Refinishing furniture can be an adventure. I’ve repainted my fair share of chairs and tables (even an entertainment center), but I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about how something turned out. A couple of weeks ago, I repainted my childhood desk to create a new sewing spot.
The Desk (Before):
We adopted this desk from some neighbors who were getting rid of it, and I have been doing homework and crafts projects on it since I was 7 years old. My dad repaired and refinished it in this honey color, and it was still in pretty good shape. However, it needed a bit of a style make-over.
The Chair (Before):
I found this chair at an estate sale about 8 years ago, and it is the most comfortable chair in the world. I reupholstered the cushion in black velvet, and the seat is so plushy soft. However, the black paint was starting to wear off in places, and it needed an update as well.
6 cans of white spray paint, 2 days, and some Anthropologie nobs later…
The After:
Pretty amazing, right? Of course, I have a little bit of a secret weapon. It’s called — Dad.
I sanded, and I did offer to bring him refreshing beverages, but he did the painting. A LOT of painting. I think there was even some car wax involved. However, I cannot think of any better place to sit and sew. Thanks Dad! I love it.
Filed under Friends & Family, House & Home.
Tagged with refinished desk.
Lately, I’ve been working on a lot of projects where people have suggested that I send in some sketches. At first, this sounded fairly simple. I love drawing. In fact, all of my fabric and stationery designs start off with pencil and paper. When I brainstorm something new to make, I almost always include a sketch in my notebook. So I dug out my notes to see what I had and realized that there was a little problem.
The word “sketch” would be a generous term for some of these drawings. It’s more like an elaborate shorthand that only means something to me. When I look at these drawings, I see construction details, material choices, colors, the finished project. I think most people would see blobs and little happy faces. So I have quite a bit of work to do before I’ll be sending sketches anywhere. I see some time with my dear friend, Adobe Illustrator, in my near future.
This all reminded me of a sketch my dad made for me. I once asked him if he would help me measure the living room, and 15 minutes later he handed me this:
Crazy, huh? I guess that’s how engineers sketch. Maybe I should see if he’s available…
Filed under Friends & Family, Inspiration.
Tagged with artwork, sketching.
Last week, we celebrated my husband’s birthday. All he really wants is chocolate mousse, but I decided to get some extra “good wife points” and dropped off some cupcakes at his workplace. The cupcakes are Italian Cream Cake with coconut and cream cheese frosting.
Normally, I just slather the frosting on with a knife. If I’m feeling really lazy, I find that you can get pretty good frosting coverage just shoving your cupcake into the bowl.
However, that didn’t really seem work-appropriate. So this time, I dug out my pastry bag and star-shaped tip and piped the frosting on for a little extra flair. Every now and then, I find it’s a good idea to actually use some of the fancy baking supplies that I won’t let my husband get rid of — you know, just to show that I really need them.
Some of you know this already, but my husband and I have a pretty wacky sense of humor. I knew I needed something funny to put on top. I went to my favorite local cake shop and found these weird (and, let’s face it, somewhat scary) cats and dogs. You can’t quite tell in this photo, but that schnauzer has red eyes. Seriously. Creepy.
They were a hit, and sadly, they are all gone. Until next year!
Filed under Friends & Family, In the Kitchen.
I think I have talked about this before, but my parents are notoriously hard to shop for. When my mom is not requesting things like “peace and harmony,” she gives out hints that are designed to be easy on us — and maybe not the most fun. The year she asked for a shoe rack comes to mind. This is in stark contrast to my Dad who — when you can get him to give you a hint — suddenly gets very specific. He once requested a watch with a unique wristband that he had not actually seen in a store in over 10 years. (Sorry Dad – we couldn’t find it either. We’re glad you liked the one we picked out instead.) But don’t worry — we get them back with some pretty tough hints of our own. At this point, it’s almost a game.
However, I need some fresh ideas. My mom is not a candle or bubble bath person. I think I’ve gotten her earrings for the past 3 years running. Moms of the world, do you have any gifts that you love to get? Any ideas? Please share!
Filed under Friends & Family.
Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was busy. So busy, in fact, that I was looking forward to Monday just so I could sit still for a bit.
I wanted to share some pictures of these incredible fondant sculptures my sister made for one of her bakery clients. She hasn’t posted the pictures of the whole cake assembled, but each of these characters is a work of art in itself. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite. Maybe the white rabbit – no, the caterpillar – I don’t know. You can see more pictures (including the adorable doorknob cookies!) on her blog .
She somehow managed to create all of these last week plus another cake plus a special project with me. I think she must have clones. (Rebecca, do you have clones? If so, you need to ‘fess up because I need some too.)
These pictures make me want to throw an Alice in Wonderland party so badly. I had an Alice birthday party a few years ago complete with rabbit hole tunnel, but I want to go back and do it all over again — this time with cakes and cookies.
Hope your week is off to a good start.
Filed under Friends & Family, In the Kitchen.
Tagged with Alice in Wonderland cookies.
