Lacey doily - update

Here's the picture I promised, of the doily sitting pretty in my living room:

There it is, next to my two-seater

I don't really know if the colour can be seen, but it should look ivory-ish/off-white

Before I fitted the glass back into the table, I protected the painting with two layers of topcoat. I used an antique-coloured topcoat, so that the doily isn't TOO white, which is a tad in-your-face, I think. Now, after the double layer of topcoat, it has an off-white, ivory finish, which I love. It also goes well with the brown of the glass. Since I cannot bake the doily, it will have to cure here for 21 days, and then it should be fairly ruin-proof ;)

Lacey doily

Today, I finished a really big project :)

It's really big for me, because it involves something for my living room, and because it will sit there, and be seen by anyone or everyone who visits, I was (still am!) a tad nervous about it.

But, it is something I had planned to do for a long time, and yesterday was the day to do it!

'It' happens to be the glass-top of a side-table in my living room. It is an old side-table, and actually is part of a set that my mother gave me when she moved out of her home, and into mine.

So, here is how I did it, and the finished project is right at the very end:

First, I did a rough sketch of how I'd wanted the doily to look - but in the end
you'll see that I sorta changed it. A lot ;)

Then, I made this template to stick under the glass. Lace cannot be worked
free-hand - at least not for me :(

Half done! I first painted in the 'linen'; then, I put in the large comma strokes.

Finished at last: with the line-detail filled in with a liner-brush; then the dotting
- which I think brings the whole thingy nicely together!

Detail of the design: for anyone
who'd like to try it :)

This looks complicated and tricky, but all it takes is patience and a steady mind focused on the project. It's very therapeutic and relaxing. Painting meditation, if you ask me :)

(When it has dried, and been top-coated, I'll fit it back onto its table - and then, I'll update this with a picture of my project - sitting in the living room!)

Linen and lace

I enjoyed doing this piece.

I'd watched the video on You Tube, and I thought I'd give it a go. It was explained in Spanish, and of course I didn't understand a word (except maybe when she said, "... uno, dos, tres...." - at least I think that is what I heard! Hahahaha!!!

But she worked slowly, and step-by-step, I figured out what she was doing, and I tried it on my own. If you do go to the link, you'll see how perfectly accurate hers is - and in comparison, mine has lots of room for improvement. I guess that's why she's a 'Profesora de pintura decorativa' and I'm ...errr ... me! Hahahahah!!

The 'round' is a cake-board, of mdf, and after gesso-ing and a coat of paint, it was still rough to the touch, so I sanded it. One more coat later, it was perfect.

I love doing this, and I'm planning to work a bottle with a lacy design like this as well. I am always about: I did it once, but the real test is doing it again; and doing it better :)