lines that needed darkening

 so I could see the design better.

I added a few drops of Fabric Medium to my paints.

When painting on FABRIC you need to be careful of a few things!

Paint bleeding is one of those things!

I like to use Moon Brushes for this reason

I use a very dry brush 

and 

first outline the area to be painted

 with the 

chisel edge of the

Moon Brush

I then use my Ultra Round brushes to fill in the area. 

I am very careful about the amount  of water I use. 

Less is more!

You do not want to saturate your fabric!

I like to build the intensity of color gradually.

I always keep a Tide Pen handy when working on fabric.

They are good to get rid of a tiny smudge that may happen if you catch it immediately.

I painted several of the brush handles first.

I am working on the bristles.

It can be a little more difficult to shade on fabric.
BUT
It can be achieved by dry brushing!
I used either my
Moon Brushes or Stain- It
brushes for the dry brush shading.

The first 3 brushes are complete!

I am working on the remaining brushes.

I have finished painting all the brushes.

I am working on the palette knife.

I am now working on the pencil.

Close up view.

After I had completed my painting I put a 

clean white cloth 

over the design 

and 

ironed it to set the paint.

Does it look like you can grab one of those brushes out of the pocket?

My completed apron.

Close up of design.

Rosemary Reynolds and DecoArt 
provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their
Helping Artist
 and
DecoArt Blogger Outreach Programs

Thank you DecoArt!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me paint this project!

Because.......

Life REALLY is better when you are painting!

Happy Painting !

Lynn

Thyme to show you a Chestnut Ridge Rope Bed.

I have gotten a little behind on my blogging!

Today I wanted to show you a project that I completed for 

Christmas 

called

Chestnut Ridge Rope Bed.

Design

 by 

Cynthia Erekson

If you know a little girl

 or

 have grand daughters 

who love dolls

 then this is a project you must try!

I also painted a couple small dressers to complete this project.

Lets step inside the STUDIO !

My Palette

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Sand, Traditional Raw Umber, Wedgewood Blue, Rookwood Red, Blue Haze, Milk Chocolate, Deep Burgundy

I used Wood Filler to fill any nail holes

I then sanded my pieces and removed the dust with a damp paper towel.

I mixed Multi Purpose Sealer (1) : (1) with Rookwood Red

I applied one coat of the sealer mixed with paint to all the surfaces with a brush.

I let the paint dry well then applied a second coat of just Rookwood Red to all my surfaces.

I often use a blow dryer to speed up drying times.

I then transferred the oval design to the inside of the headboard.

I painted inside the oval area with Sand leaving it slightly mottled.

Once the oval area was dry I transferred the horizon line on.

I shaded around the oval with Wedgewood Blue plus Blue Haze.

I pulled the shading towards the center of the sky.

I painted the ground area a streaky Milk Chocolate.

I shaded the ground area with Traditional Raw Umber.

I transferred the remainder of the design onto the oval 

and

 onto the outside of the footboard.

Working on the headboard.

I stenciled a doily to the top of each of the bureaus

using

a

DecoArt Stencil

called

Doily

it measures

 6" x 8" 

I had to adjust the stencil some to fit the bureau tops.

dresser and bed

I have completed the the path and large flower,

 I am now working on

 other small details 

including the berries and leaves on the outer edge of the design.

I am working on the vines and berries on the outer edges of the design.

I have also added the foliage to the tress.

I have a variety of sponges in the STUDIO which are great for tree foliage.

I used a dampened silk sponge for the tree foliage on the bed.

I dampen my sponge and squeeze out the excess water.

 I then dipped the sponge in Milk Chocolate.

I pounce the sponge several times on my palette to work the paint into the sponge.

I then tap sponge on surface to create distinct but light and airy foliage.

Touch down only ONCE so as not to "muddy" up your foliage! 

I dampened a paper towel and dipped it in a bit of Milk Chocolate.

I worked the paint into the towel by pressing it on the palette several times.

I then scrunched the towel and pressed it lightly onto the sky to add mottled color here and there.

The effect should look "tea stained".

Let dry completely.

I sanded areas of the beds and dressers to give them an aged look.

I applied several coats of Dura Clear Ultra Matte Varnish

I let the pieces dry completely for a few days before proceeding.

I used awl to clear any debris from all the holes in the bed

 and

 to enlarge them.

I began by cutting a 4 1/2 yd. piece of jute.

I then began stringing the jute through the holes to create the rope bed.

The stringing of the bed was a somewhat tedious task.......but wait until you see the end result!

The first bed is strung!

I had some old curtains that had faded.

 I was no longer going to use them.

BUT

I saved them as they come in handy for projects like this!

Talk about a perfect match of color!

I cut out 2 mattress's and 2 quilts.

A stitch in thyme!

Just before Christmas Time!

Rosemary Reynolds 

and 

DecoArt 

provided me with the paints and products

 to complete this project as part of their

 Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs.

Thank you DecoArt!

I hope you have enjoyed watching me create these

Chestnut Ridge Rope Beds

and

dressers.

My grand Daughter Princess Natalie sure loved them!

Happy Painting !

Lynn