THE STORY OF THE REJUVENATED CHAIR

 

 

The chair discarded.

Cast out with stacks of boxes, old bicycles and plastic lawn furniture.

I couldn’t ignore it.

I brought it home and the conversation began.

How long am I to languish  here.

I want my life back again.

I want the morning paper and cafe au lait.

Afternoon tea and coffee cake.

I want a glass of Prosecco and conversation.

For three years the chair talked . . . and talked . . . and talked.

Stop.  Just stop.

You’re condition is so dreadful  I don’t know if I can give you back your life.

You must trust me.  Perhaps a tuck there.  A splash of paint.  A few tacks.

And so the story ends.

The chair has its life back.

 

(This tale inspired by THE TIN MAN)

HOW TO GIVE AN OLD CHAIR A NEW FRENCH LOOK

Once a year  our garbage collectors pick up almost everything people leave by the side of the road.  There is a lot of good stuff available just for the taking.  Our neighbors put out this wreck of a chair.   It wasn’t until I got it home that I realized it was in terrible shape.

Someone had started the job of reupholstering the chair.  The fabric and the padding had been removed.  All that was left was the foam seat.  It wasn’t a particularly well-made chair.  Instead of the usual  webbing it had cardboard.  This was not going to be  an easy job.  Was it worth the effort???

It sat in the garage for three years. I had almost decided to put it out in the yearly pickup.  I couldn’t see the sense in spending a huge amount of time and money on this rambling wreck.

My solution was simple.  I painted every part of the chair with gray water base primer – cardboard and wood.  Two coats.    Then I added a little water to thin out ordinary flat white wall paint.   I used this diluted paint as a glaze.

I brushed this white glaze over the gray paint.  I put lots of white into carvings,  and used a damp cloth to rub away some of the glaze on the rest of the wood.  This entire procedure took just a couple of hours.  When the glaze was dry I rubbed clear wax over the wood and polished it.   Finished!

I covered the existing foam with heavy cotton twill.

I tacked the fabric in place with upholstery tacks.    I had seen this “unfinished upholstery” look in several of my French magazines.

The seat finished I glued padding to the back of the chair and covered it with light weight cotton.  Then carefully tacked the finishing fabric over this.

My French beauty finished!!

The final  touch is the kidney pillow I made using Paris graphics from THE GRAPHIC FAIRY.  Oooh La La.  And to think I was going to throw this chair away.

FANNY THE FLAPPER AND THE ROARING TWENTIES

The roaring, wild twenties.

The beginning of jazz.

Women started taking a stand for more equal rights.

And  woman abandoned their restrictive clothes and shortened their skirts.

I’m involved in a high school project – The Roaring Twenties.  Fanny the Flapper needs a costume that reflects the era. This is a challenge  for my teen-age friend.  Could I?  Would I?  Help?

 

 

Pining and pattern  planning.  I’ve found the fabric – now to make the pattern.  This is fun.

 

 

It’s a tiny dress form but the process for making a dress is exactly the same;  facings cut on the bias, pleated skirt and perfectly trimmed edgings.

 

 

 

The dress is finished.   It was part of a bigger project.  Oh yes – the project got an A mark.

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON

I grew up in an old and elegant town on the edge of the Great Northern Forest in Saskatchewan.  Prince Albert was built by “second sons” and adventurers from Britain.  On the hill they created a world of magnificent homes with ballrooms, sterling silver chandeliers, and often a  porte-cochére for waiting carriages and red clay tennis courts.

On the flat up from the river on Central Avenue they built a Gothic City Hall.  On side of the City Hall were watering troughs for horses.  The taps were lion’s heads verdigris with age, water trickling from their gaping mouths into deep troughs.  On a hot summer day we would plunge our arms into the cooling water.  Each side of the trough large iron rings were imbedded in the concrete curbs.    Teamsters would water their horses then tie the reins to the rings.

On the other side of our City Hall was a small park and the bandstand.  Every summer Sunday night the city band, splendid in red and gold uniforms, played.  We listened,  sang,  waltzed and marched to the music.  Sunday night band concert was a traditional family outing.

Our shiny black beast of a car, complete with tasseled blinds, carried my two sisters and my dog Scamp, down town.  First stop McConnell’s; part cigar store, part magazines and newspapers and most important part ice cream parlor.      It was a long, narrow store with creaking wood floors, and the heady aroma of cigars and newsprint.  At the back of the store one could sit on wire ice-cream chairs at small round marble tables, and have fountain drinks and ice cream.  Our father would buy us ice cream cones.  My favorite was cherry custard.    We would stroll down Central Avenue  to the band concert  trying to make our ice cream cones last as long as possible.

When the shadows lengthened the band would play God Save the King.  We would stand very still and very straight.  Reluctantly and slowly we would make our way back to the car, humming the music and taking the magic of the night with us.

THRIFT SHOP TREASURE HUNTING

It’s rather like going down the rabbit hole – this Thrift Shop treasure hunting.  One simply jumps in and the fun begins.

Sharp eyes are required to ferret out the gold from the dross.

To find the  brand-new pink linen Max Mara jacket consorting with   black polyester jacket from Le Chateau.   It’s not my size but it would look fab on my dear-to-my-heart friend Amy.   How can I go wrong at four dollars.

When you’re in the rabbit hole it is a good idea to always look up.

Way way up on the top shelves.

To find the second treasure of the day.  Three gorgeous Panama straw hats dreaming  together and ignoring the gray clouds and rain.    Magenta, red, and black hats and just one dollar each.

Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador from the pleated leaves of the toquilla straw plant.    Originally they were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama and from there to the rest of the world.    Now you know why they call them Panama hats.       Glorified since the 19th century the Panama hat is considered the prince of straw hats,   or in this case the princess.

 

My beauties simply called out to be dolled up.  Spiffed up and tricked out to become the soigné of all Panamas.   I riffle my trunk  filled with ribbons and trims.  A red Panama will be crowned with an enormous red rose and trimmed with a little grograin ribbon.   A hat to wear on the beach at Cap Ferrat.

 

 

A black Panama speaks of Paris  and late night supper.    I trimmed it simply with Chanel inspired ribbon.   A hat for Deuville should be able to go to the beach or to  the races.

 

 

 

When a hat is pink it should speak of romance.  Of  lingering looks across a crowded room.  Of dancing on the beach  under the  stars .  Gray silk flowers the colour of moon light caress this hat of love.

 

All you have to do is follow me down the rabbit hole.   Have tea with the Mad Hatter  and dance in the moonlight.  All it takes is a Panama Hat.

LEONARD de VINCI AND I MAKE CHRISTMAS CARDS

When you have little artistic talent you call in the big guns for help – Léonard de Vinci.    This is how I made this years Christmas cards.  Or, for that matter cards that can be used anytime.

I found copies of the paintings in an old art book that I bought for 25 cents.  I always check used book stores for tattered and worn copies of books.  They have a multitude of uses and I recycle them in my own way.  There is nothing more wonderful that poking around old book stores.

The birds I cut out of an  illustrated bird book that I rescued from a discard bin at our library.  It had seen better days and was heading for paper recycling.

I cut away the background from the women’s figures and pasted it onto background paper.  Then I pasted the birds on.

I stamped crowns on the birds (not always perfectly) and embossed them with gold embossing powder.  I have a  heat gun for this purpose, but you can also do it by holding your paper over  a toaster.  Just don’t burn your paper.

This is rather like cutting out paper doll.  I did it when I was seven and seven decades later it appears I am still doing it.

Cards for those who are dear to me, but oh so far away.

A LITTLE HOUSE IN PARIS … UNE PETITE MAISON

Let me tell you a story.

I have a house in Paris.

 

The door of my little house opens onto a quiet street.

Around the corner an open-air market,

an old bookstore,

and a tiny bistro with a zinc bar.

 

 

I have a little house in Paris with a courtyard

where grinning lions spill water into a stone-gray trough.

 

 

I have a little house in Paris

with rooms leading out of one another, enfilade,

and ancient wooden floors that creak and complain when you walk on them.

 

 

Tall windows overlook the courtyard of my little house,

Tall windows where I will hang linen curtains that will float and dance with every breeze.

My house,  my little house in Paris is in my mind.

I took my thoughts of une petite maison, and put them in this room crying for a makeover.

 

I’ve peeled off the dated wallpaper design.  Now to remove the next layer.

The Good Husband repaired the damaged walls,  broken tiles and  paints the walls.

I spray paint  a shiny brass chandelier, rub a little white paint here and there to give it that old French look.  Then drill holes to hang crystals.

I took a  tacky,  gold mirror created  one fit for Madame  Pompadour.

First I painted the mirror frame with gray primer. Normally I would use gray primer spray paint but the weather turned chilly and it was too cold to use spray cans in the garage.

Then I  dry brushed white flat wall paint over the frame just catching the raised design.

The finished mirror!  I collect these rococo mirrors  at thrift shops, seldom paying more than a couple of dollars.  This one is a particularly handsome one made by Bassett Furniture.  It is well made with a mirror glass more than 1/4 inch thick.  It will go over the sink.  I plundered my collection of  mirrors and painted several more in the same manner.

Here is how I made a very French looking towel rack.

I uploaded a  vintage French advertising graphic from THE GRAPHIC FAIRY.     I made a REVERSE copy of it and took it to my local Library.  I used their toner based copier machine to make a copy.  This is the copy you glue down. No other type will work.    I cut away the excess paper from the design, then applied a thin layer of Modpodge glue over the PRINTED side of the paper.  I pressed this into place on the board painted with latex flat wall paint.  Left it to dry overnight. Then dampened the paper and GENTLY rubbed the paper away with the tips of my fingers.

I screwed on coat hooks that I gave a French finish the same as the chandelier.  Voila!

My little French bathroom comes to life.

 

My French bathroom is complete.

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

The most exciting of events – the birth of a child.

The Little Princess was seven days old and we had a grand audience.  To celebrate her arrival I made her the card to accompany her gift.    I love the vintage cards I find on THE GRAPHIC FAIRY.   This one charmed its way into my heart.

I downloaded the illustration and printed it on heavy water-colour paper.  I gave the card an old world feel.

Then I mounted it with two backgrounds,  embellished the wings with glitter, added a tiny dove and girly pink ribbon.

A birth card fit for a Princess.

ABOUT ANGELS AND THE PUTTI (cherub) WHO ALMOST GOT AWAY

 

Meet the angels in my life.

I have a  love affair with angels and putti(cherubs).  Their faces  intrigue me.  Late one  Christmas Eve I was shopping for flowers on South Granville in Vancouver,  and discovered this putti .   White plaster waiting to morph into something wonderful.  I  painstakingly gold leafed her.  It was time-consuming work but I was so enchanted with her face it was a joy to bring out her beauty.

You can’t see this putti’s face but he has an adorable tummy and dimpled knees.  Another white plaster  cherub that I found in a thrift shop.  I painted and aged it until it looked like perhaps, just perhaps, I have found it in an old casa in Italy.

 

 

 

I found this putti with downcast eyes and a sad expression in a Thrift Shop.  She was a little battered so I gave her a face lift with a marble finish.

 

 

I plan to fill the urn these cherubs are holding with lavender.  Another white plaster object that I gave my “famous” French finish.

 

 

More faces, more tummies  and another of my antique, distressed paint creations

 

 

It was the week before Christmas.  Market day forty years ago  in a remote village in Mexico.  Beautiful Daughter and I were shopping.  She bargained for a tin lantern and I found these rustic angels.

 

 

This angel is  Matilda.  A gift from Titan haired daughter-in-law.  Her job is to guard my sewing room. She makes me smile.

 

 

An angel from Italy.  For years she graced the top of our Christmas Tree.  I couldn’t bear to continue to  hide her beauty in a box for eleven months of the year.  Now she guards my book.

 

As for the putti who almost got away …

 

This is Francis.    Francis was plain brown paper mache when I discovered him.     I created  several looks  for him.  The first year he was aFrench putti,  pale gray brushed with white.  The next year he took on a new persona and I gave him a marble finish.   The following year I thought something rustic, something to wreath with pine boughs. and holly, and a few white roses.   So Frances was painted an earthy ocher.   I hung Francis on my front door for several  Christmases.

Last Christmas I wanted a wreath lush with pink and scarlet roses,  and velvet ribbons.  There was no place for Francis.  Perhaps it was time he returned to the Thrift Shop, and a new adventure.

I was unloading him from the car to take him into the Shop when The Good Husband asked what I was doing.  I told him.    “No” says The Good Husband, “No angel EVER leaves our house”.  So dear friends that’s the story of Francis the putti that almost got away.   It’s also the story of  a man who is gentle, caring, loving, and who can always find room for one more putti.

A PARIS INSPIRED WEDDING GIFT

Our eldest grand-daughter is getting married in six days.    Two more sleeps and we fly to Toronto.   This will be an intimate fairy tale wedding in the romantic surroundings of a winery in Prince Edward County.

We wanted to give the perfect wedding gift.  Younger sister AJ was in charge.   She said “Cait and Angus would like you to make them something”.

A few years ago Cait celebrated am important birthday in Paris.  I had my theme.  In anticipation of the wedding I had found one dozen gorgeous Irish linen napkins at an antique store.    This is what  I made to hold these beauties.

This is how I did it.

I gave this Thrift shop find a coat of gray water based primer, then a coat of water base white flat paint.  When the white paint was dry I rubbed the tray with sandpaper to give it a distressed look.

I went to THE GRAPHIC FAIRY  downloaded the graphic with reverse letters because although I am using Mod Podge I am not decoupaging the letters on to the tray.

This is  how you put those letters on to the tray.  You copy your graphic on a toner based copying machine.  You will find toner based copying machines at libraries, some grocery and drug stores.   It appears they are a little old-fashioned for Staples.

I cut around the letters to eliminate as much of the surrounding paper as possible.  I brushed  the Mod Podge generously over the graphic and then put it FACE DOWN on the white tray.  I rubbed the paper gently to ensure the letters were sticking to the surface.  Then I sat it aside for a good 12 hours.  Over night is a good idea.  You won’t be tempted to peek.

The next morning I dampened the paper and gently started rubbing it away with my fingers.  This is when you’ll appreciate cutting away the excess white background.

Finished.  A few of the letters aren’t perfect, but it’s OK because this is supposed to look a little worn.

After you’ve wiped away the paper rubbings, and let the tray dry finish it with a light coat of wax.  Leave on for a few minutes then buff it up.  Presto.  You’re done.

This tray is just part of Angus and Cait’s Paris theme wedding gift.    In my next posting I will spill the beans on the rest of the gift.  Meanwhile I’m off to my almost second Home in Toronto.