Christmas Time = Present Time

I know, I know. Christmas is right around the corner... but I have to share one of the projects that I did for the $40.00 Christmas challenge... Painted wine glasses! Friends & family, cover your eyes ;)! How perfect! Bicycle wine glasses! Happy Holidays!

$40.00 Christmas Present Challenge

Who's up for the challenge? What is it you ask? For all you do-it-yourselvers, crafters and creatives alike why don't we use "stuff" we have to make Christmas Presents!

Rules: You have $40.00 to spend on all the materials, wrappings etc. The $40.00 is for ALL gifts. No matter if your making 1 or 100 gifts, that's the amount you can spend.

I'll post the gifts I've made after I've given them out, since most of my friends get notification of what I'm doing.

Keep us posted on what gifts you have been making for friends and family.

I'm off to screen print my Christmas cards on paper I already own!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day filled with friends, family and happiness... and maybe even on this Thanksgiving Day, there will be painting fun!

Wishing everyone the best!

Coffee Talk & The Perfect Color

Many of us have this problem, and it's not a bad one, of LOVING coffee! As I'm drinking my cup this morning, it hit me that the color of coffee, I drink mine with way more milk & sugar than coffee, is the perfect color for walls especially in the living room, family room or study!

My color pick is Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams, as the best color match for the perfect cup of coffee. I've used it in many applications and it's worked like a charm every time. The neutral color suggests a casual elegance that's sophisticated and warm.

If you're a lover of off-white, white and gray paint, than give Diverse Beige from Sherwin Williams a try. It will be a neutral backdrop for your furnature, and it'll be visually interesting.

Good Morning, and happy coffee drinking!

Wallpaper vs. Painted Surfaces

It's a hot topic right now in the design world. Why would you use a decorative painter, when I can use wallpaper? The answer is really simple... you can't achieve the layers, effects, colors and custom design with wallpaper like you can't with paint.

Right now the trend with wallpaper is bringing back the mixed patterns and colors of the 70s. This trend has made the decorative painters shift their portfolio to add unique textures and patterns that can't be found with wallpapers.

I'm fairly certain given a cape and gallon of paint, I could save the world!

Article in PWC

I wanted to share this with everyone... Kami Tremblay Design was mentioned in the September/October issue of The Painting and Wall covering Contractor. The article's called "looking Up" written by Eileen Smith Dallabrida, what a wonderful job she did.

To Prime or not to Prime?

This is a question I've been asked a lot this week from clients. "Do I really need to prime the walls? It's an extra step, I want it done now!"

It may take some extra time and money, but to get results like the pros, PRIME!

Here's why:
Primer seals the walls. It creates a layer that allows your next layer of paint to lay on thicker, richer and allows your final coats to look smoth and uniform. You'll block stains and odors, prevent peeling, and have an easier time top coating.


Getting a Professional look:
Spot Prime: If your walls only have a few imperfections, than you can spot prime. This means hitting the few areas on the wall that needs sealing. I.E crayon stains, bare Sheetrock, patched walls.

Sand Glossy Surfaces: You'll need to hit any surface that had semi-gloss, or gloss on it. By scuffing it, you'll give the surface some tooth for the paint to adhere to. You may even want to hit it with primer to add even more adhesion.

Dramatic Color Changes: To get the color you see on the chart, the correct primer is needed to achieve that. When trying to achieve a rich, dark, vibrant color, have the paint store tint the primer around the same color that you're painting. This will cut down the number of coats that you'll need and will give you an amazing final look! It's similar when going dark to light. You'll want to prime the walls with the correct primer, usually just white to achive the correct color.

There's no way around it. PRIME! Here's 2 of my favorite primers that have always given me the best results.

Harmony® Wall Primer from Sherwin Williams:

"Need an environmentally preferred primer for walls and trim?Harmony is made with an exclusive zero-VOC, low-odor and formulated without silica."

Multi-Purpose Latex Primer from Sherwin Williams:

A general-utility primer ideal for both interior and exterior applications. Its wide versatility and strong adhesion properties make it a universal favorite – plus it works without the solvent odors and high VOCs common with most stain-blocking primers.

Just in time for a weekend painting project... prime, paint and ENJOY! Happy Painting!

Sophisticated Wall: Greet your guests with Style

What does your wall say to your guests when they walk into your home? This home greets their guests with a splash of energy and sophistication. The min guests walk into the house, they know there welcomed.

One may ask what faux finish product was used for this wall. The answer is simple. Pure paint, and good old simple products that you can't find on the shelf of sophisticated faux finishers. I'm an artist, who pushes products to get results that aren't right out of the can... and that's the way I like it...

Embossed Painted Stairs: Adding a Special touch to a dull area

Sometimes hallways can't always shine the way the rest of your homes decor shines due to the lack of wall space and floor space. These home owners, wanted to add something extra to their hallway, and add some pizazz.
This was an interesting challenge. Since it's an older home in the Homeland area in Baltimore, I didn't want whatever we decided to do, jump out and clash with the style of the home. The final result was to do an embossed painted look, that picked up the banister colors. When you look closer there is a hint of gold to add some light in this somewhat dark hallway.

It was a happy ending for this hallway and an interesting way to surprise any guest when they arrive.

Painted Pumpinks Today

Everyone one needs a little recharge every once in awhile. Well up in PA on a farm was where I found that recharge to happen for today. Regardless of the clouds and grayness outside, the fresh air and autumn scenery was just what the doctor ordered for this decorative painter.


Now who wouldn't enjoy spending time in a place as charming as this?

Embossed stairwell: decorative painted with holds blacks and reds

Greet your guests with style. Red textured wall with gold highlights

Oil decorative painted kitchen backsplash

Greet your guests with style. Red textured wall with gold highlights

The Meaning of Painting and Clients for Me

Some days as an entrepreneur, decorative painter, it's tough. Making sure you have enough jobs in the pipeline, keeping up with e-mails and follow-ups. But it's the times when even 'mundane' straight painting can bring such joy to a client, give your purpose and all the 'tough' days disappear.

Back Entrance Way Floral Mural

I'm now realizing for the second time that every project I do, and every color I use ends up being my favorite. With that being said, lets take a peek at my new favorite mural project of the week.

Every project has an exciting story behind it. The addition/renovation of this house was about 2 years ago, and ever since then, the homeowners have always talked about placing a mural within this space, since the walkway really doesn't allow for pictures to be hung. Well they got their wish about having a mural! The best part, is they have no idea. Lets see how long it'll take them to figure out it's there! I'm not good at surprises, and lets hope they're not following my twitter updates or blog.

Back Entrance Way: Before Mural

Being from Georgia, this house has the look and feel to be found on the pages of Southern Living. I knew that this mural couldn't be just ANYthing, but had to have a sophisticated look and feel, like something you would find in Southern Living.

My inspiration came from hand painted Chinese silk paintings, and kept with muted colors and some hints of saturated color here and there. Taking hints from the way homeowners decorate is a huge key an help when you are deciding how to design your mural. This homeowner likes to use muted wall colors, and accessorize with pops of color, and that's where my color decision came from. I also decided to do this mural in Oil paint.

Back Entrance Way: After Mural

Floral oil Painting for Sale

That's right... I started an E-bay account today, to help fund the trip to Worlds for Michael Schiavone's on the US National Team to Australia. It's actually very big, measuring 36x48. It's the first in the series that I've been doing. Part of me really wanted to just try E-bay to see if it works, and then if it does, to raise money for Michel's trip...
Michael Schiavone's Story for Worlds

E-bay Link to BID!

Helping Clients Better Visualize a Mural Project

We all know that murals can be quite the investment, and clients should have a great understanding of what you're going to create for them before they sign on the dotted line. This not only protects the artist, but also the client since both parties knows what's going to be delivered.

I've found that taking an actual picture of the room or wall, then placing the sketches within the photo and using past projects can be a great visualization for the client, and it's fun too! It's a sneak peak to what can happen and the beginning to a master piece!

Here's a sample sketch for a chalkboard wall with slated stones and wood for a small engine shop... I'm already excited, and it's only a quick sketch!

Your goal is to generalize the feel for the mural. Since these are inicial sketches, let your client then determine what direction they want to go in.

CloseUp: Painted Faux Marble Columns