This little light of mine

I'm gonna MAKE it shine with or without bulbs!  My latest treasure came to me by way of my husbands grandmother.  I really have no idea how old it is but after doing some extensive research (Googled 1930's and 1940's light fixtures) I came up with this image from an antique dealer.

via

This beauty is from the 1930's and has a very similar makeup.  The tier design, the crystals and the way that they attach to the chandelier, and even some of the fundamental pieces for the underneath support frame look almost identical.  So, I'm going with the notion that my lovely is this girl's cousin.  And although this is what I saw from the minute the dusty box she had collapsed in and spent many years (I like to think waiting for me) was plunked down on my dining room table; this is what everyone else saw.

YIKES! And there were more crystals floating around at the bottom of the box than there were on it!  I'm not gonna lie, it was a little overwhelming at first.  I knew that it would take a LOT of make up to fix this old gal up.  The wiring was shot, or more accurately, chewed.  One of the bulb receptacles looked like it had exploded.

She was filthy and tarnished and so so neglected but I was grateful that she had ended up in  my hands and I was determined to restore her glamour..  

First up was to remove the remaining intact crystals and bring her down to her bare bones.  I determined that I was not able to rewire it because that one bulb receptacle was so badly blown out, it was not repairable.  I would have to discard the electrical components completely.  It was fairly easy to pull the wire out and disconnect the light box from the fixture.  Structurally it looks the same and even though I know that there was no other choice but to remove it, I do wish that it could have been salvaged.  I can only imagine how much more stunning she would be lit from within.  Sigh. 

The next task was to restore the finish on the frame.  This was accomplished with my old friend Rub 'n Buff. This stuff is incredible.  It will go over practically anything and make it look like a beautiful antiqued metal, patina and all. I also happen to think it looks very authentic.
Finally, each individual crystal had to be hand cleaned (Windex! All I can think of is the Dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and some (and by some I mean most) had to be reconnected after having fallen off their wires.  There were almost 300 !!!!!! Most unbelievably is that they were ALL there!! Every last one.  After all these years.  I thought for certain I would have to be doing some fancy math to compensate for missing crystals in order to make it look like the chandelier was SUPPOSED to look like that.  It was exactly in that moment that I KNEW that she was meant for me.
Truthfully, I envision this refined lady in my only-in-my-dreams dressing room shining over my antique vanity (restored by yours truly of course) and my vast collection of Jimmy Choo shoes and Chanel and Versace couture.  But, alas, unselfishly,  I have decided to put her on display for ALL to enjoy in my living room.  After all, it was only right to share her with my in-laws.

And although she is not illuminated by electricity, (I think) her allure is blinding.

                                           

It's been a while

Forgive me.. it's been WAY too long since my last entry.  My confession:  I considered putting up a post and completely ignoring the fact that it has been months since the last time I have written.  I mean, it's not like there are legions of fans desperately awaiting my next words, but I would have been dishonest (to myself.)  I started this blog because I have a major passion (some might say a crazy obsession and by some I mean my husband)  for transforming old furniture and scoring thrift shop finds: for creating decor and organizing on a tight budget.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE doing my projects and I've done a TON since the last time I've talked about them.  The problem is <insert deep breath> I really struggle with my writing.  I find it super difficult to extract the visions in my head and put them into words that really create a vivid picture for a reader.  To be a masterful wordsmith is truly a gift, an art, much like a musician.  It is not my talent. I labor over every word.  So why in the world would I ever start a blog?  Fair question for sure! Well, I guess because I know that my days as a stay at home Mom are numbered and I really want to grow up this hobby of mine into a big girl job.  I'm very unsure of what direction to take but I'm very sure that I need to get on the path and get going. This blog is my starting line and if nothing else, will serve as my resume when I apply at home decor stores (not a joke in case anyone knows anyone at Pottery Barn.)  In the meantime, I will just happily continue to craft away and ramble blog about it on a semi-regular basis (no pressure) and hope that the road rises up to meet me.  Phew! That feels good.

This is the last thing I completed.  I figured that it would be a good beginning since  it is an early Valentine's Day gift for my husband and myself.  It is the first time that I have not hand painted a sign but I don't think it would have had the same effect.  I love it just the way it is.  It is a bunch of printed places and a few dates of things that are significant to us as a couple.  I used the website Pic Monkey to design it (AMAZINGLY easy) and had it printed at FedEx Kinkos.  The entire project cost (including a 6.99 11 x 14 frame from Hobby Lobby) $7.42.  Gotta love that sentimental value.  Priceless!

What's behind curtain #1?

Striped drapes have been trending all over the blogiverse (or at least my little nugget of it,) and I do believe that I am quite smitten.  So what's a gal to do? Why, find somewhere, anywhere  in the house where the window treatments haven't been made from scratch, lengthened, shortened, embellished or modified in any way in the past 3 months.  Hmm.. tough one.  Don't judge me.  And then, it hit me, literally.  As I was cleaning out my "project closet" (the unused shower stall in the downstairs bathroom) the rod came crashing down on my head.  Eureka!  Make a striped drape for my project closet.  And it couldn't have been more convenient because everything I needed was staring right at me and thus, also FREE! There's no way it could be that easy, right?  YES IT COULD, YES IT COULD, YES IT COULD!  Can you tell I'm just a little excited about this project? Honestly, this is one of my all-time favorites and yes, it is the flavor of the week but no, it does not make it any less delicious.  So here's the scoop:  This is what it looked like before:

Not bad, but with very minimal time and effort (scouts honor*) this is what it looks like now:

This took roughly one hour from start to finish with most of the ticks sucked up from the measuring. 

I started off by ironing the curtain very well.  I then laid my curtain out on my dining room table to measure it.  I knew that I wanted 7 stripes so I measured the length and divided by 7 so that I would know how long I needed each stripe to be.  I then made a mark at each interval with a pencil on either side.  I knew I wasn't going to paint in on the table, I just wanted a hard surface for the math stuff so I transferred the curtain onto some plastic sheeting on the floor and laid it out flat.  I then took a piece of wood that I had and "connected the dots" with my pencil so that I had straight lines across.  This is what I used as my edge.

Then, I used Scotch Blue painters tape and taped off all of my lines.  One important thing to note: MAKE SURE THAT YOU APPLY TAPE TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE LINES ON THE STRIPES THAT YOU WILL BE PAINTING !  Otherwise, you will end up with janky stripes, and no I don't care that janky isn't a real word, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about.  And since at one point in my life I actually was a natural blonde, I put a piece of tape on the spots where no paint should go in case I had one of my moments.

  

I then took my mini paint tray, my mini rollers, my flat finish black latex paint and went to town.

  It was that easy!  A couple of caveats:  make sure that your curtain is very flat and that the tape is also taut with no bubbles.  Run your fingernail down each seam that you will be painting over to make sure you don't get any bleed.  When you are done with a stripe, do not leave the tape on, peel it right off.  And finally, this does bleed through the back.  I wasn't putting this curtain over a window where I would actually be "drawing the drapes"  so I did not have to worry about what it looked like in the back.  If that had been a concern, I would have let it dry, turned it over and made the "backside" more presentable by painting those stripes.  

So there you have it; my newest, most favorite project with minimal effort and maximum impact.  Who doesn't love that?  And now you also know what is hiding behind curtain #1.  

* disclaimer: I never participated in any activity or was an actual member of any branch of the Girl Scouts, so  take it for what it's worth :)

 

Mission Impossible

You know those girls, the ones that have it all together all the time?  Hair done, mani and pedi'ed non-pajama wearing; perfect cookie bake sale cooking; clean car driving at drop off? Yeah, well I'm not one of them..not even close.  I hate them, but classically (as in high school) because I secretly want to be them.  I admit it.  I am a neat freak wanna-be.  I try really hard too.  Probably too hard (geek for sure,) but to me there are few things more calming then walking into a neat, organized space.  And the lack thereof is probably why I am pretty much always stressed out!  Even so, I won't give up.  At least at this stage in the game, I've come to terms with the fact that organization will not come natural to me. It will always feel like work, and I will always want to be doing one million other things than what I have to do to keep myself sane (or at least passable in everyday society, LOL.)  So on with the show.... one of the things that I have picked up along the way, and which I am pretty sure is like a proton or an electron in the neatness atom (and is also something your grandmother told you a time or two) is having "a place for everything and everything in it's place."  Now it sounds pretty simple, but of course if you ever really thought about it, you know the ugly truth of the complexity that lies behind that statement.  It means being real about your "everything" and I mean everything and finding it a place.  Not simple, and matter of fact, just when you think you might be getting a handle on, and a holder for your things, things change.  That being said, here are a couple of my things, and the places I have made for them (for now.)

This was made from an old magnetic dry erase board, this one in fact:

All I did was cover it with some old material, stapled it to the back, picked up several sets of those magnetic hooks ($1.97 a set at Walmart) put the spools of thread onto some dowels and placed them on the magnets.  Super simple and kinda looks like artwork? 

Next, since I was all about my sewing crap, I took a basket and simply rolled up all of my material and tied them (mostly with yarn) and created something that if you squint your eyes, sorta maybe looks like a bouquet?

Who knows, if I keep trying, maybe someday I will be one of "them."

My (not) dirty laundry

The linen closet...one of the only places in a home that specifically names what belongs in there (aside from the medicine cabinet in which medicine really shouldn't be kept anyway) and yet for some reason, I just never grasped the concept.  Maybe I should have named mine the miscellaneous closet or the I-have-nowhere-else-to-put-it closet.  Part of the problem is that it is not a high traffic area.  I am in there once a week to change my sheets, twice at the most.  The door shuts, and I forget about the chaos that exists in there until the next time.  The door opens and my first thought is "I have to do something about this" and then the door shuts and it is all forgotten about again.  Then I saw it, the monthly challenge over at I Heart Organizing; bathroom and linen closet organization.  Perfect! A challenge!  Just the kick in the butt that I needed. So I immediately went to work.  This is what I started with, ugggh!

  

Horrible, I know but there it is for all to see...what I was hiding in my closet.  Not pretty, but it's the first step towards healing LOL.  Next, was emptying it all to see what I really had.  It's amazing what you carry around from place to place and year to year and never use.  I can't even tell you how many pink pillowcases I had, and not one set.  And since I am the only girl in the house, I can only deduct that the last time they were used, I was lying on my twin bed and talking to my boyfriend tangling myself all up in my pink CORDED phone.  Yeah, time for the donate pile.  Once I figured out what was going to stay, I had to figure out a way to organize it.  I really liked some of the divider ideas I found on the web but lucky me, I have these really useful, efficient, thoughtful (do you sense the sarcasm yet?) wire shelves the builder installed.  So, it was back to baskets (my old faithful Walmart ones.)  I still couldn't get past the shelves though and then the idea fell into my lap (literally when the "curtains" basket pile fell over because it was too tall!)  I had purchased a whole bunch of curtains at Goodwill for $2 a piece (how could I not buy a whole bunch?) and had used only a few in the boys playroom.  I loved the simple gingham pattern and knew that I would find another use for them in the house someday.  Well that day came...shelf liners! 

Amazing what excites me.  I just cut them down to shelf size, used a little stitch witchery for the hems and put a couple of yarn stitches through the wire to keep them from going anywhere.  Whipped up a few Avery brown craft labels to let me know what was inside, and ripped up a few strips of canvas (from the same old organizer I used to make the box for my wrapping center) to tie around the handles.  Had the cute little clothespins from a craft I must have done so long ago I can't even remember, and that was it.  So the only cost was the baskets (total under $20!) Oh, and a bonus for having wire shelves I discovered after.  I can slip dryer sheets in the wire to lay between the material and the shelf so they are invisible, but the closet smells really, really good when make my weekly visit.  Does it even need a door now?

Bed Skirt !!

So, ever since I put my bed on risers to gain some extra storage, the space between (love me some Dave Matthews...... ooh, sorry, snapping out of it....) has driven me totally crazy!  (She says, as if the rest of the bedroom hasn't)..... and not crazy in the Dave Matthews sort of way.  Anyway, I really needed a bedskirt to cover up what was lurking underneath.  I don't know about you, but I've never really  had good luck in the bedskirt (or dust ruffle, if you please) department.  They were always such a pain to put on and getting them to stay in place was a nightmare (figuratively and literally!)  And then, the dawn broke (yes I am cracking myself up with all of these metaphors, although not quite sure metaphor is the right word...anyone...anyone?)  I stumbled across this tutorial from Live from B5 .  Honestly, it is genius !!! Sew or no-sew simple to do!!  It took practically  no time at all and I absolutely love the faux tailored look.  Right now I'm into burlap (until linen is in the budget) but who knows a month from now?  This project is so easy that I could do one for each season........

Or maybe I should settle it down and work on the rest of the bedroom, so obviously in need.  

She's Crafty

Yes, I LOVE the Beastie Boys and as we speak, I am donning a T-shirt with the words "She's Crafty"  on it given to me by my best friend (the second biggest Beastie fan.)  Although, I am fairly certain that the boys did not mean that "she" was good with a glue gun, and my name is not Lucy, the song will forever be a part of the soundtrack of my life.
Being crafty sometimes means being messy (at least for me) but I am determined to change all of  that.  This year, I vowed to get my paints ducks all in a row and create a place for every little thing in my craft room/office space.  It is a huge work in progress and hopefully some time this year, I will be able to do a big happy dance reveal. But for now, in the still lingering spirit of my spring cleaning/organization kick, I will share some of my "mini" projects.
I have been seeing a lot of gift wrapping "centers" around the blogosphere.  I had always had extra paper, cards, ribbon and tissue laying around, but never really in one spot and organized.  I decided that I would put everything in an over the door organizer on the back of my office door.  Well, that was easier said than done.   Numerous trips to my local home store (which shall remain nameless since usually they are pretty good at having something that could be jerry-rigged) resulted in a major wiff out.  I had all but given up and then I spotted this at Walmart:

an ADJUSTABLE over the door organizer !!!! Genius and just $17, it doesn't get much better (at least in my sad world.)  The only problem is that since it was wire, I would have to find boxes that fit into the spaces for my gift bags and tissue paper, etc. so that it wouldn't fall through the cracks...hmmmm.... and then I had an idea!  I had just read about DIY boxes in one of my favorite blogs I Heart Organizing and decided I would try it.  I actually used the box that the organizer came in because I knew it would fit perfect depth wise: 

Unfortunately, it was a little to wide so I had to cut a little off, and I duck taped the entire open side to create a full box.  The next step was to cover it inside and out with scrap material that I already had.  It wasn't really the prettiest sight at this point. 

But then I added some ribbon:

and finally, you know those canvas closet organizers? The kind that work really great for about 5 years, and then they start to sag? Well, mine started to sag (story of my life)  and since I can't bear to throw anything away, and suspected that I might be able to repurpose the material, I had one laying around.  The piece that I used was actually the top of it that the two hangers went through to attach to the pole.  I just put a ribbon through the holes.  

Not too shabby!  And luckily I found a wicker basket at Goodwill for $1.99 that fit absolutely perfect.  I just embellished the top and the botton with some ribbon.

And the finished project: 

For details, I added Martha Stewart labels from Staples and some ribbon run through the wire.

Oh! and No! I decided not to put my rolls of wrapping paper in this organizer for many reasons, but the most important being that they would not fit.  So I bought a wastebasket at Walmart for around $4, embellished with some matching ribbon, tied up the rolls with yarn and stuck the basket close by. 

And there you have it! She's crafty.. and she's just my type........