Kitchen Cabinet-liscious! Part 1

Y’all, one of the biggest projects off my apartment ‘Master List’ is painting our kitchen cabinets. Some poor soul, somewhere, thought golden oak cabinetry was just BEYOND glamorous. And then they went and punctuated it with bronzey-brass hinges! I just knew I was going to be greeted by a big ole shoulder pad when opening one of the cabinets for the first time! But instead of being served ‘Dynasty’, all I got was dead roaches and mouse droppings. And y’all know, that’s not the kind of drama I want coming out of my kitchen, oh no, shut the fu$% YOU! So, my first week in our place was spent scouring every inch of that kitchen beyond belief…yummy!

Fast forward to now: there’s been LOTS of drama in that kitchen and thankfully none that involve crawly-critters. I’ve begun to tackle the painting and it’s been going so well—I couldn’t be more pleased!

As y'all can see, I decided to go for a clean, simple and modern update by choosing white. There's also white in the "granite" countertop, so I knew I couldn't go wrong. I'm already backslapped by how great it looks and I'm not even halfway finished! The entire kitchen looks brighter and the cabinets look brand new. And y'all aren't even going to believe this, but I'm not even bothered by the brass hinges now b/c when paired with crisp white, their brass patina is chic! I said BRASS-SLAPPED! This is gettin' good, y'all...BUT WAIT, there's more! Be sure to check back-- I'll be sharing my progress as well as my step by step painting tips and tricks...tender decorating at it's finest!

Decorating with...Math?

Math has never been a friend of mine…and I’m not sure why that is exactly. I’ve always dismissed our dynamic as "just not having enough in common". Math is so precise and exact. So right or wrong. There’s no wiggle room with Math. No drama or intrigue, no gray areas. I thrive in gray areas…I mean, what color doesn’t work with gray, right y’all?

For me, the same holds true for decorating—there is no real right or wrong. There’s an infinite amount of wiggle room, and nothing ever has to be exact or precise. So when I was approached to create a piece for Easy Decorating Magazine called 'Instant Room' that would illustrate basic elements (sofa, coffee table, light fixture & rug) added together to equal a specific style of room, I was a little skeptical. But I was quickly backslapped by Math... despite all her exactness (1 + 1 equals 2...blah, blah, blah) I discovered there’s a lot of wiggle room, you just have to be open to it. And just like decorating, being open to the unexpected can make for one hell of an equation. Look how these rooms add up:

Now go get properly schooled by grabbing yourselves a copy, out on newsstands now! Holla!

Disa's Destiny Saturday

A rug, some throw pillows and a gnome, oh MY! Y'all know what that means?Another shopping trip for Disa's house is about to take y'all there! (Video may take a bit longer to load, 'cause we're serving y'all hi-def!)

Be sure to check out the I Want That page for to-buy details on the items featured in the video. Holla!!!

Fondue is fun... fon-don't you forget it!

So, y’all, get this: for the past four years (maybe MORE), I’ve been collecting fondue pots and forks with the grand and romantic notion of hosting fabulous fondue parties. In my various thrift store tours while traveling, I’ve scored three lovely pots and several sets of forks.

Gorge, right? And YES! Every single one I found is ORANGE! Now, if that’s not entertaining kismet, I don’t know what is… somebody, somewhere wanted me to fulfill my fondue dreams in a BIG, ORANGE way and I could no longer refuse the call.

So it was a couple weeks ago, that Dylan and I hosted our first, and definitely not last, Fondue party. We basically had no idea in hell what we we’re doing… which is my general method of entertaining. But after consulting with some of our more “hostess with the mostess” friends and the internet, we were bubbling over--- Ha! Ha! Hee! Hee!-- with intel.

Since we have three pots, we wanted to have three courses of foundue: cheese, oil & chocolate. That and we truly enjoy self-torture… why not thrust yourself headfirst into completely unknown territory, and invite some friends over to eat it? That’s what I call a party! We found easy recipes for not only the various courses, but also some zesty dipping sauces on gofondue.com. We made Classic Cheese Fondue, Hot oil (don't forget the dreamy dipping sauces) and Dark Chocolate, but there’s a delightful array of more recipes & helpful tips & tidbits.

After what felt like hours of chopping and dicing and grating, we were ready to wow our guests with the unique and exotic! And I’m thrilled to share that we did just that!

Just look at the sheer joy on this man’s face? I don’t think he’s ever tasted anything SO GOOD! But, WAIT, there’s more! Look at these guests here, beaming with full bellies of cheese and oil goodness? They’re positively gurgling!

Oh, is that dark chocolate teasing you?

IT IS! Go ahead, friends, dip a strawberry, won’t you? Indulge! This is four years in the making! Live! Eat! Double-dip!

All I can say is there was a fondue angel beaming upon us that night. Everything seemed to go off without a hitch. No one caught themselves on fire, no one got their fondue forks mixed up and ate the wrong meat--- at least accidentally! Steamy! And the fondue was actually really yummy. The wait or rather, the procrastination, was well worth it. I’ve lived & tasted my future, y’all, and it’s filled with Fondue!

Getting Horizontal-- with paint stripes!

Don’t y’all just love waking up on a random Sunday morning with the spontaneous notion to paint a room-- Coffee? Bagel? 10” black & white horizontal stripes in the entryway? Easy! Actually, y’all, painting our entryway had been on my master punchlist for our Patrician Court apt. ever since moving in. I’d just been hemming and hawing about it, b/c it couldn’t just be a ‘typical’ paint job, no no. I wanted stripes! BIG BOLD horizontal stripes! Stripes aren’t really the devil’s work, y’all, they just require the right ingredients: a lot of perseverance, a laser level, painters tape and good paint. Oh, and a tireless husband who knows better than to say no! Check out this Before and After Backslap:

Shut the ?!ck y’all! YES! I’m sooooo thrilled at how these turned out! Major drama, for minor money…in fact, these stripes are taking me there so much, I really don’t even need artwork-- another great reason for tricking out your walls with a bold paint treatment. Whether you want to get horizontal-- oh la la, y’all-- or vertical, the key to getting sexy stripes, is all in the technique.

So, here’s how we did it (don’t let the lengthy text scare y’all-- it’s easy, and a little length goes a long way, oh shiot!):

1. Once you’ve decided on your colors, you’ll need to paint the walls you want to treat with a coat of the base color (the background color that goes all the way up to the top and bottom of the wall). Mine was white.

2. Once that coat is dry, it’s time to tape out your stripes! A laser level is a HUGE help here! Decide on the width of your stripes and divide out the wall. Start at the top or bottom and set the laser level to your first line. With that in place, tape along the laser line. Keep in mind that the stripes you will paint will not have any tape covering them and the background color stripes will have the tape sitting inside their edges, so place the tape on top of or below your laser line accordingly (see the image below for help understanding when to tape above and below your laser line). Work your way up or down the wall one laser line at a time. This is really the most time consuming part, so be patient and accurate here y’all.

3. Whew, with that done it’s time for the secret step to ensure a crisp stripe line! In the sections that you want to paint your stripe color (ours was black), first paint a coat or two of your background color (again, ours was white). I know this sounds backwards, but it will ensure that anything that may bleed under your tape edge will be the same background color.

4. Let that backgound color coat dry and then it’s time for your stripe color at last! Paint your stripes with the stripe color and let it dry. Make sure you don’t have any patchy areas… this may require a second coat.

5. Finally once that’s all dry, it’s time to carefully peel off the painter’s tape (no tearing here, despite your unbridled passion) and get served by a striped wall! Oh, Luscious!

Sit back, relax and let those stripes serve you some drama!

Textile Turnout Part 1: the Living Room

Y’all, I’d barely unpacked before I was already shopping for fabrics for our new apartment. Cause y’all know, if there’s ever a legit excuse necessary to give yourselves a home makeover, it’s a move into a new space. A lot of folks work themselves into a full-on panic thinking that buying all new furniture is the only real way to update the look of their homes. Not true. What they need is a Textile Turnout!! By switching out window treatments, throw pillow covers, upholstery and even rugs y’all can completely transform your spaces in the most dramatic & often EASIEST ways!

Once you’ve selected the items you want to turnout, now it’s time to shop! Y’all can go the route of pre-made/store bought, or custom made. Guess which method generally costs more? In either instance, to keep the shopping process from being overwhelming, I try to choose a “founding fabric” or foundation as my starting point. With a strong foundation, it’s easy to build up from there. Your foundation can be anything: a chic set of store-bought curtains, an amazing rug or an awesome throw pillow.

For me, a great print or pattern makes for a strong foundation b/c from it, I can get lots of yummy color cues for the other fabrics in the room. I grew up wearing Garanimals, so I say, “when in doubt, match it out”! If it seems elementary, it is, but you can never go wrong with this theory. Y’all can amp up the glam and sophistication by selecting shades or tones of colors. Also, this is where you can play with textures, other patterns and scale to add drama and depth.

Here’s what I mean…This amazing vintage toile is my founding fabric for valances in our living room: I scored this at Brooklyn Flea several weeks ago for $15 bucks…it’s in great condition and incidentally, is currently one large valance. But with some easy modifications, I’m going to make into two, since we have two windows in the living room. This medium scale print is busy as hell y’all & I love it!!! But paired with simple white panels trimmed in teal twill tape—a color I’m pulling right out of the print-- I’ll be taking y’all there with these window treatments.

But wait, there’s more! Check out this incredible awning stripe (from Premier Prints) I’ll be backslapping our living room chairs with! Oh shiot! The bold graphic stripe will give order to the chaos that is the valances. And y’all don’t even need me to explain why I chose chartreuse…

I’m doing my window screen room divider in this Waverly number:

It’s yummy teal, graphic pattern will help to bring more order to the other side of the room. And b/c it’s smaller in scale, it works well with both the valance & chairs.

The sofa will get this canvas in teal:

A solid is always a super-safe yet smart option, especially with a larger, upholstered piece. I’ll get more bang for my buck here b/c I can always turnout the look of this sofa by updating the throw pillows, when I want to freshen things up. This is why it’s a good idea to limit bolder patterns and prints—especially when it’s custom—to items that aren’t crazy expensive to redo.

Lastly, if any of y’all want some of the fabric goodness that I’ve featured, check out Fabric.com. And even if you hate what I’m doing to my space, y’all should STILL check out Fabric.com. Aside from their amazing selection of really yummy fabrics that are super-cheap, they carry all sorts of other fabric-related items as well as helpful hints on how to measure for yardage needed, etc. And remember: when fabric shopping anytime, ALWAYS get samples BEFORE you buy!!!

And be sure to check back y'all, as I'll be sure to post photos of our fully fabric-dazzled living room once it's finished!

Also if you want sources for any of the items in this post, check the I want that! page for details.

Y'all need REHAB!

Y’all, there’s been a lot of glamour going on in my world recently, so please forgive my lapse in posts. The biggest is that we’ve moved into a new apartment, which y’all will be learning a lot more about right here... holla, new decorating hijinks!!! The other is the completion of our first episode in a new web-series I’ve developed called, Style Rehab. If the title doesn’t convey it enough, it’s a show about stylish ways to rehab, or rehabilitate, one’s space. Our first episode features Andrea, who’s in dire need of some craft corner style love. Watch and enjoy and of course, I welcome your comments! And if any of y’all are in need of a serious intervention, Style Rehab is taking on new patients! Send me an email of your ailments, we’ll get you good and fixed-up!

Locker of Love

One of the best dumpster dives I ever had was when I still lived on Status Island, NY (a.k.a. Staten Island)…yes, y’all, I called the oft-forgot borough home for three years! And what a sweet home it was… top floor a an old grain warehouse, at least 3500 sq feet of space... and my bedroom, which doubled as my rehearsal space was complete with ballet bars and a wall of mirrors! Strictly for rehearsals, ahem, of course! Oh shiot! Me and my creative partner, Alane, dubbed the place Chateau Monroe. She's still rockin' it there, click here for a peek at the fabulous pics she's taken of the Chateau!

Chateau is directly across the street from an elementary school, which provided more street side bounty than y'all can shake a stick at! One dive unearthed the locker pictured here. In perfect condition, aside from the random sticker & used stick of deodorant, this was a major score! Lockers (or any metal cabinets for that matter) always get me at “hello” for their industrial hotness and versatility as storage workhorses. The repurposing possibilities are endless! So, hello to my new DVD cabinet! This find was also extraordinary b/c almost a year earlier, Alane and I had found an identical locker at the same school! Now I had double locker love, y’all! Who doesn’t adore a twin?!

After a thorough scrub out I stripped the green paint using paint remover. Now, this is labor intensive beyond belief, y’all, but I love the look of unfinished steel and I’d already done the same treatment to the matching locker. Follow the included instructions on your paint remover can. You can also make the process as fast as possible with some power tool help. I used an electric sander and a sander drill attachment. Note: when using any kind of sand paper, you’ll get scratch marks in the steel or whatever metal you’re uncovering. But, to keep the marks at a minimum, remember that the finer the grade of sandpaper, the smaller the marks. Also, stripping the paint in the same direction and with the same amount of pressure to the power tool will keep the marks consistent and much less noticeable. If y’all are totally OCD and just can’t stand marks, then there’s always scraping the whole piece with a hand scraper. But y’all will definitely need to have some alcohol on hand for that process! Stripping paint is no joke, so to save the remainder of my sanity, I just kept the institutional green finish on the inside of the locker. No one cares what's going on inside when the outside looks so damn good, as witnessed in the glam opening shot!

Once stripped, I sealed the locker with Butcher’s Bowling Alley Wax. This amazing product seals the piece to prevent oxidization, or rust. It also leaves a really nice matte finish. If you don’t want to use wax, you can also use a polyurethane, but y’all can’t skip this step or you’ll RUSTgret it! Get it?! Oh genius!

Finally, I measured and prepped the locker for wood shelving, (which I had cut at Lowe’s). This involved drilling what seemed to be about 500 holes into both sides of the locker. These holes would accommodate the L brackets that would support my wood shelves. Make sure y’all measure twice on this part, b/c once you’ve drilled into metal, you can’t really patch it! Five shelves later, I’ve got industrial storage chic-ness that houses a massive movie collection, with growing room too!

Y'all, won't you fulfill my destiny by sharing some of your repurposed furniture goodness with me? Send an email to blog@pjmehaffey.com and I'll share in a future post.  Take us there!

Top photo by Hector Sanchez

The "Chew Toy" Chair

As some of y’all have experienced firsthand, dogs aren’t content to chew on just dog toys alone…they often need more. Sounds like some humans I know, but that’s another post altogether! In this instance, my friend's dog decided her Eames DCM, or Dining Chair Modern –gasp- would make a tasty treat! Uh huh! But, don’t be a sad panda, this tragedy was turned into a triumph b/c she gave me the chair! Talk about a tasty treat, y’all, damn! This was a modern classic score!

I knew that those chew marks and holes could be easily remedied with some wood putty and light sanding. The rusted chrome legs could be shiny again, thanks to some love from my BFF, Brasso. What gave me the most concern were the two missing gliders on the end of the chair legs. I’d seen replacement gliders sold at various hardware stores, but wasn’t sure they would be the right size for this classic chair. Sure enough, they weren’t. But with some internet digging, I found them at IEC, International Equipment Components, Inc. They don’t normally sell gliders in small quantities, but the sweet salesgirl could hear the panic in my voice, and sold four with a sample fee of $10.

** Did y’all know? The proper size glider is found by figuring out the diameter of the glider post or the hole on the underside of chair leg. To do this, I took the glider I did have to the hardware store to get the exact measurement off of screw size chart. It was 8-32. Who knew?!**

The only other hiccup in the transformation of this chew toy chair was with the wood putty. Wood putty is kinda like play doh, minus the primary colors and intriguing salt-like smell (& taste)! Y’all know you ate your play doh! It’s pliable and spreads easily to fill holes, nicks, etc. in wood. It’s available tinted, the idea being it will match whatever you’re repairing, but it’s also paintable and stainable if need be. Since my chair had some pretty gnarly holes, I knew that no matter how exact a match the putty was, I’d probably need to stain the chair a much darker color, to totally hide the patch job. So, about 25 coats of Minwax Ebony stain later, I came out on the other side with a fabulous chair and not a chew mark in sight! Check it out!

I've Been Framed!

I love having lots of artwork on my walls. I think it’s a relatively easy way to inject all kinds of style and drama-glam into one’s space.  But y’all watch out,  ‘cause what you choose to hang on your walls, says a lot about who you really are! It’s kind of like a window display into your soul!  So keep that in mind when you’re debating about where to hang that velvet Elvis painting, holla! I certainly have no problems letting my soul glow by way of my artwork display, but where I get snagged is having things framed! Custom framing ain’t cheap, y’all! Since my artwork usually comes from trolling thrift stores and flea markets (in other words, it's cheap), I don’t necessarily want to spend a lot of money on having it framed. It’s also a time issue… it can take several days to have something framed (that’s if I remember to haul it to the frame shop) and like most folks, I just want that project done yesterday!

Well, wait y’all, there's more: Store bought frames and mats! For my funky little paint by numbers desertscape, which I scored for a mere .35 cent at a Goodwill store (Goodwillla Goodness!), I bought this frame from West Elm, on special for $30 (take us there, West Elm value!). I love how clean and modern the all-white frame and mat will look against the chaos of colors this little painting is serving us!  There are tons of places that sell similar frames with pre-cut mats, here a few that I like: Pottery Barn, CB2, Zgallerie.

My painting was slightly larger than the 8 x 10 opening in the pre-cut mat, so I just took it to my local frame shop to have it cut to fit! For a mere $3, Darrin at Prints Charming (yes, y’all that’s the real name, I can’t make this genius up, call him: 718-230-8118) explained that he could trim the mat to fit my painting while I waited! Now that’s called service!

BUT- sad panda spoiler alert- there was a slight problem! He discovered that the pre-cut 8 x 10 opening was intended for vertical display only b/c the mat was smaller on top and bigger on the bottom, meaning it would be off-center horizontally.  Oh, y’all, who knew framing could sound so raunchy?!  There would be no way we could properly frame my desertscape horizontally by using this pre-cut mat! What, horrors! I didn’t even notice this when I bought the frame! BUT, tragedy turned triumph when for only $16, he cut a brand new mat and it looks amazing! Check it!

So, even though I’d have much rather paid $3 to have Darrin trim the store bought mat, the $16 I did spend, added to the cost of the frame, still brought me way under what Darrin said would have been a $108 custom frame job! I think that’s awesome! Plus, there’s added value here for y’all learning from my oversight…be sure to double check the store bought frame & mat against the orientation of the artwork you intend to place in it. Y’all know how controversial orientation can be!

A Lamp and a Beagle

New York City is pretty amazing in a lot of ways, but a stand-out for me, is the TRASH. Uh-huh, that’s right. Any given sidewalk can be a treasure trove of all kinds of things- furniture, art, lighting...if you can think of it, it’s probably been found on a sidewalk here. (Now don't go there... you dirty boys and girls!) It makes sense too, b/c the sidewalk is where our trash collection happens.  But it’s also just easy for most folks who are getting rid of unwanted items to put them out on the sidewalk. Once you’ve struggled down five flights of stairs with a dresser on your back, you’re pretty much done with the thing at that point. And that’s when someone else’s backache becomes my sidewalk salvation, y’all!  And trust that I’m not alone in this revelry. Discovering some completely unexpected find is not only exciting, but outright joyful for a lot of people like me.

So it was the other morning when I was out walking our newest family member, Brandon!  Adopted from the ASPCA, he's a little over a year old and a total love. He's been with us now for about a month and we adore him!  Just look at those dancing skills... Having to walk a dog at the most insane hours takes some getting used to, but on the plus side, it's another amazing opportunity for some incredible sidewalk shopping, let me tell y'all! And this lamp I found the other day is no exception. Now, I guess some people would be deterred by the missing shade, or harp (that bit that holds the shade up from the bulb), or just can’t be bothered with lighting b/c you never know if it works until you get it home. But, with all my years of experience and expertise with all things trashy (remember I grew up in Goose Creek, SC), these are just minor inconveniences. Besides, part of the joy involved in finding treasure, for me, is the rehabilitation and reinvention process.  A great sidewalk score is wonderful, but bringing it back to life with your own unique flourishes is what gets me going.  Sure, it can pricey, laborious, sometimes even toxic (if we’re talking about stripping paint or some such) but y’all gotta give to get glamour!  Lookin’ good is hard work, Damn!

Once I’d tested that the lamp worked by saying a prayer and then plugging it in (hooray, it did), I gave it a good cleaning. I just used a damp rag with diluted Murphy’s Oil Soap, since the neck and base of the lamp are wood.  When it was dry, I applied Linseed Oil to the wooden bits.  Linseed oil is a terrific conditioner for all types of wood. You can find it at hardware stores. I often use it in lieu of having to refinish an entire piece.

I got a new harp and shade for the lamp at Just Shades.  They have an almost dizzying array of shades, but their staff is friendly, knowledgeable and patient. Bless staffer Bonnie Engelson’s heart, who graciously helped me during the two visits I made in order to get exactly what I wanted.

Lampshade breakdown, y’all:  like the perfect accessory to an outfit, the right shade can take your lamp to a "whole 'notha level"!  They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes as well as various materials, like silk, linen or parchment.  They’re available ready made or can be custom, for all those out there where money is no object. Prices can be just as varied as the styles available. Home decorating magazines or catalogs are great sources to find shades and lamp styles that you like.  I prefer paper drum shades. I find that by using the same type of shade on all the different styles of lamps in my space, it ties them all together for a more cohesive look.  But, again, like accessories to your outfit, pick a style, or silhouette that you like (some of us like bow ties, ahem) or that you feel is the strongest pairing for the individual lamp. There are some other factors, aside from the silhouette, to consider, such as the size/scale of the shade and the intended function of your lamp. Is this a reading lamp or just a glam drama light moment in your space?  All these things need to be considered when choosing the shade. I encourage y’all to spend some time on the Just Shades website where you can find out more detailed info like how to measure a shade, take a peek at different silhouettes, materials, etc.

Alright onto the reveal! Ohhhh, ahhhhh! I’m thrilled with the way it turned out and even more excited by the fact that with a little $$ and some elbow grease, I now have a stylish one of a kind lamp (and dog) to illuminate my life beyond belief...

Do y'all have any street finds that you'd want to share? Send them to me and I'll post them: blog@pjmehaffey.com