Selling Our Home

It is official, our home is for sale. After 8 years and a crazy amount of renovations, we are leaving. If you know anyone that wants to live in the metro-Atlanta area, this is a great house!

Here are some of the renovations we did.

Living Room & Fireplace Before

Living Room Before

Living room after (still need to put photos in that frame)

Living Room -Front Door

I have actually changed the colors twice since we renovated. I can't help it, I like change I guess. My husband and I did 95% of the interior work ourselves.

Before of the Dinning Room

I believe this is a wall in the kitchen.

After of the Dinning Room

The kitchen was the last project because some other things came up, like the roof needing to be replaced sooner than we anticipated. But when it was done, it was worth the wait and not having an oven for 3 years. (It was a wall oven and it broke and since we weren't going to go with a wall oven in the new kitchen, we didn't want to waste our money on replacing it.)

Ta-Da!

Where the hood to the oven is used to be where the black microwave is in the picture above this one. It's that same wall in the kitchen.

Here is a work in progress shot showing the new drywall

We renovated pretty much the entire house. Even new HVAC, new roof, new plumbing, wiring, security system. You name it we did it all except the flooring, it is original. 

Lots of work and love in every square inch of the home. 

Design, Artisan Craftsmanship and Mess

I keep just about everything, broken jewelry, bits of paper and fabric. I just can't help myself. Fortunately, I am fairly organized so I kind of know what I have on hand when I get an idea for something.

Jelly jars to hold my bits and bobs, like Victorian era buttons and vintage gears

A tea box to hold my small works in progress pieces

The boxes that I store my personal photos for scrapbooking

I reuse lots of different things to store my stuff. However that doesn't mean it doesn't get messy. When I am actually designing pieces and crafting them I make a HUGE mess. I tend to get bored or stuck artistically, so I move to something else and just leave where I left off on what ever it was that I was working on. Because I do this it tends to look like all of my neat little boxes and jars just got dumped in the middle of the floor by my toddler. I assure you, it was me. Though my home is fairly tidy, my creative space it very messy. I have to pause and clean it up when it gets to the point that I can't find anything in the general area where I left it. Kind of like it is right now actually.

What my floor looks like when I am paper crafting

If it wasn't for my mess making I wouldn't be able to create my products and art pieces. I turn this mess into these beautiful things.

Yet to be listed bridal necklace crafted entirely out of vintage brooches

In teaching my children to value creativity and the things of the past, we read lots of literature together and look at artwork of all sorts. Some of our favorite stories are, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Through the Looking Glass-and What Alice Found There and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Well at the World’s End and Phantastes, and the artwork and illustrations that have been created by others inspired by these literary pieces.

Fantasy and whimsy have always influenced me and my creative process. This influence shows in my work. Steampunk, Victorian color palettes and a hint of our Celtic roots, myths and all, flavor my pieces. I pour a little bit of my heart, soul and history into everything I create.

I pull from my ancestry and the world in my head to create my Woodland line of products and fine art photography. It is the world I lived in as a child. When I create these pieces I am literally creating the images in my minds eye. I see these people and cultures, and see their lives, where everything has meaning. Which is why most of my pieces have a title and a story behind them. I photograph my woodland pieces in a story. It is my joy to create these images. It is my way of painting what I see. My way of honoring the One who created me. Using the Gifts I have been given to encourage others and tell stories, even the messy ones. 

Be Still- Merka of The Elves of the Woodland Realm series

A Pawn No Longer

I say, if your mess can help you create pieces that speak to you and to others, then have at it my friends. Makes mess, design, create, live life on all of it's roads, and only look back to remember that you have lived, even if it is messy. 

The Weaver

A Peek at What's To Come.

I have been working like crazy doing all kinds of fun things. Everything from new products for Made Again, Atlanta like this fun piece:

The Secret Garden

And some new bridal pieces created from vintage brooches, like this beauty:

Wedding of the White Queen

Aaanndd, working on some mixed media piece for my own personal sanity, such as this work in progress:

Needless to say I have been a busy bee.
What I really wanted to show you is something
for my next photo shoot coming up very soon.
I have created a fairy! Well, I am nearly convinced
that one of my children is an actual fairy. Seriously.
Just not the one I am sing for these images.

Here is a look at the progress of her wings. I used 16 gauge galvanized steel wire to sculpt the wings. It's pretty light weight and stable. At least for the size wings I
am trying to create. Mind you, I haven't created wings like this before, so I am kind of winging it. No pun intended.

After getting the size and basic shape, I added details and veins using a smaller gauge wire. I wanted to have a natural look to the wings. Like a bug would have. I didn't want a "dress up" look to them. After I got them how I wanted them to look I painted them a mat black using spray paint. The used some thick iridescent cellophane and  silicone caulk for make the "membrane"

Before Being Painted

After Being Painted

Cellophane Ribbon

Silicone used as an adhesive

After the silicone dries I will trim it to the wire so it has a cleaner look. I just have to put the arm straps on and the decorative details, and they will be finished. 

I am super excited to do this session. I am making some other fabulous props and costume pieces. Follow along for more behind the scenes and how I create my images and products.

What is milk paint and why you would want to use it.

Them Two Birds Organic Milk Paint

On the side I paint, refinish and build furniture and home interiors. I have a booth at two local antique shops, Woodstock Antiques and Marietta Antique Mall. However, I also do work for local businesses and designers. This coffee table is a piece for a designer. She wanted a red and grey distressed finish.

 I found a product by another local company here in the ATL, Them Two Birds. They create barn doors, rustic furniture and interiors using repurposed vintage and antique barn wood. They also have a line of paint called milk paint. What is milk paint you ask and why is it different from any other paint products?

Safe Paint in Barn Red

Genuine milk paint is technically a calcium-caseinate. That means simply that it is made from milk protein, (also known as casein) and lime, (also known as calcium), plus the earth or mineral pigments. There are casein paints of many varieties as well as casein glues and adhesive coatings. About a hundred years ago in Germany a casein paint was made using formaldehyde instead of lime. Another formula used borax instead of lime. Still another used additives like synthetic plastics such as acrylics, vinyls or acetates, and the list goes on and on. Many of these formulations are good paints, as are oil and latex. But they are NOT milk paints, so don't be confused with these other paints or chalk paint. I will do a post on chalk paint later.

Genuine milk paint should be as close as possible to the old primitive, home-made paint made on the back porch with skim milk or buttermilk, crushed limestone and pigments found around clay pits, or chimney soot and mineral colors crushed and powdered. This original paint goes back about 6000 and more years as evidence by early cave paintings. Them Two Birds milk paint is exactly that. It is manufactured here in the US, using natural, organic ingredients.

As it is free of:
- VOC's
- HAP's
-solvents or harmful poisons of any kind
-latex
-lead
-mercury
-petroleum by-products
-synthetic preservatives
-plastics
or odors it is safe to use on kid's furniture, toys, walls and whatever else you can think of. It is also excellent for those that are pregnant/nursing, trying to live a greener lifestyle or those with chemical allergies. Or people like me who a bit of all of the above. Also, the use of genuine milk paints can help you obtain credits toward LEED certification (LEED - NC IEQ Cedit 4.2- low emitting materials- paints & coatings).

Them Two Birds offers several different colors, including exclusive colors! It comes in pints and quarts and 2 different formulas. Original milk paint excellent for porous and bare surfaces and the safe paint formula for non-porous surfaces and finished surfaces. The safe paint formula, meaning safe for walls and non-porous is excellent for covering large surface areas. It is a bit smoother than the original formula.. I will be use ing the new formula on this project becasue it has a finish on it. 

This was a simple process:
1. Apply wax where I wanted the paint to come off
2. Apply the first color I wanted to show through
3. Apply more wax where I want the gray to show through
4. Apply the top color
5. Distress the piece
6. Apply a coat of tung oil (or hemp oil) for lasting protection

It comes in power form in a reseal able bag, which is fabulous! You simple mix however much you need with equal parts water. Now, I personally prefer to mix it a little on the thicker side when using it on non-porous or finished surfaces. It is not thick like latex or oil. The safe paint goes on pretty smooth, but there will be some unmixed powder in it, this is normal. Remember this is not latex. The original formula actually gets absorbed into the wood, kind of like a stain. Compared to latex that sits on top of the surface.

After all my steps, this is what I have:

The client was very happy with the piece. She wanted more red than grey showing and not too distressed.  The oil take roughly 24 hours to dry and 7 days to completely cure. After it is cured the finish is extremely durable and water resistant. For more information on their products and services, you can contact Them Two Birds on their website or Etsy shop.

The Making of Merka

When I come up with my ideas, I also figure out how I am going to accomplish the image I want to get. My goal would be to to get my image straight from the camera and be done, but there are somethings, especially in the genre I like to play in, that can't be done in real life. Yes, I am an original Star Wars trilogy fan. Why, because of the costuming! Among other thing of course. I digress...

Costuming and Makeup

I am all about reusing and repurposing everything. By everything I mean EVERYTHING. Here are some images of Merka's costume in the making.

I reused the suede off of a pair of boots that my oldest daughter wore and then passed to my second daughter. The zipper ripped out of them and I just couldn't throw away that fabulous tan suede. I salvaged it and tucked it away for later.I had also salvaged the "corset" loops on the skirt from an old purse my mom found at the thrift store. It had some faux fur (that I am collecting for another photo shoot) so she picked it up for next to nothing. I loved the sides of the bag and figured I could use them on an outfit as well as the faux fur. 

The boots I repurposed the suede from.

Pieces of suede from the boots.

                                

                                                  Indilwen Eruanna- Empress of the Woodland Realm

When I did the Indilwen shoot, I used spirit gum to apply her hear tips. Since I have no formal education on costume make up, I was just kind of winging it. This time I did a bit more research. I found that you can apply light weight appliances with a 3D makeup gel. It worked great with this shoot, especially since I was working with a 5 year old who has latex and other chemical allergies with her skin. The gel is gelatin base with no latex and comes off with soap and water, unlike spirit gum. The one issue is that it responds to heat. When it gets too hot, it starts to melt and get soft. By the end of the session little Merka's ears were falling off, though it was 5 hours later.

Her makeup look achieved using various shades of brown eye shadows applied in an ombre  fashion. I started with the lighter shade and blended out and up into darker. The metallic gold flakes are gold gilding flakes from a craft store. The flakes aren't as expensive as the sheets, so that worked well for my budget. If you are wanting the flakes to stay on for a long period of tie, say, for a con or festival, I would use the spirit gum to attach the flakes. However, since this was just for a photo shoot, I used hair spray. I sprayed a VERY light mist over the eye shadow to seal it. After it dried completely, I sprayed a bit on my fingers and dabbed it on her face. Then I pressed the gilding to the wet spray. You have to act quick becasue the spray drys ultra fast. I worked in small sections becasue the spray dried so fast.The gold stripe and dots were make using a metallic gold eyeliner.

 

Location and Capturing the Images

I just shot in my back yard and my in-laws yard. This is the tree in my in-laws yard that I just had to get some images with. It is stunning and HUGE.My in-laws, my husband, my friend, and my parents all helped me with this shoot on one way or another.

My father-in-law and my assistant for the day.

My husband photo bombing. Epic.

All in all I'd have to say it was a successful shoot. I am very excited for the next one. I have it scheduled for the end next month. The moss hair clips and elven crown are available in my shop.

Next: A look behind the Indiwen series. Remember to visit www.JenniferGriffinStudios.com  and like my Facebook page to keep up with the latest news and coupon codes for my Etsy shop!