Before & After: Rast Hack

After taking care of some business online today, I decided to treat myself to a surf of my favorite design blogs and came across this amazing IKEA Rast hack by Kelly of Hello Boudreau via Jenny of Little Green Notebook. I can’t stop looking at the pics! This is, in my opinion, the best Rast hack I’ve seen yet.

Kelly started out with this…

…and ended up with this! Sweet, no?

Check out more pics of Kelly’s project at Hello Boudreau: Ikea Rast Hack. For extra credit check out more of Jenny’s picks for best Rast hacks at the top of her post.

Until next time!

Framed!

I didn’t do it! I’m just a patsy!

Seriously, I did do it… I finally framed that Artaissance print that I got from the thrift store that was going out of business a few weeks ago. Remember that? Well, in case you don’t here is a pic of the print in question:

Breakfast Treats II by C Biggio.

It’s got some really beautiful colors in it and I wanted to let them stand out so I picked up the largest size of Ribba frame from IKEA.

It took me a few minutes to get it in there (all those brads to pry up and the flatten down again, the poster was curled up and wouldn’t lay flat, the plexi kept popping out of the frame…) but I finally managed. I think it came out pretty nicely.

All the components together...

Ribba frame is ready to go!

Prying up brads... NOT fun.

Peeling the protective film off the plexi.

Now I just need somewhere to hang it!

And done! All framed up!

More… Thrift Store Score!

I’ve kind of been on a roll with the thrift shop finds lately… Check out these beauties:

Pair of HUGE woven table lamps that I got from St. Vinnie's.

All they need is some shades and a fresh coat of paint! I’m undecided on color… Any suggestions?

Trying New Things

My sis got these chairs as freebies from her neighbor and she wants me to help her fix them up. Check out her post here:

Trying New Things.

I ran fabric paint by her:

Painted chair project via A Pinterest Addict.

And reupholstering with budget upholstery fabrics from IKEA:

Rosmarie at IKEA

Benzy Skepp at Ikea.

Premier Fabrics:

Newell in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.

Barber in Stone/Denton at Premier Fabrics.

Or using Joann’s 40% off coupons to get some cool looking pleather:

Eaton Square Adrift at Joann’s.

Here’s another view of this style of chair (by complete coincidence, I pinned the exact chairs from a Craigslist ad a few months ago on Pinterest).

On my CL Treasure Hunt board on Pinterest.

I’m going to meet up with her on Friday to take a closer look at them (so far, I’ve only seen pics). I’m so excited! What would you do with these chairs?

The Drawing Board…

I’m terrible about projects sometimes… You’ll remember how a few weeks ago, I showed you the lamps I bought that I wanted to do the neon + neutral bottle wrap project on? Well, when I went to Lowes to pick up the masons line (neon yellow and pink nylon) and twine to do the project, I didn’t like it! So now, I’ve got to back to the drawing board on that lamp project. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it now. I definitely want to paint it because brown is not a color I’m fond of (even though the brown on my lamp is a dark, glossy chocolate brown and not at all ugly). Since I’m bankrupt for a solid idea for the lamp, I’ve decided to try and do some planning for the desk I bought a while back:

Craig’s List desk.

It needs serious work! At first I thought that I wanted to do a standard white or ivory paint job on it but after seeing this room by Kimberly Ayres design (thank God for Google image search, btw! I actually first saw this picture on a blog without a photo credit and it took me ages to figure out who designed the room).

The main inspiration for my CL desk find is this room by Kimberly Ayres Design.

High gloss mint would look great on my desk, don’t you think? I think it would look awesome. I’ve been gathering paint chips for the perfect shade of mint green. Today I started looking for drawer pulls because I don’t really like the original pulls. I found these at Anthropologie:

Sardinia Knob, $12 each at Anthropologie.com.

I’m hoping to find some decent sized unpolished square brass backplates for the knobs to sit on. I think that’d look nice on the flat edges of the drawers. I’ve also wanted to use some of the metallic fine papers from Paper Source to line the inside of drawers for a while… I’m thinking this marbled gold would look good:

Gold on Natural Marble Fine Paper, $6.50 per sheet at Paper Source.

Well, that’s my wish list for my desk project. I’m hoping to find some inspiration for the lamp project soon as I think I’d like to tackle the smaller project first. Any suggestions for my lamp?

Project: Lamp

I don’t know why I love doing lamp projects so much… but I do!Maybe it’s because they are compact, easy pieces to work on. Whatever the reason, when I saw this lamp at my local thrift store, I knew I had to take a crack at an idea that I’ve been wanting to try ever since I saw it on Pinterest.

Twine wrapped bottles in neon + neutral. Image via Remodelista.

I found instructions for it on Remodelista. Pretty cool looking, right? I thought it might be cool to do a similar look on a lamp instead. The only thing is I don’t want to cover the whole lamp with twine. I’m thinking a little over halfway will look good. The thing about that is that I’ll have brown lamp hanging out where I don’t want it. So, for the top I’m going to take a tip from Isabella and Max Rooms.

A DIY lamp project from Isabella and Max Rooms.

I’m going to repaint the lamps with spray paint and high gloss clear coat then go over the bottom two thirds with neon and natural twine. I think. I may do some pretty colors that I have in mind for my room. We’ll see! When I’m done I’ll post pics. Speaking of which…

I got these great lamps as well:

But I’m not sure what to do with them. I think they are entirely lovely but the applique pattern has some slight damage and I’m not in love with the color. Any advice on what to do with this pair of lovelies?

That’s it for me for today! I hope you all have a great weekend and I’ll catch you next time!

Color Full

A kitchen by stylist Lo Bjurulf in brilliant multicolor hues.

Spring is on the way… and I find myself looking at more vibrantly colored things for around the home. I seem to be on a kitchen kick though! So here are some pretty, colorful things to brighten up your home this spring:

These plates are very perky! I bet, if the colors here aren’t to your tasete, this this could be a fun DIY with some thrift store plain janes and a couple of bottles of Pebeo Porcelaine 150:

Chevr-on a Roll Plate at Modcloth.com.

Now, these appliances are seriously making me long for a new toaster! Whoever thought to break out of plain, boring stainless steel land is a genius!

Delonghi kMix Collection appliances. (Photo via threetwentyeight.com)

I’ve never been a fan of those horrid looking flat magnets that you get from the dentist, the local pizzeria, or your vet. You know, bad graphics? Worse slogans? I always thought that if you’re going to bother to decorate your kitchen, why not decorate down to the details? I mean, who says that magnets can’t be pretty too? I think these beautiful gems from Pigeon Toe Ceramics fit the bill nicely.

Facets magnets by Pigeon Toe Ceramics.

I have an insanely irrational love for cute kitchen lines, so these just make me super happy!

Houndstooth Tea Towel by Avril Loretti on Etsy.

If you don’t feel like buying something new for your kitchen you could always make something… Got old wooden spoons, laying around that could use some jazzing up? Then this colorful DIY is for you:

DIY spoon project from A Little Bit Funky.

I hope you all are having an awesome weekend… see you next time!

Wish I Was Here…

One of the best things about life is that no trouble lasts forever. At some point even the worst things come to an end. The past few months have been a real trial for me, personally and spiritually. My solace and consolation has been my sister, Jada, my friend and DIY partner, Dawn, and writing this blog.

Lately my interactions with readers and fellow bloggers has started to increase dramatically. It’s been such a balm to my spirit. Thank you all for stopping by, commenting, sharing your suggestions, and your own creativity with me. I really appreciate it. I think it’s probably what is keeping me sane.

Hopefully, the new year will bring some peaceful changes onto the scene. In the meantime, I’m dreaming of time with family and friends, a walk on a sunny dune like this one, maybe a bonfire, and lots if awesome music and conversation. My idea of a perfect day.

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Until tomorrow!

They Call Me Mellow Yellow…

Quite rightly! Seriously this chair was kind of fugly when I bought it but it was comfortable and looked like it’d be easy to update. OK, also it was dirt cheap. In fact, it might have been cheaper than dirt! Anyway, you all (patient, lovely people aren’t you?) know how long it has taken me to get this chair together but there is an AFTER (at last) for this BEFORE.

You can see my progress report here. I broke down and bought a staple gun. I spray painted the frame yesterday in Krylon’s Satin Nickel. It’s really pretty. Stapling the fabric was a two man job (thanks Kirsten Marino-DeShields!) but it got done. I forgot to staple the fabric from the back on the outside pieces so you can see the wonky staples. I decided I’m going to hot glue some yellow ribbon over it.

Whooo! I’m so glad that I got this project finished. It has been a longer process than expected… but a rewarding one!

Have a great Wednesday everyone and enjoy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Good Stuff

I decided to take a break from my still ongoing office chair project (more on that later) to go take a gander at what the West Charlotte ReStore had on offer. There was a ton of stuff…

Lane writing desk and chair, $150/set @ The Charlotte Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
I love this desk! It is so lady like and petite. The finished seemed in good shape and had a beautiful looking inlay on the surface which I forgot to get a shot of. This would make a nice addition to a master or guest bedroom for someone needing a work surface that doesnttake up too much space.

Curved sofa, $125 and mid-century upholstered chair, $75.
This curved sofa would look good as a tight back, single cushion sofa with a wide variety of fabrics. The mid century needs some low textural sheen and to lose the skirt. It has gorgeous legs.

Cushion paneled entertainment armoire hutch, $75 and mid century dresser, $350.
The piece on the left is actually the top of an armoire that is missing it’s bottom. Still it could stand as a complete cabinet on its own. I think some nice furniture legs screwed to the bottom and a few interior shelves could yield a unique bar area. The cushion style panelling is a neat and different touch. I’d lacquer it some totally outrageous color… or silver leaf it. Next to it is a mid century dresser. The tag said “Rway”… I’m not an aficionado so I’m not sure what that means. But the dresser has twelve (!) drawers, he top middle drawer has three compartments. It’d make an awesome buffet.

China hutch, $275.

Last but not least, a classic armoire. Pretty, with nice lines. Bold paint and wallpaper would be nice on this piece.

Sorry about the long wait for today’s post. I planned to publish it much earlier but life and work intervened. I hope your Wednesday was grand and not too Mondayish (mine was). Catch you tomorrow! 🙂