From Sewing Box to Wall Finish

Don’t throw away your old buttons, especially those shiny and translucent ones.  Although this finish is not quick or inexpensive, it is DROP DEAD GORGEOUS for a small backsplash or panel area. Start by creating a dragged texture on the surface using plaster and dragging it both horizontally and vertically with a wallpaper brush. Once dry, trowel plaster through Wallovers Ethnic Grid stencil. While the plaster is still wet adhere small shells to create the pattern. Shells can be ordered from US Shell Company on line.

Once the shells are thoroughly dried into the plaster, adhere flat, antique, mother of pearl buttons using a craft adhesive. Alternate the pearl color with the silver inside open areas. You can purchase just about any antique embellishments from Sandy Schor bead company.

Continue to fill in the empty spaces or use  just one color leaving  the plaster background as a contrast. Here I am filling in all the space.

Once the buttons are fully applied and dry, use a tile grout to fill in the gaps.

Grout the entire surface, let set and then wipe away the excess to reveal the sheen of the buttons.

I am definitely getting ready to do a bathroom backsplash in this one!!!!!!!! But remember when applying those buttons and shells……..Patience is a virtue!

Stephanie Davis:The Mystique of the Medium

It’s pretty easy to blog about Stephanie Davis. Afterall, she is my daughter. But watching her paint is truly inspiring to me. She changes from a teenager of 17 to a young woman full of  experiences and passions that come to life in her work. Her paintings enable the viewer to escape into an ethereal world; magical and mystical.

Her creations inlcude memories, experiences, life lessons and clandestine objects all deep within the complicated twists and turns of color.

Her paintings relieve stress but her palette is so passionate it also explodes with life.

Today Stephanie is having an especially fun time experimenting with Golden’s mediums; Soft, Light Molding Paste, Coarse Pumice Gel and Clear Tar Gel.

Each medium creating a different sheen and viscosity.

Once inspired, Stephanie works the textures and colors in layers. When I tell her I am loving her work she will reply, “mom, it’s nowhere near done”. Her patience and love for her work is like a seasoned, lifelong artist.

What was once an abstract swirl, later becomes a roaring fire, tree, or hillside from a foreign country she once visited.

 

You might find a figure holding a yoga pose or a small critter or musical instrument wrapped within the texture.

Photos of Nicaraguan children, classmates or decoupaged, decorated paper hides within as well.

Steph loves Golden’s Open Acrylics which allow her to keep the colors wet and work with them, blending until she is happy with the form.

Amazingly these painting are simply a way for her to express and take a study break. I think we have yet to see where this artist will go with her vibrant and dreamy creations.

 

Sneak Peek at New Design

Ok  all you Faux Fans. I am about to show you a new Wallovers design that isn’t even part of our line yet. But put it on your  ”Wish List” because this one is gorgeous! Yes, I know it one of those, ugh, double layer stencils. But how else can you get the beauty of a hand painted, theorem look on entire wall without two overlays.

I started by creating texture with tissue paper. I am not showing that layer here because it is not necessary with the foil we will be using but if you want that added texture, apply creased tissue paper to the wall with a mixture of 50/50% Elmers glue/water before base coating. Here I am base coating with Ben Moore HC-37. My all time favorite gold, with a green hue.

For you experts who can see the crocodile print in the bottom left corner, you caught me. I am rolling over something else I started but that will disappear ( if you like the croc print, you can get that too), at Wallovers.com It’s called Wild Thing and was a huge hit recently at the Quilt show in Houston, Texas.

Next I  applied a layer of Wundasize and let  it dry until tacky.

Then released some Gold Crackle foil using a strong bristle brush. I wasn’t concerned with full coverage but the little bit of shimmer really added to the elegance!

Now comes the fun part. STENCILING. Layer one….

 

 

 

PLus Layer two…..

Equals this…….

The pom elements create the perfect opportunity to bring in additional color. Love this one. If you do too, you can preorder with us and get 20% off. This design won’t be available for a few weeks but email us and get on the list.  It’s called Pom Pom. Happy Thanksgiving!

Half the Sky

This summer I read a book that should be required reading for everyone! Pulitzer prize winning couple Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl Wu Dunn open our eyes to humanitarian issues around the world. Their stories of how giving turns oppression into opportunity gives me hope for the world. You cannot read this book without wanting to do something and every chapter is chock full of ideas for the reader to make a difference in the lives of oppressed women.

While in Senegal this past February I visited the office of Ashkoka, an organization that supports Social Entrepreneurs enabling many women to receive the resources to help them start a trade.  Ashoka is mentioned numerous times in the book as an organization helping paving the way for women in developing countries.

There are also many examples of young people in America who make a difference by raising awareness of atrocities or visiting developing countries gaining a richer understanding of other poverty and struggles in other cultures. I am especially proud of my daughter Stehanie who

after seeing the school conditions in La Estrella, Nicaragua begged us to let her return to the small village this past July to teach English in the school she helped build there.

Stephanie traveled through the hills of Nicaragua back to La Estrella, Arriba to live with her host family again where she taught english and art, mixing paint out of coffee beans and giving the people there a new way to express themselves.

“To tackle an issue effectively, you need to understand it- and it’s impossible to understand an issue by simply reading about it. You need to see it first hand, even live in its midst.”

Nicholas Kristoff, Half the Sky

This quote leads me to highlight another social entrepreneur. Someone I greatly admire. Andrea Gottschall.

After performing in the Vagina Monologues in 2007, Andrea became passionate about fighting FGM (female Genital Mutilation) and went to visit The Sakutiek Rescue House outside of Kenya.  The rescue house, the second founded by Agnes Pareyeo, a FGM survivor is located in the Rift Valley, 100 miles west of Nairobi. SRC is a safe haven for girls where they can celebrate an alternative “rite of passage” enabling Massai young women to follow in their tradition without experiencing the cutting. Ninety percent of the women in this part of the world have arranged marriages and routinely undergo genital mutilation.

Andrea returned from her trip  and created My Empowered Flower, a jewelry line that raises money for the Rescue House. Through combined efforts in the theatre and jewelry sales Andrea has raised over $70,000 for her cause.

I have tried to teach my children an important lesson. If you see something that bothers you, do something about it, even if it means just telling another person and creating awareness.  I hope to encourage everyone to read “Half The Sky”, and I hope when you’re done reading, you don’t just put it down.. but find your own small way to make a difference.

Rebuilding Hope

Sorry folks. I have been out of the blogoshere for a bit and now coming back with a focus on some more serious and important issues than pillows. My blog today will introduce you to my friends Gabriel Bol, Koor and Garang and the documentary that chronicles their journey back to Sudan after 20 years. As small children, Gabriel Bol Deng, Koor Garang and Garang Mayuol fled their villages in South Sudan due to civil war. They became a part of a group of thousands of other boys with a similar story, nicknamed “The Lost Boys” upon resettlement in the USA in 2001.

In May 2007, Gabriel Bol, Koor, and Garang, now in their twenties, embarked on a journey back to Sudan to discover whether their homes and families had survived, what the current situation is in South Sudan, and how they can help their community rebuild after devastating civil war.  The film has won numerous awards and been selected for international film festivals.

The next local screening will be in the Cape Cod Museum Screening room in Dennis. MA on August 18, 2010 . Gabe, Koor and Garang will all be in attendance. So contact me now for tickets!

Filmmaker, Jen Marlowe ( Darfur Diaries), traveled back to Sudan with the men to chronicle their story.

Many of you may have heard of Gabrel by now. Gabriel Bol Deng lives in Syracuse, NY. He graduated from Le Moyne College with a Bachelors in math education and philosophy in May 2007 and finished the course work for his master in education in December 2008. He received the 2006 Distinguished Student Teacher of the Year and the 2007 Le Moyne College Social Justice Awards. With only a box of t-shirts to sell, Gabe founded the NGO Hope for Ariang in order to help his village build, maintain and support a primary school. That box of t-shirts began what is now an eight room school building in his home village of Ariang. Gabe is a huge inspiration to students all over the world as he spends his time touring and telling his story of hope and perseverance. He spent three months in Ariang this winter overseeing the construction project of the new school. Gabe continues to work on development for sustainability of the school including teacher training, food supply and adult education,skill development.  For the first time, the people in Ariang have hope for their future.Koor Garang
lives in Tucson, AZ. He finished his course work to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and is continuing with his Associates Degree and hopes to become an RN. Koor raised thousands of dollars to bring medical supplies and treated mosquito nets on his initial homecoming trip; then returned to South Sudan to provide training to nurses working in a newly built clinic in Akon. He began the NGO Ubuntu to provide health education and services to people in South Sudan. Koor just returned from 45 days in Africa and an arduous trip to South Sudan to deliver medical supplies to the clinic in his village of Akon.  Alone,  he went through interrogation in many  countries to convince people of the importance of getting hundreds of kilos of medication to this remote village.

He then made a trip to Ariang to take photos of the school being built  there through Gabe’s organization, Hope For Ariang. Unbelievable effort Koor! Welcome back!

The building behind these children is the first school building they have ever seen. They have been attending school under a tree all their lives. Thanks to Gabriel,  the people of Ariang and surrounding villages see hope for the future.

Garang Mayuol
lives in Wheaton, IL. He received his Associates Degree in May 2007 and is continuing his studies in order to receive a degree in business management. On his first trip home to South Sudan, Garang realized that a clean water system in his village is a critical step towards preventing cholera and other water-bourne diseases. He launched the Lang Water Project and returned to his village in February 2009 to begin drilling wells. The wells have enabled young girls to begin to attend school for the first time as they no longer have to spend their day on 3 hour walks to get water from the dirty river. There have been no cases of cholera in the village since the wells were drilled, a disease that has wiped out many people there every year.
Garang is currently in Uganda where he is taking care of his the health and well-being of his family. He will return to Chicago in August and make a trip to Cape Cod for the film screening on August 18.

There is not a day that goes by when I am not amazed by these three men. They have found peace and stability in the US and could be satisfied to just live their lives and take care of themselves. But they do not sleep at night because they dream of a better life for their people in Sudan. They work night and day to make a difference back home while maintaining a life in the US as well. If you think of something to complain about today, please think  of Gabe, Koor and Garang….the incredible hardships they endured and the difficulties they continue to face to make a difference for others.

They are the inspiration that moves me to make a difference while I am on this earth.

THANK YOU  GABE , KOOR and GARANG. Never give up hope!!!!

Pillow Push

Ok. I am dying to get back on to some important topics like writing to our senators  and manufacturers about the conflict minerals used in our phones and computers…but I am getting too many requests to continue with the decorating  posts so for now.. I am going to talk about the all important PILLOW! ( I’ll be blogging about conflict minerals soon so please say posted)

Now I know pillows may seem like a silly thing to blog about. But have you ever seen a house with no decorative pillows? Boooorrrring!!  To me a pillow is like artwork. Similar to a hand made rug, it offers the ooportunity to introduce color, pattern and texture into any room. Without the pillows, the room just isn’t complete.

These pillows are made from remnants of hand made Sarouk carpets.

One of a kinds. My favorite!

A piece of embroidered fabric I picked up in Marrakesh made it’s way into a pillow. Finding interesting fabric pieces, needlepoints, and tapestries and custom making the pillow makes it most unique.

Like this antique tapestry, gone pillow, found at a flea market.

Just buy the fabric and take it to your local fabric store, pick out a simple backing and some cording and tassles and hand it over to a friend who sews!

Another Vintage needlepoint

And let’s not forget the old “TJ MAXX special” My favorite Place for finding a great pillow. But let’s not get carried away….Only one or two of them please. A whole couch full of TJMAXX will definitely scream TJMAXX!!!!!!!

Lastly, Let’s not forget to spice of the Teen room with some crazy patterns on the bed. Yes, they will be on the floor most of the time but when it’s together it looks awesome!

Try Anthropology and Home Goods for these.

Was it the movie, “along came Polly” that had the scene where Ben Stiller is ripping up all the decorative pillows after the break up? I love that one because it reminds me of what my husband would like to do but over the years and after hearing all the compliments about our home, the pillows have faded into his subconscious!

Happy pillow hunting!

Don’t Throw out the Pieces

In this next decorating post I want to focus on things you might not think are worthy of saving…like parts to an old piece of furniture or an old picture frame that’s a color that no longer matches your room.

Don’t get rid of it!  Architectural pieces, even if broken or uneven, can make  for an interesting decorating accessory.

This carved wood piece, once the top to a walnut sideboard, hangs over a door creating a dramatic entry.

Once the top to a dresser with a mirror in the center, this piece (with a little revamping) now acts as a beautiful frame with custom painted artwork.

Not sure what this hand carved wood was originally but I flipped for it and just hung it over the door as art. Imagine all the work that went into carving it? Most likely its original home was on a headboard or large armoire.

I probably get the most compliments over these old shutters used for cornice boards that I found in someone’s pile of trash on the street. Oh, street trash is always the best. Don’t ever drive by a pile of furniture or pieces of a house on the side of the road.  But try not to cause an accident!

I caught my builder in “mid hammer” with this piece. He did a great job building it into the door frame. I’m really not even sure what it was in its former life!

Top to an old Mirror… repainted and hung as an ornament.

Lastly, this could be its own blog post. Take an old frame, get rid of the glass, replace with cork. Paint the frame copper or gold.  Then you’ll need a creative teen or the scrapbooker in the family to make it look like this!!!

My daughter has 5 of these on her walls. Buy the squares of cork at Staples and apply to a piece of pressboard cut to the size of your frame.

Creativity in The Kitchen….and I don’t mean cooking!

Everyone from the mailman to the high school kids have said “I love your house”, So I thought I would start a small series on home decorating. Starting in the kitchen, I will share some of the cool tricks that have made this room unique. Not only are these design elements different, but usually they can be picked  up from a tag sale for under $25, painted and introduced  as something new.  You just have to be willing to eyeball every junk pile at the side of the road and stop into every tag sale and estate sale you can.

So here goes…..Old Gate handles used for Refrigerator door handles. $25 for the pair.

Old baby grand piano legs were made longer by a woodworker then painted with an antique copper finish. each leg at tag sale $25.

And an architectural rosette from a tag sale is added onto the hood for ornamentation. $5

.

My personal favorite for decorating is antique area rugs. They are like artwork on the floor.

Here’s a big tip though….

Don’t ever buy 2 of the same rug in different sizes just because you love the rug.  This just screams “This rug is machine made”!

If you love a machine made rug, buy it… but only once.

This rug happens to be special because I chose it on a trip to Morocco and shipped it home. Decorative items with meaning and beauty are the best kind!  Ok…. the rug was incredibly  inexpensive for hand made- wool at  $250 but I did have to fly to Marrakesh to get it! It was worth it!

Here are some photos of the finished room.

I am a lover of pattern and texture so you will never find space in the house that doesn’t have one of the two.

Wall surfaces tend to be the last thing people care about after counters, appliances and floors but they make the biggest statement of all.  They are  usually  the largest surface area in the room. A Tavern look is created here with textured red venetian plaster and tones of copper and Gold  with an embossed stencil design to frame the french doors.

Nothing but Inspiration

There is nothing like a weekend with a warehouse full of artists to get the creative juices flowing. Rena Paris, my Wallovers’ partner and I, set out for Cincinnati to display our stencil line and promote the upcoming class at Gary Lord’s Prismatic Painting Studio this May 10,11.

Rena worked the stencil sales while I concentrated on presenting finishes and giving attention to

customers who wanted to know more about us. We were surrounded by artists doing the same.

From gorgeous cabinet finishes

To glass mosaic panels

We were all like kids in a candy shop around surrounded by colors and textures!

Naturally, it wouldn’t be a decorative artist event without someone fun and games. Samples of newdesigns became the latest runway attraction.

Crazy for Patterns

I need serious time in the studio to get the creative juices flowing! In preparation for an upcoming Studio Open House in Cincinnati on March 20 I have to think new and exciting! Gary Lord’s Prismatic Painting Studio brings hundreds of sophisticated wall finishers to his Open House each year. We want to WOW his students with some fabulous new ideas with color and pattern.

Soft, gorgeous and glittery

Colorful, tropical and artistic

bold and contemporary

There is no end to the possibilities with patterns, especially when I can just reach for a stencil from the Wallovers line. They are so easy, anyone can use them!!! Thanks Gary for giving me a reason to get cookin’ on some new ideas!  Looking forward to teaching a 2 day workshop at Gary’s studio in May!