Begin at the beginning...

Before the sandpaper:

Here is the IKEA stool and three Benjamin Moore Blue Spa sampler pots.

Check back later...

The Painted Cottage Becomes Real

Maine Cottage Furniture

Last week, I went out hoping to purchase some paint for my still unpainted pieces of furniture (the kitchen stool, living room armoire, record player table, and the secretary desk/bureau in the bedroom.) I am also going to repaint the tiny dining table, since it looks unfinished with only the drawers painted.

Perhaps after these pieces are completed, the apartment will more resemble my vision and will no longer look so haphazard.

Rust-Oleum has an incredible range of paints for this purpose that cover both wood and metal surfaces: Painter's Touch and American Accents. Their colors are amazing. However, from looking at the range available in most home and craft stores, you would never know. Most of the Lowe's, Home Depot's, and etc. carry just the basic colors in the half-pint and quart cans and the more varied colors in the spray paint canisters. The cans are acrylic latex but the spray paint is oil based and the brushes will need to be cleaned with a solvent. I would prefer not to use spray paint because of the environment, the potential paint on everything that I am NOT painting (in other words, the mess), and on my health.

I do not want to use regular wall paint for the furniture, though I did use it for the chartreuse green mosaic table. Unfortunately, in that case, the "dude" at the store talked me into oil-based paint. I love to be crafty, but I also like to embrace my inner laziness after a project is done. I did not enjoy mineral spirits and the INCREDIBLY dry hands I had after cleaning with it. The only plus for me was the smell...mmmm... I would prefer to use the acrylic latex paint in the cans, but spray paint seems to be the rage.

I tried to post the color chips, but their site would not let me do that. I ended up going to their Paint Ideas site where you can see projects painted using their products. Here are some of the colors I am considering:



This Leafy Green would be for the armoire.



I want the dining table to contrast with the red chairs, so I am going to use a light blue, this Iris Blue might be nice.



The table that the record player is on might be Mango...



or Grape.

I have three sample pots of Benjamin Moore Spa Blue that I will be using on the kitchen stool first. I will be using a sponge brush for this project, to make the finish as smooth as possible. I am going to post pictures during the process.

Ward, June, and everybody else...

Affordable Art

For years now I have been in love with advertising posters from the 50's and 60's. I thought one day I would luck out and find a picture I liked in a book, take it to a print shop and have it blown up to poster size. Well, I found a GREAT resource: Plan 59, a site where you can order quality prints of Mid-Century illustration. This site has such great images, it was hard for me to limit which ones to display.

The categories cover decor, food, photographs, old ads, alcohol, and three different vehicle groups: cars, station wagons, and trucks. They also post when a new scan is available on their blog, Pastelogram.

The prints can be ordered on a variety of archival papers and can range in size and price from an 11" x 11" print for $25; 15" x 15" for $35; to a 20" x 20" print for $65. For a truly dramatic piece, the Grand Large Format size can be up to 44" x 96" or 4 feet by 8 feet for $320.

Can you imagine one of the sleek automobile ads stretching out above your sofa? Or one of the domestic ones hanging in your kitchen, especially if the majority of your cooking includes your microwave and the phrase "Heat on High for 3 minutes?"

Automobile Advertising

1957 Mercury


Domestic Images

Domestic Goddess, 1960

Midnight Raiders, 1958

1951 Florida Oranges


Bold Images


Pop Art, 1946

American Brake Shoe, 1956 #1

1958 Retro Housewife

I am a big fan of this one; the golfing housewife, and the colors just happen to match my living/dining room.

What do you think I should do?

I picked this up two weeks ago at Target because I loved the pattern on this tablecloth from their current Ipanema line. But now that I have it at home, I'm not sure what to do with it. I thought about:

1. using it for my first reupholstering experiment on the loveseat
   
2. making napkins from it by adding trim and other fabrics like these at Anthropologie
3. making a dress from the fabric, maybe like these
   
4. or just using it as a table cloth for the small dining table

I'm still not sure. Any ideas?

Here are some more views of the print and the Ipanema line.

Week 8!!!

No party for me...yet.

I am so behind.

• The Deep Cleanings from the weeks before all have to be done again.
• The Landing Strip and entry hall decluttering from Week Three has not even started. (My entry closet is storage for the entire apartment, so it is a HUGE job.)

• Making meals for myself; actual cooking in my kitchen never did catch on. (I am still heating up, bringing home, and ordering in.)

The Reasons:

• My summer classes are taking so much time. So much reading!
• I am lazy.

Perhaps I will have a party after the 2nd Cure in October, which hopefully I will be able to finish. I have so many great ideas for my place and just wish I had the time to get them done.

I will definitely keep checking in and throwing support to all of the others out there doing the Cure.

Go Apartment Therapy Class of June 06!!