Afters

Remember these Befores, from approximately one million years ago? Well, I've finally gotten around to taking the After photos. Forgive the quality, I took them in the very yellow Tungsten light of my apartment.

The chair was an easy fix - a little paint and strategically placed glue and screws, an inch of foam and some pretty fabric, and Bob's your Uncle.



The desk took a LOT more work. That thing had four layers of paint that I had to chip, scrape, and sand my way through - I even burned out the motor on my old belt sander (giving me an excuse to finally upgrade to a sleek new orbital). After three new coats of of hard-wearing exterior black paint, polished nickel cup pulls, and a bonus coat of spray paint on the under side of the glass top (gives it a high gloss, lacquered look), Fanny was FINALLY my Aunt.



Put them together, and they make a cute little vignette!



Due to the extremely limited amount of space in the Meganplex, the desk (and silver dome light shown in the last pic) are going up for sale on Seedling. Happy shopping!

End Table Before & After

If you read this blog, you should know by now that I am no stranger to flea markets and a borderline hoarder when it comes to ratty furniture with big possibilities. Years ago, I picked up this little end table at the Melrose Flea Market, and always intended to re-finish it.



You can see how beat up the finish is, and it's hard to tell, but the side was also pretty badly gauged. But underneath that, the parquetry just begged to be brought back to life. This weekend, I kindly obliged.



With the amount of puttying I had to do on the damaged side, I wasn't able to stain the entire thing. Instead I painted both sides and hind legs black, and then did the same to the ornate front feet (just because I'm lazy and didn't want to sand all those curves and crannies). But I think the two-toned effect really works with all the different hues in the wood.

What a dramatic difference, eh?

Costume Jewelry Revival

I was at my favorite flea market a couple of weeks ago, and came across a vendor selling bins of mis-matched costume jewelry. I couldn't find any pairs in the earring tubs, so I just picked three of my favorites (and believe me, it was hard to narrow down).



Now here's the fun part: I pulled off the backs with some jewelry pliers and used heavy duty epoxy to affix the former earrings to some ring blanks that I ordered from nearby Hong Kong (less than $5 for 10, on ebay!).



Now I have three totally unique vintage rings, sure to spice up any outfit. And just in time for National Talk Like Mae West Day!

Vintage Window Headboard

After stripping all the rattan off my nightstand and dresser set, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do about the matching headboard. If I removed the rattan, there would be nothing left but a rickety frame.

Luckily, it was about this time that my friend's apartment building decided to replace all their vintage panes with something more energy efficient. They left about a dozen of these gorgeous, perfectly intact windows out with the garbage - totally up for grabs. I snagged a couple of them and hung them lengthwise over my bed.



They're the perfect width for a queen-sized mattress, and are way more visually appealing than a web of rattan circa 1998. AND they were totally free! Everybody wins (and by everybody, I mean me)!

But How Would You Thread the Needle?

Perusing the aisles at Joann's today, I noticed there have been some significant improvements in the clear thread market.



Now that's some transparent thread!

Craft Night: Easter Edition

After a long Craft Night hiatus, Lisa and Adele came over on Friday to take part in some Easter-themed crafty fun-having. Of course you know that when it comes to decorating eggs, food coloring tablets and vinegar are a little simple for my tastes. Instead I broke out the Dremel and got to drilling.



It took a little cajoling, but I managed to convince my friends to blow the contents out of the eggs. Tip: it helps if you insert a bamboo skewer in the drilled hole, and wiggle it around to break up the yolk.



Once our eggshells were prepared, we settled in with a little paint, glitter, pipe-cleaners and creativity. You can tell by Lisa's enthusiastic expression that she was having a blast.



The finished product:


Clockwise from the top: Adele's Nolan Tuxedo Egg, My Glitter Egg, and Lisa's "I'm Not That Into This" Egg.

My New Couch!

After searching high and low for a retro-style sofa that was both attractive and affordable, I finally ordered my new couch from Macy's way back in January. Last week I finally welcomed it into my home. Check it out!



Gorgeous, right? I heartily recommend Macy's for furniture of quality and style, at a reasonable price.