Stripping 2: Reveal-ations!

Y'all the headboard & footboard I scored while whoring a few weeks back is starting to take on a new sassy, albeit,stainless steel persona:

Blam! And look at this shiot:

But WAIT, there's more!:

The paint stripper is like liquid acid! Genius! I'm sure I'm forever changed, metaphysically, from breathing in the fumes at this point, and, of course, I'm not wearing gloves--- don't do this at home Dazzlers--- but the process overall has been smooth sailing, and I've been taken to new highs I never knew I could reach!!! Styleslapping to come soon!

Y'all, get some gourds...it's FALL!

I love Fall, always have. And it's one of the BEST times to be in NYC. It's also a great time to think about our decor and how to reflect the change in seasons inside. Here's an inspiring article on how to get really creative with gourds. Enjoy, y'all...

IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERF&$KERS.

BY COLIN NISSAN - - - - I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get my hands on some f&$king gourds and arrange them in a horn-shaped basket on my dining room table. That sh*t is going to look so seasonal. I’m about to head up to the attic right now to find that wicker f&$ker, dust it off, and jam it with an insanely ornate assortment of shellacked vegetables. When my guests come over it’s gonna be like, BLAMMO! Check out my shellacked decorative vegetables, a@@holes. Guess what season it is—f&$king fall. There’s a nip in the air and my house is full of mutant f&$king squash.

I may even throw some multi-colored leaves into the mix, all haphazard like a crisp October breeze just blew through and f&$ked that sh*t up. Then I’m going to get to work on making a beautiful f&$king gourd necklace for myself. People are going to be like, “Aren’t those gourds straining your neck?” And I’m just going to thread another gourd onto my necklace without breaking their gaze and quietly reply, “It’s fall, f&$kfaces. You’re either ready to reap this freaky-a@@ed harvest or you’re not.”

Carving orange pumpkins sounds like a pretty fitting way to ring in the season. You know what else does? Performing an all-gourd reenactment of an episode of Diff’rent Strokes—specifically the one when Arnold and Dudley experience a disturbing brush with sexual molestation. Well, this sh*t just got real, didn’t it? Felonies and gourds have one very important commonality: they’re both extremely f&$king real. Sorry if that’s upsetting, but I’m not doing you any favors by shielding you from this anymore.

The next thing I’m going to do is carve one of the longer gourds into a perfect replica of the Mayflower as a shout-out to our Pilgrim forefathers. Then I’m going to do lines of blow off its hull with a hooker. Why? Because it’s not summer, it’s not winter, and it’s not spring. Grab a calendar and pull your f&$king heads out of your a@@es; it’s fall, f&$kers.

Have you ever been in an Italian deli with salamis hanging from their ceiling? Well then you’re going to f&$king love my house. Just look where you’re walking or you’ll get KO’d by the gauntlet of misshapen, zucchini-descendant bastards swinging from above. And when you do, you’re going to hear a very loud, very stereotypical Italian laugh coming from me. Consider yourself warned.

For now, all I plan to do is to throw on a flannel shirt, some tattered overalls, and a floppy f&$king hat and stand in the middle of a cornfield for a few days. The first crow that tries to land on me is going to get his avian a@@ biotch-slapped all the way back to summer.

Welcome to autumn, f&$kheads!

(Click here for the story as it appears in McSweeney's and here to go to Colin's website for more tangy writing! Pic above from The 2 Seasons blog story on how-to make a gourd centerpiece.)

It's time...Thrift Whores...

For some HOT Before and After action up in this 'dazzle, what...THRIFT WHORE THURSDAY!?!This thrift store armoire was scored for a client while out whoring weeks ago:

Don't be shy babydoll, we need to see the goods:

Here's where we are today:

And:

YES, y'all! This armoire has been totally tricked out: new paint job, drawers lined in pink felt, custom mirror added to the inside back topped off with some interior lighting chic-ness!

The client is just thrilled beyond belief with how this turned out and so am I...just goes to show y'all what some good honest thrift whoring can do for your lives...happy whoring!

The stripping has begun!!!

Y'all, I've started to strip the nasty finish off my new bed frame that I scored last week while out Thrift Whoring...check it:

I'm using a liquid paint & finish remover called, Zip Strip, which is probably highly toxic beyond belief, but damn it sure does eat that brown finish right off...look:

I'm brushing the liquid on with a craft brush, letting it set a bit, then wiping off with an old rag. I've had to repeat this process a couple times in certain spots, but it's really easy:

Y'all can see the stainless steel showing through! There's some blemishes here and there in the steel, but y'all know we're all a little imperfect and I think it adds even more character! Imagine how chic this is going to look when totally finished? And remember, this frame cost me $20!!! After its all been stripped, I will seal it with butcher's wax or a matte polyurethane to prevent rusting...stay tuned, y'all!!!

Free Friday!!!

It's FRIDAY, y'all and look at this free dresser someone put out on the street:

Someone please grab this gal and give her some TLC-- oh I know! A fresh coat of paint & drop a bowl right on top & retro-fit this biotch for plumbing!!! YES! That's a sink console I'd LOVE to wash up in! Scrub IT:

There's wheels, storage potential AND look at that scalloped edge that's just sending y'all smiles, all sweet-like:

Damn! Consider yourselves STYLE-SLAPPED!!!

Armoire Amour!!!

Y'all here's a quick update on the armoire makeover:

Refresher: I'm repurposing this thrift store armoire into a bar & additional dining room storage for one of my clients. It's a beast of a thing, and has been soaking up paint like a sponge, but we're getting there...

I just can't gush enough about this idea-- I'm forever seeing these old wardrobes/dressers, entertainment centers, or even china cabinets, at the thrift stores, for next to nothing-- our dude being tricked out here was a mere $69!!! How appropriate! Scandal!!! With some elbow grease and creativity, y'all can totally customize them to suit the task at hand...my client wanted to be able to shut away the bar & be able to store entertaining extras so if the need arises, they'd all be close at hand...these drawers ought to help her with that, especially when they're lined in this amazing hot pink felt:

I simply used spray mount on drawer bottom and carefully smoothed out the felt towards drawer edges. Next, i slowly trimmed along grooves with exacto knife and scissors, tucking any frayed edges into drawer seams...felt realness:

One down, three more to go!!! I've also got some plans to make the bar nice and glam...Check back for HOT after shots soon!!!

The POTUS...dumpster dives???

Y'all, I think President Obama is amazing and maybe the past four years haven't been the reveal beyond belief that we all so desperately seek here on Blog-A-Dazzle, but c'mon, we've had some incredible moments (gay rights, hello???), esp. considering the 'before' he inherited...let's HOPE he gets four more years to deliver the 'after' that will really make our jaws drop...he's got my vote...especially since Michelle Obama took us there with her speech recently at the DNC revealing this about our Commander-in-Chief, "he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster"...um, yes please!!!

Now get out and do some diving...and voting, y'all-- four more years!!!

Desperately Seeking Stainless...

Y'all, I'm forever on the hunt for some thing. Whether it's for a prop styling gig or an interiors project for a client or, for my own projects. Usually, it's an item that doesn't exist (I dreamt it up, I guess?) or isn't readily available (mass market) or is out of stock or is custom. One day I just want to open up a store that carries ALL the shiot that I'm endlessly searching for...a one-stop shop, where everything's in stock and it's all available. All the time. My current search was for a restaurant supply table for my clients kitchen. Y'all know these tables, right?

They're mainly used as prep tables in restaurant kitchens-- stainless steel, about counter height, with one shelf below that's adjustable.

Challenge: I needed one that my client could actually sit at. Exactly like this:

Search-a-thon was on for open base biotch! Let it be known, that we have a killer restaurant supply district in NYC, where naturally I went first to try and find this table. And naturally, no one seemed to know what in hell I was talking about. In fact, I went as far as texting the above open base example image to one lady who promptly told me that type of table doesn't exist, or well...then, it's...custom! Well, custom shut the FU$% you! Guess who found that table after all???

Holla! The exact table in the exact dimensions I need-- all for roughly $338 bucks!!! VALUE! The Web Restaurant Store has taken me there! Click here to get this table or something similar for your own projects...this place has an awesome selection of all kinds of chic restaurant supply furniture--- all under one 'roof'... available all the time...with a simple click of a mouse!!! Yummy!

It's 5:00 PM somewhere!

So y'all know what that means? Time to get your drank on!!! And it just so happens that I'll be enjoying mine from my new bar cart! Oh shiot, lookee here...warning...HOT AFTER ACTION:

This is probably one of the easiest diy's I've ever done! And I just j'adore how it turned out...It's amazing to me how you can completely transform something from it's intended purpose into something else entirely-- with the easy addition of some custom cut glass.

Here's how I made this all happen...

*Create a template for the area that you wish to put glass atop/on. If you're blessed to have a cart with a square or rectangular situation, then this project is even EASIER and you're a biotch! BUT, if, like me, you have an irregular shape that you're working with-- pear, rotund, obtuse c'ankle-- what have you...then y'all have to make a template for glass cutter to work off. I made mine out of craft paper.

*Next cut a rough approximate shape from paper. Holding that shape firmly in place, trace the underside/bottom edges of the basket where your glass will eventually sit inside of. Make sense? This allows ya'll to get the exact shape of the area you want glass cut for.

*Lastly, trim off about 1.5" more from the tracing line you just made in the paper edge with scissors to allow for some clearance of the glass, so it won't scrape against the metal of the cart, once cut. Now you've made your template, which should look something like this:

And there y'all have it! Remember to always measure twice (or even three times) and cut once. Also, as a back-up back-up, if you're just nervous as all hell to trust your template-making skills, you can always bring your cart to your glass cutter. Y'all want at least 1/4" thick glass with a safety edge. My two pieces ran me about $60/each...so, not dirt cheap, but not cra cra either. And this little lady may not always be just a bar cart in my space-- she can now become a side table or console of sorts, etc...so the minimal investment has yielded double and potentially even TRIPLE value, y'all...and that's not something we take lightly here at Blog-A-Dazzle!!! Triple Value!

Cheers!

Grocery Cart Goes Glam!

Y'all, I've had this amazing vintage shopping cart for almost a year:

Such an amazing score!

And honestly, she's just so chic, AS IS, sitting all side table-like in the corner of my salon-- uh huh, I typed salon-- but that's just way too easy for the likes of me. This gal is becoming our new bar cart! Oh shiot, y'all were just style-slapped!!!

I'm going to have glass custom cut for the bottoms of each of the basket levels, so they become usable/level surfaces from which to get my drink on. Bottoms? Basket? This post sure is gettin' good, y'all-- damn! And I'm not even done yet!

Once I add my bar (bottles, ice bucket, maybe some glassware, cocktail napkins, etc) and viola...it's happy hour!!! This is probably one of the easiest repurposing projects I'll ever do...so, naturally it's taken almost a year to get done, but whatev's...it's going to be amazing, so stay tuned to get some hot AFTER reveal action, y'all!

Armoire Update!

Ok, soI know it's like 12:30 AM, and, yes, I've enjoyed some tequila..,but I've still got my wits about me to share the progress of the armoire makeover with y'all...I mean, look at this shiot:

We tested two different colors, both grey, but clearly this is the one carrying the golden torch:

Damn! This grey man is HOT, right?!? Look at more hotness:

And look how chic this paint treatment gets when I add the hardware:

Hot Thrift Whore Action!!!

Trust that I've not forgotten what day it is, Dazzlers! No no! But I must confess this week's Trift Whore Thursday is a little different than the usual shenanigans...I stumbled upon this little man in my local Salvation Army for $69! HOT!: Damn! It just so happens that I'm working on a new interiors project where I'm in need of some additional dining room storage. Now, most folks wouldn't look upon this armoire as something that could do much for a dining room, but hear me out, y'all after you get a peek at what's happening inside:

This dude has drawers for days! And that giant open space is just begging to become a bar! YES! With the easy addition of a mirror glued in back, some under mount lighting and some spray paint-- what damn time are drinks SERVED?! Yesterday, whores!

Y'all, I see these types of armoires ALL THE TIME when I'm out Thrift Whoring...they're like workhorses that you can customize for any function...and they're most often dirt cheap, so with some TLC and a little creativity, you can get a one-of-a-kind piece for minimal $$$. I love that this armoire has all this amazing wood pattern detailing on the front...it adds to the character, and again, when this is painted out in one color, it's going to look stunning. The drawers are just amazing as is, for obvious reasons...who in hell doesn't have a drawer they can't fill, so my client is gonna j'adore having four in this baby...Another great feature with armoires is that when you don't want to look at all that stuff anymore, you just close it away and you're left with this clean, chic, self-contained jewel box!

So stay tuned y'all, for the transformation of this Thrift Whore score into a amazing style slap! And happy whoring!

Get your FREE on, y'all it's Friday!

Well, look what the FREE fairy just dropped off on the sidewalk:

I LOVE this color and these femmy, curvy legs are just tres chic!

Keep your eyes peeled, y'all, you never know what treats you'll find!!!

Container Store Clarity

Y'all this display caught my eye today at The Container Store and I just had to share...in case it's not CLEAR, oh shiot, you're seeing two drawers made entirely of lucite!!! Well, shut the FU$& YOU! Seriously?!

How incredibly chic are these?

Lucite/acrylic is HUGE in the home decor world right now, and I've seen some pretty creative applications of it here and there, but I've never seen drawers! Amazing!

They look killer with these bamboo drawer dividers, not sure I could say the same for other types, and you'd definitely have to be a neat drawer freak to work these into your own space, but just love the idea... Take us there Container Store!

Thrift Whores, it's Thursday!!!

Get a load of all this yummy from my local Salvation Army, it's on Thrift Whores!

Concern turned into pure joy upon spotting this:

Value weave...YES! Of course, she was nestled inside this box of potentially glamorous china...naturally:

Camerooooooooooon! Regalia!

Equestrian Ecstasy Experientia:

Disa up in the house, y'all...what! what!

The sun has officially come OUT today with this:

Don't forget to scavenge through the fabric/towel/bedding areas y'all...there's goodness to be found for all kinds of d.i.y. projects...like this granny gone chic bedspread, which slayed me on the spot:

Consider this Thrift Whore Thursday a success! Happy whoring, y'all!

A settee worth saving!

Y'all it just tears at my style heartstrings to see that someone left this poor girl out for the garbage! Hopefully someone snagged her up, 'cause she's a find! The turned legs, the slightly curved arms...wouldn't take much at all to get her back to a place where she can serve up some style-- proper like!

Once the webbing was re-attached, I'd most likely refinish the frame with some laquer in a fun color or maybe even just black...then I'd do two large cushions...one for the base/seat and one for the back...the cushions could be in one of these amazing fabrics from Fabric.com:

Paired with this:

Or these:

Which could all work with this too:

But maybe we get all botanical-bonanza with this fabric:

And this fun paint:

This could be great too:

Paired with this paint:

I could go on and on here with fabric and paint combos to fulfill y'all's dreams for days...point is, don't be so quick to dismiss that discarded furniture--- you could end up with some chic beyond belief! Get IT!

Repeat Progress Report

Earlier this week I'd posted about repetition of pattern and how I was going to apply this technique in my own bathroom, gettin' all kinds of D.I.Y.-dirty on y'all...here's the pattern I'm working from:

Here's what bathroom looked like:

Here's where it's at now:

And:

Obvi, I decided to play with scale here, so my bird cages are a lot LARGER. I also deliberately left the birds out for fear of it going way too juvenile and I think this really works. Plus, this makes it much more conceptual, overall, since me and Dyl are now the 'birds' in these larger than life cages...and who doesn't like to get some cage play once in a while?! Chirp! Chirp!

I'm doing all this painting by hand and though exhausting, it's also fun b/c the pattern has a real line drawn/illustrated quality about it, so I can't really make any mistakes...well, I can and have, but they're easily corrected. Basically, it doesn't have to look perfect...it's interpretive of the original and it's super-quirky! My plan is to paint the other three walls in the same way, so check back for more progress updates and more detailed how-to action!

Happy Thrift Whore Thursday, y'all!

HousingWorks has worked me OVER with these stylish goodies:

But WAIT, there's more... And what do I spy hiding out under here, hmmmm? Well, for $2, whatever the hell it is, it's also coming home with me...now, y'all this is what being a Thrift Whore is all about-- fast, chic, cheap style! Yummy! Now go out and get your hunt on, Whores!

Sidewalks of Style...

Another reason why I love this town:

For a Style Scavenger like me, a simple stroll down the street can be an adventure...and in a town like NYC, where most folks just deposit unwanted items right on the curb...it's like finding treasure without having to do much digging! And let's be honest here y'all, sometimes you just don't want to have to work for your style. This chair has clean lines, even though she's a bit of 'big gal'... and she's probably harmless, but I tend to avoid curbside cast-off upholstered pieces b/c Lord only knows what kind of party is raging under that fabric! Though, I have scooped up some winners-- my sofa was rescued from an East Village street, but she got completely rehabbed...bless her! Always scavenge with caution! Anyway, my favorite thing about this chair...the sign:

I love that some thoughtful soul took the time to type up a sign for their chair! And even better still...it looks as though that sign has actually been sat on! Genius! Oh, just another afternoon in NYC...I'm going to the dry cleaners and oh, wait, let me try out this free chair...I've been needing something for the living room...y'all some of the best things in life really ARE free!