Tag Archives: vintage

09/18/12

DIY Earring Hanger

I added some more love to my book page wall with a romantic, vintage inspired earring holder. Remember when I redid all those frames for my desk area? Well in that mix was a massive framed photo of a family.

I felt so bad throwing that out, but it was in a thrift store so I imagine they weren’t really that into it anyway?

I got the frame for $5 and I removed the photo.

I painted it the same color as all the other frames. I then sanded the edges.

I was stuck on what to do with the inner edge of the frame. This was a more spongy materials so it was hard to paint over. Since my book pages were just soaked, I used a few to fill this space. I then sealed it with the Krylon Satin finish. If the pages weren’t wet, I would have used rubber cement or some other adhesive.

When I first moved in I saw this gold mesh material in a roll and I asked who was using it. No one claimed it so I was given permission to use it. It was the perfect size so I didn’t have to cut it. I then used my staple gun to attach the mesh to the frame.

I love that the pages on the inside of the frame accent the full wall of pages behind it.

Is it scary to confess that these are not all the earring I own? A little. I have a few more dangling on another cute earring holder that stands on my dresser.

Here are some close ups. Quite cute ey?

Here’s the before and after shot!

08/6/12

After Photos from a Vintage Inspired Client

Hello lovelies! So I am really excited because today I finally got some “after” shots of a project I did about 8 months ago. A friend of mine was moving into a new space. He went from a multi bedroom house to a studio. Normally you would think, no biggie, but this man used to own and sell antiques so he has the most epic treasures lying around that he could probably fill an enormous house with. I was so excited when he called me up to ask for my advice. In moving into a smaller space he found it really hard to create a cohesive environment. Design and aesthetic is not an issue for this guy but he needed general help with layout and flow. Cue in Ariela, the Interior Designer friend who focuses on Feng Shui. It was a super fun project because A- He is a friend of mine B- it only took a few hours to set the layout and then he and I got to play with all his treasures C- I was able to collaborate with a guy who has really great taste and D- he gave me the ladder to the loft and I created this which now hangs out in my bedroom and I absolutely adore.

So here are a few before shots from my iPhone:

So these are the super bare bones pictures. All he had in there were select few pieces so that I could get the layout going and then we would start playing with accessories.

Why was this space a challenge?

1- It was a lot smaller than the house he came from therefore leaving us with a lot of furniture and not so much space for it

2- Loft beds are tricky. They do help by giving more floor space but I definitely had to play around a lot before I settle on the final layout

3- Trying to figure out how I was going to incorporate a living room/sitting room and a bedroom with not your generic pieces of furniture was a bit tricky (In the end, this is what made the layout work so well)

So let’s see how it turned out:

I decided the seating area would be included under the loft bed. There is an L-shape now with 2 portions of a sofa (thank god for non-generic furniture) with a table in the corner to make use of the otherwise dead space.

Here’s a nice shot of his vintage pillows and sofa.

Looking from the closet out. You can see that the living space now creates a more intimate seating area for guests but be careful because a few martinis in and you might need to watch your head if you decide to sit under the loft ;)

Congratulations on your retirement… why thank you.

Even his hangers are fancy.

Some cute kitchen shots.

Best place to air out dem socks.

He made that wooden bathtub ledge. What a thinker, no? Best place to hold you soaps and porcelain sailor man.

So there you have it. It has been 8 months since I was last there helping him with his layout so he had a lot of time to make it his own but I am so grateful that I can finally snap some “after” photos of even the smaller projects I get to do.

Have an awesome weekend folks!!

04/9/12

Craigslist Finds

Happy Mondays folks! I just got back from a few days in Miami. Wow, I feel recharged and inspired. I had set up all my posts before I left so I actually haven’t written for a week. I didn’t take my laptop so I can feel super inspired and it worked!

I thought I would change up the pace a little today. Since I am always looking on craigslist to find furniture to refurbish, I thought I would share some with you today. Some of these pieces are ready without any work needed and some are just ready to put some love into.

This Headboard is beautiful as is and it’s a ridiculous steal for $75. I am not quite sure all the details of this headboard but it reminds me of the beautiful carved teak Indonesian pieces that can sell for a lot of money.

If you have the painting bug like me, here is an inspiration photo for paint colors to use:

Do you see all the beautiful touches or turquoise, green, blue and bits of yellow? This is the good stuff! Don’t be shy when using your sandpaper.

I know, I know what some of you are thinking. This Green chair is really old, but you have to think larger picture. I am a fan of mixing different styles. This chair would be great if you are into a bohemian style. ($75)

Check out this inspiration image I found where a vintage looking (I doubt it’s really vintage) green sofa is styled with colorful patterns to liven it up:

I found this image on apartment therapy which is an amazing design source.

These Lamps are stunning but they come at a pretty hefty price at over $200. It almost looks like lace. Now I don’t think I would touch these lamps but I would probably get creative with some cool lamp shades.

This lamp shade is a great find on Etsy priced at $55. I like these together because they have similar themes but the lamp shade’s colors and texture modernize it.

This Sofa at $75 is great find. I don’t even feel the need to find an inspiration image because these guys do a great job adding to the nautical motif with the pillows.

 This mid century modern Buffet is priced at $399 but it is an original piece and I bet you can bargain a bit.

Now, painting an original mid century modern piece of furniture is pretty risky but I like taking risks with furniture. So if you are like me and willing to take that risk, maybe you will be inspired by this:

I mean, hello!!! This buffet is stunning and you don’t even have to commit to painting the whole piece. This reminds of when I blogged about two-toned furniture.

This Dining table is great. The hammered and antiqued top makes this piece look very worldly. Again, as with the mid-century modern buffet, I would create a two-tone piece like this:

This table has a great look with the antiqued painted legs.

And finally, this 70′s chair is le magnifique and only $35. The upholstery looks pretty nice too but who knows. You have to see it in person. Pop on a few great pillows and you’re done.

 

These 2 pillows are Etsy finds. I like the  love burst  pillow for the 70s chair because the mustard yellow picks up the tones of the vintage upholstery. I like the turquoise pillow because I think blues and greens go beautifully together and the graphic patterns modernizes the look.

 Well, I hope you enjoyed my finds today and maybe inspired some DIY purchases!

www.arielanajman.com

www.sweetnectardesigns.com

www.etsy.com/people/ArielaN 

11/11/11

Hand-painted Ladder

I’ve been inspired by ladders since I posted about them a while back. A few weeks ago, I got hold of this ladder and I finally got to working on it today. I painted a few layers. First was a blue tinted stain and then the white. Finally I sanded it down to look like it’s been around a long time. I still haven’t put the polyurethane on it but I wanted to show the progress so far.

Le’ after:

Some close ups:

Oh so many things I could do with this ladder. It could hold my millions of scarves, it could be a pot rack in the kitchen, or maybe hold some fancy shoes?! My mind is bursting with ideas!

www.arielanajman.com

www.sweetnectardesigns.com

www.etsy.com/people/ArielaN