After Photos - the Miracle of White

Today, I realized again for the thousandth time just how much of a miracle a fresh coat of paint is. Few other changes have so much impact, especially for the amount of effort and expense required. And when that paint happens to be white...

White is associated with cleanliness, purity, holiness and simplicity. It can be basic and complex at the same time. White is lovely and restful. If you use a variety of whites - cool and warm, dark and light - and a variety of textures - shiny, matte, rough, chippy, weathered, soft, smooth, translucent - an all-white environment will never be boring! 

White allows our eyes to focus on shape, light and shadow. We can see an object without distractions. White reveals details that would ordinarily go unnoticed, yet it can be very forgiving. White slipcovers can be bleached relentlessly. White tile can be scrubbed mercilessly. 

If you look at my previous post, you'll see just how much beauty you can add by spraying or brushing on a coat or two of white paint. The items are made more attractive, more valuable and are more cohesive as a collection than they were before. 

See the bird above? It was chipped brown realistic-ish paint. Now, it's pristine with a couple of coats of Rustoleum gloss white spray paint. The same goes for the little vintage shiny gold 1950's picture frame behind it. 

This little tool box was fine covered in brown stain, but becomes instantly more charming in white. The same goes for the little footed wooden bowl in at the top of the page.

Remember the dark forest green thing that may have been a mirror? It has a new incarnation as a chalkboard with a few coats of Rustoleum Chalk Board Paint and a white frame. 

The lamp pictured here was a project from a previous post that you may recognize. It was formerly a tacky brass thing. Cassie from Primitive & Proper said, "SO much cuter! i think i would have passed that lamp up before!" after it was sprayed white and got a new shade.

A new coat of paint in any color is a refreshing change, but in my humble opinion, white is like a little miracle in a can. 


Word of the Day:


Revelation 7:9

[ The Great Multitude in White Robes ] 


After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.


May we all meet each other there on that day!


-Revi

Before Photos - Little Thrift Store Finds

Thrift store shopping has been a favorite activity since childhood. My mom took us with her on occasion, and though I don't remember LOVING it then, I knew it was an option, and that cool things could be found. 


SO, in college, my friend Vivian and I went to Goodwill shopping for clothing to wear to a Halloween party. (This was in the early 1980's when the preppy look was hotter than usual.) Well, way back when, we found amazing button down shirts, wool sweaters and all sorts of preppy items for pennies! Needless to say, we were hooked. 


We also found items to decorate our apartment - an upholstered armchair I recovered several times, a dark brown ceramic Ginger Jar lamp, some vintage Mexican pottery and other items.


One lovely spring Saturday morning, we went to a thrift store on our bikes, with our backpacks. We ended up finding an amazing stash of vintage linen dresses and pointy-toed pumps! Vivian bought brown alligator ones, and I purchased black and white spectator pumps with spike heels. We were thrilled! We stuffed our backpacks full and rode home happy girls!


The next day, Sunday, we decided to get all gussied up and go to church. Vivian wore a tan linen suit, with a brown alligator belt and pumps. I wore a white suit with a black patent belt and the black & white spectator pumps. We felt so glamorous! 


Well, if you've ever been to an Episcopal church, you know you stand when you sing, sit when you listen and kneel when you pray. There are lovely little kneeling benches you lower - sometimes they're padded and covered with handmade needlepoint, but I am getting distracted here. 


Anyway, here we were, feeling a little like movie stars in our fabulous attire, and all of a sudden while praying, I opened my eyes and noticed the fellow in front of me. He was kneeling and I had a lovely view of the bottom of his shoes. PANIC!  I nudged Vivian and quietly whispered to her, "Our SHOES!" She knew I was referring to the giant red permanent marker written on the soles of our fabulous shoes "$1.00."  We must have looked pretty funny trying to kneel and not show the soles our our shoes!


OK, back to 2011. The photo above shows a pair of chubby ceramic birds - don't ask me what kind. I wish I knew my birds better! These were .50c each last week. The little wooden footed bowl was .87c

The wooden box and vintage mid-century metal picture frame were $1.91 and .57c respectively.

This wooden cup holder was $1.00, and the duck was another gift I got from Vivian when she moved to NYC years ago. It has water stains now, so I'm going to paint it. I think the cup holder might make a nice necklace and bracelet organizer. I love beaded necklaces...

I think this must have been a mirror or it held a sign or something. There's a slot for something to slide into from the top. It's painted a dark forest green. I like the shape, and think it would be a great chalkboard!


Next time, I'll show the AFTER photos.


Word for the Day - (about Jesus - the Transfiguration)


Luke 9:29

As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

May today's changes be blessings for you!

-Revi

Vintage Cool Metal Love

For years now, I've been picking up little metal pieces here and there - picture frames, silver plate trays, wire baskets, a pewter pitcher, etc, etc, etc. The thing is, I really like them rustic and tarnished. Back in the 1980's, I used to polish - brass, copper, silver, etc. It was a mess. But, occasionally, I'd find some old piece, and I couldn't bring myself to polish it. I just think tarnish adds to the charm of a piece. Occasionally, I'll buff a piece a little to bring out the details, but that's about as far as it goes. 


In the photo above is a silver plate lamp - not an old piece, but I found it with a broken globe. I knew I'd find something in my jaunts that would work, and sure enough the crackled glass globe is lovely, and I paid a dollar for it. The two frames hold photos of my parents. Aren't they cuties? The little box was purchased in an after Christmas sale a few years back - I think it's supposed to hold a little gift and hang on a Christmas tree. 

In the photo above, there's a pewter pitcher I bought at a garage sale for $2. I use it regularly. Next to it is a wire basket I think is supposed to hold a wine bottle. Note to self: buy a bottle of wine. In front is a wood box with a grayish color with metal trim on the corners.

Above is a wire basket I've had for years - I can't remember how much I paid for it, but it was cheap. I'm a frugalista, so I know it was not more than a couple of bucks. I've used it for magazines and other things, but I plan to put it on a shelf in my future studio (Mason's room) with spools of string and thread in it. It will look nice and be functional. The old drawer is something I purchased at a friend's shop, along with two old croquet balls. I think I paid $5 for the lot. Next to the box is an old rubber stamp holder. I've been trying to think of a way to use it that would be functional and still show the form. Do you have any ideas?

 In this photo is a silver plate tray I picked up last week for .25c, another very tarnished silver plate bowl, a box from India (via Tuesday Morning) that I found for $3 in a thrift store. I love lidded boxes and baskets! There's a very old perfume bottle with crackled glass and a pump-type lid. It was from a family member. The silver plate frame holds another photo of my mom, and next to it is a little orphaned silver plate cream pitcher.

Above, the old wire chicken-egg basket is perched on a galvanized tin vase I picked up for .50c a few months back. (It's upside down.) In front is a wire planter with two clay pots I purchased last week for $1. In the same thrift store, I found the pewter candlestick, made by Wilton of Columbia, PA for $1. I love the English look of it. 

This photo shows a selection of my folk art metal pieces - the hammered tin lantern was .50c in a thrift store a few years back, and the candlestick was a gift from my friend Vivian when she moved to New York years ago. (I got LOTS of cool things from her then! I like having them, since I don't have her nearby anymore.) This adorable frame was purchased on a trip to Santa Fe years ago. Inside is someone else's relative - she was in another frame I purchased for a few cents, so I adopted her. I'll never understand how people can just toss out photos. It always makes me a little sad to see them still in frames at thrift stores. (Lord, save us all from ending up there!) I included a little bowl of old keys - another thing I collect and use in my art projects sometimes. Behind all these items is a little hammered aluminum plate - it's really thick. I've used it as a coaster or as a place to toss keys or pocket change. 


I love a little metal in the mix in most any room. It gives a texture and patina you can't get in any other material.It looks great in mono-chromatic rooms or as a resting place in highly colorful ones. Mix metals for an eclectic vibe, or keep it to one color for a more traditional one.  It's functional, durable and practically indestructible - the perfect choice for a lived-in home!


Word for the Day:


Proverbs 3:13-14


¹³ Blessed are those who find wisdom,
   those who gain understanding,
¹⁴ for she is more profitable than silver
   and yields better returns than gold. 

Hannah's House - Before Photos of Thrift Store Finds

Tomorrow, I'll drive to Lubbock to see my daughter and to take her another batch of furniture and decorative items for her new house! Thankfully, we share a similar aesthetic, so I can shop for things I think she will like, and most of the time, she does.


Hannah's house is a 1940's wood frame cottage with red shutters and a porch swing. She and her roommates have recently moved to this unfurnished house from a furnished apartment, so we've been "shopping" for a few months now. (This is what began my blogging!)


The first purchase was 2 tablecloths from World Market. The oblong tablecloths that fit very long tables make great curtains by simply sewing a simple casing for a rod. Hannah's curtains dictated the color scheme for the living room and dining room. They're a lovely rich chartreuse green with an over sized floral print in rich red, deep hot pink, deep teal, dusty turquoise, cream and brown.

Here are a few decorative Items I found for the living room and dining room:

See the cool bubbled glass in the turquoise vase? I was tempted to keep this one for myself!

I found two matching lamps, similar to the ones in this post. She has two adorable patterned drum shades from World Market for them. They sit on a dresser turned sideboard she painted white and antiqued. We'll see about painting them - they might look good in oil rubbed bronze.

Her bedroom is painted a with Walmart flat wall paint in Earthy Mushroom Taupe. It's a lovely deep warm grey-taupe. Her bedding and furniture is all whites and creams.  She's trying to decide whether to use metallics with the whites or add a color - like turquoise. We'll shop for curtains tomorrow, and that should settle the point. Meanwhile she pinned a photo she liked on Pinterest from purlbee.com:

Aren't they wonderful? Do you recognize them? It's just embroidery hoops with fabric stretched in them! So adorably graphic, aren't they! So, I found these today for 25c each. Some are round and some are oval.

I'm not sure if these would go in the living room or the bedroom, but they can go somewhere!


When I visited the first of August, she had about half the wall above her bed (where the headboard will be) paved in empty frames after being inspired by Anthropologie.  Since then I have been shopping for interestingly shaped frames and small mirrors to complete her wall. Once again, the curtains will be the deciding factor whether they're a mix of white and metals, or color is incorporated.


Here are some frames I'm taking for her to use. These are early to mid 20th century brass frames. (BRASS is back, people!):

These are ugly little frames now, but they have nice details that will be cute painted.

These can be used as they are now - 

they're creamy white and gold leaf.

These were a splurge at $4.95 for the pair - they had "art" in them, and they're wood, not plastic. I bought them at a mission thrift store, so it was for a worthy cause! The little porcelain cameo box is a bit of a stretch, but Hannah may like it...the color is a lovely soft, dusty turquoise, and it was only $1.17.

This piece is a little wall shelf that was given to me by our favorite aunt June. It will be nice to have something of hers in Hannah's house. 

Now that you've seen the before photos, we'll have to be sure and send you some after photos! 


Word for the day:


Matthew 7:9-11


⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!


Blessings this Labor Day weekend!


-Revi

Gray is Grey - one of my favorite places to visit...

Many cities have those quaint little shopping areas tucked away in the middle of a neighborhood just waiting to be discovered. Some are now considered inner city locations. Back in the day, most families had one car, the wife stayed home and the husband drove it to work. These little shopping centers provided the daily necessities in a very convenient location - a beauty salon, barber shop, dry cleaner or grocer.


Today, we're more likely to find a coffee house, a bakery or a specialty shop of some sort. Gray is Gray is just such a place.




As I drove through a neighborhood near my church and saw a little gray building with a sign that read "Gray is Grey," I was intrigued.Some very interesting beehive type baskets graced the window, and decided I had to check this place out! Unfortunately, I was on my way to work. Later when my daughter was home for a weekend, I told her we had a new place to check out. When we got there she said, "This doesn't look like an Amarillo store..." 


I purchased the hand in my "little black vignette" that day. The owners are a lovely young couple - he creates iron furniture pieces in addition to running the store.

Gray is Grey offers items you won't find anywhere else in our city. 
Their offerings are more sophisticated than mainstream. Some items are vintage or reclaimed. 

Others are handmade by local artists and craftspeople.
You'll find rough textures, rustic charm, and lots of patina. 

You'll also find slick, shiny, highly refined objects and original art that changes seasonally.

What you won't find at Gray is Grey is color. True to it's name, Gray is Grey is a color-free zone. You might find a little color in a natural leather chair, or as a visual punctuation in a piece of original artwork, but that's about it. 


I must be honest and confess -  I'm a bit of a split-personality when it comes to color. I LOVE color. I also love the absence of color. Bright saturated color is cheerful, energizing and happy. Grays and naturals are peaceful, restful and calm. I like both - it just depends. As my dear friend Cathy put it, "It all depends a lot on everything." I don't know if I could ever live in a color-free home, but I love having certain rooms that are predominately white or neutral, like bedrooms, bathrooms or hallways and I love an all white kitchen. 


It makes me happy to be able to drive just a few blocks away and partake in a visual feast. The menu is a little different every time I visit. Kudos, Cole and Brittani Campbell! I'm already looking forward to my next visit.


You can find Gray is Gray at http://www.grayisgrey.com/ and on Facebook 
They have lots more lovely photos and contact information there.


Word of the Day:


Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.

All the best,
-Revi

... and a Little Black Vignette

About 20 years ago, we purchased this Shaker style sofa table from a man in Houston who made furniture. He used poplar, which is a hardwood that is most typically painted. He chose to oil  this table, as it might have been finished traditionally, instead of using polyurethane.He constructed it with dowels instead of nails or screws. This particular poplar was a yellowish color, which worked well with our golden oak furniture pieces. I think we paid $80 for the table. A little later we purchased an 8-feet long dining room table, which I still use. 

After years without re-oiling the wood, the surface became dry and the top acquired a rust stain from an enameled bread box that sat on it for a while. Eventually, I painted the table with Rustoleum oil-based gloss black paint. I love Rustoleum oil paint! My woodwork is painted in gloss white, and I plan to paint my front door in the gloss black soon. My dining room hutch is painted antique white. I have chairs and a bench painted "farm implement red" This paint wears so well it will last for a lifetime.

The glossy finish didn't work for this table, though. I left it alone for a while, but eventually decided to distress it. Recently, I got my palm sander out, and did just that. I concentrated on the edges, hoping to highlight the simple lines of the table, and reveal the dowel joints. I wiped the table down with Minwax Gel Stain. I like it much better now. It took about a half hour to change the look of this table to something I like! I should have done it months ago.

I plan to use this table in my living room, where my color scheme will be a wide variety of greens and black. Tonight, I pulled some of my favorite black items to stage the table and to present a counterpoint to my last post - a little white vignette. 

In the top photo, there is a piece of black metal art that reminds me of an old ceiling tile. I don't know the origin of the piece, but I found it in a used furniture store and paid $11 for it last year. Below the metal piece, there is a little silhouette I bought in a thrift store for .50c. It had a rust colored frame, which I painted black. 


Items on the table include a hand I purchased earlier this year for $12 from one of my favorite shops - Gray is Grey. I think it may be a glove form. 


Next to the hand are three framed black and white family photos. The small one was .50c in a thrift store. The larger two were gifts from my daughter, Hannah - in the center photo. To the right of Hannah's photo is a new purchase from Goodwill last week - a wire house. It cost $2. Next to my son Ethan's photo is a lamp purchased for $1.91 at a thrift store. It is wearing a borrowed shade from my bedroom - one I found at Walmart for $10. The lamp is resting on a stack of three vintage books. 


In the top two photos, you'll see a black wicker chair. I purchased it at the store where I found the metal art, and paid $10 for it. It was a very chippy white. It still chips off paint, so I occasionally pull it outside and touch up the black paint. 


After years of having lots of warm, beautiful colors in my home, I'm ready for something different. I'm still using the colors I love, but instead of mixing them all up in a room, I'm having a green room, a red room, a white room, a brown room, etc. Most rooms will have some black in them. Black helps ground a space, and its timeless. 


Next, I'll show you what I'm taking to Hannah's house this weekend!


Word of the Day:


Isaiah 44:3-5


3For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
   and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
   and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴ They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
   like poplar trees by flowing streams.
⁵ Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;
   others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
   and will take the name Israel.


May your Wednesday be AMAZINGLY blessed!
-Revi

A Little White Vignette

Most of the rooms in my home are in some stage of revision. I decided to show you one little corner in my bedroom. It's not completely finished, but it may be closer to finished than any other space in my home at the moment. 


You might be asking why my home is in such a state. It all started when my son moved back with me in January 2010, and brought his dog. She's a brindled lab, and you could not ask for a more wonderfully sweet, loving dog. She is a GREAT watch dog. (So great, the paint on the front door is now a chippy mess - and not in a good way.) She goes crazy when the postman puts mail in a drop box that empties into an old wooden drawer on a chest. Two years ago she was still a puppy. And if you've ever had the pleasure of knowing a 2 year-old lab, you'll understand; the dog ate my sofa.

I promise I am not exaggerating one bit, and if I were a little less prideful, I might post a photo of the sofa to show you. But, I was raised to make sure your home was clean and in order before you invited company inside, so I hope you'll understand why I just can't do it. Now, the sofa has become a giant dog bed. C'est la vie.


Aside from the sofa and the chippy front door and window, I can't stand the hair. Poor girl - she sheds so much I am just amazed that she has a single hair on her. I am really NOT exaggerating when I tell you I often sweep up a dustpan FULL of hair in ONE room each week from her. It's everywhere. I love her, but I'll be happy when I can visit her at her new house and take her doggie treats and such.  


Now, it's time to take back my house. I'll miss the safety factor. I'll miss having a loving creature who is excited to see me when I arrive home from work. (I know I will.) I'll miss how she eats anything I drop, 'cause I'm a klutz. I'll miss how she puts her head on my foot when I'm sitting on the sofa. But, I won't miss the hair. If she were bald, I'd probably arm-wrestle my son for her, but she's not bald. And I want a lovely hair-free home.


If things go according to plans, they will move in September. The half-eaten sofa will go with them. Mason will buy a slipcover for it.  I'm making plans about what  to do to a living room with a chippy door and no sofa.

• I'm turning Mason's room into a studio/exercise room.
• I'm turning Hannah's room into a guest room. 
• Den furniture will be relocated to the living room.
• Two twin beds from Mason's room will be used as day beds in the den. (Any good ideas?)
• Everything is getting a fresh coat of paint. 
• Furniture will be moved around - some to new rooms. 
• Favorite objects will find new spots to dwell.
• I will finally tackle projects I'd put on the back burner because they were lower priority than texturing and painting every wall and ceiling when we moved in 8 years ago.
• I will update and freshen up my home using items I already own, and filling in with thrift store finds as needed.
• I will find a venue to sell treasures that I like, but that don't work in my home.

Over the past year, I've begun to pare down a bit and relegate things to the garage for a future garage sale. I painted my bedroom.  It was green before, and now it's mocha cream. I've begun to take down artwork and clear bookshelves - all in anticipation of the new updates.  I'm getting excited about being able to repaint the front door - it will be shiny black instead of red - inside and out.

Today, I swept up the dog hair and took a few photos of my little white vignette in the corner. 

The dresser in the photos was free - a gift from my church. It was in exactly the condition you see. I will probably tweak it later, but for now it works. It was in an old three-story house where our Youth groups meet and they wanted to get rid of it. They also gave me another "ugly lamp" to remake, so I'm on the lookout for a nice shade.

It has great storage, and it is ONE HEAVY PIECE of furniture! It's so heavy that I couldn't get those little furniture moving things out from under the feet in a couple of places.  (See the bottom left corner of the dresser? As a single woman, I LOVE those things because they make moving furniture on any surface easy.But I'll have to ask Mason to help me lift the dresser to get it.)


Every mirror in the vignette but one is from a thrift store. They were once wood finishes and I have painted them various whites, and distressed or stained them. They each cost a dollar or less.


The capiz shell bowl on the left is from Target originally and came to me via Goodwill. It still had a label on it. I paid $3. The little pedestal on the right is from a thrift store, as is the crocheted doily and the bird.

Very few things were purchased new - and they are old! The angel above the French mirror is a keepsake from a trip to San Antonio from over 10 years ago. The two lamps were from Dollar General, and I think they cost about $12 each - including their former shades. They are about 9 years old. They had little beaded shades but needed an update.The lamp shades in the photo are from some of those brass lamps like I spray painted last week. (See here if you missed it.)


I kept the vintage burlap shades because my daughter already has lovely patterned drum shades purchased at World Market. I'll take the lamps to her next weekend, along with other goodies I've collected for her house.


I'm working on making some drum shades for these lamps, and you can be sure I'll let you know how those turn out. 


Next week when I visit Hannah, we'll arrange furniture, stage book shelves, wall art, etc. I will take photos and show you her house and our projects. After all, she and her new house are what started me down this path anyway!

The white ceramic candlesticks and bowl are all thrift store finds. I once read that you should always burn candle wicks a little, so they don't look unused. I guess it struck a chord with me, because I do it now to all my candles. The walnut tray is from a garage sale - one of three purchased for $4.00. The vintage crocheted piece and small ceramic tray are thrift store finds from years ago.


Word of the Day: 


Matthew 7:6


“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."


Have a lovely weekend, everyone! I look forward to seeing what treasures you find next week.

Many blessings,

Revi