Winter to Summer with a few minor touches

I love so many decorating styles - traditional, primitive, rustic, cottage, and to a lesser extent mid-century. We have a bit of each in our home. The room in this post is an addition we put on several years ago when the children were young and all living at home. It is a combination eating area and family room - a gathering room as they were called in an earlier era.

Changing out the decor for the season is always fun, but I decided to give this room a lake cottage look for the summer and I can actually keep out the plaid blankets and pillows and make them fit the season by adding other touches such as a rustic "cabins" sign, a picnic basket, a duck, and a farmer's market veggie basket watercolor.

This room, when all six windows are open, can actually get a bit chilly in the evenings, so the blankets continue to be put to good use.

Summer is the red, white, and blue, season, with all the summer holidays - Memorial Day, Flag Day and, of course, the 4th of July. So the architectural stars and the flag pillow plus the colors in the weaving add to the spirit.

There are so many memories in this room - my mother's high school sampler on the brick wall, the antique weaving, a gift from David's mother after Faith and he were married in Charleston last Spring. The antique checkerboard was a gift from John many Christmases ago. It had been covered in white paint and was part of a chicken coop wall before it was rescued.

The water color is one I did in one of Ingrid Dohm's classes when her studio was a gathering place in the North End, and she was an integral part of our First Thursday celebrations.

Having a booth instead of a store, where I had regular hours, is giving me more time to spend at home and more time to enjoy the rearranging, something that was a bit neglected during my five years as a shopkeeper.

Homes tell the stories of our lives, and I often marvel at how fast those stories move from chapter to chapter.

Screen Door/Window Musings

I love finding old rusty screens or screen doors with rustic chippy painted frames.  I loved the way they looked, but at first, I really didn't know what I was going to do with them.

I decided to try to paint on the screens. I looked up painting old screens and saw that it was an old folk art form in Baltimore. Supposedly, it was started by a produce merchant whose produce was wilting in the hot Baltimore sun. (Isn't that the name of their newspaper?!?)

He took his produce inside, but still wanted potential customers to know that he was selling produce, so he painted products on the outside of the screens of his store. He could see out, but others saw what looked to be display cases of his produce. 

Then others started painting their screens on the outside so they could have privacy during the day even if the windows and drapes were open.

Today there is a non-profit in Baltimore set up to preserve the art that almost disappeared with the advent of air-conditioning. Their slogan: "You see out. No one sees in."

My first projects were very simple - one color as seen in the rooster painting.

I have done a couple more, both cows, one looking in a window, the other waiting at your screen door. These are not designed to replace any screens or doors but to be art in themselves. They need to be hung on a solid wall or door so there is no light behind them. If there is bright light behind them, the art disappears.

All three of the above are sold, most recently, the full screen door one. She is now living in Colorado.

I recently found another old rusty screen door, and I am getting excited thinking about what to paint on it.

This screen is not in as bad a shape as my earlier ones in that it there are no holes in the screen. What I love are the two aqua bars going across it. I am thinking I will try to paint a horse on this one. I will keep you posted. 

Anticipating Mother's Day and Warmer Days

Warmer days are coming, as is Mothers' Day, and we are trying to stock with that in mind. A few of our favorites: Cherry embellished dishes, specifically, a little vintage dessert set, arranged in and around a wicker desk sorter atop a vintage wicker bed/lap tray, complete with side holder for a favorite magazine or the morning newspaper. (Remember those?)

And beneath the bed or lap tray, a few single, vintage coffee cups - fill them with a favorite treat, wrap them in cellophane, and you have a small but sweet token of love for those special moms and grandmas.  When the treat is gone, the cup remains for coffee, or to store paperclips, pencils, whatever - a memory. 

And how about these vintage perfect size little juice glasses - a set of eight painted with a traditional symbol of warm summer days, a bunch of cherries. 

And finally, maybe a touch of "glam" - a gorgeous 40's heavy and ornate mirrored dresser tray - large enough to cluster dresser items: candle, perfume, plated lint brush, or beveled and silverplated hand mirror. Thinking gift? Think vintage.  "Antiques make great Gifts", instant heirlooms.

 Also remember, coffee is always available in Just A Second's little coffee cafe corner. Help yourself, sit a while, and enjoy.

 Just A Second is located in Stella & Notte just south of the roundabout in Rockford's historic North End. We look forward to your visit.

The Bunny Blog Post

For some reason (it must be the season), it has been bunny time at home and at the shop. It started with this bunny which is a story in itself. I was looking for cute bunnies for my booth at Stella & Notte (used to be LaDida) where my Just A Second booth is now located (by the Farmers' Market location on North Main). And most of what I could find were caricatures of bunnies, not real looking bunnies. So I picked up a couple and decided to spray paint them to look like stone. I am happy with the result as in the photo to the right.

Lenten/spring Table scape: Purple, bare twigs, touches of green and bunny

My inspiration was this bunny I had at home. I purchased it at The Pink Cupboard when I was a vendor there. One winter I left it outside, and much of the coating came off. I was able to make it good as new with a darker stone look paint similar to what I referred to above. So note that they are indoor bunnies, not outdoor.

The bunny to the left makes that point as he is on the inside looking out. I have had my bunny on the front porch in the spring and summer, and he did just fine. I think it's the winter that did him in.

                                                                                

I left these bunny planters as is and may still plant them with herbs because they are not Easter bunnies as are none on this page. Easter bunnies have to wear hats, carry baskets, etc. These are regular bunnies, suitable for spring and summer decorating, and I would much rather have them in the house than outside wreaking havoc in the garden.

Finally, my poor weathered wood, chippy paint bunny that stays out year round - I usually add a bow and flowers to him for Easter and add him to the front porch as part of the Easter Sunday adornment.

 







I am sure he will weather the snow as will the rest of us, and it will certainly make the return of spring all the more welcome. In the meantime, visit Just A Second at our new location at 1416 North Main In Stella & Notte for some Spring decor and gifts and stay a while for a really hot and tasty cup of coffee in our new little café corner.  We look forward to your visit!

Trees falling, expletives sounding.....

 

 Learning is sometimes a slow and painful process. And what did we do without the internet? I can google whatever I am working on and get a blog or a video of someone who has done what I am doing and can provide the instruction I need. Unfortunately they cannot give me the practice nor the experience. I expect that by the 4th chair, I will have this relatively simple upholstering thing down pat, and I won't have made such a mess in the process.

 

The back of the chair started out empty. If the chairs had been covered when I got them, I would have used the fabric I removed as the pattern for the new cover. As it was, I had to make a pattern by tracing around the inside of the back of the chair onto some plain brown paper. Then I traced the pattern plus two inches all around onto the fabric I am using to put the picture in the frame (the fabric you see on the back side of the chair). A layer of cotton batting on the inside, without stapling, added some substance to the fabric, and a couple of strips of webbing stapled to the frame added support. I traced the same pattern onto the foam without adding a couple of inches and then had to cut it - no easy feat. (You see the foam roll to the right of the chair above.)

Researching further, I saw that you could buy a foam saw ($300) or use an electric knife, which I was fortunate enough to find at a thrift store. It is still not easy, but easier than trying to use scissors or an exacto type knife.

Next you spray the foam (go outside) with spray adhesive and wrap some cotton or other batting of your choice around the foam. This allows the fabric to lay nicer on the cushion and softens the edges of the foam. 

 

Inserting the foam and stapling the final fabric around it was the most difficult part of the process thus far. Here come the expletives! As you can see, there are some rough spots around the edges. Since this photo was taken, staples had to be removed, staples didn't grab...over and over and over again.

In the aftermath, staples were all over the floor. Foam pieces were all over the floor, fabric is all over the dining room table, tools and fabric and foam are all over the everyday eating area table.

Happy that no one else was in the house, which brings us to the title of this post: If a tree falls in the forest, (Sorry, couldn't resist) but no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound? I am fairly certain it does. And I am not proud of my solitary outbursts. 

Resolved: Just as you do when making a dress or whatever, cut all the fabric and the foam and the batting and the webbing first, before starting to put it on the chair. That way all the fabric, foam, batting, and web mess is done. I am so impulsive.

I want to see it done NOW! I hope I am learning patience.

Next post will show the finished chair, much different than above (I hope). 

Taking on the Chairs

Quite a while ago I posted a chair on Facebook, four of which I purchased from Tina at our final sale, when Just A Second was still in our little building on North Main Street. We turned the keys over to the state of Illinois on December 12. The state took the building for the widening of North Main Street (Hwy 2).

 

So with the sorting and packing and moving, the chairs have sat in storage awaiting some free time - post Thanksgiving, post wedding reception for youngest daughter Faith and her husband David, post Christmas, post New Year's Day until this week. (That somewhat explains the long interval between posts.)

 

I asked John to bring one chair home from storage, so I can get started.

 

First I painted the frame white with Annie Sloan paint - pure white. Then I made a pattern of the back opening so I could cut the four fabric pieces for the chair backs.

The fabric on the seat at left is actually more grey than photo shows. That will go on chair front and seat. It has a nubby, sort of rough linen look and feel.

Below is the patterned back. It is a pale grey and pure white toile.

Since I don't have my shop work space, all is being done in our eating/family room area. It will drive me crazy more than it will bother John to have this "mess" around for as much time it is going to take to do four chairs.

 

This is going to be quite a process for me, and more than I have done previously to get items ready to sell. Hope I don't try your patience, as I post the step by step process.  Stay tuned.

The Blue Bathroom

I spent much of last week redoing a small bathroom off one of our bedrooms - Faith's old bedroom - the room which John has temporarily taken over as his work room. The bathroom is definitely dated as far as fixtures go, but, will have to remain as is for the moment.

The walls were white with a few royal blue graphics on them and they (the walls) really needed painting.  I was also tired of the random shapes I had painted on each wall. 

I decided to do all the walls blue and to paint the oak medicine cabinet and light strips white, as well as the towel bars, switch plates, and tp holder which were also all oak. I happen to not be an oak fan. I love old pine furniture, and, of course painted furniture, so I rarely hesitate to paint anything. The light strips are dated also, but so am I, and so is our house which was built in the 20's.

Paint is the least expensive means of changing the look of a room and can really make quite an amazing difference.

I am sorry I did not take a "before" photo. I was too embarrassed to have anyone see it.

I am very happy with the result. The floor is also old,
but it is ceramic tile in very good condition, and I actually love the way the gold goes with the blue, so it, too, will stay.


 

You can see the print which needs framing resting above the towels.

I really love the fact that I did not have to buy anything new. I shopped in the house and at the shop which is getting depleted as we continue to  move to East State, but it did have the fish which is now sitting on top of the medicine cabinet. The other large metal fish was in the adjacent bedroom.

I also had all the white towels, because that is about the only color towels I buy in order that I can bleach them. I had the royal blue hand towels which were purchased to add more color to the formerly white bathroom.

The print above is by Rockford artist, Ann Remington. It is one of John's favorites, and we have never had it framed, so that is now on the agenda. With a white frame,  it will be perfect above the towel rack on the largest wall, the rack on which it is resting in the photo above.

The title of the print is "Coming Home", which I think is very appropriate for this time of year when the kids, in fact, come home.