When Accent Pillows take over....

Ages ago I had bought this pillow and another complementing partner (he is striped) at TJ Maxx.  Now, I didn't quite like them.  Found them too loud and did not match anything in the house.  Nevertheless, they were on sale and I thought that eventually they would go somewhere. Now, as the years passed they seemed to match at times depending where I placed them, but let's face it they were not breath taking. I even washed the covers at one point...

Since I have had a pillow on my mind in recent days, I decided that these particular pillows would cease to look at me in all their ugliness refusing to adapt time and time again...

The perfect moment arose on one of my visits to Tiffany's.  Here I discovered  this nice scarf like cotton thing in the scarf bin....Well, the material can't be a scarf I thought but it was only a buck and 

lined in dark brown cotton which would without a doubt cover the bright fuchsia orange loudmouth I was trying to cover.... besides t had quite an array of beautiful colours that would go with the bedroom... the light blue and dark purple gave it that extra punch and even a hint of turquoise could be detected...That brown would make it a good compliment for the chair or any wood piece for that matter...Before paying for it I placed it over a pillow at the store and voila....It was the perfect size!!! All I had to do is flip it inside out and sew it on 2 sides (no cutting involved here) and then blind stitch it on one side.  Not much room for error and so it had my name written all over it....

Happy as a "conquilha" I put that odd scarf like thing to the side at home and waited till I could sew it into a pillow...Nevertheless, I am not very keen on sewing as explained so I procrastinated by investigating what the darn thing was supposed to be.  Looking at the tag I googled Essie Designs and found out what that scarf like sling was....

To my surprise that "thing" was no less than a baby carrier that went for 25 bucks, which thanks to the expertise of the "Tiffany" people I found for a buck in the scarf bin. 

As I explained I don't particularly like to sew so I enlisted husband for that easy sewing project. 

  

And so here is the new pillow but should I leave it here? 

Or put it here?

Or here?

Last but not least, what should I do with the ugly duckling's brother? Should I take left over bird fabric and turn him into a throw pillow to match the headboard? 

Hmmm should I maybe use the left over birds for a pillow sham? 

I think I will just wait for some raw silk aquamarine fabric to come around....Who knows maybe in the scarf bin....

It is that time again...

So upon a lot of soul searching I decided that continuing the process of creating/recreating would be highly beneficial in this chaotic world we live in. Needless to say this decision didn't come easy.  Little did I know that Goethe was on my side for according to him: "Doubt can only be removed by action". Thus,  I am glad I unknowingly took his advice and found the energy to showcase a little project I completed a couple of months ago.

So here it is: Picked up this beauty on the side of the street. A lamp with good bones but dark green faded paint which would suit many sports addicts in the Philly area. Nevertheless, not wanting to make her a victim of short lived narcissism I first decided to go for a metallic pumpkin. I had already picked up a nice brown/white cotton shade that complemented her beauty.

Upon reflection I realized she would become a pumpkin for life and following the motto that "less is better" and that enabling her to survive in a neutral home might extend her life expectancy I opted for an eggshell white. Feeling good about my decision I set to work with my spray can in hand.

After a couple of hours work, here she is in her beauty ready to take on the world with the shade from "Dress for Less" because again less is more.

Padded Headboard or "Le Pièce de Résistance"

Ok. After all my diy projects I came to the conclusion that I needed to tackle a difficult side of the room. I had to think about a headboard idea for a slopped ceiling.  Not an easy task.  Nevertheless, I had painted the whole room white and as such stood before a black canvas.

Challenges:

1. Should I go with flowers or solid prints?
2. Should I go with bold colors or pastels?
3. How could I deal with a "slopped" ceiling effectively?

Reflections:

After reading about Fen Shui I realized that bold colors are ok but too much of them keep you up all night and create chaos.  And frankly who needs chaos (unless you get paid for it of course) !!!  So,  I decided to tune things down in the bedside  area. Also, since I was dealing with a "slopped ceiling" height might be something I should focus on... In other words create a sense of height and space.
Next, I realized that in order to save money Tiffany aka. Goodwill was the best choice by which to achieve my quest....In other words,  no expensive foam made out of petroleum products which tend to be quite expensive...

Process:

First stage: After googling for ideas I headed for Tiffany with the plan of finding a subtle piece of canvas like fabric with character (I did not bump into the character till I found it).  So I found this nice canvas like material with blue/burnt orange birds.

After a bit of reflection and visualization I found that this  table cloth/coverlet might suit  my needs. I thought it was quite whimsical, grabbed it,  payed my three bucks and moved on. At home I washed, ironed and starched it.

Second stage: After having measured the trunk of my Mini and the bed I knew that this project was to be for in the back of my Mini I could fit a  peace of 54 by 35 piece wood perfectly:

Third stage: After goggling for some more ideas I had my vision complete and headed to Home Depot  and Tiffany in my trusted Mini to buy the remaining supplies to complete the project. Wood,  padding material and hanging supplies were on my shopping list.

First I stopped at Home Depot and had the luck of meeting an Italian who knew exactly what I was doing as he supposingly  had a furniture store across the street.....Whichever the case what he had to say was music to my ears...He advised me to get a much thinner piece of wood some metal things to hang it on the wall etc... Now, what he suggested did not match the thicker pieces of wood I found on the many blogs and you tube,  but then again he seemed quite confident. We chatted about soccer  and said good bye in Spanish. After cutting the wood to my measurements I left for Tiffany.  In Tiffany I bought 2 old comforters. I washed them in hot water and hung them to dry. Finally I put them in the hot drier.

Fourth stage: I was ready to go. I had the nice fabric washed, ironed and starched, the comforters washed and dry the hanging metal things.....

So I started: I traced half circles on two  edges of the wood (following the advice of the Italian) as I wanted round  corners on top which would look better esthetically.  I cut the  rounded  corners with a ridged knife. Next, I  laid the wood on the floor on top of the comforter, traced around it  and  cut  the comforter to fit my piece of wood:

I continued by tracing and cutting and extra layer of batting from the old comforter and glueing the  two  layers on the top of the wood using fabric glue.  

Next,  I took  the thinner white comforter and cut in half. One half I cut to fit one more batting session and the last piece was to hold the whole thing together with a staple gun. Be aware that I used the staple gun to attach the batting to the wood. It is important to do so so the batting does not move and provide extra rounded edges on top. 

As you see, in the process the dog believed I was making a huge dog bed and decided to make herself comfortable...

I was almost there as I stapled the thin comforter (the final layer) with a staple gun:

Next I stapled the whimsical material on top following the process seen above:

To finalize the project husband helped hanging the whole thing up on the wall with the help of these "hangman" hangers from Home Depot:

So here is the final product:

Hope you like it. Have some bird material left. Maybe a footstool???

"A Fresh Coat of Paint'

I don't know how many times I have heard the statement that with a fresh coat of paint everything looks "fresh" and "new." Be it HGTV or any other home decorating show, magazine etc.. a fresh coat of paint makes what is  "old" look "new" in a jiffy.  Forget about scrubbing  your old greasy kitchen cabinets....just use a fresh coat of paint.....Since we live in a society where growing old is an absolute no no a fresh coat  of paint provides for a quick resolution to a  complex problem....I must add I became a victim to this myself with a wooden mirror I bought for 8 bucks. Now feeling trigger happy after spray painting the small green chair I wanted "color." After all in decorating magazines all you see is painted furniture....So I got ready with cans of colors from the basement and decided to let it all hang out....

After painting it multiple times (I opted for aubergine) I realized that it looked like a sad hollywood star whose  plastic surgery had gone terribly wrong.

Check it out and you know what I mean: http://radaronline.com/photos/the-20-most-shocking-celebrity-plastic-surgery-transformations/photo/528124/

Now,  if you have something that is very very damaged,  plywood or just plain ugly a coat of paint can only make it look better but if your acquisition is solid beautiful wood put the  paint can, brush etc to the side and be willing to work....Just remember that all this countries' old wooden furniture is being  painted beyond recognition as we speak and it is your responsibility to step up to the plate...

Anyway, after realizing my failure I took out the stripper, steel wool, wood conditioner, stain, varnish and got to square one taking the whole mirror  apart and starting  from scratch:

Now, I must admit the the idea of throwing the whole mirror  away cruised my mind as I scrubbed and rubbed....( I could always buy a new one...). Nevertheless, deep inside I knew following that path would scar me for life....After all the scrubbing, conditioning and staining things started looking up:

Finally I put the whole mirror back together and here you go:

Hugh....feel much better....
I feel I was true to this nice mirror with an old "USA" sticker on the back. I want to give it a chance to grow old gracefully...

Have you ever been to Morocco?

Ok. You have never been to Morocco, Rumania, Egypt, Turkey etc....because you don't have the money, time,  disposition etc. IT IS JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. But there is a solution to this complex problem...Just go to the local thrift or goodwill store (aka. Sacks...Tiffany's etc)  and see what country comes your way....

I have been to Morocco today and picked up this beautiful belt from the seventies....You could  find similar ones for sale on the web for 40 bucks sometime someplace ..

but I only had a buck in my pocket at that particular moment.. As a simple, crafty  well travelled polyglot I knew the drill from the get go....

So since it was solid brass I figured "brasso" would come in handy. Let us not forget cotton swabs and as usual no pain no gain...

The leather was white...so no work there... This is that glorious buckle after some TLC.....

I shall continue on the remaining 14 brass medals with the help of "Brasso"...

And so I did. It was not easy but then neither might a visit to Morocco or any exotic land be (Imagine the consequences of drinking the water....) Nevertheless, I finished the job by cleaning the leather with "leather honey." I don't know how many times I will wear it but then again how many times will I go to Morocco....for a dollar that is...... Here is the final product:

Perennials vs. anuals

You basically have two choices when it comes to plants:

1: Do the garden thing and plant some blooming flowers you bought at the local garden shop at the beginning of Spring. Here are the pros and cons of going the "annual" path depending on what tickles your fancy...

Pros: They are already in bloom and you don't have to do a thing.
You receive instant gratification, don't have to do a thing and can impress your friends quickly. No work on your part for the rest of Spring/Summer. No cutting trimming etc. so more time on the telly. Just the fact that your friends might spot you at the local  garden shop might make you look like a true gardener.....If your friends  are completely ignorant than you will look like you have a "green thumb." This will in turn increase your self-esteem and competitive nature.  Increase in extinct motivation.

Cons: You can hardly put them in vases, so no flower bouquets here (unless you buy them of course).  Next year you will spend more money at the same garden shop and also the year after. You will never be able to enjoy a "true" English garden.... With perennials you don't need to visit the garden shop over and over again. True gardeners will know the drill,  take you serious and be astonished by the fact that you are not a  round the mill "dush bag."A true gardener might be your next boss and smell your "perennial thumb"...Increase in intrinsic motivation and maybe a bit of "respect" with other "green thumbs's".

If you want to use your beautiful perennials in after a frozen Winter, remember you can make plants out of plants.   Take lavender for example. Select a stem close to the ground and scrape it with the blade of a knife:

Next you burry the stem in the ground with plenty of dirt and place a stone on top of it. Water it regularly and check if roots have formed:

If enough roots have formed you can cut the stem below the root, replant in a new space and create a new lavender plant. It is that easy. Nevertheless, more work than going to the local nursery and no instant gratification from your friends...So think about it...
If you want your perennials to bloom more than once and therefore to have fresh flowers in your house throughout late Spring/Summer you will have to cut spent flowers regularly with a pair of scissors.  So you will have to do something...This works with roses and many other perennials...

Decide which path you want to take,  how much work you are willing to put into it and wether fresh flowers really bring you joy...

Footstool

We bought this beauty at a local flea market  sale a year ago. Great bones but as you can see very traditional....buttons,  waves, yellow feet  etc...Way too round for the 21st century....The lady, who happened to be a designer,  threw in some great fabric with the purchase. Here is the before picture:

So now Dale went to work with the great material we received as a freebie.   First the legs had to be restrained for changing them would defeat the purpose after all she will have to get along and compliment the Danish girl and the Danish girl is anything but traditional.....

So far....

Old Lady...

So I bought this old lady at the local thrift store for 6 bucks. She was wobbly smeared with old paint and scratched up... She was handcrafted and as old as granny. Jefferson must have sat in it. I believe early twenties...

I decided to paint it this time.... First I used beige spray paint/primer I had leftover from another project. When refurbishing all should have a purpose. Here she is:

Next I opted for the high gloss avocado spray paint left over from the genie lamp....After all we are going green... Here she is after I applied some stain and varnish to the seat...

Next you will see where I will put her...

Danish design

Here is a beauty I found at the local goodwill store. Danish design from the seventies. With stripper,  oak stain, varnish,  brand new seat covers and loads of elbow grease I believed she could look quite pretty...

For a while I was inclined to paint it a bright color  but opted against it as you will see below...

Here is what she looked like after I removed the old varnish with stripper,  filled in a crack with wood filler, sanded it down, applied the oak stain and varnish. In this case I also applied wood conditioner before staining to aid the staining process:

So here she is now....

So here you go again before and after.....

Just in case you are wondering about a little sewing bench in the background it is just a little bench that opens nicely and provides storage. However, its material was a bit outdated....So I decided to reupholster that too...Here you go...