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Showing posts from May, 2014

Vintage Suitcase #2

I have had this suitcase in my pile and it looked ok, but clearly it doesn't look so great standing by itself. I thought about several ways to hide the stains on this one. In retrospect, I didn't make the best choice.  But I'll save that for later. I have been trying to use materials I have on hand.  So instead of rushing out for another quart of paint,  I mixed about five colors to achieve the right bluish green. I wanted to use this color to cover the reddish brown on the ends of the case. I was really happy with this color and very excited about the doing the rest of the makeover. I took the metal parts from a beat up gold (top latch) to the bronze of the bottom hardware. My idea was to use this toile remnant to cover the rest of the suitcase. I did the lid first and that turned out pretty well. Then I started on the bottom.  This is messy, messy work and you have to work quickly because the medium drys very fast.  I have found that

Vintage Suitcase #1

This is one of those back burner projects that I rediscovered recently.  It seemed like the right time to give it some attention. As you can see it looks a little rough but it still opens and closes and I was pretty sure I could make it look better than it does here. I lightly sanded the metal corners and latches to remove some of the rust.  I tried to match the dull silver color but in the end went for chrome. Here you can see the before and after between the top of the latch and the rest of the metal hardware. The metal seemed to need that reflective quality. I painted the body a color called French Beret.  There was lots of cutting in to be done around all the metal and that became a little tedious but it was so worth it. I tried out a new stencil that just arrived in the mail.  This is just a portion of the stencil, but I thought it was all that was needed on this project. It is an easy piece to move around for pictures so I got a little carried

Down Came the Rain and...

Down came the rain and weighed the peonies to the ground.  That's the sad thing about these big luscious blooms.  Those thin little stems have all they can do to stand up straight with the weight of the blossom and when that blossom takes on water, it's bend or break.  This was taken yesterday when they were dry and perky and absolutely glowing. So, in an attempt to let those buds rise to their full potential, I decided snip a few of the fully opened flowers.  Because the buds branch off very close to the blooms, I had to work with short stems. Now I have a little color to enjoy indoors. Irises have the same weakness in a heavy rain.  Much as I enjoy their beauty in the yard, I prefer this to seeing them lying on the ground. I don't think I can end this with "Out came the sun."  The forcast is for more of the same for a few days.  But the rain will bring hydrangeas and more spectacular bouquets.

Recycled Coxcomb

I have always admired coxcomb but never had much luck growing it myself.  The other day a friend and neighbor gave me a bundle of dried coxcomb.  I had never used it before and decided to experiment with an arrangement. I would swear I took pictures along the way but evidently I did not.  Whatever!  I already had this container and the oasis to hold the stems in place.  Now I just needed a row of something around the bottom.  I tried a few things I had on hand but none of those things did the trick.  I shopped Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's and finally the obvious, the wholesale flower mart.  Again, I meant to take "in progress" shots, but instead, I just forged ahead.  The pale green roses were the best I could do at the flower mart, but they will do.  They are not going in this room, although, I guess they could. They were meant for the little table from yesterday's blog post. They do look sweet in this room and they pick up some of the other cream colored

That Little Occasional Table

 I have been hanging onto this little table for years.  Many times I was tempted to add it to one of my many yard sales, and each time I refrained.  It isn't that special, and it certainly has some wear.  But this is like a pair of earrings that you think about getting rid of because you never wear them.  Then that day comes when they are perfect and you are so glad you resisted the urge to purge them.  I tightened up the screws a bit and it became sturdy again.  I sanded lightly and gave it a coat of primer. Then using a can of BM 2150-30 Savannah Green that I had on hand, I gave it two coats. Here it is in full light.  I love the color but it is a tad bit bright for what I had in mind. So I brushed on a light coat of BM2147-30 Fresh Olive, and wiped lightly with a wet cloth to let the brighter color form a contrast.  If you look at the table top, you will see the definite contrast where I painted the rim with the Olive but not the entire top.  That&#