“Florentine Plaster”

The incredible Florentine plaster is an easy, yet gorgeous faux finish technique. Still, after about twenty years, one of the best sellers. FP looks like a multi layer technique, but is not. Production is fast, easy and can not be compared to other textured techniques, due to inexpensive application. Contemporary, modern or electic, take your pick, Florentine Plaster will always be the "talk of the party"

“Croco”

An exquisite crocodile leather look alike faux finish. Designed and created for a famous baseball player. The king size bed, custom made to highlight this faux wall finish. Mediums used: Water Putty, Olive oil, gift-wrap etc.

“Grandeur”

(`granjər,`granˌdyo͝or/) noun: splendor and impressiveness, especially of appearance or style. The dictionary says it all. This grandiose faux finish was created with MM metallic plaster, gold powder and assorted MM metallics.

“There's No Crying in Baseball”

An extremely fast and effective wall glazing finish resembling a baseball. Created with paint only.

“Tuscany”

I found this beautiful faux finish in Florence, Italy in the Orsini Palace.

Welcome to My Home

Hello and Welcome!! My name is Heidi and one of my passion is faux painting. However, there are otherpasions and I live them daily. Take your pick. Interior design, decorating on the shabby side, gardening, herbs, fashion, culture and and last but not least "Style". In my world, the day should have 48 hours and more.

I am here to share some of my adventures with you, because I love to share and teach. I hope that you come by often and stay a while. Thank you for sharing your time with me.
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts

Sunday, July 4, 2010

This is for you Arlette and Jerry........

10:10 AM   ,   3 comments



 
I have been working 24/7 putting in excessive long, long hours. So, today I decided to take a break, checking if there is anything else but weeds in my garden. I am here to tell you... it's bad. Re-designing my garden into an "Au Potager" garden has prevented me form mulching some of the my garden beds..One of these left alone and sad looking beds, was attacked today. At 4 am I went shopping for some tools and then I  was off to St. Louis mulch, where I am handled like a contractor, because I buy so much of the brown gold.. That you should tell you something.

It's mid morning by now, totally trenched,  my garden friend across the fence and I decided to quit. 

As I was working, Claude Monet, a French Impressionist painter, came to mind. Monet was  probably the most famous artist gardener. His gardens in Giverny/France, about 46 miles west of Paris, are famous to say the least. If Monet would  have not used his gardens for consistent inspiration, the world would  not have the "Water-Lilies" and "Japanese  Bridge with Water-Lilies"

Monet moved to Giverny,, a little village along the Seine, in 1883.Here he designed his famous gardens replete with a water pond,  stacked with water lilies.
According to history the ponds had to be kept meticulously clean. Every morning a helper had to boat around the pond, fishing out all spent blossoms and leaves. The pond was kept in pristine condition.

My trip into art history would have not been complete without thinking of my friends Jerry and Arlette in Nice/France. Small wonders do happen!!!! Bringing my thoughts onto paper, the phone rang . It was Jerry, calling me to wish me a happy 4th of July. Happy 4th of July to you and your family, Jerry!!

Jerry and Arlette were instrumental to help arrange a study tour for 12 students of the Faux Academy to Nice, to work and train with French  fresco artist, Evelyn Sauvage.  We stayed for two weeks, worked hard, learned a lot and got to know Nice and it's inhabitants, who were ever so gracious to welcome "the artists from America" .  Merci!!! Jerry and Arlette.



















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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Potager du Artiste......

2:29 PM   ,   2 comments

I am an avid gardener and a style/design geek. Since years I've been dreaming of a French"Potager du Roi" (Kitchen Garden of the King), or should I say "Garden of the Queen"? Presently, my "Au Potager"garden is a cross between a chaotic cottage, herb, and cutting garden..lettuce lurking through  the pink phlox, parsley enhancing the beautiful, bright yellow daisies, and sage hovering over my nasturtiums. You get my drift. Yes, and of course I use everything I grow, even the stinging nettles,  my gardener friends complain about. 





Taking care of my garden is only one of my passions. Eating the veggies I planted connects me very much to "Mother Earth" and keeps me mindful about the ever so humbling wonders of the Creation. In addition, it's more satisfying tasty.

To some people, a garden suggests veggies planted in straight rows. Flowers are more or less a luxury. But the flowers  have a long history in the "Au Potager" garden. The most important one being the gardens at Versailles, created by Jean-Baptiste de La Quintine the  garden architect  of Louis the XIV, the Sun King. It took five years  create these wonderful ornamental veggie gardens (1678 - 1683). So, I better get moving (literally)  with my garden design.
Compliments of

Audio File - Potager 

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Friday, January 15, 2010

Is it spring???

10:56 AM   ,   No comments

A wonderful springy morning to you in the Midwest.


This morning I received this via e-mail. OK, Lisa thanks for the ciggies, only you would know how hard it is not to have them.(two addicts in a pod) but who wants to know? Patti, Becky, Russ and Kathy left other goodies. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

 When I woke up this morning I felt better. No temperature, I guess I am healed. My Dad told me yesterday "weeds don't die" meaning that I am tough.
For the first time in a week I opened my drapes to let the world (friends and neighbors) know that I am still kicking ....I was greeted by sunshine  as if "spring had sprung"

Being ADD as so many designers, artists and creative souls including Leonardo da Vinci, my thoughts were racing. Get seeds, potting soil, get your cold frame going etc. etc. Too many thoughts to mention. BTW did you know that"normal" people have about 60,000 thoughts per day? Who would have known. I, on the other side (Jeanine did I get it??) have 200,000!  Only meditation helps me to get down to earth.

I love to garden and have many friends infected with this relaxing hobby. I can't wait to get out there. BTW many artists seem to think that.
Gardening is the epitome of creation
Trailer "Artists In their Gardens"
The film reflects their access to the process of artistic creation in their art as well as in their gardens and portrays four artists and their gardens: The Egyptian artist Ghada Amer, who lives in Harlem, New York, and is held to be one of the most provocative and innovative female artists of our times; famous Japanese fashion designer Kenzo, who has created his own little piece of Japan, centered around a garden in Paris, architect and theorist Charles Jencks in Scotland, who is regarded as the “inventor” of the post-modern and Austrian expressionist painter Xenia Hausner, who designed the sets for more than a hundred theater and opera productions in Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, London and Brussels. Courtesy of Österreicher  Rundfunk (ORF) Austrian Broadcast Network

Alas, I must go to the garden center.
 
I am grateful for my friends and family

Fondly, 
God bless






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