Our house update (the work in progress)....

Thought I would share a bit of the work in progress aka our house in Florida. We are slowly but surely getting there. We moved in so close to Christmas that we didn't bother with regular decorating. Now that Christmas has been packed away....the place looks REALLY empty! LOL I'm still struggling with how to decorate 12' ceilings but wouldn't change them for the world. So in no particular order....here we go.

Up first is some new additions to the family room. DH has been wanting to make an Entertainment Center for quite some time now. Finally, we found some inspiration in a Pottery Barn catalog and began drafting out a plan. Here is the finished project (well sans the glass doors that will eventually grace the center section). She is lovingly stained in our fave color: Gunstock. The doodads and nick nacks are in the beginning stages and it will be a work in progress as I find more things to add, but I HAD to start somewhere. We have tons of family pics that are framed that will be coming into the space too at some point....just not sure where.

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center

Entertainment Center - Gunstock close-up

This is a shot of one of the 2 lamps we repurposed. The first is the wooden camera tripod carried all over the world by his Great Uncle (He was a photographer for National Geographic). We weren't sure what to do with it, but knew it had to stay in the family. Thus was born the first of our lamps. Isn't it the coolest?  Since we had one I knew we needed a second eclectic lamp. So, at a tag sale I fell in love with this fire extinguisher and thus was born the 2nd lamp. The shade is new.....I'm thinking it needs a good dunking in some black RIT dye but am living with it for awhile before I (Or it) takes the plunge.

Tripod Lamp

Fire Extinguisher Lamp

Close-up

Here is the first step on the fireplace mantle.....not sure it is finished yet, but I do like the black iron addition. This fireplace is so weird with the space between the mantle and the hearth. I think it was a nice tie in! Yes, you know I sprayed it flat black!

Mantle close-up

Fireplace

This is my new cool giant clock from Kohl's. I have wanted one for awhile now, but the only sale they ever have is BOGO (Buy one get one free). Now seriously, who really goes to the store to buy TWO giant clocks.....come on! So, finally at Christmas time they were 50% off! YES! Now that makes a wee bit more sense doesn't it? Geesh!

Big Clock

Big Clock

On to my bedroom. You may remember my $1 dresser project. Well, she is now sporting some fun doodads including my Eiffel Tower, my found head and some Valentine ART goodies from various friends. Next to the dresser is Ruth Iola and my newly acquired black Christmas tree. I LOVE it and it will remain out year round. It is decorated with the themes for this room. I call it 3 P's and a D. That stands for Pink, Pirates, Peacocks and Disney. I have some serious wall ART in the works for this room too, but that is for another day. Ruth Iola is sporting a new HOPE hanging ornie too that I think is really awesome.

Dresser

Dresser

Dresser

Dresser

Ruth Iola

Ruth Iola

Black Tree

Black Tree

Tree close-up

Tree close-up

On the other side of the room is my newly repuposed hutch. It was in our dining room in our last house. Since I'm using black in here it was a perfect fit although quite boring. So I had DH cut me some panels and I headed to the studio. Armed with my decoupage glue mix and some vintage papers (Russian dictionary, church hymnal, American dictionary stamped with my fave ART images)and some vintage ladies cut from a vintage sewing book) I began the transformation. After the collages were dry I coated them with 2 coats of Polycrylic. Best stuff ever people....try it if you have not! They were cut to fit precisely so they just sit at the back and are therefore removable if need be. I LOVE this personalized piece of MEness!  I have now added in more personalized goodies: my Great Grandma's candy dish, more Valentine ART from friends, my fave Disney pics and more. I really am happy with how it is turning out. Hope you enjoyed your mini tour of the work going on in Florida this week! Enjoy!



Before



During

After

Close-ups

Close-ups

ART

ART

ART

ART

I LOVE Dollar Tree & Halloween on the worktable....

Okay......I LOVE Dollar Tree!!  But that's not the first time you've heard that, right??  Thought I would share what is on the worktable today and some of the goodies I found at Dollar Tree.

First I found this creepy black cloth that makes great cobwebs and backgrounds.

I can't get enough of these skeleton garland guys....isn't it funny how the one guy is raising his leg.....looks like a Spooky Rockettes Line!!  LOL

I think these creepy hands are cool too.....the can be linked together too.....

One of the coolest finds are these resin (?) tombstones....they are uber spooky!! They are about 6 inches tall. I have begun embellishing two of them. :)

But the best are these "glamorously" framed lenticular pics.....totally cool to find @ D.T.  Lenticular pics look like a normal portrait until you tilt them or change your line of vision and then the image changes. I was mesmerized and inspired. Best part was went I checked out and I had $13 worth of goodies.....how 'bout that?? 

Also on the table are last years 90% off clearance goodies like ribbon, spooky eyes napkins and bags of smalls (bats, skellies, spiders, rings.....).

I am working on a mixed media cigar box shrine that you can see in the works. So far I have painted it gray, sprayed it with Walnut Hollow black antiquing spray and sealed it with matte acrylic sealer. The inside has an all over spooky eye napkin Mod Podged  into the back and sprinkled with glitter. It was too bright so I antiqued it as well.

I have made 2 hanglie danglies (ART Piece with something that, well, hangs or dangles from it). I am psyched......and having fun with Halloween on the table for today anyway!! 

A shopping we will go....

A shopping we will go. High-Ho the Derrio.....a shopping we will go. LOOKIE what I found the last few days. Aren't these blue birds and gold finches the cutest. I have 2 different bird cages I will be putting them in, along with 2 nests I found at a yard sale and hopefully some eggs and maybe plants.

Okay, NOW that you think they are sooo cute....betcha can't guess where I found them?? Well, did you guess Dollar Tree?? Nope....didn't think so. Gosh I LOVE that store!!

These little lovlies will be used as toppers for my Garden Totems.....and yes, they too were from Dollar Tree. I can only get them once a year so I have to stock up!! :)

One of my 2 fave purchases from Michael's: black velvet jewelry stands. I bought both the necklace and bracelet version. I think it will really help with displaying, photographing and selling my jewelry.

This is what happens when Shelly goes glass shopping.....holy cow. we went to the flea market, a funky antique/junk store, a thrift store (Which had half price glass today), 2 yard sales, an estate sale, and another junk store. Yes, I bought glass at ALL of them. I needed to resupply so I could make more totems. Well, let's just say I should be able to make a "few" more now. The pics are from today only. It took me 20 minutes to unwrap them all. I still have to de-label them and wash them LOL Good thing we seldom use our dining room table. But, we guesstimate we spent less than $50 dollars and we acquired approximately 90 pieces of glass. I was thrilled!!

The cool news is DH had met a lady who owns a nifty boutique/junk store in a town not too far from here. She was interested in us making some ART for her shop on consignment. :::smiles::: We are making Totems and garden ART but she also REALLY wants funky and repurposed jewelry (like my bamboo tiles and scrabble tiles). So, you know what I'll be doing now! I am excited!!