Paint-Crazed

As a kid, I sold art at craft fairs. Those times have past, but my love of paint is timeless.

There comes a time in the year, as all my former roommates will attest, when I go nuts. For paint. I paint everything--whether it is a lampshade or wall. This year, the time has come. I have painted most of my furniture by now. Some furniture was already here(I got permission to paint it from the Rotary club who I am renting the room from...), other elements of furniture were fished from the side of the road and strapped to the back of my bike. Some items are from the second-hand store.

Last year, I had the good fortune of procuring several tins of paint for free. This year, I had to invest in lots of paint. However, there is no investment worth more than brightening your room. Mantra: Brighten your room, brighten your life. I wish I had before pictures to show you what my room looked like. I don't. So, imagine the furniture either stainless steel gray (the desk), beige (table and chairs) or white (everything else.)

Some people might not like my flamboyant, riotous taste in color. It is loud. Clownish, and, fantastic. If you don't like it, close your eyes. :)

This desk was stainless steel grey. First, I painted the top yellow. The next day, I purchased a can of quick-drying paste (something like cement or plaster that the clerk at the hardware store helped me select.) I took a broken mirror in my room and broke it into smaller pieces, than I took a chipped blue plate and also whacked it with the hammer. Next I set the pieces of glass and mirror into the plaster which I set down with a spatula. Vwalla.



Making mosaics is a great project. It is fun and a good way to use cracked china in a pretty way. The best china to use is thin pottery or glass--so that it sinks deeply into the plaster. This was a large mirror that I decorated in red, white and blue--both American colors and Dutch colors!(Later I added yellow paint to match my desk...)


What else can Paula paint? Her table (curtains compliments of the second-hand store)


and all her chairs...


Boots!


Closet!


A door!


Another door!


And loads of paper butterflies flitting hither and thither





Some of my favorite items were salvaged from the garbage. Like the splatter-painted boots (which were formerly black.) And the dried flowers (roses and pussy willows) that I hung from this bookcase, as well as this great butterfly net. Another good decorating idea is to re-use cool calendar images, like the picture by Klimt 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer.' This is a cheap copy of the original, which commanded a stunning 135 million, more than any other at auction...Side note: I have seen the painting in New York; her dress is entirely festooned in gold leaf and it is simply gorgeous.



Another favorite item could have been destined for the scrap heap, also: scrap paper. This colored construction paper was used to cover my floor while I was painting since I did not have newspaper. It ended up looking cool so I saved it, and cut it into squares and taped them on the wall. (You can do this at home as an easy way to decorate a Spartan wall.)


This table was also an accident. I was painting my chairs on it and by default it ended up looking similar to this. I liked the look so added some more paint to it.


This is a picture of a corner in my room with lots of color in it.


Painting a table or hanging a sprig of dried roses from your ceiling is a great way to transform a room. And it is easy! To dry flowers, save a bouquet right before it reaches the wilting stage (roses work best.) Next, tie the flowers with string or a rubberband and hang them from a coat hanger in your closet, keeping the door slightly open so the flowers do not get too moist. This is what I do, but you can hang the flowers anywhere. Butterfly directions: For the butterflies traversing my wall, I used red and yellow construction paper and a black marker. I adhered them to the wall with tape. I was inspired by a National Geographic photograph I once saw where thousands of monarch butterflies were clinging to a tree in Mexico at the end of a migratory route miles and miles long. I hope this inspires your own artistic adventures. Happy crafting!