It is Finished!!

I couldn't wait until tomorrow so added on to what I wrote today. I just completed the cabinet. It is still wet, and I'm a bit dizzy from the fumes (I refused to take everything out for the 4th time...so did it in the house!!) but happy it is completed! I had to darken the green stain, and put two coats of the brown stain on top, but am finally satisfied. I don't remember if it was 6 or 7 days...but many trips to HD and Ace and thanks to my sweet husband for drilling and cutting molding...and it is FINI!! YIPEE!! I think my next painting has to be something other than green...:)

Happy Day to you all!! Thanks for encouraging me along!! It helped get this DONE!!

They're Green!

It's been a little while since I re did any furniture. You'd think you could just strip down one thing and put another color on and be done; ha. There's making sure the color works with the wood you chose, there is new hardware, etc. So, I've got the stain on the cabinet. As you can see I chose a green that blends with some of the earthier greens in the paintings. I like it so far.

We had to sign up for HD TV service from dish network. It is complicated apparently. They sent a guy out yesterday. (The day I'd set aside to stain, so I stained while he was here). He had to replace our old dish and put a new one up. He called to me that he couldn't get a signal because a tree was in the way. He wondered if I couldn't cut the top of for him! Yep, if you know me from all my writings I was horrified! PLUS even if I was crazy enough to do it I would have to be 25' tall...hello Mr. Dish man...are you all in there?? Cut down a tree for a better television reception! That was out of the question. But, I sweetly smiled at him when I said it...So, he had to move the dish again. He did...Then he came inside to do all the inside connections and such...took out my hubby's office telephone upstairs for his phone reception...(I'm thinking I'll tell him after desert).

I had my new cabinet all figured out...what would go where...I was staining it. He says we have to put their receiver box with the new TV. Well...that messes up my plans...but I don't get frustrated, I just re figure stuff. Anyway...after about 3 1/2 hours the dish guy is finally leaving and I can finish my staining. I finished all but the top which I think will be a different color...a brownish to match some stuff in the painting and the other furniture. I happily left to get hinges to match the new cabinet knobs (see how they have a nature effect) (you can see them if you click on the picture to make it bigger) and 3/4" molding for the edges of the top. Came home with something that did NOT fit the profile one I took to HD that they assured me would work...and they didn't work. So, today off to Ace to get the correct ones or the spray paint to match (saw that on HGTV). THEN I can attach the top, molding, stain it all, add hinges and then seal the whole shebang!

So, this was the end of day 4 of the cabinet challenge. Sorry I didn't post last night...I pushed the wrong button on my new tv and spent a good little while figuring out how to get it back...aarrrggghhh! :) Happy Painting to you all today!! :) and welcome to my newest follower, Jeanne!

DAY 3 for my TV Cabinet

Day 3 of Cabinet Challenge!

After shadows are laid in.

Step One after base laid in. Trees are added in as I like them.

Ha (I'm laughing now). I got up this morning at 5 a.m., made my lunch, got ready, programmed my first sub job in the GPS my son gave me for my birthday and headed down to the city. Got there way early so went to Starbucks; so proud of myself for being SOOO organized! I even threw in a small watercolor set and Dana Marie's two challenge post painting ideas to work on during my lunch time and free periods...SUCH A GOOD SAUNDRA! Went in, signed in, went to the classroom...and no lesson plans. No problem I say...I'm set if the teacher forgot...but just to check I went to the office to see if she left the plans with the secretary...Come to find out...I was there the wrong two days! My days to sub for this teacher are two weeks in the future!! ARRRRGGGGHHHH!! We all had a good laugh and I promised to return in two weeks. The good news is I met the teacher I am to sub for and we realized we'd met at orientation years ago, and I got a couple jobs from her for the future...AND the other good news is I got to come home and paint on my cabinet!! WIN, WIN!! (cept I probably appeared a bit goofy) (Oh well...that's artists right??) :)

SO...been working on my cabinet some more. The doors are just laid on the floor as they will be...just to get an idea how to proceed...The next photo is what it looks like after I lay in the shadows and light sides of the tree. Now they are waiting for all the aspeny detail!

The last photo is the process right after I paint the background. I lay in trees before I paint the shadows and lights. The pics are sort of backwards, but I think you get the idea.

Still considering green stain on bottom and stained a cherryish color on the top...we shall see. I have to find someone who will router the outside edges of the top...

So, now to read the instructions on the latest big screen we got just last night!! You can see the bottom of it in the top photo. Yep, we turned on our old dinosaur tv last night and the color was going out!! My hubby looked at me and said "I hate this tv!". I knew we were in for another trip and another try at a TV. This one is smaller; which is better for the room it is in...the other one was so big I felt a little like I was IN the TV. We decided to bite the bullet and get a Blue Ray DVD also...I need another degree to understand the set up!! We decided to take it a little at a time...WHEW...All this just to get me to paint our cabinet...OR...was it the other way around...I forget...

Anyway, happy painting to you all! I seemed to have LOST a follower, so we are back to 5 before the next thank you drawing...OK...who dropped out! :)

Still at it, but changes are afoot!

Day one for panels 2 & 3 went ok. I've just laid in the background and a bit of collage thrown in for good measure. As I work these panels it is always in the back of my mind considering what I will do to the cabinet as a whole. I've considered a green stain on the bottom and a cherryish or darkish stain on the top piece. But, I may decide to just stain the entire piece...and then there is hardware to consider. FUN stuff.

So, the TV saga continues. Last night when we plugged in the old fashioned dinosaur tv so we could watch the color started going out! My poor husband just looked at me and said "I hate this TV". Who wouldn't after having a 40" for two days no matter how bad the picture was...and to go back to our little 19" oldie. I laughed because today he said let's go get a TV. So...back to the store. This time we settled on a 32" Samsung with a Blue Ray disc player. SURELY that will work! Of course we have to upgrade our satellite to HD, but we can still play our old DVD's on the Blue Ray...

This whole thing made us realize how technology had changed SO much in just a few years...you almost can't buy an old standard TV anymore...and now Blue Ray is upon us...ahhh life! Anyone wanting to know about the 480 transmission and 720 vs. 1080 and what size TV it matters on can always e-mail me...I'm glad to share what pittance of knowledge I now have!

Another new change. Tomorrow and Friday will be my first two days subbing. It's back to getting up at 5 a.m. to get to school and home by 3. I'm still determined to paint every day...but it will be different...Please be patient with me as my life changes yet again. It's still dark when I leave, so its back to banging pots and pans on the way to my garage. I still don't want to be eaten by a mountain lion...Yep that was a post some time back.

For those of you who get to paint all day tomorrow (if there are any)...Happy Painting!!

Just out of the gate

Day two of my cabinet self challenge. Well...we took the new TV back. We learned more than I wanted to about 480, 720 and 1080 and signals and, and, and...bottom line was we didn't like that particular model, and we need to research the blue ray thing and signal strength and other stuff I don't even remember! HA...

Here we are with this chopped in half cabinet and back to our little ancient television...but I still feel challenged, so off I go.

I like to do a bit and then lay it in front of the whole cabinet to think about what the other two panels will be. I spent a lot of time wondering if I should combine pines and aspen, and as of this moment have decided against it for this piece...HOWEVER...yipee...an idea of a new piece! LOVING THIS ART WORLD!!