Swede

Gardening: A Nursery Rhyme

 

Probably my favorite nursery rhyme as a child was The Little Red Hen. This rhyme teaches independence in doing things yourself and other virtues to childen.  The book has been illustrated and rewitten many times.  I'm not sure there was an original author to credit.  I have had to be The Little Red Hen on many occasions during my adult lifetime.  Mr. Swede became very familiar with the book and its morale after we married.  He did not know the book as a child.  I highly recommend you find the book and read it, even though you are not three any longer so you understand this post and read it to your children or grandchildren.

Once upon a time The Little Red Hen had a beautiful Weeping Peach tree in her yard.

 
The Little Red Hen went to the nursery, purchased the tree, lugged it home and planted it all by herself.  The tree grew and grew and grew into The Little Red Hen's favorite tree.  She LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the tree each Spring when it bloomed.

Then a very nasty bad fungus came and killed the beautiful tree. 

The Little Red Hen was SAD, SAD, SAD.

So as the nursery rhyme goes, The Little Red Hen asks for help removing the tree.

No, said the strong Ox.

No, said the mighty Horse.

No, said the helpful Cow.

So, The Little Red Hen says, "I will do it myself".  And she did. She sawed off all the dead branches and drug them to the street for garbage pick up. Did I mention how huge those limbs were????

Who will help me take down the seven foot trunk? 

Not I, said the strong Ox.

I will use my chainsaw said the nice neighbor if you will help me cut down my Pine tree limbs. And, he did. [I don't think that was an even exchange on my part!]

Who will help me take out the big stump?, said The Little Red Hen. 

Not I, said the strong Ox. Nor the Horse, nor the Cow [you get the rhyme  by now].

"So I will do it myself", said The Little Red Hen.  And she did.

It had roots to China.

Now I have to fill in the hole. It doesn't look it from this view, but it is about 10" deep.

Here is another photo of the stump for Mr. Swede who is in Taipei today.

I have been killing myself in the yard the past two weekends.  Went to the nursery and got 12 flats of annuals and 5 shrubs, so off to fill the hole and do some planting.  Hope you are having fun!

Summer

Photos: Swede

 

Women Who Make Beautiful Things: Spotlight On Tammy Randolph

 

Saturday here was a dreary overcast day. One you normally wouldn't want to get out of bed for. But this Saturday was different.  It was one to jump out of bed for. I got one of 12 seats in Amy Howard's workshop in Memphis on antiquing mirror and eglomise. I would even go so far as saying it was a life changing day. Why?  Because the class was taught by Tammy Randolph.  Glass expert.

When I saw this notice in my email, I immediately called to grab a seat and I was the first one to sign up.  [Sigh of relief].  This was my third workshop at Amy Howard's and I say the last is always the best, like husbands. Amy and I married our last and best husbands a week apart 20 years ago.

Tammy has worked at Artisan Studios for five years.  If you see any mirroring work on furniture in the Amy Howard Collection, Tammy did it.

From the Amy Howard Collection HERE.

Mr. Swede has a saying about getting people to do a project like a brick patio.  He says there are technicians and there are artists.  Most people could lay brick with instruction, but a brick in the hands of an artist with talent and vision becomes a masterpiece.  Tammy is an artist.  I can't express how fortunate I feel to be taught by her.  Some artists can't teach.  Tammy can teach and is passionate about her work and thoroughly knowledgeable.  Those are the kind of people you want to take classes from.  If you follow my blog, you know I've been to a few classes in my day.

This class was on taking purchased mirrors, new or old, and antiquing the mirror.  But the real thrill was learning how to do eglomise.  Her examples mounted on the wall were stunning. 

Here are the two products we used. They are $104 through Amy Howard at Home. You will  also need a few other items like mica powder, shellac, spray lacquer, old newspaper, paper towels, black paint, a mylar stencil, etc.  My first project, you ask?

I'm going to start on a few small projects first.  I have several antique mirror frames where the original mirror broke and someone replaced it with new clear mirror.  Well, they just don't look right. On the one above, after I fix the mirror, I am going to antique the metal frame itself that someone has painted solid gold. It needs some history.  Basically, you remove the black paint on the backside with bottle #1 to expose the silvering.  If you are familiar with or have used Franmar Soy Gel paint remover made out of soybeans, this is very similar. Then you manipulate the silver layer with bottle #2.  Amy Howard at Home has a You Tube video of Tammy with the product, but it is really just a teaser, not instruction of all the steps.  The class was a busy full three hours. I highly recommend taking a class even if you are the adventuresome kind as there are so many hints and information that only a master can teach.

And, eglomise?  Holy Cow that was exciting.  I can't wait to try it.

Have you ever wondered how this was done?  I sure did.  The reason this class was what I call life changing is because on Friday I couldn't do antique mirrors [process failed in a former class I took] or do eglomise.  On Saturday I did.  The way I can tell if I attended a great class is if there are so many creative ideas that come to my head that I can't get them all written down fast enough.  And by the time I am driving out of the parking lot, I have already designed products like clock faces, jewelry boxes, framed miniature silhouettes on glass, lamp bases, etc., etc.   Thank you, Tammy.  Such a thrill.

I also want to say one more thing.  Those who know me have heard me talk about what I think the number one characteristic is that makes a leader.  Courage.  Courage to share your talents and teach others what you are skilled at. I said the same thing when I took a class from designer Tobi Fairley in Little Rock.  Good businesswomen understand this.  Thank you Amy Howard for letting Tammy's talents be known by 12 new people.

Summer

Photos: Swede except Amy Howard Collection

 

DIY Projects: Candlesticks Get New Paint

 

I haven't shown on this blog very many of my DIY redo projects, but I should find the time to do that.  I just finished these candlesticks today, so thought I should post about it while it is fresh on my mind.

  
Here are the victims.  I found this pair of 22" candlesticks at Dillard's on the 50% off shelf.  I'm sure they were there because nobody else wanted to pay $100 for them.  My husband says at half off they still made money.  You know how much I love white, but these were high gloss lacquered white which was a little too stark for me.  I wanted to knock the brightness down a little bit.

 
I am going to use various paints on these as I want an aged look not a distressed look.  First, I have taped off the zinc tops. I am painting these on a piece of newspaper on my kitchen countertop. I am using two Annie Sloan Chalk Paints to start out with.

 First a coat of Chateau Grey which looks green. I use a #12 artist's brush to paint with as a chip brush is not comfortable for me.

  
Here is a close up of the Chateau Grey going on. I order the Annie Sloan paints from The Southern Institute of Faux Finishing in Jackson, MS since there is no local dealer in my area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Here's what this stage looks like.

 
After two coats of the green dries, I put the second layer on which is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint's Country Grey color which is a beige.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am not a fan of distressed shabby paint finishes.  I prefer aged finishes. The reason I am putting the green under the beige is not to distress the layers with sandpaper or a sanding mouse. The green is underneath as a building layer to give the upper coats cohesion and if they do get knocked around and some green shows later in their life, that is okay.  It is just not my intention from the beginning.  I see so many paint projects on blogs where they are so heavily distressed where they would never have naturally over time lost their finish in those areas, that I think they look horrible.

The next layer is a coat of legno gesso from Amy Howard at Home. You can only purchase this after taking her workshop to learn how to use it. This will give the candlesticks a texture of plaster. I do give this a sanding with 400 grit sandpaper to knock off any rough places.

The next step is to blot on with a dampened small piece of natural sea sponge a coat of Country Living's Caromal Colours color Putty. When that dries, I will add various blobs of gray paints that I have on hand from other projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When those paints dry in about 20 minutes, I then add King Gold gilding wax from Gedeo of France.  I just highlight the edges in a rough form, not covering the area, but just rubbing a little on with my finger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This is what the gilding wax looks like.

 
This is how they fit in with other objects on my table.  After a few days of evaluating them, I might go back and sponge on another color. Here, I am considering adding a darker beige.

 
If you are not already comfortable with taking on these kinds of projects, I do hope you will give it a try. You can always paint them again.

Summer

Photos: Swede