I have finished several projects this week. I am so proud to finally have a few things completed, after seeing some ideas through that developed over a year ago. My style is not necessarily to go out and shop for things, but rather, to let things find me. I always keep my eyes wide open at garage sales, and pick up things that range from 50 cents to a couple dollars. I often see beyond the piece in front of me, imagining what it could be. I acquired just such an object at one of the garage sales on my street a couple years ago. It was a mini dress form on a stand. It had a hideous green (and I thought I liked every shade of green!) fabric with clashing trim. I tore everything off, down to the styro-foam, and recovered it with decoupaged hymnal pages. I mixed up a recipe of flour and water I found on the internet, and threw in a little glue for good measure. I featured a few words toward the front, that had special meaning. It seems like I am just not complete unless I get really messy during projects. This one was no exception. It was just like kindergarten class all over again, and I confess that the sticky fingers were kind of fun. The brushes just needed a little soap with water to get them all cleaned up. I sealed the paper with a couple coats of mod podge. I repainted the stand, after giving it a new bottom piece, and added a top piece to match the stand. I cut the top off an old fashioned wooden clothes pin and filed the bottom part at an angle all around. I attached the wood with a screw plus wood glue for the base, and a nail plus wood glue for the top. The result is simple girlish pleasure.
The second project was simply a round box covered in paper. Really simple, right? Not so much, this time around. This was quite a learning experience, mostly on what not to do. Thankfully, I employ some of the shabier-chickier styles, so the flaws on my box are no reason to discard the project. I just think of it as if the piece were old and worn out (even though it's new), which isn't so bad, since vintage appeal works well with my decor. I will stand behind the quotes of those decorating sages who have gone before me, such as "the gentle wear of time adds to the charm of the peice." In this case, the appearance of the "gentle wear of time" was caused from both accidental and artificial means. The box was inexpensive, and not evenly shaped. The paper didn't fit securely all around, and got air inside, where it was difficult to mold around the misshapen box. Because I chose to trim the paper with an exacto knife after I had glued it on, the edges got trimmed down to the box where it showed through. This is why researching how to do things is important, and not assuming you can figure it out as you go. I am learning this more and more. The box was for my daughter, and she is pleased with it. In that case, it was a success.
My final project was a picture I printed and framed. I created a worn look on a plain, ordinary frame, which was stowed in a box for who knows how many years in my garage. I created the aged look by painting it with several coats of different colored paint, and added just a touch of crackle paint in the process. I scuffed up the paint intentionally, to let some of the darker wood show through. It looks refreshingly rosy and soft in my bathroom. It makes my happy to look at it, and I don't have to be in the garden to enjoy the flowers!
Be on the lookout for free things too, perhaps at the end of a garage sale when your neighbors just want to unload what didn't sell. If you put your imagination to work, you can transform all sorts of outdated, even tacky looking potential treasures! If you have trouble figuring out how something will work, try what I do. Get someone who is patient to listen to you ramble for a bit about ways you might fix something. They may have an idea, but often, just talking through it is all we need to figure it out ourselves. Now go create! I know you can do it!
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