Inspiration-Jump into Creativity

Patchwork Dresser by West Elm

I absolutely fell in love with this dresser when I saw it in West Elm.  I loved the square and rectangle shapes outlined in white to emphasize the different colors creating a patchwork effect.  The lines were clean and contemporary with a nod to mid-century modern design.  It left a lasting impression on me.

A few weeks later while shopping a local charity thrift store, I happened upon this beauty and it was actually mid-century design, not reproduction.  It was all one color of wood (As I am usually anxious to paint, I often forget to take a "before" pic, which is why I don't have one of this piece), but the shapes immediately made me think of that dresser from West Elm.

Of course, I typically work with paint, rather than stain, so I decided to create a similar concept by using four different colors of ASCP-Old White, Paris Grey, Coco and Provence.

Inspiration is often the jumping off point of design.  Sometimes it is the colors in a Persian rug.  Sometimes it's a picture in a glossy decorating magazine that stops us in our tracks.  Sometimes it is the texture of a shell, rock, bark, or other element in nature.  No matter what it is that inspires you, it is possible to reinterpret it in your home design.  I used the West Elm dresser as my inspiration, but interpreted it using my own choice of colors.  I chose to leave the natural wood as my way of outlining the squares and rectangles.  Don't be afraid to trust your own instincts about what will work best for your particular design.

These sweet little antiqued gold knobs were exactly like the ones on the dresser.  I think that's what really caused me to connect with my inspiration piece.  It was also these four drawers and the four squares in the doors that helped me to determine that I would use four different colors, rather than repeat just two or three.

Here's the finished piece, inspired by the other dresser, but uniquely my own.  Love that!  Who knows maybe mine will inspire you!

Striking Stripes

These adorable blue chairs caught my eye at a thrift store.  They were a lovely shade of blue, but they had a few little nicks in the paint.  Inspired by a chest I saw on a blog, with a Union Jack flag painted across the front, I decided to paint these with a striking "patriotic" stripe.  For the blue, I custom mixed a blue shade.  Then added ASCP in Old White and Emperor's Silk.

The blue paint was applied first in a circular motion to accentuate the shape of the chairs.  I did that on both the front and the back of the chairs.  I allowed some of the original blue paint to show through, adding a little texture and dimension.

Then I used 1 inch blue painter's tape to create stripes down the center of the chairs.  First, I centered one piece of tape down the length of the chair.  I did this by measuring and marking the center of the chair with a piece of chalk and then lining up the tape so that it was perfectly centered.  Then I put four additional pieces of tape on either side of the center piece of tape being sure to align the edges of tape without overlapping.  It is crucial to place the first piece of tape correctly, or else it will all turn out crooked.  

When I was finished I had a total of nine pieces of tape.  Next, I removed the tape on either side of the center piece, as well as the second to last piece on each end.  I painted these areas with the white paint.  Once this was dry, I replaced the tape over the white parts and then pulled the tape between them off.  I painted these areas red.  I then removed all of the tape, revealing equal 1 inch stripes of red, white and blue (which was the original color beneath the tape).
 
After seeing the result, I decided that I would prefer that the red stripe was wider, so I went back in and expanded the red stripe by once again taping off the area that I planned to paint. Had I planned that from the start, I could have used two pieces of tape together to create a 2 inch stripe of red.  But all's well that ends well.  Sometimes you just have to experiment a little. 

I decided to stripe only the front of the chairs and left the back sides blue, with the circular paint effect.   They would look great in a boy's room or as accent pieces anyplace that could use a little drama.

From Bargain to Beauty

I've always appreciated a good bargain and I have prided myself in being able to find the best deals.  Apparently, not everyone feels this way.  One evening when out at a social event, a woman complimented my new blue blazer.  Without hesitation, I proudly shared with her that it was just $17 on sale at a local department store.  She said "That's OK!  It's still nice!"  So maybe shopping through sales racks and thrift store jungles is not for everyone, but I've grown to love it.  There is a guilt-free pleasure to buying a little something beautiful for my home for under $10.00.  It's also a fun way to experiment with new ideas at an affordable cost.

When I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, it became very important to watch our spending and to stretch a dollar wherever we could.  I was also trying to furnish and decorate a new home.  It was challenging to get the look I was going for on our budget, but I became very good at mimicking the "high end" look.  It meant taking notice of color combinations, materials, patterns, finishes and then carefully selecting items from places like TJ Maxx, Target and Stein Mart that gave the same "feel" to my space.  Thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales provided the opportunity to find real treasures among the junk.  High quality items made of fine materials, but discarded by their original owners in favor of new decor, made their way into my home.  Now don't get me wrong, this was no easy task!  These items are few and far between.  You have to go often, recognize a great deal in the moment and then, without hesitation, buy it and bring it home because it won't be there tomorrow.  I've been drawn to some pretty unusual items too.  This process has resulted in an original and "collected" look in my home that I really love.  No one else's place is quite like mine. 

It can be difficult sifting through all of that stuff, trying to find a treasure!  What you find most often is "junk" with worn finishes, broken parts, outdated styles.  Well now I've found a great way to turn these discarded pieces into treasures, too!  When you find a piece of furniture with scratches and dents, but great lines and details, you can recreate it as a perfect piece for your home.  I found this little beauty for $20 at a Habitat for Humanity Reuse Store while on vacation.  She came home with me and I knew that this would become my new bedside table.  

I really thought that the panels on the drawers would lend themselves well to a two-tone paint treatment, so that's what I decided to do, in shades of white and green.  The details of this table were lost in their original finish, but here I was able to highlight the details like the curved edge on the top, the lovely shape of the drawers, the trim detail on the sides, and the beautiful hardware.

A little dark wax brought some dimension to the carved wood detail at the bottom.

I love the "upcycling" process.  It is good for the earth because it keeps these items out of the landfill.  Buying from places like Habitat, Goodwill and other non-profit thrift stores also benefits the community.  The low cost has allowed me to create new pieces for my home, as well as for others.  In addition, these older pieces are generally made of quality wood, not particle board.  They will last for many years, especially if given a new updated finish. The end result is a beautiful "one of a kind" quality piece at a bargain price, well below current market prices!  It's a win, win, win proposition!  Who wouldn't love that! 

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Passions Ignite

I just recently discovered my newest passion.  Painting once loved, but now neglected, abandoned or forgotten items to give them a new, fresh beginning.  Some call it "upcycling," but whatever you call it, it's better for the planet to reuse perfectly good items, rather than haul them to the dump.  Not to mention, better for your pocketbook!  Many of us "well meaning" folk bring our outdated and unstylish items to our local charities for donation, hoping they will find a new home.  It's kind of like the "island for misfit decor."  You need vision and a sense of adventure to sort through those cluttered shelves. I've always loved the hunt for that perfect little treasure that will solve some organizational problem, or fill some empty gap or need in my house, but often the finish or the color of an item prevents me from using it as I'd like. 

As the new year dawned, I found myself contemplating all of the unfinished projects that I still hadn't gotten around to doing.  I had several pieces of furniture that I had been putting off painting.  A conversation with my mother, who is a decorative painter, clued me in about a new paint that was perfect for furniture.  It's a European paint and wax system called Annie Sloan Chalk Paint that results in a beautiful finish and is especially perfect for those french country distressed pieces.  It sounded too good to be true, but I had to try it out.  I attended a workshop at a faux finishing studio to learn some finishes to use with these products and came home ready to jump right in.  This new endeavor combined my love of decorating, creative play, restyling, repurposing, and thrifting, and it's good for my home, my budget and the earth!  Imagine that!  I was so excited about the possibilities!

So now all I needed was a project to get me started.  I wanted to start with something small and inexpensive, before I tackled my daughter's furniture.  I found these great little candlesticks at a local thrift store.  I loved the shape, but I was not crazy about the color. 

 A fresh coat of paint, some wax, and a little sanding to distress and voila!

A beautiful vignette to show off my latest creations!