Karla's Cottage

It looks like it was a big effort, but this is really just a mini redo

When I fell in love with this hutch, it was despite the yellow, goldish color it had been painted. I thought I could live with it as is, but it grated on me, until I finally had to neutralize the piece and make it this classic white.

The original hardware was gorgeous, but too dark for me, so it got painted too.

See what I mean? It is a magnificent hunk of furniture, but just didn’t go with my house as it was.  Maybe the tones were more Mediterranean instead of romantic cottage?

Ahhhhhhh, much better!

And a much more simple project than you’d think.  I bought a quart of white chalk paint at JoAnne’s with a 50% off coupon. (There was a lot of paint leftover)

 No prep needed, I just brushed it on.  I didn’t take out drawers or remove hardware, I just carefully painted them in place, watching out for drips as I went along.  After painting a drawer, I’d leave it open a crack so it didn’t stick shut.

I considered doing a glaze over all of it to accentuate the carvings and details.  Then decided against it, because they showed up nicely in the solid color.  Plus, other items in the room were painted that way, and I don’t like things too matchy.

The handles got the treatment, though.  They looked odd in plain white, like they were unfinished.

The brass was turning a little green through the white paint and I kind of liked it, but didn’t want too much of it, so I used a clear coat on them, then another coat of white, barely leaving the green patina to peek through.

After that, I brushed on umber paint and wiped it off.

Then the whole cabinet got a satin, water based clear coat.  Not wax!  That stuff would have been soooooo much work to apply and buff on something like this!  The clear poly worked just fine and was done in a fraction of the time.

Chalk paint dries quickly and covers well.   It took one coat plus touch ups.  The entire project was done in three hours, start to finish.  

 

 

 

In a painting frame of mind

Lately, I’ve been getting some furniture painted.  I’ve enjoyed it so much, that I am considering painting some pieces to frame too.  I hope I get around to that.

A “painting with thread” project got started too.  Those are drawn on a shirt with washable marker to start with, and the marker is more of a guideline than anything else.  I liked this sketch, so will try to follow it.  Sometimes things change a lot once I get started.

Here is a photo of the dresser, not all the way before, but near the beginning.  It is in Angie’s booth at Good JuJu and we went in there one afternoon while the building was empty for me to paint while Beth and Angie redid their neighboring spaces.

It had been a while since I’d added roses to furniture.  I had planned something completely different, but this is how it turned out.  

 

 

Collecting memories

For Christmas, I had some blown glass pendants and beads made from Ryan’s ashes.  They are done by a local artist, Vaughn. 


They are even prettier in person.  It is hard to get a good photo to show the luminous quality they have.

Vaughn had a holiday special with free beads added to the order.   I added some to this larimar, aquamarine, and adventurine stone necklace that I made.

(Oops, the silver bail is upside down in the pic).

This is a necklace that I’d already made and had dangled a bead from my father’s ashes on.  One of Ryan’s beads matched it, so I placed it next to my dad’s.

Ryan had a bead from my dad’s ashes and really appreciated it.   I had a rough time looking at my order when I picked it up, Ryan’s voice was in my head as I pictured how excited he would’ve been by how beautiful the pieces are.  He was always so enthusiastic and appreciative.  

I have a pendant to create a necklace with for myself.  The others went onto hemp or leather cords for Adam and Rich to wear, another hangs from Rich’s truck visor, and one hangs from the ash urn.  

When the puppies were born I took a break from working on Ryan’s scrapbook, then the holidays came along.  I think I need to get back into working on it.  It is a painful process, but in a good way.  I spend time reminiscing about each photo, and thinking about my boy.

Not that I don’t think about him all of the time, with or without reminders. I don’t need mementos to feel Ryan near me.  

But I am drawn to these items, the gifts that came after he died. The blooms I dried from flower arrangements sent to us.  The photos, the wind chimes, so many little things.  Sometimes they make me smile, other times, I still crumple with grief.  

Mostly, I am comforted by keeping these things around me.  

A cheeseboard with heart

The artist/carpenter who built our dining table and dog crate also made this cheese board for me.

I’m always on the look out for found hearts in nature.  This is a log that was in our woodpile.  My husband cut slices of it for me, and I set them aside to dry a few months.

The heart isn’t as clear after drying, but it’s still there. With a few additional marks that developed in the wood, I think it looks pretty cool.

 

A Dog Crate That is a Piece of Furniture

Ta Dah!

The crate is finished and I am thrilled with it.

It’s very spacious inside, actually a bit larger than our wire crate.

And a whole heck of a lot prettier.  We keep a crate by the back door so we can send dogs with muddy feet right into it until dry.  I was so tired of looking at that eyesore.  I tried covering it with a tablecloth, but it just looked bulky.

 The crate was exactly across from my seat at the dining table, my view every day when I sat and had my morning coffee.  And over dinner.

I was over it.

Still, an ugly view was better than a muddy one that I had to mop up.  

We still are using the wire cage until the polyurethane smell is gone, we don’t want to have fumes affecting the dogs.  So for now, the wire one is still in the room and a hepa filter is running in the new one for a few weeks.

I think I’ll probably need to keep the metal crate out for a while after the fumes are gone, though. When I ordered this, we hadn’t planned on keeping a puppy.  I am sure that no matter how good of a pup little Molly is, she would be tempted to chew on wood if locked inside.  It’s probably safer to use it just for the big girls, not the baby.

And look at this!

From my seat at the table, this is what I see- the corner of the cabinet creates the silhouette of a bird!

Do you see it?

The front is a vintage floor grate.  The top is from the same tree that that our table is made from.  There is a door on each end with four metal medallions from Hobby Lobby as air vents.  

I’d been worried about the hardware since there were no flea markets to go to, due to Covid.  But I found some vintage styled ones on Amazon that worked out fine.

My dogs have always loved their kennels, I hope they like this one as much as I do.

 

 

 

Christmas decor blended into winter decorating

It was time to take down my holiday decorations and trees.  I didn’t do a lot (for me) this year, mostly trees, pinecones, and lots of lights. 

The warm white lights had brought me a lot of joy this season.  The first thing I did every single morning after letting the puppy out to potty was to flip all of the power strips on to get that cozy glow going.  Molly wakes up way too early and everything is still pitch black and feels very wintery.  She is desperate to go tinkle and doesn’t care if I am half awake, she is ready to go.

When she comes back in, I take a few moments to snuggle with her before making coffee and getting on with my day.  Typically, I am not an early riser, but we enjoy our quiet mornings together with the lights sparkling in the darkened rooms.

January itself is too stark to go from a house full of festivity to none at all.  So the lights above the windows are staying for a while.  

Along with our hot tea and cocoa station.  It got de-Christmassed, and we have rules about no cocoa parties unless they are near a Christmas tree.

But we have been known to still sip a cup of hot chocolate now and then...

The mercury glass stayed out too.  It fit nicely with the holiday, but I think it will also be pretty for the rest of the winter.  Anything that is reflective adds light to the dark months.

The Christmas trees had been decorated mostly in pinecones and twinkle lights in honor of a happy day that Ryan and I had together gathering pinecones last year.  

After plucking them out of the branches and packing the trees away, I decided to keep the pinecones out for a while.  I stuffed newspapers into the matt white pottery and a few mercury glass candle holders, then topped that with the pinecones.  Some rosebuds, dried from an arrangement that came after Ryan’s death were put under glass for a hint of faded color.

 

Swans from Lesa Daily’s A Snowbird’s Song class are on top of the kid’s game and book cabinet.  I like their silhouettes in the mirror. 

The hutch previously had lots of mini, battery operated LEDs on its shelves.  I took them down, but kind of miss them.  I might bring a strand back out. 

The mantle didn’t get much of a changearoo.  I took out the pink shiny brites and left the garland stuffed with hydrangeas and pinecones. 

For now, these changes feel right.  I have some natural elements from outdoors and mostly neutral, low-color tones with a hint of sparkle throughout.  Plus warm throws and lots of extra pillows, for us and the dogs.  It always hurts to put the Christmas clutter away, but streamlined, serene surroundings aren’t bad either.  I’m spending so much time indoors, it is nice to have the calm decor around me, along with the warmth of the lights that I left in place.