Fusion Mineral paint - I love you

Yeah, its my first post in over a year… I am not a diligent blogger.

However I am SO excited about this paint Fusion Mineral Paint that I have come out of the workshop to share my results with anyone who will listen.

I have for a long time been looking for a paint that I could use on metal - metal with rust specifically because I have a set of old school lockers that have been hanging around my house for years now and they are driving my husband nuts. When I started seeing Fusion on the blogs that I follow and around Pinterest, I was intrigued - could this be the product that will work for me?

For the record - I don't like working with spray paint. I have seen lots of people get great results with it, but I just cannot seem to produce them. I am good with brush painting and am sticking with what I know.

So I did my research and asked questions of other bloggers regarding their experiences with Fusion and decided to make the plunge. I headed to my local Fusion retailer, Farmhouse Inspired in Hudson WI and picked up four test sized containers to give a whirl with. 

For my project I chose the color Buttercream. A sweet, soft, delicious, creamy yellow - so lovely, and this old metal shelf that I have had hanging on the outside of my house for several years. It really needed a make over and I really needed a test subject.

Rusty with chipping paint and lots of dirt, the previously painted surface was pitted enough that I didn't even bother sanding. I scraped the paint that was loose and cleaned it good. I scraped more paint, cleaned it again and was ready to paint.

The first coat went on beautifully. It really has a soft smooth feel when brushing it on. You may note in the pictures, this coat came out a little streaky - that could be because I didn't stir or shake before dipping my brush in, or it could simply be because it was the first coat. Either way it didn't effect the final results.

You can still see the spots where I had scraped off the old paint. Because this is my test subject I am ok with it being like that, the really exciting part is that the rust is NOT coming up through the paint.

I let it dry overnight and then put on a second coat. After the second coat I did a really light sanding - mostly because I wanted to see how it would sand and smooth and it did just fine. Between coats 2 and 3 I didn't even wait all that long, I just let it get dry to the touch, then I sanded and added the third coat.

And here it is :

Smooth and lovely. Such a pretty yellow!

Again, because I didn't remove all of the old paint you can see the pock marks but you cannot see ANY rust coming up through the paint and that is what I really wanted to have happen. No primer, No sanding (remember the surface was de-glossed from having been outside for years), No odors and really simple clean up.
Yeah, I am convinced and I am off to buy more Fusion Mineral Paint - I have lockers to paint!

a vintage sewing machine

Recently I purchased a treadle sewing machine - base and cabinet - for some repurposing fun. I have always wanted one, I remember playing with one at my grandma's house when I was a little girl. My sister still has that one…After getting it home I took it all apart and got to thinking about what I was going to do with all these wonderful pieces.

 

The table bases make such wonderful sofa tables.

By using the cabinet top and the front drawer I was able to make this memo board.

There is a vintage note pad, a magnetic board, mail slots and the drawer can hold and the little miscellaneous bits and pieces.

Another memo board from the top pieces of the cabinet. This was originally in two pieces, one would flip up to allow the machine to either come out or go into the cabinet. I left the original machine hinges on to use as hooks for keys or whatever.

The belly plate of the machine became a hand painted advertising sign.

The back plate became a hand painted welcome sign.

After building the base, the drawers and top are now able to be reused as a very functional table.

I had so much fun working on all these pieces!

a beautiful day

Its a beautiful day here in SE Minnesota and I am gonna get out and enjoy it! 

I hope your day is filled with all good things too.

a ladder in the living room

yeah...  its been awhile since I've blogged. But here I am, back in the game!
I thought this was good enough to share.

I got this old ladder from a friend and have had it in the basement waiting for its big chance to show off its beauty.
Thank heaven for high ceilings cause this ladder is tall!

Now that it is filled with vintage goodies and family photos it is looking wonderful.

linking here Miss Mustardseed

Card frenzy

I have been in a frenzy of card making lately.  What can I say, the creative muse came to sit on my shoulder and whisper in my ear.  I liked what she had to say so.......

Please use this link to go to a web album that contains all my work both past and present.

"vintage" baby shoes

ever since I saw this tutorial, I had a bug to do this project.

As soon as I could I went to my local thrift stores on the hunt for baby shoes.

Lucky me, I found these, for $2.99.

after beating them with a rock (seriously) and doing some bending and twisting of them, I proceeded to age them with a combination of Tim Holtz distress inks and a Ralph Lauren smoke glaze that I have from my furniture projects.

Now they look like this. I am going to give this shoe to my niece who has a little guy named Aiden.

junkbonanza 2009

so, yesterday my friend Sooz and I went to junkbonanza at Canterbury Park. It was SO fun, I love those kind of events and I got some great stuff.

My fave is this window screen. I have the perfect spot for it and just need to get it hung. Sorry for the crappy picture, I had to take it with my phone and photography isn't one of my better skills right now, though I am working to improve that......

jewelry window

I have been away a long time. I am not a great blogger, but am working to become better.

This post is to link to Kimba's DIY day.

I did not do a before picture, but I think you can get the idea.

This is an old window frame that I've had around for years, waiting for me to get off my butt and do the project, well, I finally did just that.

It was white, but I sanded it down and painted it a blue-ish color that I like. I had some "rat-wire" hanging around the garage from a garden project so I cut that to fit the window openings, stapled it in and (with my son's help) hung it on the wall.

now I can see all my jewelry choices at once. I plan to add a little mirror to the side.

Thanks for looking!

a long time coming......

there is a song in there somewhere......

Hello blogland! Long time and no posts from me.

Spring 2009 is coming along beautifully - finally!

I have been busy. I decided to start school (in January), so now I am an art student. I just finished this semester - pretty well if I do say so myself, and am now ready to start my summer vaca. I have been SO busy with school projects and such that I have had no time to stamp. That is gonna change really soon!

currently I am in love with this technique watercolor roses and have been playing with it. If I turn out something worth sharing - you'll see it here!

anyway, just wanted to say hi and I'm back.

Happy New Year

and welcome to 2009.  I certainly hope this is a better year for my family and yours as well.

its beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

Especially with all the snow we've gotten lately!!

I must say that I am really over the whole holiday season stuff.  Frankly I think it starts too early every year and I just get burned out by the time its here.  Ah well, I have to change my view cause thats the only thing I can change!

I did get in a christmas spirit and made a couple last cards, they turned out pretty well if I do say so myself....... Since I think I am the only one who reads this blog, I guess I can say it!

Enjoy yourself wherever and what ever you may be doing!

Christmas card

This is one design I've done for Christmas this year, I think its my favorite so far!

inspiration, awe, and enabler alert!

I am a huge fan of Tim Holtz and love to check his blog on a regular basis.  The things he comes up with for projects are amazing, and his products are top notch.

I would love to be allowed into his studio for a  couple days, talk about classes with a master!

check it out!  Right now he is doing his 12 Tags of Christmas and every time I think one is the top of the mark, he comes up with something even more amazing.

Its the holiday season!

December craziness, the holidays, the shopping, the snow!!  Not to mention having our roof replaced - I feel sorry for the guys who have to be up there - my son needing his wisdom teeth out, tearing up the master bedroom of the house....... thank gawd my studio will remain intact and I will have somewhere to hide out!

I have been busy making holiday cards too.  I recently got the lace tree folder for the cuttlebug which makes the cards a snap.  That and my MS branch punch have been figuring prominently this year.

If you haven't already finished your christmas list, I'd like to suggest a product that I think should be on it.  Its called the Glue Glider.  I became aware of this tool through Sharon's blog which if you've never visited, is a "must see"!  I have coffee with her every morning.  Currently she is celebrating on her blog with some awesome blog candy, check that out if you have a minute!

Back to the Glue Glider........

I have been on the look out for an adhesive solution.  I love using 3M double sided tape, but was spending a small fortune buying the rolls.  I also really like the red liner tape, but again could never get enough tape for the money I was spending.  Then Sharon posted about the Glue Glider.  I had been considering getting the ATG gun, but they are expensive and as I understand they are cumbersome to re-load.  I decided to try the Glue Glider.  

From my research I found it would be inexpensive to purchase, easy to re-load and the cartridges come with plenty of tape 65 feet actually, for $6.75!  So I bought myself one.  I found the best price for me at Stampin Scrapin so I got the gun and two replacement cartridges.  When it arrived I was thrilled to find out that it is all I hoped it would be - lightweight, easy to use, great adhesive and won't take up much space on my table!  

I'll get off the soapbox now.  Check this out and see for yourself.

random musings

Oh man, its been too long since I've updated!

I have thought about it everyday, but just not gotten around to it.

What have I been up to?  Just life itself.  Working on my cards and trying to market them & myself as a designer.  My sister got me into Facebook and that has proven to just suck the time away from me - seriously its an addiction!

so, I have been making cards too!  This is one of my recent favorites.  I don't remember who the alphabet is by, but its a clear set which makes it really easy to work with.

Just Rite monogram

This is a card for a friend that is getting married this month.  They are keeping both last names, so according to monogram etiquette this is how the monogram should be shown.

I used my Just Rite C45 with a damask border and the small & medium size letters.  Because the border fits on the stamper with the opening in a north/south orientation (its usually used for only a single letter monogram) and the letters go on the stamper in an east/west orientation (because of the grooves on the stamper) I had to stamp the border twice, I cut the center out of one and used it as a mask.  I removed the border stamp from my C45, put the letters on and stamped them into the opening.  Believe me, it took more than one attempt to get it right, but I am happy with my results.

I'll probably find an easier way to do it somewhere now!!

thanks for looking!

quick Friday post

Today I am off to the hometown for some Oktoberfest adventures.  I am anticipating a really good time with old friends!

Here is a card made with a quote that I just ran across the other day and it really resonated with me.  I think the card turned out well........

Enjoy your weekend adventures - whatever they may be - I hope they bring you happiness.

another sketch to play with

My thanks to all you fellow bloggers who come up with sketches for people like me to play with!!  It really keeps the inspiration flowing.

That being said, here is a Monday sketch from Heather Scott.  I kept pretty close to the original sketch, cause thats what worked for me.  I am happy with the way it worked out and i hope you enjoy my results too.

circles!

Circles are hot, they are showing up everywhere these days.  I love it!!

Lauren M posted a sketch challenge last saturday that I decided to play along with and here are my results.  I am actually quite pleased with this card, it came together quite easily - love when that happens!

so, its Monday and its gonna be a busy week, capped off by some Oktoberfest fun in my home town.  

Love that fall tradition!

MACM 9.22.08

I am a huge fan of Kristina W her style is so fun and clean and she is so encouraging its difficult (for me anyway) to not get caught up in her enthusiasm!

This is my take on her Make a Card Monday project for this week.  This is so simple but creates a great result!  I used a brown base and the frame is a pumpkin color.  The paper is from my inventory.  I used my swiss dots folder to emboss my vellum and the sentiment is from Studio G.  Again, really simple and quick, but I think the result is very fun.  When I make this again though, I will glue the vellum to the front and put the frame over it.  With the vellum glued on the inside it shows too much of "the mechanics" for my taste, the second photo shows what I mean.