Keeping it Real!

Most of my posting photos show the great brick wall in the dining room, sans the tons of paint cans (about 45 currently), stripper,  power tools, refinishing chemicals, my 5 gallon can of acetone, sandpaper, bags of steel wool, stacks of wood, jars of screws, drawers filled with hardware, stains, and upwards of 20 paint brushes, and piles of furniture in various stages, on the other side of the camera. It is very deceiving.  Behind the scenes of every beautiful finished piece is a mess.  The humble side of me welcomes you to my mess.  Kate and Caroline were over yesterday doing their homework while their mom was getting some pictures.  This is the tranquil atmosphere I arranged for them.

Oak School Desk with actual initials and names carved.  Unacceptable words were sanded out.

No longer available.  The kids gave it a "thumbs up" for workable space.

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Often times it is necessary to hide 'stuff' out in the open but disguise it as something else. Here is a solution.

A "Stuff" box.  Metal, shabby chic'd in a verdigris finish.  No longer available.

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Speaking of stuff....some stuff was hanging around in my head today.  As I look around at who is living and who is not, I see there are a lot of mean-hearted people who have lived far beyond their "sell by" date, and others that barely made a blip on the screen. People who do really good work and are snuffed out early, and rounders who would never give a thought to another's plight, still taking up space in the reserved seats. Missing the good ones....

As ever,
La Verne
hope&salvage

Presenting....The Union Jack Dresser!

What do Etta James and me have in common?  We're both singing "At Last".  The "Jack' is finally done. Just in time for the close of the Olympic [year] of the London Games. Working on it (both times) was an exercise in patience and measuring.  I would be useless as a scientist.  Without further ado. "Mr. Jack."

 This Jack measures 50"w x 18"d x 33"h.  I see that on Etsy, a Union Jack sold yesterday.  Another one on there is listed at $1700. Yes, the decimal is in the right place. Others on blog sites are listed at upwards of $350.00.  Someone will be getting a fine piece of craftsmanship.  Not just my work-the dresser is well made and has dust boards between drawers. There is a secret built-in to the top drawer (before I got it). Doesn't the hardware look like a smiley face? This dresser is no longer available-gifted to grandson.

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What can you say about a chalk and cork board that was a happy experiment?  It originally had a mirror (nice, thick and going to be re-purposed soon for another project), and a really un-beautiful Currier & Ives picture.  I wanted it to sing a different tune.  And show pizzazz.  And, be a bit turquoise-y with a hint of melted butter.  Achieved.  It is 18.5" x 10.5" and is lo longer available.

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Back to the Old, Sample Wood Pella Window which is shabby chic'd with barn red undertones and dimensions are 21.5"x14", is no longer available. Bethany attached her kid's photos for a better idea of how it would look as a picture frame.  

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It's been a long day and I have a couple hours of sewing left, so Tarra (British for goodbye/night).

As ever, 

La Verne

hope&salvage

PS  I wanted to show you the picture of my Mom's graduating class so you could agree about the pretty, and the grandmothers in the class.

If it's not the drill, and it's not the screws, it must be me!

This was the kind of a day where everything turned to crap.  I should have opened a letter YESTERDAY.  I had to unload the van in the rain. The van seat would not lock in. My favorite polyurethane turned to goo. Four hundred wooden doll heads spilled on my kitchen floor. I forgot to eat lunch. The dryer almost caught fire from some muslin I washed that was an unraveling thread disaster.  I got to church late. Again.  Then, I tried to attach the hardware on the Union Jack and stripped the screws. The original screws. I tried to take a photo with my phone and a message came up that my phone plan no longer has that capability.  Oh yeah, changed yesterday to the super budget plan.  If you were listening close enough, you could hear my primal scream.

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Remember yesterday's blog?  This is my mom as a young girl with her little brother.  See what she's doing?

You know what they say....the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! 

As ever,

La Verne

hope&salvage

How do you know when you need a manicure?

I was never one much for fingernail grooming.  If God wanted me to go to a salon, He wouldn't have given me such sharp teeth for biting cuticles. Normally, I pay them no mind but yesterday, while trying to clean the oil stain out of them (even though I had gloves on) I was reminded of a favorite saying of my folks-"it's easier to make a new one."  The stain came while I working on my Union Jack.  I can only give you another peak, because it is still uncompleted. I'm really loving this piece.  Hoping to be done by Wednesday, because other promised projects are going to sneak to the head of the line.

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Yesterday was November 30th, the Feast of St. Andrew, always a good memory from my childhood.  It was the start of The Christmas Prayer, a short prayer said 15 times a day until Christmas, for a special intention.  This year for unknown reasons, it is allowed to start today, December 1st.  My special intention this year is for son, Paddy, to find direction, and know that he is loved.  The prayer is as follows:

"Hail and Blessed be the hour, in which the Son of God was born of a more pure Virgin Mary, in a stable, in Bethlehem, at midnight, in piercing cold.  In that hour vouchsafe, Oh My God, to hear my prayer, and grant my desire, through the merits of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother."

                                                                       ~.~.~.~.~

I've always loved windows and their function; to be able to see nature, but not necessarily be IN it. I love keeping a window open at night to hear the sound of the rain beating on the roof.  And, when it is too silent, tying an aluminum pie pan on the window to hear the "clink-clink".

This is a little Pella sample window snagged from David's barn.  I love the idea of using the muntin/mullion bars as natural picture frames. Here is the Before look:

and After.

I know you have to crick your neck a little to see the one picture.  Uuntil I get another photo transferred, we can all use the neck exercises.  The photos are my Mom and Dad's high school graduation pictures. My mom was the prettiest person in her class. The other students I'm sure were absent that day so used their grandparent's photos.  Will post the price when new picture is available.

                                                                        ~.~.~.~.~

The next photo is my restored Washboard.  Also, to advertise my soap teaching class.  It will happen on Friday night, December 14, 2012, at 6:30pm.  For details contact me in the comment section, or email me at lookingsilver@gmail.com.

                                                                        ~.~.~.~.~

Be well everyone on this day before Advent starts.  I hope you find time in your day for The Christmas Prayer, and for those around us that are so like the woodwork that they are too invisible to see.

As ever,

La Verne

hope&salvage

Photography is an art

Good cameras and good camera skills are sometimes worth more than the art they depict.  Without them, a piece might as well be hidden in a locked closet.  Such are my 'shooters', Angie and Bethy (and Alisa and Paddy). Here are some of the close-up pics that I promised. *Also, check back at past blogs as I have updated photos-still new at this.

The Herring bone shabby chic chair. No longer available.

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The Chalkboard/Corkboard was a fun piece to create. I found a skinny closet door at my favorite shopping place, Habitat for Humanity. Added the chalkboard paint (several coats) and fitted and cut the cork.  Added hanging chains to the hinges to hang from the beam. It is done up in a Lysander Blue-Grey in a shabby chic design.  This could have benefited from a close-up and maybe this afternoon I will update with Paddy's phone camera.  The big erasure on the chalkboard says, 'Pooping'.  We didn't think it appropriate on something listed For Sale to say that. The measurements are 16"x77".

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Here is a close-up of the sign at the top of the chalkboard.

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The little votive, leaded glass, candle lamp on the secretary pictured above is available. As lighting for a relaxing tub bath it is absolutely perfect. Or, as a festive foyer light welcoming visitors. Weighted nicely, it stands 13" tall.

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While creating reformed furniture is my major gig, I have other burners going.  One is to help collect items for my social worker friend's holiday party on December 11th.  He works for a non-profit, caring for families who have issues with schizophrenia and are bipolar.  At the party, they are able to "shop" from items collected to gift their families for Christmas.  If anyone in the local audience has items they were planning to give to Goodwill anyway, and, if you could get them to me or one of my offspring, I would be happy to pass them on to him.  I promised him 150 small loaves of banana bread wrapped for the event, so you know what I'll be doing on the 10th!

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Off to my studio (dining room) to paint. When I post the Telephone Bench in a few days, I will offer insight into the pros and cons of painting in the house as opposed to a garage; and the story of the unfortunate decision not to use a drop cloth.

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I hope all is well with those of you that are following along. [And others who aren't.] If you like, you can have these posts delivered to your email.  Having an ABC phone, I am not proficient at texting, but Ms. Jen says the blog shows up nicely on her phone.

As ever, La Verne

hope&salvage

Just some updates....

Today was a busy, trying day. Stopped off at Alisa's in the afternoon to make a snowman with Ellie, Claire and friends.  Bethy came over tonight to tryout her new camera on some things I've worked on, but not finished.

Take a peak at how the Union Jack is progressing.

I repainted the Jack, now just have to distress it, poly, second coat the rest of the dresser, refinish the

top and figure out what I want to do with the hardware. 

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I am really excited about a checkerboard table I've started.  I found this thing on a curb in Parma a few months back and this is what it looked like then....

There were gingerbread man stickers all over it along with nail polish, glitter, gum, and it was missing the glass top. I was sold!  Here's peak at it now, but reserve judgement until the top gets painted and the surprise element is added.

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People ask what kind of finishes can go on their furniture.  Well, I have done up samples on the fronts of all my supply drawers, and that doesn't make a dent in the colors available. Here is an assortment.

It's been a really arduous day, so, turning in.  More soon.

Love, La Verne
hope&salvage

Patchwork bench and life

You know the old saying, "When life gives you lemons.....", well life gave me discontinued drapery fabric books, (about 40 of them), and I recover furniture with them and make gift bags.  If ever at a crossroads, turn to the 'free' section on Craigslist. There's bound to be something to use, recycle, reclaim, re-purpose, or at least laugh about. Such is today's post. Cheryl, a lady in Medina who makes draperies out of a very cool workroom on her property, has twice given me books, fabric, foam and advice, that I have spun into products.

First piece was a bare bones, stripped down, open spring, '40's wood chair curb find that blossomed into a patchwork chair that ironically, daughter Alisa snapped up. My mom and dad took some classes on re- upholstery after the couch fiasco of 1970. I was pregnant with Alisa that summer and the plumbers were on strike, so off to Maryland we went for a visit. While there, I told the folks that they needed to recover their old couch.  I explained in my no-nonsense, self-assured way that it would be cake to rip that thing apart and put it back together with new fabric. This was my first venture into a project that big, but have done some since. Sometime I will tell you about the peanut butter and jelly couch! Clueless on how to figure fabric, I said, "we need 19 yards." [On a no repeat fabric?  What are you smoking La Verne?]  Anyway, gutted the couch and started to sew when.....guess what?  The plumbers got called back to work and off to Cleveland we went. I took with me all the pieces-parts, sewed them together and mailed back a diagram of how the couch fit back together.  That was a leap of faith on their part, but that was what was so great about my parents, they trusted us to screw up-and we did.  Dad, being the whiz that he was, did a great job.

Back to the bare bones, wish I had a 'Before' picture, so you could see what magician I was, but trust me, it was a renaissance. Here is how it looks now in Alisa's living room.

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Next is an interesting sort of vanity bench that had no seat.  While daughter, Bethany, went to J-Fab to get tack-stretchers, I cut a new seat and rounded the edges with a mini-skillsaw.  I had one blade for my scroll saw and broke it on my first pass. No matter, this woman has determination.

The colors of this bench are more vivid than displayed here, and for the future, I'm not really a "white furniture sort of a person".  I may just paint it black and distress it to make that fabric pop.  Yes, I think I'll do that.  Next week, you will see a transformation on this piece, unless someone claims it in the meantime.
                                                            ~.~.~.~.~.~           
This will be a short post today, as I have tons of painting to do, and hemming 20 pairs of pants while watching Season 5 of Doc Martin (BBC series) that I've waited 3 months to get from the library.
                                                             ~.~.~.~.~.~
Tonight, is my Girl Scout meeting.  Friends, Pat and Ann, who I've known for decades through all facets of scouting, have a Girl Scout Troop at the Northeast Care Center,  It's a residential home for mentally and physically challenged adults.  Twice a month for the past 25 years they have turned these folks into scouts, teaching songs, crafts, saying the Pledge of Allegiance (when was the last time you said it that wasn't at a swearing-in ceremony?), serving snacks and singing taps.  That is true dedication.  When I had my troop years ago, there was always that instant gratification of "Thanks, Mrs. Dietz!"  Here, it may be an eye twinkle, or a hug, or a just-keep-showing-up. Me, I'm just along for the extra hand.  They are the planners, doers and persevere-rs.  Hand clapping.  Love you ladies!
                                                               ~.~.~.~.~.~
Have a thankful, awesome, glad I get another day to say the Pledge of Allegiance!

As ever,
La Verne
hope&salvage

PS  At the beginning of this post, I bragged about the great and funny things you can find on C'list, well, here is one I had to share.  This guy was selling a 7 foot Sasquatch stuffed creature that his girlfriend wanted him to get out of their living room.  Believe me, if I had a truck and two good knees, that thing would have been in MY living room.  Fortunately, I have no boyfriend to tell me it would have been a bad idea!

What's good about Mondays?

One of the reasons I love Mondays is-in my part of North Royalton, it's Garbage and Recycling Day! Out with the old, clean out the waste baskets, get rid of the milk jugs, those wonky spring tension rods that are so sprung, they pop in the middle of the night and you grab your table lamp for protection.  Yes, Monday is a great day.

Today, its the day I finally paint over my Union Jack dresser that I proudly painted months ago. IT LOOKED AWESOME! Only thing is...I painted it with the drawers OUT!  Who knew that there was a certain order that the drawers had to be in...in the dresser.  It turned out to be the "American Red Cross Union Drinking-Jack-Daniels-Dresser".  I'll give you a peek at what it looks like for the next 15 minutes.

Another thing I'm up to is [let me insert here that one can't have too many projects in the queue-as in the old "you can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor" well does that mean you can or you can't?] (return to original thought) making SOAP.  I started watching soap videos on youtube a few months ago when I was laid-up and thought what the world could use is "another" soap maker. Ordered my supplies from all over the globe, then found that a big supplier is 5 miles from my house.  In a few weeks, I am putting on my first 'teaching people how to make soap' night, that my friend Lynn, inspired. She is a very rational person (and an artist) and thinks I need to deplete the soap supplies to make way for the gallons and gallons of paint, strippers, acetone, polys, and power tools that would like to hug that space.  The dilemma is...that I have to quick learn how to 'make' soap, in order to 'teach' making soap. Some afternoon this week, when it's pouring, snowing, or too cold to go out; or my eyes are too itchy from sanding, I'm going to pretend to create wonderful, sale-able soaps.  It's something that needs a time-frame beyond my 15 minute interest zone. Every time I hobble past my supply cabinet, wafts of French lavender buds, cranberry seeds and calendula petals, suck me in. There are bottles of essential oils, colorings, molds, goat's milk, glycerin, molds, olive oil, distilled water, an alcohol spritzer and lye, just waiting for my nimble fingers to get busy.

I have to add here that I did dabble in soap making when I initially got the supplies.  Daughter-in-law, Jen's mom, Sandi, is a cancer survivor and I experimented making and packaging pink ribbon soaps to give away at her Relay for Life booth.  Need is a great motivator.

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Two projects I just completed came from two of my supply guys.  The first is from David (Howard's old plumbing partner).  David has a barn where just about anything can be found.  This item was a pretty cool little sort of a pirate's chest, sans hardware and jewels. With much regret, I stripped off its original layers of paint, dirt, and who knows if maybe the remnants of some former creature's home.  I can't take a chance that an item be passed on with lead paint or ancient microbes that might create a health crisis.  Anyhow, here is the gold chest before (2) and after.

No longer available.

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(This probably seems high, because secretly I want to keep it!  When I went with my family to see CATS at the Cassidy-Greenbriar and Memories was sung, I thought it was the most electric moment I ever had in a theatre. Ever. And I am a theatre FREAK.  Give me Les Miz, Phantom, A Little Night Music....)

This little blue box was formerly sort of a little tool box with a clothesline wire handle I got from Ken, my Craigslist-social worker-supplier guy.  I felt it should keep its workhorse persona and added a garage door handle and refinished in blue shades.  Inside, is mounted a Made in the USA, music box movement that plays "Memories" from CATS.

This is all for now.  Remember I promised to work on UJ!