Home Improvement Project

This post does not show a new painting but a home improvement project that we just completed today.  This project has been in my mind for probably over 20 years.  I'll post photos then tell you the story of how it came to be.

This is my front entrance hall.  Even though we have a coat closet I wanted hooks of some kind on the wall.  We have so many people stop by for short periods of time.  Since this is Michigan, for over half the year they are wearing a jacket or coat.  I thought for convenience  it would be nice to have a coat hanging wall.  We went shopping at the home improvement stores but all the coat hangers were so ordinary that I knew I had to come up with another idea.

So.....Flash back to 1960.  For the first year that we were married every time we drove by Hammers Furniture Store on Market Street in Youngstown, Ohio I commented on how much I loved a clock that was hanging on a wall in the window.  It had a round center about 12" in diameter with the clock face which was very simple with round little knobs as the numbers and streamlined hands.  Coming out around the edged of the clock, randomly spaced, were stems with large and small flowers on the ends.  It was made of off white metal highlighted with  antique gold. The all over size was about 40" wide by 30" high.  One day as we drove by I noticed the clock was gone.  I was sad that I would not see it anymore.  Little did I know that Roger had bought it for a present for me for our first anniversary.  That clock followed us from house to house for the next 35 years.  By the time we moved to Tucson it was in pretty rough shape and was not working anymore so Roger told me to get rid of it.  I decide to remove the flowers and keep them.  I told him someday I would come up with an idea of a project where I could use them.  When we packed up to move here they were still in a box and again he suggested I get rid of them but I said no that someday I would use them somehow.  That day has come!

While thinking of a way to make an attractive area to hang coats I thought of the flowers.  Since I have a combination of both silver and gold items in my living room I decided to use that combination.  I removed the antique gold centers of the flowers and spray painted the petals a hammered silver then reattached the gold centers.  The hanging hooks are also antique gold.  I love  how it looks.  Just nine days after our 56th anniversary the flowers again have a place of honor in our home.

 I also want to mention the color of the wall they are hanging on.  Slowly we are getting some of the walls painted.  Most of them are two shades of tan both light and dark.  I wanted a little more drama so decided on using this color called Divine Wine on a few selected walls.

The house is a work in progress so it is nice to get a few smaller jobs done.  I am still waiting on news of when my new kitchen will be installed.  It was supposed to be last week but the counter tops were not ready so unless it is done tomorrow or Wednesday I want to hold off until after Thanksgiving.

I will continue to post photos of home improvement projects along with any art projects I complete.