Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Painted Books

I purchased some hard bound books some time ago with the intention of using the pages in some projects.  When I went to use them, my mind went in a total different direction.  Maybe it was because my hand has been missing my paint brush, but I had this idea to paint them.

I pulled out my Annie  Sloan Chalk Paint (which I love) in Old White and went to work.  I painted two coats on each book then distressed them with fine grit sandpaper.

Painted books

I brushed on an antiquing glaze that I quickly brushed off with a damp rag making sure to leave some streaks behind.  I then used a small brush to “flick” the glaze to create some paint splatters.

Painted Book edges

I glazed the edges of the pages as well.  I then stacked three of them and tied them with some twine.  They look perfect of my side table.

Stenciled book

I had a fourth book and stenciled a damask design with the same glaze I used to antique the book.  After the design was dry, I lightly sanded it with very fine sandpaper.  I LOVE the way it turned out!

Stenciled book tag

I made a tag with Papertrey’s Fall Elegance stamp set and tied it to some twine I wrapped around the book.  It looks lovely on a stand with my fall décor.

So that is what has been happening on my side of the blogosphere.  Oh, I did get to attend an Adobe Creative Suite workshop with my hubby on Friday.  That was fun and I learned so much.  I was on information overload when I walked out of there.  I am so looking forward to attending the Photoshop workshop next month.  So excited about that!!!!

I will leave you with this picture of our snowman in the fall.snowman in the fall

My kids had fun playing in the snow this past weekend and I enjoyed the down time.  Doesn’t that snowman look so out of place on the green grass with the green tree in the background?   So funny!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Karen

4 comments:

Auntie Em said...

Your altered books are beautiful and what a lovely book to use as a smash journal for Holiday photos and keepsakes. Even those pretty tags off gifts from loved ones would be fun stored on the inside pages.
Thanks for the inspiration! :)

Nancy said...

Your books are so lovely! The damask stencil is really beautiful and so pretty on display like that!
The snowman does look rather out of place with all that green! lol I live in the western Canadian prairies and I'm still waiting to see some snow! I'm sure it will come eventually!...Nancy :o)

Jan Marie said...

They're just beautiful, Karen! Love the vintage, shabby chic look and you've mastered it! The snow, well. . .you can keep the snow! :D Blessings from warm, sunny California (until Thursday when the rain arrives!)

Bernadette Bliss said...

Just beautiful, Karen...