Toy Shelf for the Big Boy Room

The project I thought would take about 2-3 weekends and actually took about FOUR months of weekends.  Definitely a labor of love for our Charlie

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but really, this was a very labor intensive project. If you need a step by step, this may be above your DIY level.  I drew out the design and Matt, as always, magically made it happen.  My husband is the BEST

Added bonus?  All the wood on this shelf was free.  I get so mad that he hoards wood and fills our tiny garage with it, but then he goes and TOTALLY REDEEMS HIMSELF

The white is Martha Stewart's Picket Fence (best white out there ever), the lighter is the color of the walls in the bedroom, I have no idea what color it is (dang-it) and the darker was called Anonymous.  I just bought one of the $3 dollar samples and it was plenty for this project.

Almost done, but you can see how important feet and trim are...

My super skilled, architect-like professional sketch (look how perfect the middle board is!)

Trim was the only thing we bought, Matt sliced it down to veneer thickness and brad nailed it on.  This whole thing took enormous amounts of spackling and sanding - belt and handheld sanding.  Plus, I bought 'clear' poly that was NOT clear, it was yellow-ish, so I had to do more coats and sanding to cover that up.  If you look very close, you can still see some of it (dang-it again)  The feet are just scrap 4x4's that Matt drilled circles out of.  I literally just dunked the whole foot in the stain and wiped.  At that point I was looking for the easiest way to get it freaking DONE

Hooks aka 'Octopus'' for maximum storage- backpacks, hats, coats

Finally in the bedroom, you can see with the wall color, I promise it's grey, NOT lavender.  Grey plays tricks in weird light.

I'm sad the stuff covers up the design, but it's made to be functional and I'm ecstatic to have all those toys off the floor!

And now that this is complete, Charlie is officially moved into his big boy bedroom.  No more crib/toddler beds. Sigh.....

Using Magazine Covers as Art

Talk about CHEAP wall art.  We got our July issue and both immediately loved the cover.  So, bought a $9 frame at Hobby Lobby and done! 

It's already slightly buckled and I'm afraid of it getting worse.  Researching how to press it flat- the frame is slightly 'shadow-boxy-ish' so you can't just press it against the glass.  But pretty gorgeous, eh?

Book Rest

Matt made this for me for Mother's Day but because of our hectic lives, we just now finally got it together.  He made it out of mahogany.  There is no stain on this, the wood is just that gorgeous 

I had originally seen it on one of A Cup of Jo's gift lists and I was obsessed.

What I didn't know was how elaborate it would be to make, he worked really hard on this thing

And Matt, being Matt, wouldn't let me follow him around to do a tutorial, so you'll just have to get your own amazingly handy, creative and handsome husband of your own if you would like one.

Update:  Matt will be making these and I'm going to sell them for him on etsy and craigslist.  If you would like one, contact me for pricing and options- thanks!

World's Fair Exhibit at the Nelson

Carly and I stole away for a few hours for a girls lunch and to see the World's Fair Exhibit at Nelson Atkins 
Combining my love for looking at pretty things and history.  I was super excited to see it. We filled our bellies with raja dip and felafel and headed over.

Of course, most of the really cool stuff can't be found on the website, but here are a few.  I loved this clock (my never ending obsession with clocks continues...)

Z-Clock

Gilbert Rohde's Z-Clock exhibits new materials and a dynamic composition in its compact, streamlined form. Replacing the traditional clock case with a strong diagonal bar, Rhode emphasized simplicity and lowered production costs.

Model shown at A Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933

Gilbert Rohde, American, 1894–1944. Herman Miller Clock Company, United States (Zeeland, MI), 1927–1937. Z-Clock, 1933. Glass, enamel and chromium-plated steel. 11 3/4 x 12 x 3 in. (29.9 x 30.5 x 7.6 cm). Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift, 2006.19.

No info on the web on this, but this was one of both Carly and my favorite pieces.  This picture does it NO justice either.  It's a vanity, and it was amazing

  Another picture that didn't do this piece justice.  This was gorgeous

Another Diadem

The Italian jewelry firm Castellani specialized in works that looked to ancient materials or motifs. This diadem is a precise copy of ancient Etruscan gold victory wreathes. Similar designs shown at the London International Exhibition of 1862

Castellani, Italy (Rome), 1814–1927. Diadem, ca. 1860. Gold. 1 x 5 1/2 x 4 3/8 in. (2.5 x 14 x 11 cm). Private Collection.

Zaire Centerpiece Bowl

In the Zaire Centerpiece bowl, jeweler Raymond Ruys adapted African forms, styles and hand-craftsmanship in the simple, dynamic design. He was inspired by traditional Congolese works, unifying their solidity with the clean, abstracted lines of the Art Deco style. Shown at the Exposition Internationale Coloniale, Maritime et d'Art Flamand, Antwerp, 1930

Raymond Ruys, designer, Belgian, 1885–1956. Delheid Frères, manufacturer, Belgium (Brussels), 1828–1981. Zaire Centerpiece Bowl, 1930. Silver. 5 1/4 x 10 3/4 in. (13.3 x 27.3 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: the Charlotte and Perry Faeth Fund, 2002.4.

I highlighted mostly art deco stuff, that tends to be a favorite of mine and Carly is an art deco freak.  There were many other more classical pieces, but as we got the back, it was more contemporary and we were in heaven. There was a Cartier pin that I scoured the web for an image of that was to-die-for.

Although it was a great exhibit, I wish that there had been more history with it. There was one large photo of a World's Fair that was up on a wall with a small snippit of history with it.  But, I guess it was an art show, not a history lecture.  I'm just biased, I'm sure no one else cared.

You take for granted the amazing things that are available (and free!) in your town.  The grounds around the museum are gorgeous.  I made a resolution to get down there more

And look how big it is...I forget how much land it sits on- smack in the middle of the plaza pretty much

And I got a shuttle cock ornament (Kansas City's version of the Spoonbridge and Cherry) to go with all my other ornaments

Little things like this make me very happy

 
Then we browsed through just a bit of the gallery on our way out.  Carly helped me the with Modern Art (am I missing something???)  but there was an amazing photography exhibit Timothy H. O’Sullivan: The King Survey Photographs - click the link to read about it, it was pretty amazing.  I think Matt would have loved it

New Poster for Charlie's Room

Where shall I put this?  Who knows, but I love it

Source

Sammy the Seagull

$35 for a 16x20

How cute is this guy?

Source

Chair Art

So, we just moved into our new house and I have zero 'art', unless you count the spuds mckenzie poster I still have from college. I'm excited to actually hang some real items that I like. I found these on mason jar bride's husband-to-be's blog and I fell in love with them both. Now I just need to talk Matt into them......

The Abduction Lamp

find it here