Tuesday 21 February 2012

Late night ponderings...

Having spent the past four hours or so trawling ebay, gumtree and all manner of intriguing bits of crap sites I have concluded that everyone has too much stuff lying around that they aren't doing anything with.

I am probably guilty of this myself but I am allowed because I constantly give my stuff away (I'm sure many of you reading will have experienced my odd style of philanthropy..."Go on, just fill this bag...it'll suit you better/I never use it/but you'll love it so much").

So what do you have that you don't need? If you put it on ebay, would you be happier than if you donated it to a friend or to charity?  You might be richer in money but not richer in the heart.
If you have something you love but is sat unused or unappreciated, what could you do with it/ to it?  Repaint it? Restructure it?  Dye it?  This is my task for the next few days as I wait impatiently for all the essentials to arrive for Wonderland to start taking shape...what else can I fix?

I constantly use fabric dye to change things I never liked the colour of - a dress that suited me perfectly in shape but was such an identical shade of dusty pink to my own fair skin that I felt naked...now a vibrant, tropical blue!  A pair of faded, greying old curtains were dyed with not quite enough maroon but left a glorious sunburst of several shades of rose for my bedroom windows to enjoy.  An old pair of brown floral ones were dyed with a mix of red and navy to create a rich, purple tone that aside from a few patchy bits, look pretty damn good.
So really, you don't have to be very good at things to try them...I guess that's my point.  If you made it, you will love it and that should be what matters.

I have been eyeing up the glass fronted cabinet in the corner of my living room tonight - it's a beautiful piece of furniture with an art deco sunburst design in silver on the glass and the original velvet striped burgundy backing paper behind the delicate glass shelves.  It has housed many memories for the years of my marriage and now that this has ended, I feel it is perhaps time to take the monument down and create a new memory...for me or somebody else.  I love it's contents - dried flowers from romantic moments and friend's weddings, an art nouveau address book, an Arthur Rackham illustrated edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, small statues of Egyptian gods, a beautiful wooden box from Poland, some peach infused vodka bought on honeymoon in Krakow, various beautiful hardbacks of my favourite Russian classics....personal, beautiful things that I will keep and rehouse elsewhere.  But perhaps the cabinet could be another project worth considering...

Also, a stunning dark wooden sideboard/dresser I bought for a mere £15 is sat out of place in my dining room.  It's a great piece with lots of character and will be one of those things that gets passed down through generations (providing the next few of them have any taste).  But maybe it needs a more personal touch.  The curves are gorgeous and the handles a filigree triumph but the varnish is worn and stained and the interior is shabby.  I may yet have to flex my creative muscles on more than just Alice's chair....Wonderland Living Room anyone?

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