My Results are in ~ It’s Cancer

Dr. Post called with my biopsy results and told me I have a very rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma.

Continue reading “My Results are in ~ It’s Cancer”

April 22, 2015May 10, 2017

Whimisical Patchwork Style Paint Technique with American Paint Company Paints

Today I’m revisiting one of our most popular posts written a couple years ago. I love painting this whimsical patchwork style and on this cold, dreary, SNOWY April day, I needed a little whimsy to brighten my spirits. Hoping for warmer days ahead this summer. Enjoy!!

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’s Beach Glass, Orange Grove, Amber Waves of Grain, Home Turf, Dessert Cactus (a couple of these have since been retired and are on sale now here). 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 (retired, we have one can left on 4.22.15) which adds a sunset-like warmth to the vast array of colors I used.

I love APC’s Antiquing Waxes!

APC’s waxes are pre-mixed so…

You don’t have to mix it up yourself and worry whether you have it mixed well enough to cure properly.
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!!

These colors lift my spirits!

What do you think?

Leave me a comment below ~ I’d love to hear about your favorite color combinations!

May 29 – 31, 2015 ~ 3 Day Furniture Painting Weekend Retreat – Waukesha, WI

Visit our Online Shizzle Shop to sign up or read all the fabulous details here.

____________________________________________

A hui hou ~ Shelly

Shizzle Style Painted Furniture Makeovers

Shizzle Tips, How To Tutorials & Video’s

Funky Finishes

Did you know…

It’s just the two of us: My sister and I own and operate Shizzle Design which originated in my garage. We have and will continue to work hard providing the best customer service.
We specialize in painting furniture and are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable
We are blessed to teach people from all over the U.S. Join us for a super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshop in a casual & fun atmosphere. For a list of current classes, click here.
Subscribe to our weekly blog posts for tips, tutorials, ideas & painted furniture inspiration. Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
Like our ShizzleLLC Facebook Page We share what we’re working on EVERY single DAY so you’ll usually find out about new classes, new products, new furniture, sales… if you follow us there. The more you comment, the higher your chance is of getting our daily posts.
Visit our Pinterest Page for our portfolio & more inspiration here.
Our Painted Furniture is offered at: Shizzle Design Paint Studio 2018 Chicago Dr., Jenison, MI 49428 AND Not So Shabby at 2975 West Shore Drive in Holland, Michigan.
Shop Paint: Shop our large inventory of chalk and clay paint and supplies on our Online Shizzle Shop and at all three of our West Michigan LOCATIONS.

April 21, 2015May 26, 2017

3 Day Furniture Paint Retreat Workshop at Stone Fences Farm in Dousman, WI

Join us for a 3 Day Weekend Paint Retreat this Fall at the Beautiful 160 acre Stone Fences Farm in Dousman, Wisconsin. We’re joining forces with Ann Schneider of The Front Porch and hosting a Weekend Retreat of Furniture Painting, Creativity and Relaxation we’re calling…

Shizzle on The Front Porch

This Spectacular Weekend Retreat will be held

September 2015 (dates and registration will begin the 1st of May and limited to 25 students)

9:00 a.m. Friday – 1:00 p.m. Sunday

Stone Fences Farm in Dousman, Wisconsin

(for people flying in, you’ll want to fly into Milwaukee)

Continue reading “3 Day Furniture Paint Retreat Workshop at Stone Fences Farm in Dousman, WI”

March 8, 2015May 26, 2017

FREE Paint Demos on our NEW Paints & Finishes!

Want the scoop on the hottest paints?

Confused about which paints are good, which are junk, what’s safe, what’s not, what works, what doesn’t? Then look no further because Cathy have already done the homework for you. We’ve spent the past six months experimenting with all then paints on the market and are ready to share our favorites!

Join us,

March 13 & 14 for our Free Paint Demo Weekend!

Be the first in West Michigan to learn about our extraordinary new paints & finishes!

We offer the largest selection of chalk, clay and mineral paints in West Michigan

If you think that sounds fun, wait until you see all the different finishes we now have! White Wax, Bronze Mica Powder, Matte Varnish, Gloss Clear Coats, Black Wax, Liquid Wax, Stains, Satin Finishes and of course all the other awesome paint colors and finishes by American Paint Company.

I shared one of our new paint lines a couple of days ago and will announce the 2nd one tomorrow.

Here’s a couple of the pieces I’ve started.

I’ll finish them during the paint demos so you can see how all the paints and finishes work together.

Hope to see ya soon!

Sign up to reserve your space!

Friday, March 13

1:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo SOLD OUT

4:00 p.m Free Paint Demo, sign up OVER

Saturday, March 14

12:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo, sign up OVER

2:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo, sign up OVER

____________________________________________________

Save the Dates!

March 31 – April 2nd, 2015 ~ Go junkin’ with us at Round Top Texas

May 29 – 31 ~ Furniture Painting Weekend Retreat – Waukesha, WI

Stay tuned for times & all the fabulous details…

____________________________________________

A hui hou~ Shelly

February 26, 2015May 10, 2017

Black Lacquer Buffet gets a Whole New Look with Tarnished Platter Blue Gray, White Glaze & White Wax

We seldom have time for custom work anymore but I made an exception recently for a client who originally had purchased one of the other buffets I had painted. After she sent me the picture of what she was looking for, I realized what would work better was a piece with more ornate details. With that look in mind, we started searching for the perfect piece. She found what she was looking for at Fabulous Finds in Middleville, Michigan.

Here’s what it looked like when it was delivered to our shop.

I know, I know ~ some of you may like furniture sprayed with black lacquer. Me ~ not so much. Thank goodness we all can choose or this world would be pretty boring. Look away if you’re a big fan of lacquer, ‘cuz it’s about to disappear.

I hauled out my mouse sander to scuff this piece up a bit prior to painting. Did I have to ~ probably not, but I prefer to lean on the side of caution. A quick scuffing only took a couple minutes and gave the new paint a little more to bite into.

To recreate the look of the piece in her picture, I started with white using Navajo White by American Paint Company. I busted out my spray gun for this project. That saved a ton of time on, especially on the chunky ornate legs.

Base Coat of Navajo White

I sprayed over that with a coat of American Paint Company’s new Limited Edition color called Tarnished Platter. It’s a pretty, gray/blue color, deeper than Dollar Bill.

Paint Drying after being Sprayed

It looks funny in the picture because it’s half wet, half dry. American Paint Company Paint colors dry lighter than they look when they’re wet. Once dried, I went to town distressing the buffet to reveal some of the white paint underneath.

Distressing

I used sand paper and a damp rag creating different types of distressing. I love how a damp rag not only distresses through the layers, but how smooth it feels afterwards. I can really get lost in this process.

Distresssed before any finishes are added

During the creative process, I do a little ~ step back ~ check it out ~ do a little more ~ repeat… Cath was in Florida at the time so I could only work on it when I wasn’t swamped in the store so I probably spent more than a week just doing this. Because I was doing this piece for someone else, I wanted to make sure I didn’t distress too much so I shared pictures with my client each step of the way.

Can I just say, it wasn’t working for me at this point? What I mean is, it lacked the character I wanted to achieve. I wanted to present Jami with a couple differenet options of how to finish it but I really wanted her to be there when I did it so she could tell me yah or nay.

We decided to go with a white glaze and a white wax. I applied a slip coat of Top Coat to the entire piece prior to glazing. By doing this, it allows more working time while glazing and prevents any one area from grabbing onto the glaze. Do you have to do this? No, but it helps with American Paint Company Paints because it’s so porous and absorbent.

Slip Coat of American Paint Company’s Top Coat

I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a waxed finish so I was excited to share the glazing and waxing with Jami. I mixed a little bit of Navajo White Paint into APC’s Clear Glaze and started brushing it on the surface. On parts I used my brush, on others I used a rag and simply wiped on and wiped off.

Adding the White Glaze

The glaze isn’t a sufficient finish to seal and protect a piece such as this so I sealed over this with a custom mixed white wax.

Applying White Wax with my favorite Vintiquities Wax Brush

Before wax is buffed, it looks dull and flat

You can see in the picture below where I’ve started buffing the lower areas. See the difference in the sheen? I give all the credit to my drill buffing brush. It does a fantastic job of buffing and takes the strain off my hands.

Here’s some more detailed shots

It was so fun working with Jami. She was so appreciative of everything which made the project a lot of fun. Just this morning, she sent me a picture of it all set up in her entryway. Thanks again Jami! Enjoy!!

______________________________

Join us on March 13 & 14th for our free demos!

Friday, March 13

1:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo, sign up here

4:00 p.m Free Paint Demo, sign up here

Saturday, March 14

12:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo, sign up here

2:00 p.m. Free Paint Demo, sign up here

____________________________________________________

Save the Dates!

March 31 – April 2nd ~ Go junkin’ with us at Round Top Texas

May 29 – 31 ~ Furniture Painting Weekend Retreat – Waukesha, WI

Stay tuned for times & all the fabulous details…

____________________________________________

A hui hou ~ Shelly

Shizzle Style Painted Furniture Makeovers

Shizzle Tips, How To Tutorials & Video’s

Funky Finishes

Did you know…

It’s just the two of us: My sister and I own and operate Shizzle Design which originated in my garage. We have and will continue to work hard, God willing, to provide you with the best service we can because to be honest, it’s a fine line between feast or famine when you’re in our line of work.
We specialize in painting furniture and are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable answers for all your chalk and clay paint needs.
We are not paid employees of any paint company, we simply retail the paints? It typically takes me about 10 hours to publish one of my blog posts. Everything from shooting the photographs, writing the content, editing, cropping… is given freely. The only way we make money is if someone purchases paint, workshops or painted furniture from us.
We are blessed to teach people from all over the U.S. Join us for a super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshop in a casual & fun atmosphere. For a list of current classes, click here.
Subscribe to our weekly blog posts for tips, tutorials, ideas & painted furniture inspiration. Enter your email in the right hand column of our blog to stay in the loop.
Like our ShizzleLLC Facebook Page Be sure to click the down arrow to “get notifications”. You’ll see a lot more posts if you leave comments and share our posts. We are at the mercy of Facebook. On average, FB only “serves” our posts to about 20 people out of 6,000 people who’ve liked our page. Sad but true. The more you comment and share our comments, the higher your chance of getting our posts. We share what we’re working on EVERY single DAY so you’ll usually find out about new classes, new products, new furniture, sales… if you follow us there.
Visit our Pinterest Page for all sorts of inspiration here.
Purchase our painted furniture at our Shizzle Design Paint Studio 2018 Chicago Dr., Jenison, MI 49428 or Not So Shabby at 2975 West Shore Drive in Holland, Michigan.
Buy Paint Shop our large inventory of chalk and clay paint and supplies on our Online Shizzle Shop or at our West Michigan LOCATIONS.

I’m linking up to my favorite parties!!

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party

Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday

Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special

a hui hou!

Shelly

February 12, 2015May 26, 2017

Little Red Vintage Dresser

Sharing a quick blog post on a little red dresser that I started almost a year ago. I finally pulled it off the back burner to finish it. I chose American Paint Company’s Firework’s Red for this antique piece using random brush strokes to build texture.

Yes, I literally finished this one in the office.

I mixed up a custom glaze using brown and black to accentuate the texture and deepen the color.

I love the color of the glass drawer pulls. I’ve always love this color gemstone too.

I rolled her on off to our Not So Shabby location in Holland, Michigan where she’s looking for a new owner.

Feel free to share, pin, like and comment below

_____________________________________________________________________

We still have spots for next week’s furniture workshops on Wednesday, Feb 18 or Saturday, Feb 21st

Sign up HERE!

______________________________________________________

A hui hou ~ Shelly

I’m linking up to my favorite parties!!

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party

Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday

Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special

Linking up at these great parties:

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party
The Shabby Creek Cottage – Transformation Thursday
Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday
Redoux – Friday Link Up Party
Homespun Happenings – Rustic Restorations Weekend
Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special
Silver Pennies – Silver Pennies Sundays
Knick of Time Interiors – Knick of Time Tuesday

a hui hou!

Shelly

January 11, 2015May 12, 2017

How to Add Depth & Dimension to Painted Furniture

The fact that I love creating unique finishes on my painted furniture is not a secret. With so many people in West Michigan painting furniture, I really strive to create pieces that stand out. I’ve never really followed the beaten path anyway.

One of the things I love American Paint Company is that their products can be used in so many different applications. They have some of the neatest things to help DIY’ers develop There are so many fun products that my creativity is on fire.

Here’s a picture of the table before the applying the grit.

A friend of mine brought over a cool drum table she had painted and asked me to do my magic on finishing it ~ lol! She’s too funny ~ she’s the artist. She can paint… pictures ~ I just do the easy part. Laurie had painted a really cool clock face on the table top and I wanted to add a little more depth to create a more vintage feel. If you like this table, you can re-create it using: Dollar Bill, Home Plate and Gun Powder.

I lightly pounced my brush into some American Grit and then knocked off the excess by tapping on the edge of the jar.

American Grit adds another level of depth to a waxed finish. Make sure your wax is still wet so the dust has something to grab onto.

For this table, I used American Paint Company’s Dark Wax. It’s a great wax. Straight out of the can, APC’s Dark Wax will change the final color of your paint so do a test area on a scrap piece of wood…

I use it straight out of the container when I’m painting with dark and highly pigmented colors. Absolutely LOVE it! On medium colors, I prefer to mix it with Clear Wax. Why you ask? I do this so I have better control over how dramatic the color change is. The more Clear Wax added, the more sheer the antiquing will be. Does that make sense? I personally stick with Clear Wax when painting pastels or whites.

Laurie had already sealed it the paint with a clear coat but we noticed a few areas where the original mahogany stain had bled through the finish. Feathering in some dark wax is a great solution to the problem.

Create this kind of dimension with American Paint Company’s Dark Wax & American Grit

I applied a thin coat of Dark Wax feathering it out so it was smooth and even then pounced on American Grit, working it in to various locations until it looked the way I wanted.

To apply American Grit, pounce it around and work it into the wax. It’s such a fine make-up grade quality that it essentially becomes part of the wax.

I LOVE how it gets into all the texture!

Isn’t it cool how it picks up so many variations?

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel free to share, pin, like and comment below

A hui hou ~ Shelly

For more Chalk & Clay Painted Furniture ideas, tips, tutorials & inspiration, subscribe to our monthly newsletter

Post by Shizzle LLC.

I’m linking up to my favorite parties!!

Domestically Speaking – The Power of Paint Party

Miss Mustardseed – Furniture Feature Friday

Funky Junk Interiors – Saturday Night Special

Linking up at these great parties:

Shelly

December 24, 2014May 26, 2017

Merry Christmas!

My sister Cathy and I would like to wish each of you a very

Merry Christmas!

May you and your family be

blessed with

the most incredible joy

surrounded by

the most amazing friends,

enjoy the

happiest of times and

create treasured memories

that will last a lifetime!

I’m also feeling for and lifting up everyone who’s struggling with their health or has lost someone near and dear to them. May you all be surrounded with God’s amazing Grace this season.

Merry Christmas!!

November 30, 2014

In Search of Balance

Maybe it’s the Hallmark Christmas Movies, the loss of a dear friend or the two feet of snow that arrived five weeks ahead of schedule, but I’m feeling awfully sentimental lately.

I closed the studio to enjoy the first Snow Day of the season with my kids.

It was so refreshing to stay home and enjoy a good cup of coffee from the comfort of my jammies.

I need to make more time for this!

The past four years have been all work and no play. My passion for painting furniture has turned into a chore because I’m spending way too much time on the business end of things. I hardly every have time to paint which is where my passion lies. The joy is slipping away and I need to find some balance before I crack.

I need more time to treasure the little things

Remember the first time you saw the intricate formation of crystals within a snowflake? Seriously, what’s more magical than that?

I need help figuring out how to successfully market our business without spending 70 hours a week online. I need help figuring out how to earn a profit. Kind of silly to work 90 hours a week without one.

We’ll be closed the week between Christmas and New Years to spend time with family. Looking forward to being refreshed for a prosperous 2015.

November 6, 2014

Christmas 2014 ~ Shizzle Design

We’re burning the midnight oil getting ready our Christmas Open Houses.

Two of the Greatest Christmas Open Houses in West Michigan

open

Friday, November 7th, 2014!

Doors are locked until 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon at Caledonia Vintage Marketplace.

Doors are locked until 4:00 p.m. Friday afternoon at Not So Shabby in Holland.

At each location, vendors have stocked their booths with their very best merchandise, holiday gifts, treasures and unique finds. I will be at Not So Shabby Friday night to get a jump-start on my Christmas shopping.

We are offering

20% off

All furniture and home decor in our booth at Not So Shabby!!

Two Days Only ~ Friday, Nov 7 & Saturday, Nov 8

Friday and Saturday ONLY!

Take 20% off…

Holiday Decor is Priced to sell!

Christmas Gift Sets

Christmas Decor

A realy cool piece of Vintage Ceiling Tile repurposed into Art

(sorry about the blurry picture)

Awesome hand painted Merchantile Sign …

I’m tempted to go back to grab this because I LOVE this piece!

We’re also bringing in a lot of Christmas decor and are still working on hand-made gifts as well as paint specials and wax kits. Stop in and say HI!

We hope to see you next weekend

at our

CrAzy DeALs OpeN HouSe on Saturday

November 15 from 2-5 p.m.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Don’t forget about our Special Workshop Series going on Nov 14 & 15

Three classes from Intro to painting with chalk & clay paints to more advanced techniques teaching two of our favorite finishes and create & take paint parties. Read all about them here.

Register for a November Workshop HERE

or call us at 616.669.1414 to Register

A hui hou ~ Shelly

For more Chalk & Clay Painted Furniture ideas, tips, tutorials & inspiration, click:

Did you know…

Shizzle Design is a small family owned business in Jenison, Michigan. My sister Cathy and I work, paint, ship and teach our chalk and clay paint workshops out of the same space where we paint all our furniture. We are truly humbled to be known as a leader in the world of chalk and clay paints.
Cathy and I empower DIY’ers by sharing our years of experience. Stop in for paint and we’ll offer you honest and knowledgeable answers for all your chalk and clay paint needs.
Did you know we are not paid employees of American Paint Company? It typically takes me 10 hours to publish one of my blog posts. Everything from shooting the photographs, writing the content, editing, cropping… is given freely. The only way we make money is if someone purchases paint, workshops or painted furniture from us. If you enjoy the information you get in our website, please share and let us know.
We are so blessed to have taught people from all over the United States and Canada. Join us for one of our super fun hands-on chalk and clay paint workshops. Learn in our casual & relaxed environment. Click Paint Workshops to see a list of current classes offered.
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 ~ 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 tips, ideas, photos EVERY DAY and offer special deals (which you’ll only know about if you’ve Liked our Facebook Page).
Pin our posts on Pinterest ~ Find all sorts of inspiration here.
We sell our painted furniture in our Shizzle Design Paint Studio at 2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI 49428 and at Not So Shabby Antiques and Fine Furniture at 2975 West Shore Drive in Holland, Michigan
Shizzle Design is an Authorized Retailer for American Paint Company Paints. We offer a large inventory of chalk and clay paint and supplies at our Shizzle Design Paint Shop /Studio, 2018 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI 49428. We also stock several other shops in the greater Grand Rapid’s area, to find out where, click LOCATIONS. Not from Michigan? No worries, we ship paint and paint supplies worldwide through our Online Shizzle Shop.