My Halloween Decorations for 2011

Howdy ya'all ...

 In the mood for some Halloween cheer?

My buffet has been over taken by rats ..... AHHHH !!!!

 The Mad Scientist has made this table his own

 Now onto the mantel and fireplace ... my favorite so far

This One's for the Birds

While cruisin' around the Big GW Saturday

 I came across this amazing tray for $4.99.

 WAY more than I wanted to spend BUT I knew

 how awesome it would look with my favorite picture on it.

 I primed it and painted it with an oops color,

 don't cha' just love oops paint?

Then a lil' de-stressin' ...

 Oh so cute, right?

Can ya tell how big it is? 

  Now onto the picture ...

Gesso Questions Aswered

Howdy guys.

 I really wanted to do this post early this am but my day seemed to get away from me.

 That ever happen to you? You crawl in bed at the end of the day and say,
"I didn't do ANYTHING I wanted to do today."

 Seems like that happens ALL the time for me.

 Anyhoo, I really wanted to do this post and answer a few questions 

I got on my coffee table redo using gesso paint.

 I couldn't believe what a response I got

 and from the bottom of my heart I want to say

 THANK YOU!

It was brought to my attention from Gail over at My Repurposed Life 

that I should answer your questions in a post.

 I had an Ah-Ha moment. Like, "Why didn't I think of that?" LOL.

 So, I wanted to take some time and answer some of the questions you guys might have.

   

You asked:

 Susan said... Deanna, what a beautiful job you did. The
"new" coffee table looks fabulous. Exactly
what is gesso paint?

Welp, gesso is a primer. Artists sometimes apply it to a surface before painting on it. 

In fact, gesso looks a lot like paint. Gesso makes a surface a little stiffer. It prevents paint from soaking into the support (canvas, paper, wood, etc.), and it gives the surface a little more texture (called "tooth"), so the paint sticks better. 

Laura said...  I am stunned! What a marvelous update!! I love it and I want one!! I will go fratically thrifting today, looking for a coffee table like that to update like you did! All I can say is wow. wow! Wowowowowowow! Can you get said gesso paint at Michael's, or Home Depot or art supply stores or what?

              You can find gesso at artist supply stores but I find mine at Michael's.

 YAY COUPONS!!!

MyChampagneTaste said... is this yours or is it from a magazine :) it looks pretty

One question can you post a picture for the gesso paint? thx
visiting from romantic home 

The picture I think she was asking about

First, let me say that I was almost brought to tears that someone

thought my table was from a magazine. It is my home. 

Ain't it funny, I see the Wii and speakers in the background?

 Back to the question ...  Here's a picture of the gesso I use:

Again, I get mine at Michael's.

I found a GREAT site Villabarnes who inspired me to try gesso.

Her stuff is BE-U-TEE-FULL!!!!

After trying it, I gotta say, I like the result it gives.

Honestly, I started to do some research on chalk paint.

I know, I know chalk paint (also known as ASCP) is REALLY

beloved in blog-land. I can see where some say, "you don't need to buy a primer

 and no prep work, so it makes it cost effective", but I'm

FRU-GAL !!!

 I mean I pick up someone else's junk.

 I couldn't see getting a free piece of furniture and putting a $51

 paint on it (the quart + the shipping - that doesn't even include the wax , GULP).

 So in my research gesso paint kept coming up.

 That's how I found Rosemary (she's a sweetheart by the way).

 See, originally, gesso was made with a mixture of calcium--like chalk--in a thin base of animal glue 

 which would help in adhering to what ever it's painted to.

Gesso now adays is a mixture of calcium carbonate, a pigment and an acrylic polymer medium. 

No more animal glue.

 Say it with me, EW !!!

So, I gave it a try and boy was Rosemary right.

 LOVE LOVE LOVE it !!!!

 The other cool thing is that it comes in white, gray and black.

 I haven't played with the gray yet but I will : )

I have used Rosemary recipe to mix 1/2 gesso with 1/2 flat paint.

 BEAUTIFUL !!!

Small Cabinet Gets a Facelift

Hey there you guys.

 How's your day going?
Is it possible to fall in love with a piece of furniture?

 I mean I bought it last December while out junkin' with the Hubby.

 It was an ok piece of furniture. I liked that it was solid wood,

 very well made and the hardware didn't hurt. 

It just screamed masculine to me.

Anyone remember it?

 Well, for awhile I've been passing by it daily wanting to do something to it.

 I couldn't figure out just the right color for it

 until yesterday when I was cruising around Home Depot.

 I picked up 8 sample jars of oops paint.

 One just happened to be the perfect color BUT it needed to be toned

 down with glaze. So I primed it with a "new to me" primer,

 Insl-x's Stix (A Benjamin Moore Co).

 Have you used it yet?

 It's a primer that bonds to "hard-to-coat" surfaces.

 And since I REALLY didn't want to have to sand it

 I gave it a try.

My Other Love

Many of you know that I LOVE refinishing/creating things

 but I know that many don't know my other love.

 I'm a makeup artist.

 Actually, I'm starting to just say that I'm an artist

 that kinda covers it ALL.

 I wanted to share with you my latest YouTube video.

It's really my first in quit awhile.

 After my cancer surgery, I took some time off then all my house

 projects kept me busy.

 So, if ya'd like to see a makeup creation come to life,

 please check it out ...

Hope you enjoy it.

 There's MANY more to come between now and Halloween : )

I'm partying at:
 Polly Want a Crafter
Between Naps on the Porch

Changing Things Up

I've been playing lately with gesso paint.

Painting things like frames

And a wooden vintage toolbox.

 Well looking on Pintrest, I came across this coffee table and fell in love

from The Nesting Place

I knew that my coffee table could look similar.

You can see the table in the mirror, the only good shot of it before.

 I started by removing the latches, filling the hole, sanding it and cleaning with some TSP.

 We ALWAYS hit our knees on them so it was good to see them go.

I then gave it a good layer of Liquitex Black Gesso paint.

Waited for it to dry, which is REALLY fast, sanded it then waxed and buffed it.

 I have to say that I LOVE the way it turned out.

 I decided not to do any graphics on it.

 I liked it so much that I did the same treatment on my mantel.

 Here's the before ...

 And the after ...

 It now feels "finished".

Have you played with gesso yet?
It's my new favorite paint.

 : )

I'm partying at:
 A Bowl Full of Lemons
My Repurposed Life
{PRIMP}
Serenity Now
Shabby Nest
Miss Mustard Seed
The Romantic Home
Christina's Adventures
36th Avenue
Designer Garden
French Country Cottage
Polly Want a Crafter
Altard
Between Naps on the Porch
Mod Vintage Life
Type A Decorating

The DIY Showoff 

From Chaos to Calm

I had this beautiful curio cabinet now for about 5 years.

 I bought it to house

 all of my husband's, brace yourself,

 Godzilla and Dinosaur toys.

 Yep, a $375 curio cabinet just for plastic toys.

I have decorated the top of it for Christmas

But, as you can see, it looks like a MESS

and it just seemed like it didn't "fit" in our house

 if that makes any kind of sense.

It was about time for a change.

 So, I'm selling it.

 And, I've moved in one of my favs ...

Ahhhh, so much better.

Can't wait to decorate her for the Holidays : )

Yummy PB & J Birthday Cake

My lil' Kricket turned 9 on the 31st of August and

 I couldn't for the life of me think of what kind of cake to make her.

 I wanted something fun yet good enough for the adults.

In the past, I've made her a Banana Split cake, a castle cake and

 of course the basic chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

 This year, I decided it was gonna be a 

 Peanut Butter & Jelly cake.

 I've never made one so I did a little research.

 Although I've made almost ALL my cakes by hand,

 this year I wanted to cut the work and start with a box cake mix.

I gathered all my supplies.

 To the Pillsbury Golden Butter recipe box mix I added:

 4 eggs

 4 TBL Peanut Butter ( I LOVE Jif)

 About 2 tsp. Cinnamon

2 TBL Vanilla Extract

 and I used only 1/2 the butter that the cake recipe called for

 because I used so much peanut butter.

I sprayed my cake pans with Pam

Mixed my cake batter ingredients together

I used a ladle to scoop the batter into my cake pans to get an equal amount in both

Leveled it out

 Baked it @350* for about 34 minutes, using a knife in the center to check

and make sure it's done al the way threw.

Then removed onto a rack to cool

 After about 30 minutes, I used a trick I learned from Martha Stewart

 To cut the cakes in half, I use waxed dental floss (no flavor kind)

I put the floss at the 1/2 point of each cake

Cross it at the front of the cake and pull gently

 The I use a serrated knife to cut the small "bump" off each cake

After both cakes are cut, it's ready for the jam

I used a whole jar of Smucker's Blackberry Jam

You can use what ever jam you want to

 I put the jam on each quarter of the cake till I reached the top

Now for the icing. I made a basic Peanut Butter Buttercream.

I made a double batch. Heads up, this stuff is addictive. You can use it on a 

 basic Hershey bar and it tastes like a Reese's Cup. YUM!!!

 I used 6 cups of confectioners sugar

1 cup milk, added a little at a time

 6 TBL softened butter

 4 TBL Jif Peanut Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

 I used more PB than needed to make it extra peanutty

whipped to pure yummy-ness : )

 I globbed it onto the top of the cake

 Used a icing spatula to smooth it out

I didn't have wax paper to put under the cake to protect my cake plate

 So I used some aluminum foil

Another Martha trick : )

 I then used a zip lock bag and some frosting to pipe some decorations

 Added some pink sugar and some lil' flowers and it's finished

 Let me tell ya, it was a HUGE hit, especially with the adults.

 I was so excited to eat it, I forgot to take proper pictures 

Sorry : (

 I'm already being asked to share my recipe ... 

 Enjoy : )

I'm partying at:
 A Bowl Full of Lemons
Serenity Now