Duct Tape Accent Wall

I was so excited to move into my new office. It is a huge step towards world domination furthering my business goals. I found a great building with a great staff. I decide to forgo the window and save $150 extra a month. No window meant that I had to get creative with the white walls. My office is on the small side so I decided to go with big impact decor that would not overwhelm the place. I scoured decorated website looking for a way to do this. I knew that I did not want to paint. I love the impact changing a wall color can make, but lets face it, painting is a time suck. I had to get settled in. move legal files, do a marketing blitz and be ready to attend to clients. Painting was just out of the question. while browsing the interwebs I came across this...

That wall was painted grey years prior and the homeowners decided it was time for something new. They used white duct tape to create the diamond shapes and created a unique backdrop for there bedroom. I was blown away, here was the wonderfulness I wanted and I didn't have to paint anything. While I loved the diamonds the homeowner remarked at how labor intensive  measuring and lining up the tape just so was, that I decided simple was best. I envisioned pared down horizontal lines in black. 

I set off to my local Target to get the goods.

Here's What You Gotta Have:

• Measuring Tape

• Pencil or crayon to make measurements

• Duct Tape

• Box Cutter or Sharp craft Knife 

This is a "Before" photo of the Wall a decided to jazz up. Pretty boring huh?

Here's What You Gotta Do:

Starting at the ceiling, measure the distance you want your lines to be. I choose ten inches. I planned to hang my diplomas and certificates in this wall and wanted to make sure that the frames would overlap the lines. But experiment ans see what works for you

I used plain black duck tape. But apparently Duck Tape makes a wide variety of decorative and colorful tapes now.

I started taping in the middle to see if I liked the spacing before I got to deep into the project.

Start at the edge of the wall and pull the tape taunt. Be sure to line the top of the tape up with the marks you have made. You can always lift the tape and reposition it if it goes wayward.

At the edge of the wall or where you want the tape to stop, use your box cutter or craft knife to cut the unwanted tape off.
( I used sharp scissors because I lost my box cutter, it definitely would have been easier with a box cutter. 

Here is the wall after all the tape was applied. 

It took less than one roll of duct tape and just under and hour and a half to finish. 

Angle of the wall with the frames hung.

This is likely the first thing you see when you walk into the office space.

Close up angle of my degrees hung on the wall. 

I am really amazed at how simple this project turned out to be.

I was able to do it quickly and it created a bit of dazzle in my office without being overbearing. And if I decide to upgrade to the office with the view the tape will be a lot easier to peel off then having to repaint the wall. 

Life is Delicious...Go Taste It!

Wire Sculptures: DIY Anthropology Hack

I love Anthropologie, but it is one of those stores that will sell you a walrus head made out of craft paper for $1,250.  Often there are times I find items that make me say aloud " I can make that for waaaayyy cheaper!" This tutorial is the product of one of those times. While purusing Anthorpologie.com I came across a series of wire sculptures. They were the perfect mix of whimsy and crafty goodness that I really go for. My issue was they were $48.00 each and reviewers noted they were on the small side and kinda flimsy. I get it, you can't please everyone, but you can DIY sturdier version, and bigger if you have enough wire hangers on hand. The possibilities on this hanger hack are endless. Another plus, is it would use up some of those pesky wire hangers from the dry cleaners that I refuse to use and hate to throw out. 

Here is the original from Anthropologie. Super cute right.
$48.00 on Anthropolgie.com

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

• A wire hanger

• Wire cutters

HERE'S WHAT YOU GOTTA DO:

1) First unwrap the coiled wire at the bottom of the hangers hook

2) Start shaping your wire to make the word you want. I chose a word that was short and sweet. "Love" only has four letters and served as a good trial word. 

3) Clip off any excess wire and  the ends of the wire.

This project, not counting the cost of dry-cleaning ($2.50), cost me $0 dollars to make. Even if we wanted to count dry cleaning, that is still a heck of a lot cheaper than $48.  

  

"No more wire Hangers!"

Notes: These were really tough to bend so be patient, or buy a soft gauge wire from a craft store. It will be a lot easier to bend, but will be a lot more fragile

- My letters are not perfect, as you can see, but I thought they looked crafty and cool for my space. If you want more refined letters, opt for the softer gauge wire. 

Life Is Delicious...Go Taste It!

Going Home: DIY Chandelier Makeover

One of the first things I noticed when I walked into my sister's new home was the chandelier that is the topic of this post. It was a classic piece, grand, detailed and oozing with potential. My sister saw it as dusty, old fashioned and trash worthy. Like I said before, the amount of trust my sister put in my offbeat vision was awesome! We hashed out a plan to give the dingy chandelier a new life. I was inspired by a recent trip to New Orleans. That city has got a good handle on bringing modern sensibilities to traditional pieces. Cafes and shops were filled with vintage pieces that were traditionally crafted and ornately carved but covered with a modern print fabric or a coat of paint in an unexpected color. There was a marked nod to the classics and an ushering in of "fresh". We would bring in a little but N'awlins  by updating the chandelier with a coat of glossy black paint. Pairing the classic profile with a unexpected color saved the chandelier from the trash heap. 

First things first. This bad boy had to be cleaned. Years of dust and grime had settled

 on the fixture. I used Windex and a soft microfiber cloth to get it cleaned. A lot of the crystal pieces were barely hanging on, so I had to rewire quite a bit of them. 

Next, I used a primer. Seen here on the right. The glossy black paint  that I used as the final color is seen here on the left. 

I  stuffed the light bulb sockets with cotton balls to keep the paint from getting inside and interfering with the electrical elements of the chandelier

This is the chandelier after the first coat of primer. 

 It took two coats of primer to cover the clear spots. It looked cool white, but I couldn't even imagine the amount of dusting required to keep it that way. 

It took three coats of the glossy black spray paint to cover the entire chandelier. If I had to do this project again, I would have looked for a primer made specifically for darker colors. 

 The amount of detail in this chandelier was amazing. 
It was a challenge to paint everything, but so worth it!

This was my painting studio backdrop for the afternoon, I couldn't complain too much really. 

I ended up taking off the larger hanging pieces because two were missing. 

Removing the bulky crystals gave the piece a more balanced  look. 

The black really stands out against the rich mandarin color of the dining room walls. 

The final product, wired and hung, in the formal dining area.  

Seriously it's smashing!

Life is Delicious...Go Taste It!

Going Home: DIY Dry Brushed Bedroom Furniture

My sister insisted that we do something that bordered on french cottage and dreamy romantic. Her husband insisted on a dark room, preferable grey. I saw no reason the two couldn't get exactly what they wanted. But first we had to get some furniture. Their previous apartment was chock full of modern and hip furniture, so we had to start from scratch. Sis found this cool wooden furniture for super cheap and the plan was to paint it chalk white then go over it with black wax for a distressed look. I began, in earnest,  to cover the head board with the white paint. After a few dry brush strokes, I stepped back and thought,"that looks really cool". I dry brushed the rest of the headboard and sent a photo to my sister. She loved it.  Dry brushing would take a third of the time to do all the bedroom furniture; sold!

Below are the "Before" pictures: I totally forgot to take the pictures before I began painting but remembered before I painted all of them .

This will serve as the tall dresser drawer for the master bedroom. 

Nightstand for master bedroom. 

Here is a drawer from a night stand, minus the hardware. 

This is sanded and ready for paint.

The original plan was to coat the entire piece in white paint, then use black wax paint to create a antique distressed look. Dry brushing in this case, was a lot easier and a quicker way to create the shabby chic look we were going for. 

This is the exact picture sent that changed Sis's mind. 

The paint finish really brings out the lovely details in this antique wood headboard.  

I dry-brush painted the furniture with a  flat white acrylic paint. The look was achieved by lightly dipping a dry paintbrush into the paint, then lightly going over the surface. 

The goal is to leave a bit of the wood exposed. 

This is one of the few times when seeing the brush stokes is a "good thing". 

My sister was sold on this bedroom set when she saw the detailed handles on the drawers. 

They really are quite beautiful. 

Here is the tallboy in the master bed room. 

OMG!

This looks so good against the the dark grey of the wall. 

Painting furniture can compete change the look of a piece of furniture. Take a chance on pieces that have great details but may not be in the best shape. You can always nail, glue and sand a piece into working order. 

Stay tuned for more DIY Projects. 

Life is Delicious...Go Taste It!