Next step in my renovation: Painting the ceiling. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t too concerned about painting the ceiling. It just seemed like one more job to add to the never-ending list of things to do. But my brother-in-law Paul insisted that we just do it. Especially since I’d painted the walls white, you could really see the difference in the ceiling colour – it was dingy compared to the new clean white walls. So Paul showed up bright and early on Saturday morning, ready to work! We picked up one gallon of ceiling paint (the kind that goes on pink and dries white) and taped off the edges. In less than three hours, Paul had painted the ceiling in my living room and kitchen. Now that it’s dry, I see that he was right. It looks bright and fresh and makes a big difference. Thanks, Paul! You’re a brother-in-law extraordinaire!
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{ Posts Tagged ‘painting’ }
Today: Painting! It was a long day. My dear friend Jen and I painted from 10am til 9:30pm (with a handful of breaks thrown in). The colour I used is called Satin, part of the Style at Home paint collection from Home Hardware. Covering my dark green walls required one coat of primer and three coats of paint but wow – what a transformation! My condo instantly felt brighter and, more importantly, larger. It’s amazing what an impact paint can have.
Painting with white can be a bit tricky. Because the paint colour (when wet) was so similar to the primer, it was sometimes difficult to see where we’d stopped painting. So you have to keep a close eye on what you’re doing. Good lighting is key, too. As the sun started to set, it became more and more difficult to see what was painted and what was not. But overall, the most important thing was to have patience, a keen eye for detail and a good friend to help, who shows up bearing Timbits.
I’m thrilled with the change and can’t wait for the rest of the space to start coming together!
And the fun (work??) begins! I primed the walls of my condo tonight. My brother-in-law was kind enough to help. We started by removing all the baseboards. I’ll be putting in new hardwood floors to replace the laminate that’s there and replacing the baseboards, so removing them made the priming much easier since I didn’t need to worry about the edges. It took about three hours and surprisingly, I only needed one gallon of primer to cover the dark green walls in my living room and kitchen. Thank goodness primer is water soluble and so easy to wash off. I was covered in it by the time I was done. Tomorrow: Painting! I’ll let you know which colour I’ve chosen.
Got any weekend plans?
Might I suggest a road trip?
Deep in the heart of Southwestern Ontario’s bucolic countryside, Oxford County is home to a number of highly-respected artists – both emerging and widely-renowned – and this weekend just happens to be your best opportunity of the year to snatch up some of their original works at the Oxford Studio Tour.
Don’t worry – it’s not a snoozy guided museum tour. Instead, it’s a map of the studios (in and around Woodstock, Ontario – so it’s easy to access by the 401) participating in a county-wide open house that you’re free to explore at your own pace between 9 and 5 on Saturday and Sunday.
Be sure to check out one of my fave ceramic artists, Shane Norrie: an in-demand artisan whose innovative and organic designs have been featured in Style at Home, and on HGTV’s Pure Design. There’s a tangible earthiness to Shane’s pieces, not to mention they’re absolutely fascinating on a textural level.
A peek inside Shane’s studio in Ingersoll, Ontario. In the last few years, Shane’s branched out into stunning original painted artwork as well.
Love the highly textured, barnacle-like growths on this series of petite ceramic vessels… So pretty!
A fascinating form – they remind me of curiously stemmed acorns – and a metallic finish elevate these sculptures to “statement piece” status.
Another artist on my “most-coveted” list – and also a participant of the Oxford Studio Tour – is acclaimed painter Sue Goossens. Sue’s watercolours are positively dreamy representations of southwestern Ontario landscapes, with the occasional well-loved landmark in the mix, and they never fail to instantly transport me back home.
February Ravine, 27″ x 39″
Winter Ridge, 28″ x 20″
Winter Puzzle, 20″ x 28″
(And yes, Sue’s portfolio consists of much more than winter landscapes – I’m just a sucker for the blue-greys in this particular series.)
And of course, there’s the natural beauty of the area that’s sure to inspire. I took these snaps last weekend on the farm – the abundant forsythia is absolutely luminous!
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How much am I loving orange lately? I find myself drawn to citrus-hued accents more and more, and although I love the sprightly spring hits of lime, orange and yellow grapefruit, it’s the orange that really speaks to me. I’m putting it down to an absurdly harsh — and drawn-out — winter, and dreams of vacationing in Florida. I really miss that curiously Floridian musk of dampness cut with the acidic tang of orange groves… Even if the effect is all in your mind, it honestly does rejuvenate.
The orange swatches above are from Benjamin Moore’s Virtual Fan Deck, which, if you want to do some research before heading into the home dec centre to pick up samples, can save you a bit of time. Nothing substitutes for the real swatches, of course, but at least you can start your hunt for hues from the comfort of home with this handy little feature!
The Christmas before last, a photographer friend gave me a stunning piece of handcrafted pottery from Ingersoll, Ontario-based artist Shane Norrie, whose work I immediately fell for. Since then, you’ve seen Shane’s work in the pages of STYLE AT HOME, and on-screen, with his appearance in Miss Samantha’s smash hit Pure Design on HGTV. There’s a tangible earthiness to Shane’s pieces, not to mention the fact that they’re absolutely fascinating on a textural level. Samantha’s even dubbed his pieces “heirlooms of the future”, and I agree wholeheartedly. Shane’s expanded his repertoire by venturing into mixed media painting, and his work is now available through Canvas Gallery in Toronto, which means there’s more Shane to share. Yay!
Check out Shane’s blog here!
Untitled 24-by-24″ Mixed Media by Shane Norrie
Available at: Canvas Gallery, Toronto, 416-532-5275
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