To Color or Not to Color?!

I am one of 'those' people who admire the grain on a piece of wood.  Now more than ever I am aware of the wood grains than any other time in my life.  Of course I am working with wood, so that is natural I suppose.  It goes more deeply than this though.  I like the natural wood grains so much than it is almost painful to add color to it through staining, let alone painting (the ultimate sin to destroy the natural beauty of wood). 

Be that as it may some pieces shout out color me.  At first I use some old oil stains I had.  I love the way the oil stains sat close to the surface, tinted the wood slowly (multiple coats changed the depth of the color, left the grain of the wood visible and sealed the wood.  Then came the project that needed more colors that the small natural tone pallet I had available.  I asked some fellow woodcrafters and several had 'secret staining techniques' and I just had to figure out how to make my own.

I tried water based stains.  They soaked deeply into the wood, tended to bleed into surrounding areas, keeping a consistent tone of one color could be difficult, and the grains of the wood just not the same.  These were okay for some projects, but not most of my work.

I started to experiment.  Tubes of oil and water color paints were mixed with various wood products: polyurethane, clear stains, mineral oils, waxes and such.  Finally I came up with a technique to add color and accent the wood grains instead of dull or hide them.  What is that technique, you may ask?  Sorry it is my secret.  Everyone has to have at least one of them.

But I  encourage you to experiment and find what works well for you.  If you come up with something good, let me know - maybe we can swap secrets formulas. 

- Take Care -

Re-Purposing Wood pieces

     Another frigid day in Northern NY - The flu has come home with my son.  He sleeping on the couch, poor boy.

     In the warmer months I like to peruse sales of all kinds for wooden objects that I can get for next to nothing, and can be fixed up and given a new life.  Yesterday I showed you a telephone table that I refinished.  Today I am going to introduce a few pieces that were re-purposed.

     This Bluebell change bowl was found at a junk sale.  It was one of many wooden objects that I loaded into my box and donated $20.00 to walk away with.  I wish I had a before picture, but imagine a rounded, broken off handle shooting out of the top and a shallower spade shovel like shape for the bowl. 
     The wood is very soft and smells like incense.  I deepened the bowl and rounded off the sharp point.  This wreath of Bluebell compliments the finished piece.  A butcher block oil was rubbed into the wood to protect the wood and render it food safe.



     The Tulips and Butterfly add a feminine touch to this rustic mirror.  The wood was salvaged from an old water bed frame.  The mirror was one of many panels that decorated a wall.  Even the pine 2x4 that the flowers and butterfly were cut from once added support to a child's tree house.  The mirror is not the best for gazing at your reflection, but it add country charm.  If that doesn't suit you then perhaps you'd like a tray to hold a comb or perfume bottles on a dresser or vanity. 


This wooden utensil holder was once tongue and groove pine boards.  They were cut into an oval shape with a flat back.  One piece was set aside while the rest were stack cut to create the open center.  They were sanded, stained and then glued together.  A food safe finish was applied.  The idea for this was taken from a challenge Steve Good posted a while back for a mug.    My niece is in cooking school and I thought this pattern would make a nice utensil holder.  I have to make her another one, this one sold at a craft fair.


These adorable kittens were burned onto a cork memo board.  It can still be used as a memo board, but bare it is beautiful. 

     What do you re-purpose? 

- Take Care -