What's good about Mondays?

One of the reasons I love Mondays is-in my part of North Royalton, it's Garbage and Recycling Day! Out with the old, clean out the waste baskets, get rid of the milk jugs, those wonky spring tension rods that are so sprung, they pop in the middle of the night and you grab your table lamp for protection.  Yes, Monday is a great day.

Today, its the day I finally paint over my Union Jack dresser that I proudly painted months ago. IT LOOKED AWESOME! Only thing is...I painted it with the drawers OUT!  Who knew that there was a certain order that the drawers had to be in...in the dresser.  It turned out to be the "American Red Cross Union Drinking-Jack-Daniels-Dresser".  I'll give you a peek at what it looks like for the next 15 minutes.

Another thing I'm up to is [let me insert here that one can't have too many projects in the queue-as in the old "you can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor" well does that mean you can or you can't?] (return to original thought) making SOAP.  I started watching soap videos on youtube a few months ago when I was laid-up and thought what the world could use is "another" soap maker. Ordered my supplies from all over the globe, then found that a big supplier is 5 miles from my house.  In a few weeks, I am putting on my first 'teaching people how to make soap' night, that my friend Lynn, inspired. She is a very rational person (and an artist) and thinks I need to deplete the soap supplies to make way for the gallons and gallons of paint, strippers, acetone, polys, and power tools that would like to hug that space.  The dilemma is...that I have to quick learn how to 'make' soap, in order to 'teach' making soap. Some afternoon this week, when it's pouring, snowing, or too cold to go out; or my eyes are too itchy from sanding, I'm going to pretend to create wonderful, sale-able soaps.  It's something that needs a time-frame beyond my 15 minute interest zone. Every time I hobble past my supply cabinet, wafts of French lavender buds, cranberry seeds and calendula petals, suck me in. There are bottles of essential oils, colorings, molds, goat's milk, glycerin, molds, olive oil, distilled water, an alcohol spritzer and lye, just waiting for my nimble fingers to get busy.

I have to add here that I did dabble in soap making when I initially got the supplies.  Daughter-in-law, Jen's mom, Sandi, is a cancer survivor and I experimented making and packaging pink ribbon soaps to give away at her Relay for Life booth.  Need is a great motivator.

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Two projects I just completed came from two of my supply guys.  The first is from David (Howard's old plumbing partner).  David has a barn where just about anything can be found.  This item was a pretty cool little sort of a pirate's chest, sans hardware and jewels. With much regret, I stripped off its original layers of paint, dirt, and who knows if maybe the remnants of some former creature's home.  I can't take a chance that an item be passed on with lead paint or ancient microbes that might create a health crisis.  Anyhow, here is the gold chest before (2) and after.

No longer available.

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(This probably seems high, because secretly I want to keep it!  When I went with my family to see CATS at the Cassidy-Greenbriar and Memories was sung, I thought it was the most electric moment I ever had in a theatre. Ever. And I am a theatre FREAK.  Give me Les Miz, Phantom, A Little Night Music....)

This little blue box was formerly sort of a little tool box with a clothesline wire handle I got from Ken, my Craigslist-social worker-supplier guy.  I felt it should keep its workhorse persona and added a garage door handle and refinished in blue shades.  Inside, is mounted a Made in the USA, music box movement that plays "Memories" from CATS.

This is all for now.  Remember I promised to work on UJ!