A New Project. . . Do You Like Old Fans?

Well hello dear friends...I'm back...with another project.

I just love refreshing/re-purposing old stuff...it is so much fun to see it transform into something beautiful again.

So this is my newest project an old box fan which I calculated is close to 40 years old...and it runs like a charm.  We have been using it quite a bit lately due to all the extremely warm weather we have been experiencing but oh my was it filthy and I won't show you that.

I began disassembling...handles, knob, screens front and back off you go.  Motor, fan out you go (oh dear will this dirt really come off?  It has never been cleaned)  I had to sand this baby, a little rust showing through.

I taped off the 'control' decal, I wanted to keep the original Kmart sticker though I think on my next revamp I will create a new decal.  I also taped off the little white rubber feet on the bottom.

The first coat of paint goes on like a breeze...of course you know I would choose this colour.  ISN'T IT FANTASTIC!!!!  I did do a second coat though I don't think it really needed it...good coverage with the rustoleum.

Et voila!  I am so pleased with how it cleaned up, it looks brand new and matches my kitchen.  I know what you're thinking 'You could have bought a new one for $30' but ah I wouldn't have got THIS colour nor would it have been as much fun.

I have another to paint...do you want to see it when it's finished?

Have a good one...Sheila.

I Have Been Busy, Really I Have.

Well hello one and all, long time no see...talk...well you know what I mean.

I hope you all have been keeping well and keeping busy.  Me?  I have been doing both.

I found in the Spring I was having a harder time keeping my creativity alive, things just weren't flowing as I felt they should and that puts pressure on oneself.  I found I was worrying too much about the business and was loosing the 'artist'.  Thus begins the vicious circle of the dreaded spiral into the approaching roadblock of two of the most important aspects of an artists cycle...passion and creating.  By passion I mean the desire or need to be creative and then the physical task of putting it into action.

So I have been travelling on this road of rediscovery, seeking out what creativity truly means to me.  I began with the basics...asking the question 'What makes me happy?'  The answer that kept surfacing was 'CREATING' in general.  It didn't have to be a major series of drawings for my next great exhibit it just had to be...fun!

I used to sew quite a bit so I made new drop cloth curtains for my living room...well that helped.  I began to look around the house for things to revamp.  

I gave my kitchen light switch plate cover a new, fresh look...cool.  A little sanding, paint and tissue tape.  Repainted a bar stool to now be used as a plant stand...I like this and you remember that cute little cabinet I painted back in March.  I tried photo transfer onto a Lazy Susan I use on our kitchen table...not bad.  I gave a fresh coat of paint to our remote holder...now that's more like it.  This painting/re purposing got me on my way to finding my old funky self, nothing is safe anymore.  

Recently I was asked to paint a sweet saw blade for a neighbour...I remember this, I like this. (I'll show you that another time...it's a beauty)

So now that I've caught you all up on things I haven't been neglecting my blog, I've been busy...creating...really.

Stay tuned, I have a few other things to show you.

Sheila

It's All Natural

Hello and welcome, I'm so glad you have come.

I have always loved the look of natural stone.  I have for years collected rocks and especially flat stones that I would come across while out and about on the farm much to my honey's chagrin.  I have stepping stones all through my flower beds, I just find it easier for watering and weeding.

I have always wanted a flat stone path and entry way so I have begun a new project.  A couple of years ago I had dug away the sod and with the help of my dearest we had a gravel half moon at the front of our home.  Now it's time to upgrade so to speak.

I have laid 5 flat stones right at the step and will work my way out.  It's like a treasure hunt and puzzle all at the same time. . . finding the right stones that will fit together with the others.  As long as you don't want instant gratification, it's a lesson in patience, a process.

This is so much fun, something I can putter away at and soon enough it will be complete . . . now just to find some more stones . . . wish me luck.

Have a great day

Sheila

Falling In Love With My Home

Hello my artsy friends . . . no I haven't flown the coup, I've been re-discovering my home and all the lovely things I have collected over the years.

I was getting so caught up in my drawings that I was letting things slide away . . . I tend to do that when I become engrossed in a task.

This is the side board that is part of my set that I use in the kitchen.  I never liked the idea of having a dining room that no one used so we didn't put one in our home when we built it.  This old dining room set sits wonderfully in our kitchen, a large table, six chairs, side board and a hutch.  

I noticed that the wood was looking a little dull so I dusted and wiped and got out the old handy dandy linseed oil and gave the old girl some moisturizer.  She just looked so rich.

I then pulled a few summer items together and changed up the decor . . . the little glass bird house I picked up at Home Sense for $5, I just couldn't leave it there and I had a bird just waiting for a home.

Wild Carrot

I love wild flowers and old glass jars, which I have quite a few, that are placed all around the kitchen.  Like the Queen Ann's Lace above I go out and pick fresh daily, along with the Brown Eyed Susie's, because they grow every where . . . I love it, it's so delicate.  I love bringing nature indoors.

We all need a little break from the day to day, to inspire us, to give us a sense of comfort, to give us peace.

I give you permission to break free and play . . . it will do you a world of good.

Sheila