27 December 2012

Artistic Finishes

As an artist in decorative finishes I'm always looking for that next color thats going to hit the mark.
For the next year....what trends are going to roll in...whats everyone looking for...
what do we HAVE to Have for that wall in the living room or that nook in the study.

How about this .... an amazing finish for the cabinets ....and even further...the panels to blend that fridge in...
Fabulous yes!?

And I LOVE this Chinoiserie treatment here....the color is wonderful...exciting but relaxing. 


I can see that this years color trend for finishes on furniture pieces and cabinets will lean between these fabulous shades of robins egg blues, true turquoise, fresh spring greens and soft sages.
A lovely relaxing natural palette of freshness.
I cant wait to find some antique pieces to work some finish magic on!


Happy Thursday Afternoon!

23 December 2012

Quietly Pondering more Shades of Green, Blue and Turquoise

Loving serene pale shades of turquoise and blue with pops of fresh green botanicals.




22 December 2012

Daydreaming in Shades of Emerald and Teal

Simply loving these shades of Teal and Emerald...some misty....some vibrant...all mesmerizing!

LOVE the artistic detail on the jeans....image via Glamorous Chic Life

NAILS! ....love everything about this icy shade matching the sweater... and that clutch...SWOON!
image via Glamorous Chic Life

Luxe Gorgeousness!  image via Glamorous Chic Life

image via Giselle Ottonello

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday!

Happy Holiday Planning!

20 December 2012

Free Motion Machine Quilting Tutorial


I'm Sharing this lovely quilt tutorial for a project that has been troubling me for years...perfecting a machine quilting technique.  If any of you quilt and have taken your quilt top and backing to the local quilt shop to be finished {quilted} then you know how expensive it can be and that it can take literally months to get back.  I've found a wonderful site, 'Oh Fransson!'  by Elizabeth Hartman, that has lots and lots of quilting tutorials and more.  Hope you all enjoy it and learn some new techniques!

Free-Motion Quilting Basics

Quilting2 
I prepare my machine as follows:
  • Fit machine with darning/free-motion foot.
  • Set stitch length to zero.
  • Lower feed dogs.
  • Fit machine with a new needle (90/14 Universal or 90/14 Machine Quilting).  Free-motion quilting puts a lot of stress on your needle, so using a stronger one is often a good idea.
I've read about lots of ways that people whose machines don't have stitch length controls or lower-able feed dogs work around this.  If you're one of those people and want to discuss how you prep your machine, or if you need tips, check out this thread in the Flickr pool. 
Quiltingsample  
For this quilt, I used Gutermann cotton thread in a light warm tan to match the natural Essex cotton/linen I used for sashing.

13 December 2012

Serene Palette

I'm Loving this color choice....pale icy blue walls, creamy white cabinets and trim and a white washed floor!
Notice how the planks of the wood floor are laid on diagonal ....it opens up the space so much.
Fab Home Office Space no?


Hope everyone has a lovely Thursday!

11 December 2012

Predicting the 'IT' color for 2013

Panetone's new color for 2013 is vibrant and energizing while calming and relaxing ....its a lovely shade of Emerald Green.......

via Cristi Holcombe





Happy Tuesday Musings!

04 December 2012

Sharing...its Caring!

It was a productive weekend....I've made three new bracelets to add to my Etsy Shop....and I think they would make lovely Christmas Gifts... although I'd love to hog them all for myself!
Here's to sharing....its caring!
'Ashenvale'.... 8" bracelet...I can size to fit your wrist.

'Key to Paris'  8" bracelet....can size to fit

'Key to Paris' .... packed with vintage pearls...black and white....and a tiny vintage luggage key

'San Destin Bay' .... 8" bracelet.....all the shades of the inlet at San Destin Beach...LOVE

Lots of gemstones in this one....packed with sparkle and shine

Love the Turquoise and Jade together with the faceted crystals
Happy Tuesday Musings!

Finals are next week...yay!  I'll be posting some of my drawings from Art class...have had a blast in that class this time and will really miss it.  I'm looking forward to next semester.

02 December 2012

studio Inspired

Its time to think of re-vamping everything....the apartment...the studio....the shop.
Seems like every winter brings this feeling that I want to make everything new again.... I'm already thinking of spring cleaning!  These studio spaces are full of light and bright clean space....space so desperately needed for creativity.  I love this book case and the the clear acrylic desk with brass base.

via Twig and Thistle
Love these soft gray walls and spacious desk
via Lisa Madigan
 I'm so inspired by Irideeen blog from the Netherlands.... crisp whites and soft grays and so incredibly organized...this memo board is incredible and I'm going to have to rip mine of the wall and make one about three times bigger so that I can space things out like this ...much better than all crammed together.
I love how each saved item is visible.... separated so that the idea is not lost in a pile of 'smoosh'!
via Iredeen
 Really really fab!  Yes I admit...I like shiny stuff!


Happy Sunday Afternoon!
Here's hoping next week brings completion of projects

23 November 2012

Fabulous Friday after.... Inspiration

Dark walls are so luxe!  I love the effect of these dark navy blue walls with bright white trim, metallic, black and then a pop of turquoise...this fabric is by the way the cutest ever....I adore this pattern and would love to find it if anyone knows where it came from.  
Its so fresh and totally comforting too!  This room is so beautifully done.


Swooning over these dark rubbed black bookcases and all the vintage books....those chairs are fab no!


Charcoal grey walls look so regal with these elaborate gold frames and crisp white trim.


And a lovely DIY project .... I want one of these!  Gorgeous frame with a black linen covered board inset would be nice...or like below...magnetic chalkboard....I do love a pretty chalkboard!  This one is over the top glam for sure....most suitable for any Diva's Studio!


Happy Friday Everyone! 
Hope you all had a wonderful family Holiday!

18 November 2012

Annual Holiday Sale

Rococo Cat Studio Booth at the Highlands set up for the Annual Holiday Sale on November 15th.
Finally I have some pics of the booth... we got it all decorated with lots of our hand-made Christmas Ornaments, Glitter Villages and lovely vintage items.  We have this gorgeous antique mid-century mod dresser in a soft french grey with silver pulls and a fab beveled mirror.
 A favored item is our refurbed vintage frames upcycled into dry erase boards and chalkboards.  
There's vintage birdcages turned chandiliers and reproduction art work and I've even preserved boxwood with no dyes so its retained its natural colors for use in wreaths, garlands and arrangements.  We're selling those in large bunches for only $12.00.  During the sale they were 40% off!
 Hand-painted and glittered french flair ornaments...Eiffel Towers, Crowns, Fleurs and more are now available.  We had these wall sections from an art fair we attended.... we had done several faux finishes on them....so we decided to pull those out of the barn and I stenciled our omage.... 'Pardon My French' , Haute Coco!  Mom made 'at my request...she said they were way to big' HUGE stockings from grey with faux fur cuffs. 
We found this adorable petite french table and two chairs that are perfect for a breakfast nook and painted it a soft gray with a distressed hand rubbed finish.... Mom hand-painted on the table top some lovely crowns and fleurs.  Its gorgeous....the chairs have a definite vintage worn appeal.... I love how the cane has aged.


 One of my favorite things is this vintage reindeer set.... I spruced them up with wreaths and some glitter...its still available as of Friday!
 I love Love LOVE the new window chalk paint pens I found....cant stop drawing on glass and mirrors!
 Hand-made pillows in gorgeous ikat prints of grey, pale blue and sage greens...with a FAB faux fur throw!

 This vintage Chandilier that I found at an estate sale some 15 years ago in Huntsville sold at the Sale on Thursday....now I'm on the search for another....
 Adorable little curio we found ...re-furbed and my sweety put a lock on it for me to display my jewelry designs.  I really LOVE this little cabinet!
 I've got a gorgeous large dining table that seats 6 in the booth for sale as well....it has a lovely inlaid top ...have to get better pics next time.
Bracelets and Necklaces are on sale in my Etsy shop too!
 Custom designed and built room screen....Hand-painted with a Venice Scene taken from an old masters painting and paneled back done with free hand painted wheat.

 Winter wonderland Glitter Village....we made these from Vintage Christmas cards and Glittered them and embellished them with little hand made wreaths, garlands, and topiaries....each one is unique!
 Handmade and painted glittered tags/ornaments from vintage cards, using vintage scrap jewelry pieces and ephemera to embellish and adorable hand-painted pincones in turquoise, pink and white with silver glitter.




 Hand-made Snowball Ornaments!


 Nippon....Cream and Sugar Dish Set....LOVE!


I'll be posting a Black Friday Sale in my Etsy Shop .... only on Friday!
30% off everything so come visit and do some Christmas Shopping!

Happy Sunday Morning!