The Flying Clubhouse

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Summer Thrifts and DIYs

This necklace holder is an older thrifted-DIY. I put it together several years ago and just painted it black a few months ago. It's been a great organizer, though. I like having all my necklaces on display - it makes it easier to choose one. It also looks nice on the wall. This display only has 9 places and I limit my necklaces to its capacity.

I can't take credit for the idea of using screw eyes in corks on a frame. I saw many necklace displays like this from various sources, and since I had all these components, it inspired me to create something similar.

I acquired a gaudy thrift store frame, removed the glass, mat, and contents, and cleaned it.

I glued a small piece of sturdy cardboard to the back of the frame, and after it dried, I glued the corks in place. After the corks dried, I added three screw-eyes per cork.

Guys - I'm a terrible DIY'er. I can't remember the glue I used to put this together. It may have been wood glue. But the display started coming apart a few month later and I repaired it with an epoxy glue. It's been sturdy ever since.

Here's my vintage swimsuit for the summer. The print is so not my style, (can I paint this black?) but I love the fit so much I can look past the neon colors. I've dyed over swimsuits before, but with the print and all the colors I'm pretty sure I'd end up with something weird and muddy. Anyway, it's still kind of cute.

I turned some thrifted jeans and shorts into light-wash cutoffs. My favorite jeans are skinny and dark, but my favorite shorts are just the opposite - light and over-sized. You probably know how to cut off your own jeans - if you want - and if not, there are plenty of tutorials online. But I've been doing it for years and just realized I could distress the hem more efficiently by using a box cutter (with a light touch).

I've heard the best way to get an even light wash on denim is to use bleach, but I don't like messing with bleach much, so I used Rit Color Remover. This type of color remover is not made for the indigo used in jeans, but it still lightened mine and left them splotchy, which I think is a great look for cutoffs, so I recommend using the color remover if you don't mind experimenting and getting uneven results.

Please share your favorite summer thrifts and diys in the comments, because I'd love to hear about them and am always looking to be inspired. I apologize for not always responding quickly here. I really do appreciate your comments. I usually see things and respond sooner on Instagram.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Spring Uniform and Jupiter Time

Steven and I took spring break to pet-sit Jupiter. He's about 10 months old now. This was the most time we spent with him since he showed up on our door step last August. He was adopted by my parents and they love him. He also thinks they're the greatest people. He's not a fan of cuddling or sitting on laps, but he wants to be with his people and watch what they're doing at all times. He's motto is "Don't tell me what to do." That's our boy. We're very proud of him.

This post also features my spring uniform, which you might call "The Daria," a boxy jacket, black skirt, and clompy boots. Everything is second-hand but my shirt and Dr. Martens. My bangs are ridiculous here because I did not pack my hairdryer and thought I could get away with just a straightener. So much for going minimalist with my hair routine. Maybe it's time to grow them out (again)?

I loved seeing Dad's plant babies. When Jupiter went to live with my parents they put all their house plants outside and in the garage. Some of these plants are non-toxic to cats, but they didn't want to risk it because Jupiter is into everything. I could absolutely seeing him eat an entire spider plant in one sitting. Now that it's summer, Dad's trying to bring the plants back to life. It looks like he's doing a great job. He's certainly done a great job raising Jupiter.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Spring 2019

Here are some shots from this spring. I've tried to catch the recent mood. I'm very happy that thunderstorms are back.

This past winter, we've done some major decluttering. Many knick-knacks have gone, but an item that remains is our old thrift store globe. One of the best things about decluttering is seeing a clearer version of your style emerge when the weeds are pulled. I like the weird grandma-thrifted vibe of our living space.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Oil and Cold Wax Mixed Media

In the past few weeks I've been adding more drawing elements in my cold wax paintings, using more oil pastels, oil paint sticks, and even experimenting with charcoal, soft pastels, and graphite. It's very freeing, and scratches and old drawing itch of mine. I feel like I'm getting back to my roots. Making marks by scraping into the surface of paintings has been a frequent practice of mine, but I love having both additive and reductive marks in my scruffy pieces - which I've been painting mostly in pairs.

I'll often start a mixed cold wax media painting on panel with gesso and acrylic paints, then I'll add a layer of clear gesso before starting with the oil and cold wax medium. It provides a nice grip for the top layers.

The last few weeks have also been a time for finishing old oil paintings I started a long time ago. The square one - oil on canvas, 16x16, is available in my shop. The painting directly above still has a long time to dry.

Hope you're having a creative April!

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Recent Studio Work

Just sharing some of my recent paintings. These were all inspired by the color mauve and the muted November scene, and they were painted on Dura-lar. Dura-lar is a polyester paper that's incredible archival and tough. I paint on the matte version and I love they way it receives acrylic paint.

I've listed a bunch in my shop just in time for December.