Voici un petit résumé…

English further down….

Connaissez-vous le salon UniCréa ? Non ? Je vous le conseille vivement. Rendez-vous la prochaine fois qu’il aura lieu au château de Coppet/VD début octobre…

Une expérience tellement riche en rencontres et échanges que ce soit avec les visiteurs, les organisateurs ou encore les collègues artistes.

Comme pour toute expo il y a beaucoup de travail. Ca commence toujours avec la création et la préparation de mes pièces, de l’installation sur les lieux, 4 jours d’exposition et se termine par la désinstallation et les au revoir. C’est sûr que j’étais fatiguée mais quand on me demande si je le referai, ma réponse est 3x oui.

Je tiens à remercier Céline Dréveton la responsable qui a su motiver ses troupes dans toute circonstance et tous ceux qui ont aidé à ce que cette édition soit un grand succès. Des rires, de la gentillesse à profusion, des discussions – J’en sort inspirée, motivée et heureuse.

J’y ai découvert des créations uniques, insolites et tout simplement beau.

Un photographe a pris ces photos de deux (ou plutôt 3) de mes créations… 2 chaises relookées avec un design unique et une sacoche vintage.

Résultat final de la valise

Si vous l’avez manqué, pourquoi ne pas venir à la prochaine édition du salon UniCréa? Cette fois le salon aura lieu au château de Coppet du 5 au 8 octobre 2023. Vous n’allez pas le regretter.

Au plaisir de vous y rencontrer, je vous dit à bientôt

Heike

---

English text only

Do you know the UniCréa fair? No ? Then I strongly advise you to go there the next time it takes place.

4 days immersed in this universe that is UniCréa. 100 artists ART MODE DECO selected for this occasion.

Last weekend from may 4th to 7th 2023 I had the opportunity to exhibit at the UniCréa artist fair. In a simply magical place which is the castle of La Sarraz/VD.

An experience so rich in contacts and interactions with visitors, organizers and fellow artists.

As with any exhibition there is a lot of work involved. It starts with the creation and preparation of my pieces, the installation on site, 4 days of exhibition and the de-installation. It’s true that I was tired but when asked if I would do it again my answer is 3 times yes.

I would like to thank Céline Dréveton, the person in charge, who knew how to motivate her troops in all circumstances and all those who helped make this edition a great success. Laughter, kindness, discussions – I came home inspired, motivated and happy.

I discovered unique, unusual and simply beautiful creations from fellow artists.

The organization asked me to do a short demo to show how I create my pieces. A redesigned vintage suitcase was born and it immediately found a lover.

If you missed it this time, why not come to the next edition of the Unicréa art fair which this time will take place at the Château de Coppet from October 5th to 8th 2023. You won’t regret it.

I look forward to seeing you there

Heike

---

Find English texte below this post

Die tolle Künstlerin und meine liebe Kollegin Daggi @Gonepaintin hat soeben ihr Buch “Das Grosse Möbel-Makeover” heraus gebracht.

Was soll ich sagen?

• Wunderschöne Darstellungen
• Tolle Bilder – ich konnte mich gar nicht satt sehen
• Inspiration à go go
• Viele verschiedene Techniken
• Theorie und Praxis super vereint
• Daggi’s Grosses Know How macht’s einfach(er) sich trauen einfach mal den Pinsel in die Hand zu nehmen und anfangen
• Detaillierte und klare Informationen von Anfang bis zum Ende eines solchen Makeovers
• So viele brauchbare Tipps und Tricks
• 16 Schritt für Schritt Projekte zum Nachmachen – alle unterschiedlich aufbereitet. Von Rostoptik zu Shabby Chic…, von Decoupage zu Schablone… Alles da!

Es lohnt sich wirklich!

Unten seht ihr ein paar Ausschnitte aus ihrem Buch ” Das Grosse Möbel-Makeover”

Eins von den besten Büchern in der Art, welches ich bis dato in der Hand hatte. Sogar ich konnte noch ein paar Dinge mitnehmen. Und was mir noch besonders gut gefallen hat ist, dass Daggi nicht nur eine Marke vertritt sondern verschiedene präsentiert und über die Eigenschaften erzählt. Somit kann jeder für sich nehmen, was er/sie braucht.

Schaut doch mal auf ihrer Webseite vorbei: https://www.gonepaintin.de/ Dort könnt ihr es auch gleich bestellen.

---

English version text only…

Have you ever been looking for THE furniture upcycling guide? The search is definitely over! And if you speak German, then this is for you.

We all have a piece or two in our home, basement, attic that could use a makeover. The trend is upcycling, not throwing away. But how? Here’s how to do it.

This book is a ” must ” for all creative people and all those who like to do DIY

What can I say?

• Beautiful illustrations
• Great pictures – I could not get enough of them
• Inspiration à go go
• Many different techniques
• Theory and practice super combined
• Daggi’s great know how makes it easy to dare to take the brush in hand and start
• Detailed and clear information from the beginning to the end of such a makeover
• So many useful tips and tricks
• 16 step by step projects to copy – all differently prepared. From rust look to shabby chic…, from decoupage to stencil… It’s all there!

It is really worth it!

One of the best books in the kind, which I had in hand so far. Even I could still take a few things. And what I particularly like is that Daggi does not only represent one brand but presents different ones.

Take a look at her website: https://www.gonepaintin.de/. There you can also order it right away.

Do you love stenciling as much as I do?

I love using stencils for their versatility, be it so called normal stenciling or raised stenciling. I think that sometimes they just make THAT difference on a piece. I own a ton and when I say a ton I mean a ton. I bought myself 2 big art folders with presentation clear sleeves in different sizes.

They aren’t cheap but oh how practical. Each section/sleeve has a name such as “BOHO”; “BACKGROUNDS”; “SWIRLS”; “MANDALA” etc. Flip through them to find THE one or more of course you want for your piece. So time saving I can tell you LOL

Don’t worry, stenciling is not that complicated and you really can get superb results on your pieces. The challenge people (and tbh I put myself with them) encounter mostly when applying paint through a stencil

• The paint is seeping behind the stencil – it’s also called bleed through and this can cause a blotchy print or the edges are not clean or crisp. Very frustrating and discouraging.

---

Here are a few things to keep in mind for the so called normal stenciling

---

Use as subtle background

I also like using the stenciling as a faint background design. When I place my stencil I will not go over every single area, be very light with my paint or with my gilding wax that I like to use to create the design. 

---

Raised stenciling is my absolute favorite 

For the raised stenciling you may use different mediums such as joint compound or paint with a texture additive medium. I like using both, depending what I have on hand at the moment. Paint, waxes, powders…. catch in the nooks and crannies achieved with the stencil. Love it!

The challenge is the same as above – seep through the design. 

• Advice: Tape the stencil to the surface to prevent shifting. 
• Smooth a layer of texture over your stencil, using a spreader. This can be an old credit card or a silicon spatula or a plastic spreader. I like the Dixie Belle mud spatula or a silicon spatula best.
• Tip: if you like it structured and not smooth then once you applied the medium with your tool, dab lightly over the medium to create some kind of roughness.
• Apply firm but even pressure. If you have a splodge once you take the stencil off, scrape it away while the medium is still damp, using a tool with a flat edge or an ear cotton bud. 

---

---

ADVICE: For every raised stencil design

Let dry completely. Sand back any highpoints/ peaks and smooth out with a 220 grid sanding paper. You can now paint your piece and let it dry. Apply darker waxes or gilding waxes or paint to enhance the raised stencil.

---

Sometimes no colored wax or creative powder is needed to enhance the finish if you play with paint color layers on top of the stencil like below

---

Examples of some of my stenciling

---

Whether or not you would prefer to use raised or normal or 3D stenciling on your piece is a personal choice. Just remember to have fun end enjoy.

So, to reply to the question in the title “stencil or not to stencil?” Don’t be afraid, just have fun and enjoy.

Happy creating and stenciling

Heike

I have always loved color. On my hair (yep, it has changed several times throughout the many years), my clothes, in our house and today in my furniture painting. 

I remember when we built our house I wanted colorful walls but the painters looked at me with big eyes and said: “we only paint white – color doesn’t look good on walls”… Come again? I don’t know what kind of painter this was but I wasn’t going to let my idea of colorful walls go. I painted them myself – that was 25 years ago. At that time my color choices (each room a different color) might not have been the best. I think that “less would have been more “.

Colors have changed in the house throughout the years. Today I mostly went back to more neutral walls but having a few splashes of color either with my furniture, for my decor or on part of the walls.

My love for color is definitely reflected in my painted furniture that I do. And although it’s more of an intuitive painting for me, I sometimes have a look at the color wheel and see what might work better or best with a color I chose. Which is the complementary color of green or blue or red? It helps. It’s definitely worth to get one if you want to use color in your life. That being said, I do what feels right and feels good and create my own shades of said complementary color. 

One thing I’m sure of is that color really can effect us emotionally. Put a few splashes of a color you like and fits the scheme into your interior. This can be a statement piece of furniture or a few colorful decor items. It brightens up a room and makes you feel good without maybe consciously knowing it.

To what colors are you drawn to in your interior or in your creative painting? Which ones make you feel good?

---

Doing a feature wall, or a staging wall for photography for example, doesn’t have to be expensive and it’s not too difficult. It really just needs time. I had done a staging wall for my photos this year and here is one I did with Charlotte from Furniture Revivals in Zurich for her workshop wall. She wanted an old world look and yet a certain elegance to it.

We both think that we achieved our goal.

This is what we used:

• Wooden panels
• Texture medium for a rougher structure for the base. You could use joint compound or plaster
• Paint – different shades of neutrals. We used Dixie Belle Paint and Annie Sloan
• Texture medium to create raised stencil. We used VP Antico from Artisan Enhancements but you could absolutely just use joint compound or any other brand you like or have on hand. 
• Saltwash and Sea Salt Fizz (Autentico) 
• Stencils (these two are from Artisan Enhancements: Damask and script)
• Tissue paper (you can also use any decoupage paper or rice paper or even napkins)
• Mouldings (we used Woodubendmouldings #1309)
• Waxes to enhance details
• Paint brushes, sponges
• Water mister
• Sanding paper 

Here are a few pictures of the wall we did:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

---

I love the old world look and with it comes the French style. So I thought I’d share some thoughts on the staging of such an item. As this look is timeworn with patina it’s best to use items that are themselves timeworn or use items from the flea market that go with the style. 

• Old books (leather bound or taking off cover). Bundling them for example and keeping them together with lace ribbon or/ and twine. Not everyone has really old books in the house, so you could paint them and decorate with decorative molds, stamps, decoupage etc. to give them the look 
• Music sheets 
• Vintage cards or faded pictures 
• Stone busts or pots 
• A piece of lace draped or even lace ribbons (don’t cover all) 
• Dried flowers (be careful of choice – subtleness is the word of the day)  
• Candle sticks 
• Gather your little knick knacks, decorations, collectibles and put it all up on a tray 
• A vase with fresh flowers, an aged looking amphora or dry brushed terracotta pot with some greenery also works well 

---

People ask me this question a lot. That’s why I thought I would share a few thoughts with you.  

Although we all hope inspiration just pops up, it usually isn’t that easy. So when I’m stuck and it does happen more than I would like, where do I get my inspiration from?  

I love faded patina so anything with old world look, texture, rustic and patina and color usually catches my eye. Nature in general, old doors, house facades, abandoned backyards, gardens or places, architectural gorgeousness and so on.  

I am lucky enough to live in two very opposite countries. Mountains, lakes, pasture land and a lot of greenery in one. Sea, heat, drought, cacti… in another. Meaning I get quite a few opportunities of inspiration in both places already.  

And if that doesn’t work, well… Pinterest is my place of choice to go to. 

---