This weekend, I came down with a case of pro-craft-ination. I have chronic, recurring episodes.
They often last for days.
Sometimes, I can feel an attack coming on....like when it's been more than 48 hours since I've painted something or baked something...or rearranged the family room.
In those instances, it comes on slowly. At first, it feels like boredom and I find myself standing in the middle of my studio... for no reason...searching for something to sew...or paint (or, sometimes, trying to remember why I went in there...but I digress...)
Then, if I can't find anything, I generally end up in the garage or the basement, rummaging through my stash of old pallet wood and boxes of fabric (sadly, they've been taken to the storage locker until after we move so I'm out of luck for awhile).
This weekend, however, I was caught completely off guard. It was a classic case of sudden onset pro-craft-ination.
I'll admit it, I thought that I might be coming down with it when I realized that the only thing on my Saturday agenda was to pack boxes for moving. But I had a large glass of water and set out to find a cabinet or closet to pack that wouldn't be too difficult or require more than an hour or so of my time because let's be honest,....I didn't really want to pack.
I decided to see if there were things in the lower cabinets in the family room that I could box up. After all, I'm pretty sure that I haven't looked in them since...oh... sometime in late 2010.
As soon as I opened the door, I spied these candle holders and had one of the most severe cases of pro-craft-ination that I'd experienced in months. It was so bad, in fact, that not a single box was packed. Not one item was wrapped in paper. Instead, I decided to treat these holders to a faux zinc finish before I tuck them away until we finish the rehab on the French Farm Project .
The process is SUPER simple: I gave them two coats of Graphite chalk paint and then sanded lightly with 000 steel wool. Then, I mixed a little metallic craft paint (black nickel, gunmetal and brushed silver) with some antique effect and dabbed and wiped. I repeated this step with each of the three different shades. There's no need to cover all of it and certainly no need to be perfect. After they dried, I sealed them with some matte polyurethane so that I can wipe them off.
Oh, and, for the record, the Martha Stewart people didn't compensate me in any way for this post. They probably don't even know that I exist!
The attack lasted the rest of the weekend. I'm actually feeling better today but no packing is going to get finished because I have to work. Ah well, there's always next weekend. At least I know that these faux zinc finished candle holders will look fabulous when I see them again
....in 2014!
Have a beautiful Monday!
