Sweet Sanity Designs

Designer Eddie Ross has a fun blog.  He designs lots of table settings for magazine covers and scenes for store windows, but what FASCINATES me are the 'behind-the-scenes ' photos of  the tricks he uses and the things he re-purposes. This posting caught my eye.  He and his lamp maker friend  swished paint around the inside of a glass lamp base, and it became this... 
I would have NEVER thought of that. Pouring the paint INSIDE?? I mean a 4th grader could do this. And love how the outside then remains shiny.  I read this post as I was getting ready to throw out a lamp that had broken months ago.  I could have kept it  as yet another plain-jane-clear-glass-vase, but honestly my cabinets are EXPLODING with those.  So decided to give this technique a try.

Started by rinsing the inside, and moving some leftover white latex paint into an empty water bottle. Figured it would be easier to pour from there.

Then swirled and swirled for even coverage. No rocket science here. 

After letting it dry and doing a second coat, the top needed something.  I had the twine  laying around so why not.  (If this all went very wrong it was still ending up in the trash, so who cares!)  I knotted it towards the bottom and began to wrap.  Maybe I didn't even need glue, but I gobbed some on as well.  Finished with another knot.

Actually didn't come out half bad.  Not a show stopper, but fun to have a brand new home accessory for free.  It's really a revelation for leftover paint, too.  I mean why not use colored paint and have a matching vase after you finish painting a room.   Are we sharing the ah-ha moment now?? ♥  

Remember the $15 Pink Chair?  She's all finished! And thank god I brought in professionals on this one!

First a big *thank you* to Lili at Burchell Upholstery who not only gave me a fair price on the reupholstering but found me an amazing remnant.   Yeah for REMNANTS! They are cheaper and it limits your choices, which in some cases is a good thing.  Sometimes there are too many pretty (and expensive!) fabrics to choose from.  Apparently just like carpet stores, upholstery shops have remnants, too, so ask! When Lili came out with this luxurious, neutral, chenille-ish fabric from a previous order, I thought 'Let's go with that lady's great taste!' I was thrilled with the final product and the craftsmanship was astounding.

Excuse the fuzzy picture...and the black sliders for the wood floor!

But...I knew something was off. Sort of like when I devastate my cute work outfit by putting on running shoes to get to work.  Even with new upholstery, the wood color made it look like she had on dorky shoes.  

So I decided to paint the legs white.  Do not copy me here!  Should I not have done this beforehand?  Thank god there were no accidents but taping, sanding, and painting  3 coats of glossy paint right up against the fancy new fabric was not ideal people!

But I think finally it all came together!  The Before:

And the AFTER!  Isn't she lovely!?

Recap // Craigslist still rocks sometimes but you have to be patient for a deal which I hate.  Reupholstering is not something I can do myself so spent the bucks for professional BUT saved money on remnant fabric.  And finally paint or stain before putting on fabric!  Duh!

Last weekend I was browsing Craigslist (my version of online thrifting) when I came across this $15 chair.  FIFTEEN DOLLARS.  Ok, don't laugh at me if you don't see the potential.  Am I becoming a horder?? But I swear I had a *feeling* about it so jumped in the car and picked it up for sure enough $15. I am envisioning it in the corner of my bedroom, maybe with weathered white legs and a soft chenille fabric. And just for the record, even looking like this is it WAY COMFY.  

Now how to make it chic?  Contain yourselves again as I tell you I really did envision myself learning how to reupholster, staple fabric, and do the tufting on the back.  Well, after about the 4th YouTube video on reupholstering I began to seriously doubt myself.  I have thought about it all day and think I have decided to admit this is territory we shouldn't go into. 

I have contacted the little upholstery shop in my neighborhood for a quote (holding my breath) and will keep you posted.  Still trying to beat a number in my head for what a chair like this would cost all shabby-chic and rehabbed  - we shall see...for now the pink chair is sitting in my bedroom reminding me it is ok to admit that we can't be expected to do it all!  ♥

One thing about having a blog is that it makes me follow through - even if it's 6 months later!  This past Fall I really wanted to update my living room.  And I am officially done.  I am not a decorator.  I didn't have a big budget.   But like so many of you I know what I like, and am a good copy-cat! I pulled up my first post about this project to refresh myself on the mission:

* Keep 50% of Existing Furniture. (Give myself an A- here) 
I kept all lamps, ottomans and cabinets. The couch and leather chair were a major score,  and badly needed (the reason for the whole redo) and while the wing chair hunt ended well docked just a touch of a point for the drama.
* Try A New Color Scheme. (I'll give myself a B)
Giving myself an B because it was pretty easy once the purple couches were gone!  I just wanted things to look COHESIVE.  I used lots of neutrals, picking green as the accent (mainly bc the green wall was staying put!) And have to admit that the white mantle re-do really lightened the whole room up!
* Old and New Accessories. (I get an A+ here!)
The biggest cost was the rug, still pretty affordable compared to other options.  New additions that really helped were pillow cases, and  some moss balls to get more punches of green in the room. Virtually everything  else I already owned.
* Achieve Cozy Upscale? (A++)
Funny how your tastes change over the years.  I think you know your style more each year, and clearly it was also just time for a little updating. I went out of my comfort zone with a new twig table to mix things up, and invested in a large ficus tree (which i LOVE) to put by the doors. Add a basket with some blankets and pillows and I think I'm feeling cozy and a little more trendy!

Now for some pictures!  Sorry, don't have as many before as I would like!

And the AFTER!

   
Left both cabinets the same. One is a family heirloom and the other is a thrift shop find that I crackle painted years ago. Won't part with either! Just swapped out some of the accessories on top.

Didn't take much green to get the point...pillows cases and moss balls helped. Tried my my hand at mixing textures and patterns. Have been watching a lot of HGTV. And best of all my grandfather's cream clock finally found a perfect spot in the room.

While the whole thing took longer than I'd like, I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It feels updated and bigger, and I gained a little more confidence with things like mixing metals. Using the internet to hunt down deals helped a ton.  And stealing  accessories from other places around the house made it feel like a whole new room.  Overall I realize I have gotten so much joy over this new room and I had waited WAY TOO LONG!  Hope you don't do the same ~ be happy!

So I don't miss this...

And I DO love this!

Wow, this is a first for me.  I love so many blogs and follow lots, but this is the FIRST TIME I have ever gotten off my bum and actually copied step by step a fabulous idea.  Usually I just read, enjoy and imagine re-doing whatever it is in my head!!  First saw this idea in this post by Naomi's Design Manifest (and I believe she was inspired by Aubrey and Lindsay's post)   You know my rule, if it is  an impulse redecorating project for me than it must be inexpensive!   

The idea was to take the IKEA 'RAST' nightstand that is $22 and make it chic.  Yes, it was $22.  I couldn't get over that.  I'm all for elbow grease so I gave it a try.  I pretty much followed these ladies but will summarize myself (and share some hiccups and the ultimate success!)

First I bought the $22 IKEA RAST NIGHTSTAND, and yes, like all Ikea furniture had to build it.  This part wasn't too bad. Just needed some muscle with the last few turns of the screws. It was blah looking but  solid wood at least which is nice.   Also very very raw and splinter-y ~ ready for treatment!


So the To-Do list included staining the base unit a dark brown and painting the drawers glossy white.  I realized that one hiccup was the exposed screws on the base, so first used wood filler in those and had to wait for that to dry. In the meantime hit the drawers with three coats of high gloss white.  This was a nice little piece to work on because it was just that...little. The drawers took no time at all.


Next the staining. I did one coat.  Follow stain directions, it goes quick, but be prepared for the smell.  HOLY.CRAP.


Next was my favorite part. New hardware!  I ordered Antique Silver Ring Pulls from ShopSiro.  I knew this would make a huge difference instead of using the standard knobs. Ended up being a nasty task because the screws included with the new antique silver rings were much longer than needed, and chopping them off was dreadfully hard, but after that set back we were back on track!



It was time to lacquer over the stain...or so I thought. Til I read the instructions on the can that said to wait 72hours!  Ugh.  I decided to set it up just to see what it looked like. I  was  really happy with it. But did I really need to lacquer?


But after my 72hours of staring at it I did think the unfinished look was probably noticeable. So did three layers of lacquer.  Another HOLY CRAP smell experience, but it made a HUGE difference.  I think it warmed it up a bit and helped it to look more finished.




Yippee!  Now I have drawers on that side for some extra storage.  SO...just wondering, do I do a second one??

In case you're wondering...here are the Ingredients:
Watco Laquer 1 Quart $11.99
Minwax Stain (in Jacobean) $8.99
Royal White High Gloss $16.99
ShopSiro Antique Silver Ring Pulls $25.44
Ikea RAST Dresser $22.00

Still trying out these new family room colors and wanted to keep things natural.  Last year had to pitch the dirty dusty garland from the 90s so bought a super PLAIN JANE replacement.

While there I saw so many people picking through bins of those little "sticks".  You know, the little clusters of berries on sticks, pine cones on sticks, sparkly fruit on sticks, you get the picture. Was never really sure what to do with them, but I do keep them.  In fact I have loads of these little FILLERS that I've kept through the years from the tops of gift packages, plucked out of old wreathes, etc. 

So I decided to see if I could spruce up the garland with fillers I already had.  I cleared out the red berries and consolidated the white/goldish colors.

What I DO like about this idea is that all the fillers come out and next year if I want to do red and silver instead of greens and white no problem!

First up when the PLAIN JANE garland.

Then in went the little fillers. SO easy, just slid them in where needed. Barely bothered really "attaching" them.

In looking for what else I could use, I remembered my crystal-ly Martha Stewart fake fruit that hasn't graced us with it's presence in awhile. I plucked out just the green colors. They added a little more sparkle and were great to anchor the ends with.





Even added some of the crystal-ly apples (and some sparkly eucalyptus) to the existing brown vase. A few green candles and the remaining fake snow with the rest of the pine cones and viola! Finished product. Not too bad for the minimal work. I do think I miss how last year's garland had the lights inside of it so you had that extra sparkle without having to light candles. But we are moving on!

Perhaps you noticed in last post that the holiday nook actually had a lamp on the dresser! It's a miracle. I didn't want to lose my focus on the living room (just wait till I share the latest on that) but fine, it happened. Once I addressed the BLACK HOLE CORNER I just HAD to light it.  I mean it's been 7 years let me obsess a little. But my rule on impulse decorating like this is that I cannot go crazy $$$-wise.   I like to take my time with nice pieces so if I am going to slap something up there it better not cost much. 

I have been loving Urn Lamps lately.  And why is it that once you focus in on something for the first time in your life, you THEN begin to discover how expensive it is?  For instance visit The French Apartment shop in my old hometown of Washington, DC and purchase this gorgeous pair of brushed silver urn lamps (top middle) for only $450 for the pair.  *Sigh*. In my next condo.

{Clockwise  Restoration Hardware, The French Apartment, Gore Dean, CocoCozy, CCHome Furnishings, RH}

However it is OK to dream and OK to look because it gives me COPY CAT ideas when I least expect it. Like THIS little guy who was hanging out at the Salvation Army. Yes, I go there on my lunch break and yes, I categorize the walk as my "exercise" at lunch. It was $15.50 and guess what? It was 50% off day at the Salvation Army!!  It just seemed to have that shape that I was looking for.

Unlike some other bloggers I am not really a spray paint girl. I would love to do that more and transform things, but again city living and the condo don't lend themselves to big spray paint projects. Ah, to have a garage. So must admit this was my first in awhile and I needed help from the Ace Hardware guy. I sort of didn't think it was going to be this easy.  He said scratch it up with sandpaper, prime with the first can, and spray paint with the second.  This I can do...

Scratched up as best I could...

One coat of the primer, and then a few coats of the paint with little breaks in between. Both primer and spray paint dried REALLY fast so this was my kind of project - completed in an hour and little clean up!
   
I topped it off with a lamp shade that I already had from a broken lamp (dare I say probably from college?)  But the drum shape of the shade was PERFECT and it came down just low enough to hide what starts to be the lamp 'guts.'  You know what I mean.  So the FINISHED PROJECT!! 
  
Lamp: $7.75
Primer and Paint: $11.50
Time: Three 15minute sprays, watching TV in between.
Lamp Shade: Re-purposed.

Now I know why people spray paint! Wow. Black Hole Corner gone!

I've got this dark corner with absolutely no light at the end of a hallway. I've always had an old chest there and some picture frames, but on rainy days or at night time it becomes invisible.  There is NO ELECTRICAL OUTLET IN SIGHT!  Don't you hate that?  I know electricity is not something one should screw around with unless you really know what you are doing.  So last time we had a workman over I asked him what he thought...

Well it was BAD. To put an outlet on this wall, we'd have to rip out dry wall out, put in a box, drop wires, etc. I listened politely realizing halfway through there was no way I could justify all this $$ just because I wanted a 'cute lamp' in the corner. So I  sulked. 

And then plotted...
There was an outlet just next door inside the 'laundry room' (ok, maybe ROOM is the wrong word, it's a closet ~condo living!)  Why couldn't that help my situation somehow? At first I thought of just bringing an extension cord around the washer/dryer to the other wall.  But there is a door involved that needs to close and cords. BLECH. CORDS.

 
I began to get hooked on the idea of simply cutting a hole in the wall to bring it through.  Apparently someone can't let things drop. I kept thinking, how hard it is to cut through drywall? And there must be some cap or cover you could use to cover the  hole, right? This is the part of the story you won't believe....while searching the aisle at Home Depot for a part this an electrician overhears me talking to the Home Depot guy, says he knows exactly what I am trying to do, and to use THIS...a Furniture Hole Cover, for $3.96.  The DIY gods had shined down on me.  I bought two and an extension cord and headed home.   For under $20 thank you.

I knocked around to make sure I wouldn't hit a 2x4, and tried to go far back enough that the dresser would hide the hole.  I couldn't go too far back because on the opposite side I could only push the washer/dryer over so far to squeeze next to them. Then I started with the drill - just some nice holes to get us started!

The electrician had warned me not to make the circle too big because you want to wedge the furniture cover in there...so I used a variety of tools to expand the hole. Was really WINGING it here. I traced the circle with a pencil and would just shave a bit and check the sizing, and so on.  Turned out the box cutter  worked really great here.

I knew the next part would be tricky - the SECOND sheet of dry wall. I bounced back and forth between the washer/dryer side and going through the first  hole to get through the second wall.  Even a flashlight became necessary. Am not going to lie, I started thinking it wasn't THAT important to make the perfect hole on the other side and use the cover, because who would see it. But the perfection monster took over and I forged ahead.  Making that second hole because of the angle was definitely annoying.  Not crying/giving up annoying, just ugh-my-back-hurts-I-need-a-break annoying.

Finally it was time to for the furniture covers on both sides...worked perfectly with some elbow grease and a hammer.  Then I just fished the extension cord through both holes!

Maybe because it all came together so fast, or because there were no hiccups, but I must admit that when I was done I was flipping out a bit like - OMG it worked??!!!  I popped on the final cover that keeps the cord in place and was done.  

The Black Hole Corner is ready to be LIT!
SHUT. UP. Stayed tune for next post...

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope your holidays were great.   I did lots of eating and my body responded in the form of spontaneous narcoleptic episodes on the couch. Well, some self care is always nice and it's back to reality this week!

I love checking Google Analytics this time of year. It's full of such incredible data about site traffic and it continues to amaze me that people are visiting.   I thought I would share the top posts of 2011  based on the most hits so here they are!

Hiding the Wireless Routers

* This one still continues to get tons of comments both good and skeptical ~ many people are concerned with ventilation and overheating, as they should be!  I definitely suggest making the holes in the back nice and big for ventilation, and if you can make more on the bottom and sides depending on your set up, all the better. For the first few days or weeks I would just walk by and open the boxes to ensure nothing is getting too hot and to see if your ventilation is adequate. I still occasionally touch my hand to it as I pass by and everything is a-okay on my end.

Adding Nailhead Trim to a Chair

Two Tone Treatment on a Ikea Dresser

"Jar of Happiness" Project

X Benches

And just for fun, I checked out where all of you are reading from.   Most of you are in the US but it is neat to see the next 5 countries, too!

1. Canada
2. UK
3. Philippines
4. Australia
5. Netherlands

And the top 10 world wide cities...

1. Chicago
2. New York
3. Naples
4. Los Angeles
5. Houston
6. San Diego
7. Dallas
8. Charlotte
9. Washington
10. Melbourne

Now if I could just visit any of these in 2012 we'd be off to a good start!   Happy New Year!

My mini-redo is painfully stalled on the final shipment... I re-purposed, reused and saved in other part of the room in order to splurge on one thing.....a WINGBACK CHAIR!  After ordering in September the shipping emails went from an Oct. 6th delivery, to Oct. 27th, Nov.6th and now Nov. 22nd - let's just hope Santa sees it! Really, one lesson I have learned is that perhaps I am not patient enough for this and am more suited to being able to throw my purchase in the back of the car and bring it home with me! But custom upholstery takes time and  hopefully will be worth it.  I promise I'll come back to the reveal soon! In the meantime I little Ode to the Wing Back Chair.

I have always loved wingback chairs and how traditional they are. Every time I saw my grandparent's living room I was reminded of this. I wish I would have had a decor discussion with my grandmother while she was still with us. The living room had grass-cloth wallpaper, chandeliers, two symmetrically positioned asian patterned couches and two complementing but not identical wing chairs - for real? Did she work for Elle Decor?



Like I said, have NEVER seen a wing chair I didn't like and lately they seem to be cropping up everywhere in more and more colors and fabrics.  Plus many have a trendy spin on them - Grandma's wing chairs have never looked so good! 

 {Photo Collage from Z Gallerie, Crate and Barrel, Oh Dee Doh, Restoration Hardware,
Jayson Home and Garden, Country Living, Chicgeekdesigns.com}

After much research I chose mine from Ballard Designs based on price and fabric options. Tip of the Day: Order Swatches to Help You Decide!!  They are FREE, you just pay for shipping and can order as many as you'd like.  It is nice to touch the fabric in person and also to see the colors up close. I tossed all the swatches on the ottoman in the living room for a bit to see how they look during the day and night and with the other furniture.

Must admit the NAIL HEAD TRIM on this one sealed the deal for me.  I also went with the Oatmeal Linen fabric.  Struggled with going for a fun pattern but then stuck with my rule of going neutral on the big pieces (i just got rid of the purple monster couches for god's sake)  You also can pick your finish so Cognac Brown legs for me please!

Now back to stalking the shipping truck! ♥