Projects, projects

While I haven't been doing much artwork, I have kept busy with artsy-craftsy projects at the new house.

We have discovered that our new neighborhood is a wealth of yard sales every weekend. Look what I found today. Cute little wicker chair, just Sofi's size, but painted a dreary tan.

I spray-painted it and like the new color better. I think I need to make a little cushion for the seat.

I think this little chair will live at my house for visiting children.

I have been saving wine corks for many years. I am finally putting together the bulletin board I've had in my mind. It is on the door of a closet in my utility room, and visible from the kitchen.

It looks like it is going to require about 500 corks, which I am hot gluing one at a time. Hope I have enough—we may have to start drinking lots more wine if not! A purist might use only real cork corks, but I am including all those new-fangled plastic corks as well. The push pins work equally well on both kinds. As I glue these on I am trying to glue them to show the name and/or graphics on the corks. I notice there are a lot of Charles Shaw corks! That's the cheap Trader Joe's brand, also known as "two buck Chuck." We are not wine snobs—we try most anything short of Boone's Farm and Ripple. (Do those still exist?) There are also quite a few Smoking Loon brand corks. Those are the orange plastic ones that say, "Whooo, Whooo, Whooo, Cough, Whooo..." I confess I buy it for the label. Greatest wine label ever, in my opinion. Anyway, aren't all those corks pretty? I just love them.

Here's a finished project.

This is also in the utility room. This little countertop was covered in chipped blue formica. Last week I tiled it, using some tiles I got at the rebuilding center and some Mexican tiles with fruits and vegetables on them. I've been hauling those Mexican tiles around for years. I knew I'd find a use for them someday. The string bag holds some of my cork stash. Sometimes being a packrat pays off.