Make a Leafy Tablecloth

http://www.marthastewart.com/271159/making-history-aging-pots?czone=home%2Fdecorating-outdoor-living%2Foutdoor-living-decor

Mossy Flowerpots and Planters

Although mossy pots are available in fashionable flower shops, you can make your own. Paint unglazed terra-cotta pots with yogurt, buttermilk, plant-food solution, or beer, then rub with earth; keep pots moist by planting something in them and watering. In three months they'll look centuries old.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Decorating Outdoor Spaces

Although mossy pots are available in fashionable flower shops, you can make your own. Paint unglazed terra-cotta pots with yogurt, buttermilk, plant-food solution, or beer, then rub with earth; keep pots moist by planting something in them and watering. In three months they'll look centuries old.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Decorating Outdoor Spaces

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/garden-containers#slide_12http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/garden-containers#slide_12

Stacked planting pots

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/garden-containers#slide_11

Striped Terra-Cotta Pots

Here's an easy way to give new life to old terra-cotta pots you have around the shed: Paint them to create coordinating stripes. Using masking tape in various widths, mark a simple striped design on the pot. In a well-ventilated area, spray the exterior and the rim (and any accompanying saucers) with weatherproof spray paint; let dry completely. Peel off tape.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Decorating Outdoor Spaces
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/garden-containers#slide_9

Decorative Flower Pots and Planters - Pigment Dyed

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/garden-containers

Decorative Flowerpots and Planters
Pigment-Dyed Pots
http://www.marthastewart.com/273395/painting-pots?czone=home%2Fdecorating-outdoor-living%2Foutdoor-living-decor
Garden containers need not be only terra-cotta. Our ideas for creative flowerpots and containers will enhance the beauty of their contents.

For cheerful containers, stain pots in colors that complement their contents. Terra-cotta is very porous, so it's important to use materials that won't harm the plants, like the all-natural powdered pigments shown at left
carabau

Any good art store should carry this brand of pigment : http://www.jacquardproducts.com/


Read more at Marthastewart.com: Decorating Outdoor Spaces

Turquish Tapestry by contemporary artist Silvia Williams

This painting is in wrappe around canvas. It is a 20x20. Mixed media. Visit http://silviawilliamspaintsmixedmedia.blogspot.com or write swsilart@gmail.com

4 Methods For Achieving Cleaner Colors and Crisper Values in Your Paintings

http://emptyeasel.com/2008/12/02/4-methods-for-achieving-cleaner-colors-and-crisper-values-in-your-paintings/

FLEXALL for GREAT TEXTURE in your painting by Gail A Stivers

This tip comes from Gail A Stivers

For those looking for a more inexpensive way to create texture in your painting, I suggest you look into using FLEXALL® patch material.

I got a bit tired of paying for the expensive texture mediums available in the art market, so I went to our local big-name lumber store. A nice gentleman talked to me about the various materials used by those in construction, and mentioned that FLEXALL® was a bit different, in that it wasn’t just plaster, but had additives that made it stronger.

We decided, for my needs, that it would be the best. And so far it has been, in several different ways:

1. It’s inexpensive.

One gallon costs around $14.50, which would only get you about 20 oz of modeling paste from an art store. Depending on how much texture you use, a gallon can last you quite a while.

2. There are more sizing options available.

You can get it in pints, quarts or gallons, or in tubes for easy application.

3. It’s fairly quick-drying.

Set up time is about 30 minutes, depending on how much you use.

4. It works well with paint.

FLEXALL® is used specifically for filling and painting, so it readily adapts to fine art painting. It comes in a white and off-white color base, so you would use the white. As with gesso, you could wait until dry, or use with color.

5. The texture doesn’t crack.

This is why I use it. You can use as little or as much as you would like, and although I haven’t used this for structural-type of texture, I HAVE used it fairly thick and it dries without cracking.

It is also a great base for adding other textures to, like stucco for a gritty base. It holds many different forms of texturizing quite well. You can stamp or draw into it, and you could even sand it, though I would suggest using a mask, ventilation and eye protection for sanding.

6. No special tools required.

FLEXALL® can be molded with hands, painting knives, trowels, or thinned and painted on with a brush. Clean up is easy—just use soap and water.

To read more from Gail, please visit her blog, Abstracted Perceptions.

Softening hard edges in your watercolor paintings