Do you have the builder-grade, brass, chandelier blues? There is no need! With 2 cans of spray paint, a glue gun, and some scrap fabric, you can give that cookie cutter chandelier a whole new look! I purchased this one on Craig’s List for $20 for the new retail space our shop is moving into. And this is how it looks now. Here’s the step-by-step of how to do it. 1.) Remove the candle sleeves and (in a well-ventilated area) spray paint the chandelier. This one is sprayed in Oil Rubbed Bronze by Krylon, but you can use any color you choose. 2.) Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of this process, but you can use the glue from a glue gun to make “wax drips” that make the sleeves look more like real candles.3.) Spray the candle sleeves in a color of your choosing (I used Ivory by Krylon

Again, thanks for the great response to my 100 Followers Giveaway! I will be having more that involve custom painting, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t win. I have picked 11 of my favorite ideas and I’m going to pair it down to 6. Once it’s narrowed down to 6, it’s all up to chance and the roll of the dice. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow! Until then, here are some more before & after pictures of my house. Make sure you check out the slide show at the bottom of the page. I’ve added a few more pictures! These were pictures we took of the staircase in our current home during the home inspection. The stairway was dingy, dark, and cluttered. In addition there was this bazaar window to the attic that use to let in light, but now it’s just weird. Doesn’t everyone want a view

We’re over 100 followers, now and I am having my first giveaway. Here’s what it is… YIKES! Ok, this is what it is now, but this is what it can become… These are before & after pictures of a bread box I already painted and sold the first day I put it in the shop. I recently found one exactly like it, but have not painted it, yet. Instead of painting it and then giving it away, I want to custom paint it to match the winner’s home. So, it’s just for you! Here are the rules… 1.) You must be one of my followers. This is a case when being a follower is a good thing. 2.) Leave a comment on this post telling me how you would like this bread box painted. You can give me a link of an inspiration picture (and it doesn’t have to be

I have my 100 Follower Giveaway post all ready to go! Only 7 more followers. Let’s hope we hit it today! I feel pretty strongly that if a client wants me to paint a logo or cartoon character, it needs to look exactly like that logo or character. I’ve seen so many murals when Mickey Mouse looks like Mickey Mouse, but not really. Or a Football Team logo has really weird proportions. My guess is that these artist are freehanding it. I don’t think it’s cheating to use a projector and I finally purchased one last year. This takes the “I can’t draw” argument away from people who say they can’t do decorative painting or murals. (No excuses, ladies!)As an example, I am showing you a Pittsburgh Steelers desk I just completed for a client. This is a little out of the ordinary for me, but decorative painting is not

Kathy at Creative Home Expressions has awarded me an Honest Scrap Award! My very first award! I was so excited! Thank you, Kathy!Here are the rules that must be followed upon receiving this award:1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.2) Share “10 Honest Things” about myself.3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.4) Tell those 7 people they’ve been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving. Here are 10 things about me….1) I am a professional artist who never studied art2) Not only did I never see myself as an artist, but I never imagined I would own my own business, now I am doing both.3) I played the roll of Annie in the musical “Annie” when I was 9 years old.4) I was Born Raised

**Giveaway reminder – Only 20 followers to go before I have my 100 followers giveaway! Sign up now, so you don’t miss out! The winner will receive something custom hand painted for their home. I live in a house that was built in 1948 with a 2003 addition. Two out of three of our bathrooms have had very little done to them. I love some of the 1940’s detail, but they are SMALL and quirky. Our pink and black bathroom was once pink and burgundy. It also had beige Berber carpet…ick. That came up about 30 minutes after we closed on the house. The burgundy was very 40’s, but not very me. The black tiles you see around the wall were burgundy, as was the floor. I laid a new sticky tile floor (yes, I did…very proud of myself) and painted (yes, painted) the tile black. That was 3 years

Only 29 away from 100! How exciting! Once I hit 100, I will have my first giveaway for all of my wonderful followers, some who gave me a chance when I only had three. Everyone has to start some where. I’ll include more details later, but as a teaser, I will let you know that it is something that will be custom hand painted just for the winner. Sign up to be a follower, so you don’t miss out!

I purchased this piece of furniture a few weeks ago off of an antique store porch (you know, the junk section.) It was $39, which was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but I loved this table and it was coming home with me! The table was fine as it was, but the faux finish made it look dirty and it was not living up to it’s potential. So, here was my plan…strip the top, finish it in a dark walnut, paint the legs white, and then add some painted details. Here’s the problem with my plan…I hate stripping furniture. I tried it years ago (a few times) and every time I ended up throwing the thing I was stripping into the trash. It’s a messy, smelly, time consuming process. But, I think this table deserves it..so, let’s give it a go. Maybe it’s not as bad as