My DIY - Bar Cart

  Does anyone remember this cart? I blogged about it a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't really done anything with it. Between rain, windy days, and just no time, it sat all alone in my garage. I even packed it up and took it over to my parents house thinking I would get to it over there. Didn't happen. Then my son got this wild hair to spend the entire day on Sunday outside. That's right! It was 90+ and we spent the entire day outdoors. So what does one do after they've weeded the flower beds and hoed the garden? Work on a bar cart!

Here are the materials I'm planning to use on the cart.

I got to work on the legs. After consulting with my husband, we thought the best approach would be to take the legs off and work on each piece separately. Since I plan to spray paint the whole thing, it's best to do it in individual pieces than trying to cover up things and painting them by accident. The legs were attached by screws and nuts so I originally went at them with an adjustable wrench. Then my husband reminded me that he had a ratcheting screwdriver. Perfect! However, the nuts had rusted so it made it a little harder to remove. I was able to get four of the eight while Joel helped loosen the rest. Or should I say, I loosened them... Let's just say, I finally got it all removed.

  

The legs are now removed and looking rather rough around the edges. This little guy is full of rust, but in spots, not all over. I decided to see what a little fine grade steel wool would do. See for yourself. It made a world of difference. There are still specks of rust, but really hard to detect. And they would be fine, if I were going to leave them silver, but I'm not!

  

I painted them glossy black! Here's what I did. I took drop paint cloths and cardboard out in the yard and placed the legs a pretty decent width apart. I proceeded to spray lightly back and forth across each leg making sure it covered nicely without drips. Then I moved each leg so it wouldn't stick to the spot where I painted. I let it dry for several hours before I rotated each leg to spray on the other side. I will continue to do that until all sides are complete. 

I also sprayed the carts handle. I love, love, love the contrast against the yellow! Can you imagine what the red will look like? I'm thinking amazing! I plan to really cover the top to ensure no black paint gets on the yellow.

 

 Up next? Cleaning the shelves and prepping them for paint. And my dad and I have a game plan for the mirrored back. I honestly think this bar cart is going to be so chic! 

Stay tuned...

My DIY - The Elegant Chair Journey Continues

As of last week, I had sanded the whole chair in hopes of removing any protectant coat that existed and to get the sheen off the whole chair. I also wanted to try and remove a little of the paint but not take it down to the bare wood. After everything was sanded, I ran tack cloth over the whole chair to remove any dust particles and other remnants from the dusting. Now it's time to start removing all staples and tacks from the chair. This took two days!!

I didn't have the appropriate tools for the job so I used a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. They worked, but I could have really used the correct tools. On a beautiful afternoon, I took the chair outside to our back patio and started prying staples loose with the screwdriver and pulling them out with the pliers as McKinley played in the garden. I pulled screws out for about an hour and a half, making sure to keep the fabric free of rips. You need to keep all pieces of the chair as you remove them. They will be your template when re-upholstering later. I even took pictures during every step so I could reference them as well. Eventually, McKinley grew weary of my work. I decided to call it quits for the day. In that time, I had removed the entire bottom of the chairs upholstery and all the staples and tacks. I felt good about the progress.

    

This is the bottom of the chair. 

These are the original springs. Each one is wrapped in muslin and in perfect condition. (Even McKinley wanted to get in on the action!)

I then took the chair over to my parents house a couple of days later to continue the process. Turns out, my mom had all the right tools for me to use, but because the staples were so small, it didn't really work all that well. I really needed a smaller head screwdriver, but I continued to plug along. On that day, I pulled all the staples and tacks from the remainder of the chair, but I had the entire interior of the seat of staples to pull. I sweet talked my dad into assisting me and he spent the rest of the evening finishing the dirty work! My finger pads were raw and my hands were cramping. It's really hard work. And, I worked up a lather of sweat both days. It doesn't appear like hard work, but let me tell you, it is! 

So now I have a bare chair that's in need of color! Time to start painting. The chair has now made it's way back to my house and has taken up shop in my garage. After the first coat of paint, I was in love! And I got wise. No more crawling around on the garage floor trying to get all the angles of the chair. I decided to put it on a table. A wise move let me tell ya! After the second coat of paint, I realized it was definitely going to need a third. But, I decided not to apply the third coat to the entire chair. Just the arms and legs since they would be the ones visible post re-upholstery. And it's gorgeous! Glossy, jet black, and totally renewed! I am in love!

Now it's time to start the upholstery and I'm terrified! My mom is the expert here, so I'm going to lean on her for guidance! We have the fabric, this amazing floral print that's unbelievably stunning (in my personal opinion), and we have plenty to play around with. It was pretty cut up when we took it to the cutting counter so we decided to just buy what they had. It was 50% off that day, and I had an additional coupon, so we got a great deal! We just need to lay out the fabric and decide where we want to place it on the chair and cut for optimal floral placement. This could take a while!

I will keep you posted on how things are going and take pics along the way of the upholstery. Not sure how this will go, but so excited to get started. My husband had no idea that I was going to tackle the actual upholstery work myself. He figured I would have it sent off. And I might, if this thing gets too big for us. But, I'm hoping that I can finish what I've started. And I hope it looks as professional as possible. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I'm now the proud owner of a vintage aluminum rolling cart. It's bright yellow and in awesome shape. I'm thinking bar cart! Can't wait to get started on that too and share it all with you.

Are you guys working on anything this summer? If so, let's chat. I love hearing about your DIY projects!!

My DIY - The Elegant Chair

A little over a month ago, I hosted a garage sale to rid my house, and my life, of stuff. And believe me, have stuff. On that Friday morning, I looked out my window to see cars lined up outside our house. I thought gold mine! Everyone was here for my garage sale. Then I walked outside. The people in cars, and people outside, were lining up for the estate sale that was taking place next door. Okay, so they weren't here for me, but I didn't reap the benefits of their sale. As folks were heading there, or heading out, they always stopped by and eventually I was down to nothing by Saturday afternoon. I was a happy garage sale hostess!

But the downfall of the estate sale next door was that my mom and I shopped....a lot! She purchased mostly glassware and I walked away with a 1960s arm chair. And a dress. The dress is simply amazing. Definitely Rachel Zoe inspired, in my mind, and it's at alterations now. Can't wait to sport it soon and share this vintage gown. Did I mention it's a gown? Back to the chair. After spotting the dress, I spotted the chair. It was sitting there among all the clutter that goes with estate sales, but it definitely caught my eye! And I knew it wouldn't stay its current state. It would be transformed to this stunning piece of furniture that I would eventually sell. I got the chair the for half off. I waited until the final sale day to purchase. If the chair was still there, it was meant to be. And, on Sunday, everything was 50% off. And after much thinking, and conspiring with my mom and what I could do with the chair, we rearranged my house in order to make it fit. That's right, I am keeping the chair!

Here is my chair! My dad calls it my "elegant chair" and I think he's right. I've got big plans for this piece. I only hope it turns out like I think it will in my head. 

 And here are some of my early supplies. Fine sandpaper, fine steel wool (in case I need to go over it again once I've sanded), and my awesome paint color with a new brush. Not pictured, tack cloth. I asked my dad what was the best method to remove dust from the chair post sanding and he said this was the best stuff. It's tacky and it totally did the trick.

Here are some small details about the chair. It contains a ton of little grooves that needed sanding and were hard to get to. Imagine trying to paint them! Rough...no pun intended. 

 

So I just got to sanding. I didn't want to take it down to the raw wood. I just wanted to get the sheen off of the original paint. In the end, it was never super rough. There was a little smoothness to the wood. I wasn't sure I could ever get it off.

    

  

 

So I've sanded. And I've sanded and I've sanded. I've been covered in dust, in need of a manicure, and loving every moment spent working on this piece! Now it's time to start removing all the upholstery from the chair. Dear God, the staples and tacks that are involved.... Can't wait to share it all with you!

Stay tuned. Next week the elegant chair journey continues!

All That Glitters

Jumpsuit borrowed from Alicia Janesko. All other pieces my own.

During KCFW this fall, an amazing sequin jumpsuit walked the runway show of Alicia Janesko and I immediately fell in love! This piece was reminiscent of Studio 54, an era of fashion I adore, and I thought of all the amazing places I could wear this incredible creation. On a whim, I reached out to Alicia regarding the jumpsuit and if I might be able to borrow it for a blog post. Much to surprise, she said yes! The minute I brought it home, I started working on styling it in various ways. I wanted to show you guys how one piece can be worn in various ways all allowing for casual and dressy occasions. 

But before I get to the styling, I want to talk a little about Alicia and her company. Alica began her caftan line with the intent to provide women with custom pieces. She wanted us to move beyond the typical poolside cover-up's and casual resort pieces. She designs her pieces to move from day to night, something we all need when traveling, and each move with the curve of your body. Since they are custom made, they are designed specifically to your body type, and each are made of luxurious fabrics and hand detailing. Having seen many of Alicia's pieces for the spring 2015 line, I can tell you they are impeccably made and incredibly chic!

Now about the styling! I've been on the hunt for a pair of sequin pants. I love the idea of such a luxe fabric in the form of pants versus the standard dress or skirt version we often see. Pants can be dressed up or down and that's their biggest appeal for me. Upon styling the jumpsuit, I gravitated toward making them pants. I have to say, I love how this turned out! A simple cashmere t-neck, a chain belt worn low on the waist, and gold accessories make this a perfect look for a night out! I would so wear this to dinner or a cocktail party.

 

 

I love the neckline. Alicia's attention to detail is so evident in the instant necklace like halter. It's made of heavy brass and hugs the neck which allows for the drapey bodice. 

For a more evening approach, I added a little faux fur. I love the contrast of the dark black against the shiny bright sequins. Plus, if you are a little hesitant to show so much skin, the jacket allows for coverage. However, it's stunning without and truly makes a statement! 

 

I am so honored that Alicia allowed me to borrow such an exquisite piece from her collection. I felt so chic and quite haute couture. I hated to see it go back, I would love to wear this again, but C'est la vie. I have another little something up my sleeve and I can't wait to share it with you soon!

Interested in chatting with Alicia regarding pieces in her current collection or in working with her to create a custom piece? You can contact her here. And if you do, I want to hear all the details!

Happy Monday, Fashionista's!

Photos Courtesy of Richard Lawson.