Jute Hugging Curves

Summer, you have worn out your welcome this year.  It's just too darn hot and dry.

I'm retreating from the outdoors, which means I've been finally addressing some of the household chores that I ignored this spring, like hauling the glass to the community recycling area.

I'm pitching glass into the bin, when I notice that some of these bottles are pretty substantial.  And some have a great shape.  I'm seeing subtle colors.  Curves.  And jute.

And something my hands can work on while my husband and I watch his favorite cooking shows.  In the basement.

The cool basement.  And think of cool water, the color of this blue glass.

While everything outside is turning brown, I'll remember the greens.

I think the bottoms are my favorite part.

Both are available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Not So Vintage Market Basket

When I visited Mary Carol Garrity's fall open house last year, I noticed she had a large market basket tucked under a sideboard, and it was filled with empty wine bottles.  Being known to tip back a glass (or two...nevermind, just give me the whole bottle), I loved the look.

(By the way, Mary Carol's spring open house is less than a month away!)

And who doesn't love a great vintage market basket?  But I'm way too cheap to buy the real thing.

But I do have one of these at the back of the closet that's doing nothing better than holding socks whose partners are l-o-n-g gone.  It's about 15 years old and it has seen lot of use hauling laundry up and down the stairs until it started to unravel at the top, which is when it was retired to become the gathering place of the Lonely Sock Club.

The size is perfect.  But that color is so 1990s.

Vintage = good
Dated = bad

Let's gather some supplies.

I evicted the singles club of socks and their tag-alongs, the dust bunnies, then sprayed the basket with oil rubbed bronze paint, which improved the look immediately.  But the color was a one-dimensional, so I gently brushed it with the Brunt Umber craft paint with one of my favorite tools, a chip brush.

After letting it dry, I hit the high points in the weave with the Pinecone Brown craft paint, blending it into the weave.  Finally I sealed it with a clear spray.

There are always plenty of wine bottles in the recycling bin, but eventually I'll fill it only with the bottles which were part of special occasions.

The best part?  It cost me NOTHING.  I love the subtle colors on the handles.

It's so fun to find ways to get "the look" for less!

I'm linking up...

Between Naps on the Porch

Coastal Charm

Handy Man, Crafty Woman

Savvy Southern Style

Domestically Speaking

Chic on a Shoestring Decorating

At the Picket Fence

Basic Table Runner

I blame Spring's earlier-than-usual-arrival for my creative funk.  It was almost HOT here this week.  Some people are saying we could reach 90 this weekend.  It's not even April yet!

The yardwork is calling.  There were indoor projects planned.  I've been battling colds and seasonal allergies.  And there are never enough hours in the day.

But I did finally put away the Christmas table runner this week.  In my defense, it's not technically a Christmas pattern.  It's just green, gold and red.

Yeah, kind of Christmas-y.

Our dining room table is large (one of my pet peeves is being crowded when I'm eating), so a custom runner was necessary.  I finally found a print that could carry me through several seasons, Christmas excluded!

This is so easy to make, you hardly need a tutorial.  First, determine the width and the overall length of the runner.  I like the points to hang about 3 inches above the chairs at the head of the table.  If you are sewing the seams, add a half inch seam allowance to all sides.  You can use Stitch Witchery as well.  Just  add the necessary allowance to create a hem when you fuse it in place.

If you are using a sewing machine, fold one side under 1/4 of an inch then fold it over again 1/4 inch.  Stitch along the edge.  If you are using Stitch Witchery, just fold it over as much as you need to cover the fusing and iron according the manufacturer's instructions.  Repeat on all four sides.

Fold each end neatly to make a point and press with an iron.

Tack the flaps in place with about a 4-6 inch long seam. 

If your fabric has a print and you can match the thread closely, you'll hardly see the stitching on the front side.

That's all there is to it!

Random

I'm having issues with focus.


I pulled all the books off the bookcases in the basement several weeks ago.  I rearranged the three mismatched bookcases and gave up.

I asked the spousal unit if we can retire the old bookcases and get new ones that matched.  Nothing fancy.  He said "Not right now."

Sigh.

I'd really like to check out Ikea's uber-affordable Billy system, but we live in an Ikea dead-zone.  The shipping charges alone for three Billys is $349.  I could drive to the nearest Ikea 8 hours away, stay the night in a decent hotel, and then drive 8 hours home. 

Better still, just stay home.  I'm sure I can find three nice bookcases locally for less than $500.

Moving on...

I've been dusting off my painting skills, mostly abstract landscapes.  The husband has been dropping serious hints about his dislike of the generic Tuscan scenes I bought several years ago at a national retailer who shall remain nameless.   

Let me practice a little more and then I'll share.

Moving on...

I've started cutting out pieces for a new quilt.

I'm going with a different pattern this year.  Here's a peek.

Next...

My big accomplishment last week was replacing the ball rod assembly in of the bathroom sinks.  That's the gizmo under the sink that makes the drain stopper move up and down when you pull on the little knob next to the facet handle.  Not really a blog-worthy project.

We have six bathroom sinks in our house.  I've replaced four of these ball rod assemblies.  I'm pretty flexible and I have long fingers so I'm pretty good with under the sink work.

I did re-paint this cute little tray I found at a thrift store to corral my hair styling products.

I spent last Saturday cleaning out dead brush and remaining leaves.  Mid-way through mowing the back yard, the self-propeller on our 14 year old mower stopped working.

We'll see what it takes to fix it.  Buying a new lawn mower is going to take a serious bite from my garden budget this year.

Bummer.

So the books are still scattered on the floor.  The painting is finished but not hung on the wall.  The quilt is about 1/3 cut out.  This week I'll have to load the icky, dirty lawn mower into car to get it fixed.

Maybe this week will be more inspiring.

Tray Table

Did anyone else suffer from Downtown Abbey withdrawal last weekend?  We don't have cable and unless the tornado sirens are blowing or presidental election results are being announced, we don't watch TV.  If something is any good, we'll just wait and get it on Netflix.

I made an exception for season two of Downtown Abbey.  I had to rely on digital rabbit ears and thirty feet of cable to get it out of the basement so I could tune in every week.  It will be a long wait for season three.

So I think I was channeling a bit of Downtown Abbey when I thought of dressing up this plain old table.

It fills the narrow wall nicely, but the top is too small.  In my stash of unfinished/unstarted projects, I have several of these old cabinet doors.

I also found this old light fixture at ReStore. 

They had two of these.  I go to ReStore every Friday after work (my idea of TGIF happy hour), and every week for the past month it's mate is still there. 

What a pity.

I removed the chain, wiring and light socket and used a combination of gold craft paint and Rub 'n Buff to bring back its luster.  Let's see how our misfits cleaned up.

I removed the old door handle and filled the holes with wood putty, then repainted the entire door with my favorite bronze craft paint.  I pulled a second door pull from another cabinet door on hand and painted them with bronze craft paint too.  The stuff sticks to just about anything.

I love the details of the light-fixture-turned-into-lantern, especially the seeded glass.  I can't bring myself to buy the cheap stuff made in China you find in most chain stores.

 
I love battery operated LED candles for my lanterns, especially the ones that run on four-hour timers.  They'll run for months on a couple of AA batteries.

Originally, I had this bowl filled with decorative balls on this table top.  I moved it to the lower shelf and added my DIY moss balls.

Someday, I'll have to show you how I made the textured bronze balls.  I'll save that for another post.

I added a tiny bell for when I want to call the maid, and my vignette is complete.

Update: I've been in denial until tonight, but Google Friend Connect is going way tomorrow.  Google didn't pay one bit of attention to all my pouting.  I'm still undecided what I am going to do to replace it.  (I'm going through an anti-Facebook phase).  For now, I've added one of those nifty RSS subscriber buttons to the right.  If that's your thing, I hope you click  it to continue following me.

I think I'm going to make a pan of brownies now.

Inspiration for the Studio

Call it the Woman Cave, Craft Room or Studio, but its original purpose was going to be a wine room.  So when I painted this semi-finished room in the basement, I painted it a nice dark olive green.

Then about three years later I took it over as my craft room.  It's still green and filled to the brim with craft supplies now.  I really, really dread moving everything out to repaint, so I'm making up for the olive walls with some bright, inspiring artwork.

Still staying on task with my February plan to tackle projects I dreamed up but never finished, I turned to some greeting cards and frames I purchased over the past year like this frame I picked up at a thrift store.

The brown plastic veneer was depressing, so I painted it a sassy red and used it to frame a blank note card I picked up last winter from the dollar bin at Michaels.  It's an empty birdcage and above is printed "Fly."  I like the contrast of the simple print with the ornate frame.

I used acrylic craft paint, but it didn't give good coverage on the slick veneer, so some of the brown showed through, which was fine by me!  It's sealed with glossy Mod Podge.

Next, I turned to a Curly Girl greeting card in my stash.  I love these cards with their fun designs and off-beat inspirational messages.  I had picked up a square picture frame from from Goodwill.  I'm sure the cashier had to wonder why anyone would want such an ugly thing.

All it needs is a couple of coats of black craft paint and a matte Mod Podge finish.

I could get a mat cut for my impromptu artwork, but some leftover cork Con-Tact liner makes a nice background.

We rented scooters during our December beach vacation, and I loved zipping around town on it.  After a long day, I close my eyes and dream of cruising a coastal town on a cute scooter named Spirit, only mine would be teal blue!

Two framed pictures, one window shelf, and the paint is drying on the next project!

Unfinished Business

I've been thinking about my craft life lately. 

Specifically, all the unfinished projects hanging about the house.

I'll admit, sometimes my follow-through on my plans is...

Hey, look at this tray I scored at a garage sale for only a quarter!  I could paint it!

So, I am devoting the entire month of February to FINISH some of these projects.  "Window shopping" at thrift stores and craft supply will be strictly limited.

Notice I picked the shortest month of the year for this experiment?

First project:

Let's roll back to the summer of 2010.

Husband has just left for work, and I'm finishing breakfast before I leave for work myself.

It's Friday, trash day in our neighborhood. The phone rings.

"There is a window setting by the curb around the corner. It looks like something you might be interested in."

Oh yes, I am interested in this old window, but not the cutesy flowers painted on it.  So I paint it black.

And then it collects dust.

Move forward to last weekend.  After the chaos in my craft studio that was called Christmas, I begin to re-organize.  I could really use more shelving for the things I reach for often.  And what am I going to do with that old window?

Ah-ha!  A 1x6 board and some basic shelf brackets and now I have this:

I really needed another pin cushion, so I made one from scrap canvas, Poly-fil and a terra cotta flower pot from a miniature floral arrangement a co-worker gave me for Christmas a couple of decades ago (I knew there was a reason why I saved it).  It took me all of five minutes.  I'm on a roll!

Today, I have co-worker who can knit, and she taught me the basics.  Whoo-hoo!  I'm so excited to have an new craft skill!

I inherited a grandmother's knitting needles, so I wanted something fun to put them in, like a vase.  I could run to Savers tomorrow after work to look around...

No, none of that! 

What else do I have?

Plenty of scrap wood!  Cut four sides and a bottom.  Give it some distressing and some paint.  Add hardware from an old armoire I tore apart a few years ago for embellishment.

This is working out better than I thought!

A couple of years ago I pulled this from a fortune cookie on a really lousy day at work.

Let's see how much I can undertake and complete this month!

Deck the Shelves

Earlier this week, I showed you how I took some basic white floating shelves and dressed them up with trim and bronze craft paint.

That was the easy part.  Now, what am I going to put on them?

I have this cute mirror that I pulled out of a heap of garage sale leftovers someone set at the curb and posted for free on Craigslist.  I wrote about it last January, but I never could decide what to do with it.

What else can I use?  I want something organic, but small and compact without seeming too cute.  Hmmm...I'll have to give that some thought.

I love architectural salvage, so I wanted something that looks old with interesting lines to complement the petite ornate mirror.  But in my town it is hard to come by without paying a hefty price.

So I'm going to fake it.

I have a spare finial and a wood disk from previous projects.  I picked up the candlestick at a thrift store.

I stained the unfinished pieces so they would look more like the candlestick when distressed.  Then I painted everything a buttery yellow, let it dry and took sandpaper to it.

My greatest concern was I would sand through the finish on the finial and the disk and not through it on the candlestick.

I was right.

So I watered down the yellow paint a little and went over all the exposed wood.

Next, I used a brown glaze on it, let it dry, and then finished with paste wax.  I love how it turned out.

So that just leaves the organic bit left.  I had the idea of a moss ball to tuck on the shelf.  I had the moss already, so I was going to pick up a styrofoam ball at the craft store.

The size I needed came in a multi-pack for almost $5.  Geez. 

I mulled it around for a minute and came up with a better idea.  And I have a lot of them!

Just take small sections of moss and hot glue them on the tennis ball.  NOTE: Since the moss has to be pressed in place before the glue sets, use a low temperature glue gun and plenty of caution since hot glue can cause burns.

Isn't it fun to using what you already have to make something pretty?

Painting Wicker

This project has been five months in the making.

Call me Miss Motivation.

Actually, there's another reason: Photography.

Last weekend I bought a Canon Rebel T3 DSLR with my birthday/Christmas money.  I had a Canon Rebel back in the days of film and I loved it.  Then the world went digital, we starting to travel regularly oversees, and the convenience of a point-and-shoot trumped lugging around a camera bag and looking like, gasp, tourists!

So you can look forward to much better pictures in 2012.

Where were we?  Oh, yes...painting wicker. 

I've had this wicker basket since forever.

Seriously, I think it dates back to my tween years, if I'd ever been a tween. 

We didn't have such things as tweens back then.

I've kept it all this time because it's sturdy, compact and holds a lot of junk, like cookbooks and magazines.

But the white was rather juvenile.

I figured I wouldn't have anything to lose if I tried to paint it.  First I painted it with dark brown spray paint, which worked to cover the white but it looked kind of flat.

So I went over it with black craft paint using a chip brush to really work into the weave.

And then I lightly brushed over it with brown craft paint to blend the brown and black together.

To protect the paint, I finished with  a clear acrylic spray.  Here's the original after photo with the old camera.

So dull, dark, and uninspiring.  I just couldn't get a picture that did all my work much justice.  So I shelved the posting until I could get a better picture.  After snapping a million pictures of the spousal unit, the dog, and the cat, I revisited the wicker basket.

Blogging is going to be so much more fun this year with the new camera!