Thursday, April 30, 2015

Altered Decanters - Annie Sloan Chalk Painted

I've been having so much fun making altered decanters that I thought I would share a sampling of some of the decanters I've painted and altered over the past few months.   For those who are wondering if you can use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on glass ... yes, you can!   Starting with a clean, dry decanter, (preferably one with a lot of texture) paint with one coat if you want the glass to show through for a shabby finish; use two coats if you want full coverage and stipple if you don't want any glass to show through at all.  After the paint has dried, spray a matte finish over your piece to protect the paint.  Next, use a coat of light wax and then a coat of dark wax on top.  Using a soft cloth, wipe the dark wax from the raised portions of your glass and allow the wax to settle in the indented areas.  For some of the decanters, I added a finish with either Jacquard Lumiere Powdered Pigment or Liquid Gilding.   Some vintage rhinestone buttons, ribbons, millinery flowers, etc. were added for the final touches!






The next decanter was painted with White Miss Mustardseed Milk Paint
They sell a product to prime glass with prior to painting
but I did not use their product ~ I just used a matte finish spray afterwards.


I hope you enjoyed peeking through my altered decanters and if you decide to make some yourself, I would love to see photos!   Happy Creating!   Hugs & Blessings, Janice

Monday, April 20, 2015

Dream of Mom ...

It was one of those dreams that when I woke up, I was confused and grief stricken - it was almost as if I had just learned that Mom was no longer here.  In the dream, I was at my childhood home.  Dad still lives in this home, so I am still there at least once or twice a year.  In this dream, I was following Mom up the porch stair to the front door.  Off to the side was a planter filled with beautiful geraniums, just the way Mom used to decorate the porch!  Geraniums, little deer and bunny garden statues and some little "Hens and Chicks" plants. Along the front of the house runs a garden in bloom with Iris, tulips, daffodils and other beautiful flowers.  So welcoming and lovely, just like her!   We walked in and we sat together on the landing and I started to weep.  I put my arms around her and told her that I miss her.   Even though the house is the same, it is not the same at all.  I love my Dad to bits but there is something about a Mother's love that knows no bounds.  Mother's Day is coming up and though I know she is enjoying the gardens of Heaven,  I sure wish she were here to tend to the garden at "home".
 A photo that Mom sent to Jessica one Spring of a couple of her tulips!
  A photo of Mom's Kitchen table taken during a visit one Summer.  
The flowers were gorgeous on day one of the visit 
but started to lose their "oomph" by the time the photo was taken!
She had a wonderful "green thumb"!
  
I love her so very much and I miss her even more.  xoxo

Friday, April 17, 2015

Precious Little Chubby Cub Makes His eBay Debut!

Once again, I've been neglecting my blog but I am back and I have a very sweet little guy to share with you!   Dooley is made from a vintage Tissavel Faux Fur Coat - he is the color of a malted milk ball! Chocolate tips with a malted milk ball center!   I've been playing with editing software today and decided to try the pencil feature on Dooley's photos!  That was fun but I better get busy on my patterns.  I promised to have my felt bird patterns in my etsy shop a couple weeks ago and I haven't even come close to finishing them!   Wish there were more hours in a day!    Here is Dooley in pencil and if you have a moment to peek in on the real Dooley photos, I know he would welcome your visit! Dooley's eBay Auction Link    He will be on eBay until Wednesday.

 I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with joy and blessings!   Hugs, Janice