Hooray! I'm all done (or close enough) with the guest bedroom! More photos to come.
For the very observant, - yes, that paper lining the drawer is the very same lining the back of my bookshelves downstairs.
Read all about that past project here.
Stay awhile...
Sharpie Marker to the rescue...
Thanks for all the feedback on the dresser. I considered going with a stencil as some had suggested by my lazy and cheap internal voices convinced me otherwise. I was *thisclose* to writing out 'fais de beaux reves' all over it in loopy script but in the end, I just didn't trust my own handwriting to be up to snuff. I think this whole thing too much mental energy on my part so I decided to just make a decision and go with it.
I finally commited to one of my favorite shapes as a border - the clipped corner square. (I'm sure there is a much more proper name for this but I don't know it).
So I got out a ruler, the top of a ball jar and sketched out the shape in pen. Then to fill it in and finish it off, I went with my trusty friend, the sharpie marker. I like the casualness of it which works well with the large illustrations on the wall of the guestroom. Oh and its way easier than using a paintbrush which was no small bonus.
From the time I decided on it and finished was less than a half hour. True, I spent all week debating what to do but I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
Now I need to do the multiple coats of sealer and it will be ready to go. The guestroom is nearly there.
On some unrelated notes...
First, I would like to soothe the concerns of those who were on death watch of my hyancinth. It is alive and well and my house smells amazing thanks to it.
Last but not least, I am the very lucky winner of a print or cardset by Jen Ramos of MadebyGirl. I don't think I even realized there was a prize involved but I suggested she reupholster her couch with white fabric a while back. Isn't it lovely? And I'm not just saying that because she took my suggestion - I think the lines of the sofa are really highlighted with such a "quiet" fabric.
I finally commited to one of my favorite shapes as a border - the clipped corner square. (I'm sure there is a much more proper name for this but I don't know it).
So I got out a ruler, the top of a ball jar and sketched out the shape in pen. Then to fill it in and finish it off, I went with my trusty friend, the sharpie marker. I like the casualness of it which works well with the large illustrations on the wall of the guestroom. Oh and its way easier than using a paintbrush which was no small bonus.
From the time I decided on it and finished was less than a half hour. True, I spent all week debating what to do but I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
Now I need to do the multiple coats of sealer and it will be ready to go. The guestroom is nearly there.
On some unrelated notes...
First, I would like to soothe the concerns of those who were on death watch of my hyancinth. It is alive and well and my house smells amazing thanks to it.
Last but not least, I am the very lucky winner of a print or cardset by Jen Ramos of MadebyGirl. I don't think I even realized there was a prize involved but I suggested she reupholster her couch with white fabric a while back. Isn't it lovely? And I'm not just saying that because she took my suggestion - I think the lines of the sofa are really highlighted with such a "quiet" fabric.
Stumped
In the unlikely event you read through my incredibly long double post yesterday, you'll recall I wasn't sure what to do next with the silver leafed nighstand. I had decided to step away from it for a day and have a think.
A day has passed and I'm still not sure. I do have two of these fancy mercury glass knobs waiting to be installed so thats all taken care of.
Part of me thinks - its just fine the way it is. Paint it with a couple of coats of sealer and be done with it!
The other part thinks - it sort of looks like badly applied tin foil on an crappy Ikea nightstand. It needs more moxie! Maybe a black geometric pattern painted on top of the silver? A clover pattern? Or some loose script writing to mimic the pattern on the chair fabric? Or maybe something else?
What do you think?
edited to add: The silver leaf finish doesn't look nearly this bright or flat...its just the sunglight bouncing from the window that washes it out a bit. There is texture and some of the black showing through.
A day has passed and I'm still not sure. I do have two of these fancy mercury glass knobs waiting to be installed so thats all taken care of.
Part of me thinks - its just fine the way it is. Paint it with a couple of coats of sealer and be done with it!
The other part thinks - it sort of looks like badly applied tin foil on an crappy Ikea nightstand. It needs more moxie! Maybe a black geometric pattern painted on top of the silver? A clover pattern? Or some loose script writing to mimic the pattern on the chair fabric? Or maybe something else?
What do you think?
edited to add: The silver leaf finish doesn't look nearly this bright or flat...its just the sunglight bouncing from the window that washes it out a bit. There is texture and some of the black showing through.
Silver Lining
Continuation of this post.
Sorry this is such a disjointed couple of posts but I was jumping from the box room (finishing the nightstand) to my office (finishing the painting) so its a little bit of a chaotic timeline.
As I was saying, I decided I would try my hand at a little painting with some supplies I had laying around. My original idea was of a woman's legs from the knees down, hanging off a pretty bench. (She would be wearing fabulous shoes of course!) But I needed a photo to work off of and despite some serious internet searching, I never found just the thing I was looking for.
But while I was searching I found this photo of an incredibly chic woman jumping over a sidewalk curb. So off I went putting a grid down on the canvas.
After finally locating a pencil (how is it possible I only have 1 pencil in my entire house??), I sketched it all out.
As you might be able to see, I made a big mistake when I was sketching it on the grid by starting one row down. I realized it too late which required me to redraw the lower half a little bit more squished than the original photo. I'm pretty sure this model was 6 feet tall or more based on the proportions in the photo - so I don't think it was a fatal flaw.
I thought about using colors instead of keeping with the black and white...but lets face it, this was already way beyond my pay grade. So I just stuck with black and white and shades of gray.
At this point, it was late so I called it a night on both the painting and the nighstand. Sunday was a new day.
On Sunday morning I got back to work on both the nightstand and the painting. Pointing my attention back at the nightstand, I got back to work in the box room. I had already decided to mimic the look of the mirror by painting it black, now I wanted to go the extra mile by applying a silver leaf effect to the top. Using this kit I had picked up at Dick Blick on Friday night, I started by reading the instructions 3 times.
I think the gold antiquing kit is pictured above. The version I bought was just the plain old silver leaf that came with the silver, the sealer, the size and two brushes. Don't know what those other two bottles would hold but I guess thats the antiquing stuff.
Have to be honest here, the kit sort of stunk. The instructions were too vague but more importantly the included brushes were just aweful. I made the mistake of using them against my better judgement and it made for a messier than necessary job. Next time, I'll make my own kit than you very much.
Anyway, I applied the sealer to the dry black paint. (not pictured, there isn't anything to see as the sealer is clear). As per the box, I had to wait two hours for that to dry. So guess where I went next? To my office to finish the painting.
And before long, it was all done. I initialed and dated the corner, wraped the edges in black gaffers tape and set to dry.
Pretty sure the Met won't be calling anytime soon as it has some very distinct flaws in perspective and shading but I was pleased with it. I think it will make a nice addition to the gallery wall I'm planning. I just might try to another painting if I can find a photo that strikes me again.
After the two hours are up, I go back to the box room and the sealer is still really wet. I leave it for another hour until my impatience gets the best of me and I pull out my hair dryer. It was finally dry but when I ran my hand across it, it was bumpy. I suspect this was the fault of those aweful brushes. So I did a quick sand down. I think I made the right call on that but who knows.
Finally, its ready for a coat of adhesive "size" (aka glue)
See how terribly that brush distributes the glue? Ugh. Here is where it gets tricky. The glue goes on white and dries clear. As per the box, the wet to dry time is 60 minutes. But they don't explain at which point you should apply the silver paper. You just sort of have to wing it to determine when it is tacky but not wet. Easier said than done. I ended up waiting almost the entire 60 minutes and it was still wet to the touch but getting much more clear. I'm still not sure I picked the right point but it was a guess just the same.
So I covered the top in overlapping sheets of silver leaf. Not fun to work with really. Its extremely thin and fragile and never landed exactly where I wanted it to. Sorry, no in progress shots as my hands were covered in glue and silver leaf mid install. I let the leaves sit there for a few before using a proper brush to wipe away the excess. Im so glad I didnt use those aweful included brushes because they are so stiff, they would have certainly ruined all my hard work. After the first pass, I had a few larger broken areas which I "patched" with extra pieces.
Let me tell you - what a mess!!! That silver paper flies everywhere.
There are still small imperfections in the finish where the black shows through but I'm okay with those. I'm less happy with how the very edges aren't even. I could go back with some more size and silver and see if I can even it up. Or I could just leave it and let the imperfection read as old world charm. I couldn't decide so I opted to think a little more about it before I covere the whole thing in an acrylic sealer and attach new hardware.
So while I was thinking it over, I repainted the gray chair I plan on using in the guest bedroom. Looks so much better black, don't you think?
I still haven't decided what to do about the nightstand in a weeks time, I'll be posting the as-good-as-its-going-to-get completion of the guest room.
Until then, here are the silver leaf photos and sidewalk jumping lady photos in case you couldn't take my long winded explanation of it.
Sheesh, I certainly do ramble on and on.
Sorry this is such a disjointed couple of posts but I was jumping from the box room (finishing the nightstand) to my office (finishing the painting) so its a little bit of a chaotic timeline.
As I was saying, I decided I would try my hand at a little painting with some supplies I had laying around. My original idea was of a woman's legs from the knees down, hanging off a pretty bench. (She would be wearing fabulous shoes of course!) But I needed a photo to work off of and despite some serious internet searching, I never found just the thing I was looking for.
But while I was searching I found this photo of an incredibly chic woman jumping over a sidewalk curb. So off I went putting a grid down on the canvas.
After finally locating a pencil (how is it possible I only have 1 pencil in my entire house??), I sketched it all out.
As you might be able to see, I made a big mistake when I was sketching it on the grid by starting one row down. I realized it too late which required me to redraw the lower half a little bit more squished than the original photo. I'm pretty sure this model was 6 feet tall or more based on the proportions in the photo - so I don't think it was a fatal flaw.
I thought about using colors instead of keeping with the black and white...but lets face it, this was already way beyond my pay grade. So I just stuck with black and white and shades of gray.
At this point, it was late so I called it a night on both the painting and the nighstand. Sunday was a new day.
On Sunday morning I got back to work on both the nightstand and the painting. Pointing my attention back at the nightstand, I got back to work in the box room. I had already decided to mimic the look of the mirror by painting it black, now I wanted to go the extra mile by applying a silver leaf effect to the top. Using this kit I had picked up at Dick Blick on Friday night, I started by reading the instructions 3 times.
I think the gold antiquing kit is pictured above. The version I bought was just the plain old silver leaf that came with the silver, the sealer, the size and two brushes. Don't know what those other two bottles would hold but I guess thats the antiquing stuff.
Have to be honest here, the kit sort of stunk. The instructions were too vague but more importantly the included brushes were just aweful. I made the mistake of using them against my better judgement and it made for a messier than necessary job. Next time, I'll make my own kit than you very much.
Anyway, I applied the sealer to the dry black paint. (not pictured, there isn't anything to see as the sealer is clear). As per the box, I had to wait two hours for that to dry. So guess where I went next? To my office to finish the painting.
And before long, it was all done. I initialed and dated the corner, wraped the edges in black gaffers tape and set to dry.
Pretty sure the Met won't be calling anytime soon as it has some very distinct flaws in perspective and shading but I was pleased with it. I think it will make a nice addition to the gallery wall I'm planning. I just might try to another painting if I can find a photo that strikes me again.
After the two hours are up, I go back to the box room and the sealer is still really wet. I leave it for another hour until my impatience gets the best of me and I pull out my hair dryer. It was finally dry but when I ran my hand across it, it was bumpy. I suspect this was the fault of those aweful brushes. So I did a quick sand down. I think I made the right call on that but who knows.
Finally, its ready for a coat of adhesive "size" (aka glue)
See how terribly that brush distributes the glue? Ugh. Here is where it gets tricky. The glue goes on white and dries clear. As per the box, the wet to dry time is 60 minutes. But they don't explain at which point you should apply the silver paper. You just sort of have to wing it to determine when it is tacky but not wet. Easier said than done. I ended up waiting almost the entire 60 minutes and it was still wet to the touch but getting much more clear. I'm still not sure I picked the right point but it was a guess just the same.
So I covered the top in overlapping sheets of silver leaf. Not fun to work with really. Its extremely thin and fragile and never landed exactly where I wanted it to. Sorry, no in progress shots as my hands were covered in glue and silver leaf mid install. I let the leaves sit there for a few before using a proper brush to wipe away the excess. Im so glad I didnt use those aweful included brushes because they are so stiff, they would have certainly ruined all my hard work. After the first pass, I had a few larger broken areas which I "patched" with extra pieces.
Let me tell you - what a mess!!! That silver paper flies everywhere.
There are still small imperfections in the finish where the black shows through but I'm okay with those. I'm less happy with how the very edges aren't even. I could go back with some more size and silver and see if I can even it up. Or I could just leave it and let the imperfection read as old world charm. I couldn't decide so I opted to think a little more about it before I covere the whole thing in an acrylic sealer and attach new hardware.
So while I was thinking it over, I repainted the gray chair I plan on using in the guest bedroom. Looks so much better black, don't you think?
I still haven't decided what to do about the nightstand in a weeks time, I'll be posting the as-good-as-its-going-to-get completion of the guest room.
Until then, here are the silver leaf photos and sidewalk jumping lady photos in case you couldn't take my long winded explanation of it.
Sheesh, I certainly do ramble on and on.
Silver Lining...
So what did I spend my weekend doing?
To start off with, we had such a beautiful Saturday in NY. It was warm and sunny and made me want to pack all my winter clothes away and head to the beach. It didn't last long but it made a big proclaimation that spring is almost here. Hooray!
To put a little spring in the house, I picked up this Hyancinth at Home Depot for $6. Lets see if I manage to snuff the life out if it like I do every other plant I've owned.
But on to the projects. The theme of this weekend seemed to be silver & gray. I know, I know - not very spring like. What can I say? Im a one note song. I like gray! After many weeks of putting it off, I decided its time to "finish" the guest room. True, nothing is every truly finished in my house but I want to be able to have another "completed" room to the list. (If I ever finish this one, that would make two finished rooms!)
Guest bedroom as of June 2008. If you want to see the progress on the guestroom so far - take a photo tour through time here.
If you recall, in my guest bedroom posts from last year I took some of your advice about putting a mirror over the desk. I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it but its a great idea. I was originally looking for something frameless but on a trip to Lowes, I spotted this one and that was it. For $69, it was very reasonably priced and it would fit perfectly over the desk. It adds that little touch of old world style, don't you think? And you know how I love to mix brass and silver tones so it was a way to carry that through to this room as well.
As you may also recall, I had a failed nightstand experiement using vintage luggage. I still love the luggage but it just doesn't work as I envisioned it. I'm still looking for suggestions of how to use it by the way so feel free to give me a suggestion if you have one.
So I had to find a replacement. I didn't want to spend too much money on it as I'm trying to focus my resources on more important rooms. But I did have a cheapo Ikea nightstand I was no longer using now that I have my pretty one instead. Its not ideal as its pretty small and something larger would be better...but beggers can't be choosers. This was absolutely free so it just made sense to use it.
But in its current state, it was just NOT going to work. Ugh, grainy pine. Its hard for me to imagine ever actually liking this. I suspect that its $39 price tag along with my severe lack of funds after just starting out in the real world had something to do with it. Who knew where it would find itself down the road?
Since I love the mirror, I figured I'd give a go at trying to mimic its look on this nightstand.
After preping with TSP and a light sanding, I painted it black. It looked like this
At this point, it was Saturday evening and I still had a lot of waiting time ahead of me as the coats of paint needed to dry before I could proceed. So while I was waiting, some sort of weird impulse made me pull out a small canvas and some acrylic paint I had laying in my closet.
{to be continued}
To start off with, we had such a beautiful Saturday in NY. It was warm and sunny and made me want to pack all my winter clothes away and head to the beach. It didn't last long but it made a big proclaimation that spring is almost here. Hooray!
To put a little spring in the house, I picked up this Hyancinth at Home Depot for $6. Lets see if I manage to snuff the life out if it like I do every other plant I've owned.
But on to the projects. The theme of this weekend seemed to be silver & gray. I know, I know - not very spring like. What can I say? Im a one note song. I like gray! After many weeks of putting it off, I decided its time to "finish" the guest room. True, nothing is every truly finished in my house but I want to be able to have another "completed" room to the list. (If I ever finish this one, that would make two finished rooms!)
Guest bedroom as of June 2008. If you want to see the progress on the guestroom so far - take a photo tour through time here.
If you recall, in my guest bedroom posts from last year I took some of your advice about putting a mirror over the desk. I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it but its a great idea. I was originally looking for something frameless but on a trip to Lowes, I spotted this one and that was it. For $69, it was very reasonably priced and it would fit perfectly over the desk. It adds that little touch of old world style, don't you think? And you know how I love to mix brass and silver tones so it was a way to carry that through to this room as well.
As you may also recall, I had a failed nightstand experiement using vintage luggage. I still love the luggage but it just doesn't work as I envisioned it. I'm still looking for suggestions of how to use it by the way so feel free to give me a suggestion if you have one.
So I had to find a replacement. I didn't want to spend too much money on it as I'm trying to focus my resources on more important rooms. But I did have a cheapo Ikea nightstand I was no longer using now that I have my pretty one instead. Its not ideal as its pretty small and something larger would be better...but beggers can't be choosers. This was absolutely free so it just made sense to use it.
But in its current state, it was just NOT going to work. Ugh, grainy pine. Its hard for me to imagine ever actually liking this. I suspect that its $39 price tag along with my severe lack of funds after just starting out in the real world had something to do with it. Who knew where it would find itself down the road?
Since I love the mirror, I figured I'd give a go at trying to mimic its look on this nightstand.
After preping with TSP and a light sanding, I painted it black. It looked like this
At this point, it was Saturday evening and I still had a lot of waiting time ahead of me as the coats of paint needed to dry before I could proceed. So while I was waiting, some sort of weird impulse made me pull out a small canvas and some acrylic paint I had laying in my closet.
{to be continued}
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