SK's Sweet Lizzie Rose

A pretty little project for a pretty little girl. 



SK's Vain Pink Lady

So Sad. So Glad

This poor little lady had seen better days, heck she had seen better centuries. I was really hopeful we could save her.

SK's Painted Journey of Wishes


"To Roam or not to Rome"


My Father was on a sailor on a destroyer tender ship in the Japan Harbor when the armistice of World War II was signed. This iconic image of a sailor kissing a surprised nurse whispers memories of a generation almost gone.

My Mother also now gone, keeped this gem of a newspaper article her entire life. I found it in her hope chest after she passed away this last year. 

I dedicate this awesome chair to my Mom and Dad. A generation of strong, honest, courageous and hard working people. Thank you for your example.



This would have been called a English gentleman's smoking chair. Sadly left alone on a thrift floor for many months, I purchased him for a grand price of $19.00. Actually my friend/buyer found him. She has the best eye for the best prices. It's not like she has time to do this for me. Heidi is the owner/operator of Pine Lodge Labradoodles which has an international reputation. Thanks Heidi.
 http://pinelodgelabradoodles.com/

I cleaned the chair thoroughly with a mixture of Dawn and vinegar. I then sanded the surface with a 220 grit sponge sanding block. The point is to remove any sealants and oils. Fingerprint oils are almost impossible to paint over.

                                           
Although the chair was built with the greatest of care, including down filling, the upholstery fabric is an inexpensive vinyl. After ninety five years or so, the surface was showing great areas of stress and rubbing. The cording was in excellent condition, just decades of rub marks

I was very interested in how and what could be used to paint old vinyl. As I tested different brands of paint, I tested a spray paint made for plastics. I must have done something terrible. It stayed sticky for days. I eventually took a paint remover and removed all the paint I had done. Interestingly enough the more I cleaned with this paint remover the better the vinyl looked. It also made the surface an excellent surface for chalk paint. 

Chalk paint does not rub off on clothes and it does not crack. I was careful to sand in between coats of paint. My next project with vinyl will go much faster as I seem to have the need to reinvent the wheel.

I made a custom cream chalk paint for the body. I painted two coats with sanding between dry coats.
My chalk recipe is: 1 part calcium carbonate (powdered chalk) 2 parts flat latex paint.

1 Part Chalk
2 Parts Flat Latex Paint
Mix till no lumps and keep stirring occasionally while painting.
2 TBSP water.
 "To Roam or not to Rome"
 The design I imagined so carefully in my dreams, evolved as I painted. I wanted to see if I could create a piece with balance of color and design and still keep the theme intact.
My theme morphed into a masculine dream of travel.
The steps in painting the newspaper and picture was long and trying.
 "Always Kiss Me Goodnight"
"I Love You to the Moon and Back."
"To Roam or not to Rome"
Flower Puffs, my children call Wishes. I remember running down the road as a child with little specks of white magical puff flowing in my wake.
                       
"All those who wander are not lost" Bilbo Baggins 
At the completion of my painting I washed the entire surface with an antiquing medium of chocolate brown and carefully wiped most of it off.

The last step was to wax the entire piece with paste wax and buff to an old world shine. The nail heads are painted gold to match the dipped gold feet and gold offset buttons.
              



Thanks for visiting. sk on elderberry

SK's Paint Upholstery & G.D. Gunderson Design

Georgia is one of those innately clever people. Her instinctual design sense goes bone deep. Georgia's ability to layer and change and layer again is always an amazing process to watch.

Each time I visit her beautiful home I gaze in wonderment at her vignettes. So thoughtfully and carefully crafted, but again looking so natural and carefree.

She received a painted wingback chair from me many years ago and wanted a little update and facelift for her pretty little chair.

This beautifully built chair is thirty years old or more. It's life as a new chair began with a pink tone on tone brocade fabric.

I couldn't part with her for many years just because she was so carefully hand-crafted. Yet I wouldn't use her because of the ghastly pink fabric.

Clean as I could get the fabric, the stains were non removable.


Her second life was painted with a Amish Black chalk paint ten years ago.
The first and second coat felt like a disaster. But the third and final coat was beautiful.
Now to bring her into a new life and new place to reside.
 Georgia wanted to brighten up her space but not lose the Amish Black of the piece. The seat back and fronts of the arms were painted an antique cream custom chalk paint. The black stripe was added to pull the colors together. I made a mock-up (pictured above) of a black damask curl down the sides of the stripe. She choose to keep this pretty piece simple. So get away from the paint sk.

This piece was clear paste waxed and buffed. The paint will not crack, nor will it come off on clothes, It feels like embossed and smooth leather.

Painted upholstery has existed for many centuries but until now the craft was not usable for the home painter.

With the onset of chalk paint and upholstery medium the task has become well known and well used.

SK's Custom Chalky Paint Recipe
1 Part Powdered and sifted Calcium Carbonate. I buy mine from Par Lumber. Salem Oregon. You can buy it online too. I just have an aversion to waiting for the post.

1 Part Calcium Carbonate (Ground Chalk)
2 Parts flat latex Paint
A couple of drops of water. Maybe a tablespoon.

I sift my ground chalk to get any odd lumps out. Then add the 2 parts flat paint.
I mix with a hand held stick blender in a mason jar. Keep the lid, cap and rim of the jar clean. It will dry and make taking the lid on and off a real chore.


Thanks for visiting. sk on elderberry