Creating and Grieving

There's something I've been wanting to chat about.  See that bronze sculpture to the right of the fireplace?

Here's a better look:

It's a sculpture that my grandfather made, in his early days of making art.  He experimented and practiced and sometimes things turned out a little wonky, but eventually he honed his skills and for a time he even owned his own art gallery in Toronto.  I have three other pieces of his work: a small bird on a branch, the striking centaur, and a tumbling gymnast (plus the headboard he made us).

I've been looking at this sculpture a lot, thinking about how much my grandfather practiced his craft.

As a kid, I was so prolific - much to my Mom's chagrin.  I churned out drawing after drawing, doodling on anything and everything, including important paperwork.  She had to deal with stacks and stacks of messy drawings and wibbly wobbly clay pots.  I just loved art and was convinced I'd be a photographer, painter, or interior designer (much to my Dad's chagrin), but somehow I've lost some of that joy.  I sometimes find myself overwhelmed - instead of inspired - by the sheer volume of (sometimes kind of disposable) crafts and DIYs that are shared online.  Lately I've channeled much of my creativity into "practical" projects, like a pot holder, catnip toy, painted planters and home renovations - money saving projects I can use and feel good about.  For some reason, I've felt the need to justify the time and expense of making things but this preoccupation has really done me a disservice.   

I could really benefit from some time spent making things just for the sake of making things.  I have to admit that the traumatic passing of a relative this spring has been difficult to process and my family is still reeling from the shock.  I, myself, have good days and bad days, but I've tried my best power through the bad days and downplay the stress, anxiety, and grief I'm feeling.  I spent the first half of September in Toronto, helping to tie up some lose ends, and that re-awakened all kinds of feelings.  I left feeling immensely guilty and sad and agitated.  Creating things is said to help alleviate stress and anxiety, and is especially recommended to help with the grieving process.  So why has a craft and DIY enthusiast like me not jumped at the chance to create things as part of the healing process?

Hopefully this gal will encourage me to recapture some of my childhood zeal for arts and crafts!  To make stuff, just because; to try some of the 1000+ projects I've pinned...  I'm thinking that a pottery class might be just what the Dr. (that would be me) ordered...

Do You Mix Metals?

Via HGTV

We are going to begin tearing out the bathroom this week!!  Cue the sweaty, panicked terror.  I need you to think exceptionally warm thoughts, because our plan is to shower in the guesthouse (which boasts our only other bathing facilities).  We can only use the shower out there if the ground has thawed enough for us to turn the water back on (the lines aren't insulated).  Truthfully, I'm not 100% sure that the bathroom out there even works, but I'm hopeful.  Because we're going to be doing much more of the work than we intended, we need to get going - yesterday.  No time to wait for warmer weather.  Worst case scenario, we end up taking cowboy baths in the laundry room tub - which would have been a luxury for our ancestors.  A luxury!

Although I've locked down the cabinetry, tile, and counters (eek), I had a few more decisions to make last week.  I don't know why, but this renovation has seemed to involve many more decisions than the last bath reno we tackled.  I think last time "not crappy" was good enough for me, but now I'm more particular - plus I feel pressure to get it perfect, because we can't afford mistakes or do-overs.  One of the more difficult decisions was one of the smallest: the finish on the faucets and lighting.  Geesh, I agonized over that.  Gold (brushed or brassy) is definitely having a moment, and while I can appreciate how beautiful it is, it just isn't for me.  Although I wear gold jewellery and my favorite handbags have gold hardware, I just cannot commit to it in my home - and I've tried! 

Elements of Style

For silver-loving folks, chrome seems like the most modern, and perhaps even classic choice, but I really dislike how spotty chrome gets - even with the magic cleaner I found.  And - this will sound completely nutty to you metal mixing aficionados - but I've realized that I don't like pairing chrome with brushed metals.  Although I mixed metals a bit in the townhouse (chrome, black, oil rubbed bronze, brushed nickel), in the lakehouse I'm been striving for a totally unified look with all brushed silver.  Even though I can look at spaces like the ones below (two of my favorite rooms, actually) and appreciate how gorgeously and expertly the metals have been mixed, I just cannot commit to this look in my home either.

Smitten Studio

DecorPad

I just really like brushed silver, and I just really like when metals match.  It's one of those things my weird little brain zeroes in and fixates on.  I think it's because the lakehouse is somewhat small (1300 square feet - smaller than the townhouse, actually), so I like the eye to skip over hardware and not be drawn to different styles or finishes - it's why I like all white walls and trim too.  Because so much of the metal in the lakehouse - from the door hardware to the trim on our furniture and the stainless steel sink and faucet in the kitchen - are brushed silver (which is no accident), I'm staying the course.

Brushed nickel for the bathroom it is!  It's not a very common choice - which is why I was waffling so much.  It had a heyday in the 90s, but the fixtures I've chosen are so simple, I think it will have a modern feel.  I might end up with some subtle metal mixing anyway.  We've settled on the Kohler Purist faucet with a single lever in vibrant brush nickel, but the brushed nickel seems very warm.  In the photo below, the left is brushed nickel, the middle polished chrome, and the right is brushed bronze.



Although I'm a bit nervous, I'm also pretty excited!  I think this matchy-matchiness is going to make my brain and I very happy.  After spending so long creating a neutral, people-pleasing space, I'm really relishing the opportunity to just focus on what I (and Hubs, when he chimes in) want.  Anyone else like coordinating metals and finishes?  Or are you all metal-mixers?  If you are a metal-matcher like me, enjoy a little eye candy: 

Desire to Inspire

Style at Home

Style at Home

Urban Outfitters via Pinterest

EST Magazine

Style at Home

Desire to Inspire

The last photo is from a gorgeous, must-see house tour and the homeowner seems to love gold with the same passion I feel for brushed silver.

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How to Make Over a Vintage Metal Table with Rust-Oleum Pearl Paint

 
Do you remember that little metal table that used to reside in the townhouse guestroom? It was a wedding gift my Mummu received in the 1950s, and she gave it to me.  It was originally black but then, with her permission, I painted it mint green: 

I didn't fully love the colour - it was bordering on sage green - but it looked nice with the mint and aqua upholstered chair and so I left it as-is.

Once we moved to the lakehouse, and lost a guest bedroom, it migrated to our bedroom and it looked good until I added the teal back tab curtains.

The teal made the mint look super dull and drab - and its buddy, the Mingo chair, was displaced anyway.  The paint had also seen some wear in the move, so a fresh coat of paint was in order.  Because this little table will get the boot soon (our dresser dilemma has been solved!), I opted for a neutral colour so I can move it from room to room with ease.

I decided white would be perfect for such a transient little table but then, on impulse, I decided a pearlized white would be even better - Rustoleum Pearl Mist looked nice on the cap.  I hauled it over to the super awesome spray paint booth my in-laws have (winter spray painting!) and - ta da!

The pearlized paint is really pretty, but it seemed to take forever to achieve this coverage.




It went on really, really sheer and the green continued to peek through, coat after coat.  It still does, a little, but I don't mind that slight green tint.  If I wanted a true pearl white, a white base coat would definitely be necessary because this paint is like a clear finish with some metallic sparkles in it.  I Googled around, curious if the "mist" in the name indicates its sheerness and I'm just a total goof, but it seems other people have had issues with coverage too.  On the plus side, this could add a really pretty shimmer to furniture without masking the colour - or it could help tone down a too-bright paint job.  If you're tempted to try this paint, buy double what you would normally need for your project, or start with a white or cream base.

Even though it took a little extra spray paint huffing, I'm happy with the result.  This might end up a plant stand in the office, a side table if we turn the guesthouse into a proper bedroom...I'm not sure.  What I do know is that there are more bedroom changes happening soon.  But did I mention that I painted this table three months ago?   "Soon".  You keep using that word, but I don't think it means what you think it means. 

Product for this project was provided by the folks at Rustoleum, who have been kindly indulging many of my DIY project fantasies for awhile now.  Any comments, opinions and projects chosen are all my own! 

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Headboard Refresh

Before I actually got to witness my talented Papa weld our headboard, I thought that metal tubing came black.  Nearly every piece of furniture he's made is matte black, so how was I supposed to know?  When I went to buy the supplies and ended up with this gunmetal grey metal tubing, I was convinced I'd been sold the wrong stuff.  When it came time for me to pick a colour for the headboard - turns out that's just metal paint making it black, duh!! - I must have looked at my Papa like a deer in the headlights.  I'd planned on a black headboard and had already ordered black, cream and pink patterned bedding (shocking right? pink!).

"Just go get some matte black paint," he said, "Rusto-leum".

I did as I was told and Hubby, Papa and I brushed on the paint a few days before the headboard was loaded into the trailer for the big move out of our hometown.  The paint has held up incredibly well, especially considering that this headboard has been moved about 4,000 kilometers since its creation.  When we set it up again in the lakehouse, I noticed that a few scuffed areas had finally begun to appear.  It also looked a little more faded than I remembered.  I decided last January to give it a makeover as soon as weather permitted - this time I wanted spray paint, to eliminate brush strokes.

I was totally preoccupied during the winter, spring, and summer with choosing a colour but could never decide definitively. 

White?  It would look really California Mid-Century but the design I dreamed up would be lost against the white walls.
Gold?  That would look awesome, but not my style.
Navy? Maybe, but it would clash with the black frames of the Hungarian posters.
Aqua? There's such a thing as too much of a good thing, plus it would clash with the new teal curtains.
Silver? Too industrial.
Orange? Hubby would love it but that would seem more appropriate for a child's bedroom.  I wanted sophisticated.

I spent three seasons terrorizing my loved ones with these (and more) colour choices.  In the end, with winter looming and spray painting season coming to a close, I decided there was an obvious choice that provided contrast against the white walls, complemented the graphic artwork, didn't compete with the curtains, highlighted the fun design...black!  Gloss black, for a bit of change? No, too 80s.  Matte black - the same colour and finish I chose more than seven years ago.

I hauled the headboard and side tables (sans glass) outside and marveled at how pretty the black metal looked against the forest backdrop - we definitely need a cool welded gate.  And fence, otherwise a gate is just silly.

I used our workbench to prop up the headboard and lightly sprayed on Rust-Oleum Universal paint and primer (in matte black).  I had dusted and cleaned the headboard before hauling it outside and didn't do any sanding or any other prep work - this paint really adheres well to metal.  I have finally learned to keep my cool spray painting: applying super thin coats, and patiently waiting in between each one.  I also start a pass before and after the paint reaches the thing I'm painting, because if it comes out in a spurt or spray, it's not spitting on my project. 

Also, not wimping out and actually shaking the can vigorously for the recommended time is key.  It's tragic I only now have a handle on this!  I'm just too impatient for my own good.  The dry time on Rust-Oleum spray paints these days is phenomenal and meant that I could switch where the headboard was lightly clamped and spray that area too, without damaging the freshly painted finish.  

 And...ta da!

LOL. I know it looks identical to you, but I can totally see a difference!  The black is richer (did it fade from the sun?) and and the scuffs and marks that make it look less fabulous are now a distant memory.  It looks like new and reaffirms black as the perfect choice.

Maybe someday I'll want to try a different colour, but for now I'm still happy with basic black.  One thing is certain: I'm really pleased with the quality of the paint, both the Rust-Oleum I applied more than seven years ago, and the refresher coat I just gave it.  One other thing is certain: don't spray paint into the wind:

So, maybe I didn't wow you with the colour (haha), but let's pretend there's a lesson in here, in addition to a couple fruitful spray painting tips: sometimes what you currently have is just right.  Does that sound deep and philosophical?  No? Okay, fair enough.  Well, I've got a gold project in the works that just might wow you...

Thanks to Rust-Oleum for providing the paint to refresh my headboard!  Rust-Oleum has been my go-to paint for metal long before home-ownership and the blog, so I'm so excited to be able to partner with them for projects around the lakehouse.

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