Spring Decorating (and the Little Sheep that Led Me Astray)!

April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 ~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 3 Comments

Do you ever feel as I do – that you’ve just recovered from a volcanic eruption of decorations back before Christmas, only to experience the aftershock of trying to put it all way? No? Well then, I guess it’s just me.

I’m tired of overhauling the whole house just to satisfy my seasonal whims, so as I’ve already mentioned here, I had planned to do a re-mix on some of my winter décor and share the spring results with you.

Remember my winter mantle?

I’m still just all over that terrarium! I knew it would stay. So, with a few simple changes, we’re feeling springy inside, even if there was snow – yes, I said S.N.O.W. on the ground outside as I began this post and more in the forecast for tomorrow. I’m trying to keep my chin up, reminding myself of all you folks out east who just endured their sixth nor’easter.

Here’s how I switched it up for spring while keeping my favorite things –

As you can see, I didn’t make drastic changes. Switching out a few things seemed to be all I needed to take away winter and invite spring into the room. I took the photo at dusk to highlight the candles, but things look much more airy during the day.

Other than the terrarium, the thing I’m enjoying most about my spring décor is my sheep! Aren’t they fun?

I told myself as I stood toying with those in Marshall’s that they would make an ideal First Friday Freebie for one of my loyal subscribers, but once I got them home, I weakened. I sat them here. I sat them there. They just got cuter and cuter! I confess! I crumbled under their vapid gaze and kept them for myself.

Nobody’s perfect. And, a little whimsy never hurt anybody.

The most amazing thing about these little sheep? They sit in plain sight, just inches off the floor and Phoebe June hasn’t eaten them. Come to think of it, I don’t think she’s even noticed them, which is odd because she pretty much pounces on anything with a “face”.

Here’s how much money I didn’t spend –

The mirror. It stayed – a family treasure described here.
A bunch of forsythia wound into a not-too-perfect wreath – a Hobby Lobby find – maybe $4.00.
A metal wreath stand – another Hobby Lobby find – half-price at $12.00. I’ll use this year-round.
A topiary bunny purchased years ago at a garage sale for next to nothing.
Set of 3 flameless candles (the really cool ones with the realistic moving flames). I found these a couple of years ago at TreesNTrends. The whole set was $29.99! I see on their website that they’ve gone up a little in price, but they’re still worth it. They have timers and a remote and the batteries seem to last a long time. They come in ivory or red and you can find them here.
Our mantle clock – it stayed just as in the winter mantle. The clock, as well as the other “keepers” are described here.
Green glass candle-holder. Strangely enough, Smuffy found them. He comes home with odd things some days and that’s all I’m sayin’.
The terrarium! Another Hobby Lobby find that I describe here.
The contents of the terrarium. These were all items I already had – a small fake plant, also from Hobby Lobby on half-price sale; two brown ceramic pillar candle-holders with twine and bead accents that I picked up at Cargo Largo a couple of months ago for $2 each and have been waiting to use somewhere; perched on the candle-holders – a set of white alabaster doves we received as a wedding gift; and a string of tiny battery-operated lights that I taped around the inside frame of the terrarium to light it at night.
The word-art sign stayed – another Hobby Lobby find described here.
Fake yellow tulips – a rummage sale find I had on hand.
Rustic bucket (my tulips needed to be “re-potted” from the ugly container they came in) – a recent Hobby Lobby find – around $5.
Glass candle jars with pillar candles – they stayed also. I shared how I updated them with sisal rope here. I had the candles on hand.
Wooden box with lavender silk crocus. I gave this to my mom when I finished doing some re-decorating for her. Now that she’s gone, they’re another sweet reminder of her and her favorite color.
Those boogey-woogie, not-too-intelligent-looking sheep – Under $5 at Marshall’s several months ago.
Vintage Black wooden suitcase. It’s something that was always around the house when I was growing up and holds special memories. Mom kept things through the generations, so I have no idea how old it is and, of course, wish I had asked. It was one of the few things I asked my mom to “put my name on”, if you know what I mean.

I’m happy with this budget makeover. All the items that I consider “new” came to around $20 and all of them can be re-purposed for various seasons and different rooms. I hope it inspires you to work with what you have.

Keeping family treasures where I can see them makes me happy no matter what the trends are. My house does not look like the latest magazines. Perhaps it did once, back in the 90’s, when designers, on a Victorian flight of fancy, took a turn at decorating with everything old. All I had to do back then was pull out Mom’s and Grandma’s stuff and artfully arrange it all.

Designers moved on, but since my décor and my inheritance were one and the same, I stuck with the look that I like to refer to as a cross between Grandma’s attic and a rummage sale. I’m thrilled that Joanna Gaines has done much to bring back the popularity of “old”. (I was digging around in dusty old flea markets and toting home “junk” way before she came along!) The farmhouse style so often featured on “Fixer Upper” is making it easy and inexpensive for me to plan my upcoming kitchen makeover. All I’ll have to do is dig a new batch of “old” out of the closet and, once again, artfully arrange.

A major remodel job is coming my way soon and the “fireplace” in these photos may or may not be staying. I’d love to hear your comments and ideas on this. (It’s not a real fireplace anyway, so we can do something else fun if Smuffy and I have any strength left after conquering the kitchen.) I’ll chronicle all that here, which might prove to be therapeutic amidst the rubble, so as they say, stay tuned…

Let me hear from you. Scroll back up to the top of this post and “Leave a Comment”.

Remember – First Friday Freebies happen the first Friday of every month, so fun stuff is just around the corner – as in tomorrow! Share this post with a friend and if you haven’t subscribe NOW, because freebies are for subscribers only. Check out the Freebies page to see past gifts and their winners!

Let It Go! Let It Go! Let Frozen Winter Go!

March 1, 2018March 1, 2018 ~ Midwest Storyteller

I hardly know how to act! For the last several days it’s been warming. I love you, Sixty-five Degree Days! (Until Seventy-five Degrees starts flirting with me.) Spring-like rains have pattered the dry earth and my tulips and hyacinths have jumped up to shout about it. I’m tempted to warn them that it won’t be over till it’s over and they should retreat and wait a while.

I’m always thrilled to arrive at March’s doorstep, but to be honest, once March invites me in, it makes me mad. It loves its cruel jokes and is afflicted with violent mood swings that I’m convinced are contagious. Year after year, it claims to have thirty-one days, but if you ask me, the experts should investigate this. Here in my part of the Mid-West, March lasts forever!

Though it may blast me yet again with snow and ice and force me back into my winter coat, I shall dig my heels in and decorate as though life is just one big romp out in the green grass and sunshine. I know, I know – it’s not really spring for another three weeks, but should I be forced to look at winter again outside, at least I can pretend it’s spring inside.

I invite you to join with me in blowing winter an official good-bye kiss. Let’s take a look some simple winter décor, which, of course, I meant to share with you in January. We live in an older home, so getting too trendy can just look weird. Here’s what I did –

It’s always so difficult to decide how to decorate after Christmas. I look for ways to get rid of the reds and greens and keep some of the snowy things, yet keep it cozy. Without a lot of storage, I do a lot of re-purposing and design re-mixing. Sometimes, however, things just get “tired” and nothing looks right. Smuffy overheard me mumbling about it and suggested I go shopping. I ran out the door without even stopping to take his temperature!

Here’s how I mixed the old with the new –Here, I’ve kept the antique dynamite box filled with pine cones (#1) I used at Christmas, removing the wreath from the front and the ornaments that were scattered throughout. The antlers? Smuffy hunts a lot. The sticks? I saved those from a bush trimming session last May. You can see how I used them for fall decorating here.

On the floor, I used some glass jars I found at resale shops (#2)and re-purposed by gluing sisal rope around the bottom. After filling them with smooth stones, I inserted taper candles. Total cost (over time) probably came to around $11.

Above the mantle hangs one of my treasures from my Grandpa Judge’s barber shop. The mirror (#3) has made a move or two around the house since my mom passed it on to me, but it’s a forever-keeper. You’ll enjoy some stories involving Grandpa Judge and you can check those out, along with photos, here and here.

After Christmas sales on holiday items are a great way to find winter décor. Just because the store classified it as “Holiday”, it’s likely to have significant markdowns even if it isn’t red and green and wishing you a joyous Noel. I found this “ice” covered tree (#4) at one of my favorite places, Tuesday Morning. I snatched it up for under $15, knowing that I’d use it for years in various rooms, depending on my many whims.

Below it, I used a bit of word art. This wooden “peace” sign (#5)is something I found for practically nothing at a resale shop. I keep moving it around and re-purposing it. At Christmas, it looked great on a low shelf with fake poinsettias and tiny fairy lights all around the base. I was impressed. So was Phoebe June. After a week or two I admitted defeat and took it down. A kitten can only stand so much temptation.

In front of “peace” sits a little brown birdie (#6) from a resale shop that probably cost me a whole dollar.

The mantle clock (#7)has been around for decades.

I stumbled over the long sign (#8) – an item that will work well against the brick of the fireplace no matter the season – at Hobby Lobby on the half-price sale. At $12.50, its a bargain and a great reminder that we live a blessed life.

The weird, green candle? (#9) It spoke to me a while back from a shelf in a re-sale shop. Don’t know why. At $2, I just found myself stroking it and thinking, “No one else is going to have one of these!”

On another Hobby Lobby excursion, (I think I may have mentioned that I love that place) I rounded a corner and saw “it”. The terrarium (#10)drew me in an instant and, reading the sign above it, I checked my delighted squeals as I discovered it really was half off! I knew it was something that would change with the seasons depending on what I filled it with. I don’t usually spend much on décor, but for $32.50, I lowered it gently into my cart, reminding myself that Smuffy had told me to go shopping. I filled it with a cute, fake plant, some remote controlled candles that I already had and another little brown birdie. The terrarium stays. I’m looking forward to filling it with spring things.

And now – can we all shout it out loud together? – “Goodbye, Winter! Hello, Spring!” I’ll share my photos with you when I get things switched over. I hope I’ve given you some ideas for future decorating.

I’ll help you get switched over to spring, too! The First Friday Freebie is coming up March 2, so get ready to enter and win. Share this post with all your friends so they can subscribe and enter as well. A touch of spring will be arriving for one of you from Midwest Storyteller!

Looking for ideas to help you rescue and recycle the poor, the tired and pretty-much-trash stuff around the house? You’ll find them here and here!

Leave a comment! Let me know what you think!

Be the Hostess with the Mostest (and the Cheapest)!

November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 ~ Midwest Storyteller

They’re coming! You can hear their expectant panting from miles away as they prepare to descend on your home for Thanksgiving. You make a frantic dart through the house and decide it’s time to throw away the 4^th of July balloons and take down the seashell jar that’s been welcoming everyone to your home with its shades of summery pastels.

Now what? There’s enough money to be spent on the turkey and ingredients for the traditional side dishes.

Been there – done all that. One thing I’m thankful for is the fact that my mother handed down to me the ability to make something out of nothing. Another quality we share is “squirrely-ness”. I’m not talking about that tendency to be just a tad odd – you know, the type of person that makes other people tilt their head to one side and blink – I’m talking about the ability to squirrel away cool stuff, small stuff, odd stuff and “sooner or later I’m gonna use that for something and when I do, it’s gonna be really cool” stuff.

I love to decorate and hate throwing good stuff away, so I’ve learned to stare at things and ponder how I might recycle them into something new and different without having to go out and spend more than a few dollars to put a new twist on things.

I get the urge to decorate for fall at sundown on Labor Day. I ran a week or two late this year, but in case you’re way behind and wanting to “lovelify” everything before the doorbell rings and the turkey timer goes off, I thought we’d brainstorm.

Here’s my fall fireplace. I took the photo with all the candles lit so you could see how we like to enjoy it on these long fall evenings.

Here’s a close-up of the mantle.

Now, let’s take a look at the individual elements. Aside from batteries for flameless candles and string lights, I don’t think I spent a single dime this year! Even the votive candles are leftovers from a bulk purchase I made at my local thrift shop a year or two ago.

I hope I’ve gotten your cogs turning. Somewhere, tucked into a bookshelf, stored in a tub in the basement or perhaps still in a sack in the trunk from when a friend passed it on to you, there are things you can round up and experiment with.

Admittedly, I did some degree of head-shaking and standing around with my hands on my hips as I tapped my chin. Then, I’d arrange and re-arrange, and before long I found myself content.

Is it super-trendy? No. That would have taken a trip to the store for chalkboards and things covered in burlap and chevron prints. Somehow, I just wasn’t tempted to go there.

Once I’d completed my “design remix”, I was free to get out an enjoy fall and do my usual thing, perhaps causing not a few people to tilt their heads to one side and blink, but that’s my normal and I don’t think I got it from Mom.

As you can see from the photo, all you really need is family, friends, a mixture of garage sales and flea markets, a willingness to build your stash and a nice set of working blinkers so that you can zip into the stores with the best prices. Obviously, I’ve done more than a little “squirreling” in Hobby Lobby, Tuesday Morning and Big Lots. I can’t say enough about the great quality of QVC’s Bethlehem Lights collection! Seems they always have something great on clearance.

I had a group of ladies over for an annual Pumpkin Night event and we enjoyed a buffet of recipes containing pumpkin. I didn’t spend any money on table-scape either. I just dove into my stash! Take a look – as long as you don’t mind that guests had already arrived before I got the photo taken and things look just a trifle askew. Trifle! Now, why didn’t somebody bring a pumpkin trifle? Great idea for next year!

I’d love to hear from you. Just under the title of this post, you can “Leave a Comment”, letting me know your thoughts and ideas. What kind of things have you pulled together to decorate that will inspire the rest of us?

More inspiration for quick fall décor can be found here. You might enjoy getting to know my mom here. Need inspiration from me and my mom to help you rescue and recycle the poor, the tired and the pretty-much-trash stuff around the house? Check it out here!

Coming up next: Two fabulous free recipes for a heartwarming fall meal. SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss it!

Crafty, But Not Crazy: Three Easy Projects to Do On Your Own or With the Kids

October 31, 2017October 31, 2017 ~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 4 Comments

It’s time for true confessions. It’s embarrassing, but true. I’ll try anything artsy once. Well…just about anything. Here’s the part that’s embarrassing: My successes have made me fearless – and rather messy. I wouldn’t want to throw that nifty scrap or tidbit away because I will, most definitely, encounter a friend, TV show, YouTube video or Pinterest pin that shows me exactly what to do with it. Then, believe it or not – I actually do it.

The house is full of things I’ve tackled in a fit of crafting passion and many of them, I might humbly state, are masterpieces in their own way. Some are just plain odd. Others – the ones that dragged me way too deep into the crafting waters – nearly got shoved under the sofa and never completed, but that’s fine, as they can always keep my marbles company under there, if you know what I mean.

Now we approach the time of year when I get super excited about making gifts. It’s also the time of year, at least in our neck of the woods, when falling temperatures bring us indoors more and it begins getting dark earlier…and earlier…and earlier. Before long we’ll have darkness by five o’clock, which leaves you with long evenings to fill if you’re not a writer or blogger or if you’re not Smuffy.

Smuffy has an organized series – yes, series – of to-do lists so detailed that they are filed neatly behind his master list, entitled, “LISTS”, which is, as the name implies, a list of his lists. I am not making this up, folks! I’ve known him to misplace this on rare occasions and it’s traumatic, to say the least. I have lists, too – somewhere.

Sometimes, we all need something quick and fool-proof to spruce up the place, get ourselves organized or give as a hand-made gift. At other times, we need something to do with the kids or grandkids that doesn’t take forever or tear the whole house apart – something that keeps that last little marble from rolling under the sofa to join all the others.

I’m going go share some photos of three easy projects – and I mean falling-off-a-log-easy projects. So easy, in fact that you could make them on your own just by taking a quick look at the photo and pretty much ignoring any written instructions.

Get your creative self in gear and let’s go!

First, take a look at this photo and guess what this cute pumpkin was before it was a pumpkin:

Pat yourself on the back (or, backside, perhaps?) if you guessed –

Yep, toilet tissue!

Once you have gathered some supplies, this project takes just a couple of minutes to complete. All you need is a roll of toilet tissue, an 18 inch (or ½ yard) square of fabric and some leftover fluff such as raffia, ribbon, greenery and a stick or what I thought made the ideal stem – a dried okra pod! Let’s give a round of cyber-applause to my friend, Robin, who demonstrated this last week to a gathering of ladies who promptly pounced on the table full of goodies and turned out some really cute pumpkins! Imagine how cute this would be wrapped in burlap or an orange polka-dot or chevron print! You could also use a little polyester fiberfill around the toilet tissue before you pull the fabric up and stuff it into the center of the roll in order to make your pumpkin a little fatter.

What a cute idea for anywhere in the house or perhaps on the bathroom vanity as a spare hiding in plain sight!

Go ahead – say it: “This craft project is not too hard for me.” Seriously, if you mess this one up, I’m not sure I want you fixing me dinner or driving anywhere near me in a motor vehicle! You might just be dangerous.

Next up – a set of candle-holders made with your very own little hands! Don’t get all worked up about it. The pumpkin thing should have you feeling like an awesome artiste by now. All you need to do is see the “after” photo of this one –

Start with a trip to a well-stocked grocery store for three bags of lentils. They come in the usual tan, but also in red, green and orange. Choose the three colors you want. Stop at your local discount store or Hobby Lobby and get a skein of twine, some varied-sized canning jars and some votive candles.

I also chose to paint the canning rings with Krylon Fusion paint (also available at Hobby Lobby) in a hammered metal finish in order to “antique” them a bit. I chose the chocolate brown color, but I think the black or copper would also look great.

Next, go home and raid Grandma’s button box and choose some colors to go along with your candles and lentils. String them together and tie them to the twine you’ve wrapped around the rings. Pour the lentils into the jars and nestle the votives into the lentils. What a cute an inexpensive gift or a quick way to switch up your own décor!

TIPS: If you are giving these as gifts, I recommend giving them with the canning lid on top as well as the ring to keep from spilling all your lentils before the gift is opened. Also a tiny dot of hot glue goes a long way in keeping the twine in place when you’re wrapping it around the ring.

I know you’ve got to be feeling unstoppable now, so let’s move on to something that is super-simple but may take just a little more time. Repeat after me, “I can. I know I can. Yes, I can, can, can!”

I’m talkin’ about cans!

Most households seem to end up with these, whether it’s from mixed nuts, protein shakes or, in my case, whole food nutrition. They seem to be pretty easy to accumulate. Instead of sending them all to the trash or recycle bin, why not save a few in varied sizes and give this a try –

All I did was clean the cans out well and remove the labels. Then, I dug around in my stash of leftover pre-pasted wallpaper rolls for some coordinating prints and colors. You can always use scrap-booking paper, but keep in mind that it will not have its own adhesive and you’ll have to glue it on.

The only time-consuming part of this project is measuring and cutting the paper to fit exactly to the inside and outside of the cans. You’ll want to do this before wetting the wallpaper or applying glue to the paper. I also chose to spray paint the metal rims of the cans to coordinate with my paper choices. I used the drying time to do all my paper cutting. I received the added bonus of using up several of the almost empty cans of spray paint that accumulate in the basement cupboard! Hooray for wiggle room!

Once all the adhesive is dry, apply coordinating ribbon around the can, securing it with a dot of hot glue. I like fashioning a “faux bow” to the front to cover the seam in the ribbon.

Again, raid the button box or pick up a package of scrap-booking embellishments at Hobby Lobby. They add just the right final touch.

You can keep the plastic lids if you want to use the cans for giving out goodies this holiday season. If you do this, you’ll need to wrap the treats in plastic wrap or put them in a food-safe bag before inserting them into the cans to keep them from coming in contact with the glue and wallpaper.

These sets of three cans make a great way to organize the supplies on your desk or keep hair and make-up supplies from becoming out of control. Kids and teens will love receiving them or making them for a friend, especially when they are done in trendy prints or playful character papers. See how just a simple switching of the buttons changes the look.

I suppose some kid will get the bright idea of poking holes in the lids and inserting a frog or something with even more appendages, but I, in no way, advise or condone such usage. Just so you know.

Now that I’ve filled your head with creative, and – let’s be real – CHEAP ideas, get busy and start having fun! Be sure to post in the comments your photos and ideas for how you’ve completed and used the projects.

I’m sure you have some great ideas of your own. I’d love to hear them, even if it’s a tale of a crafty disaster! Just scroll back up to the top of this post and click on “LEAVE A COMMENT”.

Next up! First Friday Freebies. November is upon us and so is the next give-a-way. Check out last month’s gift and winner here. Freebies happen on the first Friday of every month and you must be a subscriber to win. You’ll get an email telling you how to enter to win. If you’ve not yet subscribed to Midwest Storyteller, do that here so you don’t miss the Friday’s Freebie.

The Rose Leaf Project

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017 ~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 3 Comments

I promised in the earlier post, “Creativity Unhampered”, that I’d return to my flight of fancy concerning my new discovery – Triple Thick. I suppose it may have been sitting on the shelf in Hobby Lobby for years, but I never knew it. Now, I’m giddy with possibilities.

After using it to restore my mom’s vintage clothes hamper, I wondered how it might work on various objects. Check out the hamper restoration here.

Rose leaves, partially decayed and plastered all over my porch after wind and rain, offered an interesting experiment. With nothing left between their veining, they looked like tan lace. I salvaged a few, pressing them between paper towels and flattening them with a heavy book.

I’d like to point out here that I exercised a great amount of restraint in getting started. My very nature called out to me to collect about five hundred of these beauties, because what if the experiment turned out to be the greatest thing I’d ever done! I reigned in the urge, for once, counseling myself that it could also be the biggest flop I’d ever wasted time and energy on. Forcing myself to keep it simple, I reasoned that Hobby Lobby had more supplies and that the bushes would lose their leaves again next year.

Once dry and flat, I spread my perfect lace leaves out onto a piece of paper to paint.

Now for color. I wasted some brain-time on this. Somewhere during my twelfth trip around the mulberry bush, I decided that it didn’t matter -they just needed color. Spray paint seemed the best idea. None of my leftover colors, however, seemed like anything I could tolerate, even as a test. I’m sensitive that way, you know.

So, I raided Smuffy’s paint stash and came out with chrome automotive paint. Why not? I rather liked the result. I let them dry before turning them over, giving the other side a silver coating as well.

Next step: Triple Thick! I could have brushed it on, as I did with the hamper lid, but my curiosity tempted me to see what happened if I dipped them, giving them a thicker, sheeted coating. But then, how to let the very wet things dry once both sides were wet? Hmmmm… I had a brainstorm. (Now, don’t be a smarty-pants and ask me, “What with?”) Placing waxed paper in a cardboard box and up the side, I secured it by sticking straight pins through from the outside. These would provide “hangers” for my leaves while the waxed paper caught the drips.

BONUS: I didn’t find Triple Thick to be overly smelly.

DRAWBACK: The leaves were extremely thin, and doing a complete dip got them extremely wet, so some of them did tend to curl a little.

Follow the instructions for drying time. I had lots of other things to do, so I probably waited half a day between re-dipping. My leaves got dipped three times. I suppose you could do as many coats as you like.

If you wanted to do this to a larger object, you would either paint the Triple Thick on with a brush or pour it into a shallow tray for dipping. The tray would need to have an airtight lid to keep it from drying out between times.

The results of my experiment? I’m rating it a success!

I know some of you have keen powers of observation and are wondering why there are fewer leaves in some photos than others.

I went to the basement to gather my leaves that had been drying on a large piece of paper on the floor. They were missing. So was the paper. I’ve lived with Smuffy for a long time, so instead of assuming that I had lost all my marbles or taken up sleep-walking, I went straight to the source and asked him what happened. He informed me that, assuming the whole thing to be trash, he’d wadded it all up and put in the garbage can. Sighing, I dove in, muttering something along the lines of, “If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard…” Yes, Smuffy is a tidy man. A very tidy man. Anyhow, in the process, there were casualties. Another one got stuck to the sleeve of my sweater and came out the worse for wear. I ended up with four. See? I knew I should have collected five hundred!

The leaves came out slick, glossy and slightly bendable. And, I might add – nifty! While I was finishing this post, I also discovered that Triple Thick comes in a spray! Here we go again…

I began to think how I might use the leaves. Here are some ideas –

I’d love your ideas! Comment and let me know if there are any items that might otherwise be too fragile to keep that you are thinking about preserving with Triple Thick.

One last instruction – When you finish your project, remove the waxed paper from the cardboard box and peel away the dried puddles of Triple Thick. While not half as much fun as dancing on bubble wrap in bare feet, it does offer about ten seconds of entertainment for those of us not ashamed to indulge our inner child.

Speaking of children, I think Triple Thick has possibilities for all sorts of projects with your kids.

Next up: Smuffy’s back! SUBSCRIBE, so you don’t miss “Life with Smuffy: (Episode 2) Smuffy Takes The Cure” (or, “Think You’re Invincible?…Don’t Bet On It!)

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Creativity Unhampered!

March 4, 2017March 4, 2017 ~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 4 Comments

I thought I’d begin my first creative post by posing a question. What in tarnation is this thing, anyway?

Think. Whimsical? Practical? (Close family members are not allowed to take part in this quiz.) Don’t scroll down. Control yourself! Give yourself a chance. By the time you finish reading this, you may end up with the satisfaction of knowing that you think like my mother.

My mom could literally make something out of nothing. I never knew anyone quite like her for inventing what-cha-ma-call-its and doo-dads.

Like Mom, I loved turning my imaginings into realities, but I didn’t want to do it her way. I’d been in the stores. I’d seen the catalogs. I wanted glorious, brand new, coordinating supplies that would meld together seamlessly into a masterpiece.

That didn’t happen. I’d gather up what scraps and tidbits we had around the house, complaining that it would never come close to what I had in mind. She’d listen, then dive into her stash. She had a knack for squirreling away the oddest things. I know, you’ve all got that auntie who saves cottage cheese cartons or the plastic rings off milk jugs. Mom, however, saved the singular, the curious, the nifty.

I’d pout when I ran short of materials for a project. Mom would say, “Don’t worry. We’ll piece it.” I remember telling her one day (I was at “that age”) that I didn’t want to piece it! I told her that someday I’d march into stores and buy up plenty of just what I needed. I’d make wonderful things, not even caring if I kept the leftovers! “Piecing it” would be a thing of the past and as far as I was concerned, the sooner the better! On the whole, I was a good, compliant kid, but I had my moments.

I had no idea! The things I learned from Mom while we “pieced it” have come to my rescue over and over again.

Have you figured out what that thing was yet?

Without Mom, without “piecing it”, my community wouldn’t have had a youth theater. Well, anyway, if we’d had one, we wouldn’t have had much in the way of sets, props or costumes. Have you ever stared at a script that called for an “Inthermo Device”, capable of blowing up the Statue of Liberty? I pieced it. It was cool! A lifetime of “piecing it” gave my daughter a fabulous wedding on a budget that didn’t make us hyperventilate. More on that in future posts.

Among Mom’s things that I couldn’t throw away was a cruddy old clothes hamper. Sitting in our bathroom for as long as I can remember, it was a sad-looking thing. The braided trim drooped. It’s wicker, decades behind at receiving necessary paint jobs, took a further beating from seven children. It’s wooden lid, covered in a strange laminate “stuff” that had grown tired and peeled away sometime back in the 1950’s, snagged at your hands and clothes if you happened to brush against it. Once it passed from decrepit to hideous, Mom retired it to the recesses of her upstairs, stuffing it full of other things she didn’t throw away.

Smuffy advised me to pitch it. He sighed when I said I had plans for it. My cogs turned for months, considering methods and materials. I took before, during and after photos. And now, here’s where I give my disclaimer. Creative minds can have a bit of a problem with keeping all the snippets in their proper mental cubbyholes. I have no idea what happened to my “before” and “during” photos, so I’ve given up looking. Here’s the hamper, minus the drooping braid, banged-up wicker and naked wood lid. Not bad!

Braid and wicker didn’t pose a huge problem. Smuffy tacked the braid back on and I spray painted it. Then, I met my challenge. The handles in the photo are original, somehow managing to survive with their laminate “stuff” in good shape. Determined to keep the hamper as original as possible, I racked my brain for a way to make the top look like this shiny, black-with-swishes and a hint of gold stuff.

I did the logical thing. I spent a good, long time in Heaven. Oops! I meant to say Hobby Lobby. I found this –

Triple Thick! I had a hunch this might be the answer. I gave the wooden lid three coats of gloss black paint with a sponge brush. Then, I mixed (at a ratio of about 8/1) faux-finishing glaze with some ivory paint. I sponged this over the lid until it looked as much like the handles as I could achieve. (Sponging with glaze has a long drying time, allowing you to wipe off mistakes and start over.) After it dried, I mixed a dab of gold paint into some more glaze and gave it a coat to tone down the ivory, “aging” the finish a bit.

Now for the Triple Thick. I needed something to give a slick mirror-like finish to the lid without my having to sand, lacquer, sand, lacquer….Oh, please! Triple Thick gives a diamond, non-yellowing clear finish that looks like you’ve applied coats and coats. I used the whole jar – the large size. It sells for $5.99. The small size is pictured above. I’m pretty well pleased with the shine, depth and the degree to which it matches the handles.

I had rescued the perishing! Mom would be proud. But, this Triple Thick stuff – WOW! The possibilities! What else might I be capable of with a jar of this in my hands?

And then it rained. The rose bushes dropped their leaves. The wind pasted them all over my wet porch. I noticed that they looked like lace, having lost all but their veining. And then I heard that little voice say, “You could save those.” Then, the voice said, “Triple Thick!”

Not about to let anything “hamper” my creativity (I’m so witty), I pressed the leaves between paper towels and waited. And you’ll have to wait, too. That story’s coming soon.

Oh! Did you guess? Here it is –

It’s a recipe holder, of course! How could you not know? Mom did what anybody would do, right? You’d know, wouldn’t you, to save the innards of an old broken percolator and an old fork that’s lost it’s bakelite handle? Then, of course, you’d shove them together to see if they fit, because you’ve been wanting a way to keep that recipe right in front of you. Mom left it “as is”, but I gave it a snazzy paint job so it would look cute in my kitchen.

I believe there’s a TV show called “Strange Inheritance”. I could show them a thing or two!

Coming soon: The Rose Leaf Project. SUBSCRIBE, so you don’t miss it!

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you!

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