Wednesday, May 12, 2010

New Eco Friendly Items at my Etsy Shop!

This week I am adding all new items to my Etsy shop.  They are earth friendly, made of recycled wood and have a rustic but modern edge to them. 

 
 
These Napkin Rings are made of one chunk of beautifully scented Eucalyptus wood, cut into four sections.  


The knots and checks in the wood have been left intact to remind you that this was part of a tree (and not something that does not resemble a tree, or even wood).  These are hand finished and left in the sun to mellow the patina.  

 

These would be great on a summer night for an intimate, outdoor dinner or during the day for a Sunday brunch.

 

And if you're looking for some great eco-friendly napkin options to go with this set, please visit TerreMum's Etsy Shop (who was kind enough to include one of my candle holders in her awesome blog by the same name--Thank you, Jennie!--more on that later).   

She makes really beautiful, handcrafted, hand printed linen napkins (you know, proper napkins--but ones you can use everyday) like these:

 


To see these, and other great, eco friendly gift options, check out my Etsy shop (and others) and thanks for visiting my blog!


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

New item for sale! Mid Century Modern Metallic Silver Cabinet/Bar/Hutch or what would YOU use it for? -- Sold!

This is a very nice, Mid Century Modern Cabinet with sliding doors that could be used for a bookcase, extra storage, a hutch, a fancy bar or to house a collection of your favorite art, oddities or collectibles.  It has a Metallic Gunmetal Silver finish and the original brushed chrome handles have been polished to perfection!



This is in excellent condition and is ready to be put to use! It is for sale in the Los Angeles area on L.A. Craigslist and Apartment Therapy Los Angeles Classifieds (click the links to see the ads).



Email me through Craigslist, ATLA or right here, via my blog if you have questions or would like to see this in person.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Trash To Treasure Series! Ugly Duckling Dresser turned into Dove Grey Beauty!




This was a piece of furniture I acquired as a partial trade toward a refinishing job I completed fairly recently.  The dresser had good bones (frame and panel sides and a solid top and drawers) but the finish was badly scratched and there were enough holes (30, in all!) on the drawer fronts to make it look like it had been part of the set for the movie, Scarface.  The one thing it had going for it though (besides the good bones) was the interesting, faceted drawer fronts.  I wasn't sure what I would do with it but I knew it was an ugly duckling just waiting to be turned into a swan.

I planned to refinish this and put it up for sale but I had a client who came to see another dresser I had and she liked this one so much (ugly duckling and all) that she purchased it before it was even completed and had me finish it to her specifications.  I sanded this over a few days (did I mention it was REALLY badly scratched?) and plugged up all the "bullet" holes.  I then mixed the dove grey paint (just enough for this one piece so, it will never be replicated exactly again).  It was then primed, painted a few coats, all by hand, over a few days and then I hand applied different colored pigments to give it an aged, burnished look.  It was then waxed, by hand, using a mixture of wax and pigment to give it another layer of color and then distressed.  The distressing revealed layers of paint below that ranged from mahogany stain to a navy blue to a bright taxi cab yellow underneath.  The resulting finish is multi-layered, giving this a patina that looks like it has been in the family for ages.


But what about hardware?  We thought about Glass handles from Anthropologie but it would probably require two per drawer (ten, total).  The handles could have easily cost as much as the dresser itself so, my client, wanting to stay within her budget, asked me if I could come up with a more economical solution.  So, I did: leather handles.  I had some leftover, metallic silver, leather that I purchased to make some guitar straps a few years ago.  I used that to make five leather handles like you might see on a vintage piece of luggage.  I made loops from the same leather and nailed them in for a secure yet modern solution to expensive, store bought hardware.

Devising a final look for this piece was challenging as I didn't know what it looked like originally but it helps to have a client that's open to suggestions, willing to try something new and trusts in your vision--even if you don't know what that is right away (thanks, Sandra)!

Enjoy your new (vintage) dresser!