Hidden Treasure

Today I decided to paint a mirror I'd purchased last year at the Goodwill in Lafayette.  My original intent when I purchased it was to use it as a top for this old wash stand that is serving as an entry table... 

The top is not only cracked and warped, my mother had covered it with some faux wood-grain tile which I attempted to camouflage by painting it last fall...

The mirror turned out to be too large and I'd had it propped against the wall over this wash stand all winter.  We were having a lovely day.  Sunny, almost hot with just the mildest breeze, so I decided I would be able to paint the mirror frame.  I hadn't decided whether I was going to keep it or try to sell it to Tim at The Wild West Mercantile, but didn't like the dark green and faux wood of the frame...
 

I cleaned the mirror and used a damp cloth to clean the frame.  There was a bit of a rough spot on one side and I decided to sand that down before I painted.  As I was sanding, I started to see some interesting color and what looked like incised vines...

...I kept on sanding and found that the green paint, if dampened, came right off, leaving the surface below intact...

I ended up with this...

Paint shreds were everywhere and I had to use a paint brush to get them from between the frame and the mirror...

That wood color does a rather nice job of picking up the darker color in the grape leaves, but I could see on the corners where it was worn that it was actually that really cheap paper from which some inexpensive frames are made so decided it needed painting.


Because of my discovery, I had to tape off not only the mirror, but the painted bit in between the faux wood bits...

I decided to paint it black.  I won't know until I take the tape off whether I'll like it with the grapevine motif.

I'm using Krylon Fusion...

I thought it was just for plastic and had bought it so I could spray paint some white plastic hangers I have that stick out like a sore thumb against this dark paint I used on the interior of the cabin.  But I noted it could be used on wood so thought I'd give it a try.  They got the lid right on this one.  Easy off.

So now I'm waiting for the second coat of paint to dry...and Dixie is pouting...

Not only did we not go for a ride today, but I made her stay in the cabin while the fox and I ate lunch outside.  I was reading at the picnic table and the fox stayed around quite a long while, eating and even coming up on the deck.  I have concocted a scenario to make sense of her reappearance and apparent need for company.  I'd been wondering why all of a sudden she was able to spend so much time away from her kits.  Today I noticed that something had almost chewed her gorgeous tail in half and I'm now wondering if something killed the kits and she got injured in the fray. 


I have got to try to get some photos of this funny thing that's happening with Dixie and the fox.  Dixie is outside and the fox comes to eat.  Dixie starts barking and tries to pursue the fox on three legs.  The fox trots off, staying just in front of her.  I call Dixie back and when she turns around and starts to return to the cabin, the fox also turns around and starts for the cabin so then we have the fox pursuing the dog!   Up to now my first thought has been to stop Dixie from possibly injuring the fox, but I can see the fox has that part well in hand so I'll have time to stop for the camera on the way out the door the next time it happens.


OK.  So it's done.  I think I like it...

I sanded some off here and there on the black part so a little of the brown shows through and touched up the grapevine bit with Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in Walnut Stain because the sanding had scuffed it up a little.


What do you think?  Teddee