Fostering Joy

Every now and then, I pick up a special needs child at a garage sale thinking I would like to shape her, mold her, give her the life she deserves instead of sitting in a foster home garage collecting dust. I don't really intend on giving her a home, just a solid upbringing, then I send her to a good family and hope that she is loved and cherished there.

I picked up Joy here at a yard sale last May for $4. A woman was trying to get rid of it but it was badly damaged so I talked her down. The bottom side was unattached but she did have it there. There was a missing flower in the corner but I figured I could reconstruct it with molding clay and then paint the whole thing to look brand new. I could see her potential to shine!

So, like a good foster parent, I brought Joy home, hung her on the garage wall and there she sat for 9 months...because I am generous like that. I just didn't have the energy to invest time into her. I have 4 other kids and Joy was the least needy so she quietly waited for me to come around.

Then last week, my neighbor Jen, had a sit-down, serious talk with me, begging me to let her buy/have Joy. She knew she could offer her a special spot in her home where she would be honored, loved and used to her fullest potential. She told me to really think about it and then Jen left on vacation.

My juices started to run over and Joy came off the garage wall. Jen would be gone 5 days so I got to work. I found the right clay, spray paint and glaze and then went to work.

She had to be stripped of all protruding nails and then glued, clamped and nailed in overnight stages. She was in 3 parts.

As soon as she was solid, I started replacing the missing flower with modeling clay. I didn't get pictures of this process before I ended up painting her so you can't really see the difference in clay vs original frame. The red shows the area that was empty and how I filled it in to look like the other 3 corners. It isn't perfect but it fits her style. I knew it was going to look rustic, cracked and then be painted so you wouldn't be able to tell the tiny imperfections.

This is one of the other corners that was whole.

When the clay had dried, I gave her a bath and then dressed her in three gleaming white coats.

Then it was time for my favorite part...the accessorizing. When I bring out the details, I use an aging glaze. It is a glorified watered-down paint. You apply then wipe off with a towel. What you leave behind is the eye-popping details...sort of like grouting tile.

I would lovingly work on her while kids were gone or asleep. Just she and I, some good, therapeutic quality time!

Here you can see the foam brush applying the glaze...

...and my shop towel wiping the excess off.

A clear coat of sealant and she was ready for the ball!

As Jen was being picked up from the airport, I drew out an over-sized price tag (asking for the cost of feeding, cleaning, dressing and beautifying Joy) and left Joy sitting on her back doorstep. I gently carressed Joy one last time, thanking her for letting me be apart of such a enjoyable upbringing and said my goodbyes. I knew it would be hard to see her go but she doesn't belong in my home, there just isn't the space or right fit for her. At Jen's she will be looked at everyday and cherished to her fullest potential.

What a JOY to bring something so beautiful back to life, rescued from utter abandonment.

(sidenote: Jen quickly adopted Joy with bounding excitement and is now taking me out to dinner! Anyone else have a frame they want refinished? A girl could use a good meal away from the stovetop every now and then!)