pink spray paint and thrifting

I'm always on the look out for pink vases. But I want modern, simple shapes with no fru frus. They're difficult to find. I've decided there's only one thing to do - short of taking a pottery class - and that is to buy a can of pink spray paint.

These lovely spray painted vases were featured in Sweet Paul. Yep, I need to spray paint some vases. Then I can get the lovely matte finish I like. Most inexpensive modern vases are glossy.

This vase by The Red Kettle is painted the perfect color. I love it, but I prefer ceramic.

I thought I'd experiment with this turquoise vase since it was really cheap. Only $2.99 at TJ Maxx.

When it comes to spray paint, there are two things to remember: Primer and Patience. It took a while to get the hang of it. It's not as easy as it appears. You have to do short quick sprays, applying only a small amount of paint at a time so that you don't get drips. The problem with this is that it takes about a zillion coats. I didn't get this vase exactly right, but I really love the color.

By the time I got to these vases, I think I had the hang of it. The simple shapes of these vases are perfection, and now they will be the perfect color. I was taking my time and putting on small coats of paint, and letting them dry thoroughly before applying another coat. Then the rain clouds came. Since I couldn't finish my project, I made the very logical decision to go thrifting.

I was kind of jonesin' because I haven't gone thrifting in a while. These three vases are part of the loot I got today, and they were cheap! The two smaller ones were $2.00 each. The taller one was a score at $4.00! It's really old, dates back to the 18th century. It has a chip in the back, which is why I got it so cheap. I don't mind, I like small cracks and chips, gives a piece character. I bought these three with the intention of painting them pink, but I kinda like them.

Turquoise looks great with pink. Here they are in my bedroom, with my new Haeger panther. What's your opinion, dear readers? Keep them they way they are, or paint them pink?

My Apartment - the process

As you know, I've been obsessing about gray. I've been itching to experiment with adding it to my apartment. This perfect little Russel Wright pot started it all. I found this in a second hand store for $5.00! I had to have it. Now I wish I hadn't sold my Russel Wright gray bowl. Oh well, c'est la vie. I changed the main color from hot pink to gray in my place. Here's a sneak peak.


The color scheme. Gray, turquoise, pink, white and small pops of black. As you know, any color scheme I work with always includes large amounts of pink and white.

I still really love the look of the hot pink with the turquoise. But since the sofa cover is merely a sheet set, I can switch back easily if in the mood. The new gray sheet set is part of the room essentials, college dorm series at Target. I got it on sale for $3.99! Sheets are a great way to cover your sofa when you can't afford a slip cover. You can change them on a whim, they are very comfy and the best part is they are washable. You don't have to worry about your guests putting their feet up or spilling.

Here's a couple of other things found thrifting. I must admit the coaster set was ridiculously expensive for my taste. $24.99. What kind of a crazy person pays $24.99 for a coaster set? Well, the kind who has been obsessing about the perfect coaster set for two years. I could not find one simple enough, and this one is perfect. It's got that retro vibe going. And speaking of pure form, the salt and pepper shakers were only $1.99 at the Salvation Army. Love the minimal shape.

Here's a luxury I've been needing for a long time. A filing cabinet! I could never find one that I liked and could afford. I thought I'd have to buy a used one and spray paint it. Well thanks to Staples, that project is now moot. They had this fab pink filing cabinet on sale. $22.99! What could be better? I love being organized, I'm thinking of getting a second one before they sell out. After all, I am turning my home into an artist work/live space. There's no separation between life and work when you love your work. Everything must be beautiful.


Here's a couple little vignettes. The Haeger panther in the bathroom is inspired by Haegernerd and Retromod (see previous post here). I adore the color combination of pink and black. The grouping of photos in the bedroom is inspired by Ivy33. (I'm kind of annoyed that it is getting so hard to download from flickr these days - anyone else having problems?) I love a cohesive grouping, where everything is uniform. That is, they are the same size and the frames are the same. This looks much less cluttered than a grouping of various sized art and frames. Credits for art are as follows, clockwise: Love print by Jessie; vintage Hindu print; graffiti from Tokyo, photographed by by sister-in-law; vintage watercolor by Kapur.

The influence for piling pillows on the floor comes from Tricia Guild. This is an easy way to add color and warmth in your place. I adore Tricia's use of color and textiles. I've never been much into pattern, but if there's one person who could change my mind on this, it would be Tricia.

I've been wanting something to display pottery, but I didn't really want to spend money. I saw these two book cases at a thrift store, and they were tempting but I decided against them.

I opted to paint my hot pink bookcase in the sublime gray (see previous color here). The bookcase has been chartreuse, electric blue, white, hot pink and now it's gray. I love being creative, but I hate the mess!

But it was worth it. I love the new color of the bookcase. Now to style it with white pottery.

Now a couple of my pieces of pottery weren't right for the newly-gray bookcase. They were off-white, and I wanted them to be true white. I like white white, in a matte finish, but it's hard to find in an inexpensive vase. I love to spray paint them, they turn out really well but take a lot of patience. A warning about spray paint. It's not as easy as HGTV makes it sound. For tips on spray painting vases, click here.

Everything looks great with a new coat of paint, so I decided to touch up my ottoman. It was looking a little shabby.

I made a little sitting area in the alcove. One of my tulip chairs was surrendered to the curb because it was broken. I was happy that someone picked it up within five minutes.

Here's the alcove. I plan to make this into more of a work studio because I love the light. I will probably add a couple of easels and curtain the area off.

I moved my table into the tiny kitchen. This is a wonderful place to sit and feel gratitude. I drink my morning coffee here, brainstorm in my sketch pad and look lovingly at the squirrels in the tree from here. Wish I could paint all of my floors white!

Here's the funny little alcove in the kitchen. Probably no one but me would ever notice those shelves. I used the divine gray paint on them. It makes me happy every time I look at them.

I have my tea pot collection displayed on them. The lovely black tea set on the top shelf is a gift from my uncle in San Francisco. He bought it in NYC while he was in college in the 70s. I adore it. I will be taking it to Chinatown for a new handle.

Pretty Pink Vase

Dear readers, as you know, two of my favorite things are vases and the color pink. I have a clearly defined aesthetic when it comes to vases. I love a simple, modern form, and I love a matte finish. I'm aways on the hunt for the perfect vase.

Finding pink vases in a modern form is difficult. Most pink vases tend to be too frou frou. Finding the right color and finish is also difficult. I love a lot of the modern shapes of Haeger, but I don't like their glossy finishes, which make their vases look mass produced. Nor do I like their pink, which is usually too mauvey or fleshy.  I love the simple form and matte finish of McCoy Floraline, but unfortunately, they don't do a pink. (They do a lovely sage green, though.)

What's the solution? Painting your vase. Spray painting is best if you have a space to do it. And remember spray paint takes a lot of patience. I don't have the space right now, so brush painting it is.

So, I hunt for a vase with a modern shape. I try to find one with a porous surface so I don't have to use primer. If the base you're painting is glossy, you will need to use primer.

I had a cute vase by West Elm in my closet. I forgot to take a before picture of it. But here's a picture of it from their website.

Dig that shape. I'm a sucker for anything resembling a genie bottle. However, as is often the case when I order a vase online, I was disappointed with the color and the texture. So I decided to paint it.

I used this fabulous chalk paint from Pat Catan's. I'm totally hooked. Because the paint was chalky, it needed no primer. Yay! And how cool is it that the name of the paint is innocence?

Voila! I love it. It's the perfect pink and the perfect shape. I got so hooked on this paint, I used it on my new painting in the post below. I also used it on the back of my shelf in my kitchen.

I can't wait to go back to Pat Catan's to get more of this paint. And I'm on the hunt for more vases to paint.

You know my mantra: you can never have too much pink, pink can be used in a thoroughly modern environment, it looks great on everyone, and it is not just a girly color.

BTW OMG have you seen Mr. Kate on YouTube?  If not, you must!  They are too fabulous.  If you run into them, tell them I need them to come decorate my place!  ❤ 💋

Processing - Weekend Vignettes and Preparing to Make Art

Dear readers, I can't believe it's Wednesday already!  Where does the time go?  I had a busy three day weekend creating art.  I'd love to share my processing and how it's going to impact my decor for Fall.  I hope you will take this journey with me.  Creativity is fun!  There is nothing I enjoy more than creating art and decorating my humble apartment.  And as you know, I do it with no money, and stuff I already have in my closet.  Let's have some fun, shall we?

I elected to create without music this time, not sure why.  Wanted the quiet, but that was almost impossible because the Blue Angels were in town for Labor Day, and flying right over my head.  It literally sounds like the sky is opening up when they fly by.  I thought they'd drive me crazy, but when I went into my art zone I was able to tune them out.  I had a minimal painting in my mind.  A shape, and a color that haunts. Still staying away from toxins at the moment, so I knew I'd have to get inventive with markers, cut paper and maybe crayons.  As you know, when I am processing I start by moving things around things in my apartment and experimenting with different vignettes.  I need the perfect balance.  To set the stage, so to speak.

 

I've been wanting to experiment with more organic touches, and I found this vase at the Dollar Store.  Yep.  I paid $1.00 for it.  I've been wanting something wood, and am really digging the idea of wooden bowls right now.  Actually, I'm not even sure it's real wood, it might be resin.  It's still kinda cool and a pretty shaped vase.  I'm not sure I like it in my space, though.  Maybe it's for Haley's loft.  Or maybe I should spray paint it white?  I really wanted these beautiful vases from Chiasso, but I didn't want to spend the money.

Aren't they gorgeous?  Maybe I can spray paint my new vase in a pearly glaze and it would look similar to these.  Oh wait.  Spray paint is a toxin.  Darn.

You know, I've never really been interested in jewelry or diamonds, although I do love costume jewelry.  I don't need fine jewels, but I love Tiffany boxes.  The color is so beautiful.  I love the way that color pops off the pink vases.  These boxes are part of an installation piece I am working on.  Installation art is madly fascinating.  The preparation of an installation can utterly absorb me and become the dominating force in my life.  It's like being in a trance, and it's pure heaven.  I need a Betsey Johnson hot pink box for this installation but - you guessed it - I don't want to spend the money.  Betsey is totally fab, though.  I've written about her on this blog several times (see previous posts here).

My sister-in-law and I recently did a Target run.  It was odd, now that I'm not in corporate America, I don't do Target runs with the same regularity.  And I don't really miss it.  Now that the Target close to my home is one of those mega-huge stores, the inventory is not what it was.  The smaller store (now closed) had better and edgier buyers.  This large store has become rather, um, homogenized.  Hate to say it.  Not really faulting them, we need design for the masses, but I think they need to step up their game a little (although I am digging these pillows they have, lamp from Habitat).  Sorry, I digress.  Anyway, the chair was on sale for $7.00.  It was great sitting on my deck tonight.  I love the cooler weather we've been having.  Fall is my favorite time of year.

Remember my last incarnation of my living room?  This is number 16.  When I look at this picture I am bothered by the lack of balance on either side of the sofa.  That little table really doesn't work, but it will have to do.  I want an over sized lamp and some intentional distortion of scale, but I still feel like the little table  needs something larger.  Since the lamp is tall, maybe I'll move it to the small table.  It casts a beautiful, romantic glow at night, so it's probably good to have it in the corner anyway.  How to make this area look more balanced with a little table that's not really working?  Stay tuned for my next reveal. 

I went to the closet to pull out some of my vases.  Here is the new vignette on the table, but who knows how it will look tomorrow.  Now, that I have some balance, it's time to make art.

A Color Story, Part 4

Here's an update of what's been going on in my apartment lately. Last week I decided I had to have a lilac and/or a lavender pillow. Currently I am using a mint green sofa cover and I think mint green and lilac look fabulous together. Shouldn't be too hard to find since Pantone's color of the year is Radiant Orchid. But alas, it was not to be. I was actually surprised I couldn't find accessories in these colors anywhere. C'est la vie. I then stopped at my trusty Goodwill. As soon as I walked in the door I spied this beauty from 50 years away. It's like I have a radar for anything pink.

I couldn't get over there fast enough. $2.00 for this fabulous shade. Score! I love the color, it's kinda pinky-lilac. Since my color appetite was not satisfied, I made the decision to swing over the Home Depot for some paint. If I can't find the colors I want, I'll paint things!

As you know, Behr flat paint is my favorite. Did you know they come in sample sizes? An eight ounce sample costs $2.98. Such a deal. I bought these three gorgeous colors.

And oh yeah, I picked up this cute little eight ounce jar of paint at Target. It's by Martha Stewart and the color is Devine Blossom. Too adorable to resist.

Since I can't paint my apartment, I painted a canvas in Behr's Pink Bliss. Man. Just look at it. I am smitten. I'm going to paint every wall in my next apartment this color. Doesn't it look fabulous with the new lamp shade? For now I just have the shade perching on a vase. I'd love to make lamps out of vases, but I can't find a glass cutter willing to drill holes in vases for me. I couldn't stop there.

Remember this lamp that is now a vase? I'm addicted to the genie shape, but red is a color I really don't like in my decor. I painted the lamp with Behr's little pond. Ahh much better. Don't get me wrong, I love red. Just not so much in place. The canvas is painted with Martha Stewart's Devine Blossom.

Here's a mass-produced vase I got for 99 cents at the Goodwill. I painted it in Behr's Freesia purple. I love it!

Okay, I know you've heard me talk ad nauseum about my new bamboo etagere. I really do suffer with design ADD. After much consternation, I decided that I just don't like the wood color in my apartment. I like my place to be more airy and light. So I painted it white and doubted my sanity the whole time. It was a bitch and half to paint! I had to do it with a brush, having no where to spray paint. It took a million coats, and still needs a little sanding and touch up - but that's on my procrastination list. I must admit, I like it a lot better. I've placed this in front of the counter to be a sort of faux wall to my open kitchen. I think I'm still missing my studio apartment after all this time!

I took a risk and ordered this light purple pillow from Etsy shop owner Sukan. I just had to have a pillow in this color scheme! It's a risk because it's shipping from Turkey. I usually don't order from oversees because of delays in Customs. But I dearly love this color and I've had great luck with Etsy. I can't wait for it to arrive and I'll be sure to let you know how I like it. If I like it, I may order these gorgeous pink pillows.

Now I'm not really liking my mint green sofa cover, and really want something lilac or lavender. Oh, I do love a color dilemma. I'll be sure to do a tour of my place when I resolve the color scheme.  Hope you have a great day!  Stay tuned for an exciting announcement later today. xo

Turning a Negative into a Positive

Since leaving my home is an impossibility, I decided to pull out my paints.  Maybe I don't want to quit painting after all.  I was recently stung by a gallery owner who told me that my paintings are not compelling.  I took that hard.  Seeing my hurt feelings, he tried to explain that people prefer realism to abstract.  After I licked my wounds, I realized that's a matter of perception.  While I deeply appreciate the raw talent of people who can paint realistically, I find abstracts very compelling.  They are an act of creation and creation is compelling.  I find abstracts to be very visionary.  I find  it fascinating to contemplate the infinite potentiality of abstracts.  And there you have it, too many words.  Art just is.  It doesn't need to be explained, it's highly subjective.  I'd like to humbly offer my first works of 2011.  All are as yet untitled.

Untitled 2011, 24" x 24", acrylic on canvas.  This is a classic example of not knowing when to quit.  Sometimes I just love layering paint on a canvas.  This work is interesting to me because it's very textural. 

Is it just my dirty mind or does this kinda look like a butt?  I am always seeing various pieces of anatomy in my paintings, and it is purely unintentional.  I am just a conduit for the canvas.

Untitled 2011, 12" x 12" each piece, acrylic and spray paint on canvas. I need the sun, so had fun playing with sunny colors.  I was trying to make these works look like tie dye.  I think I'm onto something here, I intend to experiment more with spray paint.  I need a studio so I can be free to make a mess, and I want to experiment with very large canvases.

I decided to frame  a couple of my prints from my Pink City series in frames I bought at the dollar store.  I think they look pretty good.  What about you dear readers?  Are you snowed in?  Are you using the opportunity to work on your home?  I'd love to hear from you.  And as always, thanks for reading.  xxoo

Weekend Art Project - Painting Vases

Hello dear readers!  Hope you are having a great weekend.  I wanted to give you a sneak peek of an art project I'm working on.  My first art project in my new apartment!  Well my first non-digital project.  I'm working on some really cool digital projects.  But for now, it felt great to play with paint again.  It's been so long, I've been craving it.

First I bought a couple of cheap vases at the Goodwill.  I spent about $4.00 on vases.  They needed to have a simple geometric shape and a rather porous finish.  I selected the one above for its beautiful shape. Its finish was not original and chipped in a couple of places so it had to be sanded.  I've mentioned a few times that I am itching to add some blue to my apartment.  Still... you know... I love me some pink.  I went round and round - pink or blue?  My cousin said I already had pink covered in my home.  True dat.  I decided on a lovely shade of baby blue.  Besides, blue looks great with pink.

Ta da!  Here it is in its beautiful new shade.  Since the finish was porous, the paint went on easily with a brush.  No spray paint mess, perfect matte finish.  I kinda dig it.

This poor unloved baby had a great shape but a poorly applied, careless finish.  Not sure if it's original, might  be one of those textured spray paints.  This one could have been part of my ugly vase installation.  Since I dismantled that installation (sometimes I wish I hadn't), I decided instead to give her a make over.   I sanded the heck out of this thing, but had to give up my perfectionist tendencies.  Though smoother, this baby would never be completely smooth.

Ta da!  You know you love it, and so do I.    I actually dig the texture.  And I love its half moon shape!  Definitely Ikebana inspired.

Here are the two lovelies together.  This is my idea of upcycling.  What a gorgeous shade of blue!  Now I am on the hunt for more cheap, porous, simply shaped vases.  I also covered a canvas in this beautiful shade.  I am so crazy about this color I wish I could do an accent wall in it.  Since I'm not allowed to paint the walls, I thought it might be cool to go monotone in my display - have the painting, the bookcase and all the vases in the same color.  A tactile, accent wall!  Stay tuned - more discussions of the beauty of blue coming up.  If you are not a fan of blue, I promise you will be by the end of the week.  :)  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  xo