I checked out fishnet making and to my surprise some of the dreamcatcher designs look like fishnets. Also I saw what looked like a doily as opposed to the webbed design.
Yeah, I too have a few projects. I still have a house I am working on that I hope will be finished by the end of the month. But more close to home, there used to be a gravel driveway leading to what used to be a garage (it serves as my shop now) near the rear end of the house. In the area where I’m putting the above ground pool, I am “sifting” out the gravel. I found a 4’ x 3’ rack that has a couple of cross bars and on top I put a 2x4 sheet of metal lathing. I have been using a gas cultivator to loosen up the dirt / gravel and then I shovel the stuff onto the lath. When I shake it up, the dirt falls to the ground and the leftover gravel gets dumped into a pile near the fence. Dunno what I’m going to do with all the rocks but I’ll think of something nice. Oh yeah, the whole ordeal is absolutely great for shoulders, back, lats, traps, chest, arms and abs. Couldn’t ask for a better workout!
Here are photos of the finished dreamcatcher and its story. My oldest son wanted a dreamcatcher. I personalized it for him. The colors all represent something that he likes. Our family heritage links to the Choctaw Indian represented by the feathers I had stashed away from an Indian headdress I found at the flea market probably part of a costume. The orange and brown yarn represents his favorite football team The Cleveland Browns of Ohio. The green represents the dominant color scheme in his bedroom (curtains and bedspread). The leather shoestrings, wooden beads, stones, faux pearls from a necklace all from my craft stash.
@Bobby Cole, thank you. It took me two weeks to finish it, yeah a lot of thinking behind it. Once I figured out a direction to pull it together that is - who it is for - then ideas started flowing. I learned a lot those two weeks as the ideas kept coming I found myself making changes as you can see from the start of the project.
Unlike the example set by a certain impatient “gentleman” burdened with his computer, the very best things in life and the best projects take a lot of thought and time to learn how to do. Sometimes when I am stuck on a project and start to lose heart I remind myself how proud I am going to be once the project is finished and finished correctly. Again, Great Job Von and hope to see more later on!
Had to replace a mini blind in the master bathroom. Mold was so thick on the flip side of it, and the barred window behind it, that I had to Kilz the bars and frame. Interesting to ponder: The new blind was $8.50, tax included, from Lowes. Yeah, Made in China, what else? How much would this very good looking vinyl blind be, if it was made in the USA? If it was four times the price, for the exact same unit, would you buy it, or the Chinese version? We all talk the talk: Bring back manufacturing to the USA, NOW! However, when push comes to shove, I truly wonder how many of us will simply go online and buy the cheap Chinese unit....... FWIW, I ALWAYS buy USA, for my cars and trucks.
My project today began Saturday on a pair chairs I found last year at the flea market for $10. They should never asked me "How much are you willing to pay?' I replaced three broken screws on one and then gave them a good sanding and was going to finish Sunday but it rained. I thought about painting them but naw, I like the natural look. I had a can of oil based poly vanish which I thought was done for when I popped the lid. I punched it with a screw driver and the contents began to ooze out. The first photo of one before and the second is the other after and after 2 coats I still had half a can left. So what I did was search around the yard to see what I could liven up. I started with a pair of solar light swans that were included in a lot of lawn decor from a friend whose grandmother had passed. I love swans. They are beautiful to watch. Anyhoo, this is one of before and the second photo is of the second after the touch up. A trio of heavy metal cranes but just showing two were also a part of the lot. I was just experimenting when I just lightly brushed the head of one and I liked the definition and depth that the varnish created so I did all three. The before is on the right. What a difference. I was down to less than a quarter can of varnish. There were other items that I touched up but these weathered lawn chairs really needed some life. Hmmm, nobody really cares about the sides or the back so I thought just apply the rest to the front of the chairs. They were still wet when I took this photo and saw another coat was needed. There was just enough to do that. It was a beautiful day. There's more rain in the forecast for tomorrow I'm glad the varnish is waterproof.
@Von Jones -- your projects all look so nice; I love the dream catcher. All the chairs and the metal pieces look great. I was outside pulling some weeds and thinking I need something to do. I want to go to the garden center to buy some flowers but not ready to venture out into "mask" territory. I saw the posts earlier in this thread about latch-hook and that looks like something I might want to try. I think I'll order a kid's kit from Amazon to learn how to do it.
@Von Jones That chair looks awesome! Nice job! Your dreamcatchers are really interesting. I love projects with stories. I found it interesting that part of your heritage is Choctaw. I come from Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek. One of my Grandmas was born on the Choctaw reservation in OK.
If you have a Dollar Tree in your area, they have the solar lights for $1, and you can even order them online if you do not have a Dollar Tree nearby. When I was there getting my laundry baskets for my little garden, I noticed the little solar lights that look like a tiny sunflower, and I got some of them. they are really bright, and will stay on almost all night. They also have some online that look like little hummingbirds.
I've been trying to finish these dagone firewood racks and put them to bed, but it seems the project keeps growing and shifting. My last main step is to get the tarp roofs lashed down tightly so they don't shift in the wind (and rub the tarps until they shred) and they're tight enough to hold up under snow (there's no framing underneath them.) I finally have found a way to lash these things down tightly. Here's the setup I've posted before: The problem is the knots have been working loose. I purchased some D rings to fashion the same kind of setup you would have for a basic rope belt: This was a step in the right direction, but the rings really needed a strap on the flat end to stop them from twisting around on the rope. I burned up a couple of hours the other day making (36) 3" straps out of plastic plumber's hanging strapping: I had to trim a bit off of the sides so the strap would fit through the rings, then drilled holes for the rope, and beat each crease over a bar to widen them so the D rings will stay side-by-side and not slide over top of each other & loosen their grip on the thru-rope. I used this on one rope on one roof as a test (there are 12 ropes on each of the 3 roofs) before I waste my time doing something that I'll just be undoing again (I seem to backtrack) and it has held up well the past couple of days: Those other ropes used to be straight-across tight. They are now drooping because this new set-up pulled the tarp so much tighter just in this one center spot that it introduced that level of slack elsewhere. I bought some clips to stop the rope from slipping back through the D rings, but this setup seems to really grab and hold the rope. I'll let this sit a few days and see if (a) this is a permanent solution and (b) are those clips required. THEN I'll be nearly done with this beast.