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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

One Man's Trash........

...is my treasure. I went out this morning to pick up some gesso. I wound up at my favorite antique mall. I got this grab bag for four dollars. I bought it because of all of the chains and other bits and bobs, as my English friends would say. They looked like something that I could use in the Steampunk house.

Here's a close up of a few of the items. The gold circle pin is some kind of fine mesh. The bangle bracelet has two beautiful little cameos dangling from it that are about a quarter inch tall. The link bracelet in front of that actually has an aged bronze with some green stuff "growing" on the back....You know. When something has been left in moisture the copper particles turn color. It looks like it could be pretty old. The silver necklace with the scroll work is a complete necklace, but the finish has worn off, leaving it a very dull metal. Can you tell that I am a little excited with the find? I am.

Last night Walter came in from the garage with a remote control that no longer has a TV to control...It was in pieces. He is always on the lookout for parts for my mad experiments. I got lots of little pieces from the inside of that too. I am on a roll.

When I got home with the gesso this morning, I started priming and sealing the house. Sasha asked yesterday, in a comment, what kind of primer I use on my houses. Gesso is my weapon of choice. I have used it since art classes in college. It goes onto wood kind of uneven and streaky looking. The wood soaks it up, giving it a lasting seal. If you have never used it, I guess I should go into a little more detail. Nowadays it is acrylic. The kind that I use is about the consistency of toothpaste. You have to use a fairly stiff brush to spread it. The nice thing about it is that it fills in all of the little imperfections in the wood. The ceiling of the living room and the dinning room looked like that particular piece of wood had worm holes in it. Seriously! Now you couldn't tell that they were there. It also fills in some of the tab and slot areas if they aren't to big. It can also be laid on more heavily to look like plaster.

It doesn't always look like it covered well after the first coat, but if it's painted with the gesso it is sealed. After one coat, I lightly sand. Usually that is enough to get it ready to either paint or paper. Needless to say, I have a long, long way to go.

I found a website a few days ago that has some really neat Steampunk Wallpapers for your computer screen. I had trouble choosing the one that I liked best. It really puts me in the mood to work on the house. If you would like one, go here. http://steampunkwallpaper.com/ There are about 130 different ones to choose from and they are already in different sizes for full screen or wide screen.

Now I have to try go back to work. This morning Tessie introduced Reggie to the dragon of choice.... They keep buzzing my head! Who's got the fly swatter?


See you tomorrow!

9 comments:

Debbie said...

Wow Casey what a fabulous find, all those lovely bits and bobs. I'm sure your come up with something very interesting out of that lot.
Tessie seems very smitten with Reggie. She she's still up the front! LOL...

nikkinikkinikki72 said...

Lol at Debbie.
Casey, you could use the moon face pendant as a windchime.
Really like your find today and i'd have done the same and bought it.
Well done also with your house so far.
Did you make the dragon in this posting. If so then i think its fab and love it.

pussman and co said...

There are some lovely things in that lot.
I like the blue stone:)

Sasha said...

Loving all your jewelry finds! Can't wait to see what you do with them.

Thanks for the info on Gesso. I've got a bottle of it, but I don't think mine is as thick as yours - I haven't found my stuff works very well. Mine is more like the consistency of regular acrylic paint. I'll have to look out for the brand you use.

Caseymini said...

Debbie, chances are that Tessie will stay up front!
Nikki, no I didn't make the dragon. I got him at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show last year. My husband bought him for me as a birthday present. That's how he shops for my birthday. I pick it out and he buys it.
Pussman, the blue stone is actually a piece of glass with some kind of foil behind it. It is still really pretty. The setting is some kind of cheap metal.
Sasha, try leaving the gesso open for a day or two. It should thicken up. I have done that with it a time or two when I got some that wasn't very thick. Some brands are the consistency of cream.The one that you see in the photo can sometimes be too thick. I just add water and mix well when I want it thinner. That's faster than using the thin and waiting for it to thicken.

Caseymini said...

Debbie, chances are that Tessie will stay up front!
Nikki, no I didn't make the dragon. I got him at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show last year. My husband bought him for me as a birthday present. That's how he shops for my birthday. I pick it out and he buys it.
Pussman, the blue stone is actually a piece of glass with some kind of foil behind it. It is still really pretty. The setting is some kind of cheap metal.
Sasha, try leaving the gesso open for a day or two. It should thicken up. I have done that with it a time or two when I got some that wasn't very thick. Some brands are the consistency of cream.The one that you see in the photo can sometimes be too thick. I just add water and mix well when I want it thinner. That's faster than using the thin and waiting for it to thicken.

Caseymini said...

Debbie, chances are that Tessie will stay up front!
Nikki, no I didn't make the dragon. I got him at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show last year. My husband bought him for me as a birthday present. That's how he shops for my birthday. I pick it out and he buys it.
Pussman, the blue stone is actually a piece of glass with some kind of foil behind it. It is still really pretty. The setting is some kind of cheap metal.
Sasha, try leaving the gesso open for a day or two. It should thicken up. I have done that with it a time or two when I got some that wasn't very thick. Some brands are the consistency of cream.The one that you see in the photo can sometimes be too thick. I just add water and mix well when I want it thinner. That's faster than using the thin and waiting for it to thicken.

Katie said...

I can't wait to see how you use them! So many treasures! :)

JDayMinis said...

Just loved seeing all the jewelry pieces that were in the bag. Great finds, I enjoy the sorting part the best and the dreaming. ♥