Monday, October 24, 2011

White Pumpkins Create A Focal Point In The Kitchen

Before I get to showing my super neat new project, I wanted to THANK Deneen over at dreamingincolor for hosting me last Friday.  It was my first time ever doing something like that and I appreciate her generosity.  If you haven't check that out yet feel free to head over there NOW.

Last week, or was that two weeks ago?  Oh brother!  Who can keep track of the days anymore?  Whatever.  I showed you a brief image at some point in the last few weeks of my crazy self painting pumpkins white.  Do you remember?  Maybe you didn't read that post.  We can't read everything, everyday now can we?  There are just so many hours in the day.


Anyway, I painted three fake pumpkins that I picked up at Joanns with a 50 percent off coupon.  I taped off the stems and spray painted them with a satin white spray paint...or was it flat?  I had been looking around for the real white ones but noticed that most of the white pumpkin crop this year has bruises on them.  Is it like that where you live?  Yuck! Not interested in a pumpkin that looks like it will rot before Halloween even gets here, let alone Thanksgiving!   

As you know, unless you are new to The Homeless Finch, I have been slowly sprucing up my kitchen.  I have changed out everything on my counters to black accessories and it is starting to shape up.  One thing I decided to do was create a focal point just above my refrigerator that would be changed out seasonally.  In a prior post I had told you guys that I was sick and tired of having 'stuff' up on the area above the cabinets because all it does is collect dust.  What's a girl to do? 

Well after a lot of thought and research, I decided to create a backdrop on my bright green walls with black shutters hung sideways.  In front of them I will place simple white objects, or objects painted white that depict the different seasons.  Thus, pumpkins for now. 

In order to highlight this area, I took on old track light that was laying around, cut the electrical cord and spliced a swag style cord with a plug.  I set the track lighting upside down. (lights facing up)  It just so happens that the previous owner had plugs installed above the cabinets and wired to a light switch.  Lucky me.  I simply plugged in the track lighting, directed the different canisters in various directions.  It gives the area a pop of brightness and highlights my pumpkins.







I plan on taking that cute little spider off after Halloween.  Maybe I will add a little something for Thanksgiving.  Maybe I won't.  The pumpkins can go straight up to Thanksgiving weekend.  I have started thinking toward Christmas, since it is right around the corner.  I will show you what I come up with at that point.  I plan on switching this out regularly, so perhaps I will show you what I do with this area throughout the year. 

Adding the white pumpkins was a fun, quick project that added a lot of visual interest in an area of my kitchen that has been lacking lately.  Do you have the perfect focal point in your kitchen that has gone unhighlighted that needs a little updated love?  Maybe this idea will spark a fresh 'something something' in your kitchen.   I know that it added just right right pizzazz that I was looking for. 

 Have a great week everybody!

-The End-





Friday, October 21, 2011

Nightstand Upcycle...I'm Over At dreamingincolor Today Too!


This little nightstand was something I picked up on a neighbor's trash pile.  I revealed it on the same day as a guest post over at dreamingincolor.  Hope you enjoy the following post. 

"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test.  Tie your napkin around your neck, Cherie.  We'll provide the rest!" Okay..okay.  I will be quiet. Sorry.  Sorry.  It's just that I have been singing that song over and over out loud to myself.  Why you ask? (You did ask, right?!)  Well, I'm so excited! Yeah! I'm a guest today over at my friend Deneen's blog, dreamingincolor!  She was nice enough to ask me to introduce myself to her followers.  If you want to see my Yak Attack over at her blog click HERE to go there.  But remember to come back because I have a furniture reveal today!! 

The Furniture Reveal:
A Curbed Night Stand Gets A Makeover

If you are visiting here from dreamingincolor or one of the linky parties that I have joined this week, Welcome!  In anticipation that some of Deneen's followers just might have wanted to take a peek at The Homeless Finch, I planned a furniture reveal for today.  Fun!

If you have already been following my blog, I don't expect you to remember a post I wrote months ago about a trash pick nightstand. But if you remember ugly things, you might!  I picked up the beast out of a trash pile in a neighbor's front yard about a block away.  Well, the nightstand has sat in my garage for months.  I ignored it.  I pretended it wasn't there.  I had no idea what I wanted to do with it.  I dragged it out this week and decided to just go for it.  I mean, what do I have to lose?!! 

Here is the before photo I took months ago the day I trash picked it.
Before
Before.  Pretty...NOT!

I know.  It's ugly and why on earth would I have brought this little disaster home?  Well, I saw promise.  I saw opportunity.  I saw something going to a landfill and wanted to do my part to save the environment.  Yep. I know.  I'm nuts.  But that's me and I am very excited with the results.

I bought a yard of fabric from Joann's with a 50% off coupon and decided to put a base coat of white on the nightstand.  After I painted it with two coats of Annie Sloan's Old White, I cut out the fabric to fit the sides and the inside bottom of the nightstand and used my Modge Podge to fix it into place making sure I used my scraper to smooth out any wrinkles and tightly affix the fabric to the surface.  I also hand cut out motifs from the fabric and used them as accents on the table top. I painted the hardware with a satin finish black spray paint.  I finished the piece off with MinWax Wipe On Poly to give it a little more durability. 

Here are the results...




 I am so please with the results.  Best part? This little gem will live to see another day, not our local landfill!  Win win I'd say.  I want to again give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Deneen over at dreamingincolor for hosting me as a guest today.  This is the first time I have ever done something like that and I am grateful to her for the opportunity.  PLEASE don't leave without following my blog.  I would love to have you stay and hang out for a while. Heck...maybe someday we might even meet for coffee!!

-The End-


Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This post is being featured on Roadkill Rescuer!!!! See the link below..

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

A Painting from The Homeless Finch Studios: "Wind and Rain Bear Fruit"

Last month, I showed you all several progress images of a painting that I was working on in my blog post, Sometimes Running Naked Helps Bare The Truth Which Paves The Way to Honesty.  I completed the painting a few weeks ago and my sister hasn't come over to steal it out of my studio.  So, I am going to show the final results to you today.  Plus, I'm going to hang out over at Paint Party Friday and wanted a little something to share as well.  I have been busy with a project that I will be revealing tomorrow morning as well. 

"Wind and Rain Bear Fruit" by Lesley Litrento
(5' x 3')

 I am so glad that I have finally gotten back into my painting.  I really missed putting brush to canvas.  But sometimes, breaks are good too.  The time away allowed me to clear away the negative energy that followed me from my BFA program.  Now, I am left with positive energy, the skills I required and a willingness to finally listen to my voice as it speaks to me on the canvas.  So far, it's a start and I like what it is telling me.  I hope you do too.  Remember to follow your own voice.  It already knows what you should be doing...

-The End-