Labor Day is Over Blues

Time to put away the white sandals (wait, I don't own white sandals..my feet are large enough without white sandals)...and get ready for Autumn...(wait, this is Texas, and it's still very hot...will be for quite some time). In fact, I read a friend's post on Facebook (she lives in Wisconsin), pleading for two more months of warm weather. I told her to "come on down"....

It hardly seems possible, but next Monday is the first day of my Christmas tree decorating gig for Macy's. I am trying to prepare myself both mentally and physically...which means going to the doctor, and getting a Cortizone shot in my wrist...too many years of pouncing glaze onto endless expanses of walls (to say nothing of too many other wrist injuries - fell in Ft. Worth..don't wear stilletto heels when walking on uneven brick sidewalks)...

Speaking of glazing expanses of walls...here are some before and after photos...I did this house as a Parade of Homes house several years ago. When the client bought it, they decided they wanted white walls. After living there a few years..remember, this is Wisconsin, where it is grey, snowy, and cold so many months out of the year...she, being from South America (Chile), and loving bold, warm colors, pleaded with me to glaze her walls before I moved to Texas...

I always recommend making sample boards...get foam core, cut it into fairly large, rectangular pieces, and paint the board the base color...I didn't want to repaint the entire space before glazing, so I painted the board the existing wall color. Then, divide the board into three sections. I used McClosky Glazes...and I did the three sections (this glaze was a burnt sienna)...in three different proportions of colored glaze to transparent glaze...ie, 1 to 1 - 1 part colored glaze to transparent, 1 to 2 - 1 part colored glaze - 2 parts transparent, and 1 to 3..you get the idea?). We went to the 3 to one...also...it depends on how heavily one applies the glaze, and how much one can "pounce it out".
I applied the glaze heavily, but used a large, flat-bristle brush (available at hardware stores...don't be fooled into paying $40 for a Ralph Lauren pouncing brush, as the bristles (at least for me) break down too quickly. I use a painter's cleaning brush..it's about 8 inches long, and 3 inches wide..fits well into my hand. (you remember, the hand I have to have the Cortizone shot in)..... Here is the "after"....I did the fireplace breast almost a solid color of glaze in order to make it more "defined"...The sofas used to be a moss green, but I had them slip covered in white linen, and changed the artwork on the mantle. My client's sister is an accomplished artist, and I loved this painting (double-click on the image for a close up- it's her rendition of Heaven). I also found some wonderful lamps, but other than than, I just rearranged her wonderful accessories.

I startetd glazing my foyer over a year ago...then, injured my wrist...it's half finished...perhaps I can have it finished by the time I do my house for Christmas? As they say, "the cobbler's children have no shoes" (white?)...