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!!

new glasses, kinda cat eye.

as a visual artist, the "visual" part of me has needed correction for the last 15 years or so.  when i first went to the eye doctor in my mid 30's requesting bifocals, he laughed.  that was, until he tested my eyes.  then it was obvious to both of us, and i walked out with a new prescription for progressive lenses.

over the several doctors have tried to talk me in to contacts.  oh, i have tried.  bad idea.  i went for a couple of weeks one time before i gave up and put the glasses back on.  i don't really mind glasses.  i usually don't even notice them on my face.  what i do notice are nice frames when i am staring back at myself in the mirror.  so i alway splurge for something a bit fun or funky or colorful.  i usually wear these frames for at least 2 years, every day for over 16 hours.

here are my new ones.  slightly catty, just like me!

slightly crooked, but finished!

i finished john's chair.  it came out pretty well, but the pattern got a bit wonky on the seat.  i think next time i will try something a bit more random.  but for the price, i'd say it's a success.

project...

i haven't been writing much.  and i haven't been making art.  what i have been doing is stressing out.   my husband (john) just got a new job.  it's been a bit crazy here in the interim.  at first we thought we were going to have to move to california.  that sounds like a fun adventure, but the problem was that our dear boy (ben) is a senior in high school.  he is not really in a good place to move.

luckily, as it turns out, we don't have to move.  john will be working in denver!  that is great except for one thing... he will be working from home.  now, don't get me wrong.  i am thrilled that he will be working from home!  it's nice to have lunch together, and it's nice that he can be on a call and throw a bit of laundry in.   but the problem is our office situation.

we have a wonderful office in our house.  it's beautiful, thanks to the previous owners of our abode who put in built-ins and two work stations with granite desktops.  the bad news is that it's next to the front door.  and our sweet labrador (vinny) loves to bark like a crazed doggie when the doorbell rings.  not a good situation for someone on a very important phone call.

so john is moving to the basement!  he already has a great room down there for his creative endeavors.  so we are adding some cool furniture and doing some re-painting to make it officially an office.  we got a desk on craigslist (photos to come when it's refinished) and i am in the process of creating the perfect office chair!

i got the chair a couple of years ago at goodwill.  it was $1.95!  yes, one dollar and 95 cents!!  i wish i took the before before pic, but i forgot.  so here is the before finishing and after taking apart version.

i bought the retro fabric yesterday, and am in the process of sewing a seat cover.  i have already re-covered the back and arms.  all in, it's cost is about $50.  that was for fabric and new foam.  

i am really excited for this!  promise to post our progress as it comes to fruition!!