Happy Saturday

I am feeling chipper today as the sun has decided to show it's face to us folks here on the rainy west coast. I so appreciate these rare clear days...everything is so clean and green...crocuses and primroses are blooming and little yellow daffodils are peeking out from under the leaf litter...I love it!!!

 To change the subject and to show everyone that yes, I am actually creating a few things these days. I admit I have been very busy with renos, and cleaning up after the darn renos, and I haven't had much energy left over for creative pursuits but I am bound and determined to have a blog sale. You will find rabbits, birds and other critters up for adoption...in pink, blue and maybe even black. I will send out a newsletter as soon as I have a firm date.

Thank you to everyone for your patience!   

 

 I have also been missing my rug hooking so I ordered a couple of antique reproduction patterns from Black Sheep Wool Designs . The pattern above was created in 1877 by a Mr. John Filker of Amherst Ohio. This particular pattern is a long time favorite of mine as I love the subject matter and the colors just resonate with me... 

I have been hunting down wool fabrics for this 1877 rug for quite awhile and now feel that I have enough to start hooking. I bought some wool coats, skirts and wool bundles...I then spent a few hours stewing and marrying them in a big old pot. I used walnut crystals dissolved in the pot to tone down most the really bright colors.

Little Jasper...always underfoot...always wanting to be the center of attention. Below is the second pattern...another all time favorite of mine that was created around 1870. I am so smitten with these folk art rugs...so much character.

Maybe I will hook this dog to look like Little Jasper...

 

You can read about these two patterns in the book "American Hooked and Sewn Rugs" a wonderful resource if you are interested in North American Folk Art Rugs.

Cheerio and have a great day!
Susan

Show & Tell

 Jasper wanted me to send out a belated 

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Now for Show and tell...

 Its a good day when I score big at the thrift store. I walked in the door and my jaw dropped when I spied this vintage hand colored panorama photograph hanging on the wall. It is a picture of Columbia Glacier in Williams Sound, Alaska...it measures a whopping 30" inches long x 12" tall including the frame. There is some white descriptive writing on it which includes the photographers name, a Mr. H. A. Ives. I absolutely adore old panorama photos they are so hard to come by...I was also taken by the fact that most of our glaciers our melting away now...making this photo even more important. I am going to take it to a local charity event next week-end...our own Antiques Roadshow...wish me luck! Now...where to hang it up?

 Thought I would share a pic of my latest Chalk Painting project...It is the second bathroom cabinet that will go in our larger bathroom upstairs...I am so pleased with how it turned out. I used "Pittsburgh Grey" as the base coat and then over that I painted "Vintage White". I didn't prime this raw cedar cabinet...the Cee Cee Caldwell paint actually performed better without primer...no bleed through or anything. I then used a wet sponge to wipe off some of the vintage white...let it dry...then I applied the aging wax and wiped most of that off as well.

Sanding the paint job here and there further distressed it and added even more character.

Our bathroom renos are coming along nicely...this time hubby and I decided to hire a tile setter to lay the tile for our shower and floor (way to complicated for us to tackle)...above is my bathroom inspiration photo ( no that is not our bathroom above...I only wish...our bathroom is not near as grand in scale LOL!) Our bathroom is quite small but we wanted to make it really special...so as in the inspiration photo I choose a mixed tumbled tile floor of white creamy marble and two different colors of travertine. So far so good...

Our floor below.

No these three dudes are not some long lost relatives of mine...I bought this picture for it frame...I will put a mirror in it and hang it our bathroom...I think it will look great with the chalk painted cabinet.

Love the color and details of this frame.

I hope to have small update soon...I will be working as much as I can in my studio...stay tuned.

Think love...birds and bees...Spring!

Have a sunshiny day!

Susan

Chalk Paint Class...fun fun fun.

About a week ago Ginny Vail, owner operator of the SWALLOW'S NEST 
in Gibsons British Columbia hosted a chalk Painting course in her store.

Her gal pal and fellow artist Barbara Moustafa (Barbara Moustafa)taught the course to about 10 enthusiastic women. After dosing ourselves with coffee from the cafe next door we got down to business and spent the morning prepping and painting our sample boards. 

As each layer of Ce Ce Caldwell Chalk Paint was added we began to see a transformation. What was once a plain white primed sample became a piece with depth and character. The colors I choose to work with were "Young Kansas Wheat (bottom)" and Smokey Mountain Grey (top)". Directly below is a photo showing the first bottom coat of paint.

We then started wiping away some of the bottom coat of paint to show the white primer beneath...slowly starting the aging process. I decided to wipe away more of the "Smokey Mountain Grey", leaving the "Young Kansas Wheat" pretty much untouched.

For the third step(below) we then applied a top coat of contrasting color. Instead of doing two completely different board samples I decided I wanted to compare the same two colors...top board (Smokey Mountain Grey with Young Kansas Wheat on top) and bottom board (Young Kansas Wheat with Smokey Mountain Grey on top) After letting the contrasting color dry a bit we then carefully wiped some of that color away using a sponge...which seemed to work better then a rag. I wiped almost all of the Smokey Mountain Grey off of my bottom sample leaving a scant ghost of color behind. I also made sure to wipe enough away so that a few spots of white primer could be seen here and there on my bottom sample.

At this point I am liking the bottom sample best...it is subtle and seems to have a more natural aged look to it. Young Kansas Wheat with Smokey Mountain Grey on top

Shown in natural light this sample best shows the colors and aging wax which can be seen in the crevasses of the board. Young Kansas Wheat with Smokey Mountain Grey on top.

Eager students waiting for the class to start.

Painting my raw Cedarwood cabinet turned out to be a lot  more work then I thought it would be... after much finagling and fussing with primer, three layers of color, coats of wax etc. I can finally say its finished. Colors used were Omaha Ochre, Young Kansas Wheat and Smokey Mountain Grey along with clear wax and aging wax.

An antique reproduction cabinet made by Dave Coyle of Gibsons B.C.
Dave Coyle Antique Reproductions

This primitive cabinet will have some bling added to it in the form of a quartz top with an old school cut edge.

  I have one more bathroom cabinet to paint (below) and am hoping to achieve more good results using chalk paint. Now that I have done one I think this second paint job will go a lot quicker.

Meanwhile Hubby has been busy doing the plumbing and putting up drywall. Next on my to do list...tape, mud, sand and paint the drywall, ceiling...as well as paint this second cabinet. 
What's that old saying...a women's work is never done!

Cheerio my friends
Susan

Home renos continued...

 This month we installed a back-splash behind our kitchen counters. This is a before shot.

 

 Jasper is the foreman of this construction site...

  Type of rock tiles we used...I like natural rustic and rough finishes. These tiles were fairly straight forward to install as you don't need to grout them. You apply tile adhesive to the wall and to the back of the tiles...then press and push the tiles onto the walls. The most tedious part for Dino was cutting them to fit around the electrical outlets...he did a wonderful job!!!

 We used Off White Quartzite...lovely warm/cool colors to this type of rock...it also has a bit of sparkle.

I wanted to add a cool white tile to go with the white farm sink and to add some contrast to an otherwise warm toned kitchen and paint scheme.

 My man at work...measure twice...cut once.

Me above buttering up the tiles with adhesive.

Adhesive added to back of tile.

Tile adhesive we used.

 I just finished making the chalkboard with Dino's help...and I just ordered some easy erase chalkboard pens...the nice thing about them is that they don't smudge and make a mess like real chalk...I can't wait to start doodling. I will take some new photos of the completed kitchen soon.

In the meatime we are gutting two bathrooms and renovating my studio which didn't get done when we moved in 1 1/2 years ago. We can see the light at the end of tunnel now and our home renos are almost complete. 

I am sorry I don't have any new pieces of art to share with you...I have been a busy gal! Hopefully I can take a day here and there to create something...but at this time I can't make any promises,

Cheerio

 Susan

Fuzzy Walnuts and a Thank-you

Jasper wants to say Thank-you for all the get well wishes you sent him...he was tickled to hear from all of you! He sure had us worried but now we can breath a sigh of relief and get back to our daily ritual of long walks in the park and chasing balls in the yard.

Our Jasper is also a growing boy and this little boy is having way to much fun with his stuffed squirrel(((if ya know what I mean))). He is also starting to wander off, is getting territorial and is starting to bark at every little thing. At seven months old it is time to get him neutered. Sorry Jasper...you have the cutest wee fuzzy walnuts...but those little fuzzy walnuts have to go.

Again I thank all of you for your lovely comments regarding Jasper...he can be such a little booger sometimes...but man I love this little guy!!!

Furbaby Mommy

Susan

Jasper and the Compost Pile

The above photo was taken shortly after Jasper's arrival...he was a whopping three pounds when we got him. Needless to say we have completely fallen in love. He makes us laugh and laugh and unfortunately he makes us cry to...which is part and parcel of being a fur-baby parent. 

He now weighs a hefty 9 pounds LOL...and probably won't get much bigger. Unfortunately he lost some of that weight this past week when he decided to make a buffet dinner out of our compost pile. 

To make a long story short he poisoned himself and the ensuing Xrays showed a mysterious object lodged in his stomach. Thank goodness it was of an organic nature otherwise he would have needed surgery. 

After multiple visits to the vets (((thank God for pet insurance))) which included an overnight stay and lots of (((NOooo not another thermometer up my butt)))numerous pokes, prods, IV's, nausea shots and the like, I am happy to say he has turned the corner and is making a slow recovery. What a nightmare though...a whole week of puppy puking and diarrhea...I felt so sorry for him...I cried my eyes out numerous times thinking the worst was going to happen, but it didn't and now he is getting even more warm blankies to curl up in. 

A note to all you fur-baby parents...please, please make sure your compost piles are cleaned up and have some kind of barrier around them. Ours is in a container but a squirrel tunneled under it and managed to spread compost all over the place...this is what Little Jasper got into and managed to eat. I was told by the vet that molds are very toxic to dogs so please keep a close eye on your pup when he is outside as it only takes a second for them to get into trouble.

Susan...Furbaby Mommy

No Resolutions...just Goals

 Hi all, hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas. My husband and I spent the last few weeks battling a nasty cold but that didn't stop us from traveling to my mother-in laws place for the holidays. We spent a pleasant few days there and then headed back home...up and over the mountains. What a gorgeous drive it was...I love it when the sky clears on those high mountain passes...the trees are cloaked in snow and everything looks so brilliant...little diamonds sparkle in the drifts along the highway...

Arriving home after Christmas always makes me feel nostalgic and a bit forlorn. I think about the past year and wonder what the new year will hold. I think about all I have to be thankful for, all the things I did and all that has come to pass...

 Then feelings of expectation and excitement run through me...a New Year, a whole new year, a fresh start. I sit and day dream about what I want to accomplish...no resolutions, just goals. What do I want to dedicate this year to? There are so many possibilities.

Wishing you and yours all the best for a 

Happy, Healthy and Calm New Year.

Happy, Healthy, Calm...thats my wish for the new year!

Hugs Susan