Just because It's Small doesn't mean It's easier to Paint: Episode III

No truer words have been spoken than with this project. Today is the great reveal of my latest jewelry box masterpiece. I find nothing more gratifying than an extraordinary Before and After.

I went way way way beyond my predictable painstaking self on this one. Multi-layered  paint colors, distressing, plus dark wax, once again made this a difficult piece for color-matching in the photo editor. Every change in the sunlight made this piece morph in all shades of Aqua, powder Blue, Spring green, Seafoam, Teal and dusky Blue. If I had a high-end camera and lens, it would certainly speed up the editing process......Someday.....

Before.....

After.....

I was sort of bored with the idea of a plain top, so I painted a border with the Teal paint. Still not interesting enough, I went further and created a stylized version of a compass rose. I think I was in a bit of a pirate-y treasure chest kind of mood. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm ALWAYS in that mood........Anywho, I I used the 2 blues and added metallic bronze color to coordinate with the draw pulls.

The interiors of the drawers were red velveteen corduroy. One of the drawers had some black ink spots in the fabric, and after removing most of it, I still wasn't satisfied with the result. If I was going to so much trouble creating a masterpiece on the outside, I didn't want to resign myself to a less than stellar interior. So I bit the bullet, and ripped out all the fabric, choosing to re-line the drawers. After lots of scraping to remove cardboard and old glue, I came up with a promising plan of attack. So so many options, but the final result is nothing short of fabulous.........

Since the top design is a stylized compass rose, what could be more apropos than map-lined drawers? I chose to cut individual pieces for every side and bottom, so the sides wouldn't be random. Then after gluing and sealing the maps, I tinted them with alcohol ink to mesh with the antique look of the exterior.

My inspiration for the colors were from this frame I painted recently.

Since I loved the color combination so much, I wanted to use it again. Don't these look  lovely together?

So the next time you're out thrifting, and you see a darling jewelry chest with stained or ugly interior, consider it the perfect opportunity to re-line the drawers with something fabulous.

I am seriously digging this design, and I think it's my favorite chalk paint project so far. I can't believe after all the loving labor I put into this, that I intend to sell it in my Etsy shop.......I just keep reminding myself that if I did it once, I can always paint another one just for me. It's so nice to have my own personal vault of skills, that are ready to use any time I want to.......such a luxury.

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A Map, Mold, Melamine, Mesh and More.......

I do love me some M's........

This is my favorite time of year, but I just can’t believe it was 90 degrees today. It’s summers like these that I wish non-Oregonians could witness firsthand, as proof we aren’t drowning in rain all year. Can’t wait till a little crisp air joins this sun.

Fortunately, the weather doesn’t deprive me of any plummy treasures. Here’s a few I’ve found recently……..

Framed 1959 USA map that’s Pre-Hawaii. Beautiful litho details, and it’s 21 x 13.

Great old German, Anton Reiche chocolate cigar mold. Love the worn tin color and awesome details.

Yet another Texas Ware Confetti bowl, this time it’s an 8” one. It's a good thing these are put in the plastic section at GW, or they'd be spotted too soon for me to snag them!

Cool black mesh curvy Retro tray. Can’t imagine covering up this beauty with office papers, but it certainly would be a stylin’ end basket. I think I’d rather see a big ol’ pile of mini pumpkins on it, and maybe a few votives.

Stunning tole candle sconces with plaster/ceramic pears. What attributes should a piece have, to be considered Italian tole? Anyone care to enlighten me?

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The Ghost of Halloween Past......

I can feel Autumn in the air, 
and the hot, bright sunlight is now mellowing 
to the sublime, cozy glow I love so much. 
Naturally, that coaxes my mind to thoughts of Halloween. 
Since I'm busy with other projects, I probably won't get around 
to painting a Halloween bowl like I usually do, 
so I thought I'd re-visit my post from last year.

This may sound blasphemous to all the Christmas lovers out there, but Autumn and Halloween are my favorite season and holiday. Perhaps part of the reason is that I live in Oregon, where our Fall scenery is so conducive to the blustery day, mystical mood of the season. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the Christmas season, but October holds a special magic for me. Time for scary movies, changing leaves, foggy mornings, Halloween candy, and costume parties. What's not to love? 

Every year, in honor of my love for Halloween, I hand-paint a bowl for display or to hold Trick-or-Treat candy. This year I decided to go with an understated look for 

my favorite day of the year.

This was one of those vintage salad bowls made in Japan. 

Blonde wood, with an uniremarkable grain.

It had some stains inside, and no amount of sanding

would remove it. So I had no choice but to paint the inside,

then glaze in several layers to color-match

the outside, and to add faux wood grain throughout, 

for more visual interest.

I painted a large 31 inside, with smaller numerals around the outside rim. I alternated 3's and 1's, so that you can read them as 31's or 13's, just to play with superstition.

 Definitely a sophisticated bit of whimsy for 

my Halloween fix.

Join me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

Oh, the Things you Can Find at Goodwill......

As an unapologetic junker, antiquer, collector, and pirate, I am always amazed at what gets dropped off at the Goodwill door. But I suppose not everyone's interested in wearing a seller's hat, so donating is their only option. That's okay by me.........

Check this out.....

Is this gorgeous or what? 

Cupids on top and sides of this swing pedestal mirror,

with another Cupid over 2 lovers at the base.

Solid brass, with a marble base, stands 16" tall,

and the mirror has lots of beautiful silvering flaws.

Oh so Miss Havisham.....

And now for a completely different era....

You had me at Art Deco and Bakelite......

Then you went and added a barometer face.

Who could just give this beauty away?

And I can never seem to resist old, hand-crafted copper....

Do we call this Arts and Crafts or Mission?

Still learning about that era.

I don't know whether it's an ice bucket or 

some kind of crock pot, because it has a ceramic liner.

Whatever it is, isn't it gorgeous?

And finally, just a little sentimental find....

You had me at Clock and Windmill....

Sweet little ceramic vase, with holes on each topside

for flowers, and a hole in back for hanging as a wall pocket.

I have a Very Dear friend in the Netherlands, 

so I'm drawn to unique Dutch treasures on

a regular basis now. I think I'll probably have to keep this one.

She'll look fabulous in Spring with Grape Hyacinths....

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Framed Art Facelift

I found this charming little framed litho at GW the other day. 

The print was the first thing that caught my eye, 

but then I also liked the high profile of the frame,

as well as the gold leaf.

The frame color was a dingy olive,

and the canvas fillet was stained,

but that's what chalk paint's for...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107042842/framed-raoul-dufy-print-distressed-chalk

Ah yes, that's better.....

The happy accident with this painting project

was that I couldn't make up my mind on the colors.

Every time I thought I had the right combo,

I'd shake my head and paint another color over them.

I actually never intended to distress this piece,

but as is always the case with the Muse,

she tells you what she wants.

So I ended up with multi-layers of beautiful color,

which I think enhances this print even more.

The gold leaf was really dulled with way too much stain,

which was typical for the era.

I used very fine sand paper to get most of it off,

then finished the whole frame in clear and dark wax.

It wasn't until after the fact that I realized why the litho caught my eye.

I spent my typical hour (or so) searching the webs, trying to find this print.

 Came up empty. Then, in typical form, when you stop thinking too hard, 

it comes to you. I looked at it again a couple days later, 

and the first thing that popped into my head, 

was that it sure looks like the colors and style of Raoul Dufy. 

If I didn't love his work so much, that thought would've never

entered my mind. Lo and behold, it's called "The Paddock at Longchamp".

My muse was whispering hard that day.....:) 

Aesthetics for the Snake Oil.....Vitamin Bottles

I entered the 50's club earlier this year, and one of the things that changed was the addition of supplements to my daily regimen. There are worse things........

I've never been a big fan of pill-popping, so I thought I'd turn it into an elegant ritual, rather than just an ugly necessity. I like to keep them in my bedroom, since I take them morning and bedtime. And since it is my policy to beautify anything in my view, the manufacturer's packaging had to go.

So I set out to change that. Here's what items I used for the project.........

Really old and yellowed dictionary pages, spice jars, waxed cording, rub-on letters, and Diamond Glaze.

I've had these interesting spice jars for quite a while. I sold most of them, but still had a few imperfect ones left, and have been wanting to play with them for a long time. Finally figured out what to use them for........

If memory serves, I was under the weather the day I made these,

so I believe I had a lot of time on my hands,

since I didn't feel like moving from the couch. Not only did I create a jar for my 

Vitamin B Complex, complete with a rub-on B, 

but I also only used "B" words from the dictionary, 

and "D" words fro the Vitamin D jar.

I just figured as long as I was going to the trouble of ripping pages, 

I might as well be picky about the words...:)

I wanted the paper strips to look worn, so I chose to tear them, rather than cut them with scissors. The pages were old enough that, with a metal ruler, they tore perfectly, leaving a subtle, soft edge. I then clipped some small vintage catalog pictures of clock faces, numbers, birdcage, and dial. I used the Diamond Glaze under everything as an adhesive and over as a sealant. It works just beautifully on glass.

I even added clock faces to the stopper tops.

Can you tell I like clocks?

I preferred to not look at the plastic stoppers lining the lids, so I tightly wrapped the waxed cording around the neck of the jar, which accentuated the vintage feel, and gave it a nice finished look.

The great thing is that I was rewarded, not just with a finished product, but also with a fun project. I love it when that happens.

P.S. I use the adorable antique rosary box to put my daily RX dosages in.

Join me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

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Jack Sparrow Spoils.......

It's kinda funny when you come back from thrifting,

 and see a theme has emerged from your spoils.

This week, my imagination found a loose connection 

between the 3 treasures I brought home.

Sailing ship bookends.

 A miniature Jack Sparrow is all that's missing.....

A fabulous old Ball Mason jar......

Large enough to hold Jack's magic dirt.

And the pièce de résistance.......

An ormolu style heart-shaped box......

As an homage to the hearts of Davy Jones and Will Turner.

I really am a pirate at heart.......

not that I needed any more convincing.

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