Age before beauty

There is nothing worse than feeling your age - unless you the ripe 'ol year of two and your only worry is where your next snack is going to emerge from and how to convince mom to give you something with less nutritional value. To feel and look younger than what your drivers license confirms is probably the goal of most of the aging population - myself included. You eat healthy, get plenty of outside time and try to avoid crows-feet by wearing sunglasses bigger than a softball - but despite all that, your genes are what decide your fate on the other side of the hill. If your genes aren't looking all too promising, maybe a little D.I.Y spruce up is in order. 


And that is exactly what these three old lanterns - from my favourite local junk shop haunt - deserved. 

The technique I applied for getting these lanterns pretty again can also be used for softening your accumulated hard edges as well. First step: grab a wire brush. Second step: use the wire brush. (don't be afraid - put your back into it) Once you had a good go at the surface aging - get some course sandpaper for all those hard to reach bits. Don't be shy - they need a good scouring too. 

Once you are happy with the layers of grime, rust and hard labour you have removed - give a soapy scrub down and apply a generous coating of oil. Mid-life recondition is complete. Now go put you feet up and have a drink - your ankles are probably bigger than rugby balls and your blood thicker than gravy.