Wine-OH!

I would like to introduce you to my new pride and joy.  I've spent long laborious hours working on this particular piece, and I couldn't be more happy with the way it turned out.  And I'm so excited about it, I've decided to show you the After picture first....

It's no secret I love me some wine.  In fact, this past Christmas I received two bottles of wine, two hand-painted wine glasses, a wine bottle caddy, wine glass charms, and an Eiffel Tower wine rack....notice a trend?? 

So it seemed only natural that I create a one-of-a-kind wine bar.

And I made it out of the most random of objects.

See, I had this large credenza that I got from a client's home (the same client that gave me the radio cabinet I turned into an entertainment stand). 

And I had this twin size headboard I stole took from the neighbor's trash pile.

So I sat around staring at both of them for awhile, unsure of what I wanted to do with them.  Then genius struck and I came up with this.

And that was as far as I got.

But the longer I stared, the more ideas formed in my head....you see where I'm going?

The overall process took a loooong time.  Like, a really really loooooong time.  But I managed to snap a few pictures here and there as the design took shape.

I started by painting it with a can of Oops paint from Home Depot.  This was the base coat.

The second coat was an experiment I read about online.  Chalk paint is all the rage lately on the DIY circuit.  When I looked into purchasing some of it, it rang in at around $30-35 a quart!

Woah.

I'm too cheap for that just yet.  So I made my own using Plaster of Paris and enamel latex paint.  Mix two parts paint with one part plaster and you get the consistency of chalk paint.  It also helps it sand easier when distressing.

A closeup of the distressing I did to the whole piece.  It helps it look worn and rustic and gives it a lot of character.

Just a quick look at my stab at stenciling.  I had attached a sheet of burlap to the headboard, just to give it texture and an "old world" feel.  I printed out wine words on the computer, used carbon copy paper for tracing, and then colored them in with a brown Sharpie.

I used our new drill press and hole saws to cut holes in a piece of plywood for the wine bottles in the front.

I used carpet tubes as the wine bottle holders.  There's actually a whole infrastructure inside there that consists of furring strips, nails, glue and braces.  No pictures of that though....it remains a trade secret.

Now let's talk about those corks.  Ohhhhhh boy, those corks.  All 350 corks cut lengthwise on the bandsaw making 700 halves that were then hot glued like a puzzle to the top of the bar.

Did you know you can buy 500 corks on Ebay?  Neither did I.  But now I have A LOT of corks left over (and a zillion projects in mind for them!).

The side doors open up for extra storage, but the center console remains closed off for the wine bottles.

That black piece of hardware holding up the shelf is actually a stair railing brace from Home Depot - they caught my eye in the store and were small enough to work.

Speaking of the shelf, I made that by hand out of cedar planks we had.

Each wedge was cut on the bandsaw and nailed to the top piece.  I polyurethaned the whole thing and am really happy with how rich the color came out.  Cedar is a beautiful wood.

 After all of this, though, I am sad to say I have absolutely zero room for this awesome piece in our small and overflowing house.  Therefore, it is officially for sale to whomever can give it a lovely home.  If interested, please feel free to contact me via email at jessica@jparisdesigns.com.   Update: SOLD!!

And let's just look at it one more time, shall we??

I'm so happy with it :)



Chair Combo

I'm sure you've heard the saying "Fashionably late"?  Well that's what this post is about....being fashionably late at getting a job done.  Like, two years late.  Dan's grandma commissioned me back in 2010 (before we were even engaged) to redo two chairs of hers she had picked up at garage sales over the years.  She didn't care what I did to them or what they looked like, she just wanted me to "do whatever it is I do to them". 

Right on, Mima!

So what did I do?  I trucked them all the way home from Rochester, NY and promptly put them in the basement to collect dust and forgot about them.  Fast forward to July 2012.  While searching through the basement for a "quick" project idea to pass the time, I spotted the chairs.  Oh boy, how embarassing!  They kept getting pushed to the back of the pile.  Knowing we would be in Rochester the following weekend for a wedding, I decided to give 'em a go.

Here's #1:

Simplistic, easy, nothing a little bit of paint wouldn't cheer up.  But once I unearthed it from the dungeon of furniture, I noticed a slight problem....

There was a big 'ol crack right down the middle of the seat.

Bummer!

Determined not to let that stop me from finishing it, I set out on another path.  My mom used to have an old wooden chair in her garden with a hole cut in it for a potted plant.  Kind of country-esque, chappy chic-y I suppose.  Without getting too technical (because it's pretty self explanatory), I will try to categorize some pictures of the process.

Started by marking out a hole that would allow the plastic pot to sit inside.

Drilled two holes on either side of the chair to insert the jigsaw

Holes drilled for inserting the jigsaw

Using the jigsaw to cut out the circle



Inserting the plastic pot to make sure it fits



See, pretty easy to follow along?  And yes, I did employ the help of Dan the Man - it's his grandma after all!  One tip though: we made sure that the circle fit the base of the pot, but that the lip of the pot didn't slip through.

Just a quick coat of paint and it was good to go!  I chose lime green because her front door is bright green and I thought it would compliment it well. :)

Here's #2:

I envisioned it to go in her kitchen which is decked out in black and red (she has a red sink, for goodness sake. How cool is that??). I decided to do something fun with the seat of this one.  The chair itself was already full of chippy goodness, so I kept right along with that.

I was able to use up some Behr samples in the basement from painting the kitchen!

I rough brushed the red on, letting the old color show through

Using painters tape, I made a grid and painted the black coat on

Once dry, I removed the tape and Voila!



I love the way the seat turned out!  I also love that the red shows through the black and it looks just as roughed up as before.  My intention wasn't to make it look brand new, rather old and worn and full of life.

Here ya go, Mima.....better late than never?? 





Heavenly Headboard How-To

Well it only took me 8 years to post some pics of the headboard I made for a client.  And yes, I made myself one in the process, but I was too lazy to clean our bedroom to take photos....so you'll have to wait on that one.  I'm also going to try my hand at another How-To tutorial because I searched high and low for one to use to give me ideas on where to start.  There are TONS out there, but none that really show the "best" way in my opinion.

Materials:
-4'x8' sheet of  1/2" MDF board (Home Depot)
-4'x8' sheet of 1" housing insulation (Home Depot)
-Polyfil low-loft quilt batting - 2 twin size packages (Jo-Ann Fabrics)
-Liquid Nails construction adhesive (Home Depot)
-Nail head trim (Jo-Ann Fabrics)

So here is a premise of what to expect.  I wanted to use nailheads as trim around the border of the headboard.  The comforter on the bed had a pinstrip that I wanted to emulate.  The idea behind the shape was to mimick the shape of the dresser-top mirror in the room.  I took measurements of the mirror beforehand and using some mad mathematical skills I was able to keep the proportions appropriate for the headboard.

Drawing the shape on the MDF is pretty self explanatory using a straight edge and a tape measure.  The trick is the second layer.  Allow me to show you....

See the border?  I used a second layer of MDF just along the edge about 4 inches wide.  The purpose?  Well, the nailheads need something to be nailed into.  If I ran the foam all the way to the edge, the nails wouldn't hold.  Make sense?

I chose foam housing insulation because it is cheap and lightweight.  A lot of tutorials I found said to use high density foam padding from the craft store.   Even on a good day, Jo-Ann's sells it for around $20-$30 a yard.  That. Is. Ridiculous.  I needed something in the center to provide thickness but that wouldn't make it too heavy to hang on the wall.  Housing insulation.

I need to note that there are several different kinds.  I chose one that was pretty firm, considering it might get bumped and would need to resist crushing.  Either way though, I think any of them would work.

So I cut the insulation with a utility knife to fit inside the hollow area.  Using Liquid Nails construction adhesive, I attached it to the MDF.

Now we are ready for the quilt batting.  You don't need alot to make it look padded.  I actually put two layers in the center, but left the edges with just one, again so that the nail head trim would attach correctly.

I chose low-loft because it was slightly less expensive than high or medium and would work just the same.  Using my pneumatic stapler, I wrapped it around and stapled it to the back.

Ok, so the next step involves the fabric, which was pure white ultra suede and terrified me.  I was so afraid that I would get it dirty.  So I took things inside and cleared out the living room to work on the floor where it was clean.  Because it was heavy, oddly shaped, and I was by myself trying to wrangle it around, I went without taking pictures.  But I think you can get the gist.  I laid the fabric out face down, laid the headboard on top face down, and made sure the fabric was pulled tight.  Starting on one side, I shot a few staples right in the middle. Moving to the opposite side, I did the same thing. Once all four sides had a few staples in the middle, I started over again. Just make sure to alternate back and forth so you get a good stretch.



Last and final step is the nailhead trim.  It comes on a roll with coordinating nail heads that get put in every five nails.  No, you don't have to attach each nail individually.  Whoever thought up this stuff was a genius. 

This fabric is what I used for my own headboard - stay tuned for that one!

Make sure to use a rubber mallet, rather than a hammer to make sure the nail heads don't get scratched.  Start at one end and work your way around.  The trim actually bends very easily for curves and corners.

All that's left is hanging it.  Other websites mentioned adding legs to the overall headboard and attach those to the bed frame.  That sounded like a lot of extra and unnecessary work.  I decided instead to hang it on the wall, just like a picture frame.  I used to work at a custom frame shop, so I had all the materials on hand.  But any hardware store will sell a picture framing kit.  I used two D-ring hangers, one on each side 10" down from the top.  Proper picture hooks are designed to hold anywhere from 50 to 100 pounds each, so weight wasn't an issue.  Other than that brief info, you are on your own as far as hanging goes.

Finished product:

Side note:  Notice the stencil on the wall?  I helped my client come up with this idea.  She purchased the stencil online and I suggested she have her painter paint the wall in satin finish and the stencil in high gloss (both of the same paint color).  It turned out awesome!  Perfectly subtle for the decor in the room, but it really pops when the light hits it.

And that's all folks.  I hope this helps anyone out there looking to create your own headboard.  It wasn't complicated and only required a little ingenuity with the house insulation and picture hanging hardware.  Good luck :)

Roadside Dresser

Back in December (yea, it's been that long) I wrote a quick post about a dresser I had found by the side of the road.  It was gorgeous, like all discarded dressers that I find.  But more importantly, someone had done All. The. Hard. Work. For. Me.  A huuuge thanks to whoever decided that refinishing this dresser was just too much work and left it for me to find.

This is what it looked like the night I took it home.  Pre-stripped and sanded, knobs and screws in a plastic bag inside one of the drawers.  It was fate, I assure you.



I'm not sure how I ended up not getting any "in-progress" photos.  Possibly because it spanned over the course of six months and sat lonely in the garage for most of that time.  Either way, I gave it new stain, new varnish, and vintage glass knobs picked up at a salvage store for $8 total.

Not bad for a roadside find, eh??

It sat like this for a loooong time, waiting for a new home (we have ZERO room for it, or else I would have hoarded it for myself).  But my mother-in-law graciously accepted it when I told her it was taking up space.

I snapped this picture quick while visiting in New York this past weekend.  She uses it in her spare room for all her jewelry and extra clothes.  Right at home :)

And guess what??  Tonight is garbage night and I've already staked out something good down the street :)