Gearing Up for Spring

 I have a bone to pick with that groundhog! He said we can expect a mild winter. Yes, it has been mild...until last night!! I spent yesterday wearing a light hoodie outside while running errands and walking my dog. This morning I wake up to SNOW!! I had to dig out my icy melt and throw it on a couple icy patches of sidewalk! It's cold out there. I heard we got 2 inches; not a lot, just enough to remind us that it is still February and the groundhog is not always accurate...

Meanwhile, my crafting mind hsas already turned to Spring projects. I pulled out a rusty metal wall decor from my garage yesterday (pre-snow). I had bought it sometime last year and forgot about it until now. I had to sand it, using WD-40, and clean it well, before applying gesso and paint to it. My front porch is painted blue, and the railings are white. So that's the colors I chose for this project.

I used spray paint as a base, then went over areas of the leaves with acrylic paint in a few shades of blue for some depth. After I got the effect I wanted, I sealed it with gloss varnish so it can weather the weather. It looks great on my back door right now, and as soon as it warms up a little, I'll place it on the front of my house.

Oh, forgot to mention the wire butterfly I added to my decor. I actually used gloss varnish on it as well in hopes of making it last long into the Spring and Summer. Have fun crafting, peeps, and don't trust that groundhog!!

From Thrift Store to Living Room

 

Another day, another thrift store upcycle. I had stored this credenza in my garage, where it waited for inspiration to come. It came to me this week, so I had my daughter help me move it into the house, where I assessed the damage. Dirty, of course, with a few tears.

I decided to paint it white as a base color, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, purples splotches and dots, as if someone had shaken a bottle of purple hair dye and the cover slipped off! That dye or whatever it was bled thru three coats of white paint!!

I knew I had to either paint the whole thing purple (ugh) or figure a way to conceal the splotches. I had previously purchased some colored wax for just such an occasion, but did I have a viable color?? I found a teal wax. Wow, my living room furniture is teal (2 chairs and a couch), and the artwork on my walls have some teal in it.

I chose to try the teal wax, It came out lighter than expected, but it worked against the pale yellow walls. So now I have a credenza/cubby unit for my living room. The two bins on the right hold our winter accessories (top) and Honeycomb's winter wear (bottom). The rest of the bins hold our art supplies (pens, pencils, markers and assorted).

I originally had a four-cubby unit, which is now stuck behind one of the LR chairs awaiting its fate. Now I have storage for all the bins I keep in this room. And I am happy, which is what I strive to achieve on every art project I create. Does your artwork and crafting make you happy? I hope so!!

Another Thrift Store Furniture Upcycle

 

Having some time on my hands, I brought up a small vertical shelving unit from the basement. I found it years ago and did nothing with it except use it in the laundry room to hold detergent, dryer sheets, etc. While my gf gave me her double-shelved shoe rack when she moved, it just took up so much room by the front door. So I finally got to work on this skinny set of shelves.

It had gathered a lot of dust and stains from being the "laundry cart", so the first thing I did was to clean it thoroughly. The cleaning was not enough, so I brought up my paints, brush and a sponge. I decided to try my hand at mixing colors to give it a marbled effect. My colors were black, copper, rose gold and silver.

I'd never tried this painting technique before, so I came into it blind. I chose to go from dark to lighter colors, and it paid off. Using a damp art sponge, I dabbed on enough black to almost cover the surfaces (I started with the top). It was still almost wet before I added the copper and then gold.

When it came to adding the silver, I lightly dabbed the paint on, not only filling in unpainted spots, but going over the whole surface o blend in the colors. I really like the outcome. When it came to the inside of the shelf area, I used black. After all, our shoes would be going in the cubbies as we go through the front door, as well as guests.

My next furniture upcycle is a credenza with cubbies for those fabric bins everyone loves. I have an overabundance of these bins, and will replace a smaller unit with the one I'll work on. 

Bonus photo: I'm stopping here at my computer personalization project with this result:

My New Project for the Year

 A new year, a new project! I've always wanted to personalize my keyboard. I had started last year with my old computer but it died. Then I was hesitant about trying it on my new one. But what the heck! Might as well fulfill my dreams, even tho my BIL will give me grief for "defacing" my computer. LOL

I'm starting in the safety zone. A simple Bee drawing for the letter B, and a simple House drawing for the Home key. I used Posca paint markers, and had to cover each key with white to get the colors to be true. What do you think? To me, I am really pushing my creativity limits. Painting and upcycling thrift store finds is one thing. My computer is another. But so far, I'm happy with the results!