Saliko's Soiree

After a lot of spraying, sketching, shading and erasing, we ended up with a lot of black-and-white fabulousness, with little punches of red just to mix it up a little.

Easy Chalkboard Decorations

Coming up with designs for a teenager's party can be hit or miss, so we've decided to do erasable decorations!  With a selection of large foam board panels, chalkboard spray paint, and a box of school chalk (do they still even use chalk in school?), I plan to make all kinds of decorative elements.  This should work for photo ops, buffet signs, and other decorations.  Hmmmm....I may even spray some black canvas for a chalkboard tablecloth.

First up, an entry sign which will pretty much cover our entire front door.  Best of all, it's erasable, re-usable, and budget-sound.  With all the fonts available online, you can do some beautiful lettering, as long as you can trace and erase.

Photos of the finished piece coming soon.

Cozy Woodland Cottage

For a Snow White-themed party for a lucky three-year-old, I built a 10'-tall entry archway to the main party space, which incorporated various faux painting finishes.  Yellow ochre, burnt umber, and burnt sienna acrylic paint, applied in streaks fools the eye into thinking it's seeing bundled thatch. 

A faux bois technique in a mahogany colors paired with simple grisaille painting for the shadows and highlights look like carved beams.

The arch of foliage in with leaves in ten shades of green mimic an espaliered tree, complete with twisted and braided branches.  To heighten the illusion, silk ficus branches and miniature apples are incorporated into the arch, and the young guests delighted in picking the apples, which were attached with velcro and ready to be picked over and over!  Shhhhh... don't tell anyone... this arch is completely crafted from foamboard.

Another entrance, this one in the shape of a tiny cottage, was built just tall enough for children... and dwarves.  To enter, if you're over four feet tall, you'll need to crouch!

In the Whistle While You Work Kitchen, hand-painted set pieces set the stage for pretend play fun.  We started with a 6-foot rental table and draped the top with a standard yellow cloth.  After that, we went to town with the painted finishes.  The backsplash features timbered edging, a mini cabinet, and a Delft blue tile panel.  A trompe l'oeil utensil rack depicts painted ladles, skillets and pans, with a few real wooden spoons mixed in.

Draping the table to the floor is a hand-painted canvas skirt which depicts shelves laden with baskets of fruit, eggs, mason jars, earthenware bowls, and all the things that make for a well-stocked larder, painted with no detail overlooked.