X-linked freestyle

X-fabric marks the freestyle spot

As someone who works with physical materials (paint, wood, metal, fabric, etc) I tend to accumulate all manner of supplies.  Long-time readers also know I take free things even if I'm not exaaaactly how I'm going to use them.  In my desire to avoid waste I have been known (known to myself at least) to hold on to things like fabric for a long time, we're talking years here. But sometimes the stars align and I realize it's time to clear out the old and send it along to someone else who might be able to make something of it.  Such was the case with this upholstery fabric which had been patiently waiting to become something for 3+ years.  A friend had a purple couch, and the fabric has purple in the color scheme, so she took the fabric and the loan of my sewing machine and got to work making herself some new covers for her accent pillows.

Freestyle for the triple win

Conclusion

The results are fabulous and fun. I couldn't be happier that I was able to help someone else in their freestyling!

Happy freestyling!

Framed! A new home for the blue Christmas Tree Worm

The Discovery

Frames are fun. So fun they might be considered addictive, because who can resist transforming something with a simple coat of paint and a new subject?
I saw this frame out for the taking, very dusty - but with intact glazing (glass) in the front.  Checking for intact glazing is crucial when getting free frames because people often discard frames with broken glass - which can be very dangerous to handle.

The original found frame

The framed subject matter of some olive oil and lavender, although gentle and cottage-style, was not my style, nor was the off-white (aged bone?) color of the frame.  I did like the 'carving' detail around the frame edge though. I thought that with some new paint this could be made-over into something that might have a place in my home or office.
The only question was, gold paint or black? Hmmmmm.

The makeover

The first step in the makeover was to disassemble and clean the frame. The frame was nothing fancy, all the pieces were held in place with staples placed around the edge - these were easy to pull out using a pair of pliers.

Staples that had to be pulled out to disassemble the frame

After disassembly I wiped everything down with ammonia-based glass cleaner, and vacuumed around the edges of the frame to get rid of any stray fluff.  I then carefully removed (peeled) the print from the back of the matting where it was glued on in such as way to not damage the matboard since I was planning on reusing it.

The pieces after disassembly

The choice between black or gold paint was decided by one simple fact, I have A LOT of black paint on hand from when I painted this chair.  It's not a pure black, but a softer dark grey-black.  The picture below shows the frame after the second coat of paint.

Frame painted in Black Iron (custom mix)

Although the two coats of paint slightly obscure the floral detail around the edge it is still visible enough to give a sense of texture. This is not a valuable frame, just simple pressboard, so I don't anticipate much close scrutiny.

After deciding on a photo to frame, I attached it to the back of the matboard with some art tape.  Then I reassembled the whole thing and placed new staples around the edge.  Since I wanted the staples to stick out from the edge of the frame back I held the staple gun up to a screwdriver that was positioned between the center of the staple gun and the side of the frame.

I also found two tiny screws and some old picture hanging wire to add to the back.  This was necessary because I was changing the orientation of the image from portrait to landscape.  The tiny screws seem like they would have been easy to screw into the back of the frame, but it was surprisingly dense. I ended up using an electric drill to make things easier on me. Yay power tools!

Tiny screws - to wrap picture wire around

Below is a photo of the back of the frame after full reassembly and with new hanging wire added.

Ready for a new showcase

The Conclusion

I love how this project turned out!  The black frame and the white mat set off the photo of an ombre blue Christmas Tree Worm wonderfully.  In case you are wondering what Christmas Tree Worms are, you can read more about them here.  I had this photo printed from Costco's online photo store because you can get 8x10 prints for an AMAZINGLY CHEAP price of around $2 each.  

Wall beauty for less that a cup of coffee? Yes please. 

Beautiful blue Christmas Tree Worm parts

Happy freestyling!

Get a handle on it!

Finding a free suitcase

I found this free roller suitcase one night, and it was clean and empty but with one very obvious problem. 

A broken handle, of which I don't actually have a photo.
I took it because small roller suitcases uses beyond just travel, including helping to store things in my basement storage unit in a more organized - and slightly protected - way.
Once I got it home I thoroughly vacuumed the insides (including under the liner) and treated it with baking soda - just to make sure there was nothing lingering.

An 'it' bag?

Although I didn't need another suitcase, I wanted to see if I could fix the handle and make it a fully functional bag again.

Diagnosing and fixing a broken handle

The retractable handle mechanism would not retract because the place where the handle curved from the horizontal handle part to the vertical connector had broken on one side. The pieces were all present, but the button on the top of the handle could not contact the little vertical metal rod that controls the retraction.  I'd seen this before (and there are videos online) so I had some idea of how to fix it.

A repaired retractable handle

I borrowed some super glue from a neighbor (who coincidentally said he would be interested in a free suitcase if it was fixable.)  I applied the super flue after carefully aligning the interior metal rod with the push-button mechanism, and lining up the exterior plastic sections along their fracture line.  Following the super glue manufacturer's instructions I held the pieces together while the glue was setting.  After letting the glue dry further for about 2 hrs I tested the handle and it retracted perfectly.  The new owner was happy with his free find, but said he might reinforce the repair with some electrical tape for 'peace of mind' - which sounds like a good idea to me.

Conclusion

So far the suitcase has held up to the rigors of travel, and hopefully will continue to do so for many trips to come.
Happy freestyling!

Framed! A woodblock poster print finds a new home

The discovery

When out looking for stuff with a friend he found this poster of a Japanese woodblock print, sort of rolled up and definitely abandoned but otherwise in good condition. 

In the night, and amongst some other stuff the woodblock poster looked like this....

Poster and other freebies

But when laid on the floor in daylight it looked like this!

Woodblock poster print laying on floor

It sat in his apartment on a shelf for a while because there was no suitable frame for it......... until I remembered the large black poster frame sitting under my desk!
(forehead slap sound)

Frame with original poster

I had taken this frame because it was intact and lightweight. The topic seems more suitable to a college dorm room, and it had probably had been in one in the recent past, but that's the good thing about frames - they are so easy to repurpose.  This frame isn't particularly high quality, the frame is some sort of dense pressboard or paper-based material, and the glazing (front clear piece) is flexible acrylic, but it looks just fine.

The reframing

After examining the frame a little closer, it turned out the that the woodblock poster was an exact size match for the frame.  Ridiculous that it took me more than an instant to put these things together.
I got out my tool and started the reframing process.

Step 1. Assemble tools: staple puller (pliers), screwdrivers, staple gun, and new staples

Pliers, screwdrivers, staple gun

Step 2. Unscrew the hanging wire across the back if you are going to change the orientation of the frame.  In this case I was switching from a landscape orientation to a portrait orientation, so I also had to adjust the wire (shorter) and re-clamp the little lead-based wrapping pieces.

Attachment point for hanging wire hardware

Step 3. Pull out staples.  You will probably have to discard these unless you have a clever way to repurpose used and deformed staples. 

Spent staples pulled from the frame

Step 4. Clean glazing (clear front layer) if needed, then lay new poster down behind glazing, and backing material behind that.

Step 5. Use a staple gun, held slightly away from the edge of the frame, and staple a few times on each side.

Step 6. Secure the hanging wire in the proper orientation, this might mean unscrewing the screws and moving them.

Step 7. Stand back and enjoy your work!

Conclusion

I loved loved loved making this freestyle connection, and the poster owner loved the final product. Now he has a cool new and totally free piece of artwork to decorate a sleek bachelor pad. I took the frame not knowing what I would use it for, and I'm so glad I did!

The repurposed frame with its new poster

Happy freestyling!