Painting

Upcycled Little Girls 1970’s inspired side table

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I have been blogging for over a month now and I am so thankful to you all for the encouraging words and thoughts.  I am also blown away by the amount of talent and creativity I have seen from others on here! Creativity is key!  For me, things don’t always work out as you envision them.  This forum allows me to feel free and unafraid even if I make a mistake!  For that I am grateful!

I am back from my two day hiatus; However a lot of craftiness and shopping has taken place in those days!  The family went thift shopping yesterday, two Goodwills and a Walmart! It was a very productive day!  I picked up a few future projects, and pined and dreamed over other future projects that I could not fit in our little Hyundai!

I saw this little brown, particle board,  table and I picked it up,  I am obsessed with small furniture, as I am always thinking about items that Erin can use that are perfect for toddlers just starting to utilize furniture. She also loves to imitate us and it is wonderful seeing Erin sitting at her kid’s table reading a book like the little person she is becoming.

I also found this great funky floral fabric that screamed 1970.  In it’s previous incarnation it was a window drape.  I can’t imagine! A bit too funky for curtains according to my taste, but not funky enough to use to redo kids furniture!

Materials:

$5.99 table

Fabric

Mod Podge

paint brushed various sizes

acrylic paint

black marker

scissors

First, I turned the table upside down onto the fabric and traced with a black felt tipped marker.  I carefully cut out the fabric.  I then used Mod Podge Matte finish to glue the fabric to the table top.  I set aside to dry.  I wanted the paint the table pink to match part of the fabric, but I didn’t have any pink handy.  I was able to mix red, purple, and yellow, and came up with the color you see here! I primed the piece and then covered the legs and sides with pink paint. Once dry I used Mod Podge to seal the entire piece using about three coats total.

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Before and After:

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Our cat Nucky seemed to be fascinated with what I was doing.  He was my cat apprentice as Erin was napping at the time!

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Philadelphia Phillies Phanatic Painted Wall Mural

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Before our daughter was born, my husband had the ultimate sports man room.  It was filled with sports memorabilia, and a fully stocked bar.  We hung out in there regularly  watched movies laughed and joked and even kicked back a few drinks.  Now, a new kind of laughter fills this room. It is no longer the ultimate man room, but it IS the ultimate little girl’s playroom.  My husband and I discussed doing something special in the family room for our daughter Erin. We both liked the nursery wall mural and how it turned out.   Sure, we could have decided on a mural of  princess’s and castles, but I wanted to do something different and also keep true to the original theme of  the room which was sports.  One of her favorite toys is her Phillie Phanatic Pillow Pet, which ultimately gave me the idea.  I also wanted to do something for the hubby.  He was more than happy to give up his room for his daughter, but I wanted to thank him too, after all he is a huge Phillies fan!

I searched the internet for a good example of a Phanatic image I wanted to use as a visual.  I often draw through visually studying a picture before I begin.  I usually use a pencil to outline where I am going to paint.  I found it easier this time to simply draw the lines with a fine brush and black paint onto the wall.  If I made a mistake, I used a magic eraser to wipe away the paint.  (Magic Eraser does not work on a flat painted wall) I thought it would be cute to have him holding a pennant with ” Go Erin” on it.  I used acrylic paints and applied about 3 coats total.    The mural measures a little over 5 feet tall.  Hopefully, it will be a good luck charm this season and beyond!

Some Phillie Phanatic trivia:

The Phanatic replaced “Philadelphia Phil” and “Philadelphia Phillis”, a pair of siblings dressed in 18th-century dress.

During the winter after the 1977 season, Dennis Lehman, thought that the team needed a mascot similar to San Diego’s Famous Chicken created the Phanatic with the help of Acme Mascots

The Phanatic debuted on April 25, 1978, at The Veterans Stadium, when the Phillies played the Chicago Cubs.

His mother, Phoebe Phanatic, occasionally appears with the Phanatic.

Phillie Phanatic Painted Wall Mural

Full lengths shot of Phillie Phanatic Wall mural

Nursery Rhymes-Welcoming our bundle of joy with a hand painted wall mural

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Back in 2010, my husband and I received the news he and I had been waiting for most of our lives. We were expecting our first child in May of 2011. We were both over the moon as we had struggled for more than 5 years to get pregnant,and at our age our window of opportunity was closing fast. I had dreamed about this moment for most of my life. I wanted to do something special for him or her to welcome our little bundle of joy into the world. I decided to try something new, sure I like to draw and paint, but I had never attempted a wall mural like I had planned.
The truth is working on her nursery gave me an outlet to channel all my nervous energy. Having waited for so long, I was full of worry. This like most of my projects, distracted my over active mind nicely and channeled that nervous energy into something positive. I wanted to stay neutral as far as theme. My sister-in-law gave us a swing from the Fisher Price Rain forest Friends collection and I loved it! The brightly colored animals and whimsical feel was exactly what I had in mind. I started to plan. I went online and decided which animals I would draw and got started right away. Her room needed a total make over. We planned on tearing up the old carpet and putting in new, but wanted to get the painting done first to avoid any mess. I work full-time, so every day I would put in my 8 hours, come home and my goal was to paint an animal every night. I would bring my laptop into the room, put on the radio, and pull up a picture of one of the rain forest characters and get to work. I wish I could say that I followed a special technique, but I simply took a pencil and freehand drew the outline and then used acrylics to paint and fill in the color. I used the pictures of the animal characters on my laptop as a guide. I could have used a projection tool to make it perfect, but that was not my goal. I wanted it to be based on those characters, but by drawing free hand, they would have a bit of their own individuality.
When it was done I was pleased at how it turned out. It was not perfect, but unlike most things that I do that are flawed it didn’t bother me this time. I was happy that my first attempt at a wall mural had turned out so well! Now, Our daughter is 2 and I will inevitably face the day when she feels that she needs a “big girl room” and I will have to paint over monkey’s and tigers and replace them with princess’s and castles, but for now I am still enjoying the colorful jungle!

Finished Mural.

Finished Mural.

Erin smiling (as usual) enjoying her Rainforest Friends Room age 9 months.

smiling (as usual) enjoying her Rainforest Friends Room age 9 months.