iseecerulean

The fixtures have been crafted...I'm very pleased with how they turned out. 

I'm at an impasse with the fire because I need logs, and the fallen branches in my yard are buried under snow.  I need to put my winter boots on then stomp around the yard until I find something to bring in and dry out....but the sun is rising when I drive to work and setting when I return home, so I'll have to wait for the weekend.  This will be my first lit fireplace, I'm anxious to see it completed.

In order to hang the pendant lights in the kitchen at the right height I need to measure the distance between the bottom of the pendant and the top of the island.  I don't have the island built yet, so I'll work on that next.

I'm serious...background music...hit the play button before you start to read....

 Now...meet my new boyfriends....

I have doubts there is actually any wax in this stuff, but whatever chemical concoction it is, it's oh so sensuous.

I coated the walls with white wax, wiped off the excess, let it dry, then buffed it.  It toned down the blue chalk paint to the shade I was hoping it would be when I brushed it on the walls, and the texture is silky sleek.  My walls feel sexy.  See the brighter spot I'm pointing at....there's no wax there....I wasn't sure how well glue would stick to the stuff, so I didn't wax areas I'm planning to glue cabinetry to.

The fireplace mantle and a few assorted corners were treated with some of the dark antiquing wax...as did the firebox I'm building out of old railing, because I wanted to see what it would look like over black paint.  Sumptuous. 

I tried some on the wood beams too...it's practically impossible to photograph because it's a subtle difference, but the color is lusciously richer...the right side of the beam in this picture has been waxed....

The wood is so smooth and silky...like the spot on my husband's hipbone I like to....oh my, I'm getting off track here....

Um...what else...

I have to go back to JoAnne's for the jar of clear wax.

Oh....shelves. 

I put up more shelves....after I altered the first shelf, because I forgot to put on the little bit of side wall necessary to support the roof.  It's just as well, because I realized immediately after I painted the brackets white that I should have painted them black, to look like wrought iron...so I notched the shelf to fit the side wall piece, then put on new brackets.

I also began assembling light fixtures.   I'm loving how the light shines through these glass beads...I'm taking lots of pictures as I work so that I can write a tutorial later.

I have the day off work today...Macy's is having a big two-day sale, so I was planning to finish my holiday shopping, then work some more on the lights.  I'm going home instead...my father was admitted to the hospital yesterday with an infection in his lungs.  From the information my mother relayed it doesn't sound terribly concerning, but I'm going to go check things out and keep him company.

Ahhhh.....I'm back in my studio. 

I decided to paint the inside of the house with chalk-paint, to maintain the plastered look.  I reviewed recipes with instructions to prepare it with paint and plaster of paris, but then I discovered on a trip to Jo-Anne's...jars of chalk-paint!  Now I'll never use all of the big container of plaster of paris that's in my closet, but still...way easier.

I spent a good deal of time removing specks of plaster and paint from areas it shouldn't have been, then re-stained the beams atop the doors and windows. After I cleaned the floor I used a water based stain to darken the area in front of the door and fireplace, and around the perimeter of the room. 

The paint dried a darker blue that I was expecting....and the finish is fragile, it needs to be sealed.  There is antiquing wax in the same product line, I had it in my basket then put it back on the shelf...I'm going back for it today....especially since the spots where I put the paint on thick dried with lovely cracks....

The floor, water heater, and furnace in the pantry addition were blanketed with a wonderful coat of dust, so I sprayed them with a matte sealer, which, of course, didn't preserve the dust but liquified it into nothingness.

I cut a foundation board for the base, and installed the first shelf in the pantry.   I need to get the next shelf (or two?) positioned today, while I can still rest the addition on its side, and before I can connect it to the kitchen.

The wiring needs to be completed as well before I can proceed much further.  I proposed my grand plan to my husband...he then explained how to accomplish it, and took me to Radio Shack to purchase what I need.  I'm planning exposed wiring in conduits, as this structure would have been built before electricity, and would have been retrofitted.  I want the wires to feed into a faux circuit box mounted on the wall in the pantry addition, which will serve as switches for the lights, all of which can be turned on and off separately.  I'll power them with a 9 volt battery housed in a cupboard, so the house doesn't have to be tethered to an electrical outlet.  It's going to be spectacular.

I did a bit of shopping yesterday, to gather the rest of the supplies to begin the wiring.  I purchased paper straws to make conduit, another jar of chalk-paint and some sanding blocks for use on the exterior, some beads to construct lamps with, metal beads that are now miniature baking pans, ivory colored paint for the stove, silver paint from Germany because it intrigued me, and some wooden embellishments to convert to shelf brackets.

Lastly....let me not forget....Susan's gratuitous cat picture...

What a fantastic day!  Susan and I sent each other our annual Hallo gifts to arrive on the 31st....

I finished the embroidery box for her and beaded a spider (which is greener and sparklier in real life)....splurged on a goodie from an antique store...and, as usual, packed them all with a locally made assortment of cherry product wonderfulness.

Susan, who is definitely the better artist, made me an assemblage piece titled Memento Mori....packed in an assortment of neat Halloween themed odds and ends.  It's incredible.