Just Paint It

Ten Tips for Making a Floral Wreath

2013-05-21T15:39:00.001-07:00

This week my blogger friends and I were invited by Floracraft to decorate Styrofoam wreaths. Each of us our sharing our tutorials on Google+ Hangouts on Air (HoA). Here’s the full schedule.

Being an ex-florist, I knew I wanted to do something with flowers. I rarely get to do much floral design and I really miss it. I didn’t buy a single thing. And the flowers & ribbon were from The Dollar Tree. The Styrofoam wreath was furnished by Floracraft.

Here’s my video, full of all kinds of tips. Both design tips as well as money-saving. Below I’ve also included tips in a photo tutorial, so you don’t have to listen to me rattle on and on if you don’t want to.

18 Grain Sack Projects

2013-05-19T20:35:00.001-07:00

I’ve been drawn to the lovely simplicity of grain sacks in decor lately. Perhaps it’s because we’re house hunting and with each house I see, I envision different decorating styles.

Another reason I love grain sack is because there are easy ways to recreate the look with a little tape and some paint. My kind of projects!

The “New Look” to Google Plus

2013-05-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

Have you been on Google+ in the last 24 hours? Did you notice a few changes? Yesterday, March 15, Google made some huge changes – to both Google+ and a lot of their other properties too. Today I wanted to highlight some of the basic changes on G+.

Google+ New Layout

The most obvious change is the layout for the stream. It now has three columns and many have compared it to Pinterest’s look. Maybe, maybe not. I like it but, of course, as with any update and change, many don’t.

If you’re not a fan of the new layout, you can switch back to one column by following this tutorial over at Crafty Hangouts.

Paint a Daisy Vase with International Delight!

2013-05-15T04:10:00.000-07:00

I am a huge coffee lover. As long as it doesn't taste like coffee. Yep, I want my java to taste like a liquid dessert. Fortunately, International Delight makes this very easy. They have so many scrumptuous flavors too.

Chocolate and coffee is a perfect combination, in my book. That is, unless you can get chocolate and toffee, like my favorite candy bar of all time - Heath Bar. Yum. But that's my favorite flavor.

What's your ID?

Drop by and check out all the delectable flavors, pin your I.D. for a chance at a magical trip and play to win other prizes too!

But what if you're not a coffee drinker? Did you know there are loads of recipes that use International Delight creamer? Yep. I started a Flavor Inspiration board on Pinterest. Check it out!

When you've used every drop of your favorite flavor, keep that container! It has great lines and makes a darling little vase. Want to see how?

First, remove the plastic wrapper and spray paint the container. I cut the nozzle top off but you could leave it on and wrap it with ribbon, if you wanted. Now you're was ready to paint some cute little daisies.

(I used Martha Stewart's craft paint which works well on plastic.)

Start with the daisy centers and paint a couple of ovals.

Paint petals all around two of the ovals and on one side of the daisy bud.

Add some yellow to the centers and paint some simple stems and leaves.

For a little border, add some dots and dashes around your daisies.

That's it! Now you have a sweet little vase, ready to welcome Summer!

Wasn't that fun? And here's the best part - try another International Delight flavor and then you can make another summertime vase. I'm thinking Caramel Macchiato and sunflowers. Or maybe geraniums?

What's Your ID? International Delight is looking for their most passionate flavor fans. Put your ID on the map to enter to win a Magical Trip, play games and discover more unexpected delight. Share your ID flavor at http://whatsyourid.com.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Colleen

about Colleen

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Daisy Painting Tutorial

2013-05-12T21:25:00.001-07:00

I could’ve sworn I’d already done a daisy painting tutorial before this. Daisies are one of my favorite flowers. They’re so bright and cheery. I mean, I love all flowers, but there’s something about daisies.

My main goal with writing a series about Painting Simple Flowers was to show easy ways to paint a type of flower and then take that method and paint similar types of flowers.

Take a look at daisies. There are lots of other flowers that are really similar to them. Black eyed susans, zinnias, dahlias, to name a few.

Staining Made Simple and Better Backyard Sweepstakes

2013-05-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Flood® Wood Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Flood Better Backyard Sweepstakes

source

One of my favorite painting projects is anything that uses wood stain. There are so many beautiful ways to create and update wood by using stain. If you haven’t tried staining in a while, you want to make sure you have the right product for your project. Flood® Wood Care will help you choose the best products.

The great people at Flood have also created Staining Made Simple. Simply choose the project, check which type of wood it’s made out of, pick a retailer close to you, check the present condition of the wood, then what kind of finish you want, what color you want, if you want to add a second color, and Flood’s Staining Made Simple will recommend the best products and calculate how much you need for your project. Plus, there are wonderful videos for using each product too.

How cool is that?

Aren’t you ready to get your backyard spruced up now? Here’s a little more incentive that Flood is offering – a chance to win $1500 in product! Just head over and like their Facebook page and enter to win their Flood Better Backyard Sweepstakes. They're also giving away 12 $10 gift cards daily!

But hurry! The contest ends on May 17!

To get more helpful tips on staining and making your outdoor space beautiful, follow @FloodWoodCare on Twitter.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States of America and (D.C.) 18 years and older. Ends 5/17/2013. To enter, and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions, visit www.Facebook.com/Flood. Void in Puerto Rico and where restricted or prohibited. This sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook.

Paint a Pretty Teacup

2013-05-09T08:41:00.001-07:00

Before we get started with this painting tutorial I want to say how completely touched I was by your comments on my last post, Time For a Change. I’m always amazed at how sweet and supportive Just Paint It readers are. Thank you so, so much.

Okay, let’s paint a pretty little teacup. I don’t know why I’m so attracted to teacups lately. I don’t own teacups. I don’t even drink tea, for that matter. It could be my ~~addiction~~ fondness for Downton Abbey. But I don’t think that’s it either because I’m drawn to designs that are a bit more whimsical, along the lines of Mackenzie Childs, sort of. I just like painting teacups, and I hope you will too.

Today I’ll show how to get a dimensional teacup using shading and highlights in layers. One of my favorite things to do is make something look dimensional with just a few layers of paint. Give it a try. It’s not hard at all and then you can ‘decorate’ your teacup any way you want.

Time For a Change

2013-05-06T21:35:00.001-07:00

Be careful what you wish for. You might actually get it.

My mother and I have had our house up for sale for quite a while. We dropped the price, again, and it looks like we have a solid offer now. However, the buyers want a 30 day escrow. That means packing and moving in a month. Not to mention, we have to find somewhere to live first!

On the one hand, I’m excited about the prospect of a new house. Neither one of us were too happy about moving back into my childhood home 2 years ago. For Mom, this house holds too many memories and nostalgia. I just wanted to be in a house with my husband again.

It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a year since my husband died. I wake up each morning and go through the motions of living. Some days are even pretty good. Actually, most days are pretty good. But I have to work at it. I have to really work at counting blessings, finding appreciation and staying positive. Otherwise, I can find myself on that slippery slope into the dark abyss called depression. It’s a long, hard climb up once I’ve slipped into that hole so I really try to be aware of that line in the sand and not cross it.

Blogging usually helps. But not always. If I find myself on the other side of that line, I can’t always find words that make sense. Maybe that’s not true. I could find the words but I just don’t feel like it. There. I said it. Some days I just don’t feel like painting pretties and writing about them. I’m hoping, really hoping, a new house will be just the kick-in-the-pants I need.

How To Paint Hydrangea (Video)

2013-04-30T15:49:00.001-07:00

Hi, thanks for stopping by today to see how to paint hydrangea. I’m demonstrating the wet-blending method – using two or more paint colors together.

In addition to the video from the Hangout on Air, I wanted to also give you some step-by-steps for this technique.

Sketching A “Simple” Teacup

2013-04-30T10:10:00.001-07:00

Does it seem like every other post I write either has “simple” or “easy” in the title? It seems that way to me. But I have good reason. I want you to enjoy painting. That’s always been my goal here.

Somehow, I don’t think “How to paint a Time-Consuming, Challenging Teacup” would be to appealing.

Or maybe it would. Who knows? Maybe I’ll try it sometime. While this post is called A “Simple” Teacup, the truth is, it was far from ‘simple’ to draw.

If you look closely, you’ll see the imperfections in this sketch.

Paint Hydrangea – Free Printables

2013-04-28T21:43:00.001-07:00

This week, and probably part of next, I’m focusing on Mother’s Day projects. The fact that I’m also in the midst of the series, How To Paint Simple Spring Flowers, and flowers go so nicely with Mother’s Day is just a happy little coincidence.

Hey, I’ll take any reason for a happy coincidence.

Last week we started with basic five petal flowers. We’ll revisit them.

This week I want to show you some easy tips, and tricks, with four petal flowers. Starting with hydrangea.

I’ve already shown a few ways how to paint hydrangea. Today I’m going to show you how to sketch a hydrangea blossom. Sketching always comes in handy when you’re painting. Some things are easier than others to sketch, particularly flowers.

May Paint Class Schedule

2013-04-25T20:27:00.001-07:00

Alrighty, my friends. I’m getting serious about teaching painting now and I’ve put together an entire schedule for May.

I’m very excited about this.

All of these classes are live via Google+ hangouts. That means we paint together in real time. So.much.fun. If you haven’t painted in years, or ever (!), no worries. I chose all of these designs for beginning painters.

Something else I wanted to mention – there are two classes each week. Saturday classes are at 9:30 a.m. PST. The Wednesday classes will alternate between mornings and evenings. I’m hoping this schedule will work better for people in the south and east. If not, I’ll videotape the classes and they’ll be available to watch at your convenience. (But it’s not as much fun as classes are!)

Here’s how these classes work:

How To Paint Spring Flowers – A New Series!

2013-04-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

To kick off my new series – How To Paint Spring Flowers – I’m teaching a LIVE demo via Google+ Hangouts on Air today at 4 pm PST. I’m using DecoArt Patio Paint, which is great for any outdoor projects. You can watch the video here, on my YouTube channel, or on Crafty Hangouts where you’ll find tons of great projects for Mother’s Day!

Out of all the things I write about, the most popular search on this blog is How To Paint Flowers. Which is just fine with me since flowers are one of my favorite subjects to paint.

There are so many beautiful flowers though, and so many methods to paint, I wanted to come up with a really simple way to paint flowers and get a good result, regardless of your painting experience. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through teaching hundreds of people to paint, they want great results fast, without years and years of practice and training.

I’m always up for a challenge. How about you? Would you like to learn how to paint flowers, even if you haven’t tried since you were in kindergarten?

Before you start doubting yourself and/or your talent, let me give you a few glimpses into what the series will cover -

Mother’s Day Live Videos ALL WEEK!

2013-04-21T10:24:00.001-07:00

Get ready for an fun-filled week full of all kinds of ideas for Mother’s Day! The wonderful DecoArt provided some beautiful Patio Paint and Glass Paint Markers to a group of bloggers. This week we’ll demonstrate what we’ve made for Mother’s Day – crafts, décor & gift ideas – via Google+ Hangouts on Air.

I’ve listed the schedule for the week below. If you’ve never watched a Google+ HoA you’re in for a treat. I absolutely love watching my favorite bloggers. It’s the next best thing to meeting them in person! If you can’t watch a live presentation, don’t worry – they’re all recorded and housed on Crafty Hangouts. You can watch at your leisure as many times as you’d like!

But I do hope you make a few of the live presentations. (Like maybe Tuesday at 4 pm PST, hint hint.) There’s just something comforting about knowing there’s a living, breathing human being out there when you’re looking into the web camera!

My video will be broadcasted right here on Tuesday at 4 pm PST. I’m using it to kick off an entire blog series, Painting Easy Spring Flowers. I’m so excited for this. I’ve been working on it for a while and I can’t wait to show you a few ‘tricks’ to make painting flowers really simple and fun. I’ll be sharing more about the series this week.

For now, take a peek at the Mother’s Day HoA Schedule below and see what some of your favorite bloggers have lined up!

The Best Laid Plans . . .

2013-04-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

The plan was that I’d be at the airport right now, waiting to board my plane and land in Salt Lake City at 9:01 p.m. I’d take a shuttle to the hotel where I’d hug and squeeze my roommates, Vivienne and Jennifer. A fresh tube of waterproof mascara was purchased just for this occasion. Then I’d meet up with Carolina so we could do a final run-thru of our Google+ presentation. That was the plan.

Plans change.

It was magical how everything had worked out. Miraculous, really. It started early last Fall when I won a conference ticket to SNAP2013. This year I really was going to go.

On a whim I filled out the application for Speakers and, by some miracle, was accepted and invited to speak.

The miracles continued, one by one. The plans lined up perfectly.

Plans change.

Striving for Sanity Here

2013-04-11T21:31:00.001-07:00

Next week at this time I will be in Utah. I will have hugged a bunch of my ‘closest friends’ that I’ve never met before in person. I will be at my first-ever blogging conference, SNAP.

Oh, one more thing . . . it’s just possible that at this time next week I’ll be imbibing something stronger than my regular Diet Pepsi.

That is, assuming I make it past 1 p.m., and assuming I haven’t hyperventilated, peed my pants, died from embarrassment or a combination of all three.

I’m kidding. Really. I am.

Turn Any Surface Into Chalkboard In Any Color

2013-04-09T20:26:00.001-07:00

lollyjane

Are you crazy for chalkboards like me? I love seeing what items people turn into chalkboards. The gals over at LollyJane have taken chalkboards up to another level though.

They painted these new-to-them cupboard doors with bright & fun colors . . . and then they turned them into chalkboards! To find out how they did it, go visit LollyJane.

pssst. Mother’s Day’s right around the corner, you know. {hint, hint}

Colleen

about Colleen

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Cleaning Made Easy, With a Twist!

2013-04-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

This article is sponsored by SC Johnson.

I can’t believe it’s April already! It’s getting warmer here in Northern California, the perfect time for spring cleaning. Not my favorite thing to do, I’ll admit, but I love the results.

Echo Chalet

I’ve had a lot of cleaning experience in my life. Seriously. When I was a kid we had rental units at my parents resort so I learned at an early age how to clean ‘professionally.’ When Marlon’s 3 sons moved in with us, it was more than a little culture shock. Nothing could prepare me for that! But my biggest challenge with cleaning has been my debilitating back injury. The simplest things – sweeping, vacuuming – can lay me up for quite a while. I relied upon my husband for a lot of cleaning tasks. Now that he’s gone, I’m always on the lookout for products & tools that work well and make cleaning easier for me.

I have a couple of cleaning tricks today. The first is to keep a set of Get Well Soon greeting cards handy in a drawer. When unexpected guests pull up, quickly muss your hair and line the cards up on the mantel. If I’m not wearing lipstick I usually forgo the house slippers. Ok, ok, just kidding. (sort of)

I simply divide my house into 7 areas, one for each day of the week, and clean a little each day. Fifteen minutes a day spent cleaning adds up to just under 2 hours for the week. Thirty minutes adds up to 3-1/2 hours for the week.

Disclaimer: if you have children, or one of those husbands, don’t include picking up the house or laundry in your daily cleaning time. Sorry but you’ll have to stash some extra time away for those fun things.

I divvy up my house with similar rooms on the same days so I can use similar cleaning supplies. Or maybe try grouping the rooms that are close together. Try it different ways & see what works best for you.

Just remember, you won’t get every nook & cranny spotless the first week. But by the end of the month your house will probably look better than it has in quite some time. With only 15 minutes a day, by the end of the month you’ll have spent an entire day cleaning.

Of course, I realize that the house just gets dirty by the end of the month too. But wouldn’t you rather spend 15-30 minutes a day instead of one whole day of cleaning? Plus, by doing a little each day, there’s always a part of your house that is clean. Psychologically speaking, this is a little mood booster, you know?

I did this little Divide & Conquer in 15 Minutes when I was single in my 20’s, married with 3 boys in my 30’s, and now with chronic back pain in my 50’s. It’s worked in every case. There’s something about knowing I only have to ‘work’ for 15 minutes that keeps me on track. Something else that helps is having the right tools and supplies handy.

The Smart Twist™ Cleaning System has been a lifesaver for me. I’m not lugging cleaning supplies from here to there. I’m not battling with cleaners whose sprayer stops working the 3rd time I squirt it. And, I literally have three cleaners in one, easy-to-handle, lightweight sprayer. It’s a fast way to clean, and much easier on my back!

The Smart Twist™ Cleaning System is also a smart way to clean. The System uses concentrate cartridges that contain 64% less plastic than a typical spray cleaner so less plastic goes into landfills. No need to buy a new spray bottle every time you run out of cleaner. It also saves space since 3 bottles of cleaning concentrate fit into one sprayer! Smart, very smart.

The Smart Twist™ Cleaning System Starter Kits include three refill cleaner cartridges, the innovative sprayer, and retail for $24.99. There are two selections:

Kitchen/Bath Starter Kit

• Windex® Glass Cleaner
• Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner
• Fantastik® Kitchen Cleaner

Living Spaces Starter Kit

• Windex® Glass Cleaner

• Pledge® Furniture and Specialty Surfaces Cleaner
• Shout® Carpet Cleaner

Refill cleaner cartridge twin packs are $7.99 each.

SC Johnson is offering free shipping on all Smart Twist™ Cleaning System orders and any purchases $24.99 and above. This offer is valid at the Smart Twist™ website.

Try my 15-30 minutes a day method for a couple of weeks and order the Smart Twist™ Cleaning System. Save yourself some time and space, for both your cabinets and our landfills! Whether you’re a maid for rental units in the mountains, or just feel like one in your own home, see if you can’t make your cleaning a little easier, with a twist.

Colleen

about Colleen

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Baby’s Room – Pink & Gray

2013-04-05T07:39:00.001-07:00

Houzz.com

Are you a color snob? I am, I must admit. Especially when it comes to gray. Gray is a color I’d never think of using in baby nurseries. I could blame my snobbishness on my age. Why not? I blame every other malady – physical or mental – on my age nowadays. But no. Today I’m reforming my formerly snobby ways.

I was googling baby nurseries to get some ideas for new paintings and I wanted to see color trends.

FREE Cowboy Party Printables!

2013-04-02T22:13:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I started doodling and sketching some cowboy images for a denim valance I got a few years back.

What’s so much fun about working online is all of the creative opportunities there are. It feels like I learn something new every day! When I was sketching & doodling I showed my friend Angie from The Country Chic Cottage. She just happened to be planning a cowboy-themed birthday party for her son and wondered if I could turn some of my stuff into printables.

Um . . . printables? Sure! Why not?

Lemme answer why not before you do. Perhaps because I have no idea what printables are. Or perhaps because it’s been close to 20 years since I gave a kid’s birthday party. And I definitely never gave a themed birthday party.

How To Set Up Your Google+ Mini Profile

2013-04-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

Google+ recently changed their Profile pages and I want to make sure you know how to set yours up. There are a lot of new features in the new layout so I’ll break them down into a few “bite-sized” posts – small & easy to digest.

Whether you’re new on Google+ or not, having a well-written Profile is essential to meet new people and build a nice following. It might take a few days to set your Profile up the way you want but you can set up your Mini Profile in a couple of minutes.

What’s a Google+ Mini Profile?

When you hover your mouse over someone’s name or thumbnail pic, you’ll see their mini profile. This happens on nearly every Google property – Google+, Notifications, YouTube, etc. – but not Google search.

An Uncommon Zebra

2013-03-31T22:52:00.001-07:00

Some of you know how I got started painting, some of you don’t. In a nutshell, I sketched & painted as a kid, took one Art class in college and then quit painting for 20 years.

My teacher didn’t like how my paintings looked real. It’s possible that I might’ve been a touch over-sensitive. Just. Possible.

When I started painting again it was on walls in my house, which my friends saw and then asked me to paint something on their walls. Before I knew it, I was a muralist. Without a clue. I didn’t know anything about the business, much less about painting. But through the years I learned. Then our economy took a nosedive, about the same time I sustained a debilitating back injury.

Fast forward a few years and here I am, blogging and painting canvases. Blank canvases. Plain white canvases. At first that felt really freeing – I could paint whatever I wanted! But I’d relied on my clients for so long, their tastes, matching their interiors, that to create something of my own was the opposite of freeing!

I’ve been working on stretching myself creatively – trying things outside of my comfort zone.

That’s how this multi-colored zebra was ‘born’. He’s a cross between my normal “realism” and something “uncommon”. At least, for me.

The irony is, as soon as I started trying different styles & mediums, I also started getting new clients. (Maybe the long drought is over!) I did remember to take some in-progress pics, though.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2013-03-28T10:09:00.001-07:00

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about my fantastic mother who turned 85 yesterday.

Yes, EIGHTY five.

She looks amazing, doesn’t she? But there’s a lot more than her looks that make her amazing. Did you notice the headset she’s wearing in the pic above? There’s a good reason . . .

Join Me on Instagram–Get More Followers!

2013-03-26T11:30:00.001-07:00

Do you Instagram? It’s become my latest obsession, seeing what my friends and family are up to.

A couple of my friends came up with a fun way to meet new people and gain more IG followers. Like #followFriday on Twitter, we’re starting #FotoFollowFriday every Friday on Instagram.

Wanna play along?

Dip Dyed Easter Eggs

2013-03-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Easter is now less than a week away. Before you grab the vinegar, I have another way to ‘decorate’ eggs. I call these “dip dyed” because that’s the way they look but, believe me, I didn’t dip these into a bowl of paint.