a little bit of this & a little bit of that

i recently finished a project which was a gift for a dear friend for her birthday (a monumental one at that).  the original picture was purchased for $1 at a yard sale a few months ago.  it was a 1/2-inch thick wood laminated etched picture.  it was in sad shape but the size of the frame was perfect for what i had in mind.

before:

it took a. lot. of. work. due to the learning curve i was on.  the decision to remove the laminate from the back was NOT a good idea but what's one to do when you're already knee deep into the project...well, you just. keep. going. and HOPE that your mistake will develop into something better!  

i first removed the frame from the wood picture before beginning on the torturous laminate removal.  with some much needed help from mr.1829 and his trusty side-kick "blowtorch", the last bits of laminate were removed in no time.  

then once sanded, wood puttied (due to the laminate not wanting to let go of the wood AND being a bit too aggressive with the scraper) and chalkboard painted, it was well on its way.  with the addition of a little bit of this and a little bit of that from my stash of "junk", it is now a message center for her kitchen.   some of the inspiration for the elements was found via an online google of chalkboards (silverware hooks) and pottery barn (the burlap pocket).  i added the stenciled corkboards, modge podged clothespins, and scrabble tile pushpins for some funky detail as well as the yardstick border.

it was such a fun project from inspiration to design to completion...especially since it was for someone near and dear to me..."my 12th".  

you may be wondering about that number 12.  It began oh so many years ago when i came across this writing by terri camp, which i had emailed to my bff.  here is an excerpt below that explains it all.

my twelfth best friend by terri camp

...i'm guessing at this moment you are pondering how someone could actually want to claim the title of another person's twelfth best friend.  is it because i am so popular that she has gotten in line with all the others who claim "best friend" status?  is it that she is just so happy to have me for a friend she is willing to allow herself to be considered my twelfth best friend?  no.  the fact is, she had to get in line behind my family. in the best friend line, first comes Jesus, then Steve, then my eight children, followed by my dear sister, which leaves my next best friend in number twelve status.  you know, Jesus had twelve best friends, so i guess it's okay if i do too...

my bff has 9 members in her family, thus the number nine after their name.  she has a wall on the side of her pantry that i sneakily had one of her children measure to be sure it would work...it was a perfect fit!  i love it when that happens.  with the addition of heavy duty picture hangers, wall anchors and a set of chalk ink, it was finished.   

if you have any questions regarding any of the "how-to's" for this project, just shoot me an email, i'd be happy to help.

project supplies:

gorilla wood glue
gorilla super glue
modge podge
craft paint (for stencils)
5-inch stencils
scrabble tiles
thumbtacks
yardstick - cut to fit
corkboard tiles
chalkboard paint
chalk (for prepping surface)
burlap
vintage silverware: knife, fork, spoon
mini clothespins
old hymnal pages- cut to fit clothespins
chalkboard eraser 
chalk ink markers
picture hangers & wall anchors


linking up to Funky Junk Interiors SNS#45 & #69

 The CSI Project  and Transformation Thursday

    

The Lamp Revamp

I've been really excited about revamping, repurposing, and renewing since I found  JunkMarketStyle.com and the Shanty2Chic blog.  I had this great lamp in my living room, a gift from my sister many years ago when I was into "theme" decorating.  We purchased new furniture a few years ago and it just wasn't working for me.  So, it went off to the craft studio for extra lighting.  Then last July we had a multi-family yard sale and tried to sell it for $10.  I even tried Craiglist but not ONE person wanted this poor lamp.

After surfing through blogland, gleaning ideas, I had a lightbulb moment. (I think it may have been when I was painting and spraying everything black).  The lamp had great lines being a jug style and several blogs including Design-a-holic were referring to lamps such as this from Pottery Barn (no longer available):

 

and this French Canister Lamp from Shades of Light

another from Park Designs

and these Park Design milk can lamps from Country Porch

 

And what's a lamp without the perfect shade?  I love the following except for one small detail....
This 18" shade is from Anthropologie and a mere $148...yes that's JUST for the shade!   I do love the graphics of this "All Around The World" lamp shade and surely a creative mind could replicate this style quite simply. 

but I digress... 

Here is what my "apple" lamp has now become...

The lamp shade was found in the clearance area at HomeGoods for a mere $5!  It is fully lined and the style is so perfect.  The lamp is not quite finished as I'd like to add a stenciled number to the body...just not sure which number to choose.  It will come to me in time....perhaps "28" would be fitting since my dh and I will  be celebrating our 28th anniversary this year!?

*I do need to get a taller harp but was too impatient to wait until I bought it before posting.


I leave you with this simple vignette of black and a few of my favorite things.

* edited 11/10/10

I used Krylon black satin spray paint