Seasonal & Life Changes

You may or may not have read that recently I made some decisions about my life and my business. The economy crisis in Portland has hit hard. In April, 2009 unemployment in the Portland-metro area was at 12.1%, and the state of Oregon at 12%. Unfortunately, luxury-based business, such as high-end decorative painting and murals have suffered.

Luckily I have many more talents to fall back on, and I made the decision that Shakti Space Designs will no longer be doing interior, decorative painting. Right now I'm trying to figure out how Shakti will exist in my life. It may be a while before that final decision is made, but right now I'm thinking that I will continue to do painted canvases and commissioned art pieces. Nor have I decided how this blog will continue. Obviously you will no longer see interior home projects created by us. Well dear readers, I'd like to ask your opinion.

What do you like about my blog?
Would you like to see me showcase and highlight other high-end decorative painters and their work?
Would you like to see highlighted interiors with some elements of decorative painting or furnishings?
Would you like to see various types of artists highlighted?
Would you like to see a more personal side of me?
Would you like to see more of my personal photography?

I just don't know yet... but I respect what you have to say and would love your feedback. Please.

For the immediate time being I am focusing on a new venture. I have re-entered the corporate workforce as a Database Marketing Program Manager. I have returned to my old corporate life and I have a fantastic six month contract with a prestigious software company. I just started last week... this is the end of my second week. My brain is fried and adjusting to the pace after six and a half years has challenged me. I am blessed in that I get to work remotely, so I'm not living the cube life. But I am working in solitude most days. I no longer have the freedom to go out and do what I want to do, when I want to do it. It's a whole different kind of self-discipline and time management game.

So, thank you for offering your opinions. Thank you for being loyal and supportive. I have the best support system. I'm so grateful for old and new friends, online and offline, nearby and far.

For The Love of LusterStone - Decorative Painting's Finest

Click picture to enlarge

Greetings all... I'm still here, and I'm here to show you a master bedroom wall that was completed in June. I've been waiting for the entire room to come together before I went for a photo shoot.

This project is a good example that demonstrates highlighting one wall can make all the difference in a beautiful design. The room would be lovely with painted walls, but in my opinion a little flat. We highlighted the headboard wall to add some dimension. This LusterStone plaster finish shows that decorative painting/faux finishes done right adds panache, sparkle, and luster. What do you think?

Click picture to enlarge

Below is a picture of the room before all of the new furniture was brought in and the decorative accessories. Big difference don't you think?


Photography and wall finishes by Shakti Space Designs. Interior designs by Whirlygig Designs.

Small Cabinet Completed

Hey everyone! The cabinet is finished! To refresh your memory. I asked you to participate in the redo of this small cabinet. I gave you choices and you took a survey. 31% of you voted for the wood grain vinyl flower finish.

Here are the inspirational designs...

And here is the final piece! Ta-da!


It's cute right? I know, I know... it took long enough. But hey, it turned into a much busier summer than I anticipated. I've been unraveling, participating in the fishbowl, healing open wounds, sweating from record heat, dog/house sitting, and looking for corporate work.

If you're interested, here's how the cabinet progressed after my last post.

After my trip to Kinko's to use their oversize copier I had my 450%-sized copy ready to go. In order to transfer the copied design to the vinyl I used chalk on the back of the copy and rubbed the entire surface. Then turned the copy over and traced that design onto the vinyl. Once that was all traced I was ready to cut the design with an x-acto knife.


Applying the design was easy. A little more time consuming than I anticipated. I was hoping to stick the vinyl on the top, then pull the backing off in one fell swoop. However, with all of the drawers, doors and trim it would not have gone smoothly. So, it ended up being a puzzle. That's okay. It gave me time to ponder my dreams as I brought this cute creation to life.


So, now what? I'm going to sell it. Any takers?

For Nellie Ide Henry

The caterpillar dies so the butterfly could be born.
And, yet, the caterpillar lives in the butterfly and
they are but one. So, when I die, it will be that I
have been transformed from the caterpillar of earth to
the butterfly of the universe.
-- John Harricharan

My 98 year old grandmother, Nellie passed away the morning of August 29. She was the matriarch of my father's family. She had a strong and silent presence. When she spoke, she spoke with honesty and integrity. Many times with quick wit and often with a sharp tongue. She had a wicked sense of humor and loved practical jokes.

She hosted holidays with aunts, uncles and cousins until the family outgrew her small home. Ask any of us and we'll tell how much we loved her homemade noodles with chicken. My father would have raved about her oyster stuffing made special for Thanksgiving. She loved to cook, but most of all I remember her baked goods; pies, cakes and cookies. My favorites were her incredible date pinwheel cookies.

Late in life she became a prolific quilter. Her works were crafted with great care, and always from the heart. I am happy to own one of her beautiful creations, and use it almost every day.

All her life she managed to get by without ever getting a drivers license. There was always someone willing to take her places. We often took her on family vacations. Sitting quietly in the car, she always seemed to enjoy the sights and sounds while tolerating my brother and I bickering in the back of the station wagon. Still tolerating us as young adults cranking Violent Femmes to rid our angst during long road trips.

When my father died I moved away from Ohio to find myself, establish my independence and put some much needed distance between some family dynamics. Unfortunately I didn't make it a priority to get back to Ohio much. When I started my business over six years ago, funds for travel just weren't available. I missed a lot of opportunities to learn about her, and vice-versa. I know she understood why I moved, but I will spend the rest of my life kicking myself for not seeing her before she passed.

Dear Grandma, you will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for inspiring me and showing me how to be a strong and independent woman. May you and dad watch over me as I continue my passage through life.

Small Cabinet Continued...

Thanks for your patience and continued support everyone! I'm getting back on track. My thumb has healed. The weather has cooled. Portlanders don't do well during major heatwaves. Many of us don't have homes with a/c so we suffer through with swamp coolers, spritzer bottles and cold washcloths. Now that it's cooler I can turn the studio lights on and work comfortably. I've also been paying more attention to all the other millions of "to-dos" on my list. But here we are, moving onward!

The cabinet is painted - a nice fresh coat of white. The doors go back on tomorrow. I soaked the hinges in paint thinner to get the layers of paint and grime off of them.

The design for the vinyl has been selected. I decided on a grouping of chrysanthemums which are feminine and work with the feminine curves at the bottom of the cabinet. The design was chosen from a Dover Sampler and I increased the size on my copier to test the scale on a photocopy of a cabinet picture. 150% did the trick.

click on pictures to see larger size

I then traced the design onto tracing paper to visualize how the piece will turn out. I liked it. I measured the width of the design which is 6.5". Then I measured the actual cabinet which is 29.5" wide. Using my handy proportional scale I matched up the original size (6.5") with the size of the cabinet (29.5") and knew my design needed to be blown up 450% to transfer the design onto the cabinet.


450% copy increase requires a trip to FedEx/Kinkos to use their oversize black and white copier. Now I'm ready to transfer the design onto the vinyl.


Stay tuned for more....

What's happened to the cabinet?

Wondering how the progress is coming along? Well, I confess, I'm a pussy when it comes to the heat and just as I was getting ready to work on the cabinet the heatwave hit Portland. Since many Portlanders don't have a/c we suffer through, complaining a lot. Three days in a row the thermostat inside our house registered over 90. So, I'm here, I just haven't been productive or moving much because I'm sick of sweating. Seriously, I don't even want to turn on the studio lights because I know they'll heat up the space. Don't you feel sorry for me? This week looks a lot more promising, forcasting 80s and possibly some rain on the way.

To top things off this week, I ended up in the ER on Thursday after the avocado pit won over the knife - too bad my thumb got in the way. No tendons harmed, and I talked them out of stitches - so I now have steristrips healing the deep cut.



I know, I know... you're going to tell me the best way to remove the pit from an avocado. I've done it the way chefs do it for years... this time it was just too slippery for my own good.

in the meantime....

This brought a smile to my face this morning. See you all soon.