Thursday, April 08, 2010

Cheater


Yeah, so I'm a cheater.  What caused me to stray?  Paint.  Yup, paint.  You see, I made a New Year's resolution to refrain from buying any craft supplies for the year.  I did this because while organizing my workspace, I realized that I have a huge amount of craft supplies.  Huge.  Huge, but lacking a certain kind of paint that I have been wanting.  I thought I could do without it, but it turns out I couldn't.  So I bought paint.  I'm sorry.

But, here's why I bought paint...  I used to make wool acorns.  Gobs and gobs of wool acorns.  And I liked them.  But after a while, gobs and gobs of other people started making wool acorns too, and I was feeling a little burnt out so I decided to stop making acorns.  Recently I was thinking about an idea I had in my sketchbook that involved painting acorn caps and decided to go for it.  Given that I have a love of patina and rust, and a pretty hefty curiosity, this was a natural progression for me.  It was bound to happen. 

(On the upside, I did go 4 months without buying supplies, and I don't intend to completely abandon my attempt to make my workspace more *work* space and less *storage* space.) 


I've painted my acorn caps with metal paint and encouraged them to oxidize and change.  What I really love is that they will continue to change over time.  The iron paint will change from gray to brown, the copper will mellow like a penny, and the gold will begin to look more like antique gold.  How cool is that?

I haven't limited myself to painting acorn caps.  A number of items in my home now boast a layer of rusting and verdigris-ing (totally made that word up) paint.


The acorns will be making an appearance in my shop tomorrow. 

I hope you'll forgive my transgression and check them out.

12 comments:

Sonia / COZY MEMORIES said...

ahah transgression forgiven, silly girl !! :P
these are awesome, and I totally understand you felt burnt out when so many other people made felt acorns, just like you. I would have been pi**ed off, if not worse. But you are smart, so smart, girl, and these new acorns are delightful ! And original !
oooh I would love to know what else you have verdigris painted ! :)
OK, off to bed with verdigris acorns in mind ... xoxox

Colleen said...

Oh! I just figured out what yesterday's picture was... the acorn tops! These are very cute! I've never seen felted acorns before... then again I wasn't looked for them either. :)

Bravo for not buying craft supplies for 4 months! I don't think I could do that. I am trying to only buy what I need to finish projects, or making do with what I have. Though I did have a moment of weakness last week... but I made the project right away and it is finished :) There I go rambling again. :)

trish said...

these are so lovely... i love how the colours change with age.

Cori Lynn Berg said...

I think this was definitely worth cheating for...

mayaluna said...

What a wonderful and original idea!Love how they will keep evolving. 4 months is something to feel proud of... please,no guilt for a little paint that will recharge you.

Anonymous said...

these are awesome!!! i didnt even know paint like that existed.

Unknown said...

they are so cute.. yup me too I love all the old and rusty stuff!

cynka- Ewa Mrozowska said...

Uwielbiam te żołędzie!!! Są absolutnie fantastyczne!!!!!!!!!
Jesteś czarodziejką:)))

snowflakes4sam said...

Wonderful acorn caps! they look like lichens are growing on them.

Mona said...

Wow, that paint looks fun! I can just picture you and your family sleeping in rusty beds, cooking with pots coated in vertigris and eating from antique bowls. Almost sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it? :)

simple :: dream :: quilts said...

I really like the verdigris/rusty acorn caps, awesome idea.

Lisa at lil fish studios said...

Thank you so much everybody! You've made me feel less guilty about being a cheater, you enablers, you. lol!

Mona - it could be a problem though, I'm picturing nearly everything here covered in some sort of patina. Clothes, fingernails...

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