Leggo my Lego

It's been a tough week and I'm looking forward to leaving tomorrow morning to go camping at Brimfield this weekend - so here's a little whimsy - a huge Lego counter! I normally don't like this kind of thing (lite brite coffee tables - ugh) but this is impressive - though unpractical.



From Elle Decor Feb/Mar 2008.

Eliot School Danish Chairs - Finished!

Ooo Hoo! They're done - my project chairs from refinishing class. They came out beautiful - the wood is rich and warm, and the vinyl is a crisp bone color. (Thanks J for the fancy vinyl hook-up)

I have to say, refinishing these in the proper and age appropriate way is insanely more satisfying than painting or half-assed staining them would have been - this is now my new standard when it comes to vintage pieces!!

I had a great time and learned a ton at class - The Eliot School is an excellent resource for anyone in the Boston area.

Mystery Roar

My good friend Jake's band, Mystery Roar, is the MP3 of the week over at The Phoenix!

I have never been able to describe music properly, but this is...irresistible dance music - kind of disco, synth, electro pop. or something. Just go listen - you'll like it, I swear!!

Enough Rope to Hang Myself

For a project at work I was searching for photos of ornate stair banisters and newel posts - and I came across these rope banisters - aren't they amazing?

These would look awesome in white, in a sleek minimalist house or for basement stairs, or as curtain rods!

Nautical, but not overly so!






images and products above from stairropes.com

ReadyMade Replies!

I just wanted to share the lovely comment I received over the weekend from Katherine Sharpe, the online editor at Readymade, regarding my post about my initial love and later disappointment in the magazine - the original post can be read here.

"Hi Amanda...thanks for noticing! We're glad you stumbled across the post and we do hope you keep coming back to the blog and keep your eyes on the magazine. We have some changes in the work for print and web both over the next few seasons. We think you'll like and of course we'd love to hear how you feel either way."

I'm thrilled, really, that the new editors are obviously keeping an "ear to the blogosphere", and I'm even more committed to keeping an eye on ReadyMade!

Just a Peek

Our new venture (a collaborative project with Derek Aylward) is moving along, and I just wanted to share a quick peek, because I'm getting excited!!


A spectacular new Etsy store will be coming soon!

Mark Cowper

I love the idea behind Mark Cowper's "Ethelburga Tower: At home in a high-rise" exhibit currently at the Geffrye Museum - "Cowper approached his neighbours and asked to photograph their living rooms, just as he found them at the moment he made the request, in order to capture the way the residents are living. The resulting collection of images gives a fascinating insight into how these near-identical architectural shells have been shaped by the contrasting lifestyles, interests, and tastes of the residents into distinctly individual homes."

What a fantastic idea for anyone living in a multi-unit building - and a great way to get to know your neighbors?




images and text via the above linked websites

1910!

So thanks to ebay - I think I've dated my bentwood chair - I found a stool and what looks like my exact chair listed, and the similarities are compelling - the shapes, the wood, the construction, the screws, and the fact that paper labels are located where it would have gotten removed for the numerous paint jobs mine had! So I think I can safely say that my chair was made around 1910. Woo!

Not that this has been bothering anyone but me, I just had to know, and it makes me thoroughly happy that it's nearly 100 years old!.






Images via ebay seller goodcleenbiz with the listing and seller imartinkus with this listing. I love ebay - I learn so much, even if I never bid.

Yes, Another Chair

I couldn't help myself - it was only $4!! I plan on stripping, and refinishing in a dark walnut stain, and doing something fun with the seat (not pictured because the foam was disintegrating and I needed to remove it asap) like a quilted cover, or super colorful fabric. It's a vintage piece, but kind of cheaply made, so I want to do something fun.




I also finished the seats of the 2 danish chairs I've been working on at refinishing class - The bone colored DesignTex vinyl looks great with the richness of the wood. I also used quilters batting instead of foam, and I'm sold - it's cheaper, easier to work with, and has a nicer padded feel - not so springy. We'll see how it holds up. I have 2 more coats of oil, and then I'll post the finished product!

Wishful Wanting & New Sites

Lighted Carnival Letters




Bee Stinger Playing Cards




Power Grips



Historic Bottle Website - Help Identifying Old Bottles



MagCloud - Self Published Magazines



The Cloud Society - A shared creative exercise



** UGH - So Urban Outfitters is selling the same light up marquee letters as well, looks like I'm accidentally trendy. This is off topic, but I LOATHE UO - they are nothing but a cheap crap selling, knock off factory. There have been so many recent occurrences where I find that UO is selling knock off copies of items easily found on ebay or used for many times the vintage price. I know it's nothing new, and many other stores do it, but for some reason, UO really annoys the hell out of me.

Furniture Finishing at the Eliot School

So I haven't been remembering to bring my camera to finishing class, but here are some shots of the bent wood chair. Since it had been refinished before, but had a lot of leftover paint and a mystery clear coat, I had to use a heavy duty, toxic stripper. Which I promptly donated to the school because I never want to use it again - it smelled like dead things, and burned my skin! Nasty, nasty stuff - I'd rather sand. It did do the job, however, and got rid of almost all of the finishes. I did some sanding, but left a lot of the scratches and marks - evidence of it's previous lives. This is one coat of a basic brown stain, which came out lovely - next is a satin finish clear coat.

Sadly, I didn't find any evidence to date the chair - "Made in Poland" is stamped underneath, and "SEPT 22" is stamped one of of the bayonet braces. I was thinking though, that since it has been painted at least 3 times - if there ever was a paper label, it probably would have been removed. I am still convinced that this is an old chair - so many signs of wear and age.








Here's one of the before pics - quite a difference!

Garden in the Woods

On Saturday, during the brief respite from all this RAIN, a friend and I visited the New England Wildflower Society's Garden in the Woods, in Framingham, MA. It's a "living museum - the largest landscaped collection of native plants in the region" with paths, trails, exhibits, and an education center.

It was a really nice way to spend a few hours, walking along the paths, I'd like to go back earlier next year in the spring to see more blooms.

Score of the Decade! Panasonic SG-J500

I scored this awesome c.1984 boom box over the weekend from my go-to thrift store - it's wicked awesome.


So you're thinking so what? Its a boom box, big deal! But wait! That compartment on the bottom?


IT'S A RECORD PLAYER! Yep, that's right! After pressing the small button on the bottom, a shelf slides out to play records!



It works great, and is my new favorite thing! I've kept a handful of records, including my mom's old Beatles albums, for years, and can now finally play them! I can also start digging in record bins at flea markets! Woo!

Friday Inspiration: 50s Kitchen Done Right

I love late mid century, sleek, danish inspired, minimalist design - EXCEPT - in the kitchen. The fondest kitchen memories I have are in homey, cozy, clutter filled, cheery leftover kitchens. The kind most people rip out to put in matching stainless steel and granite. Gotta have that hideous granite!

I'm also usually not a fan of "retro" remodels, where people try for that clichéd "diner" look. It's always pink and blue, and poorly made replicas of things that would not have actually been in anyone's home. Terrible!

So I surprised myself by really digging this kitchen from Berkshire Living Home + Garden magazine - they really got it just right, and avoided the cheesy mistakes most people make trying to get a look like this. The owners sourced vintage cabinets, appliances and fixtures, and carefully mixed in modern materials.






THE BRICK HOUSE clued me in that this is Pam's kitchen from the Retro Renovation blog .... and has been featured on many other blogs and publications, turns out I'm pretty late to the party, ha ha ha!

Rearranged Design - My House Tour!

Check out my house on Rearranged Design! In fact, check out all of the house tours that Ana has posted - I'm in some good company! Thanks Ana.