All Dressed Up and No Place to Go

Barrell, crate, and baskets, etc set for store

As some of you are aware, Stella & Notte  where I am located, has been closed for remodeling going on two months now. I miss seeing everyone and rearranging and taking in new/old things, and hope we will be reopening soon. In the meantime, I am working on items so I can change out my space for Fall and looking forward to Halloween.  

Before I could do that I had to work on my work space which is our garage/she shed/escape. It has been remodeled and insulated and equipped with a heater for those really cold winter days. It also has a ceiling fan, and I thought if I opened windows and turned on the fan, it would be comfortable. It is temperature-wise, but it is humid! So I paint outside and store inside and it had turned into a mess with moving so much of John's and my "stuff" from the shop which was torn down for the state highway (N. Main) project. To help me get into a frame of mind to create, I had to pitch, and clean, and sort and arrange, and here is a glimpse of the "getting there" space.

As you can see there are goodies being gathered which need to be worked on or embellished.  I had fun redoing this chair. It was naturally dark and shiny, but scratched wood with a musty icky leather cover that was scuffed and ripped. I tore it apart added wool batting and love the black with the leopard print fabric. It is very small scale and will easily fit under a desk or be perfect as a side chair with a little table. I will also be working on more very rustic and hand-lettered signs. Bought some fantastic old wood pieces in Shipshewanna IN, Amish country. But, that is another story

Leopard print adds a nice touch to so many settings

And I am working on Halloween in the style I prefer, more "haunted house" than cute Halloween decorations. Don't you love the way the black candles got melted. They almost look like crows. And speaking of crows, I added one to this wrought iron frame along with the skull hanging from a hook, some "dead" moss and a piece of old grapevine.

Wrought iron and chicken wire frame decked out for all hallowed eve

Silver mottled mirror with image plus rustic and glitz

 

Victorian light - perfect for haunted house look

tea light in cracked skull atop a metal candle stand

 I thought this old Victorian style ceiling light would look fantastic among some bats hanging in a hallway or entryway. John wired it to a plug so it can either be plugged in somewhere for the effect or used as intended-a ceiling fixture in a Victorian style home. Finally, a tea light lit skull perched on a dark metal candlestick wearing a dark red almost black leaf boa. Quite classy, don't you think? Hope we will see you soon when the store reopens. Maybe I should have a little open house in the garage.