Karen's Altered Provisions

Where are You?

2010-05-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

Please note that I have moved my blog to a different page. Please join me on the next page.

Can you hear the music?

2009-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

So now that the staircase is finished, I'm back in my daughter's room where I'm supposed to be. I designed a custom Modello to go behind her bed. She found the a sillhouette online which I used as a starting point. I used metallic foils through the Modello and I love how it came out.

I wanted to add a unique light fixture near her bed, so I used a birdcage that she already had by flipping it upside down, and making an opening for the bulb. There's one bird inside and one on the door. I tried to camoflage the hideous bulb with wire and beads. It's prettier when it's on. I know it's wierd, but I love it.

Stairway to Heaven

2009-11-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my husband's impulse, I was down on my hands and knees up until 60 minutes before our first guest arrived for Thanksgiving....

When I informed him I would be having our nasty carpets cleaned prior to our annual Halloween party, he tore out the carpet and started an unplanned home improvement marathon. There is very little time between Halloween and Thanksgiving so we had to make rush decisions on replacing it with wood floors. This would have been enough of a challenge, but since they were going to drop the price if we also had the stairs done, we added that on top of what was already an ambitious project.

I have been lusting after the stairs at Modello Designs since their creation. Melanie Royals has a big staircase in the studio with different patterns on each riser, created through her Modello Marquetry method. It's a technique she created that imitates wood inlay. Her staircase is jaw-droppingly beautiful and I have wanted to do my own staircase ever since. So I had the installers use unfinished maple on the risers to give me a blank canvas.

I chose two different Modello patterns and alternated them up the staircase. The patterns I chose are set up to use four different colored stains. It's more work but I have decided after looking at all of Melanie's floors that the more colors there are, the more beautiful they are. Go to her blog and check out her private office's floors....stunning.

These pictures show the progression of stains. It's so fun to watch it becoming more beautiful with each new color and layer removed.

It was a challenge, but I think it was totally worth it. It would have been nice to not be working on a deadline, but at least I made it. I pulled off all the tape one hour before our guests showed up. I will admit it was nice to finish a project and then have an instant public showing. At least it's done and now I can get back to my daughter's room.

Take a deep breath...

2009-11-19T11:15:00.001-08:00

I just did something I have never done before. I listed a canvas for sale on my Etsy shop (link right here on my blog). When I finished a project in a downtown loft this summer I was just so in love with the color scheme and downtown San Diego that I just went for it. I love how it came out, so now we'll see if anyone else does.

Perfect disaster

2009-11-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

Dianna and one of her two female BFFs started a day ahead of time, and set the tone for the room.

I'm sure most people will hate this, but to me it will always represent a certain moment in time for my daughter. It's not a pretty room that she has to grow in to, or a classy room that she can't relax in. It's her, right now, with the people she's closest to. Full of inside jokes, and secret words and the miriad expressions of individuality.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that 80% of my daughter's friends are boys...so you can imagine the fun of putting brushes in their hands and letting them go.

They even let me teach them how to stencil. They loved the retro stencils especially and they did a really good job. There are several images proving the male need to mark their territory.

But it's still cute at this age, right?

Spray paint stencilling

2009-11-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we did some spray paint stencilling in Dianna's room. I got this great book full of ready-made retro stencils. Since spray paint is typically oil base and toxic, I used this great contraption that you can pour your own water-base paint in and use as an aerosal. I thought it worked really well. I wouldn't use it on a big project, but it was ideal for these little spots.

I hand painted some musical notes with gilding size and applied metallic foils. They came out great.

Dianna's favorite band.

Today all of her friends are coming over to put their names and anything else they want on the walls. I am so excited that I woke up at 5am. It's like Christmas for me. Pictures will be posted as soon as I wash the paint off my hands.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our front porch is ready for trick-or-treaters. I put a fairly elaborate porch together every year. All year I save all the plants I've killed and recycle them into my spooky abandoned looking porch. This year my girls grew Mammoth Sunflowers (yes, that's their actual name), which I saved and dried and then strung up along the sides of the porch. Some of their heads weigh 20 lbs. So to have them hanging in toward treaters is really cool.

We have several crows which are my favorite along with a rabid cat and several rats, one of which is screaming from a trap at the front door. It never fails to scare the crap out of somebody. I usually add something every year. This year I bought these eyes that glow out of whatever plant you stick them in, but what I didn't know was that you attach it to the bush and it makes it shake and growl. Bonus! Combined with the skeleton that's begging to be let out of a cage ("come on you guys, I'm serious!") it will be pretty loud out there.

Dianna puts all these spiders climbing the walls and around the doorbell which is hysterical. Now we have to get ready for our party. All our neighbors come and chat while the kids run around getting all their sugar energy out. Always a good time had by all.

The next generation

2009-10-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

The ceiling is done. With my daughter's help it went quickly, and now she knows why I hate ceilings. To her credit, she never complained or quit.
I educated Dianna in the art of metallic foils. She loved how the foils looked, but I wish I had caught on film the look in her eyes when I showed her how to use them through Melanie's new Stencil Impressions. It was love at first sight.

We will be doing a trowelled paint finish, but I wanted some random patches of foils peeking through. I'm going for the look you see on the walls of underground stations where they plaster paint and ads over and over leaving small patches of old ads visible in the cracks. So after spending 3 minutes teaching my daughter, I let her loose on all the size spots. She did a great job and loved the foils. I intentionally let the size drip and the foil looks so cool on the drips.

Now on to the trowelled paint.....

Finally we paint

2009-10-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

After the complete drag of prepping the walls, we finally painted on Sunday. Because we have orange-peel textured walls, and what I will do on the walls requires a flat surface, I skim coated the walls and ceiling with fresh drywall mud to smooth them out. If you have ever hired someone to do this, please remember to pay them twice the amount they are asking for. This was the worst thing I've ever done. The trowelling is easy and not different from anything I normally do. It's the sanding. OMG that totally sucked. And even with my mask and goggles, I am convinced that it took two years off my life.
We primed over the mud with a product called GARDZ that Melanie swears by if you're going from new drywall to Modellos at some point. If you have ever pulled a piece of tape off a freshly painted wall only to pull off all the paint, you will understand the kind of pain I am trying to avoid.

Dianna chose this awesome color. I totally love it. It's a dark charcoal grey but it has some blue in it as well. It's so beautiful. Typically you would do the ceiling first, but Dianna really wanted to paint, and she can't help me with the ceiling since it will be metallic, which is a little trickier. Since we will be trashing the walls with a bunch of different colors, textures, and ephemera it won't matter if the walls get a little silver from the ceiling on it. We got this done in about an hour...because we're pros ya know.

The End of Childhood

2009-10-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have begun the project that marks the end of my daughter's childhood....I am redoing her room. We are both huge Harry Potter fans and her room has reflected that for probably four years. Eventhough our (okay my) obsession with Harry hasn't faded, we're both ready to turn her room into a safe harbor for teenage angst. So say goodbye to Hogwart's and hello to the London Underground.

Vacation in Paradise

2009-10-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been; Capitola is Paradise. My husband is blessed with an aunt who owns a darling beach house in this town. She lets anyone use it and we try to get up there as often as we can. Since my daughter is in a year round school, she has two weeks off at the end of September which we love since everyone else is in school and the weather is still good.

This is the darling house we stay at. It looks quaint on the outside but it is equipped with the latest technology and a chest full of movies all catalogued and alphabetized. We just chill when we go. Do a lot of reading, build puzzles, walk to the beach and the town, sip coffee and sleep late. Not in that order, but you get the idea. My version of paradise.

Worth it

2009-09-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

I went back to a jobsite today to finally get some good shots of my work. I have had horrible camera problems which we figured out were the camera's fault and not mine. My wonderful husband got me a new camera and I couldn't be happier with the photos.

Above is the living room/dining room of one of my favorite clients. She has great taste and always makes my work really shine. The walls are a crackled plaster with random Modellos. The ceiling is Vella plaster with sand added and Modellos at the corners and sides. The ceiling is two different colors, one in every other panel.

This ceiling is the one that put me on my masseuse's table for two months straight, but looking at the pictures, I think it was worth it. (don't tell my husband I said that)

CHULA VISTA CHULA VISTA!!

2009-08-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Our local team just took the Little League World series, and I think I lost 5lbs watching the game. Six of the boys on the team are from my daughter's junior high, one of which we've gone through all of elementary school in the same classroom (I think he's in the middle of this pile). Needless to say, we were riveted to the screen.

Congratulations, Park View Little League! You totally smoked them!!

Modello makeover

2009-08-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

The last time my friend Melanie came over she told me my pantry door really needed embellishment. I had thought about etching it, but really didn't have any motivation. This week I got a client that wants a large window etched, I thought it was a good excuse to practice a little at home. I've etched glass before, but the company that makes the etching cream, Etch-all, has come out with a new creme that only takes 60 seconds to develop. So I wanted to try it out safe at home.

I ordered an all over Modello from the Modern collection that goes perfectly with my checkered backsplash. It only took 90 minutes to prep the glass, install the Modello, etch the glass and remove the Modello. My pantry door looks modern and classy, and you can barely make out that I have Doritos in my cabinet.

Wicked wall

2009-08-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

I just finished the project using the sample board from the previous post. This is an accent wall in a condo in downtown San Diego. It is wicked cool. It's all Lusterstone and the colors are stunning. I just wish you could feel it. It's slick like glass and so shimmery. All the shapes are custom Modellos, except for the squiggly lines. The owner changed her mind at the last minute and wanted squiggles instead of an oval. So I made the lines out of scrap Modello vinyl. She wanted them to be different and asymmetrical.(I know Modello Design would have cut these for me, but I was obsessed with finishing yesterday) It was a fun job and I'm really happy with how it came out.

The woman who owns this wall is a photographer and will be taking a more professional picture for me so I can submit it for the next Modello By Design book. Then I just have to pray it makes the cut. Please, please, please.

Killer color palette

2009-08-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm working on samples for my next job and I'm getting so excited. It's all Lusterstone and the palette my client picked is awesome. Tell me these colors aren't to die for. Okay, they probably aren't perfect on my green apple countertop, but picture it as an abstract accent wall. Totally cool, you'll see.

Technical difficulties

2009-08-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday afternoon with two good friends on a mini road trip to a Moroccan style fundraiser in Manhattan Beach. Amongst all the good conversations about marriage, work and chemical peels, it was brought to my attention that it's impossible to leave comments on my blog. I've changed my settings, so please give it a try and hopefully I've fixed the problem.

Starving artist

2009-08-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

I came across an ad in the latest Veranda magazine for this artist, Ashley Collins and the gallery that represents her. Her work is stunning, and being an avid horse lover I was swept off my feet by her portfolio. I did some research and found out that we're the same age which always makes me wonder what the hell I've been doing with my life. Then to make it worse I discovered that her canvases sell for between $25,000 and $250,000. And yes, she sells them consistently.
I would like to say that I'm in the wrong business, but what I do for money is not that far off from what she's doing for a lot more. Something to ponder....
If you're about to say that money doesn't buy happiness, I would like to counter with the wisdom of Daniel Tosh, "Money doesn't buy happiness? It buys a waverunner! Have you ever seen a sad person on a waverunner?"

Lifted Weight

2009-08-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

The weight on my shoulders has begun to matter. No, I'm not speaking metaphorically. A recent ceiling job has totalled my back where it attaches to my shoulders. So I've been looking at every tool I have and trying to figure out which one weighs the least. My friend, Sheri, told me she loved using paint pads so I tried this on my last job. Loved it! I used it in place of a brush on a metallic finish this week. It didn't leave brush marks and since the handle is Styrofoam, it doesn't weigh anything. No pain at all.

I can't, however, say the same thing for peeling my ladder off the plastic my client had covering her carpet......500 times....in August.........in a second floor room with no AC. So I am home on an ice pack, having promised my masseuse to not work for a week. But man I loved that paint pad.

Project finished

2009-07-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

I finished a decorative painting project today in an orthodontist office. The mural is in the doctor's private office. The other area is where they hang a photo each month of the kid who wins the BIG prize for keeping their teeth clean and not breaking their braces.

The orthodontist is an avid surfer and the office reflects it. Both walls are concave, so paint was a good solution since it's hard to hang stuff on rounded surfaces.

The lettering was done in a bamboo font I found and had made in to a Modello. The frame is my own design that I had made in to a Modello. I trowelled Aquastone through it and handpainted the images. Super cute!

new tag

2009-06-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I've accomplished a good amount of work, I reward myself by diving into my stash of stuff that I want to get up on my studio walls. My studio is adorned with large branches and blossoms and my goal is to have the branches full of things that I love to look at.

The area right in front of my desk, my "view," is where I put stuff I don't want to forget. So there are pictures of my daughter before she grew up, and there is a large amount of pictures of my mom, along with poems she liked, cards she gave me, little things that make me feel like she's still here.

Today I made a new tag from a digital collage that I made on the anniversary of her death, and I surrounded it with a quote that I felt went with the images. I really like how it came out.

Not five minutes go by that I don't think of her and hear her in my head.

Busy is good

2009-06-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the abrupt transition from organized to "where did I set my phone?" I have been blessed with several calls for work since my trip to Europe. Calls lead to consults, which lead to estimates which, if you're lucky, lead to sample boards.

Sample boards are tricky because you're trying to give the client a small picture of what the finish would look like on a big wall. The thing is, strokes you would use on a big wall can't be used on a small board. And big boards are heavy and don't fit in your portfolio.

So you end up fussing with 24 square inches in a way that you think you can imitate on a big wall when the pressures on.

It's fun to play but the drawback is that I'm having so much fun; I don't want to stop and put my toys away. Thus the studio is a disaster. I'll clean it later, I promise.

For the love of organization

2009-05-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

I get teased a bit by my friends about my house always being tidy. I don't really work at it, I mean how hard could it be, only 3 people live here and I have a maid. But I have been blessed with a room to use as a studio. My reward for not having a second child. It's a small room so it's a challenge to store all the things an artist "has to have." I used to have this metal screen that held a lot of miscellaneous stuff and it was cute but took up more space than I'd like.

Then my daughter and I wondered into a boutique in Paris named Antoine and Lili that just blew my mind. Talk about screaming color and pattern. I fell in love with this plastic lime-green coat rack and realized how to get rid of the screen in the studio.

I bought white plastic chain and hooks from Home Depot and voila! My floor is clear and I have a new obnoxious piece of art. Yay!

Transformation

2009-05-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Any one who knows me, knows the story about my dog, Billie. He's a mutt from the shelter who we bought to keep our German Shephard from being lonely. She rudely died the next year leaving us with this mongrel that we bought out of desperation, because when the shephard was lonely she tore down whole sections of our fence.

Billie has never been much to look at, but to add insult to injury, from the moment we got him he has never stopped gaining weight. So what started out as a 35 lb "interesting" looking dog turned into something on the end of my leash that caused people to gasp when I walked him (I'm not making this up). I think his top weight was in the high 80's.

We went through everything to try to fix this. Two mile walks, prescription diet food, blood tests, thyroid medication, at one point I was convinced that he had a football size tumor which the vet kindly explained to me was a fat pad. How rude!

Last year we were seriously talking about when we should put him down, since he was limping constantly. His little piggy (yes, he answers to the name pigdog) feet couldn't hold up the mass that was him. Fortunately a friend of my sister's told us to look in to the "raw diet." The theory is that some dogs are allergic to grain, which makes up the majority of the contents in dog kibble. If you feed them what they're supposed to be eating, raw chicken and vegetables, they will become healthy.

We started this in October and you can't even recognize him. He has lost a considerable amount of weight, has stopped limping and has so much energy that he runs so fast that I can't catch him. We recently have started taking him to dog parks to run. He never could do it before because he would limp for days if he stayed on his feet for too long.

So anyway, I just had to share the before (on the red rug) and after(at the park) photos.

Happy F*#king Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is for all you people who don't have mothers worth celebrating. The quote on this piece is from a letter from my grandmother to my mother, who had the worst mother ever on Earth (yes, even worse than your mother). I feel your pain.

Sunday Crafty Sunday

2009-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so since I lost my mom I have stopped being a fan of Mother's Day. Not that we ever did make a big deal out of it to begin with. My mom always knew she was the best mom on earth (yes, even better than your mom). So when the North Park Craft Mafia decided to have the May edition of Sunday Crafty Sunday focus on Mother's Day, I was less than enthusiastic.

So what I will be offering will be a reflection of the other side of Mother's Day. Not everyone is blessed with a great mom. My own mother was raised by a raving psychopath, and I remember the pains she went through to find a Hallmark card that reflected her true feelings. My mother, being an honest woman, couldn't buy a card that was a lie. But so where is the section for mothers who gave their children the gift of years of fodder for their psychotherapy sessions?

Sunday I'll be selling new cards with appropriate family quotes for people who can't bring themselves to buy a #1 Mom card, but instead feel more comfortable saying, "I could have done a lot worse."

Sunday Crafty Sunday is on May 3rd at Filter coffeehouse at 4096 30th St. in North Park from 12-5pm. Hope to see you there!

Europe Baby!

2009-04-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

The reason I've been absent for so long is that my family went to Europe for almost 3 weeks. I know, you're so jealous. My daughter had four weeks for Spring Break so we took advantage of it. We had also been invited to share a flat for a week in Paris with my father, his wife and her daughter and grandaughter.

We couldn't be that close to London and not stop so we spent over a week there as well. London is my favorite place in the world. I don't know what it is, but when I touch ground I feel like I just came home.

This was my third trip to London, (I know you're still jealous) so we tried really hard to find things we hadn't seen yet. Hampton Court was brilliant. We had to go there since we've become so addicted to the Showtime series, The Tudors, and this was home to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Jonathan Rhys Meyers didn't show up, but it was still lovely to see.

Paris was new for me and the rest of my family. We wore ourselves out trying to see all the things you're supposed to see, and then wallowed in their endless supply of fantastic food.

My favorite place to see was the Sacre Coure in Montmarte. The cathedral is stunning and if you climb the billion or so steps to the dome you get an unbeatable view of Paris. It kicked my ass, but the view was worth it.

All in all, a great trip. You really should go when you get a chance.

Back in business

2009-04-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Totally sorry I've been gone so long. I'll post pictures of where I've been next time, but today I want to show you what I've been busy with all week.

This powder room turned out perfectly. It's a finish designed by my friend Melanie, that I've been trying to sell for a year. Everyone loves it, they just can't afford it. I tease when I say that it has 21 layers, but that's not far off. The 8 foot bamboo modello goes with the bamboo carved glass in the door. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it.

Cheap Makeover

2009-02-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

My job this week was my favorite kind...we can't afford the real thing, can you make this look cool anyway? This great couple is putting all their dreams into this trashed, neglected house they're rebuilding. It's such a big undertaking that they've decided to go faux when they can to save a little cash. They have eight concrete columns in the house. Not the smooth pretty concrete either. They're made from the kind of concrete that has all the bubbles in it.

It didn't take much work or materials to turn these plain white columns in to the accent pieces they wished they could have bought. Wishes fauxfilled!

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Shop Makeover

2009-02-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's a cloudy, grey day here, which is rare in San Diego. My daughter's out of school so she has four boys here playing Rockband until the walls are shaking. A perfect day to freshen up my Etsy shop.

The Mafia had this huge event in December and I almost sold out everything I brought. And since then I just haven't found the time to list my remaining inventory. I also wanted to change the shop's banner to reflect the fact that I have made progress in my Photoshopping skills.

So take a look around my shop and tell me what you think.

We're Live!

2009-02-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed more than anyone should be in the friends I have made through painting. I have belonged to a chapter of the International Decorative Artisans League for the last 12 years. Our chapter was founded by the genius, Melanie Royals, and because of her our group is very different than most groups of this type. Melanie has always been very generous and giving with her time and expertise and in turn our chapter will help any member without concern for trade secrets or competition.

These are the people who helped me launch my company. They helped me bid on jobs, buy the right tools and pulled me out of deep sh*# when I screwed up on the job.

Now we're taking it up a notch. Five of the members and myself have launched an alliance group that we hope will bring us closer to the dream of the really big, technical jobs that we crave. Each of us have our own companies that are doing well, but we realised that the large scale, multi layered designs that we love need more than one person to do them right.

Next month we are introducing our group, the West Coast Artisans Guild, to the designers of San Diego at an event hosted by Melanie Royals at her Modello Designs Studio.

Come by our new website and check out all the details. Yay team!

Guest Room Revisited

2009-02-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

I'm still learning how to use my camera well and I wasn't happy with the photos of my finished guest room. I had a good friend visit this weekend and so the room is no longer new, but used. It's just so precious that I had to try to get better photos of it. Again, the stencils are from Royal Design Studio and they are called Folk Flower.

There is a lot going on in the room, I know. But as I try to explain to my husband, this is what the whole house would look like if I was single. Actually it wouldn't look like this, because without him I would be homeless, but you get my point.

Potty Talk

2009-01-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

Non-painter friends of mine tend to think soft-focus thoughts about what my days must be like on a jobsite. Don't get me wrong. There are wonderful advantages to running my own company. I make my own hours and I get to be with my daughter a lot. Sometimes I get a great view with my lunch. The downside is new construction and total remodels. The problem is, there is rarely a toilet. My definition of a toilet is one that is indoors and attached to a sewer system.

My job this week was at a total remodel. Since I didn't see any faucets, I assumed I would be holding my breath and race peeing in a porta potty. When I couldn't find one I questioned the contractor. He says, "A working toilet? hmmm. There's one in the barn. No toilet paper though."

I hiked down the hill to the barn and no sh*#, there was a toilet in the barn. Behind swinging, half-size, saloon doors. So poor timing would find me on the pot with someone barrelling through the doors. Sweet.

I finished the job, it turned out well and no one saw me naked. Job well done.

Simple stenciling

2009-01-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

So I had promised photos of the stenciling in my guest room. I did end up finishing that last weekend, but then I got so in to the decorating that I didn't get to posting them.

I couldn't remember how long ago I had started this project. I figured it out when I read the year on the stencil. My friend loaned me the stencil in 2003 when she had just designed it and the stencil hadn't been released yet. You can find both the border and the corner piece at Royal Design Studio. It's a very simple one overlay that anybody can have fun with.

The date on the stencil reminded me also of why I had quit on this room. This room was intended for my mom for when she outlived my dad, in the far away future. My mom got breast cancer in 2003 and I quit on the room.

Since she passed away I had to find a new reason for the room. As a result of losing my best friend I have gotten so much closer to my girlfriends, most of whom are painters as well. So when my husband goes out of town, which is like ALWAYS, a friend will come down for a slumber party. They loved the room even before it was finished, but now it's awesome!

Sunday Crafty Sunday

2009-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Is there love in the air? Are you looking for love in all the wrong places? Do you love craft shows? Lucky you! The first North Park Craft Mafia Sunday Crafty Sunday of the year is quickly approaching. The Mafia and other select vendors will be in North Park February 1st selling Valentine themed gifts. Just in time to pick up something unique for your significant other...or your significant self. Grab your girlfriends and do a little shopping and a little snacking. Filter is a great coffee house and a great venue for long deep conversations. We hope to see you there.

Finish What You Started

2009-01-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

January always gives me this burning motivation to be better than I am. Because I'm starting to get ideas for a few remodels I'd like to do at home, I'm staring at the projects that I haven't finished. I know I won't let myself start anything new when I have half finished projects all over the house. I'm going to try to finish stencilling my guest room this weekend. So stay tuned for photos.

For all of you looking for motivation to get started on finishing, here is a quote that I love to meditate on:

Recently Dr Phil, the talk show host, proclaimed, “The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.” So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel right now.

Just do it!

Also Seen on TV

2008-12-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Craft Mafia episode this morning was to center on New Year's Eve. So I broke out the etching creme. What's funny is that I hadn't broke out the etching creme in over two years. So you can imagine the shock when I opened the bottle to find that the cream had gone from white to chocolate brown. My friend Melanie reassured me that even though it was ugly, it would still work. Kind of like some of my favorite brushes.

The champagne flutes were super fun to make, and not too hard to do on live tv. The ones with the word "cheers" are my favorite. My daughter loves the ones with the stars. Etching glass is so satisfying because it's easy but it comes out looking so sophisticated. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do sophisticated, but this I like because I know it only took a few minutes and a few tablespoons of goo.

As Seen On TV

2008-12-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

So we had this gig on San Diego Living this morning. The Mafia promised to teach a craft that could be done after the holidays. So we made clocks out of trash. Awesome. My contribution was a red gift bag clock. I made the "numbers" out of a girly jewelry kit someone gave my daughter, which she turned around and gave to me, (She no likey the girly stuff). The tissue paper inside makes it perfect. It looks great in her vanity, where she recently has begun to spend a little too much time.

I made a second clock out of a Saturn manual that my sister-in-law gave me. I found stamps in my stash with the right number for each spot. To make it lay flat I cut out half the pages to make room for the clock movement. I needed a clock in my studio. Bonus.

Happy Christmas! Don't throw anything away!

Blog Virgin

2008-12-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

So here I go...this is an experiment.

I will be trying to reveal the meaning and value of all the things that take up my time. The majority of my time lands in paint and plaster. More recently, I have spent a good portion of my time creating practical objects from old, torn up books. The rest of my time is spent on my family, which fuels the dark, black humor that stains everything I do.

I love everything I do, no matter how loudly I whine. I feel fortunate in my ability to do any and all of it. And I never lose sight of the fact that I am blessed by a stupidly supportive family, who, without them, I would still be stuck cleaning up after exploding colostomy bags in a nursing home. Plaster may be harder to get out from under my nails, but the smell is far easier to live with.