One of the best things about doing what I do is how people will suggest something that I hadn’t thought of, and that allows me to create a totally unexpected design. This happened yesterday when I applied some different colors to a design I had done before. Right before my eyes, this traditional stencil design (which I’ve always loved…) blossomed into a much more contemporary pattern.

The customer liked the Finch Stencil but asked if it could be used in a timber frame home with a more modern feel. She has my swatch kit and wanted to know if I could make this in Black, White and Cottage Red Read the rest of this entry »

This article has been publshed by DivineCaroline, a pretty cool women’s website. You can check it out by clicking this link.

Back when linoleum hadn’t been invented and the first settlers were looking for practical ways to decorate their homes, painted canvas floorcloths were used extensively throughout the countryside. Materials to make them were relatively easy to come by, and itinerant painters could whip up some beautiful designs to imitate more expensive marble tiles and harder-to-come-by oriental rugs. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I went to the Weathersfield Elementary School to talk with some 4th graders about the old schoolhouses in Weathersfield. The Town has commissioned me to produce a canvas mural for the entryway of their new school. The mural will celebrate Weathersfield’s schoolhouses through the years. We have chosen 1860 as the approximate year which will be represented on the mural. At that time there were 13 school districts within the town with one-room schoolhouses in each district.

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Are you thinking about creating your own canvas rug? Wondering where to start?

First, I would recommend that you start small. Sure, a big 8′ X 10′ floorcloth under your dining room table would look wonderful, but that’s a huge project and if you’re not set up to do that, it can become very overwhelming very quickly. Think of a small area that is begging for a little color or a touch of your own unique style. Maybe in front of the kitchen sink or in a hallway. Floorcloths do best on solid, smooth surfaces like hardwood or vinyl floors.

OK, so you know where you’re going to put it. Now what? You need a piece of canvas. The heavier the better, basically. You can go to art supply stores, but generally their canvas is for paintings which will be hung on a wall, not walked all over. It tends to be lighter than what you’re going to need. While you decide what you’re going to paint on your floorcloth, we could be shrinking, cutting, priming and hemming a piece for you. That’s the “grunt work” and we’re set up to do that. We can make virtually any size you need, in 2 weights. #8 is heavy and durable. #4 is the heaviest canvas we carry- it’s harder to paint on because it’s bumpy, but it will out last any other rug in your house! To start with, I’d recommend a #8 floorcloth.

2′ X 3′ = $30 A perfect first project.
3′ X 5′ = $75 Great for an entryway.
4′ X 6′ = $120 Good for mid-size areas.
5′ X 7′ = $175 Perfect under a small table.
6′ X 8′ =$240 Great under a kitchen table.

No refunds, exchange only. Floorcloth blanks are usually shipped within 1 week.

We’re happy to send you 3″ X 3″ samples of our primed #4 and #8 canvas. Just drop us an email with your mailing address.
Other #8 sizes are available for $5/sq.ft. Call the studio for pricing and ordering details.

Click here to download an order form.

Now, for a design… What’s your style? Do you like bright, bold colors splashed around loosely or solid, shapes and designs? If you are handy with a paint brush you can do put just about anything on the floorcloth. If your painting skills are limited, fear not! You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make something really pretty! Here are a few ideas for beginner projects:

Thought I’d share with you how I use Photoshop to show customers how a floorcloth is going to look in their home before they decide on size, colors and design. This is a great tool, and it’s a lot of fun, so if anybody wants to see what a floorcloth will look like, just go ahead and email me a jpg of the area with as little clutter as possible.

Here’s the kitchen without a floorcloth:

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Since Friday we’ve been laying out and painting the background elements of the Flowers and Fans floorcloth. The deep red color, (Benjamin Moore’s “Pottery Red”) is looking really nice with the rose and gold colors. When we add the green for leaves and stems and stamp the fans it’s going to really pop. Read the rest of this entry »

I love it when people send me photos of their floorcloths in their homes. This one is a pretty simple design, but it sure makes a striking statement. It left the Canvasworks work tablejust in time to decorate the home for Christmas visitors.

Today was stamping day for the flowers and fans floorcloth. Theresa drew 2 lines 1/2 an inch apart and 16″ in from the edge of the hemmed, painted canvas to form the border. I then drew light guidelines at 5″ intervals which I later used to know where to place the stamp. I made a little video for you to see how we do the actual stamping part:

OK, Holiday festivities are over. It’s time to get to work! The Artichoke floorcloth (see previous post in News) has moved to the upstairs studio and is receiving 5 coats of polyurethane. The Flowers and Fans floorcloth came downstairs and will be residing on the big studio table for awhile now.

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