The Homeless Finch

Monday, February 6, 2012

Ponderings from The Homeless Finch Studio: Rain Rain Go Away

Anyone out there feel like I do today? The weather out my studio window is dreary. Non-stop drizzles and rain showers.We've had grey skies for several days in a row without a break. My thoughts are a mirror image of what I see as a peer out my window. Makes me ponder about the creative process and how creative people can find inspiration to create even under dreary circumstances. Many of my friends in colder regions have written about their inability to work on their furniture projects because of the bitter cold, driving them inside for warmer pursuits like needlework and small crafty projects.

My issues run a little deeper. In March, I will celebrate my one year Blog-versary. I am excited about the prospect of celebrating such an accomplishment. But truthfully, I am plagued with thoughts of frustration this morning. Crazy right?! Let me ~~whine a moment~~ explain why. I can't seem to recon my thoughts about "why" I am doing this with what I feel should be the goals based on the time I invest in The Homeless Finch. Plus, the artist inside me is disappointed in myself for not just understanding this pursuit as I should be...as a road traveled that continues to inform my work, my life and fuels my days with purpose...with accountability. Without the blog, I am sure that I would be so back on that road I was on where I couldn't seem to jump start myself. The 'pressure' of reporting in has be a huge motivator for me and this was something that I needed dearly.

So why the dreary mood? Is it the weather? Am I just tired from life and balancing it all...raising teenagers and all the challenges, trying to be the best wife on the planet and a good friend to those around me? Am I needing a moment to stop and re-evaluate where I am, where I am going and what my goals are based on the almost year-long blogging ride I've been on? Do I just need a nap today? (sly smile) Maybe, yes to all the above. Or maybe it is something entirely different.

Do you ever have days, weeks, months like this? Do you ever wonder why you do what you do? Do you ever question your motivations? If you blog, do you ever get down on yourself when you see other blogs grow to huge numbers, while you grind it out on the ground everyday, every week only adding a few followers every few weeks? When you link your posts to parties, are you like me so tired that you can hardly pull off this simple task without straining your tired yes to see how your thumbnail looks on that linky list? Do you, or for that matter should I, care about followers and stats and comments and features?

It might be re-evaluation time. Don't ya think?!! Do you think about these things too? Let me know your thoughts. I'm waiting right here in my dreary little rain puddle, wondering if someone out there feels my soggy little pain. - If I hadn't made the commitment to never use text style writing my on my blog an LOL would have been inserted right here because sometimes....you just gotta laugh and say, Rain rain go away come again another day...

Photos taken this morning just outside my studio door.

-The End-

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Sweetest Days of St. Valentine Series: All My Love Valentine Wreath

I know, I know. Just from the title I have all you guys singing Led Zeppelin. Right?! No?! What?!! How is that possible?? Well, for some of you who know what I am talking about read on. For those who don't, what planet have you been living on?

Today, I made a wreath for my front door. I wanted to depart from the one I have used the past few years for two reasons. One, it's tired. Two, it's tired. (wink) I thought of a lot of options, but in the end decided to put this one together using fabric scraps.

Materials

Wreath Form - I used a white grapevine

Assorted Fabric Scraps - Mostly Reds, including burlap

Assorted Buttons for accents

Jute

Scissors, Regular and Pinking Shears

Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Letters for a Message

Quilter's Pins

If you have been reading The Homeless Finch for a while, you know that I have an awesome friend who is a decorator. Whenever the firm clears out their fabric samples, she gives them to me! Better me than the trash dump! Yeah Me! I took out an assortment of those fabric sample books that had red shades. You can use whatever fabric, just remember that the largest piece to make the flowers needs to be about 4 X 4 inches square.

I started with a basic wreath form that I have had laying around. I covered it with strips of burlap and topped it off with a gathered strip of gingham fabric that I put a rough satin stitch along the edges.

I then cut three circles out of my fabric, one large, medium and small for the center of the each flower. I took the two largest sized circles and put a running stitch around the middle so I could gather the center. I then took each circle and hot glued them together working from large to small. I then chose a random button from my stash to finish off the flower.

After completing each flower, I worked it onto the wreath affixing it with hot glue. A few of them, I used a quilter's pin to secure them and then hot glue. The pins helped me figure out as I went where I wanted to place the flowers giving me the flexibility to move them before using the hot glue.

I made the leaves by cutting out 4 x 4 inch squares of a green and creme ticking fabric, grabbing the middle like a handkerchief and tying off the ends with a string from the burlap.

I realized at this point, that I needed to bring more of the black and white gingham fabric around the wreath. I ripped several strips of gingham fabric and finished off the edges on my sewing machine using a red thread satin stitch. You don't have to do this, I was just in the mood to finish the edges.

I took the scraps of fabric that I had leftover from the flowers and made ten tiny pennants and strung them on a piece of jute using hot glue. I popped onto my Silhouette Cameo Software and made the letters for the "All My Love" message. I then sent it to my Silhouette which happily cut them out for me on creme colored scrapbook paper. You can use your own letters, chipboard letter or whatever you chose.

Here are the results...

AND....some detail images....

AND...a little vignette...

Stay tuned for another great project in my series

The Sweetest Days of St. Valentine!

If you click this button, it will

take you to the entire series.

Oh! By the way....if you have not idea why I referenced Led Zeppelin at the beginning of this post...perhaps this might help.

-The End-

Linking this post to:

Funky Junk Interiors SNS

504 Main: Tickled Pink

My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday

Simple Home Life

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

2805 Potpourri Friday

Monday, January 30, 2012

A Transformed Vintage Mantel Find A Home In My Master Bedroom

Remember the mantel that I revealed in "How To:Vintage Mantel Gets A Makeover" last week? Was that two weeks ago? Oh well, whatever...I revealed it. (throat clearing noise) Well, I have finished installing it to the wall in my Master Bedroom and have thrown together the beginnings of a vignette. Still working out the kinks, but I wanted to show it to you as it stands now.

Here is the before and after...but of course before installation.

My Master Bedroom is not outside in my backyard!!!

I bolted it to the wall, like a good little ole DIYer using two "L" brackets and wood screws that I tapped straight into the bead-board on the wall, making sure to touch up the brackets with leftover paint from when we painted the bead-board. Here is the mantel sitting on the wall to the right of a built-in, recessed television cabinet.

I found the neat enameled tub with stand a few years back at an outdoor flea market. I love keeping my extra throw blankets piled up in it. The little vintage suitcase has been altered with an antique finish, including a few french style decoupaged motifs and is filled with a few things I don't want laying around. The top of the mantel has a variety of treasures including a neat pair of babies shoes, a vintage door knob, an iron dove finial from a antique iron bed that is sitting off to the right beyond the image, my great grandmother's white chamber pot and a self-portrait sculpture I made a few years back out of terracotta. I'm holding a blue bird in my hands. Always rescuing something or someone.

I plan on taking a little more time to dress this mantel. I am thinking the addition of some dried hydrangea flowers in the chamber pot would look pretty. I would also like to paint a 3 by 3 foot abstract landscape for the wall above it. But for now, it is just okay with me.