The Artist's Club Tole and Decorative Painting Blog

Americana Bunny Rocker

I love our Easter Rocker, but had a different vision for him. I love Americana, especially Vintage Americana, and once I saw him, I couldn't wait to get started painting. So with seven basic colors and some DecoArt Antiquing Medium and Burnt Umber, my little Americana Bunny came to life. He was quick and easy to paint, and I am sure going to love displaying him all year long. I used a star stencil to draw the stars on the center of the pedestal and then did a stitch outline in Deep Midnight Blue. He is going to look great sitting on a shelf in my red and blue living room.

Remember sometimes a different color palette can give a resin piece a whole different look, so stretch your imagination and see what you can come up with.

1 comments - Posted by Diane at 10:10 AM - Categories:

Bazaar season has started!

Yep, it is that time of year - whether we all want to admit it…it is time for the holidays, and for some of us, that means craft shows and bazaars. I have been busy with painting a variety of projects for my first holiday bazaar of the season, that was actually a few weeks ago, and I am now getting ready for my second bazaar at the beginning of December. It is a crazy time, but for me, it wouldn’t be the holidays without these bazaars. Yes, it means some late nights, but I enjoy painting so much that I don’t really mind it. My husband and two boys are great for helping me set up and pack up for each show, as well as for giving their opinions on each project I finish. My youngest seems to think that we should keep everything I paint, but I remind him that if he wants presents under the tree for Christmas, I need to sell some items, and then he seems to change his mind. I do however paint a few pieces amongst all of the bazaar projects to keep for our family to enjoy year after year, and to hand down to my boys when they are grown and on their own.

So whether you paint to sell or give as gifts, I hope you enjoy each and every moment, and remember, to paint a few pieces for yourself too! Happy Bazaaring!

5 comments - Posted by Diane at 8:10 AM - Categories:

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving here in the US! The Artist's Club will be taking a small break to spend the holiday with family and friends, but we will be back with new posts on Monday, November 26th.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

From Your Friends at the Artist's Club

0 comments - Posted by Artists Club at 2:04 PM - Categories:

Fall Candy Corn

A local craft store advertisement had these cute Candy Corns painted on cylindrical cones and I immediately thought of our set of 3, Puffed Trees and how they would be great as Candy Corns.

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2 comments - Posted by Anita at 2:00 PM - Categories: Finished Projects | Inspiration | Painting | Staff Projects

Quick Ornaments

I have 32 nieces and nephews and 11 grand-nieces and nephews. (I’ll pause here so your eyes can refocus.)  My mom likes to create ornaments every year for her grandchildren (my nieces and nephew if you are family tree challenged).  So every year, I am on the look-out for ideas to help my mom out, especially since I usually enlist myself to help her make these ornaments. (See other ornament options here.)

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3 comments - Posted by Anita at 6:00 AM - Categories: Finished Projects | Inspiration | Painting | Staff Projects

You can save a piece of resin if it has cracks and fillable holes…

Painting on resin can be so much fun and I love how it looks when I am finished. Some pieces I shade and highlight, others I rub with antiquing medium for a completely different approach and look. One thing about resin is that sometimes there can be imperfections or cracks and even breaks that you might think aren’t fixable, but sometimes they can be fixed with a little creativity.

We received one of our Poinsettia Santas in and he had a huge crack and a hole in his elbow, but other than that, he was in great shape. I asked myself if he could be fixed and set out to find product that we had in our office to use to “save” this Santa from the garbage can. So, I ran a bead of white, craft glue along the crack and then smoothed it out with my fingers so that there was no distinct line. I let the glue dry really well, and then did the same process again to make sure that the crack was sealed. As for the hole in the elbow, I used DecoArt Snow Tex and worked a small amount in my fingers and started to fill the hole with the Snow Tex medium. I kept building it up and shaping it till the hole was filled. You want to make sure that you build it out and over the edges of the broken area so that it joins with the existing resin. Once the Snow Tex is completely dry, take a soft sanding pad and gently sand the Snow Tex until you have the desired look. It may not match completely texture wise, but it is a great way to save a piece of resin that you love. Once my Santa was painted, the imperfections seemed to disappear, and if you didn’t know it you probably wouldn’t even see the troublesome areas. I will admit; that sometimes resin can’t be repaired, but sometimes with a little glue, Snow Tex and a little patience, it can be.

4 comments - Posted by Diane at 6:15 AM - Categories:

Bless Our Country Banner

      My son is currently serving a mission for our church in Brazil, and in his weekly letters he always tells us about life there (he is in the southernmost state of Rio Grande del Sul near Porto Alegre, beautiful but life is definitely different than here in the US and in Canada).  It has helped our family become even more grateful for the wonderful life we live here in the Portland Oregon metro area.  I also LOVE sheep (as you can see in our Artist’s Clubhouse).   I had the privilege of trying out Renee Mullins new book “Mini Seasons Volume 3” and chose this beautiful traditional scene that reminds me of all the sheep in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where I grew up.
     At the time I began this project, we hadn’t yet received any of the Roc-Lon fabric that she made her projects with I am SO looking forward to experimenting with it, and we have the cutest little quilt hangers to display them on too!  But I easily adapted it to a wood surface, just expanding the design out a bit and tweaking the top scallops to the sides.  Renee’s patterns are so pretty, all of us at Artist’s Club were oo-ing and ahh-ing over every single one—I want to paint so many of these cute banners!
     Renee’s directions were really easy to follow and I really liked how well the Americana paint covered so I didn’t have to recoat a bunch of times, yet if I made a boo boo I could cover it up easily.  This cute little scene is perfect to celebrate patriotic America, back-to-school, spring lambing season...you might have guessed I chose this pattern because it would look great year-round in my home. 
    The stars I used along the sides are an Artist’s Club favorite, the Rusted Star 1 Inch that comes in a package of 6 and I just painted them, spattered them, then used a little Americana Wood Glue to apply them to the finished project.    

Oh!  Before I forget—if you’re messy like me, you’ll LOVE this product:  Kiss-Off Stain Remover  I didn’t know it existed until Mary Jo and Diane gave me some, it really works!  I used it on Acrylic and Latex and it is fantastic!
Happy Painting!
<3 Lisa

2 comments - Posted by Lisa at 11:26 AM - Categories: Finished Projects | Inspiration | Painting | Staff Projects