Dressers

It's been so long!  I am going to do updates more often with things I've done for Drew's and my house!  It is the first project I have seen come to complete fruition!  It is very exciting.  The house Drew has lived in has evolved!  Here was one of my first projects.  We decided to keep Drew's existing bedroom furniture.  I painted it all and got new hardware.  

I found this dresser at salvation army for $50.

BEFORE

My guess is that it was from the 1950's due to the decals.  Obviously it was a baby dresser.  Behind the left door is 4 drawers and behind the right is a little hanger that pulls out to hang baby clothes.  Considering I won't be able to use that, I will probably stack sets of sheets in that part.  It really was a well made piece of furniture, in very good shape.  I sanded the decals down and to make the surface not so glossy so that the new paint would stick.

AFTER

I paid close to $50 for the awesome mirrored, square hardware.  I love the way it turned out.  I had glass cut for it because we are going to set a TV on top.

So for around $100 (not including the paint) I have a new, retro dresser!

This is Drew's dresser, it had brass hardware and was just a plain wood looking thing.  Not a great shot, but you get the picture!

Recent Art

Last night Kerra, Drew and I went to My Monet.  Drew's first time, my second time, and Kerra has just been A LOT.  The painting was to be of these here bottles!  It was SO HARD.  I have taken many a painting class growing up and in college and never have I had such difficulty painting!  This is a close up of how mine turned out...  Any takers?

Drew was happy to be there.. I promise, he had fun.. It was his idea.  I think his is good!  Batman symbol, smiley face, and all!

Kerra was really excited about hers!  It does look very good.

Last, but not least.  Not good photography.. Drew commissioned me to paint this for him.  He has liked something similar for a long time on some paint ball video.  So I tried my best to not completely recreate it but something like it!  Not my taste, but he loves it.  I want to think of a really cool name for it...

Drew's Valentine Present.

Drew has been wanting a painting of mine.  He wanted the flower one and I told him that he really didn't...  SOOOOO last weekend I painted ALL WEEKEND.  This was his early Valentine present.  I hung it up in his dining room while he was on a business trip and it was a surprise when he got home.  He loves London, so I thought I would do a cityscape of London and then something abstract.  In all, it is 3 canvases.  The bottom one is a 24x48 and on top 24x30 and 24x18.  He loves it!  A little bit of me and a little bit of him.

My Monet

So, last night I went to "My Monet, paint your own masterpiece."  I went with my roommate and another friend.  My roommate's brother and girlfriend started this.  It is just like Sips N' Strokes, but I hear, much better.  It is in the Matt Jones Gallery in Lakeview (coolest gallery by the way).  Their brochure quotes "No experience necessary.  We supply the artist, materials, and instructions.  At the end of the night, you leave with your very own masterpiece."  It is every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7-9 and it is $35 a head.  We had a lot of fun!

Here is my very own Masterpiece.  I did it a little different than the original!  In the photo above the 3rd little picture from the left was what we went from.  I had fun and I can't wait to do it again!

Dream Bedroom.

Furniture I long for.

I have promised myself, that one day I will own a Womb Chair, designed by Eero Saarinen in 1948.  I took this picture in the KNOLL showroom at the Merchandise Mall in Chicago last year.  When you sit in it, the chair hugs your body.  Hence, the name.
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This beautiful mirrored night stand can be found on Pottery Barn's website.  I usually try and steer clear of Pottery Barn things because doesn't everyone have something PB?  I try to be a little different. =)

There is nothing that I dislike in this photo.  Everything is clean, crisp, white; besides the yellow chairs.  I took this picture in the Herman Miller showroom in Chicago last year.  It is the perfect little conversation area.  I just love how CLEAN it looks.  I hate clutter!

This bed...  It can be found at Z Gallerie.  P.S. they are having a HUGE sale right now...  I love how it is modern/traditional.  I am a BIG fan of all things modern, but this is just the right amount of both.  Comfortable enough to sit up in bed also I have always dreamed of having an almost all white bedroom.  (Next blog, my dream bedroom)

I call it a SUN burst.  You will hear people call them Star Bursts and Sun Bursts.  Whatever... I'm obsessed.  Drew's mother and I went shopping together to find pieces for his house a year and a half ago and we found a SUN burst.  I have never been SO obsessed with a decorative mirror, in my life;  I have threatened to steal it from his house.  I found this one online, I don't remember where.  They are everywhere online.  A lot of stores have them these days, but some are too chunky for my taste.  This one = perfection.

Lamp Makeover

This is similar to what my lamp looked like.  Stupid me.. I did not take a before picture.  I found this picture though and it is pretty close.  Just imagine the shade being 1 neutral color, and the lamp base a pale yellow and sage green.  

So I used Rub n Buff in silver for the lamp base.  I love this stuff, I should be their spokesperson I use it so much!  1 small tube would do a whole wall ( I wouldn't actually try it on your wall ) but it goes SO far, you get my point.  I was at Urban Outfitters earlier in December and a lamp shade caught my eye.  I really liked it because it had a silver design on it and I thought it would look neat with my silver lamp base.  Well I went back a couple of weeks later and all the shades were on sale for $9.  So, needless to say I bought it.  I love it.  So here is the AFTER picture of my lamp.  It sits on my desk. 

Back from Atlanta!

<--- Eddie and our LARGE group.

Sunday we met Eddie Ross and Jaithan at Scott's Antique Market and walked around the OVER WELMING booths to find things worth fixing up and creative ways to use pieces that you would never imagine! With my Interior Design degree, it was great for me to get that experience.   Sometimes I am frightened to paint wood, recover fabric, or go outside of the box.  I AM a creative person but... It was so good to gain more confidence in stepping outside the box! I had so much fun and I can't wait to go back. 

2 prints that I loved, I might try and paint it.  There were several different dress sketches.  They would look great framed in thin black frames, un-matted, and clustered on a wall.

NOW, unfortunately I didn't find anything at Scott's that I HAD to have..  Except a beer stein that had a golf club on it for Drew...  Mrs. Stevens, Shelley, and I did stop at two antique stores in Anniston on the way back to Birmingham that I LOVE!

The first picture is an antique mirror tray with glass detailed handles that I put on my dresser.  It is in pretty good shape, I can tell the mirror is very old.  The tins are my favorite find.  Shelley and  I found some pink retro 50's tins at the first Antique Shop, but she reminded me that one day when they are not just mine that the male figure in my life, might not want them out...  At the second store I found these, I am in love with them.  They are so retro and much more neutral!

 

Next blog... I will try again to upload a picture of something that I wanted so very badly at Scott's.  1. It was too expensive to buy considering all I would do with it... 2.  It would not have fit in the SUV to get back to Birmingham.  Also a lamp that I redid for my desk.

Going to Scott's!

After my short day at work tomorrow Drew's sister-in-law, mother, and I are making our way to Atlanta, GA to meet up with some cool people to see what we will find at Scott's!  I am really excited to see what we find!  Hopefully I will have a fun post about our awesome findings!

Studio Snap, My Senior Thesis 2008