Getting creative

This was my $35.00 foreclosure sale purchase. It cleaned up pretty well. Basically, a day or so to strip it and then very light sanding followed by some small veneer repairs ala Steve and three coats of blonde shellac. Not bad for the money.

And then there's our recent acquistition of this artwork. It's a printed canvas reproduction of a work by Henri Rousseau named "Surprise." We found this UK company that has rights to many works in the National Gallery in London and selected this one because we really like it. I like Rousseau and it has a kind of primitive look that suits our style.

Steve used to work in a gallery back in the day and so we bought stretchers and he stretched it. Voila, a large artwork. Purchased with last summer's yard sale money.

So, we manage to do some little things to spruce up, but we are definitely a far cry from the past several years. But really, most DIYers can't sustain that super high level of project work.

We are trying to decide what to do this spring and summer. We may screen out wood floors to clean them up without sanding them down. If we do, I'll definitely post that.

We are planning another outdoor adventure this summer. This time to Yellowstone & The Tetons. That is our main indulgence this year.

And in case anyone wonders how Billie and Mojo are doing, they are just fine. Looking forward to spring and the end of the dastardly ice melt everywhere preventing their enjoyment of long walks.

What keeps me busy now that I'm not blogging so much? Well, the ever-present day job does take it's piece. And then there's my new mission, which is bringing a Farmers' Market to Rogers Park.  

That's about it for now...Happy end of winter to everyone!

The stuff dreams are made of

I realize this post title is quite lofty, but this post is an ode to someone I've never met but whom I admire greatly.

The model planes you see here were made by my Dad's partner Dave's Dad. When Dave was a little boy, his Dad spent hours and hours making these model planes and boats. Not only did he pay attention to every detail, but these creations also actually worked. The airplanes really flew. The boats sailed on water.

Dave told us about how some airplanes his Dad built would crash and then he'd just make another one. He told us how his Dad would take him out to put the boats into a lagoon. I've always loved the image of this. And even though I never got to meet Dave's Dad, I can see just a bit how this kind, patient and very intelligent man came to be with a Dad like his.

Here is the boat. I was just in awe of these when I saw them. These were not kits. These were made from scratch!

But one thing was missing. The boat needed a stand. And that was a job for ...Steve the woodworker...

A small job, but that boat deserved to be on a stand not a pillow.
The stand is almost done. It's made of oak and coated in 4 cans of black spray paint to have a smooth finish. Steve didn't fill the grain, so it took alot of paint to get that perfect surface.

I will post photos when we bring the stand over this Sunday.


Some more photos for the heck of it...

Steve and Dad measuring the template.




The boat with template. Template made out of fome core board and glued together with hot glue gun.