curly & crafty

unexpected absence!

2010-06-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

well, my computer got hosed and it's taken a long time for me to have the will to fix it. it's finally done, but i sure lost a lot of stuff. why don't i back up regularly??

i've been working on quite a bit of furniture (end tables, bench) and just got a new headboard for $10 from my favorite thrift store. but, i'm waiting to have the money in place to paint everything. i'm going with real paint, not spray, because the pieces are just too big. thankfully, my dad's got a big air compressor and plenty of know how for using paint guns, so we'll be good to go.

other than that, not too much has been going on with painting, but i have been sewing quite a bit. i modified two euro pillows i had to make them actually 26"x26" (which they were supposed to be, but only measured 24"x24"). i made two pillow covers from some decorative pillows that no longer worked with my color scheme. i made a lumbar pillow from scratch, and a purse too! also worked up a newsboy/messenger style bag for my dad for father's day.

and he also got a piece kind of like this one i did for my mom for mother's day. i'll try to post pictures of everything later today.

what have you guys been up to?

jewelry storage makeover

2010-05-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

i'm embarrassed to admit it, but my jewelry storage has been sad for years. i tried to organize it, but it was solely functional, no beauty at all. completely tragic.

i hung a large round plastic canvas from my bathroom mirror with a suction cup hook and that held all my earrings. my necklaces and bracelets hung on an unfinished mug rack, in a style that was not mine. (click any picture in this post to view a larger version)

just so sad. and to make it worse, i hung them up so that i would wear them more, but they were behind my door, so i never really saw them!

this post will teach you how to make a beautiful place to hang your jewelry and another to hang your earrings. here's a preview:

first: the jewelry display

i saw on a blog (i'm sorry i can't remember which! if you know, please comment and tell me!) an idea for gussying up an old bulletin board and using it as a beautiful way to hang your jewelry. and then i saw on another blog (again, i don't remember which!) a beautiful way to turn a frame and some screen to hang your earrings. i had all the supplies lying around, so i decided to go for it! both projects are very simple.

the supplies you'll need are:

a bulletin board in decent shape
enough fabric to cover the cork of your bulletin board twice (you'll double the fabric) with whatever seam allowance you're comfortable with. i am not the best seamer, so i like 1 inch on each side.
a glue gun
spray paint in a color that goes with your fabric
t-pins (they are the ones that look like this and you should be able to get them at your local walmart or fabric or craft store.) you'll need enough t-pins to hang everything you want to hang.

i didn't take step by step pictures, so i hope my instructions make sense. if anything doesn't, please comment and ask!

step 1: mask off your cork for painting the frame of your board. make sure you use a very low tack painter's tape. mine was too high tack and ripped up some of my cork!

step 2: prime and paint the frame of your bulletin board. i painted the back and the front because sometimes depending on how you hang them, you see a bit of the back, and i'm very type A like that. i find my results are better if i prime both sides firsts, then paint. i prefer to prime and paint on the back and sides first, then after they are well dry, i flip it over and do the top. i do this just in case i screw something up on the back (since it won't be seen as much), and in case i screw up the sides, i can fix it when i prime/paint the top, and i don't get overspray on the top, which is the most visible part.

step 3: once everything is very dry and fully cured according to your spray paint's instructions, carefully remove your masking.

step 4: make sure that you've got hardware on the back of your frame to hang the board the way you want (vertically or horizontally). i removed my hardware before i painted, so i had to attach it at this point. plus i hated the old hardware so i changed it.

step 5: measure the inside of your bulletin board (the area inside the frame) and write the numbers down. if your bulletin board moves in the frame like mine does, measure how much extra board there is if you move the board all the way to one long side and to one short side. add these measurements to the ones you took already. and, i would recommend adding at least another 1/2 to your measurements so that you can tuck the ends of your fabric under the frame when you put it in place. it's a clean look. and don't forget your seam allowance. i'm not the greatest, so i add an inch on each side at least.

for example: inside bulletin board measures 17"x22". my board moves around and the movement adds another quarter inch, so now we are at 17.25"x22.25". because i'm a terrible seamer, i want to add another inch on each side for seam allowance, so that's 2" to each side, bringing us to 19.25"x24.25". and last i want to add another half inch so that i can tuck the edges of my fabric in on each side, bringing us finally to 19.75"x24.75". in this case, i might just round up to 20"x25", since that will give me a little more fabric to tuck and will be easier to measure and cut.

WARNING: i am not a sewer. there may be a much better way to complete steps 6-9, especially if you know how to sew. if you know a better way, go for it!

step 6: prepare your fabric. since we want two layers of fabric covering our board, you need to double the length number you ended up with at the end of step 5 (in our example that would be 25"x2=50"). now you'll need to cut your fabric out (in our case the dimensions would be 50"x20") according to your dimensions.

step 7: fold and pin your seams on all four edges of your fabric, then iron them in place. then fold the fabric in half right side to right side (wrong side out) and iron that seam.

step 8: hot glue all your seams (not the fold in half!) unless you love to sew and want to do it that way.

step 9: fold your fabric along your ironed half fold with the wrong sides touching, right side out. now hot glue all four sides, starting with the half fold, so that you end up with one piece of fabric.

step 10: dry place (no glue) your fabric on the board, practicing tucking the ends of your fabric under the frame of the board with a phillips (flat) head screwdriver or some other instrument that works. keep working with it until you've got it right and are comfortable with the technique.

step 11: lay down a bead of hot glue along the edge of on corner of your frame. i'd recommend starting with a bead 2-3". now quickly while the glue is still workable, start tucking your fabric under the frame. repeat on the other side of that corner. then repeat all the way around until you are done. if you mess up, don't freak. if the glue is still warm, you should be able to pull it up and go again. if it's not still warm, you still might be able to pull it up when it's completely cool. just be gentle.

now you are done! enjoy the beauty of your board, and start hanging jewelry using your t-pins stuck in the board.

i added a clip on flower to mine just for some extra punch. i just bent the head of a t-pin at a right angle and clipped on the flower.

here's what it looks like with some jewelry on it. it hold more than i thought it would!

depending on the bracelets or necklaces, you can hang more than one from a single t-pin. you can also hang rings from t-pins!

if you, like me, have some earrings that close with posts that clasp in the back (which you won't be able to hang on the next project), you can hang them too. i hooked both earrings together and then grouped them on t-pins by size.

and if you have post earrings (which you also won't be able to hang on the next project), you can hang them on the cards they came with, or make pretty cards from cardstock and punch small holes in them for the earrings and a big hole to hang it from the t-pin.

now, the earring display!

for this project you will need the following:

a picture frame with it's back or a piece of hardboard, etc. to use as a back
enough fabric to cover the board
enough screen to span the full inside of the frame
hot glue gun
spray paint

step 1: prime then paint your frame if you like. you can also paint your screen to coordinate with your fabric at this point. if you like either or both of these the way they are, then don't bother!

step 2: measure the back of your frame and write the numbers down. then add your seam allowance. again, i used an inch on each side.

WARNING: as i said above, i am not a sewer. there may be a much better way to complete step 3, especially if you know how to sew. if you know a better way, go for it!

step 3: prepare your fabric. cut your fabric out according to your dimensions. fold and pin your seams on all four edges of your fabric, then iron them in place. hot glue all your seams unless you love to sew and want to do it that way.

step 4: dry place (no glue) your fabric on the board (place the right side down on your workspace, and lay your backing down on top of it), practicing until you've got it right and are comfortable with the placement.

step 5: lay down a bead of hot glue along the edge of on corner of the back of your frame. i'd recommend starting with a bead 2-3". then press the seam of your fabric in place. repeat on the other side of that corner. then repeat all the way around until you are done. you need to make sure that the fabric fits snugly, but it doesn't have to be super tight. if you mess up, don't freak. if the glue is still warm, you should be able to pull it up and go again. if it's not still warm, you still might be able to pull it up when it's completely cool. just be gentle.

don't freak if your fabric covers your hanger. just notch out the fabric and apply some fray stop or nail polish to the raw edges.

step 6: after the paint on your screen and frame is fully dry and cured, it's time to mount the screen in the frame. cut the frame to fit the inside of the frame (a tip to cut straight is to follow along a row of the screen's boxes). you are going to glue the screen to the inside lip that is for holding the glass in place.

the lip i'm referring to is that inside, lowered part of the frame. it's very important that you glue your screen here so that it is separated from your fabric. otherwise, you may not get enough room to get your earrings between the screen and the fabric to hang them.

be sure to dry place the screen until you are sure that it fits perfectly over that lip with enough room for you to glue it in place.

step 7: glue your screen in place. make sure it fits tightly inside your frame so that things don't get saggy.

step 8: place the back of your frame in place and secure it. (i used the regular pieces that normally secure the backing.

now flip your frame over and look at your lovely handywork. whoops. i didn't give my frame's paint enough time to cure and some of it has come off! crap. what am i going to do?

luckily, i have the miracle cure that covers a multitude of sins: buttons!

i just started hot gluing the buttons on the frame to cover up all the spots where my paint came up.

if you have a button that you want to use but it has a shank (loop on the bottom of the button), you can use heavy duty wire cutters to cut the shank off).

please, don't hot glue your finger like i did. when you put it straight out of the gun on your thumb, you get two blisters and cry like a baby.

after i burned myself, i started using pliers to hold the buttons and place them so i didn't get the glue next to me!

then i decided to glue buttons on the opposite corner too to balance things out. and then i was done!

i wanted to hang it in front of my bathroom mirror, so i used on of these picture hooks to hang it.

and here it is with my french hook earrings. i just love it! and it looks so good next to my jewelry display!

if you make or have made one or both of these, comment with a link or pictures so i can see the fabrics and color combinations you used!

i added this project to the shabby chic cottage's transformation thursday! be sure to head on over there and check out all the creative projects!

i added this project to the shabby nest's frugal friday! check out all the other great projects!

it's getting girlie in here.

2010-05-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

oh no. i found this in my dad's old spray paint stash:

this could be dangerous! I could see this going inappropriately crazy very easily...

must. control. glitter. love.

happy mother's day!

2010-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

happy mother's day to all you mommies out there. keep up the good work at the hardest job around!

about a week ago, we got a new ballard catalog and my mom pointed out a couple of prints that she liked. (click any picture in this post for a larger version)

super cute, but those bad boys are $119 each (at 16"x20")! a teensy bit out of our price range. i want to show you how i made my own version (12"x12") for less than $15.

on thursday night, having no mother's day present yet, it occurred to me: i could probably make something similar to those prints with stuff i have around the house!

supplies you'll need:

12x12 canvas
plain white cardstock
color printer
spray adhesive
file, sandpaper, whatever to distress edges of canvas
mod podge or elmer's/generic white glue
foam brush
dirt (yes, from your yard!)

1. so, using photoshop and vintage images (from http://vintageprintable.com), i created my egg image. i used the eggs, a creamy old paper looking background and some text brushes to simulate the text on the originals.

2. i printed the final image and an image of my mom and i when i was about a year old onto cardstock. (this gives a more faded, vintagey look than photo paper, and i like it.). then i used my cutter to cut the excess paper off the images.

3. if you printed your images on an inkjet printer, you will need to spray them with spray adhesive and let them dry. otherwise, they'll bleed when you move to the decoupage step.

4. while your spray adhesive is drying, you can prep your canvas. i didn't have any gesso, so i sprayed the canvas with a high adhesion primer, then 3 or so coats of krylon spray paint in satin ivory i think. it's a creamy color and i know it was satin.

5. after your paint is reasonably dry, you can apply your cutouts. spray the backs with spray adhesive, giving them a good coat (and following the manufacturer's directions of course) and then apply them to your canvas. (you should figure out where you want them to go before you put the adhesive on.) i would recommend at this point flipping the canvas over and weighing down to ensure good, even adhesion. don't forget to weigh down the center of the canvas, too. let this set for as long as the manufacturer recommends.

6. now for the fun stuff! first distress the edges of your canvas with your file, sand paper, concrete driveway, whatever you've got! you don't want to ruin it, you just want to rough it up and make it look worn.

7. now take your dirt and play. i find a wetter consistency worked better for the very edges of the canvas, but just play. if you get something too dark, use a damp rag to wipe up the excess. don't forget the sides of the canvas!

8. now you can give the canvas a good decoupage. wet your foam brush and squeeze out most of the water. you want the brush damp, but not wet. now load it up with your medium (mod podge, elmer's white glue, generic white glue) and start spreading a nice thick coat of glue all over the canvas, including the sides (so every thing looks uniform). (don't worry, it will dry clear!!)

9. repeat step number 8 a few times until your photos are well secured and protected. if you like, you can add more dirt in between coats. if you add the dirt while the decoupage medium is still somewhat tacky, you'll get better adhesion and again, a damp rag will help if you overdo it.

10. let it dry thoroughly, give it to your mom, and watch her cry with joy! at least, that's what my mom did. :)

final product:

this is where my mom has it displayed right now until she finds it a permanent home. isn't it cute how she put the bird in front of it?

i'd estimate the project costs as:

$10 or so for the canvas, maybe less. but use a coupon or wait until a store has them for 50% off.
$.25-$.50 for your printing costs
<$.10 for your paper
$1 for a generic bottle of glue, and you won't need it all.
$.25 for a foam brush (cheaper if you buy in bulk, and for goodness sake, rinse them out and reuse!!)
<$.25 for the spray adhesive you'll need
<$.50 for the paint you'll use
<$.75 for the primer you'll need
your dirt should be free ;)

for a grand total of...$13.35. for a pretty close replica of a $120 piece of art. that you can totally customize to your tastes, your colors, etc. pretty sweet.

whatever you do, don't be intimidated by this project. this was my first decoupage experience, and i found it to be easy and fairly forgiving. just play and have fun. even a "mistake" that i made, my mom and dad thought was cool!

please share your results if you try!!

i shared this project at somewhat simple's mother's day strut your stuff. check out all the entries for some great examples of wonderful mother's day gifts!

i shared this project at blue cricket design's show and tell for 5/12. check out all the beautiful entries!

i shared this project at somewhat simple's stut your stuff thursday for 5/13. be sure to stop by and look at all the entries. there's always such a varied selection of items, and they are all beautiful!

clearance medallions gone wild!

2010-05-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

back in mid march, i purchased three of these medallion wall hangings. i got them on hobby lobby's clearance aisle for i think $1.20 each. such a deal! (click on any image to view a larger version)

i HATED the wood backing. i thought it was so boring and that the medallions weren't showcased to their best advantage on that color. at first i thought i would paint the backs brown and the medallions turquoise to match the two main colors in my bedroom color scheme.

but, since then i have added a bit of bright orange and bright pink/fushia to my color scheme to make things really "pop" and emphasize my love of all things graphic and mid-century modern. so i decided to paint two of the backs pink and one orange and just leave the white medallions as is.

here's what they look like on the wall. i'm so glad i used the wall art arranging hack before hanging anything. it's really helped me decide what colors to paint things and living with things for a while has helped me really consider every placement decision and make sure that i really love it all before i commit.

so excited to see them on the wall. i love how they turned out, and can't wait to get the rest of my stuff done!

bird house metamorphasis

2010-05-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

this birdhouse belonged to my grandparents for a long time before it came to live with us. it finally gave up the ghost after many years of faithful service, but i kept the top because i thought i could use it for something. (click on any photo for a larger version)

the wood was so beautifully weathered, and i was dying to use it somehow but the remnants of red paint were just not working for me color-wise, and i didn't want paint chipping every time i moved it, or risk a splinter every time i touched it.

so, i went to the junk masters at junkmarketstyle.com and asked for their advice on how to handle the wood, whether or not there was anything i could do to change the color but not lose the weathered appearance and how could i keep those chips from flaking off.

they gave some great advice and got me thinking. even though i went in a completely different direction, their comments helped get my mind working about how to handle the project. i'm so grateful for their suggestions. they helped spark my thinking for sure!

i finally did something with it! i decided that i wanted to use the wood to mount 3 sand dollars on for hanging in my bedroom, which has a palette of various shades of turquoise, and brown, with pops of pink and orange.

i took the house apart, and using some lacquer thinner and a wire brush, scrubbed off as much of the red paint as i could. then i sanded more of the red paint off, and made sure i wouldn't get a gnarly splinter from the pieces.

i mixed some turquoise and orange paint and then watered it down enough to try to keep it somewhat translucent. using a sponge brush, i painted the wood with the turquoise wash until i liked the color. i mixed some iridescent medium into the orange wash to give it sparkle and then painted the sand dollars with the orange wash using a sponge brush again.

i then hot glued the sand dollars to the wood. i'm going to attach some jute to hang it with, maybe from some metal eyes too, if i can figure out how to do it well without splitting the wood.

i love how it turned out. not sure where it will go yet, but i'm excited to hang it. the only way it really fits into my modern style is the colors, but it pays homage to my birthplace of long beach, california, and it adds a twist since it's different.

UPDATE: i finally got my twine to hang it with, and here it is on the wall. i think it looks great!

a lamp shade goes time traveling.

2010-05-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

in my previous post, i introduced you to this drum lampshade that i fell in love with and inspired the shade decision for my new bedside lamps.

i didn't end up using this shade because i couldn't find a matching one, but i loved it so much, i didn't want to abandon it. i had a great lamp in my office at work and ended up bringing it home. i love this lamp. i got it for a steal on clearance at target, so the price was right, plus i love the hammered silver finish. anything silver gets me going. once i finished my bedside lamps, it occurred to me that the original drum shade could look great with the silver lamp, if i could bring it into the 21st century.

so, here's the lamp that i looooooove. isn't she a beauty?

after all the work that went into recovering my other drum shades, i decided to try and go as simple as possible this time. the shape of my shade was fantastic, but the color was dated and aged in a bad, bad way. strangely, bringing it into the 21st century actually involved taking it back a decade or two with paint! i decided to paint it a beautiful pale aqua. i knew it would look great with the silver, i knew it would go with my color palette, and most importantly, i knew it would be easy!

the color i used is krylon's blue ocean breeze. it looks like a great retro aqua that you might see on a 50's stove, or countertop, or even car!

i masked off the hardware of the shade, because it was already silver. who knew that the 60's or 70's would have it right, while the 2010's still go with vile brass?? then i spray painted it, inside and out. no primer this time, because i didn't think it needed it, and because i was lazy and wanted it done quick. the inside took the color very easily, because it was shiny (and possibly plastic, but maybe a coated paper instead?), but the outside, since it was paper, took a lot of coats to cover. it soaked up the paint like crazy. even though it was a gloss paint, the outside of the shade is very matte, given that it is paper and soaked up the paint.

in hindsight, i probably should have primed the inside of the shade with a plastic/high adhesion primer, since it could be plastic, but i didn't think about it. it won't get touched often, so hopefully it won't be an issue.

also, i am using a fluorescent bulb in this lamp for 3 reasons: 1, since i painted the inside of the shade, i wanted to go with the cooler running temperature of fluorescent (as opposed to traditional tungsten) so that the paint wouldn't melt or give off an odor or VOCs. 2, this particular bulb (a daylight bulb) gives off a sort of bluish cast, which i thought would look nice with the aqua of the shade. and 3, and most importantly, i already had that bulb in the lamp. ;)

here's the finished product. i'm in love with it. it sits on a series of cube book cases from ikea, at the entrance to my bedroom and its light and color are so soothing and beautiful.

i love how the color of the shade looks with the insulator's aqua and the aqua of the bird vase.

(in the background you can see the abacus i made (to help me count in my knitting and crochet) from hobby lobby wood supplies, craft paint, clear satin spray paint and hot glue. it's a little "crafty" but i like it. next time i'm spray painting everything for a smoother look and going glossy all the way.)

and then there were shades...

2010-05-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

this post is really a continuation of the lamp makeover i started documenting in my previous entry. it was just getting WAY too long!

once i had the lamps i wanted to work with, finding shades i liked was an adventure. i had an existing shade that was ok, but it was so unique i didn't think i'd ever find another one like it. then i had a vile shade that came with one of the lamps i bought. i must have purchased 3 or four shades from thrift stores, but could never find a matching pair that i liked. (click on any photo to view a larger version)

then i found this shade, and it really set my heart on having drum shades on the lamps:

(now, here's the part when i strongly urge you to find a drum shade that has the same diameter at the top and the bottom. exactly the same. no taper whatsoever. it will be so. much. easier. to recover the shades if you get a shade with no taper. i thought i'd done that, but alas, i had a bit of taper and discovered its treacheries.)

alas, i couldn't find another shade like my inspirational shade. but then my birthday came and my parents gave me some money for my birthday and i used that to purchase new drum shades from lowe's. at $15 a piece, they were more than i wanted to spend, but sometimes you have to splurge to really get what you want. money spent on something you hate is wasted money anyway.

i hated the pleats on these shades, so i knew i wanted to recover them. i found these really cute pillowcases at a thrift store for $.99, and figured if i ripped the seams, i would probably (hopefully) have enough fabric from each pillowcase to cover a lamp shade.

next, time to demo the shades. luckily, the pleating comes off really easily, as did the trim. you really have to take both off, because you really can't put the fabric on between the existing trims unless you are totally anal and frankly, perfect. plus, if you try to cover over it, the trim will add bulk that i just don't think will look very good. on my shades at least, the trim came off super easy. looks like they just used a teeny bit of hot glue, so it pulled off great.

be sure to be careful during the demo process, because the shade underneath is made of a thin plastic that will bend and/or crease if you are not careful.

next, i masked off the entire shade inside and out and painted the hideous brass supports silver. (see my previous post for this process.) if you get any drips, or if you (like me) had some leftover stickiness from the price tags on your supports, all you need to clean that off is some lacquer thinner. if you get a drip, just use the lacquer thinner to clean it off and start over again.

once your supports are dry and cured (let 'em go for a couple of days since you'll be handling them a lot when you go through the recovering process), you can begin recovering your shades.

i started by cutting off the cream trim of my pillow cases, because i didn't initially want to use that part of the fabric. before i cut, i measured all my folds to make sure they were straight. then i pinned and then clipped everything in place with spring-loaded clothes pins (one of the best tools out there!!). i also should have pressed my crease to make sure i could try to get the straightest cut possible and waste the least fabric. next time, i'll do that for sure.

now it's time to hem the pillowcase fabric. i used fuseable tape (aka stitch witchery, etc.) this time, but next time i would for sure just measure, pin and press the hems and then hot glue them. it's much easier and actually less bulky after all the fuseing i ended up doing. if you are an experienced sewer, you could probably do it all much more efficiently than i did, so it might not be a problem for you. make sure to measure so you get a nice straight end. i started by just hemming the part of the fabric that would go on the top of the shade, because i knew i had extra length on the bottom, so i didn't know where to hem it yet.

now start pinning the fabric in place using your clothes pins. this is very important, because as i found, covering shade is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. sadly, the first difficulty i found is that i didn't have enough fabric to cover the whole shade!

so, now i had to reattach the cream border of the pillow cases to get some extra fabric. i attached it to both ends of the pillow cases so two ends of cream would meet. again, measure to get a good straight hem, press and hem. then attach them to the ends however you can. you want it to look as seamless as possible. i know the next time i do it, it will look much better.

after you get your fabric the right length, start with the clothes pins and play until you get it right. initially, i wanted to have the fabric cover the shade very tightly, but i found that to be very difficult with the amount of fabric i had and the treacherous taper of the shade. if you have enough fabric and patience, you can do it i'm sure, and i'll try for it next time. but for this time, i decided to have the bottom of the shade be tight fitting (since it had the larger diameter) and to pleat/bunch the fabric at the top of the shade in a casual manner. thankfully, the casual look fits with the casual feel of the fabric.

again, i can't say it enough, pin, pin and re-pin with your clothes pins until you get everything exactly as you want it! only then should you start putting things firmly in their place. at this point you also must figure out where to hem the bottom of your fabric, pin it (make sure it's straight!) press it, and hem it.

i used my glue gun to attach the fabric to the shade. and to burn myself. repeatedly. (i just don't trust cold heat glue guns, but i just might have to buy one after this experience.) ultimately, i decided to line up the fabric with the bottom of the shade instead of folding it over the bottom and attaching it to the inside. i liked the look and it was much easier to keep things tightly fitting that way. for the top, i folded the hemmed fabric over and attached it inside.

for a more finished look, i wanted too add some kind of trim and decided on grosgrain ribbon. in the store, i couldn't decide between orange and pink, so i bought both and decided to look at them with the fabric before i decided.

after looking at them both on the fabric, i felt that the bright pink provided more contrast and a pop of color than the orange, so i went with the pink. i attached the ribbon around the bottom of the shade with the glue gun, careful to measure periodically and make sure that the ribbon was the same distance from the bottom of the shade all the way around. and since i had some orange and pink buttons, i decided to make a faux bow and attach a button to the middle of the bow. this added to to the funky casual look i was going for.

and here are the lamps and shades together!

i'm so glad i rewired the lamps with three way sockets. first, i got polarized sockets and plugs, which are safer, and now there's no question about what wattage the lamps can handle. second, the ability to change the mood of the room with the lighting is really nice. if, unlike me, you are lucky enough to have some romance going on in your room, the lowest level is nice, and if you want to do some work or reading in your bed, you've got enough light for that too!

next post, what happened to that first inspirational drum shade?

i just posted this project at somewhat simple's strut your stuff thursday for 5/6/10. head on over there and check out all the awesome submissions!

let there be light! finally!

2010-05-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

i feel like i have been working on fixing up these lamps for-EV-er. i wanted two bedside tables, which meant two lamps. i found the lamps at my favorite local thrift store's half off thursdays (everything in the store, EVERYTHING, is half off on thursdays. it's awesome.).

this is the first lamp i got. isn't she gawd awful? (click any photo to view a larger version)

WAY too much texture for me, and the paint treatment highlights that texture and the fruit just a bit too much for me. but, i got a great price on the lamp, and it was the size i wanted, and i'd always planned for it to be a transition lamp until i found the one i really wanted.

click "read more" to see the second lamp and the rest of the transformation.
here's the 2nd lamp. much less vision required to see the beauty in this one.

i really like the simplicity of this one, and the detailing on the top and the shape of the bottom of the lamp.

so, first i HAD to tone down that texture on the fruity lamp. so i wet sanded it to death with a pretty low grit sandpaper block. the results were very nice.

i also lightly roughed up the metal lamp with a scotchbrite pad to make sure the primer and paint would stick nicely.

and then we were ready to go! first primed with kilz spray, and then painted with rustoleum's night tide gloss (finally, a dark teal/turquoise blue! krylon doesn't seem to have one that was dark enough for me).

as a part of revamping the lamps, i also decided to rewire them, and to paint all of the hardware with a silver/chrome paint, because i loathe and detest brass and i wanted everything to match. here's how things started. YUCK!

again, i scuffed all the pieces with scotchbrite (especially the pieces with any rust or corrosion), and primed with kilz spray. (like my creative way to make sure i could prime and paint everything all at once? contrary to joan crawford's opinion, wire hangers are great!)

for some reason unknown to me, i am having some issues with the kilz. it's giving me some kind of spotty texture that feels and looks bad. until i figure out what the problem is, i've been sanding it down after all the priming coats dry thoroughly with scotchbrite and/or 220 grit sandpaper if the texture is really stubborn. i'm not the most experienced painter, so i'm glad that i'm starting with smaller items to learn and work the kinks out before moving on to my bigger pieces.

after smoothing everything out, i painted it all with rustoleum's chrome spray.

after everything dried (ok, a little early maybe...), i rewired the lamps (new 3 way sockets rated up to 250 watts, and new cords). it was surprisingly easy, between the info i found on the internet and the directions on the packaging of the sockets and cords. and i only shocked myself once! ;) at the same time, i installed the lamp harps (those things that support the shades) and the hardware that holds the shade in place.

i also had to replace the felt on the bottoms of both lamps. that's as easy as tracing the bottoms of the lamps, cutting out the felt (and thin cardboard if you need/want reinforcement) and hot gluing everything in place.

i hope i've inspired you that rewiring and totally revamping some lamps is an easy, totally doable project even for a total novice. just pay attention and you'll do great!

next post, the shades. it sounds so simple, but finding the right ones drove me nuts!

so, if you are reading, am i posting too many pictures or do you like to see all the steps?

i added this project to the shabby chic cottage's transformation thursday! go there and check it out!

new life for old books

2010-04-28T13:54:00.001-07:00

i love books as decorations. i love books period, but they are also so easy to come by. but, sometimes, the books i want just do not have covers that match my decor. so, i decided to recover some of those books that just don't work for me.

i love brown paper bages, so i used a heavy brown paper drop cloth for some of the books, and i used some really beautiful lawn and leaf bags that i found at goodwill for $1 each:

can you believe someone decided to make such pretty bags to put your lawn waste in? theses colors are exactly what i want to work with in my bedroom. and the best part is that they are double layered, so if you split them along the glue lines, you get twice as much paper! (though the inside lining is just plain brown.

all you need for this is your books, your paper, some mod podge or elmer's or other no name white glue (i think it works just as well as the mod podge), a sponge applicator to smear the glue around, and some newspaper or something to protect your working surface.

i covered these books in the leaf paper, and then added a plain brown paper square to one of them, in case i want to use it as an art journal later so i can label it!

this one i covered with a bunch of strips of brown paper i had, just to see how it turned out. i really like the layered look and the varying directions of the lines. i only covered the front cover and spine with the strips, because the back of the book was blank with stripes of some colors i liked.

basically, you are only limited by your imagination.

now this big ole book i'm going to use as my idea book, to house all of my magazine clippings, etc. i'm excited about that one. :)

v

here are a couple of pieces i made with scraps to glue onto the front of one of these books, or to use for a card or something later.

and here they all are together:

if you make your own, please share the results! i'd love to see them!

from terra cotta to whole lotta red!

2010-04-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

i went to the renovation station a month or so ago. it's a store selling new and used construction/building supplies, hardware, etc. and all the proceeds go to habitat for humanity. awesome!

i found a great deal on some terra cotta pots and had a vision for turning them into cool, sculptural useful items: a bird feeder and bird bath. click any picture for a larger version.

let's start with the pots. what a steal! first the big beautiful pots that i knew would make an excellent bird bath and a great feeder:

then, i knew i could use the traditional shaped terracotta pots as bases for the feeder and bath. they were even more of a steal!

here are some of the other supplies you'll need for this job:

glue suitable for plastic, screen and terracotta
screen material and scissors
a plastic storage container and something to cut it with
newspaper and paper plates
a sanding block (optional)
clorox wipes/a damp rag/damp paper towel/or anything to clean up terra cotta dust
plastic/high adhesion primer
spray paint in glossy white (1 or two cans, depending on your preference) and candy apple red (2 cans for sure to get a good solid color)

first, we'll make the top of the bird bath.

step 1: if there are any raised parts on the bottom of the bath, sand it to ensure that it is smooth so the plastic will have a flat surface to adhere to. be sure to wipe the dust off thoroughly and let the pot dry thoroughly. dusty and/or wet do not promote adhesion.

step 2: cut a piece of plastic from the container that's big enough to fit over the hole in the bottom of the bird bath (and seal the water in!) mine really was a little too big. i could have stood to cut some off from the long side.

step 3: place glue on one side of the plastic and the right spots of the bottom of the bath and let cure for the recommended time, according to the manufacturer's instructions. i used "house hold goop" but i would not recommend it. very messy, hard to get out of the tube, and even after you stopped squeezing the tube, it still kept coming out!

step 4: after curing, place the plastic in place on the bottom of the bath, then scrape away as much of the excess seeping out the sides as you can with anything that will work (i had an extra piece of plastic, so i used that). then, cover with a piece of paper towel and a paper plate (to make sure any excess glue wont get on whatever you are going to use to weigh the pieces down with. (which you should do to get the best, flattest bond. flat will be important later.

step 5: put something(s) with lots of weight on top of your paper plate. i used my remaining three pots. now just them them dry for 24 hours. (you might be able to get away with less, but i wanted to be sure.)

now it's time to make the bird feeder.

step 1: cut a square piece of your screen that is big enough to cover the hole at the bottom of your big pot, plus some extra to make sure it has a good bond. i used screen so that the seed wouldn't fall out, but also so that if any moisture got in it could drain out and to promote air circulation and drying.

step 2: as before, place glue on the right spots of the bottom of the feeder and let cure for the recommended time, according to the manufacturer's instructions. i did not put any glue on the screen because that wouldn't have worked and would have been a huge mess since the screen is more holes than material (even though according to the directions you should put glue on both items to be bonded). this time i used E6000. i liked it better. it wasn't as messy, but it still had the problem of coming out of the tube even after you stopped squeezing the tube, just not as fast as the other glue. also, when i got to the point of using the last of the glue, the metal tip broke at a corner so that was a little mess, but thankfully it was close to the end.

i lost my instructions, so i used my trusty iPhone to look up how long the E6000 needed to cure and then set my timer.

step 3: after curing, place the screen in place on the bottom of the feeder , then scrape away as much of the excess around the screen's edges as you can with anything that will work (again, i used my extra piece of plastic). then, cover with a piece of paper towel and a paper plate (to make sure any excess glue wont get on whatever you are going to use to weigh the pieces down with. then weigh it down with whatever you've got. i used rocks and bird food i think!

now it's time to attach the base pots. this part is pretty straightforward. and i totally forgot to take pictures. sorry!

step 1: dry place the base pots on the bottoms of the top pots (which should be flipped over so the bottom sticks up). on the feeder pot, be sure to line up the holes in the feeder and it's base pot to promote drainage. if you feel like you need to, you can mark a circle around where the base pots meet the top pots to help in glue application.

step 2: apply your glue (again i used E6000 here) to both pots. typically the pots have rims on the bottom, so you'll only have to apply the glue on the rim of the base pot and in a circle where the rim of the base pot will touch the feeder/bath pot since that's the only place where contact will be made. let the glue cure according to the manufacturer's directions and then place the base pots on the top pots, careful to center them and line up the holes on the feeder.

step 3: weigh the pots down again to ensure good contact. use anything heavy you can. i used a big can of beans, a heavy old thermos and rocks, etc. let them sit this way for at least 24 hours. this bond has to hold a lot of weight so you want it to be ver

step 4: after curing, flip the pots over and now you've got a bird bath (left) and a feeder (right).

now it's time for paint. obviously, you don't have to paint. terracotta is gorgeous, and they would be beautiful just as they are. but, my mom loves red and i wanted to create a finish that would change as it aged, so i chose to paint.

here are my supplies: my feeder and bath, krylon gloss white spray paint, duplicolor cherry red truck and suv paint, and a plastic/high adhesion primer. i got the plastic primer at an auto parts store, so i grabbed the red too while i was there.

so, why the plastic primer? i needed to use it on the plastic covering the hole on the bird bath, but i also chose to use it where the glue seeped out where the base pots met their top pots. regular spray paint will NOT stick to plastic and looks like crap if you try, so i wanted to be sure.

now, before you start painting, i cannot recommend this little beauty highly enough. it fits around the paint can and allows you to use the spray paint like a spray gun instead of wearing your index finger out. it was very helpful for me.

now you have a choice: you could use primer at this point, but i chose not to. why? because i want the feeder and bath to age, so i don't want the paint to stick too well. but, you could totally use primer. it may help you use less paint since terra cotta is so pourous.

step 1: whether you prime or not, now it's time for your white paint. i chose white so that as the pot ages, some of the white will come through. you could choose whatever color you like. sorry i didn't get pictures of the white process. i ended up using at least 3 coats and that still didn't give full coverage, but since i plan on it aging, i didn't care too much. if i did it again, i'd probably buy a second can of white so i could give both of the items a really solid white coverage. krylon recommends 2-3 light coats with 1 minute between coats. when you are done with your white, let it dry for 15 minutes or so. i just guessed on that really though.

step 2: start by applying a light coat of your red. i'm not the best painter at all, as the pictures of my "light" coat will show you. but my dad helped me and the next two coats improved. i found it helpful to turn the pots upside down and paint the joint and bottom rim first, then turn them over and paint the rest. i painted the inside of the bowls first, then the outside of the bath/feeder. wait the recommended time between coats and then apply your next coat, etc. until you have the coverage you want.

as you can see, i applied my next coat a bit heavier, because my dad said i could! then i did at least one to two more coats, waiting as instructed between coats.

i started the distressing process while painting as you can see below. whoops!

unfortunately, before i could completely cover the bird bath, i ran out of paint, so i used my dad's duplicolor engine enamel in ford red for the rest of the bath. it's a little more orange than i'd like, but we'll live with it a while and see what happens.

and here are the finished products. i'm still not happy with the coverage on the feeder, so i'll be applying at least 1 more coat of the ford red to it. at least they'll match now! if i had it to do over again, i'd be sure to buy two cans of my red the first time.

and here's the feeder with one more coat of ford red. i'll check it tomorrow, but i think this might be it!

let me know if you have any questions. if you make your own, comment and share your pictures! i can't wait to see!

wonderful giveaway!

2010-04-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

come on. you know you want this:

head on over to newly wife's blog for your chance to win!

but i want to win. ok? sound fair? ;)

depends on what your definition of "junk" is...

2010-04-23T20:54:00.001-07:00

i'm so excited to turn junk into something great. the possibility, the creativity, the joy of transformation! usually, i think of junk as old stuff, but today i turned some brand new junk into a beautiful thing that looks old!

i went and bought a lovely new casual cowboy hat made out of palm leaves. it's soft and fun and will shield my face nicely from the sun while i'm out at the oklahoma city festival of the arts tomorrow. while the nice man was shaping the hat for me, i saw a hat pin with possibility.

this is almost exactly what it looked like before, but it had a plain border and different background engraving. i loved the shape, simple detailing and the TEXAS (i can't ever let these okies forget i'm from texas. i'm a pill like that!) of it, but the bling/flashy-cowboy factor was WAY too high for me. i wanted funky, not farmy! i knew right away what i wanted to do with it: finally get some practice with the paint and glaze technique i learned at all things thrifty.

step one: prime both sides with kilz. supposed to be two thin coats, but i know the back came out a little thicker than expected. i was surprised by how fast the paint shot out! i let each coat dry about 15 minutes.

step two: three very thin coats of krylon's indoor/outdoor paint in bahama sea (which by the way came out MUCH lighter than the top of the can would indicate, fyi.) the awesome part was that the instructions say you only have to wait 1 minute between coats, which made this project go much faster than i thought it might! after all coats were done, i let it dry 2-3 hours. probably could/should have waited longer, but i wanted to wear the pin tomorrow afternoon!

step 3: using a 220 grit 3M™ SandBlaster™ Flexible Finishing Pad, very lightly sand the edges and high points of the pin. by going slowly and lightly, you can remove only the krylon, and the white of the kilz shows through. i like this look, and prefer it to the idea of the gold border showing through.

step 4: GLAZE, baby! all things thrifty recommends ralph lauren, but i could only find it at HD and only in a gallon size for $30. i was not ready to make that kind of financial commitment so i went to lowe's. they had a valspar glaze in a smaller can and as brooke recommends, i had it tinted black.

with a paintbrush, i applied a very very very tiny (i cannot express how tiny!) amount of the glaze all over the pin. then using a damp cloth (an old tshirt for example), i wiped away some of the glaze. i repeated this process 2 or three times until i had a result that i liked.

it's a pin that looks worn around the edges, and as if age has been getting into the detail for quite some time.

and here's what it looks like on my new hat! i can't wait to wear it tomorrow! :)

just posted this project at stephanie's sunday showcase. you should head over there too!

wall art arrangement made so much better!

2010-04-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

in the january/february 2010 issue of my home, my style magazine, i saw a idea so great, yet so simple, i couldn't believe that i hadn't thought of it before! they finally solved the problem of how to get a perfect preview of an arrangement of wall art, without turning your walls into swiss cheese or driving yourself crazy.

first step is to trace all of the pieces you are possibly interested in hanging onto a sturdy paper. i used a heavy brown drop cloth paper and some paper grocery sacks. i'm sure butcher paper would work well too. you just need something sturdy and big enough to trace your items on. i had to tape multiple pieces together for some of my bigger items.

for me, it was necessary to start with as blank a canvas as possible. i basically removed everything that would be in my line of sight except furniture and my tv, because i wasn't willing to move it from that position, so i needed to see how any wall items would fit around it. reducing the visual clutter seemed like a good idea for helping me to really judge best what would work. also, my current thinking is that decorating is sort of like a pyramid: base is furniture, next comes the walls and draperies, etc. and last is decorative items. they are the smallest and easiest to control and manipulate so i wanted them for last.

here are my bedroom walls, blank and ready to experiment with:

here are my cutouts ready to go:

now, if you are going to be going anywhere near your ceiling fan while you do this, like i was, be sure you turn it off! getting hit by it hurts! (and lest you think i am a fantastic housekeeper, i had just dusted that fan for the first time in like 18 months before this picture was taken. if you didn't notice, well, i guess i wasted my time! ;) )

be sure to mark where your nail holes need to go on your cutouts! this is one of the best parts of the idea to me!

next, using painter's tape, masking tape, or any other kind of tape that won't leave a residue or mess with your walls, start arranging your templates. keep playing around, stepping back, repositioning until you get something you like. i did one wall at a time, and then tried to consider the entire room as a whole. not sure i did the greatest job, but i'm up for suggestions!! i'm so afraid of doing too much!

here are my test positions:

i'll admit, i changed things much more than i thought i would during this process. it was so nice to have a visual representation of size, spacing, weight, etc. also, i want to paint a number of these items, and by knowing how they will be arranged, i can think more strategically about what colors to paint them.

another nice thing is that you can live with your arrangements "on paper" for a while and see if any new ideas come to you, or if you realize any issues that you hadn't initially thought of. i'm currently in the "living with it for a while" stage, and just looking at these pictures i realized that i may want to change one of the walls around!

hope this one helps you. let me know if you use it, and send pictures! :)

room arranging hack

2010-04-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

i have always always loved to arrange rooms. even when i'm not good at it! ever since i was big enough to move the furniture by myself, i have rearranged my bedroom constantly, always looking for a more pleasing arrangement. and sometimes, just wanting the freshness that only change can bring.

however, my current bedroom is driving me nuts, and this time it's not enough just to look at the room and start moving stuff. plus, now that i'm an adult, my stuff is bigger and heavier!

but now, thanks to my friend ethan allen (my rich, expensive, completely out of my price range friend), i have a wonderful tool to help me arrange and rearrange my room. and to plan and replan for needed pieces that i don't have.

it's called: the room planner (click on "design online with my projects" in the lower right hand corner). catchy name, right? ;) all you need to start are an account with ethanallen.com (don't worry, they won't ask for financial information) and the dimensions of your room and existing (or desired) pieces.

now, here's my hack for it: they let you use their furniture only, but if you know the dimensions of your existing furniture (in inches!!) you can choose pieces that match (or closely resemble) the dimensions of your piece. since it's a 2d, view from above image, it doesn't even matter if you choose a bookcase to represent a bookcase, as long as the dimensions are what you want.

they also let you print the plans, and even save them as jpegs. you can create multiple plans too!

here's the current layout of my current room (i'm also fooling around with a remodeling possibility). click image for a larger version:

so happy virtual arranging, y'all! your back will thank me! ;)

next post will contain a similar hack, but for photo/wall hanging arrangement.

what's your style, baby?

2010-04-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

image from http://www.annesage.com

brooke made a great post today about finding your own decorating style. sometimes we (me) can get so excited by individual projects that we aren't thinking about the whole piece and how it will fit together.

one of the suggestions i immediately jumped on was to get catalogs from stores that you like and use those for inspiration. between brooke and the commenters, there were a lot of great suggestions, all of which allow you to order catalogs online. for example:

ikea
pottery barn
restoration hardware
anthropoligie
west elm
ballard designs
blissliving home
crate and barrel & cb2
design within reach
jonathan adler (can't find a catalog request, but his stuff is great!)

also, here are a couple of style quizzes featured in the post and a comment:

and here's a piece from real simple that might help you along the way to pursuing your personal style.

ethan allen says my style is estate, and real simple says i'm modern graphic. i know i love modern. i need to see more of this "estate" stuff. not sure it's me.

happy hunting for your own style! i'm learning to take my time. it's not a race to get decorated. if you want the best result, take your time to find out what you love and find a way to make that happen in your space. anyone (with money!) can go out and buy a whole room of furniture and accessories at once. but if you take your time and fill your home with things you love, then it's really your home, and spending time in it will be a joy.

what a great idea

2010-04-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

this is possibly one of the best ideas i have ever seen for random, smallish, possibly partly broken thrift store furniture. or even perfectly good stuff you have around the house that's just not working for you!

you can check it out yourself at readymade magazine's website. note: i personally would not take their advice about oil-based paint. it's a huge mess, it stinks, it's just wretched. instead, i would read up on brooke's painting and glazing tutorials at all things thrifty and save yourself a ton of work.

this idea opens up so many possibilities to me! sometimes you just can't find bookshelves, a desk, or a hutch, etc. that work for you, or that are within your budget. with this idea and some creativity, you could make a lot of really functional items for not a lot of money. i've seen nice wood tables for $3 or even less at thrift stores, and when you add in craigslist, and garage sales, there are lots of sources for pieces.

if you take this idea up, let me know how it turns out! and please include before and after pictures. i love them!

scorin' on the clearance aisle!

2010-04-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

originally posted on 3/16/2010

i stopped by hobby lobby today with the sole intention of exchanging one item and spending no money. and then i checked the clearance aisle...i was done for, but i totally scored. you can click on the pictures to see a larger image on flickr.

the center image is a wonderful old bell that my father gave me today. it belonged to my grandfather, and i believe is called an elephant bell. it's beautifully engraved with leaves and flowers and has such a wonderful sound when it rings.

the images surrounding the bell i picked up at hobby lobby on clearance for $.80-$2. i'll leave the lantern on the right alone, but everything else will be painted, aged and glazed. i can't wait!

i also got these at hobby lobby. i got three of the item in the top picture. i've taken the ceramic off the wooden backing. i'll paint the backing brown, and the ceramic turquoise with a brown or black glaze. The same treatment likely is in store for the bottom two items, but i'll also take the shadow box apart (i don't have a single "o" in my name!) and something else fun will be done with it. maybe a damask image.

these are images from two of the many books i grabbed at goodwill not long ago. i'm into papercrafting as well, and old books can provide a wealth of material. these are my two favorites: a 50th anniversary edition of the world book atlas (notice the wood grain embossed liner page in the bottom right picture), and 4 volumes (published in 1948 and 1949) of "the child's world" which appears to be sort of like an encyclopedia for kids. I just love the image on the top left. so vintage and cute.

the cubby on the left was rescued (for free!) years ago from a thrift shop in austin, tx. it was free and used to hold cassette tapes, etc. now i plan to sand it to get rid of the really rough edges, paint it and glaze it.

the mirror on the right (close up of detail on top) i just got today for $12.99 (regular 129.99--WOW!) because the mirror was broken. i'm ditching the mirror, painting and glazing the frame, then the possibilities are endless! i might get another mirror for it, i might turn it into a picture frame or shadow box, or i might put some original art in it!

if anyone has any other ideas, lay 'em on me!! i can use all the help i can get!

guthrie, plus latest acquisitions

2010-04-15T12:56:00.001-07:00

originally posted 3/6/2010

well, guthrie was a bust today. first, i was so sad to discover that my favorite restaurant and yarn store both appeared to have closed. this economy sure is rough. the owners of both were really cool people and i'm sad to think of the disappointment and financial difficulty these events likely brought. i'm going to remember them in my prayers.

mom and i had time to hit up 4-6 shops before we had to leave, and i didn't find a single thing i had to have! i was shocked, especially since i had some gift money burning a hole in my pocket. the only things i found that weren't more than i was willing to spend were a few vintage panther planters that match a lamp of my great grandmother's that my dad gave me recently. but, since we are planning to move soon, i don't really want to buy too many breakables and risk them in a move. and i'm not sure if i want to start a panther collection yet. ;)

but, i did hit an estate sale and a garage sale on friday and got a few things i'm excited about.

first up, the estate sale haul. i was looking for a new bedside lamp, and i came upon this little beauty, with shade for $8. perhaps more than i had to spend, but i love the shape, details and patina on both the lamp and shade. the lamp will likely end up painted, but for now, i love it the way it is. (minus the dust though!)

these little gems were all together in a danish butter cookie tin, along with a bunch of other not so interesting items, for only $2!! i love the brayers and plan to use them in my paper crafting. and i also for some reason have a total love affair with vintage tape measures. this one is canvas and lovely.

great old metal file case, probably has a date with a can of paint soon and will end up in my future craft room. $5. probably a bit too high, but i'm a bit of a magpie. show me the shiny metal and i'm yours.

this lovely metal case called to me immediately. only $1. and then i found out what was inside and fell even deeper in love. at least one of these canisters is destined to become a mini scrapbook.

yes, you are reading that date right. 1959 christmas edition of the saturday evening post.

love the iconic coca cola ad on the back cover.

and the spread on the life of christ has gorgeous artwork and wonderful quotes from the gospels.

now, this is embarrassing. as i was in line to pay, i saw this mirror on the wall. i loved the details and thought it would look great painted. without even touching it, i agreed to pay $8 for it. and after i paid for it, i discovered that the frame was PLASTIC. i was robbed. lesson learned. thank goodness for plastic primer!

but, i totally STOLE this at the garage sale down the street (i also scored some great wood blocked rubber stamps for only $1 each!). i think the frame is ceramic? but it was only $2, and it's only flaw is one chipped point. i'll find something to cover that up with. i just adore the fluer de lis details. i'll probably paint and glaze it in the future, but the patina it has now is pretty interesting and should work nicely in my bedroom. (excuse my rumpled bed as backdrop!)

i got some great old books at the goodwill last week, too. this was the score of the day. 50th anniversary world book atlas published in 1966, for only $.75! i've been wanting old maps and this is perfect. the liner paper is a wonderful embossed wood texture in a gorgeous blue, pluto was still a planet and the USSR was still the USSR.

i absolutely ADORE these. they are a series called "the children's world" and appear to be some kind of encyclopedias for kids. printed 1946-1948. i had to have them and $6 for all four isn't too shabby. check out the wonderful image at the beginning of each book. can't wait to use that on a card!

textbook for a 50's secretarial course in oklahoma city. i totally bought it for the fabulous old paper that the class syllabus was typed on. it will probably become a journal or scrapbook. who knows?

at least one of these reader's digest condensed books is going to become an art journal. the possibilities are endless for the second. i think i gave $1.49 for one and $.75 for the other. i love the cover on the blue one. great detailing.

old thesaurus and cheap dictionary. great for backgrounds for cards. have to buy a bunch cuz there's only one "love" in each.

i'll keep you posted as i start to use these items. :)

w00t!

2010-04-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

originally posted 3/5/2010

finally got the craft blog going! yay!

so, about me...ummm...well, i'm not much of an artist (drawing, painting, etc.) but i can shoot a pretty decent photo (check some of 'em out here. i'm also into making my own cards, and you can see a lot of them on my flickr page as well. along with pictures of my crochet and knitting projects. just don't expect to see much knitting, since it frustrates the heck out of me and i've sworn off it for quite a while.

recently, i've been reading a lot of the awesome ladies at www.allthingsthrifty.com. brooke and kallie sure know their way around a can of spray paint and can turn just about any trash into treasure. they've inspired me to update some of my furniture/decorating on the cheap by doing it myself.

i've recently acquired some treasures of my own and hope to post pictures soon. just having some issues with connecting the camera to the laptop. that will be resolved shortly i hope.

and tomorrow, i'm heading to guthrie, ok with my mom for some business (on her end) and then antiquing, etc. guthrie is a beautiful old town full of gorgeous architecture, and some great shops full of interesting old things. hopefully we can find some good deals.

that's it for now i suppose...