Storage Cabinet

This is my attempt at carpentry.  I needed a storage cabinet with a little "flair".  So I sketched up some plans and headed to Home Depot for the lumber.  They were nice enough to cut the pieces for me.  I have a jigsaw and a circular saw, but I can't do the cuts as straight as they do.

After I assembled the frame, I used wood glue as well as nails to put this thing together.  That's why you see the buckets on top.  I used them to put pressure and hold everything together until the glue set.

Below, you see the doors.  I used layers of particle board and cut them easily with a jigsaw.  I used different curves to create some intrest to the piece.  I painted each piece and them glued them together before attaching them to the cabinet frame.

And here is the finished product.

Tab Top Lamp

This is a fun project, but a little bit labor intensive.  Once again I found a floor lamp at a thrift store for $20.  It's a nice lamp and you can rotate the arms so the light can shine up or down.  It also has a dimmer swithch.  So, the first thing you do is collect the tab tops.  You have to ask your family and friends to help collect them or you can purchase bags of them off of ebay.  I "sewed" them together with thin wire that you get at a floral or craft shop.  After I had several strips, I then molded the chicken wire.  To be different, I decided to do one globe with a sphere like shade and the other globe with an octopus like shade.  I attached the strips to the chicken wire until it was completely covered.

Below is the "octupus" shade.  I weaved a thicker wire through the tabs so the "arms" would stay put.

I like this idea because, as you can see, it creates cool shadows against the wall.

Painted Upholstered Chairs

I really like these chairs. They're comfortable and they swivel, but that pattern does not fit my decorating scheme so I decided to paint them.  I figured I would try my hand at this and if it didn't work out, I'd attempt to reupholster them.  This is the prime coat.  I originally thought I'd want them to be beige, so I tinted the primer.  Obviously, I changed my mind later.

This is the necessary additive to the paint in order for the fabric to be "plyable" and not crack when you sit on it.  I used two parts paint to one part textile medium as directed.

I decided I wanted the chairs to look like they had been painted, so I thought of this little design.  I did it freehand with different shades of taupe paint.  I feel like it gives the chairs a bit of whimsy.

They DO have a different feel to them.  I would say they are more like "leather", and as such, I think they probably need to be "broken in".  I'm hoping after some use they will become a bit softer.

All in all, I would say that it was a successful venture and I am pleased with the results and would recommend the process to other crafty do-it-yourselfers!

Paint Swatch Art

I got this idea off of Pintrest and tweeked it a bit.  The original idea shown there was the paint cards attached to a wall, however it was in a uniform pattern.  (I think the person lived in an apartment and it was their way of adding color to the wall without actually painting it.)

So, I just decided to do it in collage form with my favorite colors in full range from dark to light.

First you need to go to every paint store you can to collect your samples.  It's best to get 3 or 4 cards of the same color if you're going to be doing a larg area like I did.  My canvas is 24" x 48".

 I made the mistake of cutting all my cards up.  In retrospect, I should have not done this until I was ready to actually glue them on the canvas because it would have been easier to go from dark to light on the same color card.

I've pictured this before it's actually all the way done.  I just got too excited and couldn't wait to post the picture here, but there are a few tiny "holes" where the canvas is visable.  I also need to fix the dark purple area as the transition is a bit patchy and doesn't flow gradually enough for my eye.

But, all in all...I like this project and i'm going to do another one soon.

Upcycled Thrift Store Table

This is the table I purchased from a thrift store for $20.

I took it apart.

Chalk outlined the cuts I would make with a jigsaw.

Stripped the finish, sanded and stained it.

Purchased some 12 x 12 mosaic tiles.  They are glued to a webbed backing that you can cut, so they are the small 1/2 inch individual tiles.

A close up view after the grout was applied.