Having Fun With Making Do!

Whenever I can take something someone was going to trash and give it a new life in my home, I am happy and over the last few months I came across a number of such items and here they are:

Contestant number 1, come on down....

I rescued a few old drawers originally from an old bureau, that were slated for the burn-pile (yes they still have burn-piles in upstate New York) and made a few shelves that I think turned out quite cute.

After priming and then painting them I decided to add vintage wallpaper to the background before adding the little shelf. Well of course that wasn't enough so I fashioned trim from some basswood I had (although basswood is easy to cut it is also easy to break so 1/4 ply would have been better...oh well live and learn huh?)
Contestant #2, come on down....

I was given three huge bags of white silk flowers!!! What to do with fake flowers??? I gave some away and was about to despair when I came across my little fake Christmas tree and had an idea....and voila! Flower Power Christmas!
Contestant #3 Come on down!

 

Old frame bought at a garage sale for .50  and a roll of chicken wire being thrown away....some tacks, white paint, wire for hanging and ta-da we have a card holder!

And finally we have ....

Contestant #4 .......An Iron Thingy, black and dingy, but with some white paint, a little sandpaper for distressing and we have.....

A White Iron Thingy!!!

I have to admit this is one of my favorite things to do, salvage and restore or reuse. 

In closing I did want to add my wishes that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that this New Year will usher in a time of unsurpassed joy for us all. All of you I have gotten to know here on Blogger have become very special to me and I hope we will all triumph over whatever challenges come our way this New Year and come out the other end shining like the stars we truly are! God bless you and your homes!

Tina xo

P.S. Sorry if any photos have posted more than once. I have no idea why Blogger does that to me sometimes and I can't see it when I check the post so I have no way to delete any extras that may have been added. SIGH!

Christmas Birds Flying to Etsy

I got these little guys finished finally! I love papier mache, but it does require patience. All the waiting for layers to dry and then painting and adding glitter, making their little ribbon covered legs....etc.

What makes it all worth it? They put a smile on my face!

I hope you have some fun Christmas projects going that put a smile on your face too!

Tina xo

Winters With Gisele

Although I am not often a neutral colors person, I felt compelled to do this painting in those colors. Maybe it's how Winter softens everything, even color.

I chose to use the gauze and plaster on the surface of the canvas again as it allows me to scratch into the surface after it has dried and I love that.

I also chose not to over-detail the composition which I feel gives it a more wintery, misty look.
Gisele is a 16" x 20" canvas an I am putting her on Ebay, here's hoping someone will love the wistful look on her face!
Hope everyone is having a bang up day and keeping those fingers and toes warm!

Love,
Tina xo

The New Cut!

Yes I chopped it off and it's Winter, how much sense does that make? To me it means I can blow dry and get back to painting or crafting so it made perfect sense to me!

My friend Julie's mom was a hairdresser for many years and she offered to cut it and I said heck yeah!

                             How did Julie like it?

                                      Julie likes long hair, can you tell?

               And her dog Emma seems to be asking....

                           Who is that old broad?

Well I like it so there!

Hope you are staying warm today, it is COLD here , but the dusting we got last night of the white fluffy stuff has melted ....yay!

Love to all....

Tina xo

Commissioned Paint Project

Recently the gentleman I do some painting for asked me if I would be willing to take on a special project and of course I said "sure"! He had a very old rocker that the background design had long ago worn off and he wanted it to be revitalized.

 Working on something that is a few hundred years old did make me a tad nervous but he trusted me to do the job so I loaded it into my Explorer and brought her home.

I had to turn it in many different directions in numerous different lighting situations to finally have a slight view of the original design and even then some of it had to be guessed at as the finish had worn down so much over the years.

I finally got the color mixed, and with a nervous heart started to paint! It took quite a few thin coats to achieve the look he wanted but finally I called it done and returned her back home.

And here the little lady is sitting back in the salon close to the wood stove where she belongs and Don and his wife Diane were thrilled. Since Don is a retired Art History professor I was glad he was pleased with the work and maybe I will be less leery of accepting future commissions to restore antiques.


Now on to the next thing and here's hoping we all have many "next things" to look forward to!

Love Tina xo