Little Lori Logo

I've spent the last couple of days doing a painted mural of Certified Tire's logo onto the wall in the lobby.  They had previously had their logo on the wall in vinyl but it wouldn't stay stuck to the bumpy wall and the lettering would just fall off.   

I came in at the end of the work day on Saturday and worked late during the weekend so not to interrupt business during the day and so they would have full use back Monday morning. 

 

Here is the before photo of the wall.  It definitely needs something there.  Here it is at another angle. 

 

It's a nice shop and the guys there have done a good job fixing my own car recently when the rear axle broke. 

 

My husband took this photo of me while I was painting. I didn't know he did it until after.  I am glad he did take it though, so often I am the one behind the camera.  My kids know I get to do fun stuff but it makes it more special to have photographic evidence. 

 

The word Certified has a tiny white border.... definitely need a very steady hand to do the details.  At one point in my life I lost the ability to use my right arm, it took nearly a year to get it to work again and it shook terribly for the longest time.  It still shakes if I try to life something heavy or something over my head at times.   I have kept practicing to get the full use of my arm back enough to paint detail again, I'm happy it's good to go and it's steady again. 

 

Here it is all done! Now when they open on Monday morning the place will have a little piece of my work up on the wall. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Love Lori

Surprise Salon Makeover

   A couple of good friends decided for Melissa's birthday to re-decorate her salon while she was out of town, as a surprise present.  Here are a few before photos her daughter Jessica took. 

  

 

As you come in her back was tilted to the door.  Her room was bright and colorful but the color overload made the room feel smaller. 

 

On the other side of the room was all of her nail polishes and products. The totes didn't make it very easy to find exactly what you were looking for. 

 

In the corner is the pedicure chair, it looked like it had seen better days.  The mirror above the chair was definitely from a few years back. 

 

There were random chairs for guests and kids but it blocked the closet and it made the room not feel cohesive.  I didn't do the room design, I only helped with a small amount of input and building the shelving. Everyone else did a phenomenal job getting it from idea to completion.  I'm glad I just got to help out with my small part.  Here are the after photos:

  

 

Now as you walk in, it's more open... this used to be her desk.  No this comfortable bench greets you, as it sits below the shelves that hold the nail colors and nail powders.  Here you can pick out your favorite colors and Melissa turns them into an absolute work of art.  I need to get some pictures to show you of her nail designs, she is phenomenal! 

 

Across the room is her desk underneath beautiful lights that help illuminate her work area. All of her supplies are stored in the baskets up on the wall instead of in bins on the floor. 

 

The cracked chair covering where the feet go has been refurbished and it looks new again.  

 

The closet doors that were in the way are gone and this cute pop of color matches the window across the room. 

 My puppy did help supervise me. (I'm in need of constant supervision)  But my contribution was small.

  Here is a shout out to all of those who made this room happen in just a few days while Melissa was away.  It was so kind and considerate of them to try and do something so thoughtful for a wonderful lady. 

Michelle Short 

Jessica Blakely

Cory Short

Chelsey Ehlers 

Kortney Harding 

Autumn Harding 

Bonnie Dubois 

Dave Blakely 

 You all did an amazing job!  

Have a great weekend everyone,

Love Lori. 

Pirate playhouse

I had the great pleasure of getting to transform this awesome playhouse into every young pirates dream.  Here it is during construction.  The talented guys at Millgate Homes did the construction and I came in later to give it some fun additional character.  

Here are the bare bones, it was a whole lotta brown but it ended up looking much different. 

On the inside and outside I painted the brown to look like weathered old boards first. We wanted it to have that old pirate shack feel.  I then came in and painted the porthole window and ghost ship inside.  

 

Every pirate needs a treasure map! This fun family includes a kind daughter, several small boys and creative parents, we had fun including lots of surprises for the kids: including the rats. 

 

I think the rats are pretty cute additions to the house!

 

They scurry and scamper across the floor. 

 

They look like they are enjoying their new home! 

 

Now for the outside, they have treasure and a black crow, skull and swords and a sky.  They have put up stars stickers on the sky for a neat glow at night!

 

This big Kracken is fun, he is ready to grab the ladder and climb up to the top of the crows nest.  At night and aided by a black light the kraken gives off an intense glow. 

So much fun! The family had a great indoor turf installed and it was soft and fun to walk on.  The boys at Backyard Greens did an excellent job putting that in.  The grass is soft, even for the crabs who steal off with the treasure one coin at a time.  

I tried to include lots of hidden little points of interest for the family. It made me so happy to have the kids pop in each day to see what I was working on. 

 

This crow stands guard, as well as the sign to warn people to stay away. 

 

There are fun things to see all over the room. 

 

A skull is a warning, with swords that also gives off an eerie glow. 

 On the other side of the room is a rock climbing wall, painted like a cave. -I wish I had some more photos of that side of the room.... next week I will.  I painted a few bat friends to climb up to.   

It's always better to climb with friends! The family had so many great ideas and also let me incorporate a few of my own creative touches, they were an absolute delight to work with.  

All together I think the room turned out awesome! I realize I need a few more photos of things I have accidentally left out, I'll get those next week and show you what else I have been up to in the room. 

 

More to come! Please keep checking back.

Love, Lori 

Wood walls and soccer balls

Hi everyone, 

  It's been a long time since I sat down to write a blog post.  I have done some fun items for a really wonderful family and I want to show you how they are turning out.  

  First, they asked my husband and I to build a shiplap wall for their boys room.   Isn't this grey shiplap fun? 

 

It added some beautiful texture and dimension to the room.  Next I chalked out the pattern for three of his favorite soccer logos to go on the wood wall. 

I always swallow really hard when it's time to add the first paint, It's the point of no return.  No mistakes and no drips is the goal. 

My chalk lines are only a suggestion and not something that I follow religiously. Sometimes adaptations need to be made on the spot. 

 

I work alone quite a bit so it was fun to have a friendly and furry little supervisor around. 

 

So this is the finished product, here is Real Barcelona, Real Madrid and Real Salt Lake logos.  This was a really fun project to do and I hope they are enjoying the room, as much as I enjoyed helping create it.