Throughout the holiday season, I was constantly at work on projects...on my dining room table. Whenever we wanted to eat at the table (thanksgiving dinner for example) I needed to clear everything off...only to resume my work a day or so later...thank god the Southern Man is understanding...
For those of you who have no other area for creativity, this is likely a common scenario...but for me...I have three other areas designated as work areas...my office with a small table, my workshop studio where I hold classes and my basement studio space. Other than the fact that my workshop studio has no heat (and thus a little chilly during the winter) I really have no excuse to be commandeering the dining room table for my projects.
I seem to be in a perpetual state of cleaning up my spaces...but never seem to make much progress...this time I decided to dig in deep and vowed that I will get my basement studio space into a manageable condition...
I've started with the west wall of the studio, lined with shelves...I pulled out everything and cast a critical eye...
I'm assuming that I had some project in mind...but really...this many vintage graters...
You know I have a soft spot for well loved metal...but its time to let it go...the flat graters have been slated for a future art party project (and put into a bin designated appropriately), the others into the box for giveaway.
More scrounging abounds...I find a horde of drawing circle compasses...yes, one is insignificant, more than one makes a statement...but this many is overkill...and this doesn't include the three I found after I took this photo...
True, one of these would be a lovely addition to a future mixed media collage...a couple of them are rather unique...but its exactly that kind of rationalization that has led to this overpopulation.
Which leads me to my word for the year...rather than a list of resolutions, I have found it helpful to have a word on which to focus...to guide my actions throughout the year...some years, its been difficult for me to pinpoint the exact word to describe what I want to achieve...this year, it hit me square in the face about a month ago...
I am overwhelmed...not just with a physical amount of extraneous stuff...but also with overly involved art techniques...and for that matter, complicated procedures in many areas of my life...
I want to take this tangled mess of materials, methods and madness and pare it down...
Now, believe me, this doesn't mean that I'll be living in a naked house with white walls decorated with one single feather...but I'm hoping...no, I am confident...that by the end of the year (if not sooner) I'll be able to work peacefully on my art...and eat at my dining room table any time I want...
Do you have a word for the year? I'd love to hear what it is...
and if you have a compelling story behind your word, maybe I'll send you one of my compasses...
With Christmas over and the New Year sliding in soon, this is the last post of the Rustic Luxe series...
I wanted to end this creative series combining the most rustic item I could think of with the most luxurious...
I wasn't quite sure what it would be...until inspiration hit me at work one day in the lumber department...
What is more rustic than rough concrete? And what is luxe than gold leaf? What if I combined them together...
My inspiration came from these...
These are dobie blocks, used to hold rebar in place when pouring a concrete slab...I've played with these before - see my tutorial for my bud vase holders here - but for the holidays I was thinking of making candle holders with them...how festive for New Year's Eve...I gathered together my supplies...
Normally these blocks come in a section of 9 or 16 blocks, with divisions between them for separation. I used a wide rigid putty knife and a sledge hammer to break the sections apart. Once apart, I formed a holder for each candlestick by first straightening out the wire supports and then, using a metal pipe for a support, wrapped the wire around the pipe. Once the pipe was removed, it was easy to slip in a candlestick.
I revised my idea of using gold leaf and instead went with heavy body acrylic artist paint in a deep gold color. After taping off sections on the concrete block, I used a stiff brush to apply the paint...surprising only two coats were needed to give a good solid color.
With the candlesticks completed, it was on to the rest of the tableau...
Gold splatters on a length of kraft paper for a table runner was another Rustic Luxe combo...I used a can of gold spray paint which was leaking badly...but I ended up liking the drips and drabs on the paper...the chestnut garland (first seen in the Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece and then hanging from my Christmas tree branch) makes its final appearance with its nutty texture and the glint of gold beads. A few poppy pods sprayed with a bit of silver paint fill the bud vases...
A swath of wide silk ribbon tied around a small galvanized bucket is the perfect Rustic Luxe champagne holder...
Vintage ironstone plates and silver cocktail forks are waiting for the appetizers...
all is set for this small intimate gathering to begin...
As we close out 2015, I want to thank you for visiting my blog, leaving your comments, giving me your support...
I hope that the new year ahead holds all the promise and opportunity you desire...cheers!
I know its not quite Christmas morning...but if I wait to post, what good would this quick and easy gift bag idea do you later...because if you're like me, I'm now scrambling to get presents together and could use a couple of quick ideas...because how is it that Christmas is just a week away?!
I recently had to say goodbye to two of my flannel pajama bottoms...one torn all the way down the backside (had them over 10 years - guess they don't make them like they used to!) and the other had the elastic give out in the waist. But rather than toss them out, of course I thought of making something with them...
A simple bag was my idea...since the bottom of each pajama leg is already hemmed, there's only one seam needed to sew...I cut off each leg for a small sized bag...
tip here...notice the ribbon tied onto my scissors handle...since I have several pairs of Fiskers scissors and they all look alike...I tied a ribbon on the pair that I save for only cutting fabric so that they are always sharp when needed...the other two pairs I use to cut whatever...and that may mean paper, cardboard, wire or even tree branches...
After sewing the cut seam, I trimmed the edge with my pinking shears...this will keep raveling to a minimum; turn the bag right side out and iron the seam flat. For a little bit of luxe, I tacked a length of silk ribbon onto the side seam...this ribbon will be the tie that keeps the bag closed.
A button hides the place where I tacked on the ribbon...
and provides a spot for hanging a gift tag...
We don't do a big Christmas here...pretty low key...so a small gift, wrapped inside of one of these bags will be perfect...a low key setting also means plenty of rustic not too much luxe (it is morning after all)...
The rustic is the simple setting...including a view of my back garden that is very rustic looking at this time of year...a tablecloth made from a canvas painter's dropcloth; blue ticking napkins and my workhorse ironstone dishes lay the groundwork.
the luxe comes from a few shimmering vintage ornaments...
Forced bulbs in vintage canning jars tied up with twine get a bit of luxe with a shiny metal bell...
the handmade wreath crafted from birch tree limbs blown down in a recent winter storm adds another layer of rustic...the metal rim from a deconstructed lamp shade provided support for the branches as I molded the wreath...a few more metal bells hanging from a length of twine is another touch of luxe...
Simple and sincere...that's what Christmas morning should be...
joining Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...always a good time...
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, preparations are underway for many of us...
The internet is awash with images of gloriously set tables...costing more time and effort than most of us have at this late date...I have a few suggestions here that will lend that feel of Rustic Luxe without too much sweat or strain...
The play of contrasts is the idea behind Rustic Luxe...the rough with the smooth, the shiny with the subdued,
the practical with the whimsical...
To start, I gathered up a well loved linen tablecloth and a vintage wool blanket...there's a sheen to worn linen that contrasts nicely with the woolen texture of the blanket...using the linen alone seems commonplace at the traditional T-day dinner...using the blanket alone would seem a little too picnic-like...layering one over the other is unexpected and gives a great rustic luxe vibe.
Given the time of year and the sense of the season, nature is a wonder of inspiration. I gathered up a slew of fallen leaves as well as dried stems from my garden...the large leaves were pressed and comprise the bottom layer of the centerpiece (if you don't have time to press leaves ahead of time, did you know that lightly ironing will also work to flatten and dry them) An eclectic trio of pitchers with similar tones displays a collection of bird feathers, an assortment of dried stems and a large handful of poppy heads.
I also collected some smaller dried leaves from my photinia bush - I love how they look like leather. With a border of gold dots, the leaves are stuck into a small bottle for a little flourish at each place setting.
Candlelight always adds to the festive mood...the two candles on the table are made from a pair of worn out wool socks, two recycled glass jars, some linen string and two pearl buttons...the complete tutorial can be found in an earlier blog post - here...
The final touch to the centerpiece...one of the chestnut garlands which kicked off the Rustic Luxe series...the little gold beads mimic the gold dots on the leaves...repetition always helps in pulling a vignette together...
Though we use ironstone and silverplate everyday in our household, I do concur that this is one of the times that I bring out my grandmother's silver...that glint of shine plays off nicely with the simple ironstone...plain striped napkins (which you'll notice have not been ironed...just more texture!) echo the tones of the leaves and those willow branch napkin rings show up again...
In place of name cards, I've pulled together 4 words of inspiration, quickly stamped onto a piece of used manila folder...its a little wonky, I like that...calligraphy would be nice but time-consuming...
one word set at each place...a thought to contemplate for the day...perhaps to spark dinnertime conversation...
I used some sort of galvanized hose connectors that I recently picked up at a farm sale...I don't know what they were, but for now, they are card holders.
I know what you are thinking...I don't have anything like old hose connectors around here...well, there are options...a tarnished fork, a flower frog, even an old hair clip...be creative...its not about what something is, its all about what it can become...
Well, now that the table's set, time to see if that turkey is thawing...and to take a minute to thank each and every one of you...I appreciate that you follow my adventures - whether here on the blog, my facebook page or on Instagram...I appreciate your support, your comments, your enthusiasm...at this time of thanksgiving, I'm grateful for this community...
A couple of weeks ago I had a neighbor complaining about all the horse chestnuts she had to clean up...I mentioned that I'd be happy to have some chestnuts...and before I knew it, a large bucketful arrived on my doorstep...
You've got to admit that next to turning leaves,
chestnuts are the epitome of autumn...
With such a bountiful supply, I thought that I'd string them together...so I gathered up supplies...
pulling out some beads to include with the chestnuts...
I drilled a hole through the chestnuts with my Dremel drill, using my drill press attachment which made quick work of the drilling...though I was surprised at the mess of yellow goo since the chestnuts were not yet dried out.
I decided to use rusty wire for stringing the chestnuts...I knew that they would be heavy and I wanted the ability to shape the garland of nuts into a form rather than just having it hang in a drooping loop which would have been the case if I had used string.
Including a silver (or gold) bead along with the clay and wood beads I had, added that bit of luxe. I finished off each garland with a curlicue of wire that would be decorative as well as practical for hanging.
I'm thinking that such a garland will look grand spread across the Thanksgiving table...
the rustic tones are a nice counterpoint to the linens...
and those gold beads give a touch of luxe....along with the worn silver patina of vintage flatware, its just the right amount of bling...
All of the flatware at our house is old vintage silverware...I like the mix of patterns and designs...I don't bother with shining it up...it goes into the dishwasher so its plenty clean...and once a piece becomes too worn out, it gets tossed in the art supply bucket and I pick up a few more pieces at the next estate sale...
You might notice the willow napkin rings...made by simply wrapping a slender twig of willow into a circle and twisting the ends to secure the circle. The texture of the twigs adds another layer to the tabletop...
And what I like best about these chestnut garlands...after they have graced the Thanksgiving table, they could easily hang on your Christmas tree...
Joining the Vintage Inspiration Party over at Knick of Time
and the Weekly Upcycled Link Party over at Funky Junk Interiors...
