Are you The Queen of Washi Tape?

Tags

collage, craft organizers, estate sales, Etsy shop, faux effects, faux finishing, makeovers, metallic, mixed media, organizing, paper, picking, refinishing, repurposing, Royal Design Studio, stain, washi tape

Washi tape is all the rage right now and if you haven’t bought a roll to play with I’d like to know what you’re doing with your time. Seriously! Washi tape is almost like post-it tape on a roll. You can tape something up with it, pull it off and it doesn’t harm the surface.

Washi tape mural

The mural above was made using washi tape and when Rosa gets tired of it she can pull it down without leaving a trace of tape behind it. Great if you’re renting or in a dorm.

washi tape inspiration

As you can see, the ideas are endless and the craft companies are coming out with new tape designs every day. I’ve even seen people striping their walls with the stuff, which totally beats painting stripes, striping with paint totally sucks.

In response to the need to contain a person’s obsession, I created this washi tape cabinet.

I found this box at a yard sale. I’m guessing it was a wine box, based on it’s size and the imprinted graphic.

I drilled four holes on each side, big enough to insert four wood dowels. Easy peasy. Next I embellished it a little.

Okay, so I embellished it a lot. I wallpapered the insides with this cool grey, green and copper paper, painted the side a matching green, painted the dowels copper (Royal Design Studio Copper Stencil Creme), and glazed the whole box.

The collage on the front was a ton of fun to do. I painted in the castle, added a Queen, some flowers and two angels flying with bouquets of hydrangeas. Perfect.

This cabinet can hold 80 standard washi tape rolls. Can you even imagine?! Now, obviously, I am not The Queen of Washi Tape. This is all the tape that my daughter and I own, and to be honest, we went out and bought a few more just so this photo didn’t look pathetic (that’s the kind of sacrifice I’m willing to make for my art). But for a serious taper (not a tapir, they don’t have thumbs, just hooves) this cabinet would give them the ability to not only contain their collection, but also add to it. Nirvana!

This was a really fun piece to make and I love how it came out. If you think you might be the Queen, or know someone who is, the cabinet is for sale in my Etsy Shop now.

Inventory used: acrylic craft paints, Stain & Seal

A place to keep your craft

Tags

annie sloan, books, chalk paint, craft paints, craft supplies, estate sales, Etsy shop, fabric, faux effects, hardware, hoarding, mail holder, mail organizers, organizing, paint, paper, picking, SMASH books, stain, wall organizers, washi tape, wood moldings

Craft supplies tend to reproduce if you don’t watch them carefully. This blog was created as a result of paint procreation that I allowed to get out of hand. Unfortunately, my hoard is not limited to paint. It also includes fabric, ribbon, paper ephemera and recently I’ve noticed that my washi tape collection is multiplying.

I know I’m not the only girl out there with this problem, so I decided to make some wall organizers that address the specific needs of crafters. This piece is the first of four organizers I’m building to help prevent craft overload.

The left side of this organizer has two small wooden tea crates that are perfect for holding stickers, small scrapbook pads and SMASH book pads. They could also hold markers and pencils.

Beneath them is a washi tape holder I made from a little box I picked up at an estate sale. The dowel is removable so you can add or subtract rolls as needed. It will hold at least a dozen rolls which is more than any one person should have (at least one normal person….I’m not talking about tape hoarders).

The right side of the organizer has a medium size mail holder that I made from an old speedreading text book. The lining was made from a vintage cotton fabric and the book is decorated with black felt ribbon and two flocked resin roses. It hangs from two s-hooks hanging from two vintage drawer pulls. It’s the perfect size for journals or sewing patterns.

Along the bottom of the piece is a galvanized steel shelf that I made from whatever the heck this thing is……..I have no idea. It’s really sturdy and the perfect size for craft paints, glue and bottles of glitter.

On either side of the shelf are two wrought iron hooks I bought at Kobey’s swap meet. They look rusted, but I sprayed a clear topcoat on them so the rust won’t rub off on to anything.

Around the top section I’ve attached an old metal folding ruler, just because it looks cool. All the wood moldings are salvaged, but the paint finishes are new.

It’s a great little piece and I’m really happy with how it came out. It would look great in a craft room or above a childs’ art space. It’s available in my Etsy shop now.

One down, three more to go!

Inventory used: latex paint, craft paint, Stain & Seal

A Brand New Place To Shop

Tags

antiques, collecting, estate sales, furniture, hardware, picking, shopping, thrift stores

My daughter and I went to an amazing estate sale today. “What no pictures?! Lazy! Selfish!” Let’s just say that I thought it was amazing, you probably would not have agreed with me. The garage looked like they had bagged an entire Home Depot hardware department into gallon size plastic bags and put it in a one car garage. It was awesome. But it was also dark, stuffy, sweaty and less than picturesque.

After that we headed to a new store I found online last night.

Mattson Co. is a new estate liquidation and thrift store that opened just this month. They buy estates and sell it at onsite sales, online and in this brand new store. They’ve had a wherehouse in Chula Vista on Main Street, mostly full of furniture, but this new store seems to be more of a showroom.

These two antique chairs caught my eye, $99 each. Adorable. Too bad my family can’t have tufted furniture…….it’s a long story, don’t ask.

They had several sets of china and silver including large chaffing dishes and coffee urns, for those of you who have friends who are willing to come to your house and eat your food.

More tufted chairs that I can’t have. grrrrrrrrrrr……seriously, don’t ask.

This is a great hutch. Someone had obviously painted it and etched the little glass doors on top, but it’s still great with that enamel countertop. Can we even talk about the salt glazed crockery? Awesome.

All this ironwork was really pretty and not something I ever see in stores. Now if I could just figure out what to do with it. Love the giant birdhouse too, but I just don’t want to dig the hole for it……….I know……lazy.

The store is organized well and the displays are attractive. I think their pricing is very fair, but not as cheap as going to the estate sale to begin with (obviously). But if you don’t like getting your hands dirty, this is a cleaner, easier option than getting up at the crack of dawn and hitting estate sales to dig through the crap. The stuff in the store is clean and ready to go home with you, unlike the junk I picked up today at the estate sale that’s all full of cooties and heading for a tub of bleach.

Good News! There’s a second floor to this building and I’m told it’s crammed full. The guy at the register told me they’re opening up the second floor in about a week, so I’ll definitely be going back soon. Anyone want to tag along?

Organizing Beautifully

Tags

books, estate sales, Etsy shop, fabric, faux effects, faux finishing, hardware, mail organizers, message centers, organizing, picking, refinishing, repurposing, stain, wall decor

I’ve recently sold five of my Message Center boards and my Salvaged Sanity shop was looking kind of empty. So after working outside for a week on my new bench, I’m back in the studio working on boards.

This is my latest Mail Organizer which is designed to keep things organized in a kitchen or office.

The left side of the board has a large mail holder made out of a book. It’s lined with a dark olive cotton and embellished with felt ribbon, and some metal filigree. Below this hangs three metal cups that are perfect for holding paper clips, rubber bands or spare change.

The center panel has a hand made wooden tray that I’ve fashioned in to a fabric covered corkboard, with fabric covered button tacks and a chalkboard with a cute little silver cup to hold the chalk.

The left side has a smaller mail holder, two hand made wrought iron hooks (found the maker at the Kobey swap meet) and a pencil holder that I made from some type of cup (I’m sure one of you Boy Scouts out there can tell me what this is).

All the moldings on the back are salvaged from estate sales and salvage yards, but I put new stains and painted finishes on them to make them prettier. I’m in love with how it came together.

All my boards are available in the Salvaged Sanity Etsy shop, so please check it out.

Inventory used: latex paint, Stain & Seal

Taking Stock of a Meager Hoard Pile

Tags

books, craft organizers, estate sales, Etsy shop, flea markets, hardware, mail organizers, metal shelves, organizing, picking, repurposing, shopping, thrift stores

Last week was a good week for my new Etsy Shop. I sold two mail organizer boards in two days. Two others were sold just a few days before that. So panic ensued…….Oh my God there’s nothing left in my shop! Time to get back in the studio. Trouble is, the studio was missing vital components……..books and wood. Can’t make a board without books or wood. Looks like I’m shopping.

Totally scored at a thrift store. These Reader’s Digest Condensed books are STUNNING! I nearly peed my pants. I also found some pretty, colorful books at a library sale that will be great for the large mail holders. I bought a bunch of metal filigree at the swap meet on Mother’s Day that are going to make my books so beautiful. I can’t wait to dress them up.

I hit the local Habitat ReStore to restock my wood pile. Found some quality (aka trashed!) moldings for the next set of boards. I keep finding cedar paneling at estate sales. I guess there’s a lot of people out there who think they’ll line their closets with cedar and then never really get around to it. Their loss!

So here’s my layout for a new mail organizer. It will have two book/mail holders, a chalkboard/pinboard, 3 bowls for paper clips and tacks, two wrought iron hooks and a big pencil holder.

I’m creating four new boards that will be specifically created to hold crafting supplies. This is one of them. There’s a great metal shelf for bottles and jars and one of the crates is going to be altered to hold a ton of washi tape. Awesome!

This is going to be another craft organizer with three wood washi tape holders. It will also hold spools of ribbon and tons of glitter, glue and paint on the two metal shelves. I found these metal shelves in the salvage section of the local Veterans Thrift in Chula Vista. I don’t know what their real purpose is, but they’re going to be so wicked cool on my boards.

There are two more craft organizers still being laid out and designed. I want them to be really helpful in corralling the kind of clutter that happens in craft rooms and at the same time be beautiful to look at. Wish me luck.

My Bench is Way Better Than Your Bench!

Tags

color, diy, faux finishing, flea markets, furniture, home, makeovers, Percy, refinishing, repurposing, stenciling, thrift stores

I can hardly bear to look at this photo because it’s so freakin’ adorable!

So I finished my bed to bench project today when I finished sewing the cushion cover and planted my new bench on the front porch. This started out as a bed I picked up at a thrift store. Can you even stand it?!

To catch you up………..I sanded the paint and slathered on some crackle medium before I glazed it. I was going for a finish similar to what you’d find on old toys in a Paris flea market. If you haven’t been to a Paris flea market, I feel really bad for you and recommend stealing from your child’s college fund to pay for the experience. You know your kid isn’t going to go to college and you’re going to be there at the end of your life having never been to Paris, sitting next to your under educated child on the couch, watching other people shop in Paris on TV. Loser!

Crackle medium is basically glue and makes paint crack when it’s applied over a layer of the medium. Now in this case I was planning on applying glaze over the crackle and not paint. Crackle medium won’t cause glaze to crack, unless it’s applied thickly but it will make the glaze rumple and look cruddy, which is exactly what I was looking for.

See how cruddy this looks? It’s like it’s been sitting behind a house in Provence for a good 50-75 years. Perfect! I really wanted this bench to look like I picked it up behind an old barn and dragged it home. You can almost smell the manure through the photos. mmmmmmm

So here’s my new porch. I used the bench to reference the orange and blue of the sewing table planter and the grey of the porch beams.

If you’re wondering why I angled the bench rather than plant it in front of the window, it’s because of Percy. My dog sits in the window and guards the house with all 20 (should be 18) pounds of his substantial girth and I don’t want to block his view. Yes, my life revolves around the happiness of my dog. I know it seems lame, but let’s just say, like my bench, my dog is better than your dog.

(This is Percy meditating on his awesomeness)

Inventory used: acrylic craft paint, Latex paint, crackle medium, Stain & Seal, glaze

I Can’t Help Myself! Bed to Bench Makeover Day 3

Tags

diy, furniture, makeovers, refinishing, repurposing, Royal Design Studio, stenciling, whining

I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’m blaming my Starbucks addiction. So I pretty much dragged myself in to the studio to find sandpaper with the intention of distressing the paint on the bench and following it with a dark glaze. On my way I bumped into a stencil and while looking at it I suddenly got a new idea.

Adorable, right?! The stencil is a new design from Royal Design Studio, licensed from pattern designer, Bonnie Christine. This stencil is actually laid out on one piece of mylar, to be used as an allover wallpaper pattern. I decided to instead use them in a straight line, like a border.

This large blank space had been staring at me. I had a thought to install a tufted panel of fabric but I was struggling with the right way to do it. Then this stencil jumped out and saved me. I had planned on keeping this piece simple, but like I said, I can’t help myself. I have a really hard time leaving things unadorned, and I was too weak from lack of sleep to stop myself.

It’s so freaking cute I’m nearly weeping. Can you even stand it?!

I’ll try again tomorrow to sand and glaze it, which will complete the paint portion of this project. All I need is a good night’s sleep.

Looking for a soft place to land

Tags

discount fabrics, diy, fabric, furniture, makeovers, San Diego, shopping, upholstery fabric

The next step in finishing my new bench is obtaining foam for a cushion. My favorite place is this little dive in Normal Heights. If you’re new to San Diego, Normal Heights wishes it was North Park and dreams of being Kensington, but isn’t. I lived there in college and totally loved it right up until someone got shot at (no contact made) outside my house while someone else screamed the F word over and over again.

Anyway, Discount Fabrics is this great little store in Normal Heights on Adams Ave.  It’s housed in an old theatre (obviously) and it’s full of upholstery fabric. They do carry some regular clothing fabric as well, but it’s primarily an upholstery fabric store.

The great thing about it is in the title….Discount Fabrics. The prices are way low, like $3 per yard low. Now granted, these aren’t the super high-end brands, but they do have silks and Sunbrella and lots of stuff that I think are pretty. They also have trim, ribbon and all sorts of haberdashery (I love that word but they only use it in England……and on this blog apparently).

Today I was there for the foam. They’ve got all sorts on lengths and thicknesses and they’ll cut it for you. So I walked out with my bench foam, some thread and a little trim. Awesome. Back to finishing the bench tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Bed to Bench Makeover – Day 2

Tags

color, color palette, decorative painting, diy, garden bench, makeovers, refinishing, repurposing, whining

Okay, so here’s where I ended up today. Everything has been painted a color. Please don’t worry about hurting my feelings when you feel yourself muttering, “That’s butt-ugly!” I know it is. This is what those of us in the business of decorative painting call “The Ugly Phase.” It’s like a nightmare, Small World, color palette. I see it too……I’m not blind.

I used to hate this phase when I did this for money. I’d be in someone’s home, painting like crazy and they’d walk in, and there’d be this looooooong pause. Before they could come up with a politically correct comment I always jumped in with a very defensive, “This is the Ugly Phase, just walk away!” Then I’d spend the next 30 minutes comforting them and promising them that it would look better tomorrow.

If you need comfort, just know that I’m done giving any. That’s why I closed my business last year. I’m done comforting people who are afraid of paint and color. There are real things to be afraid of, like being kidnapped and held hostage in a house in Ohio for 10 years, apparently. Paint is a stupid thing to be afraid of. So stop it!

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to add some decorative painting panels to the sides and back. I’ll think about it tomorrow. I won’t be painting tomorrow. I’m having lunch with my two friends who are still painting for people (and their money). They’re much stronger than me, or at the very least, they don’t take it personally when they’re clients panic and beg them to paint everything back to white. I still have to get drunk just to listen to their stories.

They’re warriors, but I still don’t envy them. I’m thoroughly enjoying painting something ugly and not having to defend it. I’m an artist and I don’t stop till it’s beautiful! Promise.

Starting in the Bedroom……Ending Up on the Porch

Tags

color mixing, diy, furniture, hardware, headboard makeover, makeovers, paint chips, Pinterest, primers, refinishing, repurposing, thrift stores

As previously mentioned………I bought this headboard and footboard at a local thrift store with the intention of turning it into a bench for my front porch. I’d pinned tutorials on doing this to my “Crafts for Home” Pinterest board awhile ago. I wanted a bench with some character, and this one really spoke to me so I snagged it for $40. The torn up portions on the footboard make it difficult for it to be used anymore as a bed, so it was perfect fodder for a bench makeover.

Here’s my husband giving me his entire Saturday after figuring out that the bed I bought didn’t have the key features needed for me to do this project all by myself. If you check the tutorials you will see that it’s much easier to make a bench from a bed if there’s a slot in the footboard big enough to slide boards into it to make the bench top.

My bed didn’t have a slot so….my husband volunteered to build a bench into the sides of the footboard. I would never call this man an angel, and anyone who knows him knows why I won’t (yeah, I married a bad boy), but I will say that he was completely selfless to give this bench his entire Saturday. I’m man enough to admit that this wouldn’t have gotten built without him. At the very least it would have gotten built, but no one weighing more than 50 lbs. could have sat on it…………at least not for very long.

In the interest of full disclosure I’d like to mention that my husband wanted to countersink all the hardware and make it really professional looking. I wanted the bench to look home made (and I really wanted to stop wasting his time) so I asked him to leave all the hardware fairly visible.

Isn’t it beautiful?! The height of the bench makes room for a thick cushion I’m making for the top with the giant bolt of fabric I bought at the same thrift store.

So now that the bench was built and primed I just needed to decide on a color palette.

I had this one saved on my “Color Palette” Pinterest Board. I was looking for a palette that included the orange and blue that’s on another piece and already sitting on the porch. Since our house is grey I changed the dark color on the bottom to a pale grey, but kept the other four.

Out comes The Stash! Remember The Stash? The original goal of this blog is to get rid of my giant stash of paint before July 31st, 2014. I’m not allowing myself to buy new paint until it’s gone. So I had to try to create this palette from my pile of leftover paint.

Done and DONE! I will say that it was challenging because I have no pure white, no bright yellow and no bright blue. I am allowed to buy primary colors when they’re gone (as per the rules) but I didn’t realize I was out so I muddled through by adding random acrylics. As long as the majority of the paint is a good latex or enamel you can add a small percentage of sub-par paint for color and not affect the quality. So in the end, the colors are close but not as bright as I would’ve liked. Blame The Stash.

Painted by the Junk Drawer Diva

This photo I found on Pinterest really caught my eye. It reminds me of Gypsy tents. (This artist is brilliant, so please visit her FB page) The colors don’t work, but I love the style. I love it being sanded back and stained and I love all the decorative details. That’s where I”m going with this. I don’t have all the cool moldings and carved pieces, but I think I can add some fun details here and there.

This is as far as I got today. Stay tuned tomorrow to see my progress. This is so much fun!