Screen Door is Always Open-A Peek-a-Boo Project

As stated in my last post I grew up in Pennsylvania in the countryside. Our family homestead was sold in 2021 after the passing of my mum. Before I moved in our condo, I had a screen door from the property that was rescued from the woodshed before it was tore down in 2019. All that remains is a photograph of my grandfather sitting on the front porch of their humble home with that screen door behind him. Memories linger on long after the properties or the touchstone keepsakes have departed. My momma had an open door policy, but it wasn't known as that back in day. They are the inspiration for this artwork.

Supplies:  GSLC Acorn Border Set, GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, GSLC Fern Fronds, GSLC Honeycomb & Bees Small, Variety Acrylic Paints, Bookboard, Magazine Picture, Sanding block, TH Distress Stains-Blue, Brown, Yellow, Vintage Screen Door Reproduction, Transparencies of Stained Glass Panels, Heavy Gel Matte,

1.  Gather your supplies.

2.  Use a variety of acrylic paints to paint GSLC Acorn Border Set, GSLC Queen Anne's Lace, GSLC Fern Fronds, and GSLC Honeycomb & Bees Small.

3.  Cut a piece of Bookboard, for the Section of  Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction you Will be Using.

4.  Find a Magazine Picture you find Pleasing.

5.  Use a Sanding Block to Add Patina and Scratches.

6.  Use TH Distress Stain to Highlight Areas you Have Distressed.

7.  Decide on How you Would Like to Arrange Your GSLC Painted Pieces.

8.  Make Transparency Copies of Stained Glasses you Will Use for Top Panels of Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction and a Stain Glass Pattern for the Larger Portion.

9.  Use Golden Heavy Gel Matte to Attach GSLC Painted Pieces.

10.                Use Double Sided Tape to Attach Prepared Pieces to the Small Vintage Screen Door Reproduction.

Some Final Thoughts.

A screen door on a porch seems so enchanting to me. The screen door on my parents back porch was well worn and often left open much to my momma's chagrining. You could hear her calling "Close that door were your born in a barn? You'll let the flies in!"

Strange the memories that stick, the childhood embarrassments of being from the wrong side of the tracks or not as affluent of those living in the towns, become the badges of grace and gratitude in our older years. I'm thankful for my upbringing and the values I grew up knowing.

 My momma always said anyone was welcome into our home as long as they did not mind the mess. We were not fancy people and never ones to try to impress our neighbors. My parents never had a credit card, if we didn't have cash to pay for it we didn't need it.

Our garden was not planted just for us was always plenty to share, our kohlrabi, rhubarb patch, and beets were favorite of many who would stop by. Growing up going to a small Baptist Church-where mom was on the flower committee, it was with pride that we would carry the wildflower mixed bouquets up the alters before anyone arrived and we always ask who were gonna give the flowers to after the service.  Momma was certain our bouquets were prettier than those who bought them from a florist. If were ever given a casserole or a pie we never returned the dish empty but always  added a treat of our own. It was the philosophy of "leaving it better than your found it, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all, and please and thank you."

 "If the sight  of blue skies fill you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you, if the simple things of nature has a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive." Eleonora Duse

 "Be thankful for what you have. Appreciate the small and simple things."Kyle Carpenter

 We have found that if we are happy with the ordinary we do not need the extravagances that other believe will make them happy, the better job, the bigger house, the prettier lover, the expensive vacations, the list goes on and on. We have two things we like to do each weekend we are home Sushi Saturday and Challah Bagels on Sunday Morning. These two pleasures make the worst of weeks bearable and worth the effort to endure.

 

Clothesline Contemplations-A Peek-A-Boo Project

 

As I have written before my momma passed away in 2018, but I think if her often and honor her in my artwork and disposition. She was an avid gardener and loved looking through her flower gardens spotting any new blooms. The first flowers to bloom would be the tiny white snowdrops followed quickly by the tiny blue spring beauties. Added to our springtime bouquets would eventually be lily-of-the valley in both pink and white, bleeding hearts of similar shades, pussy willow, and crab-apple blossoms. We had a very unique childhood growing up along the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains part of the much larger Appalachian Mountains. For many years of my childhood Wednesday or Saturday was laundry day, using an ancient wringer washer, an improvement from a washboard and a crick,  and then hanging our well-worn clothes on the clothesline to dry in the fresh spring air. This is the inspiration for this artwork

 Supplies:  GSLC 4 Inch Cage with Solid Back, GSLC Bird on a Swing Shape Set, GSLC Wild Flowers Negative, GSLC Cherry Blossom Branch, GSLC Floral Lace Panel, Decorative Washboard Reproduction, Acrylic Paints-Grey, Turquoise, Titan Green Pale, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, Interference Blue (Fine), Neon Orange, Neon Blue,  Gold Design Cream Paint, TH Distress Stains Shabby Shutters and Rusty Hinge, Alcohol Inks-Green, Brown, Yellow, Blue, Bookboard, Neon Highlighters, Metallic Sharpies, Liquid Pearls, Vintage French Script, Golden Heavy Gel Matte, Plastic Pallet Knife, Paintbrush, Cinnamon, Chili Powder, Green Ground Cover Powder, Cheap Hair Spray

1.  Gather Supplies 

2.  Use a variety of Acrylic Paints and a Small Plastic Pallet Knife to Age Decorative Washboard Reproduction- I Used- Grey, Turquoise, Titan Green Pale, and Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold

3.  Fill in Empty Spaces with TH Distress Stain Shabby Shutters.

4.  Use Alcohol Inks to Stain and Patina Silver Portion of Washboard.

5.   Cut a Piece of Book Board to fit Into Top Portion of Washboard. Add Vintage French Script to Top Panel.

6.  Use Highlighters, Metallic Markers, and Liquid Pearls to Color, GSLC Wild Flowers Negative and GSLC Cherry Blossom Branch

7.  Use Gold FolkArt Design Cream and Interference Blue (Fine) Paint to Color GSLC Floral Lace Panel and Top Panel.

8.  Add TH Distress Stain Rusty Hinge to Enhance the Patina of Vintage French Script. Tear and Add Strips to Top Panel and Back of GSLC 4 Inch Cage with Solid Back.

9.  Use Variety of Acrylic Paints to Color GSLC 4 Inch Cage with Solid Back and GSLC Bird on a Swing Shape Set.

10.                Use Heavy Gel Matte to Assemble Your Project.

    

11.                While Still Wet Add Nutmeg, Chili Powder, And Green Ground Cover to Make it Look More Vintage and Aged.

Some Final Thoughts.

I used the word crick in my opening paragraph referring to a creek or small stream. These are a  few more childhood words that may or may not be familiar to you.

Pert 'near-pretty near, almost; Shush- Quiet Down; Mess of- A bowl of or a bushel of; Red Things Up-Tidy Up; Sweep the Floor-Vacuum; Firehouse Wedding-just what you might think it means; gum bands-Rubber bands; Longjohns-Long underwear; Pocketbook-Purse; gunky-gross or not desirable; wooder-water; Gesundheit-Bless You after a sneeze; Cucky-weird; Djeetyet-Did You Eat?

Foods: Shoofly Pie, Whoopie Pies, Scrapple, Souse, Game Meat, Funnel Cakes, Cracklings, Birch Beer, Sarsaparilla Soda, Teaberry Ice Cream, Hoagies, Pierogies, Tastykakes, Ring Bologna, Red Beet Eggs, Dippy Eggs, Chicken and Waffles