If anyone will be in or near Spokane at the end of September, don't miss this! I was invited to be a vendor at the Mad Hatter Vintage Flea Market in Spokane this year. I am so excited to be part of this market, -It so it sounds spectacular! This market is put on by a mother-daughter team, owners of Junebug Furniture & Design in Spokane. Check them out here and here!
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(Thanks FMC for the picture, I didn't get a picture of this before sending it off!)
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Bring-your-own-seat. That's what it's all about with my latest project. Bart was kind of sad when I took apart "the sheep" as he lovingly called the ottoman I hastily made for our wedding last year.
I'm pretty excited about the suitcase ottoman. I've seen these on the internet quite a bit lately and have been dying to make one. I'm in love with the retro print I found in the bolt ends at Hancock Fabrics, the legs of our beloved sheep, and this great turquoise suitcase. It was really quite easy to make and I plan on making a chair out of the smaller suitcase as soon as I can find an old school chair for the frame.
I sanded the top down and stained it with a dark stain then painted the body of it turquoise, only to attack it with sandpaper hours later. After distressing it, I put the dark stain over the turquoise and wiped it off to give it a more muted look. And here she is in all her glory. If Bart didn't have such an aversion to turquoise (perhaps because I love it so much and do EVERYTHING in turquoise) then I would have a hard time giving this baby up. 
I've got more projects in process that I hope to have finished. I've got several lamps I'm jazzing up with a little spraypaint and bright fabric lampshades, a kitchen table that is finished but needs re-assembling, a bench that just needs distressing and a cushion made for it, oh and about a billion other things. The list keeps growing.
2. A re-upholstery project for my friend Andrea--chair is stripped down to the wood. I have to reupholster and figure out where the padding should go. Oh, and it has to match the one she has at home as well!
3. A bench pad for my friend Lori. Not too bad
A sweet retro folding table set. I'm planning on spray-painting the metal some great color and replacing the vinyl with something bright and fun! Ideas?
This great find just needs a little love. I'll probably paint it white and distress it and add a brightly colored vintage print pad to it.
A set of 3 turquoise suitcases. I've seen all sorts of cool things done with suitcases these days. We'll see what I can come up with, but I'm thinking maybe an ottoman or chair, medicine cabinet, or we'll see...something cool.
Lamps galore. I'll get some high gloss spray-paint for the bases and gorgeous fabric to cover some of the shades. I'll leave some of the shades as-is. They definitely have that retro vibe.
Cute wooden table. I'm thinking of sanding down and staining the top with dark stain while painting the base either turquoise, robin's egg, or chartreuse green.
I can't help it. She looks stinking cute in this, doesn't she? I've always scoffed at people who dress their pets (sorry, people who dress your pets) but necessity recently has facilitated my venturing into the world of pet dressing. Don't worry, it will stop here, I promise. Except maybe halloween--Tosia made a really cute Granny the year that Bart was the big bad wolf and I was Little Red.
Anyway, over New Years, hubby and I spent the weekend at the Mountaineers Lodge at Mount Baker. We brought Tosia along 1. because it's really hard to find someone to babysit a blind and diabetic dog when they have to give her insulin shots, and 2. They've let her in the lodge before when it wasn't very busy, so we thought we'd take a chance. Unfortunately, it was a very busy weekend, so we packed a huge down dog blanket and her bed and tried to make her as comfortable as possible in the car. It was a cold night, so we took turns every two hours running out to the car to warm it up. I had a thin down jacket that we put on her, but it was a little big, and frankly I don't share that well with pets. So, we decided to make Tosia her very own coat.
The pockets come in handy for her essentials: flashlight, treats, what have you...
This week I was browsing through my favorite blogs and I happened to read that the Flea Market Chics in Bremerton were looking for new vendors to sell at their store. I absolutely love looking through their blog at all the gorgeous things that they have for sale and I've always wanted to take the hour long ferry to check it out, so I took a chance, took a ferry, and showed them pictures of some of the projects I've done and they loved them! I'm the newest Chick! I am so excited. I get to start doing what I love and getting paid for it! Not only that, but now I have a REASON to go thrifting and a REASON to buy things! (Our little house is so packed that I haven't been able to justify any new purchases or projects!)
The bed was in my nephew's room. He now prefers to sleep with his mattress on the floor and have bookshelves made of cardboard these days so he took his bed apart and put it in the basement while my sister was taking a nap (he's 11). While it was well-loved, it was super sturdy and still in great shape. All the walls in our room are white, so I wanted to paint it to make it stand out.
Last weekend, while Bart was away on a climbing adventure, I went to work painting it my new favorite color--grey. I painted the bedside table and added new pulls as well. Love the result. I must say, I miss my husband madly when he's gone, but boy do I get productive!
I made the curtains, duvet and lampshade, got the pillows at Target, and made the starbursts on the wall out of rolled-up magazine pages. 
Now for the gem... I got this lamp at a thrift store for $11. I immediately fell in love with the base, and thought that it had some great potential in my living room. The lamp base with the shade was a bit too retro for me, so I ditched the shade and found a great purple shade from World Market.
Unfortunately, the attachment for the shade didn't work with the lamp so I had to buy some pieces at Home Depot to help extend the height of the lightbulb so the shade can fit.
Viola! A lovely new lamp for under $50!
I made this pillow a while ago, but haven't had the time to really sit down and blog about it. Or rather, it wasn't part of wedding preparations, so I saved it for later and just realized that I hadn't posted it yet. Originally, this was a hand-stitched tapestry that my grandmother (on my mom's side) made years and years ago. Up close, it is incredible. The thread she used is thick and wooly and there are so many subtle details that give it depth. I'm sure it must have taken her a long time.
This hung on our wall in a picture frame at home for as long as I can remember. It was one of those parts of your house that you never look at because it's been there for so long, and I remember even thinking that it looked old and tired because it had just always been there. One summer when I came home from college, I rediscovered it as my mom was going through the house getting rid of old things. I think this was the first time I really looked at it and fully appreciated the craftsmanship that went into it. I decided that it was not getting the appreciation it deserved, so I asked my mom if I could have it. She is a practical woman and not prone to being incredibly sentimental about items, so she said yes. 
I made it into a simple A-line skirt. The front of the skirt was of course the tapestry, while the back was out of a darker green silk shantung. Wish I had taken a picture of it, it was really quite unique. The only problem was that in the last 10 years, I wore the skirt perhaps twice. 1. Because it was difficult to find something to wear with it that could complement without competing, and 2. Because it was very very uncomfortable and itchy. The thread used is wool, I think and even with a lining and a slip, it drove me crazy and kept me itching the entire time I wore it. This spring, as I moved my things into our new house, I rediscovered the skirt and knew that this piece needed to be appreciated once again. I love pillows and knew it would fit perfectly within my home. I backed it with this beautiful teal-blue stretch velveteen and used the same fabric for a piping around the edges of the print. It's wonderful to have a little piece of Grandma Laird in my home.
I'm not usually one to obsessively follow Hollywood couples or english royalty, but I did check out William and Kate's wedding on Friday. Perhaps it's because I'm still on a high from my own wedding and really wanted to see Kate's wedding dress (which I absolutely loved.) They really looked happy and I loved the way William would steal glances at Kate during the ceremony and exchange coy looks with his brother. They really did look blissfully happy and it reminded me of my own blissfully happy wedding a mere three weeks ago. So needless to say, love was in the air, and William and Kate were on my mind this weekend as I set about the daunting task of organizing and cleaning the post-wedding mayem in my sewing room. I sent husband away for the weekend so I could tear apart the house and clean to my heart's desire. I started by taking apart the shelving unit I bought off craigslist a few months ago.
These are pretty heavy duty industrial shelves and they looked the part so I decided to spray paint them white to make them look a little daintier--if that's possible. 
As I sat outside in my bare feet and sweat pants, spraypainting second-hand shelves and thinking about the royal wedding, I started to wonder what life would be like for the Duchess of Cambridge. I'm pretty sure she'd never have to find couches off the side of the road to re-upholster or buy $7 chairs at Value Village for her kitchen. And I'm pretty sure that after the wedding, she won't spend the next three weeks cleaning up after it. The funny thing is, I don't mind. I actually feel a bit sorry for those born into that sort of privledge. I love that I can take apart an old couch and put it back together, that I can find use in somebody else's discarded wares, and that I can enjoy the satisfaction of cleaning and organizing my own home. Growing up in a large family, I was raised on garage sales, hand-me-down clothes, and thrift store prom dresses. I've learned so many useful skills and enjoy every minute of creating and the mess that comes with it...
And now, after a weekend of organizing and painting. I am now ready to create again. Don't those shelves look dainty?
(Agata, thanks for the picture, I hope you don't mind my using it!) 
I must say that I am truly blessed to be surrounded by and related to some of the most gifted, generous people. My sister-in-law Lisa and dear friend Barb threw me the most beautiful bridal shower today, despite their incredibly busy lives. (With the valuable assistance of Lisa's mom Annaley, my sister Micah, and another friend Natalie!) I could not have asked for a more perfect shower. Lisa put so much thought into every detail, making it something that was so special. 
Barb coordinated the food and made it all with the help of Natalie and Micah. It was so delicious! We had assorted breakfast delights like eggs tarragon, oven-baked french toast, and a delicious potato and ham casserole. We also ate bacon-wrapped green beans, stuffed mushrooms, fruit kebabs, banana choclate muffins and Natalie's famous chocolate truffle cookies. It was delectable.
The table settings were gorgeous...complete with burlap table cloths (which I plan on using for my wedding, turquoise vases with yellow flowers (my favorite color combination right now... and sun filtering through the windows. It was all so elegant and natural-looking.
This was incredible... because I am a lover of the outdoors, Lisa wanted to create a "field of flowers" going up the staircase. She and Annaley spent hours perusing antique stores for these incredible bottles for the gorgeous flowers she bought. It was breathtaking.
While driving near her house, Lisa and her mom saw some men trimming trees so they stopped and snagged some branches which they spray painted my favorite shade of blue! These branches were hanging from the ceiling above the food. I wish my camera could capture the whole shot, because it was stunning! We plan on getting married in Ashley's garden area under this incredible arbor. I'm going to hang this from the top right above where we stand.
Lisa had this flower centerpiece made and it was incredible. Not only are there gorgeous pink and yellow roses, it has different vegetables and fruits interspersed. Red cabbage, tomatillos, purple and orange cauliflour, plums, kiwi, red grapes, and limes. I am going to see if Lisa can recreate this for my wedding as well.
The Crown Jewel of the day was the wedding dress. Lisa borrowed my dress form and used pictures from wedding magazines to create a beautiful gown. Annaley spent three days putting this together and she has the burns and pricks on her fingers to prove it! I'm hoping that it will stay in good shape for the next three weeks so I can make this part of my photobooth. I don't think my pictures do it justice!
One of the things I love about Lisa is how thoughtful she is. She takes care of all the little details that really make you feel special. She found this print by a Polish artist (Bart is polish). She picked it because she thought that it looked like me and it does! It actually looks like someone painted me. This was such a special day, and the ladies I was able to spend it with were so special. Overall, a great day. It makes me more and more excited for my wedding...coming up in three short weeks!
THANK YOU EVERYONE! I love you!
