Bowling for flowers

 This ball is about two feet in diameter.  It's made of Styrofoam, originally as a model of the moon for a film.  I bought it at a yard sale for a couple of dollars several years ago.  It was painted a rusty orange color then (the original color of the moon???).  For me, it's been a garden ornament and over the years the color wore off.  I recently decided to repaint it.

 Over the winter I picked up ten bowling pins on craigslist...for free.

I decided to paint the ball blue and set up an arrangement in the garden...for a few chuckles interest.

 One of the pins fell over just as I brought my camera out.  It's probably fitting because this is a graphic representation of my typical bowling score.  ;o)

Here's a close up view of some of the "moon" craters.  How often do you bowl?  For me it's maybe...once in a blue moon.

A Beautiful Chaos: Garage/Workshop/Studio

via martha stewart

This is not a photograph of my garage, however I'd be smiling like this guy if my garage were as orderly as the one pictured.

via DIY Life 
Almost two years ago my garage was very nicely organized around the functions of encaustic painting studio, garden tool storage, and furniture reconditioning workshop.  Then my dear friends who were moving out of state asked if I would take a few of their items they no longer wanted and didn't want to move with them.  In the chaos (we all experience) of their move, they delivered extra lumber, rubber floor mats, paint and stain, vintage windows, assorted hardware items such as knobs-screws-bolts and other nameless useful stuff.  And some other amazingly wonderful things, a miter (chop) saw, drill press, table saw, router, power buffer, work bench with peg board and old furniture (projects for me).

via garage-floor
Since that September in 2009, I've not had room to park my car in the garage and moving around and working in the space has been a challenge, as well.  I already had a big work bench and an inventory of old furniture stored in the garage for future reconditioning.

via http://www.monkeybarstorage.com/

Add to this assortment of disorganized wonderfulness the left over construction materials from my backroom remodel---and I have a big pile of inertia.

via martha stewart

Notice that I am not posting photos of the current inside conditions of my own garage.   

via rol.vn

I prefer at this time, to focus on what the condition can be in my garage, studio, storage space.

via southern living
As a visual aid to this focus, I've collected several photos of well-organized spaces.

via HTV 
Also, of great interest to me are innovative ideas for storing specific materials.

via HTV

The picture above shows a good solution to storing  millwork and other slender wood pieces, of which I have many.  Instead of purchasing the metal brackets shown in the photo, I am using the storage tubes and lumber spanning across the truss joists.

via HTV

I like this little roll-away cart idea for stowing the table saw when not in use.

via brookstone

A designated area for garden supplies helps eliminate more than a few headaches.

It's always easy to find storage solutions on-line with nice systems, which can also be expensive and therefore, prohibitive.  I appreciate that some of the sources I found recommend using things you already have as storage containers.  I found the article below at diy weekender.  I like their summary to the article:  

Be creative with your garage organizing.  Reuse and recycle as much as possible and remember that anything with a space inside can hold and organize your 

stuff.

Article from diy weekender:

Get Organized and Go Green:  Tips to Organize your Garage Workspace.

Above:  The inside of my newly constructed garage September 2007.  I was warned, "It won't look like that for long---clutter happens!"

Every Dog Has Its Day!

And now it's Ender's....

Above:  Toni Youngblood, Ender, 2009 acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"

Alpine Gallery in downtown Salt Lake City designed and printed the above general invitation to the Best in Show Exhibit and opening June 17 from 5 until 9PM.  The painting of Ender and one I painted of my girl greyhound, Harri-Berri will be on display for the duration of the show.  
A portion of proceeds from art sales will benefit NO MORE HOMELESS Pets in Utah.

It's not about the equipment.

Thanks for another one, Si...
via French by Design via Esther +

Loved this book: Born to Run...

You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this book!


Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, 
and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen


Learn More About This Book Here.

Trying out Picture Frames...

If you are interested in the on-line source for frames like these, send me a message by clicking on the "Contact Me" button in the right side column of this blog.  I have ordered a dozen or so frames from this provider in the recent past and my experience has been they have very handsome, decent quality frames at really good prices. ~Sparky

Trestle Table Project

Above:  This is a photo of a very heavy well-made vintage trestle table.  It was used as a work table for years by a previous owner and the top shows the residue of painting projects, as well as some superficial scratches and dings and compromise to the original finish.

 The lines of the table and construction are excellent.  This table is very very heavy and built to last.

Above:  The table exhibits some very nice joinery details.  

Above:  When I acquired the table, one of the "pegs" joining the trestle to the legs was missing, but I've already duplicated it in my workshop.  Now I will be cleaning and refinishing this beauty.  I would sure keep this treasure for myself, if I didn't already own the table pictured below...

Above:  This trestle table was made by my father around 1940 for my mom's kitchen dining area.  It's been painted many different colors over its lifetime:  red, butter yellow and I knew the table when it was French grey.  I had the table stripped of all layers of paint and applied a Clear Briswax over it.  This one lives with me in my current dining room and will continue to be a family heirloom.

I will post photos of my project trestle table when it is completed at which time it will be available in my Workshop Shop.