Farmhouse Primitive

My partner Krysta (K-Rock to my L-Camino), spotted this awesome old handmade cabinet and we scooped it up! It was made very well, barnboard backing, solid shelves, somebody must have taken great care crafting this for his sweetheart:)

Here is a shot of the before...old, cracked, chipped, wormholed, and long since it was loved.

 

Now to be fair, it looks a lot better in this photo than it did when we went to pick it up! This is what the lady (who was gonna redo it) took as HER before shot...ours would have been a sanded down, half painted blue mess..yuk.

 

We hauled it home and put it in the shop, it sat for a few weeks while I pondered over and over again what to do with it. I bounced a lot of ideas off Krysta, and we must have talked about this thing like 10 times at least. And then as always, it is as though lightening strikes my brain, and I am consumed with the vision.

 

I started this by painting the "hot spots" out in the base colors. When I say "hot spots" I'm referring to the areas that I intend to distress. I always put great care into selecting these areas, they should be those most likely to naturally distress, and to keep things interesting throw a couple suprises in there. I chose from our vanGogh Chalkpaint Collection a rich GO TO base color Balsamic

 

I then went over the balsamic with the color Lipstick, at this point I also began to color block in the inside shelving, I knew I wanted the interior to really pop so I did the top of the shelves in Lipstick. I had to do a couple coats to get it really really rich red. The color is amazing, but the red pigment requires a bit of coaching to get it deep and dark:)

 

I taped off the interior and painted out the back walls in a gorgeous shade called Muse, I then also painted the entire exterior the same. Now what I feel is really worth mentioning is the coverage. It was amazing how this light shade covered all that darkness to well.

 

I decided to bring all the colors to the inside in a color block manner, so I painted the edges of the shelving in Balsamic. The exterior was already in rough shape, and I have never gone this far with distressing before. Farmhouse primitive is not my usual finish, but I was super excited to give it a shot! Here is what turned out, and has now been deemed the "cameo finish".

 

Inside of cabinet

 

 

A shot of the cornice

 

 

And a snapshot of the whole thing, please excuse my complete lack of photography skills, and this was taken all by my cell phone! hah!

 

 

The cabinet is a stunning piece, if you would like to see it in person come on by Cameo Boutique in unit #8 Whippletree Junction! For further information on vanGogh Chalkpaint, or to find a retailer in your area go to, http://www.vangoghchalkpaintcollection.com/

 

For a list of upcoming workshops at Cameo Boutique check out our website http://cameostore.wix.com/cameoboutique

 

or find us on good old Facebook!

 

whats cookin??

I love to cook, I never follow a recipe. Measuring doesnt work for me either. Something about it goes against my grain, I like to keep it loose and shoot from the hip so to speak.
This afternoon I decided to treat my kids to some muffins for an after school snack, the lack of eggs required some creativity.

What I DID have in stock was, frozen grated zuchinni from my garden as well as frozen blackberries we harvested....from there I tried to think what would work without eggs. This is what I came up with, and I have to say it turned out fantastically.

Total prep time, 5 mintues, heck I didnt even thaw the frozen stuff all the way.
preheat oven to 425

wet ingredients first. ( to let them thaw a bit)
one sandwich size ziploc of frozen shredded zuchinni
one cup frozen blackberries
1 cup milk.

throw in
one heavy hand of steel cut oats
one handful of hemp seed
half cup brown sugar
about three/four cups premix pancake powder

toss this all together to moisten, the zukes will throw off a lot of moisture as they cook. as will the blackberries. it was a really chunky batter. This batter stood for about 10 minutes while I dealt with my 4 year old...as a result it rose up nicely from the pancake mix:)

butter your muffin tin. fill muffin tins almost full.
bake for about 40 mins, do the old toothpick test to make sure it comes out clean.

Viola, easy muffins that are healthy (ish) and a great way to use up your fall harvest. It turned out the perfect dozen muffins, and they were pretty good!

conclusions and beginnings.

Today was the first vanGogh workshop in our new studio space! I had some last minute nerves, mainly due to feeling "underprepared". We only got our hands on the space yesterday, and needless to say it required A LOT of work to make workshop ready.


This morning was spent hastily gathering last minute supplies while trying not to ruin my "real teacher attire" and break into a sweat before I even got going! We even made a studio sign before the class started just to cameo up the joint.

The whole class showed up. We were off to a good start! Everyone had a great time playing with the broad color palate, experimenting with combinations, and distressing techniques. The workshop took the full 6 hours as outlined, including a couple breaks and time for chatting and product review. As the instructor, I have to say thank you to the students. As much as I taught them, I feel like they taught me more, here are some participants having some fun!

 Everybody has such a different perspective on color combos, encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones and experiment really pays off!

You can see more of what Cameo Boutique has to offer by checking out our website http://cameostore.wix.com/cameoboutique there are always updated class schedules, featured vendors and information about the services and products we provide.


Today was the conclusion of a long week of preparations, mixed with long hours of work. it also was the beginning of our future. These workshops are great for sparking creativity and selling our vanGogh product line, which you can see here http://www.vangoghchalkpaintcollection.com/

we call it euphoric diarreah

I know I know, gross! but funny! Come on nobody is too old for potty humor.

So today I began to get our new studio space set up, this involved a LOT of work, from cleaning the walkway and raking up fresh roofing mess, to scrubbing out shelving units and floors..all in preparation for the first Cameo Boutique workshop featuring the vanGogh Chalkpaint Collection!

The workshop is tomorrow, and tonight I am like a pendulum swinging between two physical reactions. Euphoria and ....well you know.

I dont know why Im so anxious, we sell an amazing product line. (check it out!) http://www.vangoghchalkpaintcollection.com/ and since I created one of the finishes I teach, really it shouldnt be too nerve wracking!

You can see what has now been deemed the Cameo Finish here, http://www.vangoghchalkpaintcollection.com/blog/

Kathy's blog is an amazing resource if you need a bit of inspiration, or just want to look at pretty stuff:)

Well If you are reading this please wish me luck....tomorrow is a big day for our little boutique

the answer to the question....

Ok so, I have been getting the same question a LOT lately....and some of you may have been wondering too.
"Where the hell have I been?"

It has admittedly been a long time since I posted anything here on my blog.

SO, back track to early sept, my last post.....the creative juices were really clouding my mind, I was desperate. I needed a fix, a solution, something to help me scratch that 'itch' that wouldnt let me sleep at night. I stayed up so late painting, creating, and working that my home started to crumble, dishes piled up, kids went unbathed, the laundry....well thats a blog on its own. I was burning the midnight oil so to speak.

Remember how I mentioned that voice that started whispering in my ear? I refer to her as my creativity. Well, the bitch wont shut up. I let her in slightly and now she has taken over my whole life!

SO the answer to the big question is, I'VE BEEN AT CAMEO BOUTIQUE! 

I opened a SHOPPE!! with my good friend, who is also exceptionally creative! We are located at historic Whippletree Junction in the Cowichan Valley!

We offer a fantastic platform for cottage industry artists to sell their wares in a boutique setting. We also carry the vanGogh chalk paint collection which you can see here http://www.vangoghchalkpaintcollection.com/

The boutique has pretty much taken off with a gusto, and we proudly are now offering classes in our secondary studio location!! which is conveniently right beside our boutique:)

for a full line up of classes, and to keep up with the ever changing stock in the boutique check out our facebook page OR our website

http://cameostore.wix.com/cameoboutique#!classes

so there you have it, a one time dream has now become a reality...and as an early blog stated..EVOLVE!

Buy a ticket

Today has been another pendulum swing of emotions. Heart bursting elation, and terror. You know, the kind that hits you in the stomach and makes you sick. I have heard how tough it is and scary to open your own business, and have successfully managed to talk myself through it daily.


The optimism is winning for this hour.

great idea~ check.
great partnership~ check.
supportive husband~ check.
amazing location~ check.


money...err?? well there is never enough right?

I have had the dream of owning my own unique business for years, and it really feels like all the components are starting to fall into place. Things started to evolve naturally, and I dont want to look back at missed opportunities all my life.


Quite some time ago I watched the movie " eat pray love". I am a sucker for Javier Bardems odd combination of brut and hot. Couple that with the accent, well.....Im hooked.

As memorable as Javier was in that role what I really remember is that scene of the man praying in the church, asking God to grant him a lottery win.


The reply was buy a ticket.



You can take a look at our new business venture here
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cameo-Boutique/445582272149612?ref=hl

laws of attraction

I have been told, more than one time, that what you put out into the world is what comes back to you. This theory is based on the laws of attraction, and I have to tell you, Im a believer.

This past two weeks has been a flurry of activity, I guess I may as well put it out there that I have been steadily working for months towards owning my own Boutique. A place to sell my creations, the products to refurbish renew and refresh, and a place for local DIY artisans to do the same.

It called Cameo Boutique. DIY & Studio Supply. Things are really cooking as far as progress goes...but back to the laws of attraction.

Yesterday my partner Krysta & I went on our first buying trip, we cruised the island from Mill Bay to Ladysmith in search of diamonds in the rough. I certainly was happy with my finds, two really cool benches, a chair and a side table. The hunt is part of the fun for me, I am and always have been a "rummager".

Remember that china cabinet I blogged a while back? Well I sold it, and its proud new owners sent a truck for it yesterday...and boy oh boy did they have a suprise for me!

There I was sanding away at my little project chair (will add photos soon) when this flat deck truck shows up at my house loaded to the hilt with FURNITURE!! Two handsome men hop out, inform me they are here for the cabinet, and would I like all the furniture on the truck?? UHM HECK YEAH! without delay they unloaded 8 gorgeous vintage chairs, and the most exquisite barn door Ive ever seen

Freebies are the most elating thing in the world for me, the only thing better than finding a great project, is having them dropped off for free in your driveway!