Clothespins & Copper Wire

I like to collect ephemeral items, but often they get buried in a closet or in my hope chest. So the other day  I decided to make a way to display my memories without the aid of a picture frame.First  I used copper wire and upholstery tacks to make miniture clothes lines between two doors frames. Then I designed clothespins with various odds & ends...like that broken periwinkle jeweled bracelet that I couldn't fix or an old Alice & Wonderland flower pin that I was never bold enough to wear. Here are a few of my results.

After...

Here is the end table that I found for $2 last summer. I obtained the antique handle from an ornate buffet that my mom has been planning to discard...of course I only found it after several trips to various hardware stores and countless hours of web search...Also this infamous Desert Blue colour instigated a need for "Clean up in aisle 5!" at Michaels.

Another project that I have been working on can be seen above the little table. I'm working on an album cover. It's still in the early stages, but hopefully I will have something to pass out to family & friends soon. Lord willing :)

"Continued in the following edition..."

So here are two projects that I'm in the process of vamping up. Stay tuned to see the "After" pictures.

my love affair with teal and green

The Telephone Chair

Land-lines may become obsolete, but this telephone chair which was once in my uncle's dumpster can hopefully be brought back to its glory days. The first picture in the series was taken after several hours of sanding & several days of removing staples. It was also covered in spider webs. I had my work cut out for me. After it was primed, I waited 2 weeks for the foam to go on sale at Hancock Fabrics, but found fabric in the clearance section in the meantime. I also had to find a back board and upholstery tacks, so there was plenty to do until I could get my foam brick for 52% off.

First I painted it a straw yellow, but felt it resembled mustard too closely. So to counter the bright yellow I covered it in a white wash. The foam was attached by merely stapling the fabric to the base. I was later told that I should have placed burlap between the foam and the springs, but will have to make this adjustment when I update the fabric someday. (ooh and that's my little helper, Snickers...well she doesn't help, but just stops by to see my progress every now & then... or whenever I have lunch.)

Voila! I added the lily pad lamp and a handmade journal I picked up at my recent visit to the Renaissance Festival as well as a bejeweled frame of Snick. Now all I need is a vintage rotary telephone.

The Ambiance of the Renaissance

Yesterday my mom and I ventured into the Renaissance Festival. I was enthralled by the entire display. Granted this was my inaugural visit, so every sign and building was viewed as artwork that must be admired. I took a lot of photographs and was even repremanded for doing so by one particular store owner. Everyone else seemed excited to pose for the camera and understood that I was not mocking their efforts nor intending to steal their design. The whole time I felt like Belle in the village of Beauty & the Beast. I kept waiting to hear the townspeople break into the song, "Look there she goes, that girl is strange no question...a most peculiar mademoiselle, such a pity & a sin, she doesn't quite fit in..." Because we definitely stood out by not wearing garmets from the 1600's and mainly because people were pushing around carts in what resembled a marketplace. Here are a few of my favourite images captured yesterday.

"Will you not sit?"

I often frequent rummage sales and friends can attest that I can't pass by a disheveled chair without considering its potential. I intend to post current and future projects for the fellow chair-enthusiast. Here is a recent find. Inspired by Miss Austen and an issue of Victoria magazine, I chose to cover the seat with a delicate worn cornflower blue & white toile. I was especially drawn to the chair solely because of the harp design its back. Once I primed and painted the chair country white, I sanded away portions to reveal the original finish, thus creating a shabby chic effect.

Below: I painted the finials on this little oak seat metallic gold, plum, & magenta to complement the velvet striped cushion cover. It was originally outdated 70's burnt orange pleather. The envelope pillow was made from an upholstry sample and features a collage of antique buttons.

Below: This chair was purchased for $6 at my favourite Antioch, TN boutique, Alabaster Box. I did nothing to alter this particular chair, although I did fashion the costume rubies to the square senorita floral pillow.