Diving Meet

Official Member of the Charley Harper Fan Club

2009-05-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

Round about Christmas time, I was excited to find Charley Harper puzzles and baby tee's at Old Navy. Harper was a graphic designer whose interpretation of nature's forms is nonpareil.

Todd Oldham, who published a beautiful book of Harper's illustrations, introduced the product line.

I'm excited to discover a flickr pool fan club devoted to Harper's work. Go there, look around and you'll be a fan, too.

Recent Projects

2009-05-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Each month I have a column in TimeOut Chicago called Tossed and Found. I take a humble found object and redo it. Here's the Twitter chair. I replaced the old back with a bird silhouette cut from plywood, then painted it a robin's egg blue and added a seat cover.

A dog coat made from a thrift shop jacket. A lucky find, the $7 jacket was quilted, making for a cozy canine.

Next, an old brass lamp I painted black, then added a $10 shade recovered with a beautiful asian paper.

Bird Notes

2009-04-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

Posted notes with the harbingers of spring. From my inbox this morning, sold by P.O.S.H., a tabletop store in the Loop in Chicago. It mixes vintage treasures with reproductions, French and diner styles.

Making Work Portable

2009-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Cardboard furniture. Featured at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago last month.

On a Mission for a Fun Read

2009-04-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

This one won't disappoint. It's a perfect mix about vintage fashion, flea market hunts and one woman's adventures in bringing it to the Manhattan crowd in her boutique, Hooti Couture.

Alison Houtte, a former model, and her sister, Melissa, give us the backstory on vintage fashion and the people who wear it in Alligators, Old Mink and New Money. Here's a link to the Hooti Couture website, too. Enjoy!

Black, White and Read All Over

2009-04-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

From last weekend's scouting safari, here are two ways to decorate with yesterday's information. Have plans to paper your walls with newsprint? Better do it quick! Newspapers across the country are folding like lawn chairs.

This dresser is decoupaged with pages from a French book on botanicals. Asking price, is around $375.

Color Forecast

2009-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm drooling over this book. It features the 78 colors Pantone forecasts we'll be surrounding ourselves in paint, fabrics, countertops, upholstered pieces and just about everything on the home front. It also gives visual inspiration for color harmonies and combinations. Pricey, though, for us nonprofessionals. Let's brainstorm....how can we write off the $395 price....

Stairway Before and After

2009-03-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

The bad and the good. Not as originally imagined, the palette for these attic stairs turned into a study in blue and aqua, with the original khaki green left in for contrast. I used five shades of left over paint.

I'm a world class sloppy painter. The Goofus to Gallant's neatness. Even with a floor cloth, newspapers and tape on each step, there were several drips and painty footprints around. They cleaned up with warm water and soap.

She Wrote the Book

2009-03-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

Some of us in the industry might be overqualified for this book, but there's something so very appealing about one woman dedicated to the art of cleaning the house. Making sure the sills and floor are spotless, the corners are, too, and above all everything feels and smells wonderfully fresh.

Then again, maybe I'm not so overqualified for Thelma Meyer to be my project manager. Her book of tips, charts and lists might be the next best thing to having her as a next door neighbor to come over each morning and make up the to-do list. She's managed to be raise nine kids, be exemplary tidy and build a career on her experience. In my book, that's a role model.

Chest O'Drawers

2009-03-08T20:29:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of St. Patrick's day....freshly sanded and painted from the garbage.

Birds and Brains

2009-03-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Bird templates, part of the weekend's work to get a pattern looking right for a current chair project. While the vision was clear and sharp in my head, it wasn't coming out that way for Step 1 on paper. Step 2 was unnerving, too, because it required a jigsaw. Growing up in a small town, we didn't have shop class, so missed that great opportunity to make de rigueur memo holder or the cutting board in the shape of a pig.

Stairway to the Bad and Good

2009-02-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

Like a zillion other offices, businesses and nonprofits across the country, my department got the axe yesterday. The good news--now I'll have time to paint the back stairway. Hells bells, as my mother would say, maybe I'll have time to paint the whole 3rd floor.

The treads on the attic stairs were sanded and revarnished a couple months ago. When they were not quite dry, I sprinkled them with sand to prevent skidding. It works nicely. I also did this on the back kitchen stairs, prevented many potential disasters since they get a lot of traffic.

The attics stairs are ready for a Domino Magazine(RIP) treatment, something colorful but a little toned down from these.

Consider this post the before portion of our program, more to come if I have time (what a joke.)

Meet Ups in January and February

2009-02-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

Make
Ffffound
The Barefoot Contessa
Cindymindypindy
Papercutting.net
Elsita
Snippety Gibbet
The Heart of Papercuts
Food Network

Be Mine

2009-01-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

Looking ahead to February 14. Simple hearts made from random watercolors splashed across the paper and then cut out.

Suitable for framing.

A Glimpse

2009-01-26T10:35:00.000-08:00

Talismans on the Totem of Life

A glimpse of creativity from four imaginative girls who are now gifted young women. Each Christmas the four friends would trade something handmade - a clay sculpture, a journal of pressed flowers. These watercolors are from one year's present, a calendar with twelve illustrations strung together with yarn.

It's one of my favorite possessions. This year I'll make frames for the collection of 12, hang them in a personal place for awhile, then send three to each of the four friends.

Hearts

Fourth of July

A calendar page

Tell Time with Color

2009-01-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

Clock by James Beattie uses the Pantone color samples to visualize the sun's luminance in the sky over the course of a 12 hour period. It's courtesy of Make, a magazine devoted to DIY technology projects.

Here's an example, a table redo using dominoes, since they were on sale at Target.

Cutting Edge Design

2009-01-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

from The Heart of Papercuts

Looking around for a way to add some excitement to a little painted bookshelf and noticing all the amazing works of papercutting on the web. Pure imagination. Along with framing, some of the 1-dimensional designs might make great surface decoration for a plain piece of furniture.

Here's a list of papercutting, or scherenschnitte, sites based on a little research. It's just 3 items long--all you need to get a sense of the magic of this craft.

The Heart of Papercuts
Cuban-born Elsa Mora shares her work plus a generous list of Etsy sellers and fellow papercutting artists. She also links to her Etsy siteof papercuts and illustrations, such as this one.

You can get to know more about her through her personal blog, Elsita.

Papercut pattern card from Cindymindypindy

The website, Papercutting.net, is a 360 degree source for patterns, books, kits and how-to's for making your own papercuts.

from Snippety Gibbet

Snippety Gibbet mixes her love of scherenschnitte, teaching art, family and a little tech experimentation on her blog.

Monday Enlightenment

2009-01-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

January Seedlings

2009-01-13T13:23:00.001-08:00

Planted just 10 days ago.

January TV Watching

2009-01-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

I used to think she was smug. She had all the ingredients for it---house in the Hamptons, a husband home only on weekends, a handful of metrosexual friends. What could be better than that? But I'm loving Ina Garten's reinvented show on the new Food Network, Back to Basics.

In scenarios of helping friends create memorable events, we see her incorporating communications devices along with the cooking gadgets she's always used. Ina prints menus from her laptop, then snaps show and tell photos with her digital camera. In one show, her friend (gorgeous and gay, of course---51% of her audience is men) takes a video of her setting the table so that he can reproduce the tabletop at home. None of these devices are cutting edge, really they're pretty ubiquitous pocket communications, but their use parallels the thread of modern ease she's known for in cooking.

That part of her philosophy is double emphasized in Back to Basics. While other star chefs rely on labor-intensive and complex processes, Ina give us the fresh take that simple tastes good. We see her assembling no-cook appetizers for a party and driving to a local bakery for dessert.

The shows I've watched end with her sitting at her laptop to email her friend and see how the party went. Somehow this works to give a modern yet intimate last look at Ina. Start to finish 360 support from Ina Garten--what could be better than that? Just one more thing, I think--her recipe for attracting stylish gay friend.

Flights of Fancy

2009-01-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Buterflies for all seasons, made from magazines clippings, colored paper and pipe cleaners, of course.

Now's the Time in 09

2009-01-06T09:33:00.001-08:00

Day six in the new year and I feel a little like the sister in The Polar Express, the one who lost the ability to hear the jingle of Santa's bell. The holidays are over, it's back to school and work, where's the fun in that?

Of course there's the pleasure of a new year stretching before us and waiting to be filled with summer and birthdays and the magic of ordinary days. There'll be time for new projects and fresh starts, clean closets, newly swept rooms. Much richness to look forward to after all.

In my own work, I've reworked some of the contents of this blog for a local slant under the domain Fine Diving in Chicago. There's tons of creativity in the design and recycling community in Chicago, and as with this blog, I hope to contribute and help illuminate some of them. Please stop by and if it strikes you, tell me what you think.

I enjoy looking at your sites, learning what's new and what catches your eye as you write and publish. To alll of us--onward and upward at the top of this new year.

Meet Ups in November-December

2008-12-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Oh for the love...
Charley Harper
Mrs. Meyer's
Heather's Cottage
On the Dot Creations
Swiss Miss
Fernando Brizio
Old Navy
Minwax

Reframe

2008-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Like lots of blogs by earth-conscious writers and designers, this one is about the RE words:
Reclaim...Recreate...Renew....Revive...Re-use.

Of course, as I was thinking out loud, the comedians in my family came up with their own RE words, such as:
Revel....Regret....Refund
and
Recipe...Request....Reptiles

A page from last year's calendar in a found frame represent my holiday wishes for you.

Relax....Renew.....Rejoice.....Repeat.

A Party in a Dress

2008-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

On her site, Swiss Miss, Tina Roth Eisenberg points out how wearing a dress can be an interactive experience each time you wear it. Designer Fernando Brizio has created dresses with pockets for felt- tip markers. Placed inside, the markers will bleed to create a different pattern over time.

The dresses are versatile, too. For each occasion, you can simply wash the dress to create a new look.

So interesting. Designboom has more photos of Brizio's creations here.

Polka + Dots = Holiday Cheer

2008-12-15T03:29:00.001-08:00

photo from BeeDazzles Gifts

With all the domestic woes we have---and there's a million of them from crooked pols to unemployment to desperate retailers---I am a girl in search of some holiday cheer.

photo from Heather's Cottage

Julie, from On the Dot Creations to the rescue. Julie sent a note last week with a cheery dose of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Etsy style. She's running a countdown that showcases the best of holiday and everyday creations by the most talented gang on Etsy. Don't miss it and her blog of all things dotty. What's more fun than polka dots? Thanks and cheers to you, Julie!

photo from Koosi

Holiday Flamingoes

2008-12-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist showing you these store windows. They're at Blick Art, where I picked up the mod print paper for the wastebaskets.

On my way to work this morning, I retraced my steps to take these pics. Oh so clever.

These flamingoes didn't get the memo about peace on earth.

Humbe but Decorative

2008-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

From the category of guilty pleasures--- love the three-way popcorn, but what to do with the leftover tin besides:

a) put it in the recycling
b) put recycling in it
c) use it to store something, like toys, dog food or laundry soap?

Answer: the humble but decorative arts wastebasket.

This one in the entryway is vintage, meaning it's been a while since I paper mache'd, then painted the geraniums on it.

This one is the cat tin covered with a piece of mod print paper.

This is a 5-minute fix up, especially if you use a light adhesive glue. You spray it on the wrong side of the paper, then sort of roll the tin onto it to cover. The paper is from Blick, $2.95 per sheet, approximately 30 by 36.

Everyday Jewelry

2008-12-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm always searching for pieces to use for everyday, wear them for a month or so, then switch to something new. This bracelet's made from green plastic bottles, like the 7-Up liter bottle.

This is made from recycled phone cards.

With a matching bracelet.

A pop top pendant. See more at Touch, a collection of artists/artisans who make beautiful things by recycling.

Buttoned Up

2008-12-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

There are lots of stories in the buttons I used. One is a large pearly one from my Easter Mary Jane's. I think I was about 5. Then there are the cut-out flowers from a blouse I made for my daughter when she was about 5.

Also, lots of mother-of-pearl shirt buttons. Thanks to my sister, Niki, who heard my SOS and sent the final needed pieces to this button puzzle.

One Item of Housekeeping

2008-11-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet met her, I'm pleased to be the first to introduce you to Thelma, the figurehead for the line of Mrs. Meyer's household cleaners.

Their wonderful scents elevate cleaning to aromatherapy, and when you're finished and your tidy rooms smell like lavender, lemon verbena or holiday peppermint, that's the best part.

Thelma sent me an email this week about an offer for free shipping for one day. It's coming up on December 1, so if a store near you doesn't stock them, they are remarkably gift-worthy products---cool packaging and no calories. Here's the website link.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Button SOS

2008-11-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

The button frame mirror is coming along, a great low stress project, but my supply of buttons is going to be way short. I've purchased a half pound supply from Heatherscottage on Etsy---how many buttons do you suppose are in a half pound? If you have a few spare white or creamy buttons and would like to contribute, that would be fantastic! Just drop me a line and I'll email my address and my thanks for making the project very special.

Weekend Scouting

2008-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

Turkeys and chickens and ducks, oh my. I took a few hours off for good behavior on Saturday to go to a holiday market. There were more than a fowlish items there, from turkey salt and peppers to lots of Thanksgiving platters. Here are just a few.

Working On...

2008-11-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Did I mention we have a lot of buttons? One recent Thursday I dashed out to an apartment sale listed on Craigslist, mainly because the post was so well written and second because it was just a few blocks away. What could I possibly need from someone else's household?

I came away with a round framed mirror, certainly not a necessity but something on my project wish list. I've wanted to cover a frame of some sort with the avalanche collection of buttons--more than two coffee cans full. I find buttons to be an easy resource--on the sewing table at larger rummage sales or dollar-a-cup deal often found at craft and fabric stores. By the time the hand-me-down shirts, jackets et al made it to the last of my five, they'd make an embarrassing donation to the local thrift store. So I cut off the buttons and used the fabric for rags.

This will take a lot of buttons--I'm thinking I might run out.

Turquoise Meets Coral

2008-11-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

What a cheery combination. Refurbished by KatyO, author of new blog, Oh for the love... Love the coral handles on this piece

and always love when the insides of drawers get some TLC, too. Welcome to you in Boston, Katy!

Etsy: Carolina Cottage

2008-11-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

Avoiding work on Monday morning, shopping instead. Lighted on the decoupage and collage items for Carolina Cottage, who's tagline says it all, "If it holds still long enough, I'll cover it with paper."

Charley Harper at Old Navy

2008-11-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

Wow! Shopping for a toddler coat at Old Navy last Saturday, I discovered a new line of games and tee's featuring the images of Charley Harper.

Harper was a silkscreener whose graphic renderings of nature images are unmistakably cheerful and friendly. He is an American artist, growing up on the family farm in West Virginia, later attending art school in Cincinnati, where he set up his studio and practiced printmaking until his death in July of last year. Todd Oldham deeply admired Harper's work and published a book of his collected works, which I coveted but couldn't bring myself to spend $200, though it is beautiful.

I had mixed feelings about this---was Old Navy celebrating or exploiting Harper's work?---until I read that Oldham is the creative director of Old Navy and worked with his estate to create the products for the 08 Holiday Season.

Retro Chest

2008-11-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

I didn't do this before & after, my daughter Elizabeth did. Liz has the best color imagination--of course I think that about her, I'm her mom, but I would never have thought of doing the 2-tone effect, and in person the wood tone and paint color compliment each other in a really pleasing way.

Coincidentally, Liz is wearing an orange jacket in this photo.

She still is deciding whether to stick with the original handles or do something different. The paint color is opullance by Behr.

Oh the Drama

2008-11-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

I set aside the day to clean up some wholly embarassing corners, like this one in the basement.

Not to mention this one.

And the catch-all linen closet.

Calgon, take me away.

Good Enough

2008-11-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Is good enough. The best laid plans of mice, men and those who refinish garbage finds....turns out a ceruse finish on this table picked up in the alley wasn't doable. The grain washed out---something about all the bleach I put on the table top. The finish shines right now because it needs one more stain and wipe, but we're close to a wrap on this project, on to finding it a good home.

The before and after states.

The process: Table was sanded, bleached to remove stains and raise the grain, then stained with Minwax ebony stain. Lastly, coats of satin sealer will be applied.

Meet Ups in October

2008-10-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ann Ponce Studio
The annual Ravenswood Art Walk
Grosse Pointe Lighthouse
Sculpter and public artist Matt Dehaemers
Gloworm lighting design from Draigo Designs
Lighting designer LulaDot
Ebay store RugandRoll
Recycled dishware artist Sarah Cihat
Domino Magazine
Skull-a-Day

Season's Greetings

2008-10-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

A fine example of spooky graffiti, or, insert your choice of skullish pun here.

I'm an instant fan of this ready and very inventive source for all things skullifying: Skull-A-Day.com. It includes Tic Tac, pb&j and flaky coconut skulls, skull prints, stencils, even the video from site author Noah Scalin's appearance on the Martha Stewart Show.

Scalin combined his projects into a Skulls book.

Don't miss this creative treat, perfect for this season. Noah's wallpaper pattern and scary fonts are available on the site.

Give Me Shelter Magazines

2008-10-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a faithful reader of a handful of shelter magazines like Dwell and Elle Decor. House Beautiful used to be a top pick, but honestly I think it needs a redo, it just looks tired and stuffy. Domino magazine has been on my list, too, but I've never really connected with the content until this month's issue, which I'll happily hold onto for awhile instead of leaving it at the gym for fellow treadmill users.

Domino October is brimming with good ideas, and the accompanying website is, too.

These plate pics are via the long list of link resources on the Domino site. They're the work of Sarah Cihat, who scouts the Salvation Army and other thrift stores for used tableware, then remakes them with her imaginative images in what she terms rehabilitated dishware, a subtle statement on "the renewed value of unwanted things." Sara uses a process to reglaze and refire the pieces to give them long wear and durability, but there are some great waterslide decal papers and ceramic paints available if you'd like try your hand at dressing up some discards.

Shoot

2008-10-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Wish I'd remembered to bid on this little rug a few weeks ago on Ebay. We need something for in front of the kitchen sink, and this would have done nicely. 2 x 3 feet, 1930's antique floral, sold for $12.50. Yeah, yeah, plus $38 in shipping, but still a nicely priced luxury.

But just like that adage about boys, Ebay rugs are like buses, and another one will come along soon.

How to Ceruse Update

2008-10-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm at a seminar this week, really wish I had time to do the finish on the Nancy Drew table before, maybe, Thursday. The good news is I think I figured it out. Since there's little info around about how to actual do a ceruse finish, the best advice I've received is to experiment with different materials until you get the look you're going for. The above sample--just on a piece of scrap plywood--is close. I used stain, then a sealing coat of shellac, then drywall joint compound applied until it dried, then brushed off with some steel wool.

Another time culprit---this one much more fun---is this 13-month old. Felix and his mom, my daughter Kate, have moved in with us while Kate embarks on a new business venture. Totally fabulous to have them around.

Captivating Lighting

2008-10-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

I get lots of hits from the entries about what people make with used bottle caps. Here's another good use of the plastic kind. From a design house in the UK, be sure to see more of this Captive light at LulaDot.com.

This one's flexible, low energy and can be draped most anywhere for ambient light. Imagine using it as a Christmas garland. Gloworm is the product of Draigo Design.

Weekend Scouting

2008-10-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Something about October has brought out the yard sales in my corner of the planet. There's been more than a flutter of them these past weekends. While browsing at one in a shady side yard, a 5-light chandelier caught my eye. Not for its condition. Of course not. For its potential---the classic shape, the fine details, it's age most likely from the '20's.

The owner said it was silverplate underneath the dull grey surface. Family members had once applied Rub n Buff. He guaranteed that the wiring was safe and sound, pointing with his thumbnail to a couple of rusty cords coming out of the fixture. With visions of a shining silver chandelier at the top of the stairs, I decided I needed it, but at the same time wanted to avoid that sinking feeling that comes when you get a yard sale item home and realize a nickel was too much to pay.

I offered $10. He countered with $20. He'd wanted to polish up the fixture himself, but just couldn't find the time.

Well, maybe it had sentimental value, I thought. Perhaps he'd proposed marriage or partnership one night while seated under the light's soft glow. I gave in and brought it home, where my husband promptly assessed that it needed total rewiring - maybe $100, and it was mostly likely spray paint on top of aluminum.

Yes indeed, here's the sum of its parts, now in a box in the basement.

Nice Legs

2008-10-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

Chairs outside of the Ann Ponce Studio during the Ravenswood Artwalk in Chicago. Ann's paintings are lyrical and real--I recommend clicking over to her studio site for an outside-of-the-everyday experience.

Cool use of complementary colors for the chairs and cushions. The yellow chair has a purple cushion, and yellow is directly opposite purple on the color wheel. Ditto for the blue/orange and red/green chairs.

Out, Out Damn Spot

2008-10-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Working to get to the staining step of the ceruse finish for the Nancy Drew table, but a few pesky wood stains are holding this up. Using household bleach is the inexpensive first try. A second attempt may be with oxalic acid, but it's pricey and this is a free table. So, I'll wait a bit more for the bleach to work.

In the meantime, here are a few artifacts from a friendly rummage sale I happened upon at the corner of Sunnyside and Hermitage in Chicago.

This vegetable print was a magazine graphic someone had cut out and framed.

Message in 6,000 Bottles

2008-10-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

At the Evanston Art Center at the Gross Point Lighthouse on Lake Michigan is this outdoor installation by artist Matt Dehaemer.

It's made up of 5 ship-like bottles that seam to float on the lawn. Each ship is composed of small plastic bottles, many containing messages written by local residence about the lake and its surroundings.

The interior of each bottle is a small greenhouse, this one filled with dandelion greens.

At night, they're lit by strands of Christmas lights inside.

Meet Ups in September

2008-09-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

FoundClothing
Bloxes
Wood Digest
House Beautiful Magazine
Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern University
Prather Paint
Sandy 562

The Secret of the Brass Key

2008-09-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

While working on this alley find last night, Nancy Drew and I noticed something mysterious about it.

This curious brass key underneath the top, Nancy was certain it was a clue. We moved in close, did some sleuthing and discovered, why, it isn't a key at all! It's a pin that holds the table top up, for a game table, or down, for a coffee table.

We were famished after solving this mystery. Bess came by, so we piled in the roadster and went off in search of some pie ala mode.

Anyway, the plan that's afoot for this piece is a ceruse finish. I've been waiting for a good candidate to come along. With the prominent grain on the pedastal, this table is it.

Ceruse finish is a trend right now. House Beautiful has a spread about it in the October issue, and the fashion forward shop in my urban neighborhood, Jayson Home and Garden, is still reserving a good bit of floor space to the look.

Ceruse is best achieved on open pored, large grain wood such as oak. A substance such as white paint fills the pores of the wood and brings out the grain while letting the colour of the wood show through. Here's a short how-to I plan to use as a guideline.

True Green

2008-09-22T10:29:00.001-07:00

Not my garden, but I'm lucky to live close by. From a Sunday morning dog walk on Northwestern's campus. The landscaping there is spectacular, and we joke that's the reason tuition is so high. These were taken in the Shakespeare Garden, planted in 1915 by a town garden club. I've learned a lot about landscaping just by walking on campus. Someday I might even put some of it to use.

Boxwood hedges and old flagstone.

The fountain featuring a bust of Shakespeare is in the background.

Hawthorne hedges.

Mosaics and Benevolence

2008-09-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

The term coffee table is a wonderful name: even if you don't drink coffee, you know that it sits in front of the couch and holds beverages, laptops, magazines, etc.

This table is a redo from a rummage sale. I wrote a short publicity piece for the sale and in exchange chose the round glass top and its partner, a wood pedastal.

I bought the tile on ebay for the array of colors, then glued each one onto the glass top and filled it in with grout. Easy!

And, here's what the annual church rummage sale was all about. I memorialize it here because I wish I had more time for volunteering and writing like this:

It’s guaranteed-- you’ll get back twice as much as you give when you shop at the ______ Church rummage sale.

For every fabulous find you carry home--the horn rim sunglasses worn by someone at a seashore sometime in the past, the wafer thin tea cups in pale rose porcelain, the set of bongos perfect for your next poetry slam—-you’ll get twice as much as you bargained for by way of benevolence. Each year the rummage sale’s proceeds are passed directly to charities that the ______ has pledged to support.

Even if you don’t find that hot pink leisure suit, you’ll have the pleasure of meeting the dozens of church members and volunteers who put the sale together. They work year round to pick up, sort through and organize thousands of recycled items into an archeological adventure. Which is to say that after working with it for months, they know their merchandise. If it’s a circa 1960 bowling trophy you’re after, just ask.

The volumes of interesting items, the volunteers and the spirit of community can be found at the sale at the ______ Church.

White Rocker Redux

2008-09-19T07:00:00.001-07:00

I've carried on a love affair with paint for years. Were it not for how much I like my husband, I'd have run away with a paint salesman ages ago. The men at my favorite paint store are scientists whose graying temples do so much to compliment the lab coats they wear. And when they gently guide me over to the paint chips to impart some new finding about color, I could stay rapt in their knowledge all day.

On to the rocker update. I thought I'd solved the situation with the red stain bleeding through the paint, but not. A few days after the final coat of white paint, it started seeping through again. Through research of wood finishing sites on the web, the only materials that may stop the bleed are shellac or a stain blocker paint like Kilz or Zinsser.

So, back to the sanding board, then a few coats of Kilz, which I finally found way in the back of the wrong shelf where my husband had put it. My lab-coated paint guys would never do that.

Etsy Upcycling

2008-09-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

This wonderful hand painted desk is the work of Etsy member Sandy562. Her collection features a motif I've loved ever since the third grade family vacation to Key West when we visited the Audubon House.

This is old cabinet door is true decorative arts. More of her enviable talent, which is definitely not for the birds, is on Etsy here.

A Fresh White Coat

2008-09-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

After

Before

When in doubt, go white.

Uggh, easier said than done with this particular piece of #@#$#& furniture. With nothing going on but rain and more rain coming up from the gulf coast, this was a good weekend for an indoor project, though I know we were among many in first drying out the basement.

I started by stripping the old finish with an orbital sander and by hand. The varnish was old and thin, so came off easily. Underneath it were remnants of red stain, an obvious red flag that I chose to ignore and went on the next step, brushing on wood sealer.

When the old red stain bled through the second coat of white semi-gloss, I thought about starting over, sanding again to remove everything including the stain. But, nah, I tried the easy way first. I brushed on a coat of polyurethane, the water-based kind, then followed up with one more of white. That seems to have done the trick, but as my mother used to say when my kids were babies, it turned half a peanut butter and jelly into an all day picnic.

The seat fabric is from a Custo Barcelona top bought a few years ago. It was one of those pieces you love when you buy it, but not so much after the second wearing. Anyway, loved the print, so I saved it for a second life.

Street Wear

2008-09-11T10:05:00.001-07:00

I confess, once or twice I've spied a cool jacket in the lost and found, and after a respectable waiting period, borrowed it back into service.

Walking through my son's frosty Minnesota campus last January, we came across a wool scarf--a nice soft one--on the bench outside the music building. Knowing my attraction to the tossed and found in life, he said, "It's been there forever. Go ahead." While I hoped it wouldn't be missed, I was glad to wrap it inside my collar.

Writer and photographer Lauri Apple takes an up close and intimate look at the discarded apparel she finds on her blog, FoundClothing.

Walking along the streets and alleys in Chicago neighborhoods, she'll snap a photo of the various pieces of clothing she comes across. As her blog shows, photo ops are plenty. She'll pass by a garbage can with a dozen new t-shirts half in, or find a jacket draped over a fence where the owner last left it.

There's no discriminating on the brands. Calvin Klein, Addidas, Prada, brand new Rampage, Brooks Brothers, Gap. Lauri documents their discarded states, speculates on what their stories might be, then gives them a detour from the landfill. Check out her work on FoundClothing.

When Is a Box Not a Box?

2008-09-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Score this good idea: A handful of people in Chicago, looking to configure their new office space, thought up a new form for the everyday material, cardboard They took the ubiquitous cardboard box and turned it into Bloxes, sort of a grown-up building block system you can use to build a room divider, extra closet or even a fort!

They're inexpensive, less than $4 per foot, making them a low-cost material to sound dampen the practice room if you happen to have a drummer in the house.

Each Blox measures 14 by 14 by 15. See examples of what people are doing with them on the flickr site.

Something Good

2008-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the west coast this week for a brief vacation, and not a minute too soon. There's lots of work ahead in September as the midwest picks up its pace after the summer months. Seminars, research reports, spooky rockers and octagon tables. I hope to return with fresh ideas for all of these, new web postings and more. Until then, hooray for fall!

New Find

2008-09-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

This chair seems to give off that Halloween-came-early vibe. My neighbor Anne came across it in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. With her house full of furniture, she didn't have a place for it, but said she just couldn't leave it, an orphaned and perfectly useful chair, in the alley. How to lose the Psycho karma and bring it into the modern age? That's the challenge.

Here's a child-sized rocker that' been zebra-ized by flickr member raining rita.

Maybe a friendly coat of white paint is the best choice. This one was picked up in the dumpster by jonescopics.

Meet Ups in August

2008-08-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Fact and Fancy
lisaB16
Clairs Purses
Riding Green
Blick Art Supply
Bughouse Art and Deign
One Good Chair

One Good Chair Winner

2008-08-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Score one for public transportation. Those of us who live in a city with a comprehensive way to get around by train or bus can relate to Catherine Pena's Duv-tal chair design. Sometimes you just need to sit while you're waiting for a ride to come along. Pena's thoughtful chair makes use of the electric poles usually standing at a bus stop. It's one of the winning entries chosen in the One Good Chair Competition.

"The pole will accommodate a unit of green back-to-back seats that resemble and function much like theater seating and do not exceed the space that a passenger already occupies at the bus stop," Pena says in her statement about the design. "The very nature of chairs...will highlight and commend an often-ignored social class, for their environmentally friendly activity that should be recognized in the environmental movement."

Hey Diddle Diddle

2008-08-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely way to animate the mundane toy chest. If you have kids, you've had that one storage piece you wish had more personality. LisaB16 shows more of her talent on flickr.

Shameless Family Promotion

2008-08-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Even if you're not headed back to class, there's something wonderful about starting fall with a fresh notebook, sharpened pencils and a new bag to put them all in.
Here's where the shameless part comes in...

These bags are made by a close personal child of mine, Clair. She's a 2nd grade teacher by day (and night), designer on the weekends, and her collection, soon to be up on Etsy, can be shopped here on flickr. She's developed quite a following.

Lucky for me, I've picked out my one-of-a-kind fall bag, and I invite you to do the same.

Tossed and Found Carts

2008-08-26T09:27:00.001-07:00

The end results of the carts I worked on in early this month.
Found an alligator textured paper at Blick for the second one.
Offspring Mac, who will be a senior at Carleton this year,
called dibs for these.

A Couple of Projects

2008-08-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

From the family werkstatte:

Felix buttons!

Pillow cover made from remnants.

Not New Nor Improved

2008-08-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Happy midsummer. My plans to revamp not moving along, I'm resuming the usual until inspiration strikes a little harder. Well, maybe a lot harder is what's needed. But I've missed the daily habit, so here goes.

On a recent partly cloudy Tuesday, I turned into an alley and saw an interesting octagon coffee table up for grabs. The alley was narrow, and as I stopped to pick up the table, a van pulled up behind. The driver watched with an impatient look on his face as I dragged it (big and heavy)to the back of my car and tried three times before getting my arms around it to lift and shove it in. When I closed the back car door, I turned to give the van driver a "thanks for helping" look. He responded back with a "what could I do" shoulder shrug.

My after-the-fact answer: helped. You could have gotten out and helped. What would it have cost---maybe 30 seconds of waiting time? And, maybe you needed a coffee table, had been looking for one like only with a mod faux bois treatment. Well, maybe I would have offered to redo it for you, if only you'd gotten out to help. Now of course you're out a table and the well-done feeling that you helped someone who could have used a little muscle and a few seconds of contribution.

Thinking of maybe a faux bois treatment for the table, something like this one from FactandFancy.

Apartment Therapy to the rescue today with a great how-to video of faux bois painting and two other treatments for a basic Ikea shelving unit. Excellent inspiration from some regular youandme type people.

July Meet Ups

2008-08-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

CB2
Tina Roeder
John T. Unger
AdamJones
ChicagoLive
Fine Paints of Europe
Liborius Reykjavik
Anthrid
Chez Larsson
Bladon Conner
Scout
Foldschool
Designboom
Smencils
Sew Fab Martha
Tossed and Found
JackBennyDesigns
Rick Ladd
Restoration Hardware
Tounge in Cheek
Eung Ho-Park
Crafting a Green World

Reinventing Out Loud

2008-08-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

In the near future, I'm planning a few changes to Diving Meet. With location aware content a growing trend on the web, I plan to do a little research to plug in a geotagging feature. This will make the blog hyperlocal, tying it more closely to Chicago, though by no means excluding the reclaimation material waiting for pick up on the curbs and alleys just about everywhere. I charge all of you to carry on the effort in your corner of the planet.

I also plan to give a weekly calendar structure to the blog. I'd like to focus on transforming one found piece a week, which will take some innovative thinking on my part to hunt for a good piece at the top of the week, and come up with some new processes and materials to revive and transform it by week's end. I'm up for it, and hope you are, too. I'll post the changes soon.

After

2008-08-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the after of the tossed and found cart.

Painting a mass produced laminate without an industrial sprayer and quick dryer is tricky. To hide the chips in the laminate, I first tried a gloss black spray paint. Would have loved the finish if it had worked, but most spray products leave so much to be desired. Nice and shiny in some places, crackles in others and spotty coverage overall. In the end, I used a brush on gloss for an imperfect but hand done finish. The laminate buckled a little on one cart, but should be hidden by whatever books or stuff is put in and on the shelves. And, like clothing, black hides a universe of flaws.

I used white glue to apply the red and black lacquer paper from the Paper Source. Ran short on the bottom shelf--will stop in for more on Tuesday.

Before

2008-07-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Found: A pair of carts by the alley dumpster around Jarvis and Greenview in Roger's Park, Chicago. The laminate is a little chipped, but they're heavy and roll nicely.

The plan: Gloss spray paint in a combination of lobster and black, inspired by this low storage piece at CB2.

Found Chair as Art

2008-07-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

European artist Tina Roeder started a series of white garden chairs in 2002. By sanding and drilling tiny holes, she gives each individuality.

The plastic chairs are found pieces in varying states of old and decaying.

From her website, these clever drawer side tables.

Paint and Adages

2008-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Like a bad pun, some life lesson can be summed up in one maddening sentence.

From the middle school shop teacher: It costs less to plan more. And this one: Safe boating is no accident, a personal favorite from summers on Lake Geneva. This one's true, I've learned the hard lesson. More than once: Cheap paint is expensive.

So what makes a good paint? My short answer is: a wonderfully complex color plus no filler that will water it down and ultimately cause extra work. I'm no chemist, but I love the low tech-high tech nature of paint, how the equation of medium plus pigment adds up to the mystery of a bluish color in one corner and purplish in another. Likewise, how a color can feel fresh and open on sunny days, cozy and close on stormy ones.

While there's nothing handier than the paint department at Home Depot, if you'd like to compare the quality it offers with a higher end paint, here's a great way to do it. Fine Paints of Europe is offering a sample pot of paint for the cost of shipping, usually around $6. You can choose from 122 of their highly concentrated colors, all artful and scientific combinations of the color wheel. Inspirational online swatches are here.

Another neat feature on the site--you can send fabric swatches, photos, kids drawings, anything to the company's senior color analyst, who can help you find the right color for a chair or your whole place, also complimentary.

Fine Paints of Europe is a favorite bookmark of mine, lots to learn there about paint, and great color advice.

Hat tip to California correspondents, Kate and Liz!

Frame Up

2008-07-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Project nearly complete. Here are a few of the hand made frames put together with the tapestries and glass. Choosing the background paper was a little tricky, there's a universe of white and cream paper at the neighborhood Blick store.

A snapshot of the templates on the wall. The dining room is long and narrow, but as you can tell, it needs something there.

Photos from Martha

2008-07-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Participating in a flickr photo swap, and over the weekend I received these great shots from Sew Fab Martha. Thanks, Martha, they make me want to trade places for the summer.

Tree-saving Pencils

2008-07-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Life's just too short for ordinary pencils now that we have Smencils.

They're made from 100% recycled newspaper wrapped around a graphite core, hardened, sharpened, erasered, then (here's the best part) saturated with excellent flavors like root beer and bubble gum.

This is a great product that goes farther than just a pencil. You can use them for fundraising--a win-win with a useful recylced product--or get a Smencils kit and make them at home. The company will also print special stickers you can apply for your event or organization.

Have a Seat

2008-07-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ages ago I read a shelter magazine article that said there was no excuse for not entertaining, no good reason why you shouldn't invite a few friends over for dinner. Small place? Your guests won't mind. More menu than money? A casserole, some crusty French bread and a bottle of wine are all you need.

Here's another excuse out the window--not enough seating. Not if you have some extra cardboard around, maybe a packing box or two, to make some chairs. This sturdy and contemporary model is featured on designboom, where they might just dream up an innovative casserole, too.

Lots of imaginative people have posted easy instructions for chairs.

This one from foldschool.com has a downloadable pattern and 3D visualizer if you get stuck.

No table? No excuse there either. Iceland designer Liborius Reykjavík has it covered.

Eco Furniture Mania

2008-07-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Chicagoan Bladon Conner takes furniture and scraps from the alley and revises them into pieces that build on their history. He'll add a scrap lumber top to a found metal table, then laminate it with a photo of a building or some graffiti. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Scout, a shop in the Andersonville neighborhood known for the clean, strong lines of its urban industrial style. Bladon was there to deliver some of his pieces. Among them was a memorable old metal office chair that he'd reupholstered on the back and seat with a thrift herringbone tweed.

From Bradon's site, here's one of his graffiti top tables.

A reclaimed aluminum base with architectural top image shot in chicago 2007.

Found chest of drawers put together with vintage hairpin legs and photo.

If you a minute, or 4 minutes and forty-two seconds to be specific, watch this video where Bradon demonstrates one of his techniques and talks about reclaimation an design. Here's a cut and paste link: http://www.chicagolive.com/people/wttws_chicago_tonight_furnitur/

More on Bottle Caps

2008-07-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

Reader Jackie's link to the wonderfully simple framed bottle caps on Chez Larsson's blog insighted a new curiosity about the intersection of people and bottle caps. Here are some amazing examples.

In the style of Roy Lichtenstein, art in downtown Asheville, NC.
Photo by Adam Jones

Bottle cap pin cushions, a good way to while away the hours during a blizzard, by Cindy G.

Snakes alive, the invention of Jasoneppink.

Bottle cap dinner pies and ones for Thanksgiving dessert by Anthrid on Etsy.

Public art, photo by Thomas Grim

Fish mosaics from artist John T. Unger.

Bottle cap art falls in the realm of outsider art, a label for works created by people outside of mainstream institutions such as naive and folk artists. These days, I'd also add sustainable and recylced materials artists.

Part of a plastic bottle cap mosaic by Van Occupanther

Coca Cola house by southern folk artist McArthur Chism.

2008-07-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

These romantic summery lights are made from tomato cages fitted with wire loops and votive holders.

They're the invention, out of need for large fixtures to light a garden event, of two women who scout the dumpsters in Portland. They became hooked, or as they put it, "obsessed with resurrecting the stuff that would typically find its way into the landfill and making it into artful, useful items for the home and garden." They hold periodical sales of their finds and creations at their shop, Tossed and Found, which is located in an old stained glass studio. Punch-o-liers are their best selling item.

They've put a preview of their products on their website here.

Creative Reuse

2008-07-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Looking for a series of framed somethings to hang in the dining room, I decided on these dragon and waves tapestry panels. My world traveling mother-in-law had bought them in China years ago and used them in pillows. If there were going to survive a few more, it would have to be under glass.

The tapestries needed custom sized frames, so Mr. Wonderful to the rescue, making six from leftover wood. Where he gets his wood crafting skills is forever a mystery. His parents would meet at cocktail time and over the clinking of ice might discuss when the handyman was coming over to hang some shelving or repaint the powder room. Those were the days when you could afford a handyman and afford to be one.

Knowing paint better than stain, Mr. Wful helped me choose a color from his homemade sample board and advised me that it's better to wear gloves during than need them after the project. From watching Trading Spaces, I thought for sure they used a rag to apply the stain, but was given some unsolicited advise that a brush works best. I used a brush.

The frames are drying, I'll order the glass this week, find a good background paper, and by week's end, the tapestries should be ready to hang.

2008-07-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Friend and sometimes fellow alley scout Martha was bowled over by the painted pieces by in my previous post and sent me a peak at one her recent projects.

"This was from the old homestead collection, my name for the stuff he's refused to let go of since college. It took some persuading for him to part with its original condition, you can imagine what that was---old, brown and peeling." She peeled off the loose laminate on the top, did a light sanding, primed it with a flat white, then used eggshell for the 2 finish coats.

The results were worth it, and Martha's husband is pretty happy with his new nightstand.

Etsy Upcycling

2008-07-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Etsy member JackBennyDesigns has an eye for fresh color on recycled furniture. Her work shows that there's always a place for cottage style. As the artist says in her profile "I have always had a passion of transforming not-so-pretty furniture into something that would then become the focal point of the room. I love the fresh, clean look of painted furniture."

We do, too. This is a perfect example of how paint can change a piece.

Curvy legs in universally pretty robin's egg blue.

Charming and vintage looking.White Attic, near me in the Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago, started out with similar designs of humble pieces made new with white and cream. Last time I stopped in, I discovered they've moved to a new tack of color and wood tone mixed.

Call me a purist, but I love all-over painted furntiure.

Old Spool Resourcefulness

2008-07-09T10:53:00.002-07:00

The idea of making things from bottle caps reminded me of another small discard item that was used to make something bigger, definitely more useful, than its parts--empty spools.

This photo is from a very pretty blog about French antiques, Tongue in Cheek.

I once had a sizeable collection of emtpy spools, but they were plastic. Somehow I knew hot glue would detract from the charm and curiosity of these tables and recycled them.

I'd love to meet a maker of spool furniture...

and would politely suggest a new color for this piece. Buttery yellow or prescription turquoise.

Today's version of spool furniture, the Camden bed from Restoration Hardware.

Capping it Off

2008-07-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Over the holiday weekend at a picnic, a friend mentioned she was collecting bottle caps and experimenting with mosaics, frames and figures. I'd forgotten the appeal of taking a ubiquitous used item and turning it into the folksy style of bottle cap art.

These are the work of Rick Ladd, bottlecap@mindspring.com, who's been featured in the New York museums, galleries, newspapers and shelter magazines.

Wall installation of bottle caps and mixed media titled I am Looking at You, 2004, Eung Ho-Park. I'd love to see a like installation as public art, perhaps at an outdoor location. It could be participatory, where individuals can contribute bottle caps and add them to the wall.

Bottle cap necklace featured on Crafting a Green World.

Meet-Ups inJune

2008-07-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Mainly Serendipity
JCarolineCreative
So Sylvie
Abra Cat
Aoneka
Blossom Home
Smoothpebble
Atomictonic
Stuart Haygarth
Dwell
Drasfield and Ross
Furniture redo
Once upon - Reclaimed Whimsy

Materials Readily Available

2008-07-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

Need extra seating? Inflatable garbage chair designed by Nick DeMarco.

Love this CD light by Sibir Designs

Assembled in one room, this table, that light and the garbage chair would put a new spin on the eclectic style. The table, made from rolled up junk mail and magazines, is part of a line called ReVision, designed by a group of teen-artists during their apprenticeship at Artists For Humanity. This is a project in Boston that provides underserved youth with paid employment in the arts.

The Watermelon Chair

2008-06-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Before blogging and the social Web, it was a challenge to find others who were interested in redoing furniture, let alone confess that they'd been known to engage in dumpster diving. One day, through a friend of a friend, I found a kindred spirit in the owner of a nearby salon. Each month she offered her lobby and walls for a rotating show by quiltmakers, water colorists, collage artists and, one January, me and my tossed and found painted furniture.

This was my best piece, which started as a Sears 3-piece dinette set. It probably looked similar to the set below when new. The in-laws were getting rid of it, so I rescued the sturdiest chair.

C'est la vie, the above scanned image is the only one I have of the chair, which was purchased by a happy salon customer.

Decopage Furniture

2008-06-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Get out the Mod Podge or stir up your own wheat flour paste. Decoupaging furniture finds is alive and well and just the way we like it---with pattern, color and originality.
Here's a roundup of some favorites.

From painted fish studio, the alex drawer unit from Ikea featuring Dutch newsprint.

Knack Studios with an eye-catching combination.

Alex and Sonja used sheets from a music book for this lamp shade.

Comic books make a kid friendly project, especially in these summer months.

Something cool from The Treacys, who give you a decoupage tutorial on their blog Not Nigella.

A poppy covered chair from Etsy seller Bombus, who's tag line is Saving the planet through decoupage!

Origami paper on an Ikea stool by petit collage, featured on Design*Sponge.

The Good Goods

2008-06-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Most of us with a passion to make things are professionals by day--care givers, service providers, screen dwellers--while a corner of our mind is always working in design mode.

Clair and Becky met at the urban school where they both teach and discovered a shared interest in creating accessories, jewelry and purses using recycled material. Clair uses remnants for her bag designs. The yellow flowered fabric above was a leftover from a classroom bulletin board.

Becky reworks old beads into modern, go with anything jewelry. Lucky me, I'm the recipient of the bracelet on the right.

This weekend they invited friends over for a bit of catching up, a glass of wine and the opportunity to take home a new accoutrement, very personally designed and for a song compared to boutique prices.

Dear Diving Meet

2008-06-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Meg writes:
I found a cute little dresser at our local flea market, was thinking about painting it a different color but my husband thinks it'll chip and won't stay on. Do you think it's possible for me to paint this dresser and make the color stay?

Love, marriage and paint don't always mix, I believe I once overheard at the local paint store. But to solve Meg's dilemma about the dresser, I've found that some sanding, 2 coats of KILZ or Zinsser primer, then a little more sanding will get the surface ready for a makeover.

I painted a piece with a similar laminate and polyurethane surface to be used for display in an antique store. After the sanding and primer stages, I used a semi-gloss, but according to the local paint store, satin will clean up just as well.
If the piece will get constant daily use and wipe-up with a sponge, it's best to finish with a few coats of water-based sealer.

Good luck, Meg, and please send the finished look!

Ideas on Paper

2008-06-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

Etsy artist and print maker NestaHome has sketched some lovely design inspiration.

She's titled the series Classy Chairs.

They would indeed add a certain sophistication to any room.

Nesta, real name Tandie, is also working on some cool photo collage, examples are posted on her blog.

The Local Media

2008-06-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

High tech has its place, but in the household network, nothing replaces the visibility of the kitchen message board.

A picture frame, a piece of plywood and some chalkboard paint will make any announcement suitable for framing.

Chalkboard paint comes in black or green and in spray form as well as brush-on, which I've found behaves nicely. It self levels, so you get a smooth blackboard with no brush strokes. And after the first coat, it dries in a flash.

The frame was a lucky dumpster find.

Here's the white board version with a spray painted gold frame, no wireless required.

Match Game

2008-06-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Finding the right fabric to a) match your vision and b) enhance the style of the chair can be quite a safari when doing an upholstery rehab.

Jennifer Lee, the designer behind let your creativity flow created a lasting marriage of style and pattern with this chair.

My daughter Kate hunted down this fabric. One of her favorite haunts in San Diego is a remnant warehouse, where she picked a perfect tapestry piece for this chair. The before look, and before blogs were invented, was a beige stripe leaning toward shabby chic. Thus the chipped paint, which I need to redo to look even half as good as Jennifer's chair.

Prescription Turquoise

2008-06-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

When you got tired of using the blue, you could take out the color next to it in your box of crayons, the one that would add interest to Snow White's dress or brighten up your picture of a brown house. Turquoise, a good partner to just about any color, can do the same in a room. All you need is a little paint. Here's a roundup of cheery turquoise redo's.

By the talented Smoothpebble this library table takes on a shade of cool in its happier made over version.

So Sylvie's 2 hour makeover proves it takes next to no time at all to make a big change. She's also the owner/designer of Blossom Home in Los Gatos CA.

Happiness is a chair covered in Leaflet patterned cotton by JCarolineCreative.

This tree is so original. Hand painted dresser by urban planner and flickr member aoneko.

No redo necessary. This table was found as is in a nearby alley and makes a welcoming perch in the front hallway.

From ordinary to stylish, this thrift shop cart revived by abra cat. She used spray paint on the tiers and cleaned up the chrome with aluminum foil dipped in vinegar.

Pickup Artist

2008-06-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

The July/August edition of Dwell has a spread on lighting designer Stuart Haygarth. Based in London, Haygarth cruises beaches, fleas and thrift stores for remnants of mass consumption, then uses them in art pieces that are far larger than the sum of their parts.

Ingenious lighting fixture made from the plastic shells of used party poppers.

From Haygarth's 2004 collection, this is a great sculptural piece as well as a light. Constructed of translucent containers, like plastic dish soap and shampoo bottles.

A light box displays a collection of used everyday glassware in a museum like way. This is part of Haygarth's body of work titled Aladdin, where he has categorized glassware in by color in amber, purple, green and clear.

Old prescription glasses are strung together to make this stunning chandelier. The old lenses are a tongue-in-cheek play on traditional crystal fixtures.

Tide Mark (2004) displays man made flotsam and jetsom from the Dungeness coastline in an appealing array.

Yipes Stripes

2008-06-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Pillows from high-end designers Dransfield and Ross are reminiscent of the remnant pillows, though not as spontaneous, which makes the color scheme look more coordinated, less homespun.

Their Louis XV chairs are very Chair Couture. Described as embroidered, the same look can be achieved with grosgrain ribbon or even remnants.

The Fabric (remnants) of Life

2008-06-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play....

Drenched and steamy weekend, like most of the midwest. These pillows are the results of a rainy day cleaning of the fabric closet.

Does it pay to save every bit and scrap? For these pillows, yes, though I solemnly vow to pare down going forward. There are some vintage silk damasks, a wool gauze and old embroidered silks in the pillow covers. The stuffing inserts, cording and buttons are also remnants of past projects.

Stylish Before and After

2008-06-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

Before

From the genius flickr group, Furniture Redo, an awesome transformation from member atomictonic.

After

The 2-tone paint color is brilliant, and the finish looks more than professional. Hhmm, Hhmm.... which brings us to today's lesson, the etymology of the word amateur. Time was, when amateurs were considered the highest authority on their chosen subject, the root word of amateur being amore.
Class dismissed.