SK On Elderberry

Black and Rust with SK

UPDATE: Modern Master has invited SK to feature her work on their very masterful Cafe Blog

In January.

A quick post in time for the holidays was a fun little gift from Modern Masters. Thanks.

http://modernmasterscafe.com/2014/12/05/diamond-harlequin-patterns-to-inspire/

Yippee! How Fun. Love, Love this stuff. If you have ever been serious about creating unusual work, these are the experts to turn to. Thanks Modern Masters. sk

If She could talk, the tales She would tell!

Because of the size and details, it is obvious this piece started out in a royal home. My ancestors at one time were noble men and had every comfort which life could afford them.

Wars happened. Secrets. Deceit. Whispered stories of jewels sewn in hems of coats. Food wrapped in quilts. Furniture mysteriously disappearing before the siege. Only to appear in my families possession later. And through all these generations, this piece remains. A reminder of what my family cherished. Once a gift given to a wife, by a beloved husband, to contain her wardrobe. Later it became a lauder, to store food. And now 200+ years down through time, it now sits in my humble cottage. With all of it’s tales to tell, she is saying nothing.

What is it about old pieces of furniture that draws us to them? Why do we feel a connection?

I propose to you it is family. We all long to belong. To know about those before us. To know we have ancestors which bore their lot in life with dignity and beauty.

Having an old piece reminds us we are part of a greater plan than just ourselves. We are part of a beautiful chain, called family.

What if you long for this, but you have no lovely piece of furniture? You have no jewelry. No legacy handed down generation after generation. No pictures or photographs? Is there anything you can do?

Absolutely. In steps “ faux.” Faux is the art of making something into what it is not. And why not? Why shouldn't you surround yourself with pieces which make you feel connected and surrounded in time tested beauty and practicality?

True confession… I've only been acquainted with this piece for a month or two. We met at a Goodwill store. My poor piece had suffered the humiliation of being a bedraggled piece that had been marked down, and marked down and marked down because she had gone unsold, unwanted for too long. I picked her up for $7. That is seven dollars. Yes, a ridiculous price for her!

I studied her for a bit. She is solid wood, except for her two side panels. She is so tall, we had to remove her crown molding to get her into my cottage! I studied her, trying to decide what I should do with her. I received lots of suggestions… but none quite fit. I finally just began…and she evolved. Once she was a TV Armoire. Now she is a piece of history….History I never in my wildest imaginings or dreamed I could ever have.

I have put in hours upon hours into this girl. I have had a love/hate relationship with this piece. But I would have to say, coming out on the other end, I have learned a lot.

I have learned I like taking leave of traditional and creating a piece of history, as I dream it could have been.

I learned it’s a great opportunity we each have to create in our home, the atmosphere we want, by using our talents and creativity. Our connection with our past can be enhanced through our creativity.

Create your own personal dream history.

The beginning. $7.99 from a sad little thrift store. 7'5" tall x 4' wide, 2' deep. Heavy and solid wood doors and crown.

These solid oak chairs had seen many years of red velvet and were begging for a facelift. We found them at a thrift store for twenty nine dollars. Score!

With thousands of brass nail heads the dismantling took forever. The fun stuff found under the fabric was disgusting.

The foam was in great condition so I didn't need to replace, which was a gift in itself.

They look like they could have come out of a boudoir in the red light district.

I painted the wood with a Hammered Bronze spray paint from Rustoleom. As I started the silver leafing process I found I liked the random cracked effect better than a solid silver. This cracking shows the bronze undercoat.

Before starting the re-upholstering I painted black canvas with several different diamond black on black coats. After this was dry I began the damask process.