cowgirls!

it's funny how sometimes i think i'm working on a bunch of unrelated projects and it's not until they're finished that i see their similarities.

case in point- i didn't intend to make the chairs look so nice together- it just worked out that way.

even if this picture was better i wouldn't have been able to capture one of the best things about this chair- the soft soft orange fabric. someone compared it to their cat's ears. yum!

the cowgirl chair. i love a good saddle seat!

the cowgirl table. makes me want to have poker games in the shop.

new crate table. cowgirl or redsox? it reminds me of both somehow....

the egg table

what else is there to say? it's an egg. as some of you may know, my sweetie is an egg man. this table is what happens when we put our heads together.

a little blurry, but you get the idea....

to breakfast!!

a good day!

some days i leave my shop feeling a bit grumpy. it's not always easy to work alone, and i miss the creative feedback of working with other people. when it's really bad i feel like i'm out of ideas, and it's crazy to have to be creative EVERY day.

but on other days..... i feel great! something in the air makes new projects appear out of nowhere, and i have great interactions with the folks that come into my shop.  today was one of those days!  i am in love with this new coffee table, and the magazine rack, and... well, monogamy isn't important when it comes to furniture.

the new coffee table in progress. sometimes i love the process so much i want to leave it half finished!

the almost finished coffee table.  i kept getting distracted while i was closing up- i couldn't stop looking at it!

i saw something similar to this online a while back (i don't remember by who) and i've been wanting to make something like it for a while. i glad my memory doesn't always fail me!

a new little cabinet. such a cutie!

close up of some of my earrings on a lovely model. after seeing how beautiful they looked on her i 'borrowed' them from my shop. like the celebrities at the oscars.

winter break project

my little sweetie is on school break this week, so i've had to work in our apartment. i've been wanting to try a floating shelf in our itty-bitty living room and here are the results...

partially completed project. since making a trip to the store with frida is more work than i had in mind- i designed this box based around the materials i had in the shop.

close up of the cabinet- i pre-drilled 3/8" holes so i could cover the screws with pegs.

the floating shelf! the drawer was left in our apartment when we moved in and i've been saving it for.... well i wasn't sure what. now it can house a variety of STUFF (we have a lot...).

the idea is  that we'll keep expanding this little wall unit with more self existing cabinets.  we have a lot more stuff that needs a home!

key chains and jewelry

maybe it's that showing a little skin makes me want new jewelry, or maybe it's that valentine's day has me thinking about what little trinkets i can make, or maybe it's that haley's earrings have been literally flying out of s&b....... whatever it is, i've been inspired to work on smaller things this week. like key chains and jewelry!

the new display- in all it's splendor!

skeleton key necklace, sterling rings, and skeleton earrings.

bright copper rectangles and more sterling rings (with tigerseye beads)

steel rings- earrings and bracelet. i especially love these. the rings are imperfect and the solder is messy. and they're steel!

black iron pipe necklace. so i have a little crush on black pipe!! i'm allowed!

valentine's key to my heart key chain.

the one on the left says 'so much better' and the one on the right is xxxx & oooo

and another key to my heart. (well, not actually MY heart, i couldn't sell those in the shop!)

DIY lamp

if the question is: are you tan? the answer is: YES! i hate to gloat, but i can't seem to stop myself! it must be all that sun.... my considerate nature is buried beneath my peeling skin. 

but now we're home (hurry up spring!) and new projects abound! today i've got detailed instructions to make your own black pipe lamp and shade.

but first a quick tropical shot. i love the color and the natural wear that the sea brings.

my first attempt. this is really a poor picture- it looks better in person. (and yes, i probably could have taken an extra minute to take a better picture, but it seemed more important to make a drink and read the new yorker. i'm having a difficult transition from vacation life)

i love the blend of heavy industrial base and frilly shade.

what you'll need: an old shade, some fabric and ribbon, make a lamp kit, 12" length of 1" black pipe (it's used for natural gas), flange for 1"pipe, and a connector to go from 1"to 3/4" (you'll also need some black paint and a bit of sandpaper). to assemble the base you'll need a screwdriver and hammer; for the shade you'll need a hot glue gun and a needle and thread.

these are some of the parts from the lamp kit. the white rubber thing needs to get hammered into the 3/4" part of the connector (you can try screwing it in with a wrench too- it was kind of hard both ways)

take the brass parts from the lamp kit and the black iron connector with the white rubber part and spray paint them black (really any kind of paint would be fine, i used chalkboard because i wanted a really flat finish and i already had some). you should probably give the brass fixtures a light sanding so the paint sticks better.... once this dries the making a lamp part is easy. screw the base to the pipe, thread the lamp cord through. then holding the base thread the cord through the white rubber (inside the connector). then screw the connector to the pipe. follow the instructions on the kit to attach the last parts (the ones that used to be brass) and you're done with the base!

i cut the shade a pulled it away in one piece so i could use it as a pattern for my new fabric.

the new fabric cut out. i made the new piece about 4 inches wider because i wanted the new shade to have a gathered look (they hide imperfections and give a more feminine impression) then i hot glue gunned ribbon to the top and bottom.

under this little strip of ribbon, the two edges of fabric were hot glue gunned together. i did the same thing on the other side of the fabric. (you never notice how visible the inside of a lamp shade is until there's some crappy thread hanging around)

i folded the ribbon around the metal frame and hand stitched it together. you may want to pin it in place to make sure the extra fabric is evenly spaced. (you also might curse less this way- but that's not a promise)

ta da! finished! again, not a great photo- but you get the idea.  happy lamp making!