Joe's dad built this for him when he was a kid and it was one of the things that came with us to our first and second apartments and then into our house.
The orangey stain didn't blend well with our decor and none of my stuff fit on the small upper shelf. It's hard to tell from the photos, but the shelved vary in height, small on top to large on the bottom. So I decided to flip it upside down, cut a little bit off what used to be the bottom, add legs and give it an ornate base.
Before:
After:
Materials: 1 2x4, cut down for legs,1 small piece of thin plywood for ornate pieces and paint that I had on hand.
Cost: About $10
For the decorative piece at the bottom, I folded a large piece of tracing paper in half, drew one side of what I wanted, made a mirror image on the other side, unfolded it and then traced it onto my wood. I cut it out with a jigsaw. Trust me...this was all easier said than done, I went back an forth on my design for days because I didn't have anything to work with and couldn't get it quite how I wanted.
I bought 2 birdhouses at a rummage sale for $1 a piece last summer. Although I thought they were sweet as-is, I really wanted something a little more me for the garden.
Before:
After:
Materials: Acrylic Paint.
Cost: Free since I had paint on hand. $2 if I didn't have paint.
This was my very first test in lessening my perfectionistic ways and I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. I decided that freehand was the way to go. It's funny that I can do these kinds of designs with a paint brush but can't think the same way with a pen in my hand.
Oh and PS: You'll come to learn that I have a slight birdhouse addiction. So far 66% of my projects on this blog consist of birdhouses! ;)
I picked this vase up for 90% off at Kohls a few years ago. I think it was about $4 or something. But the brown part was scratched and I didn't like the color or the flat finish, so I decided to paint it so it would fit in with my decor a little better.
Before:
After:
Materials: Paint, free because I had it on hand.
So I suppose I will start this blog with some projects that I did quite awhile ago. Since I'm going for simplicity here, a lot of the projects are going to be ones that are really easy. My goal is to get people who don't think they are creative to start thinking of ways they can change things that they already have if they want a new look.
Before:
After:
Materials: Acrylic Paint.
Cost: Free since I had paint on hand. $2 if I didn't have paint.
And so it begins, the start of Daydream Laboratory. Because, you know- I could really use another blog to update. Ah geez- what am I doing? Who knows. I suppose only time will tell.
The point of this blog is so I can have a separate space for small before & after projects, repurposed thrift finds and maybe the occasional art piece. My other blog, Operation Paper Cut, was quickly becoming a dumping ground for everything in my brain. I really needed two different places.
Here is the breakdown of what you'll find at each:
Daydream Laboratory:
+ small scale before & afters
+ less words
+ thrift finds that become something else
+ mixed media pieces (don't worry...i haven't been in the studio much these days)
+ no cats
Operation Paper Cut:
+ large scale before & afters- house makeovers, etc
+ more words
+ thrift finds that are already awesome & don't need help
+ cats
+ useless ramblings to clear my brain. design talk. whatever i feel like that day.
