Skip to main content

State of Alteration

HOW does someone leave her blog for so long and actually accumulate more followers???  You guys are WONDERFUL!  Thank you for all the kind words and emails I've received over the past few months!!!   I have not fallen off the earth.  I really am thinking of all of you... I promise!!!   Today I want to share probably one of the COOLEST alteration projects I've ever done, but first I want to share where I've been and what I've been up to because it plays a HUGE role in this project I'm sharing coming to fruition!!!  In a nutshell, we are buying a new home.

Welp... after months of working to sell the home we were in, moving into an apartment (that is screaming to get us on an episode of Hoarders), we are finally getting ready to call the newly built house our home.  Yes, I will have TONS of pics to share as soon as we close and get settled... God-willing we'll be leaving this apartment in three weeks!!!  All the female decorator cells I have in my body are buzzing in anticipation of the upcoming new-home decorating.  So, in preparation of that I got THIS:


Sorry about the pic quality on these pics gang... both "before" and "after" pics were taken with the camera on my phone, but here it is.  This painting was ALMOST the perfect art piece for my formal living room:  it was the perfect size in the perfect frame with the perfect content.... EXCEPT..... the peach flowers were NOT going to match my decor!!!  My living room is gold, brown and red and OF COURSE this artwork wasn't available in another color and was literally the last one in the store (possibly the only one).  I didn't want to pass it up being so close to perfect... there MUST be a way to make this flower red!   So I sent a quick email to an altering expert I know (you are a GENIUS Krista!) who responded with, "Distress Inks!"  Well OF COURSE!!!  Could I do it???  I've never attempted to alter something like this before.  What if it doesn't work?


I'm here to tell you it DID work.... LIKE A FREAKIN CHARM!!!!  Can you believe I actually did THIS???  I can't!  And it was so stinkin simple!!!  Honestly!  The hardest part was the first stroke.  My heart was in my throat as I stood over this amazing piece of art that I could potentially ruin when the courage to make my first stroke with the Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Barn Door Red came over me.  This artwork appeared to be an art print that was covered with a layer of clear acrylic that was then tapped with the tip of a bristled brush... well that's what it felt like.  This really could totally work, OR the color could bunch into all that texture not working at all.   I think I closed my eyes as I swiped a huge red streak across the peach flower then looked to see 1) that the image would be clearly visible through the new red color and 2) that I was actually committing to this alteration project.  Yes... yes to both; project-a-go.  Once the entire bloomed rose had an even coat of the barn door red distress stain (which looked quite pink), I then went in with Distress Inks (the regular pad inks) and a brush adding darker hues of red and brown until I had  the depth exactly the way I wanted it... which turns out was UBER easy because the original image already had the shadows in place.  I was just changing the color.  I finally finished off the image by adding  just a smidgen of Tim Holtz Tarnished Brass Distress Stain to highlight the tips of some of the petals (only on the light areas).  Being that the Tarnished Brass is a metallic stain... I wanted to be sure it stayed in areas of the flowers that would be touched by light if the flower were being seen in the real world. Now my final step will be to apply another clear topcoat to seal this awesome alteration once I've moved in to the new house and it is hung.... just in case I want to make any minor changes after seeing it in the light of it's permanent home.  In the meantime, I vowed to "leave it alone" until then.
Really you guys.... WHY was I so afraid????

Comments

~Lady B~ said…
Fabulous alteration! I like it so much better in red. You did an amazing job!
Seriously AMAZING and SERIOUSLY upset that I missed it all!! :( However on a positive note ... Brookie and I got to see BD2 together Saturday night... so I guess the night wasn't a total loss!! LOL!!!
Krista said…
I refuse to take credit for anything. You had the idea to begin with and you did the amazing coloring job on this. And I can most definitely say that these pictures DO NOT do justice to either how HUGE this thing is or how gorgeous it was when you were done.

Unknown said…
Danielle....wow you are amazing! I am glad that I am getting to know you and I can't wait to see your finished beautiful home ;-) Pam
Gorgeous! Are you heading down south or up north?Carri~Abusybee

Past 7 Days....

My Favorite Things Birthday Give-Away!!!

IT IS ON! Ok... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! I get to give stuff away! And not just ANY stuff.... MY FAVORITE STUFF!!!! Well, not ALL my favorite stuff, but certainly my favorites for at least ONE of my obsessions: NAILS!!! Maybe next year for my birthday I will be giving away craft supplies and exercise equipment... that would be AWESOME!!! But, this year's birthday give-away is HUGE with my favorite nail and beauty products and is open to ALL my followers. You guys are the best and deserve the best, so here is what ONE lucky winner is going to score: The Prize Haul: Konad Nail Art Stamping Set - Coraline I (I am addicted to Konad and I LOVE this set) Konad Nail art image disc - M63 (A little something extra from Kathleen... thank you) Fragrance Oil Set, types: China Rain, White Linen, Obsession (I love these for my relaxing baths) Nail Aid Nail Treatment Set including: Pink Natural Growth Therapy, Instant Wrap, Clear Liquid Bandage, Cuticle Cure, Peeling Nail Intense Repai

Make It Crafty Blog Hop

Woo Hoo!!! Isn't this hop AMAZING!?! All the projects on this hop are incredible!!! If you are mid hop, you should be arriving here from Carisa's awesome blog, WELCOME! If you haven't started this hop from the beginning, you're definitely going to want to.... so many prizes in store!!! Click HERE to start at the beginning. Prizes Up For Grabs 1st prize - Rubber Collection (Peaches of Plenty, Petals and Palings, Daffodil Dell, Ivy Swing) 2nd prize - Whole Digital Collection (10 digital stamps) 3rd Prize - Four digital Stamps from the collection The hop will end Friday 24th and the main winners will be announced Christmas Day! Random winners will be announced at a later date. How To Play Along Along the way, look for puzzle pieces. They won’t be on every post so you need to keep an eye out for them. The puzzle pieces make up one of the NEW images. At the end of the hop there will be an email form where you can submit your answer. This is so that your answer is private.

THE Spectrum Noir Blog Hop You Don't Want To Miss!!!

Welcome to the very first Spectrum Noir Blog Hop EVER! And we are celebrating BIG TIME!!! Wait till you see what's up for grabs!!! Wait till you see all the amazing projects the design team put together for YOU!   If you are new to blog hops, simply visit each of the blogs below in the order shown and leave a comment on each designer's post finishing the hop at the Spectrum Noir Blog. Danielle Leann Angelique Linda Jennie Louise Kristine Marcea Taylor   Suzanne Cyndi Wendy Jacqui Spectrum Noir Blog When you arrive at the end, be sure to leave a comment on the Spectrum Noir  Blog telling us one fun new thing (tip, trick, interesting combination of colors, etc) you learned about the Spectrum Noir markers while hopping with us this week.  A random winner will be drawn using random.org at 9:00 AM GMT, Saturday, June 23, 2012 and posted at  Spectrum Noir .  The winner will have one week to claim their prize and will win a full set of 72 Basic Spectr