sorry for the long break in posts. its been a busy couple of weeks. i did a lot of DIYing when i was down at my parents' house (definitely took advantage of having a garage to work in!) and i did take some before pictures, but i think i will wait until i have post-transformation images to share as well. there are also a few sewing projects in the works, including but not limited to a squirrel pillow, something involving some vintage buttons my mom had, and possibly some curtains. but i am going to wait until i move to get my sewing machine out.

i get my keys next week!! for now there is just a lot of packing to be done. and i have a lot of junk to pack. also i have noticed that some things probably have never been dusted in the entire year we have lived here (gross).

for now i will leave you with a little teaser: the vintage desk my parents found for me looks so amazing after we gave it a little love. i LOVE it. however, i forgot to take pictures after we finished and it is still in the garage in south texas and will be coming up with the rest of my large furniture.

oh p.s. -

i don't think i have mentioned that i have never been seen the floorplan of my new place except on paper. haha. i was originally going to lease the smaller one bedroom floorplan that my complex had available, but when it came time to sign my lease, they had a larger one that was less expensive. so i went with the bigger one. so i suppose it will be a bit of a surprise. and i am sure some of you are definitely shaking your heads at me right now. :)

first project!

i did my first project for the blog last week! when my mom and i went "junking" during spring break, i got lots of great stuff for the new place, one of which being this lamp. i love quirky lamps (lamps in general are great because really, who likes overhead lighting?). but it is difficult to find a new one that is cheap and not boring. however, i will be the first to admit that this lamp was not looking too good when i found it. the shade alone could give you nightmares. but the base just needed a little help, and the wiring was in working condition, plus i think it is actually antique.

and on that note, if you are of the opinion that antiques shouldn't be painted or otherwise tampered with, well, some of the things i do may upset you, so read on with discretion. although be assured if something was a valuable piece or otherwise significant, i would never paint it hot pink.

to start off i cleaned all the dust off and gave the metal parts a good rub down with some steel wool. i knew i wanted to keep the clear glass, so i taped it up. if you are trying this on your own lamp, be warned - this was the most difficult step, mostly because of the shape of my lamp. but you

really want to take your time to do this part right.

after taping everything up, i sprayed the parts i wanted to paint with a spray primer and let it dry. i ended up using some regular paint that i had and a sponge brush, but you could use spray paint if you wanted to

(although my lamp had small nooks and crannies that it would have been difficult to spray paint).

i was fortunate to find a great lampshade on sale at target (why are lampshades so pricey anyway??) that has a cool damask pattern on the inside that shows through when the bulb is on.

i think the project was a success. i did have to do a little cleaning up of the paint after i removed the tape, but luckily glass is easy to clean paint off of. i might wrap the cord in some colored electrical tape.

mark montano is my hero

yesterday was a red-letter day.

i opened my mailbox to discover that my impatiently-awaited copy of mark montano's newest book, The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor, had finally arrived!! let me just assert here that if you are a fan of having quirky things in your house that you made yourself, you and i and mark are all kindred spirits. i got mark's The Big-Ass Book of Crafts for christmas from my friend kendra and it has been a fantastic addition to my library. this is the kind of book that i spend hours poring over and planning how i can implement the ideas and projects into my own abode. so when i saw that he had come out with a sequel, well, i will honestly say i was about as excited as an eight-year-old at their birthday party when they find out that mom has gotten a bouncy castle.

i have several pages marked already for things i want to try. as soon as school is over for the semester i will be a crafting maniac! and of course i will share all the wonderful weird stuff i end up making with you all here on the blog.

hg

new beginning...almost

i am entering the blog world . . . again. i tried to have a blog the semester i lived in europe to appease family, but found it a chore for some reason.

but there is a better reason for this blog i think. in 54 days i will be given the keys to my very first apartment that is all my own. no parents, no roommates. just me and my loving schnauzer, sgt. pepper. being the artsy type that i am, i have lately been spending my free time dreaming of how fantastically beautiful and thrift store chic my new place will be. so i thought it might be fun to document how i will be transforming a cheap, not-so-new apartment into my own 760 square foot paradise. all on a budget that one could hardly even call shoestring.

i am going to be beginning some of my projects for my new place soon, so stay posted :)

love, hb