Friday, October 28, 2011

Ladies Who Lunch



That's my good friend, the lovely GB on the left.  She and I go way back -  we used to work together and although we don't see each other as often as we'd like, we're able to pick right up where we left off whenever we get together.   I love the saying, "Good friends are a gift we give ourselves".  I'm so grateful for my good friends - strong, smart and beautiful women who just keep getting better and better.

And no, we didn't call each other last night to coordinate our outfits.  We laughed as we sat down and  realized we were channeling each other! 

We met  at the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts.   Today was a sunny fall day (pretty chilly after last night's untimely snow!), and the fall colors and decorations were just beautiful.





The restaurant, in an old farmhouse, overlooks the  orchards and gardens.  It's an intimate setting, with dark wood paneling, great lighting and  nature-inspired accents.



 The menu features local food with an emphasis on creative presentation and helpfully suggests which Nashoba wines complement the food.  We had the Apple Cranberry wine - yummy!  The little cup is their autumn squash bisque with a swirled heart of sour cream and a granola garnish.  I never thought of granola as a soup garnish, but it's perfect for squash  soup.   We both scraped the cup clean!


Desert  wasn't too shabby, either. We shared this fudgey chocolate cake- Bananas Foster- sorbet- pear nectar melange of goodness!

 We bought some of our lunch wine,and an apple and a peach brandy - all fruity, so all healthy! 


 
Isn't this cute?  Its tag said it's a wine holder,  but it makes a great spot for little pumpkins.  Some clever person could totally do a knock-off for lots less than the $450 price on this one.


 
I love burlap and we could definitely make this topper - I think the tree is silk-screened, but a big stamp or even a free-hand painting of a tree wouldn't be hard.  Note to self- add to growing list of winter projects!

Spending time with a good friend in a beautiful setting with a good glass  of vino - priceless!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Reimagined Pumpkin

Decorating for fall means pumpkins - real ones and fake.   This is what happnes when a book becomes part of the decorating scheme.

I saw the idea on Crafting Mom (she has a great tutorial) and decided to add to my pumpkin collection.  I have no problem cutting up books - ones I don't want to read and are headed for the landfill anyway. 

Here's how to transform a book into a fun fall pumpkin decoration:
Start by making a template of a pumpkin shape.  Keep the bottom flat so the pumpkin won't be wobbly.  Then, if using a hardcover book, carefully cut off the covers. Open up the book in the middle and using a craft knife, cut around the template.  You can only cut through a few pages at a time - leave the top of the spine as pictured (more on that later).  Once you finish one half, flip the template and do the second half.





Here's the book, all cut out.  Trim off as much of the stray bits as you can, but don't get too crazy about some added texture!  Now check out that piece of spine left at the top - I think this will work as a stem!


Once you've cut all the pages, you're ready to add some color.  CM has a couple of options - ink the edges with an ink pad or plunge the edges of the book into a bowl of diluted acrylic paint.  Warning - CM says this method is very slow to dry!  I wanted more color than just inking the edges, so I used Distress Ink to add more color on the pages.  Let me tell you - this method is very time-consuming!  I caught up on this season's Law & Order UK and was only about a quarter through!  OK, change of plans - went to direct-to-paper with a cheapo orange ink pad - quicker, plus better coverage. 

Once all the pages are colored, hot glue the spine and hold together for a couple of minutes to set the glue.

I bent the top spine before it had hardened to give it a stem shape, then painted with some brown, green and tan acrylic paints.  It's rough, which I think makes it look more realistic.  Now for the tendrils - twist some brown (or dark green) wire around a pencil, then wrap around the base of the spine.



Now start opening up your pumpkin book, gently pushing into the spine to separate the pages.  Keep working it until the book is open and fluffy.

Behold the book transformed!



If you're intrigued by using books in your art, check out this book:


The Captain gave it to me last year and I've been drooling over the fantastic creations ever since.   Books are used to make everything from jewelry to sculptures . You'll be looking at your stack of books with new eyes!







Monday, October 10, 2011

Restoration Hardware Megalog


Pity the poor post-person.  Not only is the PO making rumblings about closing sites and cutting hours and services, the carriers had to deliver the new catalog, weighing in at 3.2 pounds with 616 pages!  Clearly this is a new RH - not the company that sold "authentic reproduction" of light fixtures, furniture hardware and paint and stain to replicate antique finishes.  A few years ago RH went down another path - adding unique gift items.  Then the stores started disappearing altogether.

Behold the new Restoration Hardware.  No replacement for antique lamp fixtures, no supplies for refinishing wood, no patch kits for old plumbing.   This is a "new and evolving way to furnish our homes", according to Chairman Gary Friedman. 


There is a slightly creepy photo of Mr. Friedman on the second page, along with some grandiose comparisons to Teddy Roosevelt, but shameless self-promotion aside, who wouldn't want to just move into any one of the amazing rooms?

First, there are the colors - muted neutral naturals.  It's the first thing you notice when flipping through (OK, the second, after you've recovered from sticker shock).  Restful wall colors with neutral colored accessories - clearly Mr. Friedman doesn't believe in the "every room needs a pop of color" theory.

The style of furnishings is a mixture of industrial and architectural elements meet vintage. Steam punk on steroids, if you will.  There are no little tchotchkes.  Size clearly matters here.  The French tower clock is 5 feet in diameter (and costs $ 1195  and as noted in the description, is "non-operational").  The 1595 scrolled map of Florence is 12 feet long (and fantastic):





I can resist the Copenhagen chair ( $1865):



And the 8 foot tall Eiffel tower study model ($1745):


But can we talk about the linens?  Belgian linen that you can almost feel in the photos - soft, faded colors that look like my fantasy of life in an old French chateau. Never mind that outfitting your bed with these beauties could set you back a grand or so - fantasies involving French chateaus don't come cheaply!








And just look at these birdcage chandeliers ( $2525) :


This we might be able to knock-off.  Find a vintage (or a new one shabbied- up), add some twinkly white lights and we could make this for orders of magnitude less.  I'm adding it to my project list!

I know that this catalog is the embodiment of conspicuous consumerism; that no one needs to spend over a grand on a clock that doesn't tell time, or a map that covers an entire wall, or a model of the Eiffel tower the size of Big Foot.   I know that kind of money could feed an entire village of starving children.   But, for a woman who is happy to shop thrift stores, this is heady stuff and I'm smitten!



Tuesday, October 4, 2011

New DIY Cabinet Knobs

Now that the kitchen has been repainted, the cabinet knobs were looking worse than ever. 

Who wouldn't just love these 80s faux-gold (that's reverting to its original silver color in spots (alchemists, take note).  I have lots of cabinets - 42 knobs' worth! White knobs on white cabinets = lots of white; clearly some color was in order.  Plus, I changed out the color of the lighting in the kitchen from gold to silver, so the fading gold on the knobs had to go.   Nice knobs are pricey- even the cheap $5.00 kind  would set me back $200!!   Since my dream is to replace the cabinets someday, I didn't want to drop serious money for place-holder  knobs. 

I've checked out some ideas online and some folks are doing some pretty creative things - check them out here and here and here.   Clearly I could do something to buff up mine.

First step:  Pop out the button. This was essential to my plan of doing two colors because I live to complexify any project!   The popping thing wasn't as easy as it sounds!  I tried prying  out the button with no luck, but soaking the knob in hot water did the trick.  Think it expanded the metal just enough to release the plastic button. ( I told you these were some high-quality hardware)!  This one ( a spare test- subject) has some chips from my attempts to dislodge it prior to heating it.

Next I scrubbed them to remove any grime.

Then some spray primer - I like Kilz best.  Word of caution - I thought perching the knobs in skewers stuck into florist foam was a good idea.  Not so much - the foam shed little bits of grit that stuck on the knobs - maybe because it was an old piece?  I had better luck perching the knobs on an old cookie rack - no sticking!


Then the buttons got a spray coat of Rust-Oleum Hammered Silver and the knob bases Rust-Oleum Hammered Black.  These hammered paints cover minor scratches and can be painted over rust.  The finish looks almost like a combination of some light glossy and slightly darker matte colors.  I like that it's not really shiny and has a slight texture to it. 




Then I sprayed on a coat of clear matte finish, although I don't know that it was really necessary.

Some of the buttons snapped back in easily, some did not, so they got glued in.

This project wasn't difficult, but I'm not going to lie, it was pretty tedious what with all those steps!  But I love my new knobs and how they've dragged my cabinets into the current decade.



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