Monday ... a birch tree paint party and other fun stuff

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      Where to start?  I finished a few projects last week and today.  

     Glass beads were going to be cost prohibitive for redoing my lampshade and while waiting for the macrame cord to arrive, I remembered seeing someone using strips of negatives to recover a shade and wondered how the color slides I had would look.

      I absolutely love how it turned out and this is just half finished.  I should be getting more slides in the next few weeks to finish it.  There are slides of Germany, some of my mom when she was a young woman before marriage, and some of me when I was very young.

     Saturday I attended a "Paint Party" and learned how to make birch trees.  It was a lot of fun and I may wind up making several of these to be a seasonal series.

     I also recovered the seats on the loveseat, and the seat on the rose chair.  I'm not sure yet how I feel about the love seat, but can always remove it.  Mostly wanted to just protect it because it seems to be where Charlie and the cats spend most of the day.

     I'm going to get some velvet ribbon to cover the staples on the rose chair where I attached the fabric.  It is an older chair where the seat isn't removable.

     I think of all the fabrics that I've ever used on this chair, this one has to be my favorite, and it was actually the fabric from the found white chair.  Tossed it in the wash, trimmed to fit, and love it.

     Before I share the picture of the white chair that I finished today, here is my very happy Christmas cactus.  Last fall I read something in a plant group on facebook that I should be using unsweet tea for them instead of plain water.  Ever since starting to do that, my cactus has just been thrilled.  When I bought it in December 2020, it only had 1 bloom and then nothing until it started getting unsweet tea.  Last December, it had a few blooms, but I didn't expect it to bloom again so soon.

     Here is the formerly white chair with 2 coats of a taupe-ish paint and new fabric and added foam to the seat.  I love how it turned out!

      I hope you have a wonderful week, and please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine!

                             Hugs,  Ci

Monday ... fabric & encaustic watercolor

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    Thursday afternoon I was gifted some fabric.  More than just some.  Several bags, a box, and three rolls of upholstery fabric.  Plus some patterns for quilting and stitching.  The one large bag contained two nearly finished quilts that just need to be edged and one completed quilt face and fabric for the backing.  It's much more than what I'm showing here and much more than what I could probably use in 1,000 projects.  (but never say never!)

     These are the two almost completed quilts.  Normally I would not consider getting anything even remotely white for my bed, and probably still wouldn't put this on the bed if for several years (until there is no longer any danger of Gracie barfing on it, or Charlie's muddy paws) if I do finish it.  But they are gorgeous and well made.

     The pink one has pencil drawings and words on some of the solid pink pieces that have a hint of being a young girl's ideas on how to personalize it, but I'm pretty sure they will easily wash out when it has been edged and finished.

    < This is the fabric for the completed quilt face, and there was enough left of the toile print to be able to recover the white found chair for my second office table, and hopefully also the rose chair.  I'm going to try to paint match the solid fabric for the chair color.

     If I do decide to tackle finishing that quilt, I may keep it for a future time to use as a wall hanging in the office (more on that in a few months ... I may decide to move ... houses not cities or states), or may just line the back and not quilt it to be used for curtains in an office if I split it down the middle.  (Can you see the smoke coming out of my ears with ideas?)

     I was also gifted a sewing machine recently which will make either project much easier than hand finishing.

    One of the rolls of upholstery fabric instantly became a casual rug in the living room.  Kind of soft blue color, and much easier to toss in the wash to clean if needed than a conventional rug.

     I've become less fond of the bright yellow rugs that I bought when I first moved in because they show every dirty paw/boot print and I'm constantly trying to get them shampooed before they become permanent works of art.

     One of the other rolls is going to become contrasting covers for a free2me loveseat, to give it a boho vibe.  The existing fabric is sort of a crushed velvet gold ~ like the armrest cover at right ~ and so the new fabric will just cover the seat cushions.  I will probably use an envelope-type closure for them so there isn't any velcro to pull strings or have the frustration of putting in a zipper.  The colors are also in the batik quilt I bought and shared [> here <].  

     > The last roll of upholstery fabric is going to be used to recover my dining room/crafting table chairs.  It has a beachy kind of coral look that isn't my decor anymore since leaving Florida, but I think is fun for the room and any paint oops will just look planned.

     Needless to say, I have projects now lined up for months and I'm not even talkin' 'bout the art classes I've signed up for!

     Saturday's art class was on encaustic watercolor.  An interesting technique of painting with hot wax.  The basic wax to seal down the fabric I chose was unbleached beeswax that gave it a yellowish tint for the pollen in it. I painted the viola and larkspur with metallic watercolor paint.  Then I used a piece of lace as a "stencil" for the orange flower.  It gives it a 3D dimension.  

     There was a lot of learning in this class.  Initially, I painted the flower stems green but did not like how I lost definition so scraped it off later.  I was able to reheat the base was with my hairdryer to recoat the fabric.  I also could have used less orange wax, and maybe a piece of lace that was not as solid in the tatting.  I had also wanted to put a piece of old music on it, but the wax made the paper transparent so that you could see what was on the backside, and I didn't want that.

     There is a great deal of [link to click there > history in the art of encaustic painting, that goes back to the ancient Greeks.  It is certainly a technique I would be willing to try again at the Wren's Nest to use my "lessons learned," but probably not one I would invest in for myself.   Some of the creations the other attendees of the class made were quite beautiful!

     I hope that your week is off to a wonderful start.  I have Monday and Tuesday to get my craft table cleared off and the room organized before the week becomes hectic.  Friday night I will be watching Encanto with the kids at church, then Saturday will be a birch tree painting party that I'm super excited to do.  I really love birch trees, and the ones in the Michigan Upper Peninsula during the fall were just amazing.

                                                             Hugs,   Ci

 

Thursday ...

      A stressful start to the week waiting for one last report to come in on my background check.  I missed a few days of training and was at risk of having to take the entire week off and start again with the next class on Monday.  But all is good now as I knew it would be.  Sigh of relief!

     I did get some buttons and was able to work a little more on my art project from last weekend.  I think I still want to find some really small ones, but after coloring in the white spaces between, it looks almost complete.

     Since this isn't the time of year to find feathers easily, I ordered some red cardinal ones off Etsy, and am just about ready to wrap up that heart in the next few weeks.

     This Saturday, I will be working on an encaustic watercolor lesson, so will be excited to share that with you that evening.

     I started pricing beads for the lampshade that I wanted to make and quickly realized that even with the least expensive source I could find, I could easily spend over $100 on beads since the shade height could be at least 12-15" with perhaps the same diameter.  Much more than what I wanted to spend on a free2me lamp! 

    Enter Plan B:  macrame.  I found some patterns I liked on Pinterest and ordered some cotton macrame cord.  I'm getting a (free) shade from that has had the fabric torn, so will use that.  Pictures as I get it started once everything is on hand, I'm probably going to combine several of the patterns because I want full coverage (I hate being blinded by a lightbulb) and don't want anything with hanging fringe (it just screams "here kitty, kitty, come destroy me!).

     Hope your week has been a good one!

                                         Hugs, Ci

Monday ...

      It was a busy weekend in a fun and good way.  Saturday I worked on an art project at [link to click >] Wren's Nest Art Studio.  It was more of a "free for all" rather than a class unless you wanted to learn how to do a barn quilt utilizing the entire canvas.

     Mine is a collage of sorts of things that I love, things about me.  From the top left:  My faith, dogs (this is a 3D clay of a print of my soul-dog, made when he was a year old), and Germany.  Found feathers for birdwatching (not yet finished, need to find more feathers), and my fav color combo of turquoise & brown.  A book page for reading and writing (which details part of a Groucho Marx comedy skit and represents my sometimes warped sense of humor), an unfinished square which will be filled with a heart made of old buttons for my love of crafting and upcycling old or vintage items, and finally, the address side of a postcard to represent my love of snail mail, sending and receiving.

     I've come up with an idea for a lampshade on the Steiffle lamp I showed earlier this week.  A friend with buttons mentioned that she liked glass buttons made me think of this lampshade that is hanging in the studio at Wren's Nest made with buttons.  Instead of making it with buttons, I want to make one with glass beads, so that it will be almost like a stained glass shade.

     The woman who got the old shade is going to give me the torn shade she was replacing it for, and I'll just finish taking off the fabric and string it with glass beads on fishing line.  I'm so excited!

     I hope that you had a relaxing weekend, a love-ly Valentine's day, and a wonderful week ahead!

                                               Hugs,  Ci

Thursday ...

      Four days into my new job and I'm even more excited about this opportunity.  This is such an amazing company!

     But, let me tell you about some other things that have been keeping me excited and busy this week!

     First off, I'm extremely excited to announce that I've started my own online side-gig business with [click link there >] Mary & Martha!

     I did my research and this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.  They are a division of DaySpring ~ which has been the number one seller WORLDWIDE of faith-based cards and products for 50 years! ~ and Hallmark ~ which also has an astounding history.  Mary & Martha are known for their beautiful decor and lifestyle products.  The products that arrived in my starter kit are just such high quality, and so beautifully made!

     I would really love to share more information about the company and products with you, so message me on my website!

     On Tuesday, one of my friends told me of some furniture that was up for grabs from an apartment cleanout.  Her neighbor had died, and the landlord was throwing away some items that had been left behind by the family.  I got this table and chair which are now my "encouragement" corner of my office.  I've started to send care cards with my church, and it will also be where I do my Mary & Martha business.

     The chair will be repainted this summer, the seat cushion will be recovered and more foam added to raise me up to a more comfortable height for working at the table.  The curtains in the room are olive green with a gold batik leaf pattern on them, and I may try to find a similar patterned fabric for the chair seat and paint the wood and cane an olive green.

     I'd been planning on buying wire shelves to fit in the back of the only tall closet in the house at the top of the stairs.  I wanted to be able to put my off-season clothes somewhere other than in tubs on the floor, or empty comforter bags.  But finding shelves to fit was going to be difficult and expensive.  There was a dresser that was also being thrown away and I snagged it.

     It fit PERFECTLY and I wouldn't have been able to buy something as nice!  It even has more storage space than wall-mounted wire shelves would have given me, and no need to worry about the cats turning my winter sweaters into furry naptime beds.  I won't even need to fix or redo it at all since it will be hidden behind hanging clothes.  Honestly, it looks wonderful just as it is!

     This lamp will get a new shade, but I've been told that it is a mid-century Stieffle lamp.  Researching them, I found that new ones sell for $235-$375!  It is a heavy brass that will get a nice cleaning.  The shade on it has been re-homed already to someone who liked the thin burlap fabric, and so I'll be looking for one I can upcycle to fit my decor or my creativeness!  New Stieffle lamps have a bell-shaped lampshade, and so I will probably look for one like that at the thrift stores before I start looking for a new shade.

     I'm still in the process of doing some redecorating the living room, which includes a gold velvet loveseat.  I was thinking of painting it, but the velvet is in such nice condition, I might just leave it and find a fabric to recover the cushions and make a cover for the back of it where Charlie likes to sit to spy on the neighbors.

     Finally, this corner shelf and cabinet unit has become part of the dining/craft room.  The peeling paint will get removed this summer, and I am tossing around several ideas on how to refinish it.  It is going to be used for craft supplies and displays, and I'm thinking of using scrapbook paper to cover it and then lightly distress it so that it has a shabby chic appearance.

     But I could also repaint it with all of my left over paint from my blue and yellow phase last year when I was working on the trunk turned table and cat bed.  I will have to troll Pinterest for ideas for it, and for the loveseat.  I have an image in my mind for both, but would just like to see something someone else has done to put it all in motion.

     I hope you have had a wonderful week, with a relaxing weekend ahead!

                                     Hugs, Ci

Monday ...

     My new job starts in less than 15 minutes, so I'm rushing a quick blog post out just to curb my enthusiasm.  This is me, about to bust my face wide open with a grin of excitement before church yesterday.  A new2me sweater that I just love.   One of my fav pairs of earrings I found at a craft show 20 years ago (hate to brag, but I can still wear the earrings I wore in high school... tho that would have been 42 years ago now... time sure flies). Eyeglasses (cheaters) in my fav color.  

     There are times when I think my hair is growing back more strawberry than blond, but I think that is just how it combs out.  I always did have dark red natural low lights with the white blonde highlights.

     Awesome day at church yesterday, taught my BFF kid how to turn your wrist over without moving your wrist ~ a trick I learned on a TikTok post on Instagram.  Social media can be good for learning magic tricks I guess.  The surprised look on his face made my day.

     Saturday I spent most of the day learning how to make barn quilts, and made this friendship star for one of my longest BFFs ~ we've been friends for 50 years this year.  It is a 10"x10" wallboard, and the color that looks like a light gray is actually a darker gray.  The sun that finally came out was exceptionally bright when I took the picture.

     I've ordered some blank wallboards the same size so that I can make another for myself, and maybe have a painting class at my house to teach others.

     From my office window I can see mountains behind the houses across the street on clear days, but last Friday it rained all day and the clouds were very low.  I like days like that.  The clouds look like a soft-down blanket.

           Have an awesome week!  Hugs, Ci

Hello February ...

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     My tree has been decorated for the month with hearts, and a token yodeling pickle.  I actually ran out of branches before I ran out of ornaments this month.

     I rearranged the living room a bit, and like it much better now that I don't feel I'm watching TV under the watchful eyes of neighbors.  I do still have to chastise Charlie tho for spying on the neighbors from the front window where he watches all their comings and goings from his perch on the back of the loveseat.  Even with the curtains closed, his nosey little face finds a way to peek through.

     Since I long for a warm, hygge-ish feeling in my home, I'm bringing in more aspects of nature.  The husband of a church friend blessed me with two cherry wood logs for side tables to my sofa.  I'm super excited because I have loved that look in many home decorating magazines.  Over the next month or so as the bark loosens, I will pull it off, then sand the wood and oil it to keep it beautiful.

     They are a precursor to a color change in the living room.  Browns as the main color, with pops of turquoise for accents on the walls and other items in the room.  The yellow rug that shows every bit of dirty snow paw and boot prints will be replaced with brown ones.  Existing brown curtains will be swapped for some that are thicker and sound-reducing so that the conversations of everyone walking past will not throw Charlie into an "intruder alert" barking frenzy.  I've picked out a paint card with varying shades of brown and eventually hope to get the room repainted, one wall at a time since I will be doing it myself.   There was a tutorial on Pinterest on how to create a faux crown molding with just paint, and that is what I want to do.  True crown molding is expensive, and a chore (been there, hired the contractor, paid the bill in my Florida townhouse ages ago).  

     It did provide a good joke on my carpenter contractor Dad when I asked him about doing it.  Dad:  "Do you know how to cope?"  Me (deadpanned):  "Not without drugs and alcohol."  Dad:  [says nothing, just walks away shaking his head]  (Coping is the carpentry term for cutting wood at an angle to fit in a corner ~ which I knew)

     I have been working on a small project for one of the walls centered around an acrostic poem I wrote from a dream once.   If I can find my black Sharpie, I want to write the poem along the edge, but I may opt for a different, less harsh, color. I'm just waiting now to finish it with some actual beach sand from Florida near where I spent many years.

SEA

Silently the waves push through

Eternity, churning up memories

And dreams long forgotten.

     The dining/craft room walls will be a very soft shade of gray, with the faux crown molding in darker shades.  Blue-gray rug, and new fabric on the chair seats.  I currently have a gray & white curtain in the room with birds in trees that I love, so don't plan to change it.

     Spring is coming, despite what that silly groundhog thinks, and I'm anxious for new life this year ...

                                                                    Hugs,  Ci