Curb Furniture Upcycle: Part One

Driving home the other day, AB and I saw a really nice wooden chair at the curb of a nearby house.  Not being one to pass up awesome potential, he stopped and placed the chair in the back of the car.  We sometimes act in haste with our interest, but in turning over a new leaf of being proactive and not letting a project sit, I started in on the chair quickly.  The first step involved a trip to the hardware store to get some paint samples, the chair was already turquoise but it needed a bit of touch up.  Marcel and I spent a nice day on the front lawn repainting the chair.  

But then the real fun began! DYEing of the fibers--

Here are the quick steps for how I ombre dyed my cotton clothesline.

Spin the fiber a hank- without the fancy contraption, you could use your arms or the backs of chairs.

To prevent tangling while dyeing, make ties like this at both ends of the string.

Work on sliding the ends in a figure eight shape around the bulk of the fibers. 

Tie off and repeat at other end. Then remove the skein fibers off the winder.

Soak the skein in water, so that the fibers become saturated.

For cotton fibers, I use Rit Dye, I have a stainless steel container that is labeled as DYE ONLY.  You don't want to eat out the container you use to dye in.  

Mix water, Rit, vinegar and salt (I no longer measure, but you can follow the directions on the package.)  I use a pair of wooden chopsticks to mix and these stay with my dye container, again not to be used for food.  I do place this bowl on the stove on a low heat, for the first 15 minutes of the dye time.  This will help to make the color bolder. 

Allow the excess water to drain from your skein before placing into the dye bath.  I wanted to encourage some seep dyeing and so part of my skein stayed out of the bath, thus creating a bit of an ombre dye look.

Run the skein under water beginning with hot and running progressively colder until the water runs clear.  I then also heat set the dye by placing the skein in the dryer on a dry rack for 45 minutes.  I then allowed the skein to dry completely overnight before continuing to the weaving process. 

Finishing... a difficult thing.

Making and finishing are two completely different things.  I think piling is also a form of making, and I have been piling for a while and now it is time to mine the piles and really put the finishing touches on items.  And what better reason to be encouraged to finish than a deadline?  I have just that... a show in St. Louis at Craft Alliance is looming in the near future and so I mine and refine!

Front of Root Collar

Detail of embroidery and sequins on Root Collar

Back of Root Collar

Rings and Rows Determine Age

            Rings and Rows Determine Age
                Growth of Cells
                Keep the Time
                As Fingers Tapping
                Wood Beat, Heart Strength













And of course now that these pieces are "hang-able" I need a bit of time to digest where all this making is heading.  They are all explorations of the material and the concept of wearable, but outside of that... I have some work to do on the artist statement.

Stacked Pies- Oh My!

In order to provide proper background on this post it is important for readers to know that I have often found myself running in circles of creative individuals.  Sometimes arts creative, and very often food creatives.  Maybe I don't like that whole starving artist thing (said ironically while beginning my liquid diet for today).
During my time at the Pulitzer, there was certainly a shared love of food between staff, artists and even visitors.  I learned about the STL origins of hot and sour pickles from Silas, Lisa schooled my grape nuts into a cookie, lovingly referred to as a Schnut and Sarah found this article on stacked pies.

So it is no surprise that this culinary experiment should coincide with my last fast trip in to the Lou...

Behold, the Stacked Pie! And a nice side of citrus (not pictured is the bacon to help add a little burst of protein.)

Stacked Pie Recipe (as shown):
 All items purchased at Trader Joe's- purely where Sarah works, not a plug.

1 Jar or Carmel
3 Pies (Almond Apricot, Strawberry Rhubarb and Raspberry)

Choose a firm walled pie for the base, we used the Almond Apricot, then layer with carmel and place on the next pie.  Spread another layer of carmel and then carefully add the next pie.  You could use more pies if you choose, just be prepared for some structural issues.

Hot and Sour STL Pickle

1 peppermint stick
1 Hot Pickle (often found at gas station convenience stores)

Bite or cut the end off the pickle, and cram the the peppermint stick down the middle.  Wait for the magic of chemicals to occur, then enjoy.  (I am almost certain that the chemical reaction rips the outer layer off your teeth so be ready to brush following this, or suffer the consequences on your next dental visit.)

Schnutz (aka Schnuck's Grapenuts)
If you don't live near a Schnuck's grocery, any off brand Grapenut Cereal will work well.

1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour (I often use whole wheat)
1/2 Cup of Grapenut Cereal (plus more if you dip the finished cookie in chocolate)
2 tbsp. of OJ Concentrate or Fresh Squeezed Juice
1 tbsp. Orange Zest
1 Egg
1 tsp. Baking Powder

Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Beat the butter, sugar, egg, oj, orange peel until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and baking powder beating until blended.  Stir in the cereal.  Drop 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes.

OPTIONAL:
1/2 Cup dark chocolate morsels
1/2 Cup Grapenuts
After allowing to cool on a rack, you can add what I believe really makes these delicious! Heat the chocolates in a ceramic bowl in the microwave on 50% heat in short intervals. (Burnt chocolate is terrible!) Stir the chocolate until it is a smooth consistency.  Dip a Schnutz half way into the chocolate and then into a bowl of the Grapenuts and allow to cool.

Enjoy!

St.L: The homeland, of sorts

I took a quick recharge trip to St. Louis to see some good friends and see what that great city was up to. The trip included picking up pieces of freshly cut walnut wood, so that the hubbie can carve some pretties.  Thanks to the many people who helped to orchestrate that, you know it really can take a village.  We had to track down a neighbor, check in with owners of the tree, pick up the pieces and have help... but ended up with 4 good size logs.

Then I spent the afternoon exploring Perennial and some other south city haunts with Claire.  Perennial is a super marvelous concept and shop.  Use old stuff to make new and better stuff.  And by stuff I mean useful meaningful items for your life.

Piles waiting to be turned into treasures.

Origami Map Installation hanging from the ceiling.

Supply Cart!!!

At Perennial you can stop in and take a workshop on how to upcycled necessary items for your home.  Check the website in case you are in STL at the time of a pertinent skill!
We also journeyed to another wonderful spot called the Upcycle Exchange, which is a craft supply shop where you can purchase only what you need- AND- you can name your own price.  I didn't go overboard, but the place was pretty fantastic!  Photos to follow of my nifty finds (mostly yarn...)

Next post will also show off the stacked pie party!

Mak-ies

Arts and Crafts

With as much art history and specifically Feminist Art History as I have studied in life, I know that this is an extremely loaded topic for discussion.

I make things. Period. I have found that it is important for me to dedicate my life to making, I don't separate making from my everyday.  Sometimes this takes the form of baking, sometimes it is the repair of a shoelace or other item of clothing.  These skills are the very foundation for repairing and building on sculpture, painting, being, performing, etc.  I no longer find it necessary to separate the two, but instead I make art and I craft my destinations in life with my making.  The importance isn't the what it is in the end but how I got there.  What stories and memories were shared and made along the way.

It is with saying these things that I am about to embark on a new moment in my life; I am leaving the world of Arts Administration (maybe I will get back to it someday).  Mid April I will go back to work in my basement and I will work diligently to produce items for AB&C's Etsy shop.  I anticipate that I will keep building on the blog and hope to grow a small audience of makers and people interested in all things hand-made.

And just to be sure that you understand I am versed in the proper art history to back all this up- "Thanks Judy!"

Wool and Tin Tin Tin

It is tax season and I am pretty much on my own on the weekends.  This has been both a good and a bad thing.  While I have been sticking to business getting to work on some creative ventures, there have also been a few little hunts.  When I say hunts, it is because I enjoy looking through what many may consider junk, in the hopes of finding treasures.  I have a handful of good friends who are with me on this.  The other handful are currently using hand sanitizer just thinking about it.  

Actually I knew that AB and I were going to have a lot in common when we exchanged thrift shop stories.  It was a huge sigh of relief and he has helped me to locate the best spots on the East side of Madison. One of my favorite is the Treasure Mart.

The people watching is wonderful and there are always amazing items and the pricing system is interesting.  The longer an item is there, the more the price goes down.  I marched in yesterday to a full parking lot, which is somewhat abnormal.  Most times it is occupied by me and the ladies who run the T Mart.  I saw many wonderful things, one of which, I wish I had taken a quick Iphone photo of, but alas I didn't.  I will describe to the best of my abilities: The item was a yellow sweatshirt that had been appliqued.  The front had large and small bats seemingly flying around and on the back, was a funky old broad appliqued in different plaid fabrics wearing a rhinestone necklace.  It was extremely well done- kinda of wishing I bought it to wear tomorrow.  

Instead I went home with a new (well old) hat.  The hat is navy wool and fits nicely atop the head. There is a small embellishment on the front right that has a sideways chevron and a little red ribbon.  I am currently contemplating the ensemble that it will be worn with.

My second purchase is really three in one! They might be just a tad on the Donna Dewberry (my only real gripe is her use of styrofoam plates) side, but I really enjoy the colors of the brushstrokes- and it is done by hand.  That is rare these days. 

Three metal tins, one missing a lid handle- so I am sizing it now with a goat's milk lid.  These will hide my sugar, flour and other dry goods.  

And the best part of this shopping experience... well besides the missed opportunity for the best halloween shirt ever... I would say that the free gift of dog treats with the purchase was what made the day.  When I got home, Marcel was on the case and demanded to see his treasure. After, all the "Charlie Bears" are what inspired me to make Marcel's dog treats.

Easy Bread, Think Ahead Bread

Over the winter break, my father handed off a recipe for Homemade Bread.

It is easy, delicious and while I was first insistent that it could be made in whole wheat form, I have since relented and allowed this bread to be as it is.

So here is the final product, but keep in mind that you must think ahead cause this thing needs time to rise!

Day 1:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 cups tap water (luke warm)

I use the kitchen aid mixer with the bread hook attachment.  Place the flour, salt and yeast into the stainless steel bowl.  Mix on low and then add water slowly.  Use a spatula to make sure all the dry flour is incorporated.  Cover the bowl with foil or plastic wrap if you can't stand surprises.  Leave this on the counter for a day.  Do not refrigerate.

In the photo-ed bread we added rosemary because we had some. It went nicely into the mix!

Day 2:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place a covered pot with a lid in the oven (be sure that your pot can handle this- the first thing I tried, changed colors and smoked- we now only use enameled cast iron) and preheat for 30 minutes.  Take out your dough and roll out on flour, and roll into a ball.  At 30 minutes place the dough into the pot and cover.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Then remove the lid and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Pull it out and move to a cooling rack.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  We pop ours into a bag and keep it in the fridge. There are no preservatives in this so eat it fast or keep it in the fridge.

Thanks Dad!