Thyme to tell you how to make a LONGITUDE and LATITUDE sign

Today I wanted to show you

 how to make

 a

 longitude and latitude 
sign

First a bit of Geography!

Latitude 

is

 an angle which ranges

 from 

0° at the Equator to 90°

 (North or South) at the poles.

 Lines of constant

  latitude, 

or parallels, 

run east-west as circles parallel to the equator. 

Latitude

is

 used together 

with

  longitude 

to specify 

the 

precise location features 

on the 

surface of the Earth

I began by first finding out exactly where my town was!

West Barnstable

41.7064° N, 70.3740°W

I wanted 

a

  LARGE sign !

I cut a piece of board 39" long.

I printed out the longitude and latitude on my computer.

I then cut a stencil for it.

I began by first base coating my board 

with 

Lamp Black

I then brushed 

on

  One Step Crackle 

lightly in random areas on my board.

I let the One Step dry.

I then mixed two

Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints 

together to get my desired color

The colors I used

 were

  Legacy and Serene

I used a chip brush 

and

 applied the paint so that some

 of the 

Lamp Black 

showed thru .

I brushed it on so that it appeared STREAKY!

After applying the blue paint the ONE Step Crackle began working!

Tiny little cracks began appearing in the paint!

Because I hand cut the stencils they weren't "perfect" which was more the look I wanted .

I wanted the sign to look hand painted.

I sanded the letters randomly to distress them.

I used an awl and hammer to further distress the sign

Next I spattered the sign.

* To SPATTER*

Dip a large stencil brush in water. Next dip your brush in thinned paint. Circle your brush on the palette to work paint up into the bristles. Hold the brush over your piece . Repeatedly flick some of the bristles, pulling them towards you with the palette knife.

Let dry completely!

I then lightly sprayed 

with

Americana Matte Sealer /Finisher

I used a soft clean cloth to rub on some 

Americana Gel Stain

for a further "aged look".

I finished my sign by spraying it with a couple coats 

of

Americana Matte Sealer/Finisher

DecoArt provided me with the paints and products for this project as part of their

Helping Artist and Blogger Outreach Programs.

Thank you DecoArt!

I hope you have enjoyed this sign tutorial!

Happy Painting!

Lynn

Thyme to show you how you can re-purpose any piece of furniture and use it for something other than its intended use

I bought the vanity you see pictured

over 20 years ago

This was my dressing room 

in

the master suite of our former home.

I painted all the furniture in there.

I used a sponge and a stamping technique

to paint all the furniture

Thus the surface had a textured raised look.

I had always loved the graceful lines to this piece

but I no longer had use for it as a vanity once we moved.

I decided that I could use it as a writing/computer desk for my studio.

I choose to use

 Americana DECOR  Chalky Finish Paints

to complete my piece.

Normally you 

DO NOT

have to sand a piece prior to painting with 

chalky finish paints.

I choose to give my piece a light sand with my

 electric sander 

because of the previous application of paint that had left a 

textured surface

Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints are specially formulated to provide excellent adhesion to wood, metal, laminate, decorative glass, terra cotta, ceramics, and more. There's no need to prep the surface with time-consuming stripping or sanding... you just clean it and go!

• No priming or prep needed (Unless the surface has an old finish that may bleed when painted, then Stain Blocker should be used before painting.)
• Excellent one-coat coverage with most colors and on most surfaces
• Very matte, chalky finish
• Durable due to the unique cross-linking feature of the paint resin system
• Easily distresses for a vintage appearance
• Can be buffed to a smooth, shiny finish when waxed
• Water-based for easy clean-up

Besides the paint, which is available in 29 inter-mixable colors, the line also includes waxes, varnishes, brushes, stencils, and stain blocker, as well as image transfer and crackle mediums.

Before beginning your project

make sure you have the right brushes to ensure a perfect outcome for your piece.

DecoArt carries everything you will need!

I began by first painting my piece

using

Americana DECOR Rustic Chalky Finish Paint,

when dry I painted over it 

using

Americana DECOR Primitive Chalky Finish Paint

I let that dry completely

I then used my sanding block to WET sand my piece

Wet sanding

allows you to give your piece a more 

primitive antique 

look

Try to sand your piece in areas where they normally would see "wear"

DecoArt offers several different finishing options

I used

 Americana Decor Soft Touch Varnish

to complete my piece

I reused the original hardware

A whole NEW look!

I also refinished an old book case 

with the same colors

Here is my completed writing/computer desk and bookcase.

DecoArt Americana DECOR paints are so easy to work with!

The end result is always amazing!

DecoArt provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their

Helping Artist Program

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is available 

at 

Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, A C Moore

Visit the Deco Art Chalky Finish website

HERE

For more design ideas and inspiration!

Happy Painting!

Lynn

Thyme to show you a bureau and mirror make over using Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints

Today 

I wanted to show you a bureau makeover done with 

Americana Decor Chalky finish paints

Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paints 

are 

wonderful to work with!

• Ultra-matte Chalky Finish
• Available in 29 vintage, intermixable colors
• Adheres to even the slickest surface
• Easier to distress than any other acrylic paints
• One-coat coverage with most colors on most surfaces
• Durable due to unique cross linking features of paint resin system
• Water-based for easy clean-up
• Made in the USA

I had done a "make-over" on this maple bureau in 2009

I used sponges and stamped a flower design on this bureau,

 thus creating a textured surface.

I also used a GLOSS varnish to finish this piece.

Normally you would not need to sand a surface to use

chalky paints.

Because of the textured, gloss surface 

I chose to give this piece a 

light sanding with my electric sander

 before 

painting

I first applied a coat 

of

Americana Decor RUSTIC

when dry I applied a coat 

of

Americana Decor LACE

over the 

Americana Decor RUSTIC

When dry I wet sanded using a sanding block

to give my piece a primitive look

This also allows for the coat of RUSTIC that I first painted to show thru.

Deco Art offers several different finishing options

I chose to use the  

Americana Decor Clear Creme Wax 

on this piece

I used my waxing brush to apply the creme wax

I purchased new hardware to complete the look of this bureau

I then began the "makeover" 

of a 

oval OAK mirror

I used 

Americana DECOR Legacy

to paint this mirror 

When dry I wet sanded again for a primitive look

using a sanding block

I then applied

Americana DECOR Clear Creme Wax

to finish the mirror

I let the 

Clear Creme Wax 

dry

then went over it with a coat of the

Americana DECOR Deep Brown Wax

to tone the BLUE down

I really love the result!

Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint is available 

at 

Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, A C Moore

Visit the Deco Art Chalky Finish website

HERE

For more design ideas and inspiration!

Happy Painting!

Lynn