I JuJu Do You?

After my first Fall Pinterest Challenge project did a bellyflop in the deep end, I scoured Pinterest for a new idea and the house to see what supplies I had available.  One project immediately jumped to mind.

Yesterday I teased you with a couple of images of rooms with Juju hats.  I know I’m a little late to this bandwagon, but I think the feather hats add such texture to the room.  {images via apartment therapy}

When I was making my wedding centerpieces 3 years ago, I had ordered a box of wine colored ostrich feathers off of ebay.  The feathers didn’t end up in the centerpieces and have been waiting for a purpose in life ever since.

After 3 years of collecting dust, my feather friends have a new lease on life in the form of a DIY Juju hat.

In addition to the ostrich feathers, all I used was foam core and hot glue.  The project couldn’t have been much simpler.  (It could have been cleaner though- those feather pieces got absolutely EVERYWHERE)

First, I cut a circle out of foam core using a lamp shade as a circle template.

Then started layering on the feathers

I worked my way outside in and just kept layering until I saw no more foam core.  I kept playing with the feathers and filling in areas until my fingers were covered in feather and hot glue and I was pleased with the shape of my Juju hat.

Within about an hour, the pretty gal was ready to strut her stuff.

Not totally sure where it’s ultimate home will be- my soon to be office, perhaps?

Check out some of the other Pinterest Challenge projects from the Challenge hostesses (and link up yours while you’re there):

Sherry @ Young House Love’s Chunky Chalkboard

Katie @ Bower Power Blog’s Succulent Terrarium

Carmel @ Our Fifth House’s DIY Dollhouse

Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House’s Wood Ampersand

This project has been submitted for

Come vote for me!!

Epic Fail

So, my first attempt at this Fall’s Pinterest Challenge was a bit of an epic fail.

I was planning to make this wine rack

from Camille Styles.  She even has a how to… and makes it look so easy.

I made a few attempts, but this was about as good as it got….

Not my best work by a longshot.

It’s important to know when to cut your losses.  I just didn’t have a drill press, or drill powerful enough to bore through cedar at an angle, or I didn’t have the right drill bit.  Whatever way you look at it, that piece of wood just did not want to be a wine rack and there was nothing I could do about it.

Never fear my dear readers!  I couldn’t let this belly flop be my contribution to the Fall Pinterest Challenge.  Luckily I’m a hoarder I have lots of random crafting and DIY supplies, so I was still able to pull together a project during my Hurricane Sandy instituted house arrest (we survived unscathed and kept power).  You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the results, but I’ll give you a hint.

Console Complete

I’ve been a busy little bird the past few evenings after getting home from the 9to5.  In addition to sanding and prepping dining chairs to paint, I finished my entry way console table!  She’s part new, part old, but totally perfect for the space.

It’s almost like it was MADE for this spot…. (ya know, cuz it was).  The color that I used is Glidden’s Totally Teal.  I even picked up a new orange vase for it over the weekend- Target clearance $8.98.  I love the textures on it!

To refresh your memory, when I bought this table, she looked a bit different.

Check out how she made the transformation here.

In a small house, everything’s connected- this is the direct view from the living room couch.

The new blue console coordinates nicely with the lighter shade of the living room & the orange pulls some of the warmth of the red chair across the room.

It doesn’t happen often, but my furry model actually cooperated for that picture without me even asking.  The fatty catty (aka Charlie) actually looks pretty tiny here- you’d never guess that he’s a 16lb teddy bear.  Whoops, sorry, I let my inner crazy cat lady show there for a sec.

I still haven’t made a decision about what project to do for my pinterest challenge.  I need to make a choice and get crackin!

 

This project is linked up at Primitive and Proper: POWW 112: A Furniture Link Party

Falling for it Again

It’s officially Fall.  That doesn’t just mean a new season and falling leaves and pumpkins, though.  It also means it’s time for this season’s Pinterest Challenge!

This time Sherry @ Young House Love and Katie @ Bower Power Blog partnered up with Sarah @ The Ugly Duckling House and Carmel @ Our Fifth House to get us to stop “pinning” and start doing.  I can’t wait to see what all of them do!  You guys too!  I love checking out everyones projects when the challenges come along.

I’m struggling with what I should do for my own Pinterest Challenge Fall project, though.  My design brain is a little all over the place right now- working on and planning too many projects at once, so I haven’t yet decided which project to tackle.  My options include, but aren’t limited to:

• Art for my dining room (you might recognize this one- I showed it as a potential for the spring pinterest challenge as well- obviously I didn’t end up getting to it then)

via pinterest via cozmia

• A wall-mounted wine rack- also for the dining room

via pinterest via Camille Styles

• Custom lamp shades for the bedroom

via pinterest via Design Sponge via Pomp and Circumstance

What are your votes?  At this moment, I’m leaning toward the lamp shades…. and the wine rack…. (see my problem??)

Mod Tot

There’s a lot of things in the works right now.  Naturally nothing ever goes quite as fast as I want it to, so that’s where quick little projects can provide instant gratification.

Instead of letting the kiddy chair collect dust in the basement, it got a quick makeover and is ready for a kiddo to come hang out.

Last time you saw it, it wasn’t in tooo bad of shape.  Especially for around $3.

The vinyl needed replacing, and the chrome needed polishing- so I did just that.

After disassembling, I tackled it with metal/chrome polish  (Brasso to be exact).  Before I touched it, the chrome looked rather sad up close, but thankfully it was mostly just dirt and tarnish.

I was actually surprised how well the metal polished up.  There were only very 2 small spots of rust that I couldn’t help.

I found a clearance vinyl table cloth at HomeGoods that had a mid-century vibe and simple lines to match the chair.  It was a cute pattern, but not to childish…plus, I’m a sucker for clearance.  $4.50 for the table cloth, and I have fabric to spare.

I tried to line up the fishies as best as possible, pulled it tight, and went to town with my staple gun.

Ta Da!!

I still have to find kiddy-size rubber feet to really complete the project, but it’s nice to actually check this little guy off of my to do list instead of adding him to my project pile.  Instant diy gratification!

What instant gratification projects have you tackled lately?

The Messy Truth

I’ve been lying to myself for almost 2 years.  I’ve been telling myself that Hubby and I could effectively share one desk in our tiny office.  We shared a desk in our last apartment and it worked out rather well.  But Hubby’s a musician and composer, and his music equipment has multiplied, and guess where it all goes (along with all the stuff displaced from Mom’s room and all of our random messes…. the smallest room collects the most crap… oops).

Once upon a time, we each had half a desk, and my laptop had a home.  Now the keyboard/synthesizer has evicted me and my computer.  As much as I want to, I can’t complain too much, Hubby uses it very often (and he’s VERY good at what he does- you should buy his dubstep songs when he gets them online in the near future).  But that still leaves me with no desk space and no usable home office, just a music studio.  I forfeit!  The office is yours, Hubby.  That mean’s the only room left, the guest room, AKA Mom’s room, will become my domain.  No, we’re not kicking her out- my parents are closing on their new house in 2 weeks (yay for them!  and yay that Mom and I have survived living in the same small house!).

…So, I’ve started thinking about my new office plans.  It’ll need to be a multipurpose space with a sitting area, our 2nd tv, elliptical and now a super duperly organized and inspiring work space.  All within about 100 sf.

One potential for space saving is a secretary desk.  I maaaay have already bought one from craigslist for $20.

She’s very pretty, but she’s been around the block a few times- she’s in rough shape.  Chipping veneer and cracked wood at the hinges.

Even though I’m not 100% sold on using such a small desk for myself, for $20 I had to give it a try.  If I decide not to use her for myself, I can totally fix her up a bit and find her a good home.

I guess it’s time for me to dive into pinterest and collect some serious office inspiration!

Let’s Be Friends

on Facebook!

I finally got my act together and created an A Year of Serendipity Facebook page.  Stop and by and show your support!

The Gang’s All Here!

I’ve been talking about my collection of mismatched dining chairs for what seems like years now.  Even before we moved to the house, I knew I wanted mismatched chairs finished in the same color with the same seat upholstery.  I started collecting chairs shortly after we moved.  Now that the dining room is finally coming together, I’m finally getting my act together with my chairs.  I have 6 total to refinish, but only 4 will be regulars (in addition to our 2 new upholstered chairs).  The extra 2 will be for the rare occasions when we have more than 6 people dining.

Meet the chosen 4

They are finally repaired and sturdy, and waiting to be primed and painted.  There’s a lot of pieces around here waiting for the same.  Guess I’ll be painting furniture all winter.  There are worse ways to spend my hibernation months.

 

Franken-Table

Do you remember this cute little table that came home with me from a tag sale about a year ago for $10?  I took her home because she has nice legs.

Her proportions were a bit off from what I wanted, though.   Let me back up for a sec.  We don’t really have an entry way…  digging up a picture from before the bathroom makeover, this is the immediate view when you walk in the house.  (The living room is directly on the right.)  I’ve been searching for ways to ‘ground’ the pseudo-entry way a bit and add some personality.

A console table would be the perfect use of space, but all the console tables out there were too deep and completely blocked the flow.  What’s a girl to do??

If your answer was enlist Handy Dad’s help and make one, you are RIGHT!  Recognize those sexy legs?  Once I figured out the ideal size for the space, Handy Dad helped me work out a plan and get all the pieces ready.  We reused the legs and re-sized the dowels between the legs.

Handy Dad was kind enough to cut a new top and side pieces for me before all his tools got packed up and put into storage before the move.  I’ve had the pile of console pieces sitting in a box for almost 2 months just waiting to be assembled.

Thanks to my new friend Kreg ,

the new console table came together in an afternoon!  I’ve heard amazing things about the Kreg jig, but I have to say, it was easier to use than I expected.  The Kreg creates pocket holes that make joining 2 pieces of wood a cinch.

Today, this once awkward wall

has a custom Frankenstein-ed console table built especially to fit.

Now my biggest dilemma is what color to paint little miss sexy-legs-franken-table my new creation.

Latest Estate

I didn’t go to any estate sales or tag sales this weekend, but I did last weekend and didn’t show you my loot yet.  I’m excited about it all!

Quite a good haul for a total of $13 if you ask me.

2 SteelMaster card drawers (which came from 2 different estate sales), a vintage deco-era folding camera, and a chrome kiddy chair.

The drawers are another attempt to organize my messy project area in the basement… The kiddy chair will be getting a refresh soon with some polished chrome and new fabric on the seat- I just have to find the right fabric.  Once it’s done, Cutest-Nephew-Ever-Eli will have his own place to sit at Auntie Karen and Uncle Brian’s house.

Considering the camera alone was originally priced at $10 alone, I think I haggled a good deal for all this for $13.

Have you found any treasures lately?