St Catherine's

The addition at St. Catherine's left their residents without

a view. With a little ingenuity, creativity and know how

we replaced it with an even better one!

Sad goodbye

And here is what you should not do with your Neon ... ever......

leave it on a tray with Rock-Kote......

Don's first time eating grits!

At the Southern Institute of Faux you will learn so much more than just decorative painting!

Idal Convention in Memphis 2009

We are in Memphis at the IDAL convention. We have already visited with several of our students and we wish you all could have come. It is always inspiring to be around other artists and see all the latest products and techniques. Yesterday we gave a couple of presentations that went very well. We had developed a couple of new finishes for the show and they seem to be a hit. We will bring all these great new techniques and products back home with us to share with you guys.

Keep in touch!

Scotland

What a gorgeous place...

Kitchen transformation

Featured in Stages Magazine May/June 2009

For close up CLICK ON IT!

Painted Drapery

Love the simplicity and elegance of this job

Just fabulous

Vacation in Destin

Our dear friend Gloria is joining us on our trip to Scotland, so she is offering her time share condo in Destin, Florida (that happens to be a week before the trip) on May 31st through June 7th, for a very low price of $800 or best offer. The Condo accommodates 2 adults and 2 children, or 4 total; all amenities are included. You can check it out at www.ClubDestin.com.

If you are interested please contact Gloria at gloriapcabrera@yahoo.com

We hope somebody will take advantage of this opportunity to spend eight glorious days on the beautiful Gulf Coast for a VERY good price!

LOL.

The FauxHaux

TattooWall Class

Hands on day!

Thanks to all of you who made this experience so much more fun and memorable. Special thanks to Gaia from "Architexture", and of course, to Susan Ford from "Susan Ford Photography" who is responsible for these amazing pictures.

Our chefs of the day were Ines, Julia and Lavonne.... YUMM.... Thank you.

Mary King's Close

We will be visiting ....

Hidden beneath the Royal Mile lies Edinburgh’s deepest secret: a warren of hidden ‘closes’ where real people lived, worked and died. For centuries they have lain forgotten and abandoned…
Until Now…
Don’t miss this opportunity to visit Edinburgh’s most famous Close where you will experience the sights, sounds and maybe even smells of an amazing street that time forgot. Where everyday people went about their day to day lives and where you can now walk in their footsteps. Perhaps you'll even get to meet them…
VIEW the workshop of Andrew Chesney, the last resident of Mary King's Close

WITNESS the highs and lows of living in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries

VISIT the home of a grave digger's family to discover the truth about living with the plague

http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/

Congrats

A New Master in Town!!

Congratulations Teri on your master certification. We are super proud of you!

TAPAS SWAP

We have a new and exciting idea:
Four days of free style canvas painting!!!

In lieu of our previously scheduled Marbling and Faux Bois Class that was to be held April 13 through 17 (now being hosted in Scotland in June) we have elected to schedule in a 4 day open studio use for canvas painting.


TAPAS SWAP
The origin of tapas is unclear, but one legend has it that tapas was first cooked for King Alfonso X el Sabio ruler of Castile in the thirteenth century. The king suffering from an illness, was required to eat small quantities of food and wine between meals. On his recovery, he advocated that wine was not to be served in inns without something more solid to accompany it.

However, most consider that Andalusia, not Castile, can lay claim to being the birthplace of tapas. In this famous wine-making region, it became customary to serve wine with either a slice of bread covered with ham or cheese, or a saucer with some other food, covering the glass. This acted as a barrier, preventing flies or other impurities contaminating the wine, and so it began to be known after the word "tapa", which means a cover or lid. From this starting point, tapas spread throughout Spain, and now beyond.

HERE IS THE IDEA

The swap begins at 3.00pm and ends at 7.00pm
Every one brings a tapas with the recipe that you will swap with others.

We can make copies here at the studio.
Everybody brings a bottle of their chosen beverage.
Each one brings a canvas no bigger than 30" x 36".
If you have particular brushes make sure to bring them.
We will provide all the "in studio use" products excluding foils, gilding and Modellos

The studio doors will be open at 10:00 a.m. as usual Tuesday April 14 through Friday 17 but the swap begins at 3.00 p.m. until 7.00 p.m. each afternoon, you can choose to come as many days as you would like.

There will be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 10 artists per day.

The studio fee is $175 per day.
Note: This is NOT a teaching class.

Call 601-919-FAUX (3289)

Scotland site to click on

*

Wondering what to do in Scotland?

http://www.perthshire.co.uk/index.asp

Just remember you are also taking a class!!!!!

Scotland trip update

Hello Everyone,

There is a lot of buzz going on about the up-coming trip to Scotland. We have had several good questions and issues that we need to address.

Question: Will Cait be teaching the same curriculum she has taught here in the U.S.?

Answer: She will be teaching marbling and faux bois. She will teach a few of the same and will offer variations in color and technique. She will also be teaching the masters technique of gilding. If you have taken from Cait you know that she always teaches at full blast. I could take the same class fifty times and learn something new each time.

Question: Will SIFF certification apply for this course?

Answer: No. The hours for this course will not apply toward your certification with The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing however, Cait will be offering certification through her studio Carte Blanche.

Question: Will you be making this an annual event?

Answer: This year is special for many reasons. Cait has opened a new teaching facility and has graciously invited us as her signature studio to come for the first summer class. Because of all the economic changes of late this is the best possible time to hop across the pond. The exchange rate is great and tourism is low which is the perfect combination for this once in a life time trip. We have secured great accommodations with a hearty Scottish breakfast and dinner for an unbelievable price. We have no plans in repeating this offer next year because we really have no expectation that the stars will alien!

Question: Can anyone come?

Answer: We are taking 8 students with a companion of their choice. When we fill the 8 available student spots we may have some vacancies if they select to go alone then others will be allowed to take those spots. We have no itinerary planned for the companions.

Creating your own world...

Photo courtesy of Stages Magazine

Marguerite Travis has certainly taken our slogan in stride. Last summer we had a visit from Marguerite. She toured the studio mentioned that she wanted to update a few things around her home. I suggested that she take a few classes and learn the skills to do the updates herself. Well take a few classes she did! A few days after our first meeting Marguerite was signed up and ready to start! As with most of our students she was amazed to discover her inner faux haux and she was hooked. Pick up the latest issue of Stages and take a look at the transformation in the stunning dream home. Marguerite has certainly created her own world.