Season's Greetings!

Hello everyone! Season's greetings from Red Canary LLC. We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year. Stayed tuned this upcoming year for project ideas, tips and hints regarding everything from wallpaper removal to decorative painting techniques, plus product reviews . . . it's our New Year's resolution to refine, update and submit posts to The Chirp on a regular basis . . . stay tuned!

Also, we'd like to remind you that if you're still searching for that last minute gift or a creative stocking stuffer, we have gift certificates available. Just give us a ring. (608) 843-1580

Happy holidays! Here's hoping 'ole Kris Kringle brings you everything you hoped for this year. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Holiday Gift Ideas are Here

Well, we've made it through Thanksgiving, and if you're like me, you still have some shopping left to do. (Not many of us are such go-getters as my friend Jean--she had all of her shopping done two months ago! You go girl!) So, if you're still out there looking for that perfect gift, I have a couple of ideas:

#1: A Red Canary gift certificate! For the last 7 years, we have been offering our patrons gift certificates, available in any denomination, and good towards any painting services--basic or decorative, interior or exterior. Give your friends or family a gift that will last for years . . . . and be a thoughtful reminder as well, all year long . . . .

#2: A Dane Buy Local gift card. Available in many denominations and accepted at any Dane Buy Local member business accepting credit cards, including Red Canary LLC and paint suppliers such as McGovern and Sons. From books and art (go see the unique gift ideas at Absolutely Art) to printing supplies (check out Think Black Ink for local printing supplies) and more . . . the gift recipient can use the gift card at several local businesses.

With these unique gift-giving ideas in mind, it is important to note that the average person "enjoys" a paint job for 5 to 7 years . . . . when was the last time that special someone in your life updated their home? Can't remember, but the walls have looked the same for the last 10 Christmases? Then, consider a gift certificate from Red Canary or a gift card from Dane Buy Local. To purchase a gift certificate from Red Canary LLC, please call us at (608) 843-1580 or email us at redcanarypainting@gmail.com. To purchase a Dane Buy Local gift card, please go the the Dane BuyLocal website at www.danebuylocal.com.

Have a safe and joyous holiday season . . . . and good luck wrapping up (LOL. No pun intended) that holiday shopping! To you and yours, all the best wishes this season from Red Canary LLC.

From Shena' Desk

Hey, Folks! The holidays are upon us, once again . . . . here at Red Canary LLC, we would like to offer some advice: If you are planning a painting or other decorating project for any of your holiday gatherings, consider doing it on the small scale--small changes can make a huge difference. For instance, add an accent wall to a room using paint or wallpaper (wait to paint the rest of the room until after the holdidays), replace old accent pillows in your living room with new ones . . . or change your drapes. Keeping holiday decorating (on the construction side) simple is usually the best option. Taking on a large project can be stressful (and the less stress we have during the holidays, the better), and, as it goes in the construction world, even the best made plans most often take longer than expected. (But, it's usually worth the wait, just not during the holiday season . . . . )

New Yard Signs Unveiled

Dear Readers,

Happy Tuesday, folks, and what a great Tuesday it is! Today, we are unveiling our new yard signs. If you are a current or former client, you will notice the yard signs (see photo at left) display a definite similarity to our biz cards. At the Red Canary, we are always excited to share with those we know every step toward becoming a well-established and easily recognized business in Dane county.

Furthermore, this event (the unveiling of our yard signs) allows an opportunity for us to thank everyone that has been connected with and offered their support to the Red Canary since establishing ourselves in 2001: Current and former clients, associates and colleagues, friends, family and anyone that has grown with us or expressed a general interest in the quality painting and customer service standards we uphold--today, we publicly thank you.

Undoubtedly, we are proud to say we have been providing the Madison, WI, area with a unique approach to painting services, and without your business and continued interest in our services, our reasons for being a business would be meaningless. You--the current, past and present clients of Red Canary--are the reasons we continue to grow and maintain our business here in Dane County. Thank you for your patronage.
My sincerest thanks,
Shena Blomgren
Owner and Artist, Red Canary LLC

Green Painters

Here at Red Canary, we're ecstatic that it's hip to be "green" these days . . . in fact, being a "tree hugger" is finally in style. This trend is good for our earth. In our blogs and groups, we've been enjoying writing about all of the innovations in the painting industry with regard to earth-friendly painting products and other related green topics . . . and we are pleased with the interest our clients express regarding green painting products.

In fact, we're so excited about all of the earth-friendly painting products out there that we thought a forum for "Green Painting" would be a great idea. We thought networking with other painting professionals and consumers would be a great way to increase awareness and knowledge within the painting trade of green paints and related products.

Due to our interest in and hunger for more information about the vast array of green painting products out there, we have started an organization called Green Painters. (Currently, our website is under construction, but we also have established groups on LinkedIn and Facebook . . . just search for the group "Green Painters.")

If you're a painter interested in or currently using green paints, please join our discussions. If you're a consumer and would like to increase your knowledge of green painting practices beyond those posted in The Chirp or have testimonials to share about green products, please join in or discussions or post a message. We hope our Green Painters site becomes a reliable resource for first-hand testimonials about the rapidly growing green building products market. So, check out the site, join one of our groups . . . be part of the green revolution!

Green Product Testimonial: Pittsburgh Paints' pure performance

Product: pure performance
Manufacturer: Pittsburgh Paints
Product Description: A 100% Acrylic/Latex paint (Zero VOC). Meets Green Seal's environmental standard, Class A, for VOCs. Low Odor. Available in more than 1,890 colors.

Project description: Interior project. Painted an entry hallway and an accent wall in the adjoining great room.
Color: Happy Trails (418-4) Sheen: Flat
Currently, no photo is available.

This product has excellent coverage, low odor, and dries quickly. We thinned the product with a small amount of clean water (this paint is thick). Also worked excellent when mixed with pumice to add texture to the walls. Easy soap and water cleanup.

Additionally, we touched-up a scuff-mark several weeks after the project was completed--and were pleased with the touch-up properties. We have not tested the easy stain removal/washable properties at this point.

MeGoGreen

Red Canary LLC is proud to announce that we are part of the first edition of MeGoGreen's 2008-2009 Greater Madison Savings Guide.

MeGoGreen publishes a savings guide filled with products and services offered by businesses offering green products or services. This is the first year for the 2008-2009 Green Savings Guide being distributed in Madison, WI.

Best of all, you don't only have to live in Madison to enjoy the savings of being green--Chicago has it's own savings guide, also.

If you live in Madison, WI or Chicago, IL, check out the MeGoGreen site, choose your location and find out the many ways you can be a little more "Kermit-like" in your community. Thanks for working towards being greener with us!

Buying Local and Going Green Go Hand In Hand

Before I begin delving into all sorts of information regarding green painting and decorating products and techniques, I feel a need to first put into place the thought that being green also means buying local and that buying local also means a green mind-set.

When buying locally, the consumer helps reduce the amount of transportation involved for distributing goods--meaning less impact on our fossil fuel consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases.

More importantly, when purchasing goods from your local area (i.e. local produce growers, milk producers, livestock handlers, etc.) you are also supporting your community . . . you are investing your earnings back into your community while at the same time your investment back into the communtity allows small business owners to employ more people from your community.

Furthermore, the Small Business Adminstration reports that businesses with less than 500 employees represent 99.9 percent of total businesses in the United States.

As Chad's Carpentry states about buying locally on the Dane Buy Local website, "It just makes sense." As a local business owner, I couldn't agree more.

Being Green

Being green in the painting industry is getting easier everyday . . . . from paints with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to zero VOC paints . . . . to natural paint products such as milk paints, organic plant dyes and natural wax protective sealants . . . . a variety of green and near-green products are available for consumers and professionals.

Green products are not only better for the environment, they are also better for our health--common building materials outgas harmful chemicals over time. The publication Natural Awakenings states that "the Environmental Protection Agency warns that the inside our homes is significantly more toxic and polluted than the air outside . . . (August 2008, Madison Area Edition)." This being said, it seemingly just makes sense to go green . . . especially when living a green lifestyle is becoming easier everyday.

At Red Canary LLC, we have used a variety of eco-friendly products and are continually, when applicable, testing out a variety of said painting products. Over the course of the next several months, we will post information and our reviews with regards to some of the new--as well as tried and true--green painting products.

Related Topic: Check out our Milk Paint Desks, painted with Old Fashioned Milk Paint, listed on our website. Also, keep watching The Chirp for a make-your-own milk paint recipe!

From Shena's Desk . . .

Well, today is August 10th . . . I'm ashamed--yet proud at the same time--to state the obvious: The last post to our blog was on Independence Day . . . how the time flies . . . and evidence that we have been in the throws of our extra-busy season. What a great summer it has been!

This summer, we have been painting away . . . everything from interiors to exteriors, remodels and rentals, staining decks and creating beautiful abstract art on walls . . . which is why I'm proud to say our last blog was July 4th--we've been BUSY!!!

Our growth as a business has been exciting . . . and challenging! (Thanks to all of you folks out there who hung in there with us while things were a bit chaotic during our expansion and structural changes--your patronage and support is truly appreciated.)

Now, as summer is beginning to come to a close, we should have more time to update our website www.redcanary.biz (we will hopefully finally find the time to get our webstore officially up and running) and to regularly maintain this blog . . . we are excited to continue building and growing our blog (aka on-line newsletter). Thanks for your readership!

Best regards,
Shena Blomgren
Proprietor and Artist
Red Canary LLC

Happy Independence Day!

Have a safe and celebratory holiday weekend!

More painting news next week . . .

Oil and Latex Don't Mix

As a painting contractor, I have noticed some painting disasters due to misinformation or misunderstanding of product qualities regarding oil and latex paints.

The most frequent question? Does latex go on top of oil or oil on top of latex? Latex over oil (without priming the substrate) is a really bad idea.

Regardless of what anyone may tell you . . . NEVER PAINT LATEX PAINT ON TOP OF OIL WITHOUT PROPER PREPARATION!! Painting latex over oil will cause blistering, cracking, and peeling of the topcoat. Oil paint, on the otherhand, is okay to paint over latex.

Stay tuned to upcoming posts . . . we will be discussing proper preparation for oil and latex painting projects.

Dear Reader, Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to the first entry in our official company blog! As the proprietor of Red Canary LLC, I am pleased to unveil this blog and am looking forward to posting information with regards to the painting and decorating trades industries. Our goal is to provide you, our client, visitor or subscriber, with interesting and helpful information.

On a regular basis, we will be publishing stories about products, decorating trends, trade hints and tips and other industry-related topics. We will share first-hand experiences and opinions about products ranging in variety from paints to brushes and beyond . . . wherever the creative world of painting may take us.

Please, come visit us on a regular basis or subscribe to our feed for instant notification when new posts are made. Your comments and blog ideas are always welcome.

Best regards,

Shena Blomgren
Artist and Proprietor
Red Canary LLC