Say good-by to beige and boring!

My oh my what you can do when you take the day off! I worked straight through the day on a new quilt wall hanging for a particular show involving recycled materials, a subject near and dear to my heart. I'll post on that tomorrow. When I had that pretty much under control (pretty much finished the top), I tackled another project I've been contemplating for a while--a new wall treatment for a big beige wall. Woo-hoo!

Here's the stencil I unearthed that I had used in our previous house. You can see that I used gold last time and I plan on doing so again. I love iridescent gold because it so forgiving. Any variations in amount of paint, heavy or light, blend right in to make a shimmery effect. So you don't have to worry as much about being super neat or consistent. And, of course, I have a lot of gold accent pieces in my living room which play off of the wall and vice versa.

I ordered the stencil from an online source--I'd mention it but,  sorry!, I can't remember it, its been so long. But do a google search for all-over stencils like I did. You should come up with plenty of hits like I did. Turns out there's an enormous online stencil community. Who knew??

Here's the first couple of repeats. (well, one and a half, actually.)  I have plenty more to go, obviously. But I already love it. I am using a gold Shiva Paintstik Shiva Iridescent Professional Grade Paint Sticks set of 12 for the pigment. Another necessary item is stencil adhesive Sulky Temporary Spray Adhesive 3.6 Ounces KK2000; 2 Items/Order Painter's tape is also a must-have--just the regular blue stuff will do. ScotchBlue Painter's Tape Original Multi-Surface 2090, 1-inch x 60-yard, 4-Roll
I'll keep posting so you can see my progress. Its hard work and my arm and hands get tired from the dabbing so it will be a slow and steady kind of project.







   

GSA T shirts

A couple of weeks ago I went in to my son's high school to help out with a T-shirt creation activity. Ed, my oldest (in the top photo), is a member of the GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) and the kids wanted to make t-shirts to wear at the (then) upcoming Day of Silence (which was April 17) . Mr. Friend, Ed's English teacher and the faculty advisor for the club, passed on the word that he needed some assistance. Being a crafty person, and a proud mom, I was happy to volunteer to bring in some of my supplies and get the activity going. We used Shiva Paintstiks and Sharpie markers and everyone brainstormed and came up with their own idea. If you haven't used Shiva Paintstiks before, they are pretty cool. They are oil based "crayons" that can be applied directly to many different surfaces, including fabrics, for either a thick effect or brushed on for a feathery or lighter effect. After drying and heat setting, the pigment is permanent and can go through the laundry. So many possibilities! See a super tutorial at Rebecca Reasons Edwards' awesome blog (gee, I wish I had written that!) http://mybrainonquilts.blogspot.com/2008/01/shiva-paintstik-tutorial.html All of the students really got into the activity and produced unique and awesome shirts which were proudly worn on the Day of Silence. Way to go Oviedo GSA!!

For more info about the national Day of Silence which is organized by students in support of students, see their website at http://www.dayofsilence.org/index.cfm