Saturday, August 18, 2012

One Year Blogging - Celebrating With Rust...

So, I decided to buy myself a present. :)


In my last post, I mentioned drooling 
over an old rusty green wagon.

Seriously. I saw it, and I WANTED it. 
I actually left the store without it.
But I kept thinking about it all morning at work.
So I took a lunch and went to buy it.
Thankfully it was still there!


My sweet picker guys Jack and Greg had 
chosen it just for me. So I felt a tad OBLIGATED.


You know these things work. 
One MUST maintain 
healthy business relationships, right?
They thought of ME. I was flattered.
(Or maybe I should NOT have been? Hmm.)


 She still has the original rubber
handle and old wheels.
(There I go again. The wagon must be a girl.)


And her wheels are original. 
I can make out lettering on the sides.
It says something like G A M I LL SPECIAL.
Any clues?

Do you love that color as much as I do?
I like it so much, that now
I'm thinking of painting my front door 
that turquoise-y green. 


And I can imagine her now...
full of fall pumpkins, gourds and flowers.


Though I will need to see what I can do to 
keep her from completely rusting out.
I like rust, but I must be practical. 

They also found me another thing of beauty...


This is definitely the largest colander I have ever owned.
I don't think I could AFFORD enough apples to fill this thing.


But isn't she lovely? (Another girl.)
I think I DO have some masculine items...
I just can't remember what they are.


It IS rather Frenchy of me...assigning
genders to all my inanimate objects.

And the best part of all in my self-indulgent 
rusty-love celebration? It only set me back
twenty buckaroos.


Yep - $15 for the wagon
and $5 for the colander.

How about them apples for 
a nice way to celebrate one year 
of Revisionary Life?

Thank you for reading.
Thank you for leaving kind, encouraging comments.
Thank you for being the BEST virtual friends
a girl could have. And I mean that.

And I'd also like to wish a very happy anniversary to
one of my very best virtual friends - 
Lynn of Shabby Story.

We both began blogging on the same
day - August 18, 2011. 

If by some chance you've not yet visited Lynn,
DO IT. She knows how to style like
nobody's business. Her home is cozy,
fresh, airy and light - with just the right amount 
of STUFF. And she's very clever at
re-purposing things and making you
wonder why you never thought of it!


I promise I'll show you my rusty present
all decked out for fall before long!

Word for the Day:
Matthew 6:19-20
19  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures 
on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where 
thieves break in and steal,
20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
where neither moth nor rust destroys 
and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Linking With

Sunday

Sunday’s Best
Creative Bloggers Party Hop
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Sister Sunday
Thrifty Treasures
Monday

Metamorphosis Monday
Masterpiece Monday
The More the Merrier Monday
Make it Pretty Monday
Tuesday

Vintage Inspiration Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cowgirl Up!
Tuesday’s Treasures
Wednesday

Share the Love Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Penny Pinching Party
What’s it Wednesday
Show Me What Ya Got
Thursday

Under $100 Link Party
Thursday Open House Party
Time Travel Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Live Laugh Linky
thrift’n on a thursday
Friday

Feathered Nest Friday
Potpourri Friday
Friday Redoux Link Party
Inspiration Friday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Rustic Restorations Weekend
Spread the Love
Saturday

Saturday Nite Special






Thursday, August 16, 2012

The More Things Change...



By now, you may have noticed
I have been painting an abundance of
things white during the past year.

I can count on both hands the number of
items I have painted some other color.



Most of the items needed painting. (or something)
They were usually picked up at a thrift store,
and had seen better days. Even so, they were
still solid and sturdy. They had good lines.


I hardly ever paint a nice solid wood piece
with a good finish on it. I just can't do it.
When I see bloggers paint a great old wooden
family piece shabby white, I think, "WHY?"


You KNOW I'm all about the white stuff, right?
Still, I think they're gonna regret it.


And even as I sit painting something I once painted
black or green or red or some other color...


I can picture myself painting it again in five years.
What color will it be?

This week, on one of my favorite blogs, the writer
posted about plans for a future library in her home.
She's a very talented designer with great taste
and she always shares tons of great photos.

Anyway, she showed a shot of a perfectly lovely
console. It was red. (I love red. Still.)
Then she asked, "Seriously, what was I thinking?"

via

Hah! What was I thinking? I was thinking,
"You can give that horrid piece of furniture to ME!"
I would gladly take it off her hands.
And I wouldn't even paint it white.

Still, I plan to continue to paint a host of things white.
As I paint, I will tell myself, "White is ALWAYS in fashion."
And I won't be lying to myself. But face it:

Those of us who enjoy painting furniture probably
won't ever reach a state we call "finished" in our homes.
We'll keep looking for things to paint.



We'll paint just to change things up.
We'll paint because we want a "fresh" stylish look.



We'll paint because we LOVE that new turquoise,
(or tangerine or red or mauve or teal green)
or whatever color EVERYONE is using.

 Even if we change our minds and
paint it white the next month.

A piece I once painted forest green, then
chartreuse, and now white will probably be
lavender or periwinkle or magenta in 5 years.
At least some of them will be.


And sometimes, as I drool over a piece
(like the wagon I saw for $15 that had
a most beautiful rusty green patina),
I know that even today, some people will say,
"You actually PAID money for that piece of junk?"


And I remember days past using naval jelly
to scrub rust off some vintage find.


And when I see a Pinterest photo of a lovely,
chippy white patina on an antique door,  
I remember stripping layers of paint
from an antique dresser during college.

It was remarkably similar to this sweet piece
redone by Jessica at Running With Scissors.


via

It was a piece I remember my mom painting hot pink,
the royal blue, then yellow. It was in my room as a child.
She gave it to me to take to a college apartment.

I remember scraping, and scraping layers of paint.
I was so tired of stripping paint from it,
I left the insides of the drawers yellow.

At one point, I think I was down to the first coat of paint.
The old white paint was coming off in places,
and you could see oak through the white.
I remember stopping there and leaving it for a while, because I liked the way it looked. (It looked something
like this dresser from Brooke at All Things Thrifty.

via

But that was in the early 1980s.
No one did that back then.
Golden Oak was highly prized.
So I kept stripping it down to the bare wood.
Now, I want to paint it again. And then strip it a bit,
so it looks sort of like the photo above.

As I remember these things, I smile.
I think I may be doing a sort of public service.


I imagine, in the future, when styles change,
and all the whites and neutrals we love now are
considered "so dated and tacky."


When frenchy chairs painted in shabby white ASCP
are left sitting silently at every garage sale,
some sweet young thing will come to my
garage sale and buy a chair or maybe a table.


She'll lug it home, paint it the newest hot color,
and blog about it. (or whatever the latest technological
form of social media is doing then) 


And she'll say something like,
"Can you believe this tacky thing I bought at the
garage sale? Now it looks SO great!"

She's going to feel such a great sense of
accomplishment! And I feel just a little bit pleased 
to think i may have a small part in it.

Ah, the circle of life.
The more things change,
the more they stay the same.
At least here on earth.

Word for the Day:
Numbers 23:19
God is not man, that he should lie,
    or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
    Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Linking With

Sunday

Sunday’s Best
Creative Bloggers Party Hop
Nifty Thrifty Sunday
Restyled Sundays
Sister Sunday
Thrifty Treasures


Monday

Metamorphosis Monday
Mod Mix Monday
Show Off Your Cottage Monday
Revival Monday
Masterpiece Monday
The More the Merrier Monday
Manic Monday
Just a party with my peeps!
Make it Pretty Monday
Chalk Paint Link Party
Monday Marketplace

Tuesday

Vintage Inspiration Tuesday
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cowgirl Up!
Cowgirl Up!
Cowgirl Up!
All Star Block Party
Tuesday’s Treasures
Be Inspired
Twice Owned Tuesday

Wednesday

White Wednesday
Share the Love Wednesday
Primp Your Stuff Wed
Piece of Work Wednesday
Restored it Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Penny Pinching Party
What’s it Wednesday
 Show Me What Ya Got


Thursday

Under $100 Link Party
Transformation Thursday

Thursday Open House Party
Share Awesomeness Thursday
Time Travel Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Live Laugh Linky
Doin’ It Yourself
Thursday Favorite Things
Suzy's House Party

Friday

Feathered Nest Friday
Potpourri Friday
Furniture Feature Friday
Friday Redoux Link Party
Frugal Friday
Inspiration Friday
Vintage Inspiration Friday
Free For All Friday
Rustic Restorations Weekend
Air Your Laundry
Furniture Friday
Fridays on Remodelaholic
Spread the Love
Frugalicious Friday
Delicately Constructed Friday

Saturday

Saturday Nite Special
Get Schooled Saturday