Thanksgiving Preparations

It's Thanksgiving day. I am thankful that I never really learned how to cook. I am thankful that my family has come to understand this fact and therefore doesn't ask for much in the way of cooking. I've burned water, yes, seriously. I was so distracted from the cooking task at hand that I forgot the pot of water was on the stove. It boiled away to nothing and then burnt the pan beyond use.

In addition, I was the one who left the burn ring from the hot popcorn pan on my mothers formica counter top. And yes, I did leave the bag of giblets (whatever that is, kind of a silly word, "giblets") inside the turkey the one time I tried to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner.

Since the day is packed with other things to do, I will just give you a little teaser to get your curiosity peaked. Two old books and an atrocious '80's necklace that I found at the local Goodwill store. Now, I would like to apologize to anyone who actually wore this kind of necklace. We all suffered from some sort of 80's syndrome (mine was "big hair").

Back to the teaser at hand...the medallion on the necklace is what sparked my creativity. I new there was something very traditional and classy I could create out of this. I pulled the necklace apart and ended up with a lot of nice individual pieces I think I will be able to use, though not necessarily on this project.

Watch for the outcome soon!

Happy Thanksgiving, and don't burn anything.

Decorating with recycled books

Here is a great way to go-green with your decorating. Use older hardcover books in your decorating instead of throwing them away.

I picked up a few from a second hand store for about $1 a piece, and chose books with a canvas type cover-not paper. Two coats of basic satin house paint covered any color that was on the book. In addition, I put a nice thick coat of the same paint over the outside edges of the pages. This had the effect of gluing the pages together.

I thinned out some acrylic craft paint with water and cut up one of my son's old t-shirts. (Do not thin the paint too much) Then using a damp piece of "t-shirt rag" is lightly wiped the craft paint until I reached the desired aged look. I touched up the edges of the books using a dry brush technique to a darker tone than the rest of the book.


That's all. Once dry I tried placing them in various combinations. This one worked well with a hardcover book I did not paint. The cover is very attractive so I left it in tact.

$7.50 cent solid Brass Candelabra

You are probably thinking, ?"yeah, right. Where can you get a $7.50 solid brass ornate candelabra?" Goodwill, of course. There is a catch. You have to be willing to think outside the box and stare at something for a minute. Ok, so the people shopping at Goodwill might think you are a little nuts for staring at an old lamp, but they probably don't have the vision that you have.

Mom and I hit half-off day and there in the lamp section I found this beauty. As a lamp it's not my style, but as a candle holder, or perhaps even a gazing ball stand for my garden, yes, it's definitely me. As soon as we got back to her place we pulled out the tools, cut the cord and removed the bulb base. We then had to reinstall the bulb base inside the bottom of the lamp so it would hold together.

I threw on a small brass toned bracelet that I "borrowed" from my daughter and Voila! A stunning piece. In order to place the candle on I had to carve out a bit of the wax from the bottom of the candle as the lamp has a "hump" where the hardware was attached.

Be sure to comment with your staring-at-a-lamp story.

She should be in a magazine

Kelli's home is one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. In my opinion she puts ALL the model homes I have ever seen to shame. Her sense of style is amazing and she is willing to take some pretty big steps to create some pretty amazing looks.

She crackle finished the maple cabinets of her kitchen island. I don't know if I would have even been willing to do such a drastic thing to some perfectly good cabinets. But the effect is stunning.

These are not custom cabinets. These were put in by the home builder. It is not a custom home. Granted it is in an upscale development, but a development non the less. All the homes are basically the same. Pick your favorite floorplan and choose your upgrades kind of homes.

Kelli used a crackle medium she purchased from a local craft store and painted over with a basic house paint. I'll ask her if she knows what the brand names and colors were.

Inspiration

I visited my good friend, Kelli, the other day and was once again astonished by her natural gift for creating beauty out of what others would simply toss out. I offered to be her manager and get her hired to be the hostess for a new show on HGTV. Maybe "Decorating Outside the Box" or "Beautiful Abodes on a Budget". What ever the name, her home is the ideal example of her skill and talent.

So, I began my own feeble attempt at creative home decorating on a budget. I hope to work with Kelli and others who have great ideas who are willing to share them with you. Most of what you will see will be taking treasures we find a 2nd hand stores, but I will also attempt to share ideas for dressing up inexpensive (oh, let's say Ikea) into pieces that you wouldn't recognize.

My experience in decorating also includes designing sets for plays. I've worked with different materials creating the impression of something that wasn't really there. I will try to share some of what I have done.

If you find me and us and you like learning or try what we do or are inspired to share what you have created please comment. Life should be about beauty and beauty comes in all different forms, one of which is the beauty of sharing.