#418...my way

I  was recently commissioned to create the above graffiti style painting of the lyrics to Frank Sinatra's song "My Way".  My client Kristy had seen a similar painting in a local gallery, but the size and price were not right for her, so I took the challenge to paint her one for her living room.

I got a 48x48 canvas at the art supply store, and using my acrylic paints and medium created a spatter/drip background painting.

Next, I used a blue paint pen to begin drawing on the bubble font letters to the words of the song.

Then, I began painting in each line of the lyrics in the negative space created by the lettering.

This step was the most tedious. I added some paint texture to the top of some of the lines, and used some oil-based paint pens to outline the lyrics when I finished coloring in the lines. In total the painting took me about 30 hours to complete.

#417...spec house style

I recently worked with a local builder on design selections for this house which is for sale in a near-town neighborhood. I got involved in the project after the exterior was painted. I helped with selection of interior cabinetry and wall colors, lighting, counter surfaces, tile and stone selection, and stair rail design. Spec houses need to appeal to a broad range of people, so my job is to select a backdrop of neutral colors and classic materials that buyers can tweak and personalize easily to their specific tastes.

 

 

 

#416...e-design boards

Here are a few virtual room design boards that I've created lately for clients.

playroom

 

 

master bedroom

 

 

home office

 

dining room

 

 

family room

 

 

master bath

 

 

 

#415...audrey's desk makeover

We were out in California this past weekend for a visit, and my 6-year old niece Audrey asked me to help her make-over her brown wood desk. The desk formerly belonged to Audrey's Dad when he was a kid.

Step 1: Lightly sand the desk to scuff it up, which I did with a mouse sander.
Step 2: Make Audrey change out of the school dress she came out to paint in.
Step 3: Paint. 

We used a 4" smooth foam roller and a brush. We painted the desk with a white enamel that we got from the "oops" section of the local hardware store for $2!

We painted about 4 coats of white paint on the desk. I lightly sanded with a sanding sponge between coats. Audrey's Mom spray painted the old drawer pulls with silver spray paint, which really make them look clean and new.

While Audrey was at school, I painted a few butterflies, bees and lady bugs onto the desk at her request.

We moved the desk back into Audrey's room to surprise her when she got home from school. I made the wall hanging fabric letter "A" for her a few years ago. You can read my tutorial on making 3-D fabric letters here. Before Audrey was born, I painted a large surfing mural on the wall opposite this desk, which you can see here. 

#414...staging

This past weekend, I worked on staging a house for a client getting ready to sell. It was a fun project because the family was not home and I had free reign to do whatever I wanted. I worked with a small budget to add a few items to each room, and primarily hung art. Here are a few before and afters.

 

living room before

 

living room after

 

kitchen after

 

 

dining before

 

dining after

 

 

hall bath before

 

hall bath after

 

kid bedroom before

 

kid bedroom after

 

master before

 

master after

 

guest before

 

 guest after

#413...refrigerator table top

We've used a dorm style refrigerator as a side table to the sofa in our loft for years, giving guests a place to store beverages and baby bottles. Long ago, I covered the top and sides of the refrigerator with some sparkly vinyl, which you can sort of see here, in this Apartment Therapy post from a few years back. They vinyl got dingy and worn over the years, so I ripped it off, and decided to make a wood table to fit snugly over the refrigerator. Tyler built this U-shaped table out of birch plywood.

I sprayed the table with chalkboard paint (in case I ever want to write messages on it). It took about 2.5 cans to thoroughly cover it. Then we fitted it over the refrigerator.

I decided to add a piece of glass to the top of it, to make cleaning it easier, and to give the surface a smoother finish to touch. I spray painted the underside of the glass with black chalkboard spray paint, which gives the illusion that the glass is actually black too, and gives it a more customized look. I once blogged a tutorial on painting glass here.

#412...boston strong

We were in Boston this past week to cheer on Tyler's brother Jeff as he ran his first Boston Marathon.

I walked across the finish line a day before the runners

Copley Square finish line 24 hours before race time

Mile 18, Newton Mass

Men's winner Meb Keflezighi

Wheelchair racers

Hand cyclist

Harvard

Jeff, sporting his marathon jacket outside Fenway

Two green monsters