For the past few years, when trying to explain this project, what it was, and what I as doing/,making, I often met with bewildered blank stairs... probably because people don't move I the same circles or spheres which I do, including other artist friends I have & know. Also, a major setback with completing this project was poverty. Yet, the inspiration was still STRONGLY within me, and I never gave up!
One thing that was often told to me was: Well, I want to see that when it's finished! Send me a photo of that when you're done!
Even tho' people were very familiar with using LED string/wire lights in decor is a very popular practice for the past few years, which you can see all over any craft store, and even Wal-mart, Target, Kohl's, Marshall's, and even sometimes at CVS or Walgreen's, and people were familiar with my other lantern works, nobody really understood me when i trued to explain this.
Anyways, I wet to Michael's craft store and I saw a full display on sale of a wide variety of these, and even tho' I was originally thinking of white or warm gold, I was really drawn to the blues. I as also tempted to get a purple, but didn't.
Something about the blues really drew me to them. They are 2 different types of blue, and have a really brilliant glow, so I think that have magnesium in them but also they don;t quite show true to color as the human eye can see them when photographed. Actually, they're both a variation of cyan or turquoise blue, but the one is slightly indigo colored.
I had to unravel the lights, then coil them back up and insert them within the pot/lantern. The other string has to be forced through the spout.
WIP DIY Boho Chic Eclectic Art Project Antique Teapot
This project is definitely a Work In Progress, and has been delayed a long long time.
I got this old antique pitcher teapot thingy from my father in New Jersey in 2014 around the time he was having his famous pig roasts.
It's old, weathered, worn out, and the wooden handle was broken, plus it's dented, and the knob on the top was missing.
I follow and read tons of boho chic and gypset style blogs for so many years I can't even remember anymore. So, when I saw it, my artist spidey sences went off. I asked my dad what he was gonna do with it, and where he got it. He just seemed to be nonchalant about it, and was like:
Oh, that's OOOOOOLD! You want it?
I was like: Yeah!
So, I sawed off the old busted crude broken parts of the wooden handle with all the industrial machines he has in his garage, and power sanded it with an electric power sander. Boo-yah!
I had several fusion ideas for it. Needless to say, poverty is like a thing.... so, I could never get the chance to go to Home Depot, or wherever to get a knob for it until last month of THIS YEAR (2016).
I mostly just let the thing sit outside on my so-called balcony on the first floor as is in these photos above here. I liked the way it still managed to give it a boho vintage fusion vibe to everything. And, before I ever even got my lanterns that was my go-to decoration.
Well, once I finally started my Federal Work Study (job) since I'm enrolled at UMASS now, I went over to Home Depot and picked out the knob I wanted.
A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on
After that, I was gonna wire wrap a quartz crystal point to the handle... but, a ton of problems ensued. Firstly, the main crystal point went totally missing. Vanished out of thin air!
Everyone says "Homer did it!" (The alleged little ghost that haunts my family and steals things, and often gets blamed for EVERYTHING. My baby brother named him when we were little, and once I told my daughter, now everyone blames Homer.)
Since I couldn't find it, I had to get a new one! So, I shopped Amazon.com for weeks thinking about what would be best, what price to settle on when my paycheck came through, and checking the size with a ruler to be sure it would fit right.
But, when I finally decided to settle on one, and the right size for the right price, and the right look & feel, a SNAFU happened.
A video posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on
I was really conflicted about it also. I'd intended the crystal for my art project, but I read through the stuff included with it and realized it was intended for something else. So, I was really in a quandry...
Well, I hunkered down and wrote a letter to the company, and asked them what to do, because I didn't want to hurt their feelings or insult them. But, the CEO was really nice about it, and sent me a package from India with a smaller one. In fact, he gave me a whole bunch of stuff, and we're friends on Facebook now, plus he wants to see photos of the project when it's done.
A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on
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I need some wood glue now, since the handle is a bit broken... and I also need the silver wire(s).
Once I get all of that taken care of, I'll be able to finish the handle.
The rest of it I will turn into a lantern and drill bore holes into the sides and add LED Lights.
If that doesn't make any sense to you, maybe this will help:
Wire Wrapping Jewels/Crystals:
DIY Lanterns:
LED String Lights:
Basically, I'm turning this pot into a lantern/lamp. I want to string lights to also pour out of the spout.
It'll be great! You'll see!
Anyways, it makes sense in MY HEAD, not very easy to explain tho'. Hopefully if you're like me, then you'll "get it".
As for whenever it'll be finished I can't say now. I was hoping to be finished either by end of summer, or possibly by Fall... but, UMASS invented a bunch of made-up fees n stuck me with a bill of almost $700! SO, I don't know when that will happen!
As it is, I also wanted to get some Sugru to hand stuff in my balcony including stuff I just made and got, but nowhere to hang it. Being shoved out of The Middle Class blows because disposable income is not a given, but a luxury, and if I have too many things going well for me, the government punishes me for it, and what little I already qualify gets taken away. I can't even qualify for cash assistance just because of the type of minivan my spouse owns. It makes no logical sense whatsoever because an automobile isn't a magical ATM that dispenses money like a fountain...
I actually expected to be DONE with this project by 2015... but, not the case...
