As I write this post, I’m up in northern Michigan taking a few days to unwind, clear my brain and relax.
I can only imagine how creative I would be if I could go for a walk through here every morning.
The weather has been cold and rainy but we don’t care, there’s something so peaceful it and who can beat a cherished walk through a national forest with family.
I treasure every walk along Lake Michigan especially when there are treasures to be found along the way
We love hunting for Petoskey Stones, Michigan’s state stone. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, Petoskey Stones are fossils from coral that used to grow here 350,000 million years ago long before dinosaurs were even in existence.
I’ve wanted to do the World’s Longest Yard Sale ever since I first heard about it but the timing always conflicted with something else. This year I’m crossing it off my bucket list!
This is totally a last minute thing for us (YIKES!!) as we were waiting to find out if one of our friend’s could get off work. She just found out that she can so, as of yesterday, it’s official ~ we’re going!!
We’ll be heading south from Grand Rapids, Michigan into Tennessee. The problem is, I’m having a hard time figuring out which towns are the best to stay in, which locations have the best and most condensed sales for cool junk & furniture deals… Where are the “Do Not Miss This Sale” spots… We’re not interested in baby clothes…
If any of you are either vendors, have shopped at or live along the route and can help us out, we would greatly appreciate it!!!
Do you ever have one of THOSE days? THOSE weeks? THOSE months? I do! Sometimes I just need to walk away from everything and escape the chaos for a little while. This is one of our favorite places to relax.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park
Lake Michigan’s Beautiful Shoreline, Empire, Michigan
I love Michigan’s summers! Since it’s light until almost 10:00 p.m. this time of year, late afternoons and evenings the perfect time for painting. The sun isn’t intense, the winds are usually calm and everything seems more tranquil.
I took the opportunity to slap together a quick makeover using various leftover sample pots of American Paint Company’s chalk, clay and mineral paint. I dumped blobs of each color onto a plate and went to town. No deep thought, no planning ~ Ready, Set, GO!
The only thing I knew I wanted was a chunky, patchwork quilt type of colorful finish. I used American Paint Company’sBeach Glass, Orange Grove, Amber Waves of Grain, Home Turf, Dessert Cactus (and I can’t remember what else). Here’s what I ended up with.
To begin, I simply slapped on the paint and kept layering… and layering… and layering!
This dresser is a good representation of what’s going through my brain at any given moment.
To me, it’s not just about the color, it’s how a piece feels
I wish you could reach through your monitor and feel how silky smooth the finish is on this piece. It’s sealed with American Paint Company’s Light Antiquing Wax which adds a sunset-like warmth to the vast array of colors I used.
You don’t have to mix it up yourself and worry whether you have it mixed well enough to cure properly. It’s good to go.
You don’t have to fart around cutting the dark wax with clear wax just to make it glide on evenly. It naturally spreads out evenly without creating streaks you can’t blend into the finish.
You also won’t have to dilute it with Mineral Spirits like some chemically laden waxes require to make them work properly ~ just brush it on like you would Clear Wax and buff with an old t-shirt and you’ll end up with such a buttery smooth finish that you won’t be able to stop touching it.
Ok, maybe that’s just me
I touch a lot of painted furniture that doesn’t FEEL good
To create this look, take a variety of colors and start slapping it on in random patterns. Dry brush in every which way then use a little water to spread it around and repeat over and over again until you like what you see. I used a variety of colors from American Paint Company’s chalk/clay/mineral paints including: Fireworks Red, Home Turf, Surfboard, Orange Grove, Wild Horses, Home Plate, Beach Glass, Coral Reef and whatever else was within my reach that day.
I do the same thing with carpet, couches, sweatshirts and linens. Living room carpet needs to be soft enough to lay on, the fabric on a couch needs to be so comfy that you can crash face first into it… Yes, I’ve been known to lay on couches at LaZboy and I’m about as experienced as they come at picking out the best rocking chair. Ok ~ so I like to rock. One of these days I’ll share some of my earliest photos of this habit that I seem to have carried on to adulthood. Did I mention, I still rock my 10 year old? SHHHH ~ don’t tell her I told you!!
Leave me a comment below ~ I’d love to hear about your favorite color combinations!
Did you know that…
We’ve opened up a Shizzle Design Paint Studio at 2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, Michigan 49428? This is where Cathy and I paint our furniture but we want our customers to know that we’re here for you. We encourage everyone to stop in any time to buy paint or to get your questions answered.
We’ve taught people from all over the United States and Canada how to paint furniture Shizzle Style using chalk and clay paints? Join us for a fun and relaxing workshop. Click Paint Workshops to see a list of current classes offered.
You can Subscribe to Shizzle Design for tips, tutorials, ideas, pictures, videos for our furniture painted in all natural chalk and clay based mineral paints?
Did you know that you can get these sent directly to your inbox and that it’s FREE? It is ~ so what are you waiting for? Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
We have a Shizzle Design Facebook Page? We share all sorts of additional tips, ideas, photos EVERY DAY and offer special deals (which you’ll only know about if you’ve Liked our Facebook Page?).
Shizzle Design is an American Paint Company’s Chalk/Clay/Mineral Paints in West Michigan locations and sell both domestically and international online? Click LOCATIONS or Online Shizzle Shop.
Click here to see Shizzle Design Painted Furniture Makeovers
Click here to see our Shizzle Tips, How To Tutorials & Video’s
![painted-furntire-makeovers3[1]](https://i0.wp.com/shizzle-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/painted-furntire-makeovers31.png "painted-furntire-makeovers3[1]")
![Shizzle-Tips-and-Tutorials3[1]](https://i0.wp.com/shizzle-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Shizzle-Tips-and-Tutorials31.png "Shizzle-Tips-and-Tutorials3[1]")
![Funky-Finishes3[1]](https://i0.wp.com/shizzle-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Funky-Finishes31.png "Funky-Finishes3[1]")