What's in a name???

I've had several emails from my blog friends commenting on how cool it is that my last name is Valentine. I thought I would give you all the 411!!! Valentine is actually my middle name, because I was born on Valentine's Day. I go by Karen Valentine because it's a lot more memorable and interesting than my actual last name (not that I don't love that name) My mom actually wanted to name me Valentina so I guess I can thank my Dad for putting the nix on that idea!!! I use Valentine Studio as my business name so Karen Valentine just seemed like a logical choice! So there you go, I know a few people have been confused when I send them stuff and there an extra last name attached to address label!!!

Tonight I'm going out with friends to celebrate my birthday. We are going for all you can eat sushi so I know they will be rolling me home!!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful love filled weekend. I'll see you all on Sunday to share with you my wonderful Valentine Box swapping experience with Mary of Vintage Patina!!!

P.S. Please feel free to use and enjoy this great Valentines Day card!!!

More Bedroom and another Tutorial

The bedroom is coming along nicely. Every week I'm knocking more and more off my list. (Don't you wish work didn't have to interfere with more important things like decorating!!!!) I'm mostly working on the finishing touches although I do have a pretty big job to complete that entails painting all the doors and trim. (More on that later.)

A few weeks ago Dawn (Don't you love how we only have to say her first name and everyone knows who she is. Kinda like Cher, or Beyonce!!!) shared with us a website full of the most wonderful sheet music covers ever! You can find that post here. I knew I had to make something with them for the new bedroom.





I played around with a few ideas in my head and finally decided to do some simple wall plaques.


First, print out the sheet music page of your choice and size it to fit the wood plaque that you will be using. My favorite paper to use to get really beautiful images is a matte finish photo or presentation paper. The wood plaques can be found at most any arts and crafts store.


Coat the plaque with a coat of primer, and then one or two coats of white semi gloss paint.


Gently distress the edges of your print and then glue it down to the wood plaque. I found that if you start at the top and add the glue a little at a time to the back of the paper, and smooth out the wrinkles as you go, you will get a better finished look. I like soft bodied gel medium from Golden or Liquitex. Try not to get any of the glue on the top of the print because the glue tends to yellow the paper. (Although this will work to your advantage later)



After the glued print is completely dry, apply the crackle medium of you choice to the wood that is still showing and overlap the crackle medium onto the edges of the print. The edges will yellow adding to the aged look of the piece.


After the crackle has dried overnight you are ready to add your paste wax. I LOVE Bri wax. I buy it at my local Ace hardware. Lowes and Home Depot don't carry it. For these plaques I used the light brown color, but dark brown is a great color too. Use an old soft rag to rub the wax into the cracks and over the edges of the print. I used a stippling motion to get the wax a little heavier in some areas. Allow the wax to dry for about a half hour and buff with a soft cloth. (rag) The wax imparts a beautiful soft shine. I'm really happy with these came out and they really add the look I wanted for the bedroom. If you have any questions let me know. I'm happy to answer them!

On another note... I can't believe I am approaching 500 followers! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that so many of you would enjoy my blog. Thank you so much for your support and wonderful comments. I am preparing a giveaway to show my appreciation. I'll make the announcement some time next week.

Lampshade Tutorial

I finally found some time to put together a little tutorial on one way to embellish a naked shade. I've seen others around blogland and all have been fabulous. You really can't mess these up.

Start by removing the fabric from your shade. I always seem to find perfect candidates at Goodwill for only a couple of dollars or less.

Sometimes there is a yucky glue residue left after removing the fabric. I've found the easiest way to handle this is to cover the metal base with white floral tape. It's inexpensive and really easy to use. It sticks to itself making the wrapping very easy. (Kathy, this might work well for you.)


Then I used whatever I had laying around my studio. These fabric doilies work great because you can lace them on with cotton string or jute.


Zig-Zag some trim over one section...


Attach an old cabinet card in another. I used grommets and fine gauge silver wire. If you don't have an actually cabinet card, print out an old photo and apply to a piece of watercolor paper. It's got a nice thickness and is acid free.


Large pieces of mica make a really nice effect. I punched holes with a small hole punch and tied it on to the shade. I also punched a few holes near the bottom and tied on the feathers. Use clothespins to clip another old photo behind the mica. (This is another one of my mom and my aunt Sandy.)


Clip on flowers or bows, and pin copies of old photos to the fabric doily.


Hang old keys, tags, crystals, silver spoons... any thing works really.


To finish it off I added this great clock face to the finial since the lamp sits low enough for me to see the top. I also added a few book pages to areas where there was too much direct light from the bulb showing through. This was a really fun and easy project. I hope you will share with me your creation if you decide to make one!


One last thing. I failed to mention a wonderful Giveaway from Rebecca for Vintage Living She has made this Gorgeous necklace to celebrate 200 followers!!! I'm crossing my fingers on this one too!!!! Go see her and tell her Karen sent you!

A Fab givaway and an introduction

Have you ever come across a blog/blogger that you felt an instant connection to when you arrived on their site? Well I have,  and Lisa at Tarnished and Tattered   is a perfect example.  From the very first time I saw her blog I knew I would be visiting often.  Now she is having a "Thank you" Giveaway to show her gratitude to all her friends and followers. (I don't know if she realizes we are just as grateful to have her a part of Blogland.  So head on over to see Lisa, and show her some blog love by becoming a follower (if you aren't already) and entering her fabulous giveaway.  She is sharing one of the best stash of goodies I have ever seen!




I've been shooting pics of the lampshade and will have a tutorial ready later on today.  See you then!!!

A little more teasing

 

This is the bedroom side table on my side of the bed. I made the lampshade and I love how it looks in the room.  The photo showing is of my mom when she was about 3.  If anyone wants a tutorial on how to make the shade just let me know.  The drapes are a new addition.  I've been searching everywhere I  could think of to find new drapes that look good in the room. Normally I make all my own drapes but I had no luck finding just the right fabric. I try and do everything as inexpensively as possible, so I tried panels from Target, Wal-Mart and TJ Maxx. I couldn't live with any of them.  All those years working for an interior designer really elevated my taste level. Finally I went to a store called The Great Indoors.  When I walked in I knew instantly that I had found my drapes.  They were a little pricier than I had planned on but I knew they would be perfect.  Fortunately, they were on sale so I saved a little bit.  They are hanging now and I smile every time I walk in the room.  Sometimes we have to spend a little bit more to get perfection.  I can't wait to show off the rest of the room.  There still more painting that I'd like to get finished before I unveil the rest.