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!