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!!!

Thrift Whores get some Cure, it's Thursday!!!

Ready, set...thrift!

Friendly folks welcoming you first thing is ALWAYS a good sign that you're about to have a g-o-o-o-o-o-d time, if y'all know what I'm sayin'...damn, take me there, Cure:

Y'all, here's another ensemble that I'd like to take home, AS IS:

Full on style slapped, slain and soiled situation:

I need to take a seat after that last bit...this'll do nicely:

Here's a workhorse piece that is ready to WORK y'all as a bar, entertainment center, buffet:

Please chic-ify your firebox with these, biotch:

Huh?

Exactly why y'all should NEVER go barefoot in NYC...her stockings are just RUIN'T!!!

LOVE this idea:

Happy whoring, y'all!!!

Man has chair for head

Manhattan: Mysterious man spotted on 23rd Street late evening yesterday with a leather club chair for a head. Witnesses describe the scene as 'unreal' and 'confused', adding: 'I knew there was some weird sh*# up in Chelsea, but this...'

One witness shrieked, 'ay dios mio' and quickly fled the scene.

The man, completely oblivious and unfazed to the chaos happening all around him-- which isn't normal behavior for most New Yorkers...just kept walking! When approached, he exclaimed:

Whore, Brought-en!

Today's whoring was a major score:

Mid-century light fixture realness!!! Holla! This one is surely coming home with me, oh la la!

Look at the other goodies that Housing Works was working us over with:

A rustic coffee table trunk with a brass chandelier on top, thankyouverymuch!!! Biotch! Tennis, anyone?

Hand thrown pottery:

Don't y'all have that housewarming party to get to? Well, then, by all means...take this chic, smoke glass tumbler set & be damn done with it, already:

Yes, yes, that silver vase might just do the trick too!!! All sorts of whoring satisfaction today y'all...happy joy joy!

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!

What is a prop stylist?

A lot of times when I tell people about my work as a prop stylist, they go all 'deer in headlights' and usually say something like, 'what's that?', 'huh?', 'you do hair?' Here's what a prop stylist does:

What in hell is that, y'all ask? It's a chianti bottle and it's having candle wax dripped on it for a photograph that will eventually make it's way on a page in a major magazine...they'll be some clever service point to you telling y'all how to take your chianti bottle & reuse it as a candleholder when y'all set that effortless dinner table for your festive holiday party!

Oh, wait...y'all didn't think that those gorgeous shots of rooms/homes/people/parties just happened to be that way, naturally and a photographer just snapped a pic of it? Not always, but you're seeing smoke & mirrors, my friends...or in my case, from my shoot yesterday...bottles and candlewax...

This lovely moment was actually executed by the uber-talented, Andrea Greco, aka Candy, who's a crafting fiend!

So next time y'all are thumbing through the pages of your favorite magazine, wondering if people really live/eat/entertain like that, all the time? The answer might just be no...a prop stylist made it look that way!!!

Are you a T.W.?

Do you suffer from being a T.W.? Are you constantly trolling neighborhoods looking for your next score? Seeking gratification and fulfillment from some poor lost soul, who, you just know will be the perfect fix...even though your friends and family and EVEN strangers keep telling you to stop...enough...you're out of control? Well, then biotch...OWN that shiot, 'cause you're nothing but a Thrift Whore and today is YOUR day!!!! Thrift Whore Thursday, y'all! I stumbled upon this little gem on 5th Ave in Bklyn, called Bnai Tekuhnah Thrift Shop (um, I'm sorry...what? Who?):

Love that their sign specifies "Cloth/Furniture"...y'all know I like me some good Cloth!

Look what else is good here:

As evidenced by the storefront shot, it was raining like hell outside when I paid a visit to this place...and inside, it was a deluge of creepy ass Victoriana dolls, lined up on a ledge-- damn!

Y'all, this might be hard to see clearly, but it's some kind of primitive wagon /carriage light fixture straight off the Pony Express, no doubt, (so, naturally it wound up at Bnai Thrift Shop)! But, can it be resuscitated with some paint in a fun color?

These lovely gals are jumping off the shelf with color!!! Slap them both with some chic drum shades in white or linen and just shut the fu$& you, already!!! Cloth!

PANDA! if it's got a panda on it, just buy that shiot, y'all, don't even ask...

Tenderness abounded within upon seeing this and I knew that some how, some way, ALL would be alright in the world...that I, PJ, am a THRIFT WHORE...and I'm OK with that...happy whoring, y'all!:

And Cloth!

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!

Look at this view!

Incredible, y'all! This is the view from the Brooklyn Heights promenade today! I had a minute before presenting my design plans to one of my clients who lives in the 'hood, nice right?!?...so couldn't resist a quick stroll...this is one of the reasons you LOVE this town!

Enjoy!

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!!!

Thrift Whore-ery

Commence, Whores...it's Thursday!

She's a bit murky, y'all-- what with acid rain being what it is & snow caps melting, but give her a good shake & you can almost hear them singing your favorite Christmas Carol:

Rum pa pa pum...put that shiot on the mantle already! Oh, and don't forget me, I'd make a great gift ANY time of year:

More weave, more value:

Kitschy clock could slay y'all painted in a fun color:

Um, bless this hot tranny terry-cloth mess:

I really don't know what's happening here...is she in maternity wear? Moo moo caftan priestess? Rose court?

Whole Foods ain't got nothin' on this Goodwill...oh, AGAIN w/the Fluff?

45's are always fun...my dear friend Alane makes amazing artwork out of them, drilling holes on all four sides and connecting them with rings! Could be awesome room divider:

Lastly, learn how-to nourish your children with more than just food:

Savor, y'all!

Eat, Drink & Spoon!

Whoa, is it really Wednesday, already, y'all?!? Damn! While out sourcing rugs for my latest design gig, I saw this incredible window display for Fishs Eddy & just had to share:

Well, just gag me with a spoon (uh huh, had to go there, y'all) this is genius! Not sure how long this took to execute, but it's just incredible!

If it's not obvious, Fishs Eddy is a kitchen and tabletop housewares store in NYC that carries the cutest stuff and is always so well merchandised! Consider y'allselves served!

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!