What color are you wearing tonight?

I have such a glamorous job.  I've just arrived home from painting my carpenter's home office, and I am quite literally up to my armpits in green glaze.  It's also in my bangs and the end of my braid, and I'm pretty sure it soaked through the front of my shirt...hmmm...yup.  Lovely, now all my clothes match. 

I really do like to dress up, once in awhile, but I actually pretty much live in my paint rags.  I tell ya, it's easier to be creative, if you don't have to worry about messing up your clothes.  Yes, I get the occasional smart-alec comment when I stop at the grocery store on the way home from work, like "Did you get any on the wall?", but that just gives me a chance to say "Yeah, wanna see?", and I flip out the mini-album I keep in my purse, and quite often this leads to another job.  Over the years, I've learned not to be embarrassed to be seen covered in paint, but to think of it as part of my marketing plan! :)



The warning would work better, if the gorgeous stone on their basement stairs didn't catch your eye.  Don't feel bad.  I lettered it, and I still hit it every so often.



Over the past few years, I've worn a lot of colors of paint from projects at TC and Carol's place, like some mocha browns from the back entry and basement staircase (shown above), and some amber tones from marbleizing the laundry room(shown below).

Classic Marble is always in style.

Their early 1900's house has oak columns between the foyer and the parlor, but one of the capitals was missing most of a scroll.  I resculpted it in paperclay, and faux finished it to match. 

Which part of this hundred year-old capital is molded plastic?  Funny enough, all of it, except the part I hand sculpted in paper clay, to replace the broken curl (front left).  Turns out, plastic debuted in the 1800's!

 In their guest room, I wore speckles of pale pink from painting the ceiling, and several shades of pink and green from painting the floral bouquets and ribbons on one focal wall.  I've never gotten the hang of keeping a paint rag in my pocket, so I wipe my art brushes on my thigh or the hem of my shirt.  It's just easier.  I am trying not to teach the Art Girls this, but I've seen Jensen do it, and Kadence and Faith are both intentionally trying to get their smocks covered in paint spots.  My apologies to their future art teachers.

This wall treatment was inspired by a magazine clipping Carol had been saving for more than ten years.  When you have a period house, period inspired details are never outdated.  Unlike wallpaper, hand painted patterns allow you to do custom things, like scale a pattern to fit your wall perfectly, and trail it off around a corner.

Wood medallions add textural detail you just can't get from wallpaper!  Plaster medallions will work just as well, of course. 

Glazing and painting the art on Carol's bathtub added some nice shades of golden yellow and lots of pretty flower colors to my paint shirt.  This was actually harder to paint than most of the ceilings I've done, as there isn't anyplace to put your legs when you're scrunched down low in a small space like this, but it was so worth the effort, and the charlie horse.  (That's a really wicked leg cramp, for those of you translating this into other languages.)

Can it get any more pampered than this?

And here's today's green leather office.  I'll run up tomorrow morning and custom mix a color to roll on the ceiling, as the bright white is too stark.  Probably won't be anything too wild.  I think a nice khaki or vanilla will look very nice on tomorrow's shirt.

Patches of burnt sienna glaze tie the wall color to the oak trim, and tone down the green, to create a masculine leather-like effect in this home office.



Spruce green, burnt sienna, and raw umber glaze over Benjamin Moore Lewiville Green.  It's brushed on, woolied even, bagged fast, then stippled at just the right time.  You never know what pattern will appear.

 Despite the fact that I now strongly resemble Kermit in color, it was a good day.  Working for friends is always nice, and working for these two makes me feel downright spoiled.  Thanks Carol, for the dinner to go, and as soon as I finish clogging the bathtub drain with bits of dried paint, I think I'll enjoy the blueberry muffin for dessert.  Mmmm.

Have a project in mind to add color to (your home and) my clothes?  Click over to my website theartofthehome.com for information on how to hire me, and to see my portfolio.

Wanna (decorate your own paint clothes and) do the project yourself?  If you have questions about faux techniques, or other creative projects, feel free to email me.  If I know the answer, I'll be happy to share it.  Really.  Just ask.  dawnmariedelara@gmail.com