Before Photos, Elbow Grease and a New Creation

Most of us enjoy "the hunt." Many of us enjoy the process of transforming an object that has been cast off - revising it into a useful, beautiful object that we may use in our home. 

Some of us sell our items to someone with less vision or time and a better manicure.

A lot of us see beauty in patina, flaws, cracks and chips. Some of us painstakingly repair and restore these items, while others celebrate the flaws. Both styles are acceptable - even admirable.

Some of us see a perfectly wonderful or acceptable item, and envision it in a new way. We use our skills and creativity to give it a new life - sometimes one that was not imagined by the maker, not part of the original aesthetic or purpose.

Most of us don't mind buying something needs patching, painting, or mending. We actually enjoy doing the things it takes to make these items precious!

We buy things that are dirty. 

 Because dirty things can be bought dirt cheap!

Sometimes we find things that only need a fresh coat of spray paint, and a little elbow grease to clean them.

This act of revision and recreation helps us create cozy, unique homes for our families. It contributes to our income. It grows our skill sets and our creativity. It encourages others to do the same. It brings us joy, satisfaction, and confidence - more than any perfect manicure could. 


Word for the Day:


2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Thank you to those of you who have encouraged me without ever knowing. 

Revi


Linking this with: 

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/  (Saturday Nite Special)

http://junkernewbie.blogspot.com  (Would you Buy it Wednesday)

White Washing

I've wanted a mostly-white home for years, never knowing if it would really be possible. It seems sort of self-indulgent, and really, I LOVE color - all colors. Anyway, for whatever reason, I seem to be gravitating toward white now, even though that's not part of my "plan." (At the beginning of the year, I made a list, room by room, of the changes I was ready to begin. None of them except my bedroom were imagined as an all-white space.) Still, here I am with an almost obsessive desire to paint things in various shades of white.

Case in point: the pumpkin above. Once upon a time, these little pumpkins were ultra-bright orange styro things. These were from Dollar Tree. I'd begun looking for real pumpkins in the grocery store last month, but hadn't seen any (Maybe because we're in a drought here?)

A few weekends ago I went to see my daughter and work on her house. We went to several home-improvement stores. At Lowe's, I noticed several mis-tint paints in a variety of grayed-down whites, and they were CHEAP. So, being a cheapskate, I bought them. I used some of the paint to paint some thrift store finds I posted a couple of weeks ago. And as I was painting those, I thought I might try painting the little orange pumpkins a nice deep white. So, I did. I thought they came out pretty well without requiring any kind of glaze or anything. They looked pretty natural.

I wanted more! So I visited a couple of Dollar trees near me, and found two. They must have been from last year's stock, though. There weren't any more to be found. (They do have some pretty cute ceramic ones - so I picked up a couple of those in different whites.)


The stems of the pumpkins were different colors, so I painted them all a deep metallic gold that looked sort of dried stem-like. 


These are Component #1 of a tablescape I'm planning for next week. (Now, my dining room table is decorated with a sewing machine and various thrift store finds.)


For this post, I've displayed them with a few dried gourds. For texture, they're sitting on a vintage lace tablecloth with crocheted edges. 


They're on a cane-back chair I purchased at a garage sale several years ago. I spray painted it and distressed it. I recovered the padded seat with a canvas drop cloth. The cane is broken in a couple of places, but it sort of goes with the distressed finish. It doesn't affect the functionality of the chair, so I left it. We all have our battle scars, don't we?

Word for the Day:


Ezekiel 13:10-11a


¹⁰ “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, ¹¹ therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall...


May all your walls be sturdy, and built on a solid foundation!


-Revi

Linking this to:

http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/   (White Wednesday)
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/   (Frugal Friday)
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/  ( Frugalicious Friday)
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/   (Metamorphosis Monday)

A Spider Story (A Revised Lamp and an Experimental Drum Shade)

A while back, I mentioned I have been working on making a drum shade. I have learned quite a bit about what NOT to do! But, I finally have a somewhat interesting first-time drum shade of sorts, and some information that might help the rest of you who want to revise or update your lighting. 

Above is the original lamp - a Goodwill purchase with a nice shape, but a dated finish. I'd bought it several weeks ago, and finally decided what to do with it last week. 

I masked it with tape and foil, but later decided the brass harp didn't look right, so I painted it all in Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze. I LOVE Rustoleum. Rust-o-le-YUMM! It covers so well and you can't beat the cost-to-value-added ratio!

I was going for a "Restoration Hardware meets funky cottage" sort of vibe. 

For the shade, I really wanted to play around with hardware cloth. I went to Lowe's and bought a roll in the 1/4" size, since  the smaller weave worked better for this project. I also bought a pair of tin snips to use in cutting the wire, and a spool of 26 gauge wire for joining purposes.

I had purchased some wooden embroidery hoops intending to use them in my experiment. I decided 10" diameter hoops worked with the base. I painted them to match the lamp.


The major differences in the vintage drum shades and the new ones is scale. The vintage ones tend to be both wider and taller in relationship to the lamp base than the new ones. I like the new dimensions better. The vintage shade that came with a similar lamp was 15" in diameter. To my eye, that's way too top-heavy.

The thing I struggled with the most was getting a sturdy enough hand-made twisted wire "spider" (Yes, in my research, I learned that is a real technical term for the lamp part that attaches the shade to the lamp.) 


I tried twisting multiple strands of wire to make it sturdier, but it was very difficult to get it perfectly centered. Gravity also caused the hand-made center of the "spider" to be higher than the rim of the shade. Not a good look.

I did not succeed in crafting a perfect drum shade before this post, but you get the general idea.  


Now, for the part I learned - not shown in the photos you see here: To make this whole process easier, begin with the right size "spider" from an old shade and a corresponding bottom ring. This will make quick work of it.


Once I "perfect" a shade, I'll do a proper tutorial. I do have a few ideas about other materials to incorporate and use in making drum shades. 

This shade is a taste-specific item, not for every environment. I put a decorative 25 watt candle-type bulb in this lamp. It would be best used in an entry way, a stair landing or some place that needs light but requires no task work. Since the shade is completely transparent, it casts very cool patterns on the wall and ceiling. 

Word for the Day: 


1 John 1:5


This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.


Until next time, keep shining your light! 
Remember, you are made in HIS image.


-Revi


Linking this week to:


http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/2011/09/mod-mix-monday-17.html   (Mod Mix Monday)
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/09/pottery-barn-bedford-office-renovation.html#more   (Metamorphosis Monday)
http://www.houseinroses.blogspot.com/    (Show Off Your Cottage  Monday)
http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com     (Primp Your Stuff Wednesday)
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/   (Piece of Work Wednesday)
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ (Feathered Nest Friday)
http://www.remodelaholic.com/    (Fridays on Remodelaholic)
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com//   (Frugal Friday)
http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/  ( Frugalicious Friday)
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/  (Flaunt It Friday)
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ (Saturday Nite Special)

The White Hutch - A Home for Orphans

I have been collecting white dishes for decades - a few saucers here, a couple of plates there, a little pitcher when I see one. Most of it cost less than a dollar. The simple styles - plain, unadorned utilitarian pieces are what attract me most. I don't have a full set of 8 of many things. 

I'm not picky by most folks' standards - I'll buy old or new. I've made purchases at restaurant supply houses, thrift stores and dollar stores. Any brand is fine, and I use them daily. Over the years I've found charming little pitchers: 

I purchased my first set of white plates in 1984 - at a church garage sale. They are made by Tepco China. I bought 8 of them, and have often wished I'd bought every one they had. They're super tough and after years of daily use by one clumsy woman and three children, only one was ever broken. Two others carried a meal to someone, and were never returned. 

When that happens, it's really not a big deal. Though I've never found more Tepco plates in the simple style I have, there's always another white plate out there. 


I actually LIKE having mismatched white dishes! Mixing pieces with variety in detail and slight variation in color is almost like mixing textiles. I really prefer to have matching dinner plates, though. Note to self: Look for more Tepco, or buy another big set of white plates. 

I enjoy using mixed white serving pieces as well. I like bowls with textured patterns that nest inside each other. It pleases me when the stripes run different directions. Sometimes I'll purchase a new set of matching white nesting bowls, but eventually they get broken one by one. 


That's ok, though. They still fit in quite nicely with the other mismatched pieces in my collection. 

I have a mismatched silver tea set, given to me by my new friend Celeste. She apologized that it was tarnished when she gave it to me. I couldn't have been more pleased! I love tarnish. 

It rests a shelf below a pyrex baking dish inside a silver plated serving trivet. I bought it at my friend Rose Lee's garage sale. A vintage wire chicken - egg basket is nesting there at the moment.

Above the chicken is a new trifle dish - a gift from my sweet Hannah for Christmas last year. (It is a dangerous dish to own!)It makes layered desserts and salads look lovely. At first, I was worried that it wouldn't hold enough for our Christmas dinner crowd, but it holds more than you think it will. I guess it's because the sides don't slope in like a bowl does.


To the left of the silver tea set is a nice large pasta bowl from Ikea. A white basket inside it is holding dried gourds and mini ears of corn to remind me fall is almost here! 

On the top of my hutch, I keep a collection of wicker-clad bottles and a wine basket from France. I began collecting them years ago, and now they've become so pricey I haven't added a new one in years. I'm not sure where I'd put it if I did find one! On second thought, I'd have to find a place for it. After all, this is a home for orphans! 

Word for the Day:


James 1:27


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.


May our Lord bless your Wednesday!


-Revi

A Lesson Learned (or when NOT to paint a table aqua)

Some of you may remember a post from a few Wednesdays ago when I had a really lovely day. I found a cute French-ish chair for $4 in a thrift store that feeds and ministers to homeless people. Later, I went to a women's event at my church and won a painting of a chair.  


The reason I even bring that up is because the first time I was at that little thrift store, I bought a table. They don't accept debit cards there. Debit is how I roll most of the time. I had stopped in while running an errand, and had a $5 bill in my pocket. I purchased a couple of small items, and said, "I like that little table, and I'd get it, but the only cash I have now is this $5." The man sold it to me for the balance of my change, commenting that he'd rather buy a gallon of milk to feed homeless than miss the sale. It was sturdy and a cute shape, but the top was in a sad state. Still, it had potential and it was a bargain. I decided I'd paint it some day.

Well, someday turned out to be yesterday. On Friday, I'd purchased a pale aqua spray paint (Krylon's Catalina Mist) at Lowe's so I could add some cuteness to the little table. (I bought some other items too, but that's another post!) 


Saturday is my big housework day, so I got up early and began cleaning. About lunch time, I made it outside to tackle some spray painting projects. I did remember to take a few before photos! 

I began painting, and got a good first coat on the base of the table. It was a warm and breezy day, so the paint dried quickly. It was time to turn the little table over and put a coat on the underside. Much to my surprise, I saw a mark that made me cringe. 

Well, needless to say, I was shocked! I knew Heywood Wakefield made those funky, clean-lined mid- century modern pieces of blonde wood, but I had no idea they made bent wood or rattan furniture! And I'd just completely de-valued a piece that is apparently fairly rare and probably worth at least a couple hundred dollars. Ouch. Note one to self: Before painting anything, inspect it properly for marks. Note two to self: Visit that little thrift store more often.


SO, now what? Forget painting the rest of the table and go get some paint stripper? It might destroy the rattan bindings, which were still tight and in good shape. I was totally out of my league. I had dinner plans, and I had to get a shower and make a trip to the store before 6 o'clock, so I snapped some photos and called it a day. After all, why miss an opportunity to publicly humiliate myself in front of a few followers (well, potentially the world!) What a great way to celebrate my one month milestone today! Woo hoo!


When I got home, I Googled Heywood Wakefield and discovered they were making wicker and rattan furniture since 1826 - well before the mid-century modern pieces I was familiar with. Follow this link for more information. My table was most likely made before 1920. 


I tried Googling more things like "what to do if you painted a Heywood Wakefield table." I love Google, but this time, I didn't get much information. I looked at some of the new posts on the amazing blogs I follow on Google Reader then went to bed.


When I got back to it today I decided to just go with it. I shared some love with the table top via my palm sander and some paste wax. It cleaned up nicely. 

I think the painted base with the natural top looks charming - like something you'd find in a Florida beach house. 

So, I pulled out some old books and a rose painting, mixed them with a new modern white glass vase, and voila!

What did I learn from this experience? Look more closely at every piece I find before I paint it - not while painting it! That said, I like the way this table looks in her new Catalina Mist outfit. I realize it may upset some purists; one of the pages I saw on Google read that a piece had been "violated by three layers of paint." 


I may have significantly devalued this little table in the eyes of the world, but to me, she looks pretty cute. 


Word for the Day:


I Peter 3:3-4


³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.


Until next time,


Revi

Linking with:

http://www.thenester.com/ - It doesn't have to be perfect...

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