The End of March Update

Just a little post of what we have been doing these past few months.

The Kitchen Jotul provided lots of comfort this year... always feels so good to feel that heat and see that cheery flame. 

Ok now, this was a fun find! ...  the Schwinn Air-Dyne exercise bike.. non electric... Manual.. totally works by just pedaling... you never have to plug it in! ...even gives you a cooling breeze as you pedal... 

It was given to us when we went to a yard sale.. the fellow just wanted it "gone" as he had sold his house and had to move that very weekend...  so we loaded it on the trailer and took it home..  Perfect condition and was it Heavy!!!   So solid... found out after some research that it is quite a Collectors item and I can see why... they don't make things like this anymore ... you know, things that don't wear out!  From the 1970's...  It is practically indestructible and you can do lots of different exercises with it other than just basic pedaling.. Love this !

This beauty was also being given away.  It is one of the coolest looking sewing machines in my collection.  It needed cleaned and oiled as most all old machines do, but I like to see if I can get them back in working order. It even came in its own table. It has a very masculine appearance don't you think?... brown and cream with lots of dials... also very heavy.

This machine was very dirty and dusty mostly just from sitting someplace where dust and grime accumulated...  most parts of it were seized and needed quite some time for the oil to soak in. 

The original  Kenmore ad was still with it, torn from the pages of a mid 1960's Simpson's Sears catalog.  I believe it is one of the early fancy stitch machines... Made in Japan.  The sewing machine industry was something that grew huge in Japan after the second world war as they were trying to get their economy built back up... shifting from war machines to domestic machines... and Japan made excellent quality machines.. 

Here "He" is with his top metal lid removed... a bit of a look at the many working gears and moving parts.  I oiled everything that moved and even the parts that never. It eventually loosened up and everything started working in unison.... but it took a few days.  He had not been used for a long time but was almost like new.  I don't think it ever saw much use.

 Thought I'd test it out.  I had an old pair of oven mitts that were worn out, dreary and darn ugly... made from an old pair of recycled jeans years ago... they had done their service and were ready to retire.

  I took a pattern off them and sewed a new pair up using that groovy sewing machine above... worked great. I reused the inner padded insulating lining.  

The fabric was left over from the drapes in the living room.  I preshrunk it and it was fine for the job... besides it's pretty and heavy and so much nicer to look at.

We are still in the studio making jewelry too. Here are some new "Fiddleheads"... can't wait for the real fresh ones to pop their heads up...  and a pair of "Ship and Whale" that are always popular with visitors to the Maritimes.  

The sand dollars in the background were found on the St. Martins beach at one of the times of year when the tide is very, very low and goes out the farthest.  They were on the sand at exactly the point where the tide turned... you had to be quick to gather them.

 An in-progress shot of the  Fiddleheads after fusing, being set up to have the hole drilled for the earwire... at this in-between unfinished stage they have not yet been hammered, buffed or polished. 

Also doing some forging and shaping on the big steel textured block, my dad found for us years ago.  

And every once in a while I unload some art supplies and spend some time making art.  I particularly like the new Sakura "Koi" water brush.  That's it lying across the small white sectioned dish... the main body of the brush is a water reservoir... no problems with leaking and the bristles hold their shape well...  A pleasure to paint with.

Till next time. All the Best!

Putting Up the Gutters, More Bead People

 A beauteous end of day reward overlooking the Bay of Fundy from up on the hill.

 At the Bench -The Bead People "Earrings" are still developing their personalities.

... and the tide has still been going in and out.. it is part way out here... well maybe 1/2 way out...  it usually comes all the way to the top of the beach when Full tide hits.  Lots of beach to share today and nobody but the 3 dogs to share it with.... so no leashes needed.. always a silver lining if we look hard enough.

 In late September we finally got around to putting eavestrough up on our house. yes, we are what you would call Guttering our house in St. Martins...

 and of course, we decided to do it ourselves.

 

 ...this part is ready for the piece that directs the water away from the house. 

In the background is the wood in the woodshed, that was put in in the spring.

 That makes us feel much better...  It wasn't hard but having to deal with the staging to get to the roof line at the top of the second floor was the hardest... but of course John thought that was no problem at all.  If it was left to me, I never would have been able to handle the staging. I can climb up though... carefully.

A full moon back in September rising while it was still light out..

 All the while these little Folk have been coming to life in the studio.

When a day ends like this, what more could you ask for.

 and other days we have visitors checking out the firepit... a mother and 2 young ones come out quite often ...

Then there are days when the mist changes everything... and the mystery of it is satisfying.

 

Another group have been sent on their way to find new homes under Christmas trees near and far.

UPDATE:  The Bead People have been SOLD OUT.. Thank you All

Gwen Buchanan and John Ackerson, Desideratum Art Jewelry,  New Brunswick. 

How to Make A Headboard

Bohemian Headboard ... Medieval influenced

....from things you may have laying around the garage...

First you get that old door you have been saving 

that didn't fit any of your doorways and it is too nice to cut up.. so there must be another use for it..  and you were sure it would come in handy sometime... well now is the time.

...this is a 5 panel.. not sure of the age ... but it is old and it has an aged hand applied grain so it is special to me cause someone already spent a lot of time on  it before someone else threw it away.. 

It helps if it is the same size as your mattress.... or you can trim it on either end if need be.

Then you gather all your leftover thick gauge sheet steel...
we used 2 ga. which is about 1/3 " thick...

(what? ... oh... come now, everybody has sheet steel cluttering up the place, right?) that has  rusted and seen better days from lying behind the barn for years...

 gather up some big old heavy nuts and bolts... and grab your drill with the oversize drill bit .

..just leave any patterns formed by neglect on the surface of the metal.. 

it makes it more interesting and tells a story of the life it has had and where it has been.

.. you will also need to cut the steel into shapes you find appealing.. we like this gothic arch shape.. 

 and make sure they are spaced so the design  fits all the way across the door/headboard to be...

 we used an oxy-acetylene torch for cutting the steel... leaving a slightly uneven edge

 then a hand-grinder to smooth and buff up the edges for contrast... 

this steel had originally been black so the shine around the edges really emphasized the shape.

...maybe you also have some old angle iron (this is 3") to use for the the corner posts.. that is nice and sturdy ...  

and maybe some parts off an old haycutting machine... never know what is out behind the barn..

of course some folks may think this makes the headboard look more like a torture devise 

but we'll pretend they represent little decorative spindles...
  I really like the combination of these diverse gathered materials.

... put a coat or two of varnish on the steel so the rust doesn't come off on the bedcoverings or you...

clamp on a couple lights because now there is something to lean on to comfortably read your books

and Voila... 

you have a Headboard of some unusualness that will stand the test of time.. and you have cleaned up your garage and behind the barn at the same time...

...Sweet Dreams...

This is a link to a Carved Headboard that I made a long time ago.

How to Make An Entrance

... I love the Process involved in the act of Creating, of just about anything... it almost thrills me more than the finished work itself...  these photos show some of the steps involved in bringing the front of a structureto life...
... click photos to see larger view, if you like...

... the casing and the very old doors (1870, I believe) were hung...  the black space surrounding them is covered by heavy tarpaper...
... an overhang has already been mounted across the top covered with white aluminum flashing...

John is beginning the side Pilasters.. building them out so they have depth...

Layers of wood are measured and cut... nail heads being sunk here...

...sturdy attractive bases for the pilasters...  the door is still being held closed by a stick.. can't do everything at once... soon...

Then he works his way up to do multiple layers at the top of each side...

... building them out using extra pieces underneath... making each section progressively larger... and not letting any of our scrap wood go to waste...

...attaching the flashing to the top corner

I like it so far...

A little sketch of what we might do to the top of each window on the doors...

.. nailing on the wide dentils under the header...  the remaining header space is filled with flat cedar... each board cut on the bevel so any water from storms will drain away ... and not lay and rot the wood.

...three narrow but deep wooden strips were placed in the main header butting up to a raised box that holds the light fixture... the box helps project the light out further over the doorway...

We beveled the sides of  recycled boards to create the look of raised panels under the side and front windows..

to compliment the panels John put on the front doors...

...  we added small triangles to finish off the front pilasters...

...top and bottom...

... when certain design elements are repeated,  it helps tie it all together...

...and hopefully adds a bit of whimsy and fun...

...starting to paint the top row of triangles that runs along the top of the wall... so it looks like little flags... I am using Olympic Solid Color White Stain...  stain doesn't peel... low maintenance!

  ... the details of the built-up surround makes lovely shadows when the light is at certain angles and levels during different parts of the day......
 

... finished painting the flags...
...and just started the window trim... I want them to look as one unit ... and be reminiscent of the older architecture of the village...

...detail...

...the windows are done and they have really come to life

I never painted the eave shingles .. as well, I am not painting the sides of the weathered patinated shingles.. I like them that way ... the front shingles are being left to weather to a silver gray... won't take long in this salt air...

oh.......   I was very reluctant to start this part... the first few swipes with the paintbrush just made me cringe...  but it is hard to paint with your eyes shut...
... no turning back now...

.. ok.. I did it... it's ok...  It's Fresh.. I like it... I think it presents the doors quite well... and makes you feel a little special walking through them... like you went somewhere, even if it was only in and out... sort of like a child climbing into a cupboard...

...attached the cast iron bell with  ribbons that were hiding in the back of a drawer... from Laura Secord Chocolate boxes that John had given me a few years ago...

...... we put the light back in its place and made sure it worked...

... all done...

These are the same steps taken by us, a few years back, when we created the front door entrance for our home, just up the road   Door #4

..Other old doors we had fun with when we built our house.....  Door #1... Door #2...  Door #3 ...