So here we are........the last day of April. I sound like a broken record but the months are flying by......do you feel it or is it just me? It needs to slow down......it needs to just take its time and not rush. What's the hurry?
Anyway.......as you know (if you read my blog) I am constantly doing projects that keep me rather occupied. While I'm not a recluse exactly, I just get in to my element when creating whatever it is and I immerse myself to the point that days go by when I realize I need to GET OUT!
Are you like that? Do you get so ensconced in your creative world that by nightfall you realize you've been at it ALL day? Then you wonder why your neck hurts or your hands hurt of your elbow or your back.......or all of the above? I KNOW without being told I need to get out more and I plan to.........I am itching to treasure hunt and take photographs and mingle among the masses. (whoever the masses are) BUT I AM having fun......and isn't that the point? To feel passionate about something?
Artistic passion is who I am and has been since early childhood. I was most happy making felt clothes for my Troll dolls (or as we called them....Wishniks). Or drawing or coloring or creating giant Barbie dwellings from anything and everything. I used to make my parents cards when I was little for Mother's Day and Father's Day. I just couldn't get enough art in a day....and you want to hear something funny? I'd be so immersed in it that my Mom would say "why don't you go outside and play?" Not that I didn't do that because I most certainly did but there were times I just wanted to sculpt with play dough or use a needle and thread or draw. Not much has changed, eh?
So this brings me to the latest and what has kept me occupied in my own little world:
I had an idea........we had this big dresser that was being stored because it was just taking up too much space.....so I asked BohoHandyman if he could cut the top of it off to make a bench. So he did. He cut it so that the space for the next larger drawer under the two smaller ones would create automatic legs for a bench. The back was created from an old headboard we've had for years but never used and the top piece on the back we had from something else. The side pieces are 2 of 4 elements purchased at a salvage place....a long time ago. The other two are above the closet in my studio. I painted everything but the back. The color is a mixture of Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue and Land of Liberty green I concocted.
The cushion was from the settee we had bought on Craigslist, the settee itself is gone but I saved the wonderful cushion as it's down filled. I just cut up my fave quilt from World Market and covered the cushion. (I had enough left of the quilt for a throw)
I made the pillow covers using canvas fabric and then painted them. They are down filled throw pillows. I am sooooo pleased and happy with the result. (and it's comfortable)
The lamp shade was formerly a sort of beige leaf printed fabric. I painted it but didn't like it so I painted over it with blues and greens and then poked holes in the design that still showed through. It looks way better at night as it looks like stars or constellations. It's meant for ambiant light.
Then another idea struck me...........do you think my brain ever stops?
We have needed a coffee table, we had a round one but it just wasn't working. And because I am ALL ABOUT upcycling and repurposing things I remembered we had a old trunk in our shed. I cannot even remember where we got it but we've had it forever. BohoHandyman being the guy he is is always willing to at least try to make my ideas/visions a reality. He may grumble at first or think something won't work to which I reply "um, have we met?"
So out came the trunk, a couple pieces of 2x4's were added on the bottom to raise it up a bit and 4 industrial casters were attached. On the top we used two pieces of glass shelving we had that we glued together. At some point I want to get one solid piece of glass cut but it works for now. Insta coffee table and the size is perfect and we love it and it only cost the price of the 4 casters.
standing on the otherside looking down.
I don't care it has wear....that's what makes it! (of course I will fiddle faddle with what I put on it but this is how it looks right now)
We recently purchased a Keurig coffemaker...........oh how we love its convenience. Anyway I am going to make a "coffee corner". So far I painted a wee cabinet I used to have in the bathroom and cut a piece of cardboard to fit in the door. Using black acrylic paint and a white pen I made it look like a chalkboard menu. Inside we keep the wee coffee pods and a few coffee mugs. That's as far as I've gotten so far.....still mulling it over.
This next thing is still a work in progress:
This a wheel from an old bike I had. I have wrapped the spokes and the rim in strips of fabric. I am going to add some other elements to it and I want to hang something from the bottom. Right now it's hanging too low on the door - it will hang higher when I finish it.
And finally........I didn't paint or sew this item....it's a 3x5 rug I ordered it from Urban Outfitters and I LOVE it. Sadly I wish I'd ordered 2 as they are now sold out. I wanted something to put under the bar stools in front of the kitchen island and it fit my (our) aesthetic perfectly. I wonder if they will get more.
So now you can see why days and weeks go by in a blink! AND there is more on the list.
*Painted throw pillows for the sofa
*My studio is pretty much done but the antique cabinet is nearly empty (supplies are located in another area) and the walls need something more. Those things will be on going as I treasure hunt among our stored things and go outside treasure hunting. I am seeking galvanized containers to name one.
*I need to start a painting I will be doing for a friend who is adopting 2 children from Ethiopia.
Oh I won't bore you with a long list..........
Suffice to say when BohoHandyman hears these words ........."Honey, I have an idea"........ a project is already in the works rattling around in my brain!
I will leave you with this:
Look around you, look at things you may have in your garage or shed or friends or family don't want anymore. Maybe it's "for free" item see on the curb. Let your imagination see whatever it is in a whole new way. Sometimes only paint is needed to completely transform something. Why put it in a landfill? Why spend tons of money? Something may have outused its original purpose so let it become something else. Dont' say "I don't have an eye for that stuff".........because I think you do. You just have to stop and look at it and ask yourself "maybe this could be made in to a lamp" or "what if I had this part cut off or out and turned it this way or that". Think outside the box. Think creatively and think of the money you save. If you have something you don't know what to do with.....email me a picture of it........perhaps I could help you with......... "I have an idea!"
Enjoy your day! Smile! You are blessed. You are beautiful. You are clever. You are amazing! And I thank you for stopping by. I do hope you'll let me know you've been here. ♥♥♥
P.S. Tomorrow is May Day - if only we could all gather for a dance around the May Pole!