CHIMES OF ENORMOUS SIZE

I have been wanting some large chimes with a deeper sound for a long time. On my birthday recently, after I had opened other wonderful gifts from my husband, he went into the garage for a minute and came back with some really big steel tubes, some chain and other paraphernalia - the makings of my wished for chimes. After some trial, error and trips to Home Depot, he completed them over this past weekend and mounted them to the corner of our pergola outside. They are so magnificent and sound great. Now, we are waiting to see how stiff the breeze will have to be to get them to chime. As you can hear from the video above, the sound is more of a gong, which is really what I was hoping for. If the required breeze doesn't occur soon, Merle will change out the wooden clapper to one that is a larger diameter. The "sail", the thing that catches the wind and moves the clapper, does move. If the clapper is wider, then it will be more likely to touch the chimes and make the necessary sounds we love. It's only a matter of time before the correct formula of clapper versus sail is achieved. What a guy!

Me, with a Dash of Dali

I'm in the process of creating a painting influenced by Dali. Our local museum has asked me, along with other selected artists, to create our interpretations of a "Dali" painting. So far, I am very happy with my results. The picture shown above is my main character, but there is much, much more.

To begin with, I went to the library and checked out two picture books on Salvatore Dali. One of them, as it turns out, was a book written for schools and the education of young people regarding his work. It turned out to be very interesting reading. As it was written for a younger audience, it was easy to read, wasn't filled with complicated words or ideas and provided a very good overview of this outrageous painter. At least it would appear from his bizarre paintings that he was outrageous. However, my opinion is that Dali created his outrageousness after he saw how well it was received. His frequently shocking images definitely got him the attention and subsequent sales that made him famous and rich. His first works were not surreal and showed his great skill as a painter. Later, during the surreal period of his career, he also showed his great skill, but it is somewhat eclipsed by the subject matter. Anyway, I read this brief biography and studied many of his paintings. I still pick up the book and go through it as I am working.

I am referencing some elements used in his work. However, as I paint, I am not trying to copy him at all. I would describe the process as coming from my own imagination with a dash of Dali.

This type of more detailed painting is something I don't usually do. At first it was a little daunting, but as I have been painting now, on and off for over a month, I have developed more confidence and now am really enjoying myself. Learning to slow down and think it out and execute it with care has been a very good lesson for me. Having had no professional training as a painter, I probably am slower than people who know better and faster techniques. However, I feel that I am getting the results I wanted and so being slower and achieving my artistic results is satisfying.

I need to turn this painting into the museum by November 13. I will have no trouble meeting that deadline. After that there will be an artists reception and then it will be on display and for sale for a couple of months. My hope, of course, is that it will be enjoyed by many people and if I'm lucky, might also be sold.

Here's a Dali painting.

Adventures in the RV Park in the Fall

There was a time when we would drive by an RV park with our Jeep Wrangler loaded to the gills with camping equipment and shake our heads with disgust.

"You call that camping? Not."

"You can't go up in the hills. It's just like taking your living room camping - disgusting".

Yep, we'd look at each other with that superior glance that says, "we're real campers, we rough it.

Yeah, we did. We roughed it, sort of - certainly not like the trappers in the old days. A tent, a camp stove, a portable shower shack thing, and a porta potty. When it rained, we got damp and so did our stuff. When it rained a lot, we usually decided to pack it up and leave and that was fun. Breaking down a sogging tent, slogging around in the mud - yeah, that was roughing it.

Well, guess where I'm at right now. Sitting in my little hard sided camper at the RV park writing this post for my blog on my laptop. Our little stereo is playing music. Although it is dark out, we are hooked up to electricity and so have our friendly little camper lights aglow. Our refrigerator is cold and packed with tasty stuff as are our several spacious cupboards. There are clean showers and a laundry close by. Outside we have a rain canopy tent over the picnic table and everything under it so it doesn't get wet in the event of rain (which is suddenly coming down at the moment). In the morning, we will turn on our heater. Whenever it gets too hot (not likely here), we will turn on our air conditioner.

Yep. We are not roughing it now and I have to say, it's really nice. About 50% of the time we still camp outside of an RV park, but since our camper has two batteries and propane, we are not without certain comforts. The only thing we don't have is a toilet, but we always camp where there is one.

Most of our RV neighbors are retirees although there is a sprinkling of regular non-retirees like us. Retirees have the big campers, over twice the size of the one we have. That's because they live in them a lot. Since they don't have to go to work any longer, they have the time and apparently the funds to travel to RV parks around the country and stay for indeterminate lengths of time especially going south in the winter. We've met many during our non-retiree travels. Usually very nice. It seems that the larger and more expensive the rig, the less friendly the occupants. So, the ones we typically meet are not in those Greyhound bus sized campers that cost half a million dollars or more. Right now there are a couple of those in this RV park. We are sort of surrounded by big campers and you might say that we look like the wagon train surrounded by the Indians at this point.

Everyone usually makes an effort to get to know one another a little bit. This evening we met our neighbors who are from the Denver area. They look to be in their mid 70's and were very nice. He is a retired engineer and spent a great deal of time asking Merle about various things on our camper. She and I talked a bit about travels, her kids and grandkids and such. It was nice.

Farther downstream are a group of good ol' Harley riding boys from Louisiana and Texas. Merle got to know them earlier today and was invited to come on down and bring your "box" - his guitar - for a jam session later this evening. Well, the weather has not been agreeable so far this evening and his jamming session has not come to fruition and it looks like it probably won't.

Tomorrow we will head further south to see some friends who are building a little cabin. We will help for a day or so if we can. I checked the weather over the Internet here in my cozy camper and it doesn't look especially promising down that way - we'll see.

Transforming the Transformers

It took me over a month, painting off and on, to complete the three small boxes I was assigned to paint. What fun! I am happy with the results.

Click the pic below and it will take you to a Picasa Web Album. Click on Slideshow.

Transformation Project 2009

Painting Art On a Transformer Box

At first I had to get oriented. Where to park since the box I'm starting with has no parking next to it. Hauling all of my paraphernalia in my daughter's old Radio Flyer red wagon. Setting up my umbrella so I don't scorch in the summer sun, pouring water, getting my rolling stool setup, squeezing and mixing paint on the pallet (paper plates) and getting used to the traffic noise. Learning how not to be self conscious knowing you are being viewed frequently by passersby.

I have my earphones on and I'm listening to my Mp3 player. This is very important. Music not only helps cover the traffic noise, but inspires me and lifts my spirits. I've downloaded my most favorite tunes that range from Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" to "The Old Rugged Cross" by Chris Rice and Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" to The Seeker's "Georgy Girl" with some classical, a little county and jazz thrown in for good measure. It was hard not to get up and boogie to Robert Plant's "Addicted to Love". That would have gotten some looks.

After the first day, I found that I would have to purchase some foam rubber padding for the stool and for when I am sitting on the sidewalk or rocks or other hard things for my tender fanny.

The neighbors next to Box 1 came to meet me. So did their cat, who sprawled across the top of the box with head hanging down watching me paint on the front. A small ditch ran along the back about 10 feet away with some large rocks that I was pretty sure could house some hungry river rats. I brought a large plastic tarp to spread over the area when I worked back there and I have to say that during the entire time, I never encountered anything large than a fussy bee (excepting the cat, of course). The fussy bee never tried to harm me, but got in the way a few times. I think the bright colors I was painting on the box confused some of the insects who thought they had found the mother lode of flower nectar.

A couple of less fortunate individuals panhandled, but left me alone after a firm, but kindly "no". One first asked me if I was getting paid. I proudly said yes. He scornfully said "you're kidding." Two minutes later, apparently thinking I must be rolling in the green stuff, he asked if he could "borrow" 5 dollars and would pay me back. Well, I didn't have five dollars and even if I did I would not give it to him. I had to decline and he just walked away. I noticed that he hit on another artist down the street who, I found out later, gave him some money. This, of course, encouraged him to ask again and again - the other artist, not me of the "don't mess with me" look in my eyes.

Weather was a factor during the first couple of weeks. The rain clouds would start to build and I'd watch carefully. The first couple of times it started to sprinkle, I packed up everything and left. However, the showers proved over time to be brief and so I just put a piece of plastic over the box and stood under my sun umbrella until it was over. Then back to work. One of the other artists in the vicinity would call me and tell me if it looked like the storm was heading our way. He had a better view then I. He also had a very, very nice place to work. A park area with green well kept grass all around his box. I guess I was a little envious, just a little though.

Some folks would stop by and have a word, but not very often as I wasn't on a street where you could pull over safely to park and it wasn't a popular walking spot either. So, I was pretty much left to my creative task without interruption. Completion of Box 1 was a small celebration.

Box 2 was across the street from the first in the shade of two large buildings for almost all day except for about an hour around noon. This was pleasant. I didn't have to use the umbrella much there.

I was painting away, when suddenly something landed on my chest. Glancing quickly down, I was eye to eye with a large unattractive grasshopper. I imagine he was as startled as I. I happened to be sitting on the ground in front of the box and at this point I yelped loudly and although I fell ungracefully backwards, I still managed to sit my pot of black paint down in front of me with my brush still in hand. I backhanded the little guy and sat up. I wish I could say I sat up quick as a wink, but I sort of wallowed around a little bit on the sidewalk before I managed to get myself in the upright position. I looked neither right nor left as I have no doubt morning commuters were getting their big chuckle of the day at my expense. Back to work like nothing had happened although I'd skinned my elbow a little bit. I got ready to stick my paintbrush in the pot of black paint and to my horror, there he was. In my pot of black paint, struggling around. It was a pretty ugly situation. I wanted to toss the paint, but it was the only black I had, so I flicked him off into the weeds using my brush, sort of stirred the paint in case he had exuded any grasshopper juices and kept to my task. Thankfully the weeds were thick so I couldn't see him, but my imagination went wild with thoughts of a tortured demise coated in drying paint....

That was the big excitement of the whole experience outside of just laying on the colors and designs to my heart's content. That was exciting.

Box 3 was around the corner from the other two. I was able to pull my car right up next to it and that was a luxury. No more wagon. Indeed, it was also a bit more pleasant because it was on a side street with less traffic.

During the time I painted, I got to hear a train go by a couple of times per day. Very, very loud. The earphones could not begin to cover the whistle blast or should I say, blasts. At least 3. I'd take off the earphones and put my fingers into my ears until it was safe to take them out. During these times, the traffic has to stop and wait for the train to go by. Suffice to say, I got to breathe my share of exhaust fumes anyway, but during train times, it was overload. But, I survived to live another day.

It was a little bit strange, after more than a month to pack up for the last time. But then again, I was ready to be done. I might have done a couple of things differently, but feel pretty happy with the final result.

Not to say everyone else is, though. Our local newspaper has a section where people can call in and speak their minds, positive or negative, on any topic. The transformer boxes have come up and because taxpayers dollars were used to pay the artists, several people have made mention of this amongst other less economic related comments. One wanted to know which grade schoolers had painted the boxes and another said the boxes should have blended in more with the surroundings. Not been so colorful and so on. Well, it has been my experience that some people like one thing and some another. Some like my art, others don't give a rip. However, there is something about an anonymous caller making disparaging remarks that get published, that seems to me a bit out of line. It's fairly obvious that a certain type of person is rather cowardly and chooses to vent their unhappiness in this fashion. It's sometimes pretty funny, but sad, to read some of the ignorant things that people say in the paper.

Well, let them rant. I was privileged to be chosen. I enjoyed doing it and hope to be able to do it again. Art is a gift to mankind - all kinds of it. You can love it, you can hate it, you can feel somewhere in between or you can care nothing about it, but it's here to stay. Thank goodness for that.

Where did the time go?

Wow. Summer is almost over and I see I haven't posted since June 30th.

Well, we've been busy little artists here at the Harding House. Merle's sculpture has been a great success so far and we are looking forward to more success in the future. I'm still painting my butt off.

I finished painting 3 small electrical transformer boxes for the Loveland Museum. One of about 10 artists chosen to transform these mundane boxes around town into works of art. I'll post pictures this weekend. It was fun, but I was ready to be done after working almost daily for a month, sitting by traffic, breathing exhaust.....

Keir, the little grandson, now walking, is a delight. Can't wait for him to start talking. He sure has his own way of talking now, but we can't understand most of it. Only when he says Uh-huh when you ask him if he wants something. He usually does.

Vacation to southern Colorado is coming up week after next. We'll stay down by Buena Vista in our little camper and then head farther south to see Carol and Robert, the other grandparents, who are building a little cabin on some land down there. We'll try to help them out for a day or so.

Stay tuned.

Finito....Onward and way Upward.....

I finished the heart and will post some photos when I can find them on whichever computer I put them on.....

We put the Modern HeArt on our little Thule trailer, covered it with soft blankies, strapped it down and I took it to the clear coat place so they can put clear coat on it. A week from Friday it will be presented officially.

On other topics, I am finding that I am involved with too many of those social network things. Twitter and Facebook and of course, managing (poorly) about 4 blogs. I'm not posting to any of them on a regular basis, just sporadically and in the case of the blogs (this one in particular), I feel guilt about that. I see that I do have 97 posts on this blog and I guess over about 3 years of time that may not be too bad, but I'd really like to do a better job.

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We are leaving to visit our favorite fire tower in Wyoming tomorrow morning. The Spruce Mountain Fire Tower is quite awesome. We are renting it (yes, you can rent it) for 2 nights. You cook, eat, sleep and gaze while 55 feet in the air in a room that has windows all around. The views are incredible. It's very cool to sit on the deck and drink your coffee in the mornings. Here's the link to Spruce Mountain Fire Tower in case you think you might want to try to get a reservation (it's not easy). I think I've mentioned this tower in a prior post and possibly even posted the pictures below, but I'm too lazy to look for it.

As mentioned, it's 55 feet in the air at an elevation of 10,000 feet above sea level. There are stairs. Getting all of our supplies to the top is a challenge. The Forest Services provides a little pulley system with a bucket for hoisting up the smaller items. We strap some of the larger items (bedding, lawn chairs, etc.) to the rope using carabiners and haul them up that way instead of doing the stair thing - it's wears you out - seriously. Water is in gallon jugs (cooking, drinking) and food will be hoisted in small batches. We hope the propane frig works - it has the last two times we've visited. Then there are clothes, bedding, my potty (for those night time wee wees, beats going down all those stairs to the outhouse), lawn chairs, the little grill, eating utensils, a couple of pans for cooking on the propane stove in the room, electric lamps (no electricity), the DVD player (charged) and DVDs, books, toiletries and probably other things I haven't mentioned. We are bringing our nifty Cabela's shower tent and the niftier shower unit which will be set up at the bottom of the tower. The shower unit runs on batteries. One end goes in a warm bucket of water, you turn the unit on and the other ends gives you a really, really nice shower. We find that a shower at the end of the day helps us get a good nights rest. I'm planning on making a Fire Tower movie and will post it whenever I can get around to putting it together.

The Heart Progresses.....

Yep, it's wild. I hope the sponsor will be pleased and not horrified. The original design I submitted showed only one side of the heart and I have incorporated some of those original motifs into the product. However, I've wandered a bit and added other motifs that they did not see, so hopefully, it will not be something they do not like. That element of suspense adds an unwanted bit of anxiety to this whole project. If not for that, I would be having a ball. Most of the time, you just make art and hope someone will like it and buy it. This is already paid for, so I just hope the sponsor realizes that artists have a hard time working within too many constraints. So much of the time, I see things in my head and then re-create them. I do pre-plan designs, but most of the time my finished work resembles the original intent to varying degrees.

I am trying to finish this up within the next week so I can get it clear coated. I think the clear coating will bring out the color more and give it a much more completed look. That's the goal before the heart is scheduled to be "unveiled" in the first part of July.

The Big Heart - The Beginnings

I am painting a big heart in my dining room. It's a fiberglass heart about 5 foot high, 4 foot across and about 2 foot deep. Here's what it looks like right now.

I have until the first of July to get it completed and between now and then I will be gone for 1-1/2 weeks for vacation. So, I will be working diligently to get it done.

My heart design was one of six chosen this year for the Engaging Loveland hearts around town project. Last year was the first year and I submitted this design at that time, but wasn't chosen. A sponsor decided they liked it this year, so here we are. This is going to take more time than I figured. I will be covering the heart with all sorts of colorful abstract motifs. There will be lots of texturing. I've decided that I will look at every painting I've done so far in this style and use something from each one. That will help me complete it more quickly as I won't have to come up with something completely original. Nevertheless, it will be original to almost everyoyne else.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. My diningroom is messy and I wish I had a better place to do this, but we have to keep the cars in the garage at night, so no room options there. The heart won't fit through most standard doorways, so I can't really put it anywhere else, like my studio/office. So, for the duration, we will have a bit of messiness in the middle of our home.

Once completed and clear coated since it will be outdoors, there will be an "unveiling" champagne event where, as I understand it, the artist will speak about their design. I had to do this once already at the "unveiling" of the designs and it wasn't easy, so I don't look forward to doing it again. Ah well.............I'll just have a couple of drafts of champagne beforehand and who knows what creative musings I might emit.

Cabinet Fun

It is finished and hanging in my bathroom. What fun! There are monkeys hanging by their tails from the towel bar and of course my circus/carnival decoupage. Now to fill it with things like all of my vitamins that are now sitting in an open bowl on the sink counter. Must be removed to prevent little grandson hands from ever getting into them. I'm on the hunt for a unique glass container for the pills. One that is open topped so vitamins are easy to access.

In addition to practical contents, there are and will be frivolous contents (my favorites). I already have a little Kewpie doll, other primates, a blue glass bunny from the flea market and a small elephant onto which I painted a little read mask around his eyes. My favorite perfume also now resides therein.

In review: This cabinet was purchased for $20 at a flea market. It was brown and had a glass mirror in the front. I repainted, decoupaged it and ordered a piece of glass for the door. I made my own door knob using a wooden ball from the hobby store that had a hole already drilled in the bottom. My hubby helped me find the right size screw to fit the door. I painted it red and added googly eyes.

Books, Books, Books and Books

I love to read. I have always loved to read.

I remember some of my favorite Golden Books from before I could read them myself. There was "The Very Best Home for Me" about the woodland animals that lived together in cozy disharmony, mostly over food and who went in search of homes where they could have food that better suited their particular appetites. Another was about the Campbell Soup Kids and the main thing I remember about that book was a recipe that consisted of a leaf of lettuce on a salad plate, topped with a pineapple ring into which half a banana was placed (pointed end up), a dab a mayonnaise on the banana tip and a maraschino cherry on top. I remember making and eating that salad. Now that I think about it, it was a weird salad, to say the least.

I went to the library as soon as I was old enough to go and got piles of books to read. I don't remember what they were, but there were piles of them. I still do that. Once a week, I take my library bag to our local library and fill it with books. I don't read all of them, but I figure if I get enough of them, I'll find one or two that I'll enjoy. Sometimes, I don't particularly enjoy any of them, so I have to go back and give it another try.

I favor mysteries, particularly short mystery stories. I think I've read all of the Mystery Writers of America best picks for every year since the beginning of time. Other times, I love true adventure stories about mountain climbers, shipwrecks, being stranded somewhere and other exciting stuff. I think I've listed some in my Favorite Books list here on the blog.

I'm reading a book right now called "A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel. I just picked it off of the shelf and it's good - sort of. I've been pretty absorbed in it for two days and I have to say that it is kind of starting to wear on me. It was the author's first book and so it is somewhat too clever and I would say, a little unpolished. However, it has kept my attention for long periods of time, so it must be pretty OK. It started out as a small town memoir and then somewhere along the line I feel the author began a subtle and sometimes not so subtle campaign to really put down her religious upbringing. Once that started, it sort of lost it's charm for me. I just wanted to laugh and be entertained, not assaulted by her need to purge. I don't imagine I'll read another of her novels.

Occasionally, I like a good western. However, I really only like one writer - Elmer Kelton. He is just wonderful. His stories are simple, good hearted, well written and keep your interest. My husband is also a fan. I got him started and both of us have read most of the Elmer Kelton in the library. My favorite Elmer Kelton character is Huey Calloway - a tough old cowboy who works hard, loves his horse, requires little maintenance and doesn't want to be tied down. Elmer Kelton has written a few novels starring Huey - they are super.

There was a time when I wanted to marry Sherlock Holmes. This was a long time ago before I realized that he was a little to anal for my tastes. Plus, he strikes me as probably not capable of any type of romantic feeling, although I think there was one story where there was a woman of interest......... Whatever the case, my love interest in Sherlock Holmes has long been dead.

Think I'll go peruse my bag of books and read.

Bathroom Cabinet Transformation

I wish that I had taken a picture of this little cabinet when I first picked it up at a flea market for $20. It was dull brown and had a glass mirror in the door. You can't appreciate how much different it is without that to compare it with, but whatever the case, I neglected to get the "before" pictures. This is what it looked like after I painted it, including the back wall piece. I removed the mirror and got a piece of glass cut to the same size for the door so that after it is completed you will be able to see inside of it, including the cool painted back wall, originally brown also.

It's circus/carnival themed and I've still got a long way to go before it becomes the work of art that I intend it finally become.

I painted the top piece with a blood red velvety looking curtain in front of blue sky and white clouds. I then started looking on Google images for circus or carnival related pictures that I could use for a collage. Over the past few weeks, I've been revisiting the project on and off as I also completed another abstract painting (shown at the end of this post. I found several images that I printed out on the computer and then painstakingly cut out with little scissors. Today I arranged them on the top piece and glued them down. Here's what it looks like now including a couple of pictures showing some of the image detail.

The original aqua color of the cabinet was too bright and I wanted a more aged look, so I brushed/wiped the cabinet using a watered down mix of acrylic Yellow Oxide and Raw Umber. In addition, on the door frame, I added dots and then brushed/wiped it with the same Oxide/Umber mix, but also a bit of Cadmium Orange.

I'll keep you posted as I make progress. I've got some little people I ordered on Ebay that I may paint and put somewhere. I'll look to find a very ornate circus knob for the door and will decorate the cabinet sides. There's a little towel bar along the bottom that I am thinking about in terms of something or things hanging down - we'll have to see what evolves.

Here's the painting I completed - well, almost completed, I think I may do something more over in the left hand corner area in lime green.

Art in the Family

My husband has always had a creative streak in him. Many years ago during our courtship, he drew some interesting and rather depressing pictures in pencil of dark branches in bleak landscapes (I hope this didn't reflect on our relationship at the time). However, art has never been a passion with him and he hasn't really pursued anything along those lines until recently.

When we visited Santa Fe last fall, both of us were enthralled with the art on display there. We spent two days (and could have been there more), just cruising Canyon Road gawking at some amazing and some so not amazing works of art. Abstract sculpture is one of the things we enjoy and there was plenty to enjoy there.

When we returned home, he decided, inspired by the works of Woods Davy, to make some sculpture of his own. Since then, he has created 4 sculpture and I, for one, am a fan. I believe it is very unusual and very attractive. Here's a slideshow of his work to date.

He will be including some smaller table top pieces shortly.

The sculpture are created from various sizes of veneer rock that we get at a local landscape materials company. We spend time going through large bins of rock looking for color, shape and unique features in the rock. The veneer rock is finished nicely so that it is smooth and shapely. The size rock he can use is limited by the size of his drill press and the weight of the finished work. He cannot make something so big that it requires a forklift to move. The pieces are assembled according to his artistic tastes and secured in such a way that they are very sturdy for indoor or outdoor use. The pedestals are challenging in that he has to keep the cost down, so they are comprised of some Lowes stock materials and then custom cut steel plates from a local metal fabricator.

We are submitting a joint application to one of the art shows here in our hometown for August. It's lightly juried, meaning that I think that you can generally be accepted as long as what you have is good. Unlike other shows I enter that are swamped with entries due to their popularity and your chances of being one of the chosen ones are less of a sure thing.

Our art, my abstract paintings and his sculpture are good - at least some people like them and in addition, I feel they compliment each other.

I feel very confident that Merle's sculpture will be well received and hopefully he will make a few sales.

Miniatures and Dioramas

(miniature travel trailer kit - click the pic for the link)

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I've always loved miniatures. I think this love of tiny things germinated back when I was very young and we visited a museum in Denver, Colorado where there were lots of intricate dioramas depicting the life of Indians. I loved this museum. At that time, if I remember correctly, it was housed in a very old home that had lots of dark wood. I have vague recollections of a staircase with massive carved end posts. This may be a dream, but I don't think so. Anyway, at some point, that museum was closed and the Colorado History Museum was opened. Some and maybe all of the dioramas were moved there. It's been awhile since I visited, but it seemed to me that there were fewer of them. However, this may be because I was a child when first I saw them and many things seem bigger than they really are when you are little.

Here are a couple of pictures I found on Google images showing sections of a couple of the dioramas. They were very detailed and great works of art.

I've created a couple of dioramas, but nothing that comes even close to something like these. However, it is fun, somewhat time consuming, but when completed is a thing to be enjoyed. I gave several as gifts and have only this one left.

I made the little fireplace out of balsa wood that I cut with an Exacto knife, sanded it and added some depth using watered down acrylic paints. I made the fire out of card stock. I hand painted the bricks and the flowers. The picture over the mantel is a picture from a magazine over which I glued a frame made of foam board covered with gold painted trim from the fabric store. The rest of the things are obviously miniatures I purchased. I covered the backing piece with fabric.

Lastly, I found this great website: NATASHA. What she does is apparently so good it's in museums. I'm not surprised, her diorama original artwork is FANTASTIC!

The Wall A/C Cover

Sometimes there are "things" on the wall that we would like to cover, permanently or by season, such as this air conditioner unit in our bedroom wall. In this case, the cover also works as an insulator, keeping out cold air.

My first job was to find a fabric that I felt would go well with the decor. I found a print with a somewhat southwestern theme online. I had done some final dimension calculating and made sure I ordered enough. You will read about the fabric dimensions later on in this post.

For the wood pieces, I then measured around the unit in the wall, adding about 3" to each width and length dimension (or 1-1/2" per each outside edge). This is so that there is plenty of clearance between the wood framing and the outside of the wall unit. So if the width was 20", I called it 23". The length 18", I called it 21". Add up the total inches of wood needed (+23" +23" +21" +21" = 88") and purchase 1/2" X 2" wood boards in lengths that will allow you to cut whole sections of the final required 4 lengths of framing. Cut the wood pieces to the predetermined lengths and using metal brackets inside each corner, assemble them so that the wide wood dimension comes out from the wall surface (you want depth). It may be that the item you are covering is deeper. In that case, just adjust the size of wood board you will need. If you are handy with a table saw, you can cut custom sizes. It should be noted that the larger the wood, the heavier the final product will be, so using a 2"x 4" board would probably not work well.

If this needs to be an insulating frame, use some type of heavy material for the first layer of covering. I used a table cloth padding material I found at the fabric store. Add an extra 10" to each overall dimension previously calculated so that you will have about 5" per side to pull over and staple to the back of the frame. Lay the material face UP on the floor, making sure that if there is a pattern, that it is straight. Cut it to dimension.

Turn the material face down and center the wooden frame on it. Starting with one side, staple the material in to the back in the middle of the board. Go to the opposite side and pull the material slightly to remove slack and staple it also to the back in the middle of the board. Do this on the other two edges and then work your way around the frame until the side edges are stapled. Finish it by making a neat corner as shown below.

It should now be ready to hang.

Magazine pics from the early 1950's

Recently my husband brought home an old scrap book of recipes that his late mother had put together. I haven't looked at all of the recipes and will probably post some later on, but some of the magazine pictures she had cut out and pasted in to the scrapbook were interesting. Here are some for you to enjoy along with some dialog I've added. Note: the pictures are wrinkled because they were pasted and it's been a long time. You can click on any one of them to enlarge it for better viewing.

Christmas decor in the boudoir year round! Red gumdrop upholstered stools. Matching......things.....

Someone handed me this guitar and well, I'm trying to hold my arm like I think I'm supposed to hold it and no one is telling me it's wrong and they went ahead and took the picture and everyone is smiling - on the outside....

My mother-in-law, baking from scratch. My generation is so much more modern and I'll prove it by making dinner from a can. I'm so over with basting. I've much more important things to do like starch my aprons and iron the ruffles so they are nice and stiff and fluffy looking.

So I said, "Ralph, it's time you tried tea. This tea. Well, Ralph told me tea was for sissy boys and he didn't think it would go over well with the guys on poker night. I told him that he and his poker boys could go jump in the river, for all I care. It just made me so mad. That's why I wanted you to come over, Evelyn. You are obviously so cultured with your fine clothing
in palest shade of yellow with matching flattish hat and brown band. I knew you would appreciate this tea. Don't you love my trellis?

Honey, it's great, but why did you decide to cover the kitchen wall with this really wild taffeta curtain material stuff and why did we have to dress in formal attire so I could meet the new refrigerator? I just hope there is something good to eat in there. I'm going to go slip into something more comfortable like my soft woolen trousers with cuffs and my burgundy quilted smoking jacket with cravat. Why don't you just whip me up some nice meaty dish that would appeal to my manly appetite?

Yes, at one point, there was a burning cigarette in my hand. I am a fallen, smoking, trashy women of the streets or at least I was until someone glued a gardenia like flower over the stinking weed that was held ever so delicately between my nicotine stained fingers. Whatever. If you look close enough, you can see a curl of smoke coming up behind the flower. The smoking gardenia.

We are the flower women of music (???) by the punch bowl of pink punch and the pendulum(???) on folding chairs and we are having a swell time.

After my bath this morning in perfumed bath salts from Paris, I just lay here all day in my cool organza dress reading my favorite fashion magazine trying not to think about anything that might give me wrinkles or sweat stains and waiting until my true love comes home from the office to sweep me in his arms and well, I can't say anymore.......

I vant to suck your blud

Darling. Darling. My man. My man. Here in the morning as we prepare to eat our 3 minute boiled eggs in their cute holders on the multi-colored brick deck with pink geraniums at the window and our wrought iron furniture including a flower pot attached to the side filled with pretty petunias, I long for you to hold me in your skinny arms against your concave chest.

VALENTINE'S DAY

This is one of my computer generated greeting cards with robots.

Home Stuff #1

I like to create unique things for my home. Over the years I've custom painted tables and lamps. I've painted my own art to hang on the walls. I painted our own custom door greeting (to be shared in a later post). There's a lot of stuff. I thought I'd start including some of the ideas I've come up with and maybe, just maybe, you might be inspired to do your own thing if your tastes run along the same lines.

The first thing is three things. They are cloth covered frames hanging on the wall above our eggplant colored sectional in the upstairs living room.

Obviously, the fabric is the star of this attraction. I found it on a website called Contemporary Cloth. There are many vintage designs to choose from. This one, a barkcloth atomic design is one my favorites although it was hard to choose between it and several other very 1950's funky stuff. I've posted a couple of the designs below.

Anyway, we needed something in the retro line to match our pink retro lampshades. I ordered these online and matched them to some pole style modern glass tables we found at Home Depot. This also will be featured at another time.

My husband helped make the frames for the atomic wall art. In a nutshell, I first decided the finished size of each piece, we purchased the necessary approx. 1/2" x 2" boards, brackets to connect the frame corners and tablecloth lining for an undercover. The undercover might not be necessary, but I felt it gave a smoother look. Table cloth liner is a thick soft, sort of cottony material. Then it was a matter of assembly, careful cutting, careful lining up of fabric on frame so the pattern was straight, stapling of cloth and then hanging.

In case you are wondering about the pink painting on the wall under the art. This is a long river of pink paint that I applied along one wall in the livingroom. I used a Ralph Lauren suede finish paint. HOWEVER, after doing it, I wasn't and still am not sure I like it. But, it is a little thick and removing it would be difficult, time consuming and would probably involve removing the exisiting wall texture which would then have to be re-done making sure it matched the rest of the the wall texture. Ewwww! It's not bad, it's just not exactly what I thought it would turn out to be.