Reformed and Transformed

I feel reformed and transformed.  Today I have not left the house.  I have been working on reforming the various projects waiting around the living room and transforming the items I found shopping under the guest room bed.

I had planned to paint some tables, but we continue to get rain - the good soaking kind.  So except a quick spray paint or two, I have been limited to small projects.

 Here is the final reveal -You know I don't like waiting for it.  Sorry the photo is so dark.  I could not get the light right.  

You will notice the theme here is Americana - this to offset my British Invasion of last week.  I stuck with the colonial red Rust-Oleum spray paint and added touches of blue and white craft paint.  Warning a slew of bad photographs, but you know I love pictures!

First a visit to Karen at The Graphics Fairy to download some patriotic images.  She has a nice group of them just waiting on you.  This one shows a sleeping Lady Liberty with "Wake up, America!  Civilization Calls Every Man, Woman, and Child."  I Mod Podged the image (printed nine images to the page on 110lb. paper) to a double sided paper (White links on red and numbers on the back). Punched a hole, attached a hole reinforcement, and tied with navy French seam binding.

 Next up was the easiest transformation if you can even call it that.  A tin planter in a white chicken wire container found at a yard sale and re-found under the bed.

Tied a label of Lady Liberty resting by the flag with her pet eagle with navy ribbon.  DONE!

This little red basket was also easy.  It was already painted.  I tied on a label and some stars and stripes ribbon.  Shazam, it was DONE!

This is actually a during picture - I forgot to take a before.  It was a wooden planter painted blue.  I sanded down the finish, cleaned out the inside and painted in there with red spray paint.

 







The after shows a spiffy ready-for-the-Fourth container sporting white stars (just free-handed with white craft paint).  Threaded a wire through the metal band at the top and attached a tag.  Say it with me, DONE!

BEFORE

The country blue duck on a stick was next. Had to get rid of the tole painting (though it was not bad painting).  I just had a thought - what if all the cutesy, country, tole-painted wooden things are the antiques of the FUTURE!?!  I personally must have painted way over a hundred things;  I am just doing my part to eradicate them!

DURING

Applied an all-over coat of colonial red.

Teaser alert:  If it ever stops raining for two days straight, you will find out what all these white boxes stacked in my living room are!

AFTER

Restraint being the key word - I painted a small white star for each eye and three white stars around the base.  I added a navy stripe at the top of the base.  Attached the "Wake Up America" tag with navy ribbon.  DONE!

I think he would make a great centerpiece!

 SAVED MY FAVORITE FOR LAST!

I really did not like this bird.  I do not even remember buying it.  It smelled like extreme moth balls (it was rolled up in plastic and sealed  in a bag).  It might have been part of a big box of junk, I mean, treasures from an estate sale.  I called it the what-the-heck bird.  Obviously hand-carved and mounted on a real branch,  someone must have loved it at some time.

I cleaned all the dust from him and soaked the base in cheap dollar store vanilla.  Then took him outside with a can of satin white spray paint and went to work.  I sprayed three times to get into all the cracks.  I began to see his appeal.  He began to beguile me with his charms.  He looked cute sitting in that white box.  I told myself, what the heck, give him a chance!

SO I DID!

I Elmer Glued moss around the base and gave him a little wax.  (Remember: glue first, wax second!)  Now little what-the-heck bird is what-the hunk bird!  I know I said I was getting rid of everything and I already kept the red toolbox from my home shopping experience, but this little fellow may perch on my mantel for a few weeks before he migrates south to the antique mall!

These were the projects I managed to finish today.  I did prep work to a whole lot more so come back and check my progress.  Start guessing about that stack a white boxes - we're supposed to have some sunny days next week!

See y'all!





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