Recycled Brown Paper Bag Dresser

In an effort to keep the brood fed and clothed I have been re-doing vintage furniture and making jewelry to sell at farmers markets for years, its lots of fun....especially if you have a hoarder gene like I do... and it allows a parent to always be available when the kids need one.  Even if said parent is constantly covered in paint, saw dust, and acrylic sealer!

Here is one of my pieces that makes use of recycled paper bags!  First the before, a thrift store find that was really hideous.

 



 

Thick brown latex over orange over who knows what.... no hardware, yuck....but I'm kinda a furniture visionary,  I could sense its inner beauty.  OK, just kidding... it was super cheap, but well built; ugly but quality bones,  I can work with that. 

If I was one of those awesome bloggers that documents everything with amazing pictures I would now show you the pictures of stripping all the gunk off, sanding, priming and repairing.

Then I would have some great pictures of a stack of brown paper shopping bags before they are torn up and soaked in acrylic medium and carefully applied to the dresser.

Next I would have pictures of the special paint that has iron grindings in it that I then oxidize to create the rusted trim.

Finally there would be pictures of my stockpile of vintage drawer pulls that I rummaged through to select the eclectic mix of mismatched pulls on the chest. 

But, I'm not that cool yet so I'll just skip to the finished product

A recycled brown paper bag dresser, with rusted trim and eclectic pulls.  Seriously, a buyer from Anthropology should discover me!

 

 

 



I love how the paper almost looks like leather, and the rust makes it look kinda industrial.   I will have this piece at the Fremont Sunday market this week!  Thanks for looking!



Happy Homemaker

So earlier in the week we were at the dentist with the kids and Hot Mama was filling out all the paperwork for insurance while I wrangled the kids in the lobby.  This was really a treat because it has been years since we were both at any appointment with the kids at the same time. 

This meant that I didn't  have to hold one kid down with my foot while a sat on another to fill out the paperwork.  I was thinking to myself this is so nice and sat down next to Hot Mama as she finished the forms and notice that she had listed my occupation as.....homemaker.....

Agh! Why are you filling that out in pen?  I can't erase that now!  "What are you talking about?"  she asked me.  "I know all the birth dates."

Immediately images of this came into my mind:

Someone please save me if this is how my wife sees me!  When you say homemaker in relation to a man there is no good image that comes to mind!!

"Homemaker, really?'' I asked.

I got the one raised eyebrow that said,  I was a  homemaker for years and if you are going to tell me that there is something wrong with being a homemaker I'm gonna let you have it,  because its a hard, important job and if your gonna try to minimize that by saying because your a guy you can't be a homemaker then bring it on....you wanna have that fight right here?

Yes, she really can say that much in just a look.

"OK" I say, "then can you at least change the spelling to homemakgrrrrr?  I can be nurturing and dangerous right?"

It was then we were called back for tartar scraping so I had to leave it at that.

Later when we got home I told the older kids that Hot Mama had list me as a homemaker on the paperwork.

Megs says "ewww, gross flower print dresses, and baking bread!"

Exactly, nobody wants to look at their dad and think that,  the dress anyway, they love it when I bake bread.

Megs, "maybe kid wrangler, but not homemaker"

Kid wrangler?  Nurturing... possibly dangerous...I'll consider it.

Anyway, for years I have been leaving that portion of insurance forms blank, and I fill out a lot of those forms, for just this reason.  I can't reconcile what I do as a .......homemaker with the girlie image that goes along with that title.

Might be time to just get over it.

The truth is I do all the things that go along with being a person who makes a home, much of that mundane and laborious and some miraculous,  and I'm proud of that.  And if I really look at the day to day of it all it doesn't have a gender.  The last time I was scrubbing hard water rings out of the toilets I wasn't thinking "wow this is kind of girlie".   And I'm not sure, but I think Hot Mama finds it attractive when I slip into a apron and bake up some bread in my perfectly clean kitchen.

Being a homemaker means love and service, to your family and friends.  Making your home a place that they want to be, that they feel safe and loved.  A home that you and your family always want to come back to.

True, I sometimes mess this up by freaking out that they are all slobs that never pick up after themselves after I have spent the whole day "homemaking"....

But I'm a homemakgrrrr, nurturing....and dangerous.

Market Preview!

Here is a peek at some of the great furniture that I will be taking to the Fremont Sunday market tomorrow.  I am taking a big truck so this is just some of the great stuff that will be there!

See you there! 

P.S.
I can ship to anywhere in the USA, so if you see something you like let me know.

Just Speak Calmly....

Yesterday I had to make a trip to the craft store to replenish some supplies for a batch of jewelry I'm making for market.  Usually not a big deal, half hour trip, even if I have a bunch of babies in tow.

Most of the time when I go to a store with lots of little ones I get lots of "your brave" or "oh, dad is babysitting today" and honestly a lot of "wow, your kids are very well behaved" This was not one of those days.

I knew I was pushing it.  The kids are all getting over sore throats and sniffles, they were tired, but I really needed to get some stuff and I was already out after dropping Buggy off at dance so I went for it.

I was in the bead isle when things started to go wrong.  I had just found the clearance section and was rooting through the bargains like I was looking for truffles and Jack-Jack started crying.  Bitsy had taken his bottle away. Jack-Jack was in the child seat part of the cart and Bitsy was in the basket, Cardo Man was walking; and I had already told him about 21 times not to stand on the edge of the cart, he could tip it over. 

Anyway I told Bitsy to give Jack-Jack is bottle back and she did, after she used her teeth to rip the nipple off.  I didn't catch is little act of defiance until Jack-Jack started crying again when he dumped the entire contents of the bottle in his own face, soaking himself and the floor under us.

I say, "Bitsy, that is not nice, give me the rest of Jack-Jacks bottle."

"no! you can't say it to me!"

"Bits, give it to me please" (just speak calmly Capable)

"NO!"

At this point she throws the nipple at me and a bottle of red paint I had put in the cart earlier and begins to howl!

Keep in mind that Jack-Jack is continuing to scream his little head off because he is soaked in milk and his precious nipple is missing.

It is now that Cardo Man switches from "Can we buy this? Can we buy this? Can we buy this?" to "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad...."

"Cardo wait a minute..."

Cardo bouncing up and down on his toes "DAD, MY POOP IS COMING OUT!"

Really?

I have a milk soaked screamer, a paint throwing screamer and one who's "poop is coming out"  and a extremely young sales associate asks  "Hi, can I help you find something?'

Yes, yes you can ,I need about 10 more pounds of patience and you might need to get a mop because we just spilled milk all over the floor....and my boy taking a dump next to the milk puddle....Sorry.....smile.

As we are running to the bathroom Bitsy's tantrum has continued to escalate to the point where she starts to slap at her own face so I need to restrain her hands.  We make it to the bathroom before the poop comes out but now we are in a strange bathroom and the little prairie dog has gone back into the burrow, ugh.  It is really echoey in the bathroom and Bits has now switched from a wailing cry to just a wahhhh, wahhhh, wahhh cry of rage.  Jack decides that sounds pretty cool in the bathroom so he joins in. 

Cardo man finally does his business but now Jack-Jack is trying to stand up in the cart and fall to the floor.  So I end up with Jack-Jack over one arm and balancing cardo over one knee while I wipe his hiney with the other hand.  (note: at home he can wipe his own hiney but this public toilet was just too far off the ground and the seat was too wide for him to do it without touching the toilet seat to prevent falling in, and I have a problem with little hands on public toilets seats, so I did the wiping, don't judge....there are germs!) Bitsy, still yelling.  While am washing my hands I see Cardo in the mirror going to stand on the edge of the cart, AGAIN!  I seriously told him about a gazillion times not to.  I whip out my super ninja moves as the cart starts to go over, and catch the basket of toppling babies.  This scares Jack-Jack and he is once again crying, and I am getting there myself.

We come out of the bathroom and it appears they have assigned the young sales associate to follow the crazy guy with the yelling kids through the store.  This just firmed my resolve to finish this shopping trip no matter what.

15 minutes later with kids still yelling we head to the register to check out, you know the only register open with the brand new cashier who can't figure out how to ring the coupon and then calls the manager who is on break so you get to know your line neighbors, yeah that register. 

 My kids have been yelling for about 20 minutes in this store, still are yelling, and the people in line are thinking "Just get out of here!"  The group of three elderly asian ladys behind me are shaking their heads and pointing fingers, there faces are pity, dissapointment, and angry accusing shame.....stop looking at me!

The general consensus of the store staff and shoppers is clearly this guy is not qualified.

That's when its my turn to pay, the cashier asks are you a member of our rewards program?  No, I am not.  She gives me the little talk, I say OK, sign me up (you do get a coupon for $5 off).

She asks something else, Bitys is still yelling so  I say sorry what?  Oh, email address.

Now she can't hear me and says sorry would you repeat that I didn't catch that email...

So I stand there with milk spilled down the front of me, breaking a stress sweat from the screaming and the rest of the line just wanting me to go away.  I pause, look at her and then all the customers behind me watching my little struggle; and in a very loud,  but very calm voice I say;

"Its  CAPABLE......FATHER......AT.....G......MAIL DOT COM."

Cashier, raised eyebrow.

Me, "well, most days anyway." 

And collect my $5 coupon.

Block Print Paper Dresser Makeover

Dresser makeover!  Here is the before;

OK, so not so great at this point.  I look at it in the picture and understand why the people at the Goodwill were looking at me suspiciously when I saw the $20 price tag and threw my body across the top of it and yelled mine, mine, mine!

Just kidding, kind of, I did sit on it and refuse to move until I had a sold ticket.  Thrifting can be competitive....hoarders will do just about anything to get their fix. 

Anyway, I had the kids with me and it takes forever to get something loaded into your car at the Goodwill if you wait for the employees to help you; so I used what I call my "Grapes of Wrath Caravan Method."  This is where I balance the large piece of furniture on a cart, (no, for real) and then put Jack-Jack, Bitsy, and Cardo in another cart.  Then you push a cart and pull a cart.  Have I mentioned that I carry bungee cords in my diaper bag just for this?  I'm sure people are wondering if I'm walking home, and if the dresser is good enough, I would!  I would like to include a picture of this someday but I don't have eight hands.

Well, our thrifting side show made it home with the dresser and the work began, scraping the stickers off......I have scraped sooo many stickers off furniture that I rarely let them in my home, my kids are sticker deprived.  Cardo did bring some airplane stickers home from school the other day that I failed to intercept.  He says Dad close your eyes I have surprise and leads me to my room (oh boy, this could be really sweet or maybe the chihuahua pooed and the floor and someone walked through it).
Surprise!  "I decorated your bed with my stickers!"

Airplane stickers all over my headboard, thanks buddy.......

Sorry, sidetracked, here are the in process pics;

Sanded, primed and the first couple coats of gloss white paint.

I'm making an effort to always wear a dust mask, the older kids say that all the dust is making me dumber. I don't know if that is why I can't help them with their math homework after 5th grade.  I rough the finish up with steel wool between each coat of paint to get good adhesion between layers, this makes the paint job durable for years.

I chose a selection of handmade, hand block printed papers for this dresser with a floral theme, then aligned them in strips across the drawers.  Then its lots of layers of acrylic!

Finished Product!

This dresser is currently available. Message me for details, Thanks!

I Want A Flower

My sweet little Cardo Man had to make yet another trip to the dentist today.  This was one of many trips he has had to make to correct some oral issues that he has had.  He has even endured oral surgery at his young age. 

For me this would be enough to hate going to the dentist, he however takes it all in stride and goes happily.   He is a little charmer and has all the staff wrapped around his little finger with his brave attitude and smiling face within a matter of minutes.

Here he is in the chair today.

He is confident enough now to give the hygenist and dentist instructions on how to do things the right way.  Kindly of course, they might be new at this, right?

After the trip to the dentist it was off the the pharmacy for some meds for his upcoming procedures next week.  Hot Mama told him he was such a great boy at the dentist he could pick a treat for himself while they were at the store.

Guess what he picked.... candy, a toy, chocolate milk.....

No, he picked flowers.

I love this boy.  When we go to the store he loves to bring flowers home for Hot Mama and this time he thought he needed some.

He does have a practical side, when they were in line to pay he saw the gum and asked Hot Mama if he could have some gum.  She said you can have one treat, whatever you choose.  If you want to put your flowers back you can have gum. 

A moment of consideration and then "No, I want my flowers, I'll get gum when they die."

Bug paper Dresser Makeover

Papered dresser makeover, here it is done.  I loved the paper, dahlias are Hot Mama's favorite and there are dragon flys and wasps in the paper.  Its kind of a ugly / beautiful thing that I like do with pieces.

Here it is to start with, thrift store find great lines but boring.  For you don't ever paint wood people there were several places that the stain had sun bleached and lets face it the world is over populated with wood dressers - you all have one!  Now dressers with bugs and flowers on the drawers that's rare.

I'll skip the pictures of all the sanding and priming, for one they are boring and I don't want you to judge my hoard that was in the back of the sanding pictures.  I did end up painting it on my kitchen island so that I could make sure none of the kiddos escaped the house or played with sharp objects.

Next step is to cut the paper to size and apply to the drawers. This involves soaking the paper in a acrylic solution to expand the paper fibers, putting that on the drawer,  smoothing, out all the air bubbles then letting that dry.  Light sand with fine steel wool between 3 additional coats of acrylic.  Finally I sand the edges of the drawers to remove any paper edges that aren't perfectly smooth and a final coat of acrylic.  The whole thing usually takes several days with drying time.

Drying drawers waiting for a final coat of acrylic.

Ta-Da, the completed dresser posing for her after pictures.  Makes me happy......until I notice i switched the drawers in the picture and the pattern on the paper doesn't match up, Oh well.

You will be glad to know that she went home with a nice couple at the Fremont Market today.  They were kind enough to bring me their ugly dresser they had been using as a donation to my makeover ugly furniture effort.  I love Fremont shoppers, thanks guys!