Teak Side Table Restoration

We've been working on a lot of projects that I've not blogged. Such is my nature. I have quite the backlog, which I shall now publish, one a day, until I'm caught up.

Here's a cute little magazine table that we found by the dumpster after some tenants moved out.

Obviously, we couldn't leave it in this condition.

Sanding!

Where's the magazine sling?

We were surprised to find the frame was solid wood. The ends of the boards have very thick, quality veneer. This is not a Target special. 

Oh, THERE'S the sling!

Sanded and shellaced.

Finished!

We refinished the top and replaced the magazine sling with another in the same linen.  It's so very cute. Not bad for "garbage". 

Many more posts to follow!

We're in Italy! Let's paint some rabbits!

So far, we've had the whole Italian experience. I've made so much pasta fagioli and alfredo sauce that I'm seriously going to eat an entire brick of cheddar when I get home. (How does an entire country not have cheddar cheese?) Our flat was also robbed while we were out of town, which puts a huge damper on my computer training, as I now have no computer. The school loaned one to my husband for school work since we can't get the replacement shipped over. 

Most valuable item stolen - the husband's MacBook, complete with his entire portfolio. 

Most infuriating - my red and black 1928 and pearl necklaces. I can't replace these.

Most ridiculous - a half used can of Burt's Bees Miracle Salve. A grade A pomade indeed.

All of my art supplies and yarn were curiously left behind...

...LET'S PAINT SOME RABBITS!

Though I don't have an account, I was inspired by Deviant Art's Draw it Again contest. I'd previously made a book of Alice in Wonderland with rabbits for an art course. Those drawings are long gone, but the concept remains. I'm redrawing the scenes from before and adding in some new ones. Here's the first of the series.

Here's the initial idea for the hookah-smoking caterpillar. I changed the dynamic of the scene in the little sketch.

Pencil of the final concept.

Paint on the bunterpillar.

The water color is finished.

Added marker, ink and a Photoshop overlay to the stem of the mushroom. The colors are a bit screwy from the scanner, so I'll probably re-scan the watercolor layer and swap it to get the greens back. Still, I'm pretty pleased with where it is now.

That's about all I have to say about that. 

Mundane in Italy Part 1

I've now been in Italy for 2 weeks. We've been to Milan, Como, Parma, Siena and Rome so far. Instead of posting boring vacation photos like this:

 
 

I'm going to show you something useful. 

How to Make Espresso and Cafe au Latte with a Moka Pot

We are fortunate to have a full kitchen at our disposal. I'd never used one of these pots, but they are the coffee maker of choice here in Italy. You can buy a full pot or parts pretty much everywhere, from tiny single servings to humongous novelty sizes. It's really something to get used to the 1oz servings of just-made espresso when you are used to ordering Venti Americanos. Making tiny cups at home is actually pretty easy.

This is the Moka Espresso pot. Check the parts to ensure they are clean and present. There's a flat filter on the bottom of the portion with a handle. Don't use soap on your coffee pot. If it needs to be cleaned, try baking soda and vinegar. (Google it.)

Fill the coffee with espresso grind and tamp it down a bit. I used the bottom of a shot glass.

Fill the lower pot with water to just below the nut on the side.

Water and coffee.

Put the coffee holder in the pot.

Screw on the top portion.

Light the stove. Most of the stoves in Italy require some help, so I'm using a lighter.

Heat over a high flame.

This is the tiny cup for the espresso on the left.

I like to add milk, so I use the cup as a measure. Just above the line where the cup flattens out is a shot (close enough, anyway).

Measure out 2-3 shots of milk into a pan per shot of espresso. There are 6-8 shots in this size of Moka pot, depending on how generous your shots. Don't add cold milk to your espresso. It will make the entire cup of coffee cold.

If you look in the espresso pot, it should start oozing concentrated coffee into the top pot within a couple of minutes. Mmmm, gooey.

Keep an eye on it. Once the pot stops filling from the bottom, remove it from the heat. Don't let the espresso burn. It will be horribly bitter. Good espresso is mildly sweet, like dark chocolate.

I'm going to use the larger cup to hold the espresso and milk, and the smaller to measure the shots.

Heat the milk on a low flame while the espresso is boiling. I usually start the coffee and milk at the same time.

Once the espresso is done, measure out a shot. It will look tiny, but it's super-concentrated. This is enough for a tall coffee at Starbucks. If you just want an espresso, stop here.

Milk is done. If you like, let it cool slightly to form a skin and remove it. (You can blow on it.) Otherwise, you'll have a skim of milk fat floating in your coffee.

Here is a cafe au latte. Two shots of espresso with 4 shots of milk.

Double the amount to make a full cup. This is 4 shots of espresso. You will be jittery. 

Now, isn't this useful! Next, I'll show you how to unlock your door, so you can get out of your apartment.  

(Boring vacation photos here.)

Furniture for Sale

I'm not sure exactly when my goal of doing something, anything, became full-on furniture restoration, but here it is, nine months from the start of the Wong challenge, and here I've somehow morphed into this vein.

Interior of the Watch Maker's Desk leg. We opened it up to repair the wiring.

The husband, attaching the new reproduction plug.

Arg! My guts!

Boring lamp. Oh, wait! Is that plugged into the desk? Why, it is!

How satisfying is this?

Gently restored top.

Brand new, period appropriate rayon wrapped cord with Bakelite plug.

Clean, working, beautiful desk. (Cat for scale.)

I made a Jade Harley "Three in the Morning Dress".

This little character is from Homestuck. I did not draw her. But I did like her outfit.

...and my blog followers finally get to see my head.

Cheers!