Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Quick, Grab Your Paint {Sconce Makeover}

A quick story about a little resin sconce that wanted to be noticed . . .

My office is paneled . . .
I love the warmth of wood paneling in certain spaces -- and this is one of those spaces :)
. . . and in desperate need of a makeover.  But I have yet to envision the end result -- but I know the built in bookcase will be a part of it.

Above I had a cross to the far left on the wall -- I picked up this sconce for a great price and thought a little candlelight would be a nice touch on the wall.

And yes, candlelight is nice, but the sconce almost blended in to the wall :( and was ignored unless a candle was lit.  It really just needed some COLOR ☼.
I mixed up a bit of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -- attempting to match the Chief's turquoise pants.  I didn't have any Provence on hand, so I used Aubusson Blue and Arles Yellow with a wee bit of Old White . . . and the result was not too far off :)

I painted the sconce and gave it a colorful new life.  Then I sanded it . . .
. . . to highlight it's beautiful curves.

And gave it a bit of brown glaze . . .
. . .  to show off it's 'carved' details.

And the turquoise sconce now lives happily on the wall getting the attention it so desperately was seeking.
The End!
Psst -- any hints on what color the built-in bookcase / credenza should be?   All suggestions welcome . . . what about a washed black (with lots of wood grain showing)?

Linking Up With :::

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

2nd Floor Menswear: Cocktails Are Now Being Served

Give dad the gift of relaxation on Father's Day weekend, a chance to gather with some friends and family and while enjoying his favorite libations.  Set Dad up with a cocktail station even Don Draper would envy.  If you insist on giving Dad a tie this year -- present it in a new way :)


The Boilermaker

If whiskey & beer are on your hubby's most wanted list, treat them to a boilermaker set-up they can't resist!
Is it 5 o'clock somewhere?

a centerpiece worthy of your Dapper Dad!
Put your husband / father's tattered shirts & trousers to use.  My husband had a few shirts and a pair of trousers that even a tailor couldn't save, plus they were not fit to be donated.  So here is what I did . . . 
More ideas to come -- we don't leave anything to waste!
I cut off the collars, pockets, and sleeves -- and even repurposed the shirtail into a tablerunner (more on that later).




The collars of his shirts dressed up our hurricanes rather nicely.  The larger of the two hurricanes was too wide for the collar initially, so we gave it an 'after 5' {loose collar, loose tie} look that was fitting for the occasion.
After 5 o'clock, and it's time for Dad to loosen up!  Even the belt comes undone!!
Large Galveston Hurricane glass resting on Eclipse Reversible Riser
Leave a 'tail' of buttons for the 'after 5' look -- the button tail will be hidden by the tie.
What does Dad normally keep in his shirt pocket?
Using some small magnets . . . we attach a cut out shirt pocket to the beer bucket.
My hubby is always writing down his next great idea -- so a handy pen is essential!
I love the Willow House Entertaining Bucket with Tray -- it has been a multi-year best seller for a reason!  It's leak-proof, and comes complete with a drip tray to collect condensation before it makes a messy puddle.
Condensation?!  No Problem!
I raised the bucket up on a 2-tier plate stand, and used the bottom tier to house an Italian Stitch Salad Plate and monogram cocktail napkins (from Wisteria).  
Thumbs Up!
The Estate Vanity Tray, also works great to corral dispensers at a sink, or decanters, bottles & glassware. The shot glasses are vintage glasses from my parent's collection.  Denim koozies are from Frontgate.

Who's ready for a COLD ONE?
The tabletopper is a remnant of houndstooth fabric and the banner is from Hello Lucky!
I loved the retro look they created with their printable Father's Day cards & labels -- so I printed several cards per page and trimmed them out to create a banner -- attaching the cards to a piece of twine.
A FUN, Easy Father's Day Bar!
Moving the party indoors?  Check out . . . 

Wine & Cocktails:

For a more 'traditional' bar set up complete with wine and cocktails.  
Our butler's pantry is our bar area, mainly because our actually wet bar is direct in the line of traffic during much of our entertaining.  This pantry is more convenient. 
Liquor tucked away above -- still easy to reach and browse the selection :)
Don Draper can stop by anytime :)
The Abingdon Butler's Tray is gorgeous and makes a perfect wedding gift (have something special engraved on it)
More cocktail napkins from Wisteria -- this one is my hubby's favorite. Annabelle Napkin Holder shown.
Line a glass-topped tray with wine corks -- perfect for stashing bottles of your favorite vintage for a party.
Just a few fabulous Willow House Wine Accessories. 
The wine bottle 'sleeve' is made from the sleeve of the tattered shirt.  Make several to have on hand for gift giving -- so clever.  I followed the tutorial from Adventures in Dressmaking.

Create your own personalized wine charms for your next dinner party with alphabet beads -- so fun!

Don't forget to change up your mantel display for dad's special day . . .

Father's Day Mantel Display: 

Using the same Hello Lucky printables for a banner, dress up a mantel to include pictures of your cherubs or of your family's dads.  
We have a wrap-around fire-place in our den, so the mantel decorating also goes around the side.  All the more room to display my dear.
Who's that baby drinking whiskey?!
Paper airplanes were created out of old & yellowed pages from a paperback book.  A few unbound books were stacked to vary the heights of the framed photos.
A simple way to help celebrate Dad's important day.

I hope you enjoyed these Father's Day decorating ideas.  If your husband has a collection of LOUD ties that haven't seen a father's day in quite a few years, perhaps it is time to bring them out again.  Thanks so much for stopping in!
Psst.  Don't forget to check out my latest post -- Eight Great Ways to Set a Place for Dad!


Linking UP :::
•  Kammy's Korner Trash to Treasure Tuesdays
•  One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons
•  Cowgirl Up at Cedar Hill Ranch
•  The DIY Dreamer's Dream to Reality
•  Not Just a Housewife's Show Me What Ya Got
•  The Winthrop Chronicles Share it Party
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•  52 Mantels Thursdays Are Your Days
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•  It's a Party at Creative Princess
•  Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
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•  Hook'n Up with the House of Hepworths
•  Clean and Scentsible's Creative Spark
•  36th Avenue's Show Me Extraordinary
•  Christina's Adventures 20 Below Thursdays
•  Crafty Soiree at Yesterday on Tuesday
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•  Fireflies & Jellybeans' Show Us Your Stuff
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•  Brambleberry Cottage's Time Travel Thursday
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•  Thrifty Thursday at Thrifty Decorating
•  413 Sparrow Lane's TaDa Tuesday
•  Saved by Love Creations' Thrifty Thursday
•  Off the Hook at Daisy Cottage Designs
•  Happy Hour Projects at Happy Hour Friday
•  Inspired by Charm's Completely Random Link Party
•  Home Stories AtoZ Summer Mantel Party

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Going Bold with GOLD {in 10 min}

Bye Bye Brownie (Brownie Goodbye) ♫ ♪ . . . Sung to the tune of Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye) ♫ ♪
Quick post . . . I promise, after all it only took a few minutes to give our side tables the Midas Touch.
Change has a way of finding me.  I never look for it . . . but I am always open to it.  And when I ran across Callie's Home Tour (shared by Little Green Notebook) earlier this spring --- another change had found me and I was about to introduce a pair of tables to their new friend Spray Paint!

Check out the home tour when you have a chance.  Even if you aren't normally a fan of a neutral color scheme -- I think you will agree that this home Really SHiNeS! 

It is the perfect blend of modern and traditional elements.
Callie's Home Tour shared by Little Green Notebook
When I saw the Greek Key side table Callie picked up from One King's Lane (Worlds Away), I knew exactly what my living room's Cordova Tables needed in order to PoP -- a SHOT OF GOLD! 

The original finish on the wrought iron Cordova Tables is a textured, chocolate brown with beveled, tempered glass.  Next to the living room's dark brown leather sofa the two small tables blended in.
Before the tables disappeared next to the sofa.  Now, they shine!
So I went to the paint supply cabinet in the garage, and sure enough, we had a gold metallic finish paint that would do the trick.  So I carefully removed the beveled glass tops within the tables and placed them in my 'don't you dare break' hiding spot (shhhh . . . it is underneath the sofa) and proceeded to take the Brown Pair outdoors for a makeover.
One Down and One To Go
I really didn't think I had anything to lose.  If I didn't like the gold, I could always spray paint them again.
But I liked the gold . . . I liked the gold a lot.
Adding the beveled glass back in.
Showing off the beautiful scrolls.
The spray paint dried super quick (it was 95 degrees outside), and the Midas tables were back in position within 10 minutes.
One of the quickest makeovers I've ever done!  Care to wager how long it will take Mr. V to notice the change?  It has been 3 days already . . . :)

What do you feel like making-over today?  I'd love to hear about it -- and thanks so much for stopping by!
I am Linking Up with :::
•  Brambleberry Cottage's Time Travel Thursday
•  No Minimalist Here's Open House Thursday
•  From My Front Porch to Yours' Treasure Hunt Thursday
•  Mom on Time Out's Taking Time Out Thursday
•  What's Cooking, Love's Showcase Your Talent Thursday
•  My Repurposed Life's Catch as Catch Can
•  The Shabby Creek's Transformation Thursday
•  Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday
•  French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Fridays
•  Imparting Grace's Grace at Home
•  Common Ground's Vintage Inspiration Friday
•  Friday's Unfolded at Stuff & Nonsense
•  Inspiration Friday at The Picket Fence
•  Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Night Special
•  Stylish Once Again's Restyled Sunday
•  Blissful & Domestic Sunday Blog Hop
•  I Heart Naptime's Sundae Scoop
•  Nifty Thrifty Sunday at Nifty Thrifty Things
•  DiY Project Parade at DiY Showoff
•  Finding Fabulous for Less' Frugalicious Friday
•  Alderberry Hill's Make the Scene Monday
•  Sweet Anne Designs' Sweet Sharing Monday
•  Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday
•  Homemaker on a Dime's Creative Bloggers Party Hop
•  Meet me Monday at You are Talking Too Much
•  Show it off at Get Out of My Head {Please}
•  Debbie Doo's Newbie Party
•  Our Delightful Home's Show Me What You Got Party
•  Made By You Monday's at Skip to my Lou
•  Today's Creative Blog -- Get Your Craft On Tuesday
•  Wow Us Wednesday over at Family, Home & Life
•  One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons