Tag Archives: easy art project

Headboard needed.

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Gadora was again thinking last night, I might should have a headboard. (Currently my BFF’s Klimt print serves as the focal point of the bed.) On a recent visit I’d dragged my Mom to see 500 Days of Summer, and fell in love with the chalk bedroom “Tom” ~ played by the quietly steamy Joseph Gordon-Levitt ~ doodled on. I feel another post percolating here…though NOT about JGL.

Chalkboard wall on boxwish.com

Chalkboard wall on boxwish.com

Ironically, when I returned home a Facebook-friend had messaged, “Hello…Was in Rockport last Friday and saw this company who reuses doors as headboards…” Hm! A little googling didn’t produce that particular company, but it did reveal these snappy ideas.

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Though not entirely Gadora‘s style, Sunset’s repurposed pocket door is a simple way to transform a room in a big way. And as an unapologetic shoe-lover, Gadora especially appreciates the shoe display on top.

Reclaimed door heabdoard. Photo by Thomas J. Story

Reclaimed door headboard. Photo by Thomas J. Story

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24″ round table

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At the risk of aging myself, today’s project conjured up a long-ago song that was Gadora’s favorite. (It shared top billing with Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” but I prefer YOU NOT ask!) I’d spin my Lionel Richie album, paying particular attention to “Round and Round.” Yeah, yeah, yeah! Oooooh baby!

Side table - BEFORE

Side table - BEFORE

It’s hotter than a witch’s teet here in Texas, AJ’s feeling it too. But he wouldn’t dare NOT accompany me in the workshop. It’s just too fun.

At almost the halfway point, I’ve applied wood-glue to the inside joints, sanded the entire surface, and painted the undercoat with a great red.

Table - part deaux

Table - part 2

Next? Top coat of Behr’s butterscotch-colored latex, a light sanding, perhaps some deeper brown detailing, then a top coat. Then… you’ll see the big reveal.


Organizing body ornaments.

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Inspired by the 2×4 wood jewelry display for my own home, Gadora found the plank just as it was and nailed it accordingly, I’ve perused the Net for other ways to display your favorite things.

Vintage Rehab's jewelry display

Vintage Rehab's jewelry display

“I created this jewelry display with a scrap of wood, tree branch, and spray paint. Most of these materials I found around my house and backyard. The tree branch fits into a hole drilled in the wood base and comes apart for easy portability. Best of all, it cost less than $10 to make.” ~ Vintage Rehab

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Apartment Therapy: Heather's Displays

Apartment Therapy: Heather's Displays

“We’re definitely get a great vibe from this idea using a branch to display jewelry. You could also spray paint the branch white and put it in a vase if you’d rather not hang it on the wall.” ~ Apartment Therapy

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"Fan"cy Organizer from JunkMarket

"Fan"cy Organizer from JunkMarket

“I was looking for an easy project and found it when I uncovered this fan in my junk stash. A good project doesn’t have to have lots of steps, power tools, a whole host of materials, and tons of time. Sometimes less is more.” ~ Sue Whitney at JunkMarket Style

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DIY on Half of VAMH

DIY on Half of VAMH

“One day I woke up and decided to up my personal accessory level… With a few simple ingredients I was able to create a cute, and functional jewelry organizer.” ~ The Adventures of VAMH

Mirror, mirror…

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Gadora recently set out to bring home a heap of furnishings from area garage sales. The day was a driving bust. However, Rosie found this mirror-less dresser frame tucked deep inside an otherwise hopeless garage.

Mirrorless frame

Mirrorless frame

There is a weathered mirror frame at Shoestring Interiors I wish to immulate. This one called for color. First, I applied a light coat of banana yellow and wet-ragged it to remove excess paint before it dried. Next, Gadora applied a nice latex taupe.

Here, you see Gadora’s own hand applying the top coat of brown latex paint. Once paint  layers dried I painted a clear polyurethane top coat to add luster.

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Snap. Crackle. Now they Pop!

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Gadora was asked to find three tables for a living room. A sofa table, side table and a coffee table, nothing too dainty. They would need an old world feel of gold and brown when finished. After 4 days of scouring Craigslist, hitting garage sales and resale shops looking for items I could mix together, Gadora happily settled on these three…

Three Pine Tables

Three Pine Tables

I gave myself 5 hours to finish all three pieces…

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The one that got away…

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Gadora worked extra long to give those lamps their lustre. The lengthy transformation was partly due to the rewiring fiasco which took place during last week’s American Idol competition. I’d set up shop on the living room floor and began the tedious task of reassembling the lamps…thread the cord through washer A, “oh that was so the wrong song choice”, through bolt B, through shaft of metal rod, “Simon you are indeed ruthless”, through switch and harp and top bolts, etc. And because my heart was only half into rewiring, I found I’d missed integral components FIVE times and had to disassemble and rewire before each flip of the switch…

Lamp with original shell shade

Lamp with original shell shade

With only ONE of the original Capiz shell shades any good (it even had a nick and a small layered chunk missing), Gadora pieced it back together and turned it on. The scallops gave such pretty shape underneath the light. The shade was in prefect proportion to the base. Gadora is sad to see this one go.

Let there be light.

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On the Saturday Traci and Gadora scoured the prickly Texas countryside in search of adventure and estate sales, our first stop was a heavily polyurethaned Lane side table and a few bits to some Philippine Capiz shell lamps short of a bust.

Shell Lamp - BEFORE
Shell Lamp – BEFORE

New shades decided upon, Gadora began transforming  the turned wood bases.

Lamp Parts
Lamp Parts

Painted a wet black, then dry brushed with both gold and pearl, Gadora finished each base with a clear varnish. Those dry, Gadora rewired and reassembled the lamp components. Through a few trial and errors, and only one flipped breaker switch, the lights were on!

Shell Lamp Base and detail
Shell Lamp Base and detail

Of the 5 bases and parts I originally brought home, I pieced together an eventual 3 lamps. Propped up at Shoestring Interiors, it is hard to imagine their former selves.

Stripe

Shell Lamp - AFTER
Shell Lamp – AFTER

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Stripe

Supplies: any odd or funky lamp, innards for rewiring (plug, cord, sockets), lamp harps, finials, paint for refashioning and imagination.

How to: decide how your lamp wants to be refashioned. Follow instructions on the packaging for replacing cords and sockets. Trust Me. If the lamp has many parts, make a diagram of how it all fits together (as you’re taking it apart), so you’ll know how it goes back together. Trust Me.

Lil side table with stripes

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Rosie brought Gadora home a wee lil table. A dime-a-dozen side table often overlooked in homes decorated in the ’90s. Almost light lodge meets country charm… sans the charm. Gadora knew immediately it’d rock with the striped coffee table.

Side Table - BEFORE

Side Table - BEFORE

As such, it was painted one coat of light taupe, allowed to dry, then taped off. The top was painted in stripes. Once dry, Gadora painted black-gray latex on one section at a time then wiped off with a damp cloth. Once dry, a coat of poly was applied, then later a layer of furniture wax was applied and buffed off.

Side Table - w/ paint

In just two days of work (with only 3 hours between them), Gadora refashioned an otherwise so-so side table into something rather sweet. Starting this day a work is only truly complete when it’s been given its seal of approval. See?

Gadora Wilder was here.

Gadora Wilder was here.

Stripe

Side Table - AFTER

Side Table - AFTER

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Whisker Lickins Kitty Riser

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For a year now, Gadora’s old crotchety cat has had an odd habit. Harley, hardly fond of bath-time, scoops sips of water from his bowl using his precious pink-padded paw. Always his right paw and always a few labored sips before he slowly stoops down to drink the rest.

How we made it happen:

Pops and Gadora tinkered with a scrap piece of wood. Once wood was cut, we “eyed” where screws would adhere top of riser to its base and marked with a pencil. Kids, don’t try this at home. Professionals make a habit of “measure thrice, cut once.” Or so I’ve heard. But since the beneficiary of this project is a 17 year old cat, we figured… why not?

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Cock-a-doodle Stool

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Cock-a-doodle Stool

Cock-a-doodle Stool

Gadora Wilder recently refashioned a rickety 25″ stool. A kitchen had been redesigned and the stool used to fit just fine. There was nothing particularly special about it before, but it had been used to support the making of cookies, or knead dough, or grate cheese, or any other mundane kitchen chore.  The finished piece has a mosaic top, a chicken theme quietly carried throughout the rest of the space, and with glazed legs matching the cabinets the stool earned its Cock-a-doodle.

Commissioned.

Rockin' Rooster close-up

Rockin' Rooster close-up

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Once the tile grout dried, a wet cloth was smoothed over the surface. A second round of grout was added, taking special care of the areas near more ragged plate shards, then wiped down again. Once dry, a clear varnish was brushed across surface giving it a subtle sheen.

Stool top

Stool top

The pieces were glued onto the surface with wood glue by first applying glue to the backside of the plate pieces, then set on surface. The tiles for the general chicken theme was set out on the ground, then transferred to the stool. Not an exact science.

The placing of the tiles...

The placing of the tiles...

To break your place into pieces, place solid plates face down between two towels and hammer away. You can control how large or small your pieces are by your force. Some pieces will need refining, while others may not be usable.

The project pieces.

The project pieces.

This country stool was given a longer lease on life with it’s new coat of paint, glazed legs and mosaic top.

The Stool - Before

The Stool - Before

Supplies: Stool. Old plates (this project re-purposed 4).
Hammer. Glue. Grout. Paint. Paint brushes. Varnish. Wet rag. Drop cloth.

Time: This project can be completed in two days. Gadora worked the surface top and allowed glue to try on day one, then followed it up with the grout and finishing on day two. Easy and fun!

The many mugs of my mean cat.

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When Gadora first moved to NY I squatted in a 1-bedroom off 42nd Street for a few weeks, really squatted on a mattress in a loft above a woman’s bathroom on the Upper West Side, and eventually found my own space, across the park, just blocks near The Metropolitan. There Gadora lived on her own new mattress and out of  suitcases for a few months while the house in Dallas sold and until the cats would arrive.

Harley on the Wall

Gadora jazzed up my teeny space while warming my spirits (winter seems to last forever in NY sometimes, especially one’s first), with a mural of printed Harley pictures until he hopped his plane. I love his sourpuss ‘tude and snapped him every chance he gave me.

Stripe

Easy to do: pick your favorite subject, print out pictures (this project used recycled 24 pound weight paper), tape them up in any configuration.