Thrift Store Thursday

Hello, I'm back with another installment of thrift store goodies. There are a couple of thrift stores near my workplace, so occasionally over lunch I'll take a quick run through one of them. Recently I found this:

Now why, you may ask, did I buy this? Is it because I collect this pattern and had been longing to find the last, elusive piece to complete the set? Sweet thought, but no. Perhaps I know someone else who broke her sugar bowl? That would be noble, but again no. Of course! I collect sugar bowls, and thought this would be a nice addition? Nice, but wrong again.

The reason I bought this sugar bowl is because a while back, I thought it would be fun to gather, bit by bit, a mismatched set of china. Pick up nearly any copy of Country Living magazine and you'll see what I mean. Tastefully arranged tables for tea parties or summer luncheons all with mismatched china, glassware and silverware. Now it becomes clear to you. You imagine me sending out carefully handcrafted invitations and thoughtfully choosing my menu. The morning of the party, I go into my English country garden and select the freshest flowers to fill my mismatched vases. The table is laid with vintage linens, and my reclaimed china. My guests arrive, and we enjoy a leisurely afternoon, sipping freshly squeezed lemonade and eating buttermilk cake adorned with lightly sweetened berries and topped with a dollop of hand-whipped cream. Lovely, isn't it?

[Insert crash back to reality]

Actually, I'll probably just have fun with them here at home, using them whenever the mood strikes. So far, I only have a few plates and a sugar bowl. Not exactly impressive, but every collection starts somewhere!

Without Ceasing

Here is another of the pieces I made while the energy was burning high. I've had a lot of phrase snippets floating around in my head that I'd like to get into concrete form, so I expect that this may turn into a series. These bright colors seem exactly right to me just now. So much of what I've done in the past has had an old world feel. I still like that look a lot, but maybe the warmer weather is influencing me in color choice. I could spend hours layering paint and ink! There is really no way to mess this up - you can always cover everything with a fresh layer of paint. I like the depth that comes from peeks of previous layers showing through.

"Without Ceasing" and "Stand  Firm" were both done on canvas, utilizing miscellaneous papers glued down as the first layer. I've also done this technique before on the covers of discarded books. I love the idea of breathing new life into something that otherwise seems of little value. Yet another way to recycle! It occurred to me the other day that I could do the same thing while leaving the book intact. I'm excited to give that a try to see how it turns out.

I've toyed with the idea of setting up an Etsy shop to see if anyone would be interested in purchasing any of my work. I also would like to donate some pieces to the annual camp auction for Flaming Pine Youth Camp. I have given previous pieces as gifts, but I always worry that the recipient may feel obligated to "make nice" while cringing inside!

For me, this represents a beautiful string of pearls. Everything about this art exploration makes a happy song in my heart!