That's RiDUCKulous!

A looong time ago I got on this kick w/ duck tape.  I realized Wal-Mart sold it in a million different colors for $3 a roll and I was hooked (or stuck! haha).  So I started experimenting and came up w/ a checkered purse design.  It was made entirely out of duck tape inside and out - some people like to cover an existing purse or fabric w/ duck tape.

I made one and carried it to work.  The girls at Shoe Carnival went crazy and everyone wanted one.  After awhile, people would stop me in the store and comment on my purse and ask me where I got it.  I did a few local craft fairs and did ok, but overall it wasn't a super lucrative business.  I even entered one in the craft show at the county fair last summer - I won first place! My interest eventually faded, but I still have a few rolls of the colorful tape tucked away just in case.

This was a flyer I made on Photoshop to hand out at craft fairs :)

1960's Overhaul

I found this relic in the basement of my boyfriend's new house.  The lady he bought it from left a bunch of junk, and this was among it.  Knowing how I am about old furniture, he asked me if I wanted it or saw any life in it.  Of course I did!!!  I needed another chair to go in my new apartment, so my gears started turning about what to do w/ it.

First, I took off the wings that were attached to the sides - that alone made the chair look 10 years younger.  Then I knocked out the sides and spindles w/ a sledge hammer - another 5 years.

I sanded the surface to prepare the wood to be painted.

The cushions weren't really salvagable even if  I re-covered them.  I had a set of cushions for an Ethan Allen chair my cousin had given me (she works there).  The chair itself costs about $800 and she had gotten the cushions for free.  I had no idea what I was going to do w/ them...until now!

I used 2 cans of silver satin spray paint - I chose not to do black this time :)

The silver turned out much better than I had expected.  The back cushion is actually the ottoman top for the Ethan Allen chair.  There is a matching pillow I will probably throw on the sofa to tie it in.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but the paisley pattern has black and grey colors in it (hence the silver). 

One afternoon + 2 cans of spray paint + a hand-me-down 1960's chair + designer cushions = My New Living Room Furniture!!

Flower Minus the Power

My new apartment has a HUGE (8 ft x 8 ft) window in the living room that is screaming for an awesome window treatment!  I searched and searched and couldn't find curtain panels that I was truly in love w/.  I thought about buying printed fabric and just sewing panels, but the cost of that for a window that size would have been ridiculous!  So I bought 2 plain white panels at Big Lots for $10 each and decided to paint them instead.

I made pillows for my new sofa and a couple of them have a flower motif.  I didn't want to revert back to when I was 16 and go all flower power groovy, but I thought this pattern was simple yet fun and tied in well w/ my pillows (pictures of those to come later).

As long as I spray white vinegar on the flowers and iron over the acrylic paint, it should be set.  It doesn't wash out of clothes, though, so there shouldn't be a problem.  I just need to iron out the creases and they are ready to hang!

Freshen up w/ a Coke

I got this one for $5 on a garage saleing excursion this past summer.  I have this really cool ceramic topped table (similar to the one in the link - red and white w/ the chrome legs and pull out sides) also from a garage sale ($15 - an absolute steal!).  It didn't come w/ chairs though and I've been forever looking for the cool retro diner chairs to go with it.  I figured, until then I'll just use a bunch of random ones.

In comes this chair in all its "chrome-y" goodness.

*Sidenote: I collect Coca-Cola stuff.  I don't know why I started and I don't know why I continue, but I do.  So I want a Coca-Cola kitchen.

I bought a set of Coke sheets at a thrift store a long time ago in anticipation of curtains in my Coke kitchen - it doesn't sound like me at all, but I assure you I can make it work.  So I recovered the existing cushion w/ a section of the sheets and there you have it...DONE!

Easy Peasy!

Tile Crazy

Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture of this guy.  I got it at a sale at a storage unit for $8 and was overly enthusiastic when I got it home - so I forgot to take a picture before I started!

It was just one of those old fake wood grain cabinets you would have seen in a basement in the 70's or something (not that I was around - but my mom told me).

I painted it w/ this really cool, slightly glittery, black spray paint inside and out.  I replaced the old handles w/ new modern silver ones.  I have always wanted to try my hand at tiling, so I thought this was a good starting point - not something I could screw up too bad or cause me to go insane!

I'm guessing it's fairly obvious by now that I LOVE black and white :)  So black and white tiles it is!  The grouting was an absolute pain, but I suffered through it.

It sits next to my bed currently and serves as a nightstand/bookcase.  But I'm thinking it will serve well as a TV stand in my new apartment - the cable box and dvd player could be stored underneath and hidden by the doors!

Garbage Legs

So what's the story behind these scraps of wood lying in the driveway?  Funny you should ask...

My friend Keila just bought a house.  The house next door was foreclosed on and, therefore, empty.  She took me over there one day just to look at it because it's really unique (much like her's).  Anyways, outside by the garage there was a garbage can full of junk.  And in that can there were these beautiful scrolled table legs attached to a dilapidated table top.

 I just loved the design on them!

Keila said "yea, I already checked them out, they're junk."  I said "nothing is junk" and I grabbed them out of the garbage, ripped them off of the rotted tabletop, and stuffed them in the backseat of my car.

I got them home and paired them up w/ a piece of plywood I bought at a salvage store for 50 cents.

After a little ingenious carpentry and finagling, I rigged up this table.  I bought decorative moulding from Pat Catan's and attached it to the front to hide the rough edges of the plywood.  I had to add dowel rods for support between the legs (it's still not the most sturdy table ever).  I stained it in dark walnut - my favorite stain :) - and voila!!

 

 

Turned out decent for a garbage can and a piece of plywood!

 I see it being used as an entryway table or at the top of a staircase w/ a pretty lamp on it...

Occasionally a Chair

While randomly browsing through Salvation Army one day before work, I found this cool chair for $5.  I loved the legs and the violin design on the back, so I bought it.

This was actually one of the easier projects.  I sanded the wood, sprayed it black, and recovered the seat w/ some cool colored hatch fabric I had bought.

  

I think it looks very sophisticated as an occasional chair in my black and white bedroom.