Finished up my version of Martha’s paper lamp project for our newest display here at the store. Story is as follows:
1. get yourself some paper lamps. I went to Ikea and right after that, found out about a place on-line that is 1/3rd the price….i still have a mark on my forehead from the slap. go to your local Michaels and grab a cheap set of watercolor paint (no not the little disks in the tray-boy did i feel stupid after i brought those home), you can get 10 for 4.99. while you are there, get 2 spray bottles (you dont need more, you just need to wash the ones you have)!
2. squirt the paint into the bottle (about1/4 of the container) and fill the rest with water. SHAKE well-this stuff likes to settle on the bottom.
3. spray the lamp (assembled, not flat) give about 1-2 feet distance from the lamp & keep rotating it or it is going to look like it should be at a Grateful Dead show. let them hang in the yard to dry.
4. hang. check it out! i love the way it looks from the side…very festive!
I love me some Martha Stewart.
Yeah i know she was in jail, yeah people say she is not so nice, yes the whole “martha” thing is not really her-just her brand and the thousands of people working for her…but hey, there are some really good ideas from Miss M! and i really love that she is creative-yet, stylish.
one thing that i was totally inspired by was in a section in her namesake mag in May on dyeing lamps and other tidbits that look really great.
see that lamp?? way inspired and just purchased some paper lamps to do the same. they are currently taking up space in my living room awaiting disaster…more to come.
the folks at FoldSchool have probably come up with one of the best ideas of the century: making children’s furniture (giving something for future generations-warm feelings) from cardboard (a material that can be recycled) that looks modern (you can show it off) and is inexpensive (so you can save pennies for the future). but the best thing about FoldSchool’s designs are…
that you make the furniture yourself…DIY with style!
this great gesture of kindness, to empower the people with knowledge and taste is the most sincerest form of generosity. i am a Marxist at heart (please do not confuse that with Communism, which i think is the utopian of humanity, but cannot be realistically achieved), i cannot help to relate that is donation of knowledge is really doing what we should all do:
empower the people to create great things!
let’s try to do this in our everyday lives…thank you FoldSchool! let’s see what’s next!
people say i am creative…but i don’t really think that i am. what i really am is cheap. i would rather spend money on products for my customers and tasty food than on things that i can make myself. for example, there are tons of catalogs that sell things for retail stores. they sell anything and everything and it is all very expensive. signs and displays for items are anything from $4-$50 and you never need just one, so it really adds up.
to combat this is started using my old paint sticks and attached paper on them (which is great because if something changes, i just change the paper) and the old scraps of wood from the ceiling i tore down on in my original space.
yesterday, we dressed up a simple IKEA tack board to display some of our new jewelry items. we simply put a coat of clay paint (a $5 sample pot is more than enough). then we hot glue-gunned pennies ( which i always seem to have more of that anything else in the store) to the tacks and fin!
the board looks weird because i couldn’t wait for the paint to dry to mount …not suggested. you can use buttons, bottle caps, or tiny pieces of wood instead of pennies for the tacks. i just liked how the copper looked against the green board.
when i think organic fabrics, even now, i still have this idea of simple tan fabric or maybe a slightly colored version that is most likely not going to cover anything in my home….way too boring! i need a little pizazz, color, style and personality…
thank goodness for HARMONY ART a true testimony to supporting organic cotton without sacrificing style. harmony has created some truly beautiful fabrics that are a perfect compliment to interiors but i like them simply hung, they are so beautiful! please check out her new line, they are not only unique and vibrant, but bring a certain kind of brightness that goes beyond a coat of fresh paint.
the show has been a great learning experience so far. but what i have really loved about it has been my neighbors across the way LOLL DESIGNS
a fantastic group of people making some serious outdoor furniture, these guys make the best looking, durable, well-designed patio elements that brings the outdoors to a completely other level—something to show off!
the pieces are made from recycled plastic (they even have a bench made from Tide bottles and it smells like…well you know), they do not fade with sun and have a sturdiness that will withstand the test of time.
the pieces cost a little more than conventional outdoor favors, but considering replacing, refinishing and renewing your standard brand, LOLL makes a serious bargin…you will want to sit outside in the dead of winter!
recently featured in the LA Times, you will be seeing a lot more of LOLL…in fact, these kind people are allowing us to take orders! in about 2 weeks we will carry a sample chair for you to experience for yourself why i love them so much.