I've been felled by a french flu. this flu is both respiratory and intestinal and not a pretty thing. I have really felt crap, sorry for my lack of inspiration here. today I feel half-human and housebound crazy, so I'm going to drive to Bergerac for a vide grenier I read about. Maybe something interesting will transpire and I'll be back to share !!
on other topics, I was chatting with JY about painting the shutters and house trim and was informed that, for the street facing side, I will need approval! Something about 'le batiment de France' ... then I had another discussion with a Brantôme resident who tells me every year three colors are approved. Apparently there is a department I can go to and view the colors. harumph. I guess if one doesn't like the colors, you wait a year?
right now the colors are peeling brown. surely anything would be more attractive than that. Obviously, red was in at one time or another because there's a plethora of brick red around (not a favorite for me). well, that will be a project next week and I'll let you know what happens.
by the way, it snowed yesterday! for about 15 minutes. ha. but the important thing is it got cold enough to snow. I blessed my heat, because the wind and the cold were piercing.
next week is (we hope) the final push for finishing the kitchen. I finished the other 2 doors in the room to emulate the antique doors we hung. This meant a few coats of different colors of grey, followed by sanding, followed by applying dark brown-tinted wax to achieve an aged effect. Also did this on the door frame of the antique doors. They all turned out to be just spectacular (in my view, of course). JY completed lots of finish painting, including the windows. His hand is far steadier than mine!
Next week, finishing of electricity, floor sanding, cupboard door building and painting (same as above, I believe) and various finishing touches. yippee-kai-yay!
well, like I said, this and that. it has been a slow week, much of it in my sick bed.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Hope you feel better very quickly, Mme Brantôme. If it's any consolation, that flu felled a BurkinaMom in France and Le Framéricain's friends in Marseille. Looks like it's making a tour of France all on its own.
Have fun at the vide grenier and happy paint chip viewing!
I've been super sick myself... just now beginning to rise out of rhino-hell. David and I did make it out to the annual 'Groundhog Day' party we attend each year. How anyone can make an entire event out of a groundhog theme I'll never know, but they do it in spades. They figure nothing else is going on the first of Feb. so why not? The theme this year was Ground Hoggywood, and it's always a costume party, so, I went as a platinum blonde trophy wife and he went as papparazzi from the 1930's. Being a blonde in a slinky brown velvet backless dress for a night was not so bad, except when I opened my mouth, I sounded like a bad version of June Allyson... not exactly the image I wanted to project! Feel better and I'll try to do the same myself. We will feel better!!
I'm sure the French Flu is much more fashionable, so you at least have that going for you.
Approval? That's not very American! Oh wait, you live among guillotine commies now, we understand.
Feel better, Frenchie.
Remembered that you had aged your doors and wondered if you bought the brown tinted wax in france and if so what am I looking for in the dreaded brico shed. I've got an old dark too much varnished chest of drawers that somehow has to turn into a beautiful base for a green glass vasque a poser. Have an idea to paint with several greens and then rub back and wax. Does that sound like a plan? And can it be as simple as that :) Sending this on the offchance that you still keep an eye on old blogs.
Felicity - I would suggest sanding (I know ugh-but you can buy a cheap hand-held electric sander at BricoDepot for less than 20euros). then lightly sand all over and start with a matte white or cream base (don't panic... it will work) then add your greens, and resand lightly and not too evenly ... exposing the layers of color and in some spots going down to the wood. After you've finished the sanding, then use the wax. I bought the wax in a jar at a Brico store (I'm sure they'd have it at BricoDepot). You can get it plain or tinted in various browns. If you heat in a pan of water on the stove, it is easier to apply and then buff. This final touch gives a really nice finish.
I've used this sanding, layering technique on lots of projects ... furniture and doors. I like the aged patina vs slick modern finishes.
The electric sanders are a godsend, IMO.
If you want to talk further or have other questions, use the contact feature on my blog and it will email me. Send me your email and I'll happily reply!
Post a Comment