Love! Valour! Compassion! Freestyle!

I love the community that exists in Cambridge.  The intelligent and interesting people, the creativity on display in everything from customized bikes to unique lawn ornaments, the area practically hums with ideas.  I also appreciate that friends keep a lookout for free stuff, and call me when sightings happen.  Such was the case when “Lady K” (girlfriend of Technologist Roommate) had her boyfriend call me with notice of ‘a nice-looking frame on the sidewalk’ near our house.  So, shoes on, keys in hand, out I went to scavenge on a sunny afternoon [clearly this was a while ago!!].  I didn’t bring a camera, but I was impressed with Lady K’s ability to spot a nice frame amongst a pile of miscellaneous cabinets.  It was a framed poster for the 1997 movie Love! Valour! Compassion!

In all the excitement I apparently never took a photograph, but look at the picture above, then imagine it in a frame, there you go.

Found: black metal frame (minimal scratches), glass front, white poster-board backing

Size:  poster size, approx 24x36 inches

Now, as much fun as Jason Alexander was to watch on Seinfeld, I never saw the Love! Valour! Compassion! movie, so had no attachment to the poster. Sorry poster, off to the recycle bin for you.

Creative Roommate took charge of this project, and painted an imposing lion to adorn her wall.

It's just a yawn, really.

You might notice that there is no glass in the final version, if so you should be complemented on your keen eye. Why no glass? Well, let’s just say someone experimented with tension forces and unconventional dis-assembly techniques, learned a valuable lesson, and now knows the proper way to take apart a metal frame.  Fear not, no one was injured in the making of this freestyle post.

Remember, if you don't want it, maybe someone else does. It never hurts to notify.
Happy freestyling!

A bronze y-urn-ing

Can you tell what I'm trying to say?

Found: small bronze-color tripod urn, with 3 decorative lion heads on the outside


Location: Swap shelf

Question: Can you identify the mark or writing on the bottom of this mystery metal urn?

My guess for the lower stamp is some bird (eagle?), possibly double-headed.  The ovoid text stamp remains a mystery, I can't tell if the letters are from the greek or cyrilic alphabets, or what they say. Any suggestions?

Time for a bath.

From the quality of construction I'm under no delusions that it is of any value, likely some souvenir trinket, the grey stuff in the first photo is perhaps solder from where the leg section was attached to the round vessel part.  Despite these flaws, I rather liked the shape. It looked like it could be a cool little planter, and I'm always on the lookout for plant storage.

At right is a 'before' photo.  As you can see, it is a bit dinged up, with some mystery white residue in the small details of the lion heads and the design at the top of the legs. 

After a bath, some delicate cleaning attempts, and the application of a glaze to the inside and out, I declared it done enough.  Soaking and then scrubbing did not remove all of the white stuff, so I left it there rather than scratching up the metal in an attempt to remove it. C'est la vie. Or rather, c'est la métal.

The glaze made it look smoother, shinier, and hopefully will protect the inside from any plant water.  I added glaze because it did appear to be rusting on the inside when I found it, not very exciting, hence no photo.  But there you have it, a little urn and my new fragrant rosemary seedling.

These lions don't have to worry about thorns.

Guardian of good taste.