Vintage Fan Make-Over

This old non-working Dominion fan was destined for the scrap heap but look at it now. How cool is that?! The Other-Half tinkered with the motor and was able to get it running, and run it does! Sounds like a jet engine on start up but then quiets down to a smooth purr. Just as it did 60 years ago. This heavy-duty little thing (it stands about 12" high) really moves some air, too. Dare I sound like an old fart and say "they just don't make things like they used to"?

After he got it running it was disassembled again and I went at it with a wire brush, some scuff pads, and some rust-removing gel. Cleaned it up inside and out, sprayed it all with a primer, sanded it smooth, and there ya' go - ready for a nice top coat.
We weren't 100% in agreement on what colors we wanted but settled on bright orange. I think the orange helps retain a bit of the "retro feel", plus, orange and black happen to be the colors of the Philadelphia Flyers, our favorite NHL team. (Big boo on the NHL for canceling hockey this year.) So now we're Flyers fans with a Flyer fan. Something like that, LOL.

Here's a page from a 1953 catalog that has our fan listed for $12.95. That's how I know to call it "vintage" rather than "antique". Apparently antique is pre-1950 and vintage is post-1950. Anyhows, we just need to touch up the six screw heads that show with black paint, and maybe uncover the Dominion logo on the base that we protected with tape and viola, what was junk before is now an adorable and functional retro appliance. :)

A Classic in Tie-Dye

Take the classic white long-sleeved button-down shirt, a staple of every wardrobe for its versatility, and tie-dye it, and what do you get?
You get a fabulously fun addition to your wardrobe!

Wear it buttoned up and tucked in to create a fun fashion paradox of staid but exciting, or go all-out casual by wearing it open over a tank.

The sleeves have a hidden loop that allow you to roll them up and fasten at 3/4 length so you can go long or short depending on mood.

The side panels (from under-arm to bottom hem of shirt) are made up of a stretchy ribbed cotton, so this shirt moves with you.

This shirt is 100% cotton and has been machine washed & dried twice (pre and post dye) on high heat. It is labeled as a women's size XL (16-18), however, having tried it on I believe it is more inline with being an L. This shirt can be machine washed and dried and should not bleed but to be safe, you may want to wash with dark colors for the first few washes.

$35, free shipping. (black tank top pictured not included.)

The Cat Who is NOT Staying

This is Sam. Or Mittens. Or Q-Tip. Or Little Brat. Depends on who's calling her and what she's doing. (What she's doing is NOT staying.)

Sam likes to cuddle (when she's not attacking toes) and take power-naps with her humans.She's working the cuteness factor for all it's worth but she's not staying. Really. I mean it.



Sigh. I KNOW better than to pick up a feral kitten. Or to let anyone in the household pick one up. 26 days later and still saying .. she's NOT staying ....

Some Comic Relief

Read this and then read this.

Possibly the funniest series of blog posts ever in the history of blogging.

Garden Gnome

A gnome turned up in my garden the other day. A sad gnome as he had been cursed with the Spell of Drabness.

Luckily I know a little magic myself and was able to revive him by casting an Acrylic Spell.

A number of humans objected to the green coat I chose for him but that's because they don't read Fantasy Fashion Weekly. If they did they would know that solid blue tunics are out; bright green top coats are what all the best-dressed gnomes are wearing this season.

But G. Gnome is happy now and says he will hang out by my front gate from now on and greet visitors.

Tie-Dye: Round 6

Here we go .. the last seven of the Relay For Life shirts. 3 adult LG and 4 adult XL. XL's aren't so much fun. The more fabric the harder to truss up and the harder to get the dye down into the folds. But they are all done now and I'm very happy with all of them but one. One whammy out of 19 isn't bad. ;)

Tie-Dye: Round 5

My latest batch. 7 for 7, no whammies! Yay! I used the same neon color kit as before. This time one kit did seven adult shirts - six mediums and one large. Note to self: For stripes, pleat the shirt opposite the direction you want the stripes to go. Seven more to go ...

Tie-Dye: Round 4

I used a "Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Kit - Neon" for this batch. Fuchsia, Orange, Yellow, Lime, and Turquoise. The Neon kit is either brand new or so old it's been discontinued as I can't find another like it now. :( Pity as I really like this combo of dye colors. But isn't that the way it always goes? You find a product you love and then poof - they decide to stop making it.

I've used the 5-color Tulip kits for all my tie-dye projects and what I've found is .. THEY LIE! The boxes clearly state "Dyes up to 20 projects!" Uh-Huh...Maybe if their idea of a project is twenty newborn socks or a few adult shirts with only a hint of dye each. It took almost an entire kit to do these five adult shirts (two XL and three LG).
The other thing I've come to accept is that with tie-dye, you can never be sure of the result until you un-tie and rinse it. Each unfolding is a surprise so you just cross your fingers and hope it'll be something you like. And I think I hit five of five with these. :)

Serendipity

A year or so ago I received a pretty set of polymer clay tiles from my AuntM. I dressed them up a bit by adding a layer of gold clay to the backs, painting the edges with metallic blue acrylic paint, and sealing the top and edges with Sculpey glaze. Now what to do with them? After stumbling onto some turquoise cube beads, I knew. But while I could see the finished bracelet in my head, I no idea on how to put it together. So the tiles and beads made their way back to AuntM and a bit later they show back up in my mailbox as a finished bracelet - exactly the one I had envisioned. Go figure!A month or two ago I decided I needed to start using up some of the supplies I had on hand to make some actual finished pieces. Plus I was in the mood to work on my wiring skills, a mood that lasted a few weeks and produced several bracelets, necklaces, and even a pair of earrings. This is one of the bracelets.
A few days ago I happened to be wearing the tile bracelet while looking through my "things I've made but haven't decided what to do with yet" box and HUH! Look at that!
Don't they look fabulous worn together? I love it! A one-of-a-kind "set" that was totally unplanned.

Dust Bunnies: Update

The trio were adopted as a group and went to live in the office of an animal emergency clinic. What a great home for them! They shouldn't want for prey there.


But look at that crazy googly-eyed one in the middle, he's pulled his own whiskers out!


Adrianne, you must make sure that poor guy is getting his share of hairballs or you'll have to take him to therapy.

Vampire Dust Bunnies

After trying a snake, a penguin and a dragon (what was I thinking?) I realized - I can't sculpt. But I came across a tutorial (PolymerCafe, Oct. 2008) for making Vampire Dust Bunnies. I loved the idea and since there were step-by-step picture directions I gave it a go. This guy to the left was my first attempt. Cute huh? The tips of his ears got singed while baking but I think that just added to his character.

A week or three later I made the trio below. This time I stuck lots of "fuzzies" in the clay to make them really messy looking, and added a touch of red acrylic paint to the fangs for blood. ;) I used "buck tail" (found at most fishing supply stores) for the tufts of hair on their heads and fishing line for their whiskers. I was afraid the fishing line would melt if I stuck it in the clay before baking so I glued it on afterwards, which for me was the hardest part of making them. Oh, and I used PearlX inside the ears to make them a bit iridescent.

They all traveled to Illinois where one lost his head in transit and another was almost sent to the burn-barrel with the packaging but they all recovered and are reported to be doing a fine job in keeping the Dust Bunny population under control in their new homes.