Faux-Boo!

Remember this?

Remember the faux-boo* Henry Link Bali Hai furniture set I scored from Craigslist to go with this?

(And, yes, I still have the skirted table - deal with it). Well, I painted it right before summer but I never completed the task of finding hardware so I just swiped some from a chest in the other room. I also grabbed the lamps from the dining room just so I could see what it would look like with lamps. And while I think it looks better painted black, it's just so...blah.

And so small! Compared with today's furniture, it looks child-sized. And with the mirror, there's TOO MUCH BOO!! (I guess you'd call that a faux-boo-boo.)

For those who asked, I did use a small Mikita power sander for the formica top and flat surfaces and I just used several coats of satin spray paint (beginning with primer) to coat it. The surface is super smooth and lovely. But if you're looking for a lacquer finish like this, I received an excellent tip from 1st Dibs shop owner Lewis Trimble (his chest is still for sale here):

"...the first tip I have for you is there's stuff called liquid sander... two coats of this and then there's an oil based paint called fine paints of europe brilliant. Use 2-3 thin coats as it runs easily with some light sanding in between... great stuff, not lacquer but for a diy'er it's almost better...
thanks for posting my chest!
Lewis Trimble"

Thanks, Lewis, for the tip! If anyone tries this lacquer technique, please let me know.

*faux-boo coined by David of Midwestern Malaise.

Wee Beasties.

I think I originally saw these on Hollister Hovey's blog and have loved them ever since. People think etsy only has doilies and the craft version of Sandra Lee's cooking but it's not true.

The Grand Ole Bestiary is an example of etsy at its best. And a great way to get original, unique art at a great price.

Wow.

I promised myself I wasn't going to post anything else about COD, but this is unreal. You can watch the whole thing (you should) or you can go to 2:48 and 6:50 where the meat is. This is, I believe, their third debate held this morning at Widener Law School in Wilmington.

So, maybe I won't have to make phone calls for Coons after all...

The Tea Party's Almost Over (Bring Liquor!).

Don't miss tonight's debate between U. S. Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell and Chris Coons. If you can't watch tonight, then you'll want to remember to watch Bill Maher on Friday and/or SNL on Saturday for the highlights.

It's on at 7:30 EST on your local PBS station... brought to you by the letter D (for Dumb Dangerous Disastrous Delaware).

You Must Pay Zee Rent...

This could amuse me for quite some time...

Bye Summer, I Had a Swell Time.

Love, HG

Getting My Magnum On.

Holy Guacamole.

I just discovered (accidentally) the most awesome thing ever.

Our beach house was hit by lightning several weeks ago. We had to get a new TV. We had to get a new Sony Bravia 46-inch TV (had. to. *wink*). The beauty of this TV is not only that it fills the space above the fireplace but that it has the ability to get Netflix DIRECTLY TO THE TV!!

You just need a little wireless doohickey (similar to a flash drive) that plugs into one of the USB ports (I know!! How far has TV come?!) and you can instantly stream movies and TV shows right to your television for $8.99 per month!! You can tell how excited I am by the number of exclamation points I am using. !!!

So, not only have I watched Steve McQueen sent instantly to my TV in the form of Bullitt (The Getaway was only available through mail and is on its way to me as we speak, as is Sex and Lucia, The Philadelphians and the original Thomas Crown Affair) and The Paper Chase (who remembers this movie which was subsequently made into a series?), Barry Lyndon (before Ryan O'Neal was loony), Amelie, It's Complicated...I have just streamed in two seasons worth of Magnum, P.I. God, I was in love with Tom Selleck in college and "dated" a guy who reminded me exactly of him. Sigh. Yes, dated in quotes. Don't judge.

Netflix should be paying me is how much I love this service. Check it out. The picture's so excellent, too.

Happy Mad Men Season 4 Day!

I've come out of my self-imposed exile to celebrate the Season 4 premiere of Mad Men. I know you're as excited as I am. Here's what I've been doing instead of blogging:

Okay, not sailing so much as cleaning the brightwork while she is docked.

Hanging out at the beach with my boyfriend, James Bond:

Making my dishes sparkling clean while smelling like a garden using this:

geranium

Having an Apple a day:

Day One

Day Two

Attending my hairdresser's drag show at the Purple Parrot:

Oh, hell yes, she is fine...

Occasionally working at my friend's store so I can be surrounded by beautiful!! things:

Deanna Wish Designs

Contemplating life's big questions:

1) Who the hell is Joy Bryant anyway and why should I care?

2) What is wrong with people who back into parking spaces?

3) Vinegar or ketchup? (Vinegar, definitely.)

3) Why is The Big Lebowski funny? Or John Goodman in general?

4) Does anybody really know what time it is; does anybody really care?

But mostly, I have been wildly anticipating Don Draper and the gang coming back into my life.

Hope you're having a fab summer. xo

My Sentiments Exactly.

New Yorker cartoon by Joe Dator 2008

Alex McCord =

Clutch Cargo.

Oh, don't tell me I'm the only one who's noticed. Actually, I like Alex this season which just goes to show how far the RHNYC has deteriorated. And I would happily have loaned her some balls for her little speech to Jill.

Oh, Jenna.

from the May Coastal Living

Yes, I still want to know everything about her. And if you're into J. Crew, you know it's the extra 20% off spring sale (through Friday). Shop on...

Beauty & the Beach: Boxwood Home.

Another gorgeous shop has opened on beautiful Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware: Boxwood Home at 39 Baltimore. Those chairs with the octopillows are meant for my family room. In addition to being beautiful, they are sooooooo comfy.

The Oly bed above about kills me with its raffia and nailhead upholstery.

An Oly sofa upholstered in a DDG (drop-dead gorgeous) fabric with white leather chairs.

The barrelback chair is upholstered in burlap with nailhead trim. The blue baby alpaca octopus throw is by Thomas Paul.

You can see one side of the Bungalow 5 Calista mirror and some of the John Derian collection of decoupage. It hasn't even been open two weeks yet so they're getting new things in all the time. They have a brand new blog here which you can keep checking for new info as well.

Say Hello to My Leetle Friend.

You've seen and admired and adored this chrome pig bank from the sidebar of Cococozy (read the story of her pig here). It was created by New York artist Harry Allen. Something you may not know about me is that I have a fondness for pigs and wee beasties in general (remember my guinea pig which lived to be 9 years old?) dating back to my birthplace of DeKalb, Illinois, home of Barbed Wire and Cindy Crawford (that's a whole separate post just like Texas is a whole other country).

Gold pig bank; photo James Merrell via Cococozy

An illustration of my love of pigs: When I worked in creative for Marshall Field's advertising department, I wore a Heinhold pig racing watch. (I know, how cool was I?)

Gold pig bank Elle Decor March 2010; Nate Berkus decor; photo by Mark Shaw

Now, to the point: I found this here ugly pig at Home Goods for $6.


I purchased this here chrome paint at the Farm & Fleet (actually, there is no Farm & Fleet here and I miss it so. I miss the sweet, slightly toxic smell of gasoline, fertilizer, Wrangler denim and new tires):


I sprayed that there pig like this here and voila:


Now you tell me that's not one handsome piece o' plasticized pork. It also only measures about 8 inches long and 4 1/2 inches high (whereas the original is quite large [18"Lx10"H] because it was cast using the remains of a naturally deceased* pig); perfect for my sideboard at the beach. Oh, and did I mention $6.50 + $4.50 for paint = $11.00 vs. $190.00 for Harry Allen pig bank. Now, mine's not a bank and I'm not trying to make a starving artist out of Harry, but you see my point...

*No pigs were harmed in the production of this post; however, some resin was wildly abused and spray painted into submission.

Gone Fishin'.

I am off to the beach for a very long weekend. Have a sunny, warm one and an ice cold one on me. (photo via Kelly Green)

Feed Your Soul.

The face of hunger has changed. And while middle-class poor seems like an oxymoron; it no longer is. Before you say "It could never happen to me," read Roxanne Reynolds' story. She didn't think she would ever be homeless and hungry either.

Middle-Class and Homeless Isn't Easy

By JACOB NELSON
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Roxanne Reynolds is typical of the new homeless. Two years ago, she earned more than $100,000 in a tech job that's gone away. When that job went away - and nothing filled its place - she wound up on assistance. As smart and ambitious as she is, she's not great at being homeless. Now, she and her two sons get by on subsidized housing as she goes back to school.

Click here for entire article.

The Washington Post ran this article last fall, "Whole Foods to Food Banks," also illustrating how some of the formerly affluent have ended up in such dire need as to require food assistance. Read the article here.

If you would like to help those in need (who knows? it may be someone you know), click on the April Food Day icon above to make a donation to the blogger's fund. Or click here for information and education about Feeding America.

Monday Jackpot: Craigslist Booty, Before and After, and a New DIY.

I spent the first few days of this year reading blogs that were new to me. First, I stumbled upon Brooklyn Limestone and read every post in her blog detailing the amazing transformation of her house from haunted to hubba-hubba.

If that didn't make me feel like a founding member of Underachievers Anonymous, I started reading Little Green Notebook. This young designer mom with two toddlers and a newborn kicks DIY ass and takes designer names on a weekly basis. Talk about feeling the need to step up your game.

My first project of the year was a small DIY of recovering the kitchen chairs with faux croc from JoAnn fabrics. Then I moved onto the project of making roman shades from mini-blinds as found on Little Green Notebook combined with a real roman shades project from Martha Stewart. I never realized how simple (if time-consuming) it is to make roman shades.

But when I saw the photo above on isuwanee and the project below from High Street Market, I fell in love and knew I had to get me some faux bamboo.


Here's how she found it:


Then when I saw this black version on 1st Dibs for $4500, I began my frenetic search.

So, I scoured Craigslist until I found this in Boston - a full set of Henry Link Bali Hai circa 1972 or so:


After weeks of waiting for its delivery, it is now mine. I really only needed the dresser or chest for our bedroom but I can use the rest around the house or at the beach. I also found a shipping company that will ship items up and down the eastern seaboard for reasonable prices. Email me if you'd like the info because I just noticed a dresser and chest on Craigslist in High Point, NC (apologies to MFAMB for getting dangerously close to her territory).

So, now I just need to get a power sander and get to town on this project. Either the dresser or chest is going to go in the Imperial Trellis project bedroom. What do you think: Dresser or chest? Black or white?

Friday Flashback.

Thirty-five years ago this week, this song appeared on the Billboard charts. Probably on Casey Kasem, American Bandstand and The Midnight Special, too. "Sister Golden Hair" makes me want to hop in my parents' Bonneville convertible and drive with the music blaring, daydreaming of suntans and spring break...

Who else is old enough to remember this? And if you weren't even born yet? Keep it to yourself. :-)

Make This Headboard.

Now that I am feeling all DIYawesome, I am ready to take on anything (and I know you are, too). I really loved this headboard from A Single Man. It would be so easy to make a very similar version by copying Grace's headboard from Design*Sponge. Remember this?:

First, you need this fabric available at Decoratorsbest.com for $37.50/yd. (I think it's also at Calico Corners):

Laura Ashley Tilbury in Lapis

Then you need to watch this:



Then you need to send me a picture so I can ooh and aah.

Happy 70 Degrees!

I thought it would never get here - this gorgeous spring week. So, I am outta here. If I had to be stuck inside, though, I would love to be stuck in my new favorite kitchen ever.

This kitchen was designed by Tish Key for the 2006 San Francisco Decorator Showcase and shamelessly swiped from Deliciously Organized. I am not really feeling the upside down bouquet of dead flowers light fixture but I love the rest: taking the tiling up the wall, the cabinetry, even the skirt is adorable! And I don't care what you say about I.T., the yellow just looks like a sunny day.

Have a great, warm weekend wherever you are.