Cork Lamp

I found this sweet cork lamp at the consignment store, kind of blah looking but I could see potential through that dingy shade and dirty exterior...

So after a little cleaning and a shade make-over, I have created a pink show piece that also double duties as a pin board..what what! Yes, it is also a keepsake and tchotchke holder...

My Apartment!!

My front door

Kitchen and office

Kitchen

My fish

Look at my crazy cool wall, the plaster came off so we left it!

So finally I can see all my things! I love my things! 

My Curb Side Sofa

Underneath they "tried" to fix the springs and added an extra "leg"

Large gaping holes!

Here is the couch that my friends and family found on the side of the road! They told me in hurried voices that I needed to go snatch it up. And I did, what a yuck-fest this was. I think I tore the whole think apart with my fingertips trying not to touch it!!  Standing as far away from it as possible, I vacuumed and washed it off. As you can see, everything needed a revamp: springs, burlap, wood work, legs, batting, cushions... So I went to it, enlisted my parents again for the grunt work and we retied the lower springs.

I had this wonderful Scandinavian red fabric that I put over the whole sofa. (Thanks Kimmy) I hate the gap in between, so I formed one giant cushion instead of two. By painting the wood work an almond color, the detail stands out and contrasts well with the red. Everyday I lay on it, It is my showpiece and I enjoyed every minute that was spent making it beautiful, even if it doesn't sound like it! PS: this is my new apartment...

Retro Revive

Well here are the tables/footstools/child's seats/space-fillers that have been in my grandparents apartment for a long time!  I do remember when I was little, that I liked the stacking quality, but didn't quite understand the squishiness of the seat? Was it a table or was it something for me to sit on and watch my family play 500. To this day, no one knows the exact reason for what they were purchased for, but all I know is that there are memories attached and I plan on re-using them for my living room as coffee-table-foot-rest-tv-tray. When I received them, they were tearing at the seams and the colors were grotesque... I'm sure they were just lovely in the 1970's. So to fix them up, I glued the seams back together and generously layered on the paint. Now they are beautimous and everyone will be regreting that they didn't take them when Grandpa was offering!

The Smid Wedding!!!

 My cousin (who I would do just about anything for) just got wed!! To say it was a success would be an understatement!!  For the past few months I have been helping her create a very low budget wedding for 250-300 guests, which would be formal yet a ton of fun... To start off, she needed a look or a theme so that every decision made referred back to that original design. Rose chose hers from various catalogs that were showing a green and prairie-esque weddings. We grabbed those ideas and ran wild, literally! I created the invites, programs and all other graphics from a design Rose found from a stationary website. Rose wanted green as an accent but not over-the-top with the color. So we stuck with black, ivory, white and gray as main color choices.

Below is the invite with the RSVP and map, The Happy Family, and the programs from the ceremony.

The Happy Family

The programs for the ceremony

For the reception we decorated a 40x80' tent which was placed right outside of our small community church. Inside we decorated it with randomly hung green lanterns and lights. On the tables were black linens, a gray shimmer sheer runner each with random potted succulents. The vessels in which the plants were, we had found at our hometown used goods store for pennies on the dollar.  Along with the plants were long dried raspberry twigs from Rose's moms patch, green foam balls, and vases with river rock which were floating candles. Very simple, very cheap, and very beautiful! Greenery is less expensive than flowers...keep this in mind.

Floor plan of tent... 

here shows the dance floor that Tim and our friends made!!! Look at the lights around the base, it was so much fun to dance on...

The head table 

Dancing!!!

Here is the koozie I designed for the guests to use 

during the reception and then take home as a gift.

After is was all said and done, I gave a few of the plants away to those who feel in love with a particular one,  and I have kept all the rest for my own!

They are a few other projects that I worked on with this wedding, and when I find those photos, there will be more to blog about. Click on any image to make them larger...

Striped Cane Chair

Here is a chair that needed a little love and care. It is for myself and will be in my new-old apartment! Before, as you can see, it was wearing a dingy peach fuzz velvet that may have worked in the 1980's but does not work today. The wood's finish was perfectly fine but didn't match my style. There were a few parts of the leg construction that I mended but overall this was a fairly easy project.

I decided to paint the wood a very similar almond color that matches the fabric. It really brightened up the piece. Next I decided to simplify the seat and back by eliminating the cushion and creating a poofy seat. Next, the buttons on the back were wonderful and all, but I didn't want them. They would have been too much with the stripes. So I put three in a row down the center and called it beautiful! I really like the colors of the stripes against the wood and the texture of the cane. I have to say that this turned out wonderfully!

I also switched up the photoshoot and brought it outside! It is too beautiful today.