Glimpse In A Mirror

Saturday Projects

I took off Saturday to do some personal projects and run some errands that have been just waiting around the house.

Ottoman

I recently purchased a metal frame that I thought would make a perfect ottoman for the living room. I measured the opening so I could get lumber cut. I didn't like the antiqued metal finish, but I love the scrolling metalwork, so I decided that I would add some silver foil to make it match the lamp. I had thought about covering it with the same fabric as the cornices, and while that might be a good idea, because I'm still shopping for that fabric, it meant I couldn't finish my project in a day. So instead, I decided to use some of the leopard print that I've had around for a while. I can always recover it later. I used the high density foam I had purchased to cover the rush seats of the dining room chairs, using two layers to give me 4 inches. I recently found a metal tray with the same scrolling metal as the firewood bin, but whitewashed, and that will sit on the top to hold things. It can hold a plate for dinner, glasses, or reading materials.

Cutting the foam was the hardest part, and it shredded everywhere. But after that was done, I used batting to attach the foam to the board, and the separately covered it with the leopard. Once the leopard was on, the original finish looked quite nice, so I used the foil for a different project. It's a little low, and in the wrong location, it blocks the remote access to the cable box, but these small things aside, the project is a huge success. I think the total price is about $35.

Tray

The tray goes on top of the ottoman to give it a hard surface. I want to line the inside with cork. It turns out that Home Depot doesn't carry sheets of this, which I find amazing. Maybe I'll try again later. The guys I spoke with said to try Office Max. Not a bad idea, but hardly the place I would have thought to carry such a thing. More on this later.

Holman Carter Art Prints

I hate to admit how long these prints have been taped to the wall. I didn't want to spend the money for framing, and besides, I wanted a less formal look. So I had decided a while back to mount them on canvas over stretchers, and then paint the sides of the canvas to pull it together, and add the brushstrokes to the top to make it look like a canvas I just finished. HA HA HA I got the stretchers for the three prints, the main one with two side prints. I got primed canvas so the glue would easily adhere. It was tougher than I thought to stretch the canvas to the stretchers, and after I was further along in the project, I had this nagging thought that the canvas was supposed to be wet so it would really stretch, but it was too late. I also had this other thought going through my head "I'm stretching my first canvas..." and a sense that I would be doing this a lot in the future. I would like that.

I used this gel to adhere the prints to the canvas, and I was disappointed to realize that the canvas area isn't exactly the measurements. So while the prints are cut exactly, they overhang the canvas in places, and some of the canvas shows. When they were wet, there was puckering that has thankfully gone away. I'm going to wait to do the brushstrokes until a day when I have a block of time to experiment with it.

Office Clock

I found this beautiful clock for my office with crooked hands and great styled numbers. There is a natural wood frame around the outside, and the clock face is attached to the wooden frame with some metal trimwork. The metal is an aged silver look that I didn't care for, so I've started adding the silver foil to it. Because it is wire mostly, it is a bit harder than a flat surface, and there are a couple of places that need a touch up. But overall, I really like the look. I am planning to put it in the office later today.