Niagara Furniture Bank "Chair Affair" Getting it Clean

When I was picking a chair at the Niagara Furniture Bank Warehouse there were a couple things I was trying to keep in mind:

1. It has to fit in the trunk. 

We have a chevy Malibu, so there's not much room. I had to keep it small.

2. Don't go crazy. 

Considering I have never actually refurbished a piece of furniture before, (and I am super busy with three other projects, plus regular life with two crazy boys) I had to keep it manageable. I was on the lookout for something small and simple. Simple lines, some wood, possibly covered in a material I could paint on. 

3. Think of what someone else would want. 

Being creative is all well-and-good, but, in my mind, this piece will be purchased by someone to put in their house. If there's a warehouse of vintage pieces, I am going to look for mid-century modern, because that is hot, hot, hot at the moment. 

So the chair (barely) fit in the trunk. There were definitely some bungee cords used to keep the trunk from flying up. My very patient and loving Hubby did a good job, after he waited in the car with the kids the entire time I was in the Warehouse. Thank goodness for ipods and snacks. 

We got the chair home, and into the mud room. Immediately realized it had a vintage "odor". Began to wonder where this chair has been, and what kind of life it has lived. 

Filthy dirty, my first reaction when we got in the door,  "Nobody sit on this chair!"

Great profile. Kind of falling in love with it.

A little rough around the edges, with a small tear in the top.
What am I going to do about that?

So, first things first. I got out a bucket of hot, soapy water and decided to clean 'er up. 

As you can see, I had a lot of scrubbing ahead of me.
She was pretty grimy.

Well used. I imagined this chair had been delegated to some guy's garage.
That's the only reason I could think it would be as dirty as it was.
It was definitely well used. That means someone loved it!

Put my "scrubbing muscles" to work. 

Here's a pic I took after scrubbing half of the chair. Progress?
Thank goodness the grime came off. 

So, here she is. Much less dirty than before. Next step, sanding the legs and arms?
What do you think?

Exquisite Poppy

 I'm obsessed with the poppies in my garden. So far, they are the only things in this backyard that I haven't touched since we moved in six years ago. They have stayed quite to themselves in one clump in my garden. I have re-worked the garden around them.

A friend of mine thinks it's unusual, since her poppies run amok in her garden, that mine stay in place, but I'm sure it's just the variety.

I'm actually a bit scared to upset them in any way. As hardy as the plant seems to be, the blooms look so delicate and only last for a scarce couple of days. Is that why I love them so much? Because of their fragility?

Bold. Strong. Exquisite and alien, the poppy never fails to impress.

A look at a flower

Clematis

Poppy

Iris

Clematis

Poppy

Iris

Considering the amount of rain we've had,  (see : None) my garden isn't doing too badly this year. I thought I'd add a few photos I took today.

"Stop and Smell the Roses"
There you go, I've said it. Very cliché, I know. Also, my roses aren't blooming, yet. But, take a moment and have a good look at a flower the next time you're in a garden, or are given a bouquet. They are amazing things! Every year, those same poppies come up and I try to find a way to photograph them that can show the detail and texture, and every time, nature says, "Good luck, lady."

I never have to go very far to find something inspiring to paint. The colours in these few flowers alone are amazing. Also, I found a dead bumblebee in the grass which I have put aside to paint later. Am I the only one here who does that kind of thing?

I'm becoming known for collecting "natural wonders"for reference for my art.
Someone brought me a dead butterfly the other day, and I just received two lovely old nests (a tiny one woven with birch bark and what may be spider webs and pine needles) possibly a hummingbird's and an empty wasp nest from Mike's Aunt and Uncle up in Verner.

I have a frozen hawk in my downstairs freezer awaiting a permit and a bird wing in my upstairs freezer awaiting painting. I found the wing of a woodpecker on the road the other week when I was on a walk with Oscar. It had been run over a few times, but cleaned up pretty good. It's sitting with my acorn collection in an old robin's nest by my front hall mirror at the moment.

I need my own studio space! I paint in my livingroom at the moment and must take out and put away everything each night. It's getting quite cluttered here!