stag horn fern project and sunroom redux

admission: we did two DIY projects involving driftwood this past weekend. the second was to mount this stag horn fern to a small piece of driftwood and hang the whole shebang on the wall. it is mounted between the living room and sunroom (the sunroom windows fast east, north, and south). this guy makes me incredibly happy. i love, love, love it, and i hope he likes his new home, too. once he was on the wall, it inspired a whole switcheroo of plants from elsewhere in the house to round out the new and improved treehouse feel for the front sunroom (pictured below).

admission: we did two DIY projects involving driftwood this past weekend. the second was to mount this stag horn fern to a small piece of driftwood and hang the whole shebang on the wall. it is mounted between the living room and sunroom (the sunroom windows fast east, north, and south). this guy makes me incredibly happy. i love, love, love it, and i hope he likes his new home, too. once he was on the wall, it inspired a whole switcheroo of plants from elsewhere in the house to round out the new and improved treehouse feel for the front sunroom (pictured below).

oh, hi!

sorry, readers -- it's been a while to say the least. what's been going on? things have been busy. really busy. busy at work, busy traveling, busy being sick, busy doing. things in the shop have been selling themselves, and i will be posting new items this week -- good news, right?! this also means that i'm back in full swing, and have a few good projects to share.

the first is our driftwood wall art project. we recently nabbed this awesome piece of driftwood in ohio and thought it would be great above the bed, where we've been thinking we needed to add something. turns out, it pairs great with the new diptych of drawings by chicago artist darren burge. all we did to the driftwood was scrub it in a bleach-water solution, let it dry in the sun, and apply a little outdoor wood oil to seal it.

 

so that i'm not inundating you with one long post about all of the projects, i'll stretch them out a bit. stay tuned for more!

sorry, readers -- it's been a while to say the least. what's been going on? things have been busy. really busy. busy at work, busy traveling, busy being sick, busy doing. things in the shop have been selling themselves, and i will be posting new items this week -- good news, right?! this also means that i'm back in full swing, and have a few good projects to share.

the first is our driftwood wall art project. we recently nabbed this awesome piece of driftwood in ohio and thought it would be great above the bed, where we've been thinking we needed to add something. turns out, it pairs great with the new diptych of drawings by chicago artist darren burge. all we did to the driftwood was scrub it in a bleach-water solution, let it dry in the sun, and apply a little outdoor wood oil to seal it.

 

so that i'm not inundating you with one long post about all of the projects, i'll stretch them out a bit. stay tuned for more!

office re-vamp

you might remember my post last year about trying to make my office work better for me. the remaining items in the "what's left to figure out" category proved to be the catalyst for a really legitimate change in my office set up. not only do i now have more countertop/desktop space, i still have enough drawers to keep the clutter out of sight and i get to turn and enjoy my window. i've even made sure to position myself in such a spot that passersby in the hall can't see what i'm doing. so far so good!

you might remember my post last year about trying to make my office work better for me. the remaining items in the "what's left to figure out" category proved to be the catalyst for a really legitimate change in my office set up. not only do i now have more countertop/desktop space, i still have enough drawers to keep the clutter out of sight and i get to turn and enjoy my window. i've even made sure to position myself in such a spot that passersby in the hall can't see what i'm doing. so far so good!

wood slab table redo

the Mistero and I have been working on overhauling this wood slab table and its two benches since last fall. we sanded off layers and layers of varnish from the tabletop and benches, and now the Mistero insists on also sanding the bottoms (sigh). while i agree that sanding dramatically improves the undersides, does anyone really care? the clean, refinished surfaces have been painstakenly oiled many times over. i'll share more photos as we progress with this project. while we are obviously pouring lots of DIY TLC into this project, we don't really have a place for any of these pieces in our home. that said, if any one might be interested in purchasing the table, its awesome iron base, or one of the benches, please contact me for more information and additional photos.

mid-process of refinishing this awesome wood slab table on a Chicago Iron Works base

wood slab tabletop detail (un-oiled)

instagrammed photo of the freshly oiled underside of bench #2

the Mistero and I have been working on overhauling this wood slab table and its two benches since last fall. we sanded off layers and layers of varnish from the tabletop and benches, and now the Mistero insists on also sanding the bottoms (sigh). while i agree that sanding dramatically improves the undersides, does anyone really care? the clean, refinished surfaces have been painstakenly oiled many times over. i'll share more photos as we progress with this project. while we are obviously pouring lots of DIY TLC into this project, we don't really have a place for any of these pieces in our home. that said, if any one might be interested in purchasing the table, its awesome iron base, or one of the benches, please contact me for more information and additional photos.

mid-process of refinishing this awesome wood slab table on a Chicago Iron Works base

wood slab tabletop detail (un-oiled)

instagrammed photo of the freshly oiled underside of bench #2

custom orders

i've been getting a lot of requests for custom orders lately. if you've been considering something, dash me a message - let's talk! inspired by the Inca Sunflower Wreath in the shop, i created two large-scale custom wreaths for Candace's oversized entryways. i made these 22-inch wreaths for her 29-inch wide double doors.

i've been getting a lot of requests for custom orders lately. if you've been considering something, dash me a message - let's talk! inspired by the Inca Sunflower Wreath in the shop, i created two large-scale custom wreaths for Candace's oversized entryways. i made these 22-inch wreaths for her 29-inch wide double doors.

google reader alternatives

i was surprised to learn today that google reader will only remain available until july 1, 2013. i thought this article from lifehacker.com included a number of good alternatives.

which reader product do you use/recommend?

i was surprised to learn today that google reader will only remain available until july 1, 2013. i thought this article from lifehacker.com included a number of good alternatives.

which reader product do you use/recommend?

framing advice

i need some advice on framing. i just acquired 4 paintings/drawings (two singles and a diptych) that will need to be matted and framed. i have used joann's but never have used michael's. my usual m.o. is to cobble together mats and frames from various sources (dick blick, target, resale shops, etc.) and do it myself. but in this case, it's time to call in the professionals, partly because they are all odd sizes. what are your favorite resources?

untitled landscape by Darren Burge

i need some advice on framing. i just acquired 4 paintings/drawings (two singles and a diptych) that will need to be matted and framed. i have used joann's but never have used michael's. my usual m.o. is to cobble together mats and frames from various sources (dick blick, target, resale shops, etc.) and do it myself. but in this case, it's time to call in the professionals, partly because they are all odd sizes. what are your favorite resources?

untitled landscape by Darren Burge

think spring shop sale!

one of these days, spring is a-comin! to help you get ready and brighten things up, use coupon code THINKSPRING for 15% off in the shop.

one of these days, spring is a-comin! to help you get ready and brighten things up, use coupon code THINKSPRING for 15% off in the shop.

custom terrarium project

i was recently hired to do a home reorganization and rearrangement project and, while we were celebrating our success at the end of a long weekend with a glass of champagne, the client asked me to create a custom for her living room.

custom terrarium for C.C.

i knew right away that i wanted to keep the cost of the vessel low, since i had already helped her spend a heap of dough on the reorganization project. if you have extra scratch to spend on a lovely vessel, i highly recommend the recycled glass terrariums at sprout home (sprout also happens to be one of my happy places).

so, i set off to tjmaxx and landed an anchor hocking 2.5-gallon jar with lid for a mere $20 + tax. think creatively to save money and figure out a work around! my client is a lover of all animals, but particularly of pigs, so i added a vintage plastic piggie to personalize it for her. i watered everything before sealing it up with the lid. i can't wait to give it to her tomorrow!

step 1: get the goods (jar)

step 1: get the goods (plants). zamioculcas (Z plant), tricolor fern, polka-dot hypoestes

step 2: river rocks on the bottom

step 3: activated charcoal

step 4: plants and finishing touches. here, i've included a dried
mushroom at left and a vintage plastic piggie on the right. 

i was recently hired to do a home reorganization and rearrangement project and, while we were celebrating our success at the end of a long weekend with a glass of champagne, the client asked me to create a custom for her living room.

custom terrarium for C.C.

i knew right away that i wanted to keep the cost of the vessel low, since i had already helped her spend a heap of dough on the reorganization project. if you have extra scratch to spend on a lovely vessel, i highly recommend the recycled glass terrariums at sprout home (sprout also happens to be one of my happy places).

so, i set off to tjmaxx and landed an anchor hocking 2.5-gallon jar with lid for a mere $20 + tax. think creatively to save money and figure out a work around! my client is a lover of all animals, but particularly of pigs, so i added a vintage plastic piggie to personalize it for her. i watered everything before sealing it up with the lid. i can't wait to give it to her tomorrow!

step 1: get the goods (jar)

step 1: get the goods (plants). zamioculcas (Z plant), tricolor fern, polka-dot hypoestes

step 2: river rocks on the bottom

step 3: activated charcoal

step 4: plants and finishing touches. here, i've included a dried
mushroom at left and a vintage plastic piggie on the right. 

product review: urban outfitters / industrial dresser

due to an odd-shaped spot in our bedroom between the closet and the window, i've been searching for the right piece of furniture for quite a while. we used to have an armless slipper chair in that spot, but it just ended up with a pile of clothes on it. so i finally bit the bullet and purchased this dresser, since it was the only one i've found that would foot the bill. the first one arrived with some damage, and, after a confusing and slightly misleading exchange with a customer service representative, unpacking, repacking, and unpacking the 78-pound box (not to mention getting it up into and back down from our apartment), i received a solid, good-to-go replacement. overall, i'm happy with it – i knew the drawers would not be too big or of the best construction. for now, it's what we need and what we have!

due to an odd-shaped spot in our bedroom between the closet and the window, i've been searching for the right piece of furniture for quite a while. we used to have an armless slipper chair in that spot, but it just ended up with a pile of clothes on it. so i finally bit the bullet and purchased this dresser, since it was the only one i've found that would foot the bill. the first one arrived with some damage, and, after a confusing and slightly misleading exchange with a customer service representative, unpacking, repacking, and unpacking the 78-pound box (not to mention getting it up into and back down from our apartment), i received a solid, good-to-go replacement. overall, i'm happy with it – i knew the drawers would not be too big or of the best construction. for now, it's what we need and what we have!