Thank you for visiting Tumbleweed Tidings today.  I hope you’ve been forwarding the blog to all of your friends.  The best way for a blog to grow is through word of mouth, so I appreciate your help with that!!

Every now and then, I see something that just “speaks to me” in a decorating sense. It’s often not something new or even expensive, but I just know it will look right somewhere in our home. A few of these finds have been  documented in this blog, such as the pineapple salt and pepper shaker set I found recently.

Last fall, my husband and I went over to the non-tumbleweed side of Washington State to visit my sister who lives in Mount Vernon. Prior to our leaving for the west side, one of my high school classmates posted some pictures of her amazing shop in Bellingham called Ormolulu. I follow her on social media and have often admired her wonderful displays and merchandise. A few years ago, I purchased the most beautiful copper and silver tray from them that I had ever seen, just based on the photos. She mailed it over and it has sat proudly on our dining room credenza ever since.  I change out what’s on top occasionally, like this Christmas vignette, but the tray stays!

Sorry, I digress… So, my friend posted a picture of a vignette from her store that included various objects, and among them was a portrait of the sweetest old-fashioned sailor boy I had ever seen. You see, I love many things nautical, including my retired Navy husband who served our country for 24 years, and my late father, who served in the Navy during World War II. And although we don’t have much nautical décor in our home, I knew when I saw this picture that it would go well somewhere.

I sent Debi a message, asking the price. She told me, and we made arrangements to visit her shop during our time with my sister to take a closer look. When we got there, the picture was just great, but the frame needed a little tender loving care. We purchased it, knowing the frame could be easily spruced up. It would have been possible to just purchase a new frame, but part of the charm of this painting is that the frame on the back looks like it was made out of barn wood. Before barn wood was cool. And the hanger is literally a twisted piece of wire, made into a loop. I mean, why would you ever want to get rid of that kind of character?

After getting it home, I stuck it in a corner of our office with full intention of getting right on that project, and there it sat. And sat, and sat, and sat. One day I was vacuuming, saw the picture in the corner, and couldn’t believe I hadn’t done anything with the frame yet. I moved it to the kitchen table, got out some acrylic paints and went to town.

First, I tried white. Too stark. Next, I tried topping that with metallic gold mixed with cream. Too dark. Lastly, I tried cream with a little shimmer highlight and finally, just like in Goldilocks, that one was just right!
After almost a year of being relegated to a corner, the little sailor boy is done and now hangs in our living room.   There is something so sweet about him, I just love the painting every time I pass.

So, to recap: 1) If something speaks to you, it will most likely work in your home. 2) Don’t discount an item just because there are condition issues. You can usually fix those. And 3), if you’re in Bellingham, Washington, you should definitely check out Ormolulu. It’s a great store full of unique treasures!

Good tidings,
Diane