All Things NEW...

Wow, October, huh?  It has been a while...

First let me say ...We're sorry! If you don't follow us on Facebook (which you can right here: https://www.facebook.com/thestudiothatlovebuilt) you wouldn't know how busy we've been trying to launch The Studio and gettting ready for..... ONE SPARK 2015!

We're so excited to be one of the 555 Creators that will be showcasing their projects/ideas at this great Crowdfunding Festival!  We will showcasing a project near and dear to us: "The Bridge of Hope Project" and we're doubly honored to have The Wounded Warrior Project as our hosting venue.  Yay!

Our project is aimed at bringing attention to Suicide and Mental /Health issues in a unique and creative way.  As artists, involved with other artists, we hope to use art as a vehicle to bring attention these important issues.  How you ask?  Well, let us tell you:

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, suicide ranks 9th overall in the top causes of death in the US for individuals over the age of 10 (http://www.cdc.gov/)making it a leading cause of death in the US. It jumps to the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 15 -34. It ranks higher than homicide, HIV and many other diseases.  These days it's hard to meet anyone that has not been affected in some way either by knowing someone that has some type of mental illness, like depression, or knowing someone that has committed suicide - even if it's a famous celebrity.  We personally know the impact of both, all too well.

Our goal is to create a unique and positive way to help people that may be feeling depressed or suicidal.  We will begin by creating and printing decorative mugs that will have encouraging impactful sayings on them to help brighten someone's day.  You will be able to purchase one yourself or, better yet, purchase one to give a friend.

We then want to take it one step further... Our secondary goal is to get other artists to join our efforts in asking the City of Jacksonville to allow us to create murals throughout areas of the city where there have been large numbers of suicide or attempted suicide.  It is our hope that if someone were to see the murals with positive,inspiring sayings and images, that they would be inclined to think twice and look forward to a new and better tomorrow.

We hope to follow in the footsteps of people like Don Ritchie (RIP) {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Ritchie}, a man in Australia who, over the course of 45 years officially prevented 160 suicides near his home in Australia. Or, maybe in a small way, we'd like to be like our amazing host venue The Wounded Warrior Project that does so much for our country's veterans.  However, even if we only just reach one person- it would all be worth it!

Hope to see you at One Spark!

Be Blessed

https://www.onespark.com/festival/2015/projects/the-studio-that-love-built

DIY: Wall Picture Upcycle

I was given a nice set of wooden plaques/pictures similar to the ones pictured below.  I liked them, but they didn't quite fit my decor.  Have you ever had that issue before?   Well, I decided to do something about that (see the above picture) and it was easier than you might think...

You will need some supplies.  For this project you will need:

Wooden Plaques, of course

Spray-on Primer

A quart or smaller container of a water based enamel paint in your choice of color(s)

&/or a Spray Paint color or your choice.  If you choose a spray paint be sure to choose one one that coats in one coat.  

Another color for accent (optional) I chose a gold accent for the indentations on the plaques

1"-2" paintbrush - don't get a cheap one or you may have issues with the bristles falling off, making it harder to complete the job since you will have to remove the loose bristles and repaint the area.

Smaller paint brushes for detailing

A Container to hold water for clean-up

Paper towels or a rag

**If you have little ones around - something to keep them entertained

(I'm a mom so first to keep the little one entertained...  I chose paper and watercolor paints:)

Next, the first thing you want to do is prime all the plaques with two coats of the spray on primer. This is an important step and one you do not want to skip.  Since these plaques tend to be very slick and with a primer the paint can slide off or scratch off easily.

The key is to do thin even layers, from top to bottom - only slightly overlapping the layer before it.  Do not spray on too heavily or the paint will puddle or drip.  Follow the directions on the can.  Spray in an open area - cover anything you do not want damaged by the over-spray.  You can also use a primer in a can but it may take longer to dry.  Apply the second coat like the first.

For my plaques, I had two smaller plaques and two longer ones.  The longer plaques had small mirrors but I chose to spray over them.  Otherwise, I would've had to cover each mirror individually with tape.  It was more work than I wanted to put in.  For the smaller plaques, I spray painted them a nice aqua bluish color using the same technique I used with the primer - making sure I waited for each layer to dry.

Next, I used my paintbrush and enamel to paint the longer plaques red.  Just a word of caution here - do not use too much paint.  As I mentioned before, the plaques had mirrors, so there were deep "wells" where the mirrors sat and paint can puddle in these areas.  I used the smaller paint brushes to spread the paint around when this did happen.  After I applied one layer I allowed it to dry before applying the second layer. This is much harder than the spray paint since you can get brush stokes.  If you prefer a smoother finish, I suggest spray paint if you're new to painting with a brush. 

Finally, I touched up any edges or areas that didn't have paint or needed a touch up.  Then I got my gold paint and began doing the accents.  To be honest this part was tedious, so much so, I stopped midway through.  One of my daughter's finished the job though and then hung up our lovely paintings next to one of my original pieces of art!

I hope you liked this "Tuto", if you have any questions or have something you'd like to add - just leave us a comment below.  Also, let us know what other kinds of tutorials you'd like to see!

(Aiko had fun, too!)

Be Blessed!!

The Awesome-ist(sic) Partnership

So this week I (Aida) gave away our tent. You know the kind of tent we would use for an outdoor show - yeah, that tent.  It was for a good reason and all that, but... I gave it away and then told Shi.  Yeah...I know.

Truth be told that sort of stuff happens fairly often.  Not in a bad way or a defiant way...just when I think this is a good idea and I (or sometimes she) just "go for it."

I'm writing this mainly because I really thank God for the friendship and business partnership that He has put together. I trust her and she trusts me, which is pretty darn great for two friends sharing a business.

But besides trust there is mutual respect, too. I wouldn't cross a boundary or knowingly put what we are working on in jeopardy and I know she wouldn't either.  That's a great feeling!

So I just thought I'd share and Praise God for it in the process...also, I'd like to share a blessing-  May all of you that read this be blessed with an awesome Divine connection...

Be Blessed
Aida