Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Epic Failure!

I had some really good intentions on this one. I got this fabulous dresser at Goodwill for $15... on half off day... so that is $7.50!! Everyone else thought it was SO ugly but I knew it was going to be gorgeous... or so I thought. A few days after I got it, my hubby came home with a "new" paint sprayer... or so we thought. He got it on the clearance rack and when we opened it we realized it had been used. (There was dried paint on it still.) Well, my dad and I set it up anyway and I was determined to paint this beauty white:



Well, I guess there was a reason the sprayer was on clearance.  Basically, the spray came out SO much that I had drips EVERYWHERE.  Fail. I was so sad, and pretty sure I had ruined my fab. dresser.  I just shoved it back into the garage and let it sit for a few more weeks.  Well, after a few friends came over and so kindly pointed out that we look like hoarders (in the garage that is), I decided to get to work on this so I could free up a little space.  P.S. these friends were not being mean... it is SO true haha.

My plan was to sand it down, and spray paint it white with grey stripes on the drawers and doors.  Let me tell you, this would have been cute but once I started sanding I realized what an awesome piece I was about to have.  I just started sanding the drips and when I was done sanding this is what I had:


FABULOUS.  So my failure turned out to be fanfrigentastic.  I just added new knobs and hinges and it is perfect!  Oh, did I mention that we are actually using it in our dining room as a wine/food pantry?  The hubs added a wine glass rack to the side and it was done.  We had an old wine rack we weren't using anymore so we just took it apart and used the glasses part of it on the dresser.






This seemingly failed project turned out to be the BEST piece I have ever done.  Go figure.



Mercantile Muse




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Monday, February 27, 2012

The Dented Lampshade

The shop is SO far from where I want it to be but I thought that, since I have been open for almost 3 months now, I should probably give you all a little tour.  Remember, I plan on some big changes soon.  As of right now, this is what it looks like:









Wow, that was really scary to share.  I'm not sure why haha.  Hope you all are having a fabulous Monday:)

Friday, February 24, 2012

Pinterest... aka Awesomeness

We had a girl's craft night the other night.  I had a couple of my favorite ladies over and we drank wine, watched Desperate Housewives, and crafted... ok, we might have talked more then we crafted but that's half the fun!

After skimming through Pinterest for a while this is what I decided to make on this joyous night.


I LOVED it so much!!!  And now for my version:


Fun!!!  The hubs won't even miss the t-shirt I cut up to make it:)

Happy Friday everyone!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Want to see what I have been up to lately???

I thought so:)

I have been doing the little things that I have been putting off.  You know, the random stuff you accumulate and have plans for but never seem to get to.  I decided to take a day and just knock out all the little stuff... ok, maybe not ALL but at least some of it.  So here it is:


Don't you love my bright pink duck!!  I mean, who doesn't need a hot pink duck in their house?


 A new chalk board made out of a mirror I found at Goodwill.


Look at this cute frame my mom found!  Isn't it so cute in ballerina pink?


And of course, this shabby little rocking horse.  I absolutely love how it turned out!



So there ya have it.  Sometimes when I do a whole bunch of little projects it makes me feel more productive then doing one big one.  Plus I get to play with spray paint... which always makes me happy:)

Monday, February 20, 2012

Bench of My Dreams

I am so sad to report that I did not take a before picture of this amazing bench. Let me paint the picture for you. Scratched up dull caramel wood and a checkered green and white bench seat... BARF. It was so ugly, but, like my mother, I have a thing for benches.

I had my hubby put some screws in to make it very stable and then got to work on a face lift. This is going to sound strange, but I have not painted any furniture black... ever. I guess I never even think to use black.  Well, after reupholstering the seat with burlap I decided that it needed something dark to make it stand out.  I decided to use a flat black to make it look more vintage and to play off of the texture of the burlap.  I sort of fell in love.  It was such an easy fix and I LOVE how it came out.



Mmmmmmm Burlap...




My only regret is not taking a before picture.  Oh well.  

I love the black and burlap together.  Sometimes I forget that simple can be really pretty.  

Keeping It Simple








Friday, February 17, 2012

Put a Little Crest on it

So, I just wanted to stop by and let you all know that my mom is a GENIUS!

 Have you ever bought silver/metal and it looked like poo? I have. Sometimes I actually like the dingy look but this time it looked ugly dingy, not cute dingy... did you catch that difference:)

I came home and my mom had my toothpaste and an old toothbrush out and after less then a minute of scrubbing check out the difference!


So yeah, pretty sweet no??!!  Just a little toothpaste (not even the white kind) and viola.  Dingy to perdy in minutes.  Hope you all have a fanfriggentastic weekend.


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I Heart You

Happy late valentines day everyone!  I know I am a day late... and probably a dollar short... but what the hey.  Here is a little something for your viewing pleasure.

I just bent a wire hanger into a heart shape with the hook part at the top.  Then I took left over fabric and started making bows.  That's it.  That simple.  I think I will make a regular circle one next:)




Sorry my posts have been so short lately.  My kiddo has been sick for 2 weeks and life has just decided to catch up with me.  I think I need a nap... and a glass of wine... and maybe some cookies:)

Mercantile Muse

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Howdy folks!  I just wanted to take a moment to tell you about the Liebster Award.  Liz from Here's to Handy Andy handed off the Liebster Award to me after receiving it herself.  I wanted to take a moment out to say THANK YOU!

So let me tell you a little about it:

Liebster means beloved, favorite, dearest in German.  (and I happen to be German:)

The Liebster Award is given to new bloggers with less than 200 followers who are doing awesome, fresh work.

It aims to promote and encourage new friendships among the blog community.

Upon receiving it you do the following:

1: Post the award on your blog for the world to see!!
2: Show your thanks to the blogger who awarded you the Liebster by linking back to them.
3: Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know they've been chosen.
4: Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogsphere...other bloggers!
5: Finally, the best rule of all, have fun and spread the love!

Seriously people, the best part of blogging is the amazing inspiration other bloggers provide and the fantastic support we all can give to each other.  There are so many FANFRIGGINTASTIC blogs out there I can't even begin to explain.  So, without further ado, here are my nominations for the Liebster Award:

Mercantile Muse (Fun Etsy finds, great recipes, and great design inspirations)
My Suite Bliss (Gorgeous home design ideas, and fun projects)
9.17.05 (LOVE her fashion stuff.  Plus she is stinkin funny)
Something Lovely Designs (Amazing design ideas and fun projects. SO inspirational)
The Shabby Tulip (She doesn't post often, but when she does... OMG it ROCKS.  Great furniture projects)

They are all different but fantastic in their own way.  

Thank you Liz for the nomination!  And thank you to the above ladies for being a constant source of inspiration!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Shed A Little Light On It


I did another lamp... My store is called The Dented Lampshade after all. This lamp started out with some real character.   It is so funky/ugly.

I have a terrible secret to share with you... I sort of LOVE ugly things. You know, the kind of ugly that makes you think some guy totally rocked this in his living room in the 70's with his sweet mustache and awesome bell bottoms. I once bought a purse that was made out of an ugly green couch and a terrible purple tie. You can only imagine it's ugly awesomeness, and yes, it still makes an appearance every now and then. I seriously embarrass my hubs all the time. Just another perk to my love of ugly things.

Well, this lamp had that sort of awesome uglyness that I hold so dear to my heart, I mean, just look at it!



In my opinion it is awesome just the way it is.  Throw a shade on there and call it good.  I fear however, that my customers at The Dented Lampshade will not appreciate the ugly the same way I do.  So, I decided to pretty it up a little.  (Don't worry, I still kept it's ugly charm, just tweaked it a bit.)

I painted the wood heirloom white and added a fun shade that I funkified with some fabric scraps I had left over.  And here it is, in all of it's ugly glory... though not quite as ugly as before, still super awesome.





Don't judge me for my love of ugly... just love me through it:)