The Beauty of Bugs

I’ve always gotten a chuckle from my son’s friends making remarks about the “bugs” I painted a few years ago.  One painting hangs in the dining room and the other one over Michael’s bed…’cause he’s my little bug.

Guess it all goes back to my fascination with June bugs…my great Aunt Mille would call me that every once in a while when I was little because I was born in June.  One sweltering fourth of July day in Atlanta, while sitting outside with all of the old folks listening to them reminiscing about the old days, a bug landed on my leg and I was about to swat it away…until I realized that it was the most beautiful color I had ever scene.  I just stared at it and let it walk up my leg.  Millie said, “Mary Eileen!  There’s a bug on you!  Do you know what kind of bug that is?”  I barely heard her over my amazement of the metallic greenish blue.  “That’s a June bug!” Millie winked at me.  And I have been in love with the beauty of bugs ever since.  Weird, huh?  But just look at them…

Southern June Bug

Some other glorious metallic June bug

Beetle

stink bug…

Flickr Tags: bug prints,retro bug prints,bug art

They are as lovely and intricate as flowers.  I particularly love stink bugs…the colors and patterns are wonderful.  Does this one above look familiar?  I changed the orange to turquoise in my painting for Michael’s room!  It’s a green stink bug.

I have a little collection of bugs in all shapes and forms…here’s a little something that sits on my credenza from time to time.

I also save retro bug clipart and prints…

I am framing some prints that I have been holding on to for a while to hang in my breakfast room.  I asked John and the boys if my collection of bug prints would bother them while they were eating.  (Like it really matters, after all, I am the queen of this castle and do what I want!)

Glammin’ Up French Candlestick Lamps

I have been staring at my candlestick lamps for about six months now and thinking it’s time to rejuvenate them.  I bought them twenty some odd years ago and the original finish was an antiqued yellow glaze.  Then I refinished them with a more rustic look (remember that spray on rust paint from the 90’s?)  for my Texas den with pickled knotty pine walls…but we left that house 10 years ago!  They have been sitting patiently in our den for years and have watched the wall color change from BM “Cork”, to “Greenbrier Beige” and currently “Spice Gold.”  I just love these classic and pretty lamps and they will be with me forever.  I have lots of French designed furniture and antiques in my house and they will always fit in. 

I see reproduction French candlesticks and lamps everywhere these days at outrageous prices.  I wanted to give these an aged patina with a bit of gold leaf.  The job first started with a good cleaning and dusting.

Here’s the “before” shot…

of the rustic finish before cleaning.

The supplies are relatively simple to use and inexpensive…I really like the clear glaze from Lowe’s.  The rest you can get a Hobby Lobby or Michael’s.

I mixed up a beige color with glaze and used a sponge brush to paint it on the entire surface.  Then I took an old rag and lifted off the paint I wanted to remove.

OK-time for the layering of paint!  I’m going to do this a few more times with the same technique and colors making sure it dries in between coats until I get the effect I like!

I try to give nooks and crannies a good rub with the rag

Two coats of the same color…and below I add a slightly lighter hue and use the sponge brush to highlight the details. 

I wrap the rag around the lamp and squeeze to lift of the paint.

Here’s the result…I like it!

I add glaze to a metallic color called metallic taupe for some shimmer

highlighting the details and lifting the paint off again…

until I get the coverage I want.  The lamp on the right has the metallic paint added to it.

I age the piece with gel stain and rub it into all the nooks and crannies, then lift off again.

It’s hard to tell from the sunlight, but the piece on the right was aged with stain.  Now for the fun stuff…gold leafing!

I was inspired by this architectural piece that has a rubbed gold leaf effect.  That’s what I ‘m shooting for!

Gold leafing is really quite simple…brush on the liquid sizing and let it dry to a clear tack. I just hit the areas I wanted the gold to appear “worn from age.”

Using an old stencil brush, I brush out the extra leaf and press harder to give it a burnished look.

A fine sanding block is rubbed over the area to lift off even more gold leaf.

The finished products…they look good with or without the lights on! 

I added new linen shades and it changes the look completely

Flickr Tags: French Candlestick lamps,refinished lamp,gold leaf lamps,glazing and paint

Little Bling Scene for Carnival

Bah, humbug!  I didn’t for much in the way of decorations for Mardi Gras this year…guess it’s ‘cause we aren’t going down this year!  Here’s how I did it this time.

I layered purple, green and gold fabrics on the mantle, placed crowns on top and threw on the beads!

I placed our Mardi Gras flag on top on books and boxes and filled up glass containers with beads.  Added a few votives, et voila!

Flickr Tags: Mardi Gras Decorations

Bead-Dazzlered…in a Good Way!

I bet this is what comes to mind when you hear that word!!  I’m happy to report that I never owned one nor wanted to!  Yikes! I have been working on my young friend’s bedroom (that I will share with you soon) and the lamps were screaming for some kind of bling…so, I bead dazzled them.

I chose a pair of clear lucite stacked ball lamps for her room.  They are classic, modern yet traditional, and work in so many decors. 

I wanted to add more of the accent color for this room (turquoise) onto the lamps.

Very carefully, I hot glued gross grain ribbon above and below the lampshade rims.  Be careful when doing this…

don’t let the glue seep through the ribbon or get too bumpy.  It all shows easily and looks terrible!  Fold the end over to make a clean edge.

Using 20g. wire, I threaded on turquoise crystals until I had enough to go around the base of each ball loosely.

I twisted the wire together to secure and clipped with needle nose pliers,

then spaced the beads out a little bit from each other.

Et, voila!  More to come on this yummy room with pink walls,

Flickr Tags: Lucite ball lamp,beaded lamp,decorated lamp,decorated lamp shade,gross grain ribbon,crystal bead lamp bands

a velvet quilted headboard and bed clothes, and a purrrfectly upholstered settee.