Trigger Finger

Ugh. It's been a while since CB2 added much of interest to their online sale pages, so I wasn't expecting to flirt with temptation when I clicked on the link in their latest sale email. Resistance is futile...



It belongs in my bedroom...somewhere.

Upcoming Projects

These are all items that need to be refinished. I would love to replace the bedside table and bench, but I'm going to have to make do for now. With a little paint and some imagination, I think I can make them work. The lamp is a keeper because of its slim footprint and 150 watt capability. I like its shape too. Like the other items, it just needs a makeover.

I must have a bench at the end of my bed as a step for Buster. A sleek metal bench would be more to my liking. Actually, I have a gorgeous iron Maitland-Smith bench in storage, but it's huge and there's simply not enough room for it, anywhere.

The bedside table is one of a pair. I found them on clearance at Target years ago. They're really file storage with a drawer on top. I store my important papers in the file drawer, so if I replaced it I would have to find a place for displaced files. It might be easier to refinish the piece. It sits quite a bit lower than my bed, which I have on 4" risers. I think some new legs or a base is in order.

More to come...

WIP

This is my bedroom in a transitional stage. The headboard was purchased a few years ago from Homegoods and had a dark brown antique finish. I bought it as a decorative object to hang on the wall more like a picture, but couldn't ever really find a place where it fit in. One day it dawned on me to use it as a headboard. I don't know if that's what it was designed for, but it fits over my queen size mattress like it was meant to be. The color worked with the dark brown entertainment armoire that I had at the time, but when I decided I wanted to lighten things up, it didn't fit. What I really want is a birch plywood headboard, but painting the old headboard was more within my budget. I opted for Rustoleum Safety Yellow gloss enamel. Keep in mind that the bed belongs to my Boston Terrier. He merely lets me sleep there. Were the circumstances different, I would consider an upholstered headboard.

I painted all the walls white. Until recently, I was living with the original, horrid, flat pale green painted walls. The dark gray paint that was earmarked for the base of my cutting table will probably end up on the wall where the bed is. I'm definitely changing out the linens. There is way too much white going on here, but I'm thinking the choice of bed linens might allow for the wall to remain white. This is the direction I'm going in regarding the linens.



The room measures 13' x 13' 6". It's a decent size. Observe the trio of doors. I never really gave the grouping of doors much thought until I started writing this post. Now, I realize that it might seem somewhat crowded, but it's totally functional. There is a generous space behind the bedroom door which allows for storage. I've put my free weights behind the door. There is plenty of room for a small workout area in to the left side of the bed and the front of the drawer unit.



To be continued...

Update

Please forgive me for the crappy pictures. It's dark and dreary here, so I'm making due with a minuscule amount of available light.

The lamps arrived in a timely manner. Shortly after I posted about the sale, the price went up to $14.95. Now they're $19.95. Strange. They're cute, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. I thought about reversing the direction of the cans so they face up (uplights). I dunno, still debating. They remind me of the tension rod fixture that I have in the living room which is a Todd Oldham for Target item.

I suppose I should have given the Capricorn picture a separate post, but I'm being lazy. The picture was a Salvation Army find. Totally 1970's. I love the frame. The matting is fabric covered and sits on top of the glass. The effect is lovely. It's one I might try to replicate someday. I'm doing my bedroom right now and the picture is a primary element. It's sharing the room with my decoupaged drawer units. Don't worry, I was sure to give it a space away from the busy drawers.

More pictures of projects coming soon.

Bargain Alert!

Go now to Urban Outfitters online for this sweet deal. Originally $34, now $9.99. Do a search for an online coupon and score an extra 10% off. I ordered on the 29th and they're still in stock, so you better hurry!

Sewing Room Redo

This project went down a couple of months ago.

I wrote of being mostly content with my sewing room in this blog post. That was before I took a road trip to Ikea and purchased a new cabinet. As can be expected, a new piece of furniture created a domino effect. I'm much happier with the end result.

I constructed the desk using a couple of old sewing machine cabinets topped with a piece of stock counter top from the hardware store. The counter top lost its back splash and some of its depth by way of a circular saw. I actually did this myself and it wasn't difficult at all. Cosmetically, there is still work to be done on the desk, but it's totally functional. My printer now resides in the closet. I found the desk lamps on sale at Urban Outfitters (online), and the Jonathan Adler bookends came from Barnes and Noble. Ikea again for the chair. The cutting table base is going to get repainted in a dark gray. I bought the paint, it's just a matter of motivation. The bulletin board came from the local Habitat Home Store, which I covered with some durable but inexpensive Walmart fabric. The Last Supper is a paint-by-number masterpiece that I'm planning on giving to my paint-by-number collecting niece.

I'm truly not planning on making any more big changes to this room for a long time.

Before and After

I've been a bad blogger. Since my last post I've been immersed in a bunch of projects. The problem is that I become so fixated on the task at hand that all else gets neglected. Afraid that if I stop, I'll lose momentum. I know myself too well.

So I'm going to try to be a bit better about sharing. Which brings us to the latest project: the drawer cabinets. Here they are with legs, painted white, and decoupaged with Gig Posters. I was able to complete the transformation over a two day period, and I can see a decoupage addiction taking hold.

Score!

My neighbor had these cabinets in a yard sale. They are super well made and heavy. The drawers are deep and roomy. They sat on his lawn for a couple of days, so I casually wandered over yesterday afternoon to see how much he wanted for them. At $10 apiece, I wasted no time in getting to the ATM to make a withdrawal. These two units were stored in a closet inside my neighbor's house so they cleaned up well with a little elbow grease. He said he has a couple of more in his garage and I let him know that I want them if decides to get rid of them.

I'm looking to add legs and I'm definitely leaning towards the tapered brushed steel. The pulls on the drawers are brushed steel as well, plus I really like the mid-century vibe of the tapered leg.




I might paint them. I spotted these cabinets on Ebay, and I really like the color combinations. The drawer units would look neat in a similar color palate.




When you live in a 900 sq. foot house, you're always looking for ways to add attractive storage. Ikea has some wonderful solutions, but the nearest store is in Atlanta, some 175 miles down the road. Besides, I simply do not have the money to spend a few grand on a wardrobe system. I am still pinching myself over my lucky find.

I also happened upon this sewing cabinet on Craigslist. I have the Rocketeer and thought this would be a good match. Again, I like the mid-century vibe of the piece, and it's very well made.



I don't think this cabinet is a Singer cabinet, although I can make it work. I'm still debating on whether or not I will keep it, as I'll have to get rid of something to in order to fit it in. I do like it, though. Decisions, decisions. If all else fails, I should be able to relist it on Craigslist and recoup my $30.

Stepping Away

After an unsuccessful attempt at making a strap for my LaRue bag, I decided it was time to step away from the pleather.

I'm making the bird bag in denim. This has turned out to be a lot more time consuming than expected because I have to stabilize everything. So what you see in the picture is only the beginning, but at least I'm able to accurately predict the project's outcome. I'll post more pictures when it's done.

Copy Bird

I spotted this adorable handbag on this blog . It's a really simple design, so I figured it wouldn't be difficult to copy. I think I've got a pretty good mock-up. The yellow sample you see in the pictures is a test. As you can see, I'm still working out the details. The biggest challenge has been dealing with the pleather. I'm having some issues with it sticking and pulling, so I've spent a lot of time searching the internet for solutions. So far, I've invested in a teflon presser foot and I'm testing a couple of other tips (see the cardboard surrounding the needle area of my machine). I would like to use a blanket stitch around the entire perimeter of the purse (with the exception of the opening), but initially I was having some sticking problems, so I put the gusset in with a straight stitch. I'll have to reinforce the head and tail areas so they don't flop. I'm still brainstorming on that.

No, I'm not fixated on yellow vinyl. This stuff was plentiful and inexpensive at Walmart so it seemed like the logical material to practice on. When I work out the kinks, I'll construct the purse in something closer in color to the original. I'll probably make need to make one more mock-up before I feel confident enough to cut into the good stuff.