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Archive for the ‘DIY’ Category

Painted Sandal Update

June 18, 2010

A few months ago I posted about my thrifted Dansko sandals and how I painted them. I had no idea of how they would look after wearing them for awhile. I have worn them a lot and last week I was caught in an intense rainstorm in a grassy field after my craft show. And the finish held up! Here is a picture of them, complete with grass clippings still clinging.

I am going to touch them up because they have worn on the inside where I must scuff them together when I walk. A lot of my shoes show the same wear so I am assigning this to the operator rather than the product itself.

I am quite pleased with the experiment and will not hesitate to paint shoes in the future.

Posted in Altered Clothes, DIY, Thrift shopping, Thrifted Treasure | Leave a Comment »

Window film for privacy or decorating

May 27, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I was working with clients to liven up their entry way. The house is a lovely Victorian with a large porch, stained glass surrounding the front door and a large white sandblasted window in the door. It was very flat and plain looking. To give the window some depth and interest we added clear window film with a cut glass flower pattern

Window films are available in many weights, colors and degree of opacity. They insure privacy or hide an unattractive view. Today there are many online sources and the local big box hardware stores carry a few.

I love this one . It lets in light, allows you to see someone at the door and at the same time does not leave your home completely visible to everyone who walks by.

If you are handy with a razor blade or craft knife you can create your own designs by starting with plain frosted film and a stencil or your own drawing.

Commercial Use From Decorative Film

And it does not have to be a small project. Look at this application in a commercial building from Decorative Film.

A friend has a large plate glass panel in her entry that serves as a wind block. It is trimmed in brass and does not fit into her traditional decor. She applied a large frosted rose medallion and corner frames. It looks wonderful and diminishes the impact of the stark frame.

The Decorative Film site also has a large selection of rice paper films. These would create wonderful faux shoji screens. They can also be applied to mirrors if you inherit large expanses of mirrors when you buy or rent a home where removal is not an option. The same site has cut glass and glass bubble film. These would look great applied to the plain glass fronts of cabinets. The colors of your dishes will shine through and not the stacks of plates or mugs.

There are so many options, just google ‘window film decorative’ or variations and let your imagination create a new look for you. If you need help, contact me from Newnique Redesign and I’ll be glad to help you choose.

Tags:window film, windows
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Garden Trivet

May 21, 2010

A very easy ‘hack’. I found this butterfly trivet at Salvation Army on half price day. I liked it but do not need anymore trivets. And then I remembered – a few years ago I bought a garden ornament. A bee that lies on the ground at the edge of a flower bed. So I decided to change the trivet into a garden ornament simply by putting it in the garden. Perfect, it already has a nice patina.

Posted in Decorating Ideas, DIY, Gardens, Making a Home, Thrift shopping | Leave a Comment »

Garden Treasurers

May 19, 2010

I spent this weekend with a friend who lives in a rural area close to the Delaware beaches. I spent time by the ocean and by the bay. A wonderful weekend. The last thing we did before I left was made a visit to the local greenhouse/nursery. I bought several plants and they are waiting for the soil to dry a little so I can plant them. Some of the plants I bought I won’t necessarily recognize the plant until the fruit begins to grow. And I bought some seed and don’t want to forget where the basil (which I do recognize since I plant it every year) is planted.

I have been thinking about making my own plant stakes for awhile but not sure how. Then I decided I would use thrifted stainless steel forks. Again not sure exactly how. And then – as is often the answer to my DIY dilemas – polymer clay! And the next question. How to make it stay attached to the fork. And then the final enlightenment – I created the name plate and once it was baked, I placed it on the back of the fork (better angle for viewing) added some liquid clay as a glue and then pressed unbaked clay through the tines to form a tight grip. And then baked again. It worked and I like the way they look in the garden. Here is a picture in my marigold bed since none of the veggies have been planted.

A side note on thrifting. Why are there almost no forks in the thrift stores? There are a few spoons and knives by the hundreds but there are almost no forks. I wiped out the Goodwill Outlet store when I bought 13. Maybe they are all going into gardens.

Posted in DIY, Gardens, Making a Home, Thrift shopping, Thrifted Treasure | Leave a Comment »

Hallway Decor

May 4, 2010

I have a short hallway in my house that has had a blank wall for way too long. Other than a wonderful print in my bedroom that was a gift from a friend I could not find anything that I wanted to display there. And I liked the print in the bedroom so it wasn’t moving.

Then I went to Salvation Army and found a small, colorful print of tulips that I really liked. On a previous trip I had picked up a treasure – a heavily carved display shelf. Total cost for both $4.75.

I hung them both and added three heavy glass votive holders. I am glad they are heavy because when I brushed against the shelf, it crashed and dented my oak floor. The votive holders are unharmed. I am looking for a new way to hang the shelf and will keep you posted on that project.

Keep looking when you have a space that needs that special ‘something’. It will eventually appear and you will know instantly when it does.

Happy thrifting.

Posted in Decorating Ideas, DIY, Thrift shopping, Thrift Stores | Leave a Comment »

Using Plastic Paint

April 7, 2010

In my March newsletter I talked about using paint to update plastic items. Here is what I wrote:

In this newsletter I want to expand a little on one particular kind of paint – plastic paint. This is paint formulated to be applied to plastic. I don’t know the science behind it but it seems to actually bond to the plastic.

A few years ago I purchased some plastic office chairs to pair with my glass dining table. I liked their style, size and comfort. The only negative was the color – a 1980’s kinda burgundy/maroon. My vision was a bright red, so I painted them with conventional paint. The finish was a little rough and almost immediately the paint started to peel off in sheets. Plastic paint was fairly new then and I tried it as soon as I could find it. It sprayed on easily, the color was true to the can top and it has not peeled or chipped in years of use. A miracle paint! I have since painted many things in many colors and had good results with all of them.

Krylon Fusion was the first plastic paint and the one that I have used for all of my projects. It now comes in 35 colors – here is a link. http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/

Rustoleum has a plastic paint primer which allows you to use any paint on plastic once the primer has been applied. (The primer comes in spray on or brush on varieties)

Some ideas for plastic things that can be updated with paint:

Thrifted laminate side tables
Ikea chairs, stools and tables – good shapes, often limited colors
Inexpensive flower planters
Plastic patio furniture
Decorative bowls and trays (nothing that will hold food)
Plastic shelves
Office and desk accessories
Crocs and other plastic shoes (I haven’t tried this yet)
Picture and mirror frames
PVC pipe, I have seen these cut to different lengths, painted and lit with votive lights. Stunning.

Try it on anything you want to update inexpensively. Let me know the results of your projects.

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Inspiration

March 25, 2010

Look for inspiration all around you. The color of a car may be just the color for a pillow to complement your new sofa. The outline of an odd shaped plate may be what is needed to fit a flower bed in a difficult part of your garden. Just keep an open mind when you are looking at things around you.

A friend gave me this wonderful cup and saucer. I love the color and the oversized jewels. I put it on my kitchen counter and looked at it for a few weeks waiting for inspiration. I knew I was being inspired, just not how. And one day while working with my polymer clay I realized I could make the gems smaller and create a bracelet. I made the ‘gems’ , took a mold of them and then used the mold to make a lot more gems. I experimented and here are two bracelets that resulted.

I did not copy the cup/saucer because it is a completely different use, size color. I was certainly inspired.

Open up to inspiration.

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Kitchen Basics

March 16, 2010

My friend, Joan Eisenberg, a kitchen designer with over 25 years experience had these observations in one of her recent blog posts:

“I recently spent several days cooking at my son & daughter-in-law’s home while I was visiting after the birth of my newest grandchild. They are in a new townhome with an upscale kitchen. The builder allowed 2 critical mistakes in the design of the kitchen.

The first is the position of the dishwasher in relation to the sink. The double bowl sink is on a peninsula with the dishwasher at right angles to it within 3” of the corner. With the dishwasher door open you can barely reach into the sink to retrieve the scrapped dishes.

The second is a pet peeve of mine. The only oven was an undercabinet oven. I have no problem having this as a second oven but as the only oven is literally a pain in the neck and back to be using all of the time. These ovens are very low first because they start under the counter and second because the the control panel pushes the door and racks down anywhere from 4”-6” and faces straight forward forcing the user to stoop to see and program the panel. An alternative option in a small kitchen would be a range instead of a cooktop and undercounter oven which puts the control panel to the top face of the unit or behind the back of the burners. Both places are usually easy to read.”

The information about the cooktop and oven combination is particularly interesting to me because I have always thought of this combo as more ‘high end’ (it is certainly more expensive) and more attractive in a kitchen – especially one with modern design.

The lesson to be learned from this is to consult a professional when you are doing major work to your home. Whether is is a kitchen and designer like Joan, a contractor who can identify load bearing walls before you wield a sledgehammer or someone like me to help with color selection before you paint an entire room bright pink – professionals save you time, money and angst.

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Rehabilitated Christmas Tree Star

March 8, 2010

I found this star lamp at the Goodwill store and pounced. I have wanted a lamp shaped like this since I rehabbed my home. I wanted a glass and metal pendant in the foyer. I have very low ceilings and could not find one that would clear the front door.

Because of the spiral base I think this is a Christmas tree topper, probably from Target. However it is very heavy and not well balanced. The tree would have to be a redwood to support it.

I wanted to use it as an accent lamp and needed to remove the base. I was all set to get out my Dremel tool, attach the cutting disc and do the surgery. I decided to try less drastic ways first and after a few pulls and twists the base wire came out.

It now sits on a table and creates a light pattern on a bare wall. I am still looking for my perfect star light but this is a nice decorative spot in the meantime.

Posted in Decorating Ideas, DIY, Thrifted Treasure | 1 Comment »

Black velvet and denim

March 1, 2010

I like spring/summer clothes much more than those suited for winter. One winter consolation is that I get to wear a lot of black velvet. My favorite way to wear it is with black denim. When thrifiting I found this jacket in excellent, if not unworn, shape. First impression – gold braid and faux military buttons are not my thing. On closer examination - it is denim AND it has a velvet collar!! I knew I could make it mine.

I opened the sleeve seam and carefully started removing the braid. (Under the braid were the chalk marks where someone in the factory had drawn the design. And then a machine operator had followed the markings to add the trim. I was impressed.) In place of the braid I sewed two widths of black velvet ribbon.

Now what to do for buttons? I tried making polymer clay buttons with black Swarvoski crystals in the center. The crystals didn’t glitter the way I wanted. On another thrifting trip I bought a rather unattractive black velveteen dress to use the velveteen in another project. It had eight ‘crystal’ buttons on each sleeve. The buttons had a lot of metal showing so I wrapped each in a layer of polymer clay and liked the results.

I love this jacket now and wear it with black velveteen jeans, cut velvet skirts or skirts/pants from my collection of Chico’s Travelers. It makes winter dressing a little more fun.

Posted in Altered Clothes, DIY, Thrifted Treasure | Leave a Comment »

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