Thursday, May 20, 2010

Last big items....

Racing the clock to get the little trailer ready for her first trip of 2010, I needed to tackle the last two items remaining to make her renovation complete. Yes, I will always be adjusting and adding artsy touches, but the lack of flooring other than raw plywood made her look like a construction zone. I pondered long and searched the internet in vane for the right flooring solution. Several people recommended vinyl squares, and I did look at them, but they were all ugly refugees from the early eighties. Even as a temporary solution, I couldn't do that to my Blossom. I wanted something smooth, easy care, and dark brown to match the counters. I decided to paint the floor. Painted floors have long been a feature of summer cottages, so why not? Worst case scenario it would be an inexpensive temporary solution until I found something better.

Process: I wanted the rustic wood texture to show so I only slightly sanded the plywood. I primed with a coat of tinted primer, then applied 3 full coats of dark brown porch and deck latex paint (wow, that stuff is rubbery!). I just couldn't help adding a folkart flourish, so I used copper metallic artist acrylic to paint stars. Last I added 2 coats of spar varnish to seal in the stars and give a less rubbery surface.

I am totally thrilled with the result. It is way better than I expected and the copper picks up the other copper elements (lamps and backsplash). It might be too much for some folks, but for me it is perfect. Oh - the second finishing touch was to install a custom made (wood burned and painted, of course) set of coat hooks, that matches the custom painted cabinet knobs.

Now I'm ready to fill her up and hit the road!

Ruffles

I have almost finished my Ruffles scarf. The pattern is from the book Scarf Style, and I have been planning to make one for a long time. It turned out to be perfect travel knitting: simple enough for social knitting, yet with enough pattern to keep it interesting. The Yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted.