It's THYME to paint an Olde World Santa

Today 

I am going to show you step by step

how I painted this 

ZIM'S 

Olde World Santa

Pattern Design 

by

Kristen Birkland, CDA

In case you are not familiar with 

ZIM'S

I will give a brief background history

Zim's was founded by Cliff & Eleanor Zimmerman over 50 years ago. Zim's was very well known as a major pioneer in the Arts and Crafts Industry and built a reputation in that industry as a most innovative and reliable company.

It was 1995 when Zim's began to produce a charming line of unique nutcrackers and smokers for the Gift Industry and this marked their official entry into this market. For many years prior to this time, Zim's supplied products, raw materials, various components and manufacturing services for many producers of quality gift lines. With four years of successful production and marketing of the Heirloom Collectibles Line, Zim's began to plan the next quality line that they would produce. The Elves Themselves were introduced in January 2000 and became an overnight sensation. With these incredible successful lines of finished products abd 50+ years in the Arts & Crafts Industry, many people became familiar with Zim's name and consistent dedication to quality, creativity and service.

Zim's 

unfortunately went out of business several years ago.

Their unpainted surfaces are hard to find now, if you are lucky enough to find one they are often pricey.

Lets paint! My Palette Deco Art Americana Acrylics Light Buttermilk, Shading Flesh, Fleshtone,Gingerbread,Tuscan Red, Royal Fushia, Persimmon, Light Cinnamon, Russet, Forest Green, Hauser Medium Green, Citron Green Lamp Black, Uniform Blue, French Grey Blue, Burnt Umber, Snow White Dazzling Metalics Splendid Gold, Glamour Dust Ice Crystal I started by first basecoating  the  coat, hat and pants  with  Tuscan Red Transfer design using graphite paper Painting detail along the bottom of the coat The trees, and scroll work were painted with Forest Green, Medium Hauser Green and highlighted with Citron Green Further detail work was added using Persimmon and  Dazzling Metalics Splendid Gold I then basecoated the fur trim on the hat, sleeves and coat  with  Light Buttermilk I added the various size dots on the back of the coat using  the ends of  different size brushes and  my stylus The various size dots were painted using Dazzling Metallics Splendid Gold I then painted the mittens and the Christmas tree.   After I painted the tree it was dry brushed with Dazzling Metallics Splendid Gold I then went back to working on the fur. I used a stippler brush  and  Snow White to go over the areas of the fur that I had previously painted I immediately used my blow dryer on it  which added texture to the paint. I then painted the fur using Deco Art Glamour Dust Ice Crystal to add some sPaRkLe Painting the shoes  and  adding details to the base Adding details to the hat Painting the BLUE bird! Almost done!  I sprayed my Santa with 2 coats of AMERICANA  MATTE Sealer/ Finisher THYME to give Santa a beard! Are you ready to see him? Olde World Santa This was a fun piece to paint! Deco Art provided me with the paints to complete this project as part of their Helping Artist Program and Blogger Out Reach Program Happy Painting! Lynn

It's THYME to talk about BIG BRUSHES!

Last week I blogged about how I had walked into my 

STUDIO

to find my 

LIL Elf HiNkLeY

hanging from the 

LARGE RULER

that I have in there

If you missed that post you can read about it

HERE

I had been talking to him about

how I was going to be attending

NET

New England Traditions

NET is a trade show for Decorative Painters

Click on the link HERE to visit their website.

HiNkLeY

asked 

"what do you do there?"

I've been decorating my new STUDIO 

and 

found some old paint brushes, and wooden boxes

I told HiNkLeY that you could take classes there, 

meet other decorative painters, shop till you drop 

and 

best of all 

you could meet 

BIG BRUSHES!

He looked at me with a confused look on his face and asked

"How do you meet a paintbrush?"

I just smiled and explained to him that 

BIG BRUSHES

was a term given to the well known Artist/Designers in the industry.

I told him I not only planned to BUY some new brushes there

 but

 I hoped to chat with some 

BIG BRUSHES

I not only bought new brushes 

but 

I also bought some wonderful patterns and surfaces.

I met some old and new painting friends .

I especially enjoyed chatting with 

Cynthia Erekson and Kim Hogue

who are

BIG BRUSHES!

Well imagine my surprise when I came home

 and 

opened the door to my STUDIO to this!

Now where in the world did HiNkLeY ever get that BIG BRUSH?

It looks like the MAGIC is beginning to happen here.

Which reminds me I need to get back to my painting table!

Happy Painting!

Lynn

It's THYME to make some Candy Corn Ornies!

Eeeeek My Pretties!

HALLOWEEN

is

almost here!

Lets make some 

CANDY CORN ORNIES

using a

ORNAMENTAL GINGERBREAD DOUGH 

Here is my recipe!

3T Shortening

1/2 Cup  Sugar

1/2 Cup Molasses

1 Tsp Baking Soda

3/4 Cup Water

3 1/2 Cups Flour

1 Tsp each: ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in molasses. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir them into sugar mixture and gradually add water. Dough will be very stiff! 

Refrigerate overnight.

Heat oven to 350. Cut dough into 3 pieces. Roll one piece at a time (between 2 pieces of wax paper) to a thickness of about 1/4" Cut out desired shapes and patterns. Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden for several hours or overnight.

Finished ornaments can be painted, sealed or dipped in melted wax. The possibilities are endless!

You can find cookie cutters like this in craft stores , tag sales etc.

I have a large jar of them for crafting!

I use an electric stand mixer to make these as it is 

a

VERY STIFF, HEAVY DOUGH

You will also need to refrigerate the dough overnight

Roll your dough thin as they will puff up some when baking!

I used

AMERICANA DECOR CHALKY FINISH PAINTS

to paint my 

candy corn ornies

The colors that I used were

INHERITANCE

HERITAGE

ETERNAL

You can find out more 

about 

CHALKY FINISH PAINTS 

HERE

These were fun to make and paint!

 

After I finished painting them I varnished them 

When dry I drilled small holes in them and threaded twine thru them

Years ago I found this old tin in an antique store

My husband made a 

"wood tree" 

to go inside.

He cut a hole in the cover of the tin, and I filled the tin with plaster of paris

 and 

let it set

so the "tree" would stand upright in the tin

I enjoy making seasonal ornies to hang on this tree in my dining room

You can find more of my seasonal "trees" and ornies 

HERE

Or click on the links

 for 

ornamental gingerbread dough

 or 

salt dough ornaments 

in my side bar

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial!

Here is my completed tree in my dining room!

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

or

possible other stores depending on where you live!

Visit the Deco Art Chalky Finish website

HERE

For more design ideas and inspiration!

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