Dragon Bag Lady

I did a small little craft in preparation for my new handbag that is in the process of being hand-made from Etsy. (insert huge smile here!) It's from Paulina Carcach and I can't even tell you how excited I am about it.

Note about Etsy: SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW CREATIVE FOLK. BUY FROM THE LITTLE GUYS!

That being said, I have full hopes of treating my new purse like *gold,* shimmering *gold* to be specific. One way I am going to do this is that everything I put in my new purse I want to be in its own cosmetic case or something of the sort.

Thank you Design Sponge for this wonderful tutorial at the most perfect time.

Check out my Dragon Bag!!! :)

Get in the bag you miscellany that might ruin my new purse!

Taking White to a Whole New Level

Who doesn't love the basic before and after of taking a junky piece of run-down furniture, (like said side table,) and turning it into something classic and wonderful by updating the hardware and painting it white??

But for this DIY'er... it's not enough. After seeing a piece of furniture a while back at Home Goods (God, I love that store!) painted flat black with a stenciled high-gloss black design over it, I fell in love. But months passed and I forgot about the concept. In comes Bethany's BEAUTIFUL Kitchen re-do on Sawdust and Embryos... with an accent wall painted with (you guessed it!) a flat color with a hand-painted accent in the same color with a high gloss. Strokes of genius!

So this isn't any ordinary white re-do...

Because if you look a little closer...

You might find the gem of the subtle patterns painted in high-gloss. For those of you who enjoy elegance without the fuss of being too over-the-top. :)

::uber proud::

I think I officially have to quit my full-time job so I can do this all the time. And with more amazing colors. :)

What do you think? :) Have something you want to try this on? Have something you want ME to try this on? :)

I've had ENOUGH!

Of myself!

Being LAZY alllllll week.

It has to end.

TODAY!

After work I am going directly to Home Depot... I will not pass Go. I will not collect $200. I am going to Home Depot to buy a can of flat-white spray paint if it KILLS ME.

And hopefully, just hopefully...

I will be able to at least put a single coat on the primed nightstand that has been sitting outside on my balcony for a week. And maybe even start some of my fancy-shmancy detailing too...

Before people come over for the weekly hang-out at 6.

Yikes, 6??

Like 6 PM? TONIGHT??

And I have to clean too???

::prayingiwillmoveatwarpspeed::

WHOOSH!!!

The Unwritten, Unnamed Book

Some of you might know (giggles... who reads this blog anyway?) that at the beginning of the summer one of my goals was to write my book.

(Guttural laugh!)

How silly I was. I must be honest, I haven't been able to add to my book nearly as much as I want to. I know part of the reason is honestly because I try to do a bit of everything.

Want to see the trees I put up in my foyer?

How about the plate arrangement I have in my kitchen?

My chandelier and drapes I just hung up?

Not to mention the almost-finished garment I am crocheting, or the nightstand that I have primed, the sheets I have to return because I decided I am NOT using them for the curtains I want to make...

So to be honest, while writing is absolutely in my heart, (I seriously crave writing sometimes... like I know there is too much on my mind that I have to get out,) I absolutely have not had the intentional time of sitting down to write.

My poor book. You know it doesn't even have a name? Isn't that a sad thing for a book? It's like the unnamed puppy that needs to be loved and cared for so that it can become a loving, obedient dog. And it's as innocent (seeming) as a puppy, big eyes and all, looking back up at me from my computer screen saying "Please mommy, please come and love me."

Oh darling little (unnamed) book. I will take care of you soon sweetheart.

I just have to make a list and go grocery shopping... And I can't miss my favorite work-out class at 5:30 if I ever think I am going to lose weight. And I have to pick up a new can of spray paint so the primed nightstand outside doesn't bother the neighbors.... and pick up a new hook for the frame I painted... and do laundry... and make dinner...

All of a sudden I feel like I have officially orphaned my book... poor unwritten book.

Live and Learn: Go Big or FAIL

So after a long time.... aka MONTHS... I have finished the hand-tied spring chairs that I claimed as my first ever reupholstering project.

And guess what?

I HATE them. Great right? I finished them last night, and in my opinion they are completely terrible and awful.

But let's do an appropriate before and after.

And now... well, I hate them. Like I said. Why? Because the frame is bold, but the fabric is safe. The fabric does nothing for the piece. Nor does the fabric make the buttons pop at all. So now I am faced with a dilemma: either update the fabric and make it more graphic and bold or make the frame softer.

Boogers.

I am more than annoyed.

Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to go big... or seriously, GO HOME. So either go safe and soft throughout your piece, or go big and bold.

Any-who, look forward to another "before and after" within the next few days...

Nightstands

So in lieu of updating you about my original summer project: the chairs that I bought almost a year ago, I'm going to share with you a wonderfully finished project instead.

Just for the record, I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief when I say *finished* project. I mean seriously, thank the Lord! Those chairs have been taking the life out of me partially because I have extended the life of the project *much* past their prime.

Any-who, my husband and I recently moved into an awesome apartment. With a much bigger master bedroom, and we had NO bedroom furniture! So I wanted side tables. And I found this:

The most wonderful nightstand in the world! How fun! How different!!

How expensive!

OK, so I found a nightstand I loved, but couldn't bare to spend more money to buy the matching table... I figured, what the heck? I'll paint a table and do what they did. In a matching motif. That's gotta be cheaper, right??

Of course!

Enter in Before/After of nightstand Numero Uno:

But hey? Why am I paying for an expensive nightstand when I can just do it myself?? So back went the "inspiration" and in came the Before/After of nightstand Numero Duo.

And just to make it more girly, (i.e. more appropriate for MY side of the bed!) I went with a different motif.

Tah-dah! And here are a few close-ups of the details for those who care. The only thing I am sad about was how the color I picked to "match" my inspiration table ended up being a lighter than the original side table. Oh well, I still love them and am proud of my money-saving techniques, (and the new hardware! I love glass knobs and things!)

Yay for new nightstands!!!!!

Craigslist Chairs, Before and After!

Well this week has been a harrowing week to say the least. I have been spending it at my parent's house, helping them as they are away on vacation. And doing some amazing reupholstering projects!!! Sadly, the week has gone a bit slower than I initially thought it would, and I have not been able to finish all the projects that I wanted to ::cough, cough, chairs, cough, cough:: though I have picked up another set of chairs! Yikes! My husband looked at me in my face this past week when I was getting overwhelmed and said "You took too much on." Boooooo!! Can't I do it all? Who really needs to sleep??

Anyway so at the beginning of the week my little heart leapt in joy when I found these on Craigslist for $35. Despite some hesitations, (I knew this would totally make my week much more hectic taking them on,) I absolutely HAD TO HAVE THEM. I've seen too many cool chairs re-done like this on my favorite blogs like betterafter.blogspot.com and designsponge.com to pass them up. So here it is, my very own project! Yay for BEFORE AND AFTER!!

Honestly, the chairs were pretty awesome on their own. And as much as I absolutely LOVE to paint wood I can hear the little voice of my parents in my head "Why do you paint wood? Wood is so beautiful. " And this wood was in great condition, so I kept it. I just made the chairs more youthful. :)

It's all in the details! I heart tufting. I am always left devastated when somebody decides to nix the tufting on a before and after...

So for a first DIY upholstery job, I'm happy. They look great. Though I know I can do better. You know what that means right?? MORE CHAIRS TO COME! YAY!

Stay tuned for the next set of chairs... (ie the chairs I've previously posted about!)

For the record, I decided to paint those. AND I'm using springs and hand-tying them. Oh boy! Do you understand why my husband said I was overwhelming myself? LOL