today's theme ... retrofitting

Retrofitting ... that's a word I learned back in my days at the old NOC outfitters' store ... taking something old, adding some this' and thats to make something new.  These days it's upcycle or eco something or anything that sounds earth friendly.  Me, I still like retrofit.

The day didn't start out that way, well maybe it did. 
I needed to make some closures for an order.  For the extensions I used some salvaged links from a couple of necklaces I'd dismantled.  Finished closures were deposited into the tumbler and I started mulling over what to do next ... flush out the silk cord group seemed the right direction, but I was also thinking about hand stitching and hadn't I seen an Etsy seller with some indigo dyed sashiko thread and wouldn't it be nice to include some hand-stitched indigo graphic elements in the new catalog and website, but I probably need something sooner than later and that seller is in Japan, but hey!  what about that bamboo thread I bought several months ago with hopes of using instead of silk ... turns out it wasn't anywhere near strong enough for my jewelry, but it would be great for stitching and it comes in lots of beautiful colors and there's a shop in town that sells it and gee, I wonder what it would look like made into cord as an alternative to silk, surely multiple strands twisted together would be way strong, so I go back to thinking about the silk cord series and try out the bamboo ... first just plain, then waxed with beeswax and then a double strand for heavier cord ... and while I'm waxing cord (as opposed to waxing nostalgic) I'm listening to the wind chimes out my front window and I don't hear the lovely new ones that are tuned and sound like a mini chamber orchestra and I'm thinking it's because that dern flapper thing is too heavy and you know I think I've got some thin metal sheet that would work very nicely for a new one and I bet it will only take just a few minutes to whip up a new flapper thing.  After I come in from installing the retrofitted wind chimes, I stop to check email and see if there's any new blog posts and there's one with an image of some spiffy boots and why am I lusting after those boots when I've got a very similar pair, albeit not nearly as expensive, that've been sitting in my closet for years, and I do mean years and why on earth don't I wear them.  Well I think I don't wear them 'cause I don't like the color and they've got nasty shoe laces that I've always hated, so why not take the black shoe polish to them and buy some bloody new shoe laces - sheesh!  As I was finishing up with the boots, that's when I realized there seemed to be a theme to the day. 

Here's the fruits of my efforts thus far ...

The jury's still out on using the bamboo for cord, but I'm definitely going to check into some other colors for embroidery.

My suspicions were correct - the new lighter weight flapper thingy is much more better, it doesn't match, but at least it works.

The boots weren't quite the success that I'd hoped.  Turns out because they're work boots and I've never worn them that much, the waterproofing was still pretty much intact and the black shoe polish didn't absorb into the leather.  I polished them twice with the cheap old black and then finished off with the nice brown polish.  I definitely like them better, kind of a distressed look ... don't really like that term, but don't have another ... anyway, now I just need to find some good laces and I've saved myself 250 bucks.

Here's the before on the right and in progress on the left ...

And the finished product ...  (there's those nasty laces in the background)

I think I'm done retrofitting for the day, at least for now.
Back to it - following the flow and staying awake ..........

with deep gratitude and many blessings - kvk