Needs Work Chandelier

I liked black for the longest time in my home. An accent here, an accent there, then I decided the other day to do the chandelier over It is dusty, the grape vine wreaths on it are falling apart, brittle and disgusting, so I took it outside, washed it off, took off the grapevine wreaths and gave it a spray paint coat of white. As my children would say "What else would you have painted it, everything is white lately"! Then, I found some flowers I have hanging on my bed that are beautiful but I needed the for the chandelier. So I took them down, rinsed the dust off (yes, silk flowers can be washed) and then placed then in our nearly 90 degree weather to dry in five minutes and then intertwined then in between the spokes (I don't know what they are called) on the chandelier. I will then hang some crystals and possibly clear or silver baubles or christmas balls from it. It may be too much so I will try it and see and send pictures soon. Need to recharge my camera batteryl.

Shabby and Charm

What a wonderful site; whites, providential and gustavian oolala!
It is so much fun to decorate with white. But still a bit tricky too me.
I think my style of creation is some mixtures, and that is what starts happening to me, I then have a color involved and then lose tract on what I am doing with the whites. I love the shabby chic with the pinks, aquas, mint green and yellows. Then I like the whites by themselves. It is tough when my couch is a two piece sectional "L" shaped, comfie but I don't like the brown and havn't since I bought this piece. We didn't realize that the fabric was going to give us such a problem with pilling. Bought the piece at Jordan's, after being the fourth couch-terrible quality, it looked old after 6 months old. I had never gone through this with furniture. I purchased tarps to go over it, but they didn't look right because the couch is so big.
I just picked up somewhite furniture that someone was giving away and I am over crowding my house now for the love of furniture.

Journaling and Collaging

My favorite thing to do is to journal and collage in a combined method.

I decided to do a journal called "Women's Journal" and have it just be women photos, and portraits of women combined with every technique you can think of that can make a fabulous and many layered collage.

In the following examples, you will see that I used antique music, antique french papers, rub-ons, stickers, antique photo, gesso, snow white acrylic, antique white acrylic, black marker, water soluble pastels, and velvet paper.

the water soluble pastels were melted with a quilting iron. But learn this, if you melt your water soluble pastels onto your paper, they will not be water soluble anymore. You can drag the quilting iron over and over the pastels to spread them and add another color on top and spread that color.

I used a yellow ochre, a grape purple color, blue and white.

I also rubbed the water soluble pastels on other spots of the paper so that when I applied water, it smudged just nicely.

I watched a video by "Zin". it was not a teaching video, but just a video to watch her at work. I took notes as though I was taking a class. I tried to figure out various techniques and then go to my art room to work on my own with my own supplies. I added a couple extra ideas into mine. I really like Christina Zinnia Galliher.

GESSO-Black Vs Grey Vs White

You know, if you don't have black gesso at home, don't go out running for it at the store unless you have a coupon from one of the stores. Use your white gesso, paint your surface, let it dry, then paint or sponge over it with black acrylic paint.

I have used grey gesso to make my surface a neutral color more or less before I painted my scene on it. I still like white gesso the best. If I want texture to the gesso, sponge it, or stamp into it with a stamp pad. Run a fork through it, use brillo and rub lightly, use a credit card or gift card (used) and run over the gesso to create a swirl pattern.

I blow dry my gesso slowly and on a medium heat. It really needs to be dry first before painting on it to keep the bumps and texture that you want.