Feeling Artsy

Today I'm feeling especially artsy or you could say "puttsy" ~ either one ~ they are both interchangeable to me.  Probably because I'm dreaming of how the installation will come together in the space at market next week ~ read more here.  

Also, for me, puttsing with my stuff is therapeutic and a great stress reliever.  I lose myself in the moment and time stands still.  It's my happy place.

Things I love about this installation ~



1) The clothing rack for sure ~ it has an adjustable second bar.  2) The vintage movie projector screen.

3) The brown paper stenciled letters ~ I spelled "HOME" out with and attached to the screen with electrical tape.

 4) The vintage French Linen aprons ~ they are buttery soft!  5) The old wooden hangers ~ so charming.

5) The vintage fan ~ thinking it probably wouldn't meet safety standards today but it's still a cool piece.  6) And lastly, the factory stool.  I must confess ~ I like it all.

I'm off to get ready for dinner with friends.  I celebrated my birthday yesterday and the celebration continues this evening.  I love when that happens!  ;)  

Thank you for taking time to stop by Tattered Style today.  Be inspired and have a lovely weekend!  Dana

Cardboard Table ~ Why Not?

Awhile back, I was at a shop waiting for some guys to load a purchase into the back of my truck.  I noticed an empty cardboard tube sitting off to one side.  Curiosity got the best of me, so I asked them what was going to happen to it.  As expected, they were going to throw it out.  So without hesitation, I asked them if I could have it.  "Sure," they said as they let out a little chuckle and loaded it into the back of my truck.

I know for most, this humble piece of cardboard would be headed straight for the recycle bin.  But I just couldn't let it go.  It was strong and durable and I had visions of a side table in my head.  I'm not sure what Penny saw but she seemed quite curious...

She kept hanging around so I had to snap these cute pictures of her. 

I can only imagine what was going through her mind.  Probably something like ~ "Ya know you could be playing fetch with me" ~ and I did ~ some.
 

After awhile she grew bored, but faithfully continued to hang around as I got back to my project. 

On my last post, I experimented with some stencils ~ specifically for use on this table.  I don't want to overdo the use of letters/numbers ~ but I do have a fascination with them.

For this project, I positioned the stencils ~ wrapping them around the cylinder so they are seen from one vantage point.  I taped them into place with blue painter's tape.  Next, I put tick marks on the edges of each stencil so I would know where to reposition them after the following step. 

 

I coated the back of each stencil with several light coats of adhesive spray ~ allowing it to dry so it would be tacky to the touch.



I repositioned the stencils on the tube and taped off areas I wanted to protect from overspray.  Then I lightly sprayed each stencil with several coats of black paint.  I allowed it to dry for several minutes and then carefully removed the stencils, tape and newspaper. 



I think at this point, I was pretty excited about the way the table was going to turn out. 



Done ~ that was it.  I topped the cylinder with a piece of glass and placed it next to a chair in my living room.  



The diameter and height of the cardboard was the perfect size for a table.  I think it turned out pretty cool ~ what do you think?  Now I'm off to grocery shop for the Thanksgiving meal ~ I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Linking up today: 

A Little Letter Experiment

I love letters and numbers ~ I can't help it, I just do!  The other day I was playing around with an adhesive product to see how it would work using cardboard stencils and spray paint on a variety of surfaces.  In doing so, I pulled out a scrap piece of sheetrock I had laying around and stenciled it with the letter "P".  I have such a fondness for ordinary, unpretentious materials like plain old drywall.  The combination of the silvery "P" on the sheetrock was so pleasing to me ~ I decided to keep it and use it on the buffet in my breakfast nook. 

To begin my accidental experiment ~ I used 6" stencils I had previously purchased from the local Ace hardware store. 

The product I was experimenting with was the stencil adhesive spray (shown above) from Michael's.  I love this product!  The adhesive forms a nice seal for the stencil when using it with various types of paint and prevents the paint from seeping under the stencil.      

I began with a piece of sheetrock and a stencil.  I gave the back of the stencil several light coats of spray adhesive and allowed it to become tacky to the touch.  Then I positioned it on the piece of sheetrock. 

I taped off the part I didn't want painted (with blue painter's tape) so there wouldn't be any overspray to the rest of the area, then sprayed the stenciled area with several light coats of silver spray paint.

The spray adhesive I applied to the back of the stencil prevented the paint from seeping under the stencil and created nice, clean lines. 

I didn't intend on using the "P" as a design element, but I love the way it turned out and propped it up on an easel I already had.  

 

I liked the simple combination of something so ordinary as a piece of sheetrock and the stenciled letter that I decided it was only fitting to give it a place of honor.  :)  I'm in high gear, as I'm sure you most of you are, in preparing for Thanksgiving next week.  I'm so thankful all the boys will be home!  I hope to be seeing you here again soon.  Please check out Tattered Style on Facebook and Pinterest.

"That Old Chest in the Garage"

Shortly after Papa & Nana passed away last spring, aside from the grief everyone was experiencing, the family had to go through the painstaking process of sorting through things at their home. We came upon an old chest that sat next to the freezer in the garage, that to the best of my knowledge had been in the exact location since the early 1970's. It was dirty and dingy, covered with paint spills, grit and grime. Nana and Papa had used it as a catchall for all sorts of things. It's drawers held a peculiar selection of items, everything from old brass candlesticks and glassware to garden tools and oil cans. Nat recalled that the chest had resided in all of their family's previous garages as well. Although the dresser had no real earthly value, it appealed to Nat and myself, I think because of the staying power it had sustained down through the years. Thankfully, the others in the family seemed happy to pass it on to us. It has now been coaxed back to life with a little elbow grease and some stencils. I was inspired by a similar piece of furniture I had seen at Anthropologie.

Due to the amount of dirt and oil on the dresser, a good cleaning did not suffice, so we (Nat was such a trooper and helped me out with this step of the project) had to strip it down to the bare wood. I'm sorry to say I did not take a photo of this for you to appreciate it's "before" condition.

I then positioned and taped stencils of numbers and letters on each drawer. Next, I painted over each stencil with acrylic black paint.

After the paint dried, I distressed the stenciling by lightly sanding over the numbers and letters. To complete the project, I brushed on two coats of clear satin varnish (allowing the first coat to dry completely before applying the final coat).

I'm quite pleased with the finished product and think Nana and Papa would be proud. It now resides happily in our home...thankful that someone saw it's potential. And just maybe someday, one of our sons will see the beauty in the not so perfect and desire to have "that old chest that was once in the garage" for their home.