For the next while, I will be posting the drawings/paintings done in an old music book I found in a thrift store. Why old music books? Well, the paper is thick and often made with cotton fibres; it has some texture slightly smoother than watercolour paper, and it hold pigments very well. This particular music … Continue reading Anger – Music-book Doodles 2022
A little good news — about changing our consumer habits
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/the-glasgow-repair-shop-that-is-fixing-our-throwaway-culture/ This is an idea very close to my heart!!! Remade (https://remade.network/) is changing the consumer mindset... I've been dreaming about doing something similar for years: repurposing, upcycling, repairing thrown away items (mostly furniture) into beautiful new decor ideas! This group of amazing people have figured how to take an old idea and make it … Continue reading A little good news — about changing our consumer habits
A little good news — about tossed cabbage?
http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/tokyo-university-research-food-waste-turned-construction-materials/ Who are we kidding here? This is really cool! Using a technology that already existed in the lumber industry to recycle our composting into building materials!!! As an artist and maker space teacher, I would love to get my hands on this stuff and let my students' fertile imaginations run wild with it!
The Folkish Art Deco Lamp – Part 1
Am I Folk Art or Art Deco? This big guy has the most wonderfully hideous macrame shade over the metal cage you see here. If you can possibly imagine it, the macrame was torn and tattered, and covered with what looked like an old apron turned into a lamp-shade cozy. It was quite the sight … Continue reading The Folkish Art Deco Lamp – Part 1
The Well-Traveled Trunk – Part 1
Imagine The Travels This Truck Has Taken... Considering the humour and wit of the donor of this amazing find, I can well imagine it's seen quite a bit. The world, in fact. What can I do with such a storied piece that will allow it to see so much more? At first thought, I imagined … Continue reading The Well-Traveled Trunk – Part 1
This Old Apothecary Cabinet Project – Part 1
The Find that found me! Ok, so I've wanted to work on a metal cabinet for quite some time now and in a recent dig, this meal apothecary cabinet nearly jumped out at me from under a pile of odds and ends. With very little rust, almost no denting, and the hardware all intact, i … Continue reading This Old Apothecary Cabinet Project – Part 1
A Very Cute Cabinet Just For You
A.K.A. Amal's Funky Cabinet In The Spare Room This was one of the first pieces that got me inspired to do this new obsession of refurbishing old furniture. It came as part of a whole mid-century modern design bedroom set. (I saved a couple more of the pieces.) This is how it started, before I … Continue reading A Very Cute Cabinet Just For You
The Sad Old Dresser Transformation – Part 2
Never Judge A Book By It's Cover, or something like that! As expected, the main cabinet is veneered panels. There seems to be pine and cedar in the construction. The whole thing, once sanded smelled like a cedar closet. Amazing. The drawers were beautifully jointed and in great condition, despite the weird stains and burns … Continue reading The Sad Old Dresser Transformation – Part 2
The Sad Old Dresser Transformation – Part 1
Art Deco - ish? I'm starting to think one of the funnest parts of doing all this furniture refinishing is hearing my wife toll me with each new piece I pick up that she's impressed I can see beyond the mess the piece is in when I grab it. In truth, I don't blame her … Continue reading The Sad Old Dresser Transformation – Part 1
The New Renaissance Mindset 