Oy. It's been forever!

i have not posted in…forever.

it's been a wild ride.  we moved several months ago, and the house has taken all of my time.  it's been pretty fun, actually!  since NOTHING in the old place really fit into the downsized space, it was the time to get rid of, sell, donate, and repurpose much of what we had.  we took 15 loads to the thrift shop, had 2 huge garage sales, sold tons on craigslist, and traded more to a local antiques dealer.

we finally managed to get everything set, installed, hung, and stored in the new place.  it's a lot less cluttered, which goes well with the modern vibe of the new house.

the new kitchen!!

in between were vacations, a sweet son sent off to college, and a new job.  yes, i decided to enter the real workplace!  i am currently working as a temporary salesperson at anthropologie!  i determined that staying home 24-7 by myself was not a good thing.  i tried to make art, but was feeling…alone.  so i figured i'd get out into the world and be around people.  creative and fun people to be exact!  so there you go.  a whole lot of life in one easy paragraph.

orange powder coat! (and some grey)

 before smith and hawken closed their retail stores, we purchased a very heavy set of patio furniture.  our plan was to buy it at smith and hawken since they were known for their quality.  we also thought since they were a staple in the garden furniture industry, we could easily add to our collection as we needed or could afford.  

fast forward a couple of years later...the retail stores were closed, and the brand was sold to target.  yes, target still carries a style like the one we bought. but the quality is seriously undermined, it's made in china, and the chairs weigh at least two-thirds less than the ones we have.  we were seriously bummed.

our imminent move had me asking how to deal with the set.  should i sell it and start over?  i was worried that we would get nothing for the set.  you can buy a set at target that looks almost identical for about 10% of what our set cost.  (seriously!!!!)  i knew if we tried to sell it, we would get nothing.  and to replace it with one as heavy would be expensive.  

the black finish was getting a bit oxidized after many years on a south-faced deck.  and the traditional style of the pieces was just not right for our more modern space.  so i got this idea to get them powder coated.  i called around, and found that it wasn't horribly expensive.  and the finish will last a really long time.  so off they went.

tony, the guy at premier coatings, came to the house to pick them up and bring me a color chart so i could choose the colors.  when i looked at the chart it was mostly boring blacks or severely dull colors. so i asked him, "do you have anything in orange??"  he actually laughed at me (in a good way), and explained that he had more colors, but didn't expect patio furniture to need the crazy ones.  off he went with the pieces, and a few days later the new (crazy) chart was in my mailbox.

here are the new crazy orange chairs, paired with a grey table.  there are two more orange chairs that you don't see, and a grey side table that's hiding in the rear of the photo.  i am reallly excited.  i think the color kinda makes them modern, and now we can add other furniture to the collection and tie it all together with color in the fabric cushions.  that's the idea anyway.

they are going on our roof-top deck.  and the good news is that they will definitely not blow away like their target imposters!

before and after

there's a used furniture place near our new house.  a nice person who is also a mid-century fan recommended that i take a look when i had a chance.  i have been there several times with no luck.  recently, however, i hit the jackpot.  the set was an old stanley furniture bedroom suite.  it had a full-sized bed (we gave that away because who wants a full-size bed these days?), a tall dresser, and a long dresser (which we will use as a side board in the dining room), and a mirror.

here is the "before", still at the store!

it's kinda hard to see the detail, but each drawer has its original white paint, an applied wooden disk, and a spade shaped pull.  the pulls are made of some sort of pot metal, and were brass plated (and not useable in the state they were in).  we thought the wood was walnut in the store, but once we got home figured out it was mahogany.

it was definitely a labor of love.  the former owner was a smoker, so the whole thing had to be stripped and sanded to get rid of the smell and the yellowing.  john worked on the dark parts, on which he applied several coats of danish oil.  then a few coats of wax.  i took care of the white parts, which were sanded, primed, and spray painted with white gloss enamel.   the pulls needed to be brushed clean and then sprayed with metallic silver paint.  we also filled the drawers with cedar tongue and groove panels.

the best part?  all pieces were $300!  the worst part?  it took FOREVER!!

now the "after" (only the low dresser is pictured), in our new dining room.  now it's ready for accessorizing (my favorite part!)  

and i know, the cords need some work.

holy crap! holy grail! porta power!!

this place is surreal.  this place is unlike any place i have EVER been.  this place is porta power.  and it's in denver.  and if you live in denver (or are visiting), and you love junk...or old buildings...or an assault on the senses, you MUST go!!  oh, and if you do go, you also must wear old shoes.  the floor is not at all sanitary.  and you may want to remove them for a good wash once you leave!  i swear it is all worth it, though!!

my friend, and fellow collector of junk, and antique shop dealer amy, told me about the place.  (amy has a great shop in littleton called "the pink attic cat" you should also check out!!)  she said it would be like no other experience (and gave me the shoe warning--thanks, amy!!), and it was.  i'm gonna post some pics here for you to enjoy.  i couldn't get instagram to work for some reason, which is a bummer because these shots would be so cool with filters...but you can still enjoy!!

didn't buy anything...but the wheels are turning!!

new digs

new living room

i promised myself that i wasn't going to post until i was settled, but i figured since we close on the new house tomorrow, that it was okay.  i also told myself that i wouldn't post until i was making some meaningful artwork, but with my studio packed, it's pretty tough.  i will mention that my brain is on overdrive after a long hiatus.  i think i needed the time to recharge after a few years of non-stop work.

so, above you will find an interior photo of the new house.  it's in northwest denver.  yep, the fwegers are moving to the city.  we spent a few weeks on a monumental house search, eventually losing 3 old homes in the crazy denver market.  we also had a contractor look at 3 more old places, hoping that a few swipes of the magic wand could turn them into our dream homes.  ugh.  one problem after another, including a bad foundation, a home so chopped up from previous remodels that it was unsavable, and one more that sold as we were standing inside with the contractor.  

as you probably already figured out, the new place is actually new!  our first new house!  we are very excited to have something brand new after 6 places that we re-did with our own blood, sweat, and tears.  imagine!  everything in working order, without repairing or replacing!!  wheeeeeee!!!

the color scheme

this is a little study i did on a wood block, working out the colors for the new place.  eventually i plan to maybe recreate it on a larger canvas to hang in the house.  i am obsessed with orange...and green...and grey...and white!  so there you go, a sneak preview of what is to come artistic-wise and decor-wise.

i'll keep you posted!

did i mention that i got all of our patio furniture powder coated orange and grey???

changes, changes

i haven't posted any art these days.  that's mostly because i am not really making any.  i have been gathering ideas, spending way too much time on pinterest and reading art and design blogs.  i have also been continuing to clear out the house, getting ready for the change that is about to happen.

boxes, and boxes are moving out the door!

john took a new job in december, and it seems the tide is going to move us away from denver.  at first we were hoping that we might stay, but it's looking more and more like we are not.  last weekend i had an antiques dealer friend come by and purchase a garage full of small stuff plus 5 large pieces of furniture. we have also taken 7 full SUV loads to goodwill. it's a bit bittersweet to be casting off bits and pieces we have had for the last 25 years or so, but i think i am ready.  if we move, we will downsize to a smaller house and won't need all of the stuff we have accumulated over the years. 

along with the denver house, we will also be selling our place in taos, NM.  so there are now two places to clear out, and stuff to be sold, distributed, and given away.  it's a monumental task, but is also somehow freeing.  we are ready to start over in a new place.

cute, but NO WAY!!

now we have to get down to the business of figuring out exactly where the new place will be.  it may be california, it may be oregon, it may be someplace altogether different.  we are unsure.  as i was typing, my friend johnine sent me a photo of a back yard chicken coop, saying that oregon would be my fantasy hipster location!!  hipster, maybe. chicken coop, definitely NOT!!  i do know that wherever we end up will be fine.  i have long ago found that it really doesn't matter where you are, it all becomes home.

one part that i'm trying to get used to is that our little ben will not be moving with us.  he will stay in colorado and go to college.  he will be going to the university of colorado in boulder this august.  we will most likely be moving at the same time.  i think he is a little worried about it all.  he has lived in colorado for most of his life, and doesn't remember the moving around as a younger child.  john and i, on the other hand, have done our share of relocation.  colorado has our record of the longest place we have lived, and it's been 12 years.  i keep telling ben not to worry, that he will always have a home.  and that he can handle this--it's all part of growing up.  it's still not easy for any of us, though.

so who will i become, and what will i do when we move?  i really don't know.  i do know that art is in my heart and soul, and i will continue to make it.  i don't know if it will be full time, or if i might find a new job in the new place.  for now i will be concentrating on moving, and not so much on marketing myself and my art. i didn't apply for cherry creek arts festival this year, knowing it would be too much to handle with everything else on our plate.

i will probably not be posting for a long while, hopefully coming back to the blog at the same time i am coming back to creating meaningful work.  thank you to my readers and supporters of my art!!  it has been a thrill to speak with you through the blog.  see you soon!!