venting....

Sometimes you just need to vent.  right?  this is a rather lame play on words to introduce my latest project with antique vents.   But here is the thing....a project like this feels as good as venting my feelings with a friend.  I feel so rejuvenated by a creative project and this one is fun, easy and results in a beautifully unique wall decor!

First....I found a variety of antique "vents".   4 of these were a real deal from a garage sale= $50.  The other 2 were from an antique store for $9 (small, simple rectangle) and $30 (ornate rectangle).

There are a variety of shapes and sizes for visual interest.   All but one were painted with a heavy black paint when I found them. This small rectangle is the only one I left with its original "patina" and I used it as inspiration for the rest of them!

I decided to leave this rectangle vent as is....and use it as inspiration to make the rest look as authentic as possible.

This is the first step of layering the vent with undercoats of paint. I used what I had in my house....both spray paint and house paint.

I layered paint colors on the black pieces with the intention of sanding to expose these layers back creating dimension and an aged look.   The top layer of paint was chosen to be different for each piece (blue, silver, green, cream, copper) as to create a "collected" look.

Using the sanding block and a wire brush lightly in some areas and more heavily in others gives the paint an aged, worn look.   I continued layering paint and sanding randomly until it looked authentic and full of interest and character!

I am in love with this wall.  It took a bit before I like the arrangement of the objects.  I laid it out on the floor first, and then ended up doing some rearranging on the wall....which means a little patching and painting, but that is easy enough.

I ended up adding the horse shoe for fun and variety.  I also like that once someone told me that if you have a horse shoe in your home it would "hold the luck...

The rod iron candle holder is another item something I had had for years (from my Mom) and just felt right in the composition.

What all the items have in common is that they are old, iron and served some purpose long ago.
It really was such fun to collect the items, create something new....and because I used paint I already had around the house, literally cost me only $89.  (I think it would be possible to get that cost way down with more garage sales and more time to collect).

So, there it is.   I vented!   It is much better to vent in this manner than listening to me vent about how tired I am, how my back is bothering me or how I wish someone in my house would listen to me.
 opps, just vented.