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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Feeling Creative again...finally!!!

After weeks of helping my mom and sil with health issues and hospitals, and dealing with a major sinus infection (DO NOT DELAY in seeing a doctor when you feel the symptoms starting!!!), I am finally feeling human, although exhausted all the time...and CREATIVE. After all, it's time to change the look of my home... Off with the reds and oranges, in with the cool summer blues! That means...rolling up the old rug, laying down the new, changing pillow covers, hanging new paintings in the blue shades and bringing in the blue chair. These are little changes, but what a complete difference in the looks of both the family room and living room! I even changed the "drapes". All that's left to do is to recover the ottoman with a lovely blue, green and white striped fabric. Maybe later...time for another nap!

Here's a peek of some of the changes... The Breakfast Room.

As usual, I forgot to take photos of the "before" and concentrated on the "after"...
Here are the new additions to my breakfast room wall...

This was a $.50 framed painting. The painting was done on a piece of very thin wood and the frame was in terrible shape. The inner border is a linen fabric....all surfaces were gaudy shades of gold, browns, and blacks. I used a mop brush and pounced the frame with "bright aqua green" acrylic paint. The "painting" was painted over with "mars black" to resemble a chalkboard. The writing was done with "titanium white". And that little footprint is actually cut from a print found on the internet and decoupaged onto the board. Simple...quick...and just right for my wall!

This mirror was found at an art wholesale store...$9.00. It was painted silver with metallic gold "bamboo". I had planned to cover the frame with shells...and may one day do that. But for now, it sports "cerulean blue", "lime green", and "lavender" over the silver and gold (some of which peeks through!). The Sand dollars were found on Honeymoon Island (Dunedin, FL) and are hot glued to the mirror. I did try using ZOTS for a less permanent decoration, but they were not strong enough to hold for a long period of time. They actually popped off, one at a time, during a dinner party!

The paintings are my "Beach Huts" and "Coconuts for Sale"....I have shared the huts before, but was inspired by a photograph found on "Beachsnaps blog" (thanks, Becky!). It was a scene from Matlacha...





The floats were found on a sale table at Steinmart for $1 and $3. They were painted the most awful shade of mauve (Ick!!!) With a little paint, they are now worthy of displaying. The styrofoam floats in the basket are actual crab trap markers found on the beach after a storm. (Don't you love these kinds of treasures!!!)







All of these items, paired with jars of shells (the shells were found at our local beach...Honeymoon Island; the jars are Home Goods and garage sales) and a burlap topped table, my breakfast room is ready for summer.
*All paints are acrylics by Liquitex and Amsterdam (found at Michael's)

Create!
Jane


Check out all the wonderful Thrifty Treasures at Tales from Bloggeritaville and the Tablescapes at Between Naps on the Porch. These posts will definitely get the creative juices flowing...

12 comments:

Cass @ That Old House said...

Hi Jane! Lovely makeovers -- I don't do enough changing with the seasons, you are inspiring me! The weather is finally feeling a bit summery, time to bring on the blues and whites.

Cass

jmac said...

Love it all!! and funny....I always bring back buoy's from the seas on our travels...and paint them to hang by the pool!! I'll have to take a pic to show you!!
and guess what?? got my painting today!!! love, love, love it so much. Now......to get it hung to show you! Thank you so much!

rjerdee said...

Hey Jane,
Glad to see you back, missed you! And what fun to discover my Matlacha shot done up in painting on your wall! Love, love, love all the creativity you've put into the spring redecorating at your house! I'm up here in Iowa and not feeling a darn beachy thing...so sad! However, we have a new grandson (I did a post on him recently) so our days are happy...I'm cooking a lot for Landon's new parents...they're trying to get organized before his daddy goes back to work! The cutest little boy, this one!

Deanna said...

Dear Jane, May you have a blessed week-end!!!
Luv the blue and the coconuts.

I need to get after it and get my familyroom wallpapered. When I get this done, I will be relieved! Keep creating, I enjoy seeing what you create.

God bless,
d

Simple Daisy said...

Yeah for you!! Love it all....but I really love the coconuts for sale!! So darn cute:)
ps...I know how you feel about the sinus infection....I am a Special Education teacher and basically live sick during the school year:(
Glad you are starting to feel better!!!

Ann @ makethebestofthings said...

Hello Jane,
You are my first blog visit this morning thanks to your comments on my "man who welds" post. I love your blog and all the shades of blue that inspire you! You asked how I got the small marble globes to stay on the spiral candleholder? Since the globes are actually Christmas ornaments I filled them with expanding foam insulation, cut off any extra that extruded and then used blue tack to hold them in place over the spikes of the candleholder. They stay in place very well and can be removed when I use the holder for candles. Keep on painting, it is obvious you enjoy it so much!

Shellbelle said...

Love everything! Love that you made a painting of Becky's photo. I was her very first follower on beachsnaps and can't wait for her to get back to Florida and take more of her wonderful shots. AND, you know how much I love beach huts!

I miss the shelling on the Gulf, but brought lots with me and the house is basically covered. I just need to take out the carpet and put in real sand!

So sorry to hear you've been dealing with so much, but glad to see your creativity is back and showing its wonderful self!

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Beautiful changes~ and I think the shells in those fabulous jars are perfection!
Yvonne

The Hot Heads Groupie said...

I had seen your beach huts painting when I was on your site another time. (I loved it!) The coconuts for sale one is amazing too. You are a very talented lady!

Embellished Bayou said...

I love your beachy changes, the sand dollars on the mirror are my favorite!

Maya @ Completely Coastal said...

Cool beachy things you have here..., I would love to find some buoys on the beach!!

Cathy Newman said...

@jmac. I agree. Those shells are perfect designs to hang by the swimming pools!
My creativity is at work again too, Jane. I'm thinking of putting a pole beside the pool or IN the pool and put frames with beautiful pictures there.
We started collecting shells from Oak Street Beach in Chicago last summer.