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Jan 31, 2013

...my starlit linen chair



...hello loves!

i have returned again
to share my chair makeover

here it is in all it's lovely splendor



i call it the starlit chair...

now ~
perhaps, 
a few of you may recall  
from a  
 l
o
n
while back ~
this chair below:




i picked this baby up from a secondhand shop one day
with every intention to give it a makeover
and have been "sitting" on that project ever since
LOL!!!
ok
tell me you didn't see that coming?!?!
well
as i have been doing quite a few makeover projects
 one day
i ripped into this one
mind you
i had never recovered a chair in my life
but thought,
i can do it, easy peasy


hahahahahahahhahahaha

ho...

...um




ripping off the fabric was a no brainer.
and removing 1001 staples
yah, ok,
 it's all part of the experience
and even retying the springs wasn't so bad.

i already knew that i would be "Annie Sloan-ing" 
the frame in the french linen color with a white wash
but once i got to the place of re-stapling the fabric
well now
that's a whole other story!
i chose a beautiful white linen
clean, 
elegant,
 timeless!
and i wanted some glamour too
(you know i have to have me some sparkle!!)
so i added rhinestone buttons
 in the few tufts i put on the front-back of the chair




 and i whispered my name all over this beautiful throw blanket 
as soon as i saw the tiniest threads of silver woven throughout it!
the gray/blue shade was divine and
oh-so-perfect for my starlit chair
as it matched the paint i put on the walls!

now some of you know how i feel about the backs of my chairs
if you remember my "rose-mary rocking chair"
and this chair was no different
i envisioned something feminine
so naturally i thought of a corset style
just look at the shape of this chair
doesn't it just scream "corset"?!




once i had the design worked up in my mind, 
i simply sewed a panel incorporating the corset
i used silk dupioni  to make the corset ties out of
as i adore the luminous quality it has...




~sigh~
i love, Love, LOVE how it turned out!
after the back was finished,
i decided that i also wanted the wood parts of my starlit chair 
to also display that luminous quality...

ah, hello
star-light!!

so, i went back over the waxed wood with a silver pearl polish 
to which some of you may be thinking to yourself ~
i've never seen silver pearl polish.
to which i would then say
leather shoe polish!!
hey!
you should know that i am always experimenting with my supplies!!




close up of corset detail...

i desired something below my feet that would be an extension of my chair
so when i'd looked down while sitting in it,
i'd see something lovely underfoot.
i searched
EVERYWHERE
and saw 
NOTHING
with "the halo" around it!




so i challenged myself 
as i had been admiring those crochet doily rugs for a while,
i decided to give it a try
and crochet one myself!
after all,
how hard could it be??
so,
armed with my crochet book
 and having gathering the materials that i envisioned,
beautiful wool tape yarn in the perfect shade of *milk*
i set out to crochet...
mind you,
i had also never crocheted before this project.

i just knew it was destiny!
again, 
i desired a little glamour within this too
so i also incorporated sequin yarn as i was crocheted.
when you see it in person, 
it has just enough glimpses of,
well ~
starlight!




i have been enjoying creating little nooks and crannies
 within my current home





~ infusing bits and pieces of who i am.
and
i would encourage all of you who are timid about decorating,
 to wave your magic wands 
and give it a try too!





my starlit chair sits in the family room.
it is long and narrow
a most challenging and not very well lite space indeed.
so i pearled the focal wall in this room
and LOVE the results!
this is the tv component cabinet area...




i have been looking for just the right art piece to hang there...
i'm not worried,
as i know it will find me:)




these mercury candle sticks were just the right shape for me...
all curvy with a tough of glam...
they have an ombre effect to them adding interest
the tops start off a soft blue, fading down into the silver
and when a candle is lit within them, the distressed finish casts a glow
like stars in the sky!!




the open weave linen i chose
 for the component cabinet and the french doors to the deck
have a shimmer to them too...




and of course,
the cabinet hardware needed to be glamorous as well!

details! details!!






the kitchen and family room 
are the only rooms in the house that i painted a whisper blue/gray color
everywhere else has been given a coat of white...

i find that it reflects my white washed pieces of furniture in such a lovely light...

here is a whimsical seahorse image
from Kerrie of Seawashed
it hangs in my entry way




~ i simply adore it~
as my home is kissed with treasures from the sea
a reminder of a place i long to be
 and have found that as i surround myself with these treasures
it's almost like i am there...

almost




thank you for visiting today!
i enjoy your company:)

sharing this post with:
french country cottage's: feathered nest friday
common ground's: be inspired friday


next time
i will be sharing about this:




*cashmere cupcake rose scarfs*
i have a few that will be available for purchase...


until then,
...here's to starlit rooms!!

Jan 15, 2013

...looking glass chalkboard tutorial



...hello again dear ones!
i hope all is well with all of you ~
 
goodness gracious!!
 much has changed on blogger in my short absence... 
it will take me a few post to get back into the swing of of things
hopefully maybe!! 
 
but today,
 i will be showing you how i made my
"looking glass chalkboard"!

 
 
 
 
the property we are living in right now,
does not
i repeat!
DOES NOT
have the beautiful light, streaming through as i am used too
so,
i have to introduce reflective ways to capture the light
wherever i can
 
and one of those ways can be done with paint! 
i am always experimenting with my paints:)
 
i am sure like some of you,
when looking at those beautiful framed chalkboards that you see everywhere
you may have been thinking to yourself ~
wow!
i really like that concept
BUT
in my small space,
 that blackboard color is a little too strong for my "whitewashed" home
 
and yes, i do know that there are different shades of "chalkboard paint"
but alas ~
those shades simply didn't rock my world
as they were just a little to ewwww for me!!
no, dear ones 
i envisioned something....
 
....well,
more wonderland like!!!!
 
soooooo,
i came up with this sparkly goodness chalkboard
with a touch of vintage glam
that DOES delight my world:)
 
here is what you will need
1 can of the following Krylon spray paints:
*sterling silver
*glitter blast
*looking glass
and you will also need 1 can of chalkboard paint
(mine was by Rust-oleum)
and of course,
the frame you have chosen to transform into your chalkboard!

 
 
 
 
*step 1: remove the glass insert and backing on your frame selection
like i have done so here with this iron frame.
 
 spray your frame with the sterling silver spray paint
OR
if it is a larger frame like my ornate wooden one above,
 paint it Annie Sloan paint like i did,
  with the color of your choice.
(i used french linen as my base coat)
 
*step 2: very lightly,
white wash over the sterling spray paint
 or
 the A.S. painted frame, to soften the silver down a bit
and to romance up the A.S. frame
rubbing off some of the whitewash
 to reveal a glimpse of silver sparkle here and there
 
 
 
 
 
now we will move on to the "chalkboard" part
*step 1: spray the side of glass you will be using as your chalkboard, with a nice coat of
 Rust-oleum's "chalkboard paint"
 
 
 
 
 
 
let dry
 
now here's where the sparkly goodness comes in!
*step 2: spray a nice coating of Krylon's "glitterblast" spray paint
 
 
 
 
i know it is hard to see it
but
OH! the sparkles!
 
 
 
 
let that dry
now
you can see here that there is an area of
shall we say ~ glitter blast?!?
yep!
no matter how steady your hand
or how smooth you spray,
it.  will.  blast out!!
 
but not to worry my dears,
i can tell you that after the first time you erase your first message
 on your new wonderland board
the "blasted" area will disappear!! 
so spray with confidence!
 
*step 3: spray a light coating of Krylon's "looking glass" spray paint
it fills in the sparkle texture a tad
and gives it a more "reflective" quality
exactlylike what i was after!
 
 
 
 
 
after your glass "sparkly chalkboard" is finished drying
insert it back into your painted frame ~
 
 
 
 
and voila!!
you now have a glammed up, whimsical "looking glass" chalkboard
 
i have been using mine for 3 months and it is just as fabulous as day one
so if you are worried about the gritty texture
worry no more!!
go ahead
try making one yourself!
you are going to LOVE IT!!!
 
tune in next time,
as i will be sharing my starlit room chair makeover
 
 
 
 
 
it is sooooooo beautiful!!!
you really DON'T want to miss this transformation!!
 
 
until then ~
 
 
...here's to everyday sparkle!
 
 
 
ps.
if anyone out there could PLEASE help me!
i can't get blogger to upload my photo's without using the "html" mode
i have turned off my pop up and cleaned my cache
but i still can't see the loading button!
thanks for any pointers:)