A Helter-Skelter Gallery Wall

My oldest daughter has a randomly placed, odd sized window in her bedroom.  To visually deflect your eye from it, we put up these yarn balls.  They definitely helped, however she still had a very blank wall on the other side of the window.  

My plan was to place the gallery wall on a diagonal in an effort to make it appear that we were incorporating the window in the gallery.

Sort of camouflaging it.

There are many more orthodox ways of putting up a gallery wall.  None of which work for me.
Here's my very helter-skelter method:

First, I took several thrifted frames out to the garage and sprayed them either black, gold or white - no science there.  Just guess which ones you're going to want which color - this doesn't always work and sometimes requires that you re-spray a frame black that you just sprayed white that morning.

I've ordered a 16 x 20 canvas to use as the focal point of the wall, but it hasn't come yet, so I taped four pieces of paper together to mimic the canvas and nailed it up.

Then I picked up a few other frames, eyed them and nailed them up.  No measuring here.
I had great success with the first few and didn't have to re-nail any of them!

As I moved towards the window, things started to get a little tricky.  I put a few frames up, stood back and decided I didn't like it much.

After inflicting much pain on my wall, I got it right.

I added a couple more frames and a cut out a paper "M" thinking I'd head to the craft store to find one to add.

The gallery wall is a success so far!  As you walk into the room, your eye is no longer drawn to the odd window and I'm sure once I get prints in the frames, it will deflect attention even more. 

Do you have a more organized method to hang frames that doesn't include filling a dozen superfluous holes?  Is yours as chaotic as mine?

Vintage Set

Because I played it safe with the color of this set, I wanted to do something a little different with the hardware.  

I love the monochromatic look.

Here it is before...

And after...

I forgot to get a shot of the drawers behind the cabinets.  I'll shoot one tomorrow and upload it with the others to my shop.

Here's the dresser or sideboard…whichever you prefer.

Before...

The color is Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace.  It's the perfect gray white because there's no yellow in the color formula.  It's just straight up white.

And the nightstand for which I am missing a piece of hardware :(  I've turned my garage upside down looking for it.  

I'm at a loss. I actually cried.  

Because what else do you do when you lose a piece of hardware from 1966?  You cry.

So, until I find it, or something similar, this won't be listed available.

Check my shop for dimensions and pricing.

Drawers!

This is what my garage looks like today.  16 drawers...count 'em.  I've sanded and filled them all, now I have to tape them off and prime them.  The weather here in sunny Arizona has tipped the scales at 115 degrees the last two days.  By 8 o'clock in the morning it's been over 100 degrees!  You know what that means?  I've had to wake up earlier to beat some of the heat...and I don't like to wake up earlier.

Fortunately for me, this little two year old of mine likes to sit at the garage door and keep me company.  Mostly she just says, "Where Daddy go?  Where Mannie?  Where Coby?  Where Belle?"  I answer and she's content for a moment and then asks me again.  She's also really good with the knock, knock jokes.  Her favorite right now is "knock, knock".  Who's there?  "Doggie"  Doggie who?  "Arf, arf".  And then it starts over again, "knock, knock…"

I finished up this antique bed for a client a couple days ago.  Behr's California Poppy is the perfect pinkish-red.

Cameras for Sale!

I am selling my three cameras.  They are available for local pick-up or shipping.  All are in excellent condition and have been well cared for!

My beloved Nikon D60 10.2 MP with both 55-200 zoom lens & 18-55 lens.  The craigslist listing here.

My HD 1080i Sony Handycam (It takes AMAZING video!).  Craigslist listing here.

And my 10 MP Sony PowerShot A640.  Craigslist listing here.

Email me at nattycox@gmail.com if you're interested!

Rattan Coverup

When I was writing yesterday's post on the faux bamboo dresser, I knew I was forgetting something, but couldn't remember what.  (I have a TERRIBLE memory and lately I'm wondering all the paint fumes are making it worse!)  Then half way through day, it hit me - ahhh, the part about how Zac covered the rattan on the drawers.

The drawers originally had a rattan detail that my client wanted covered up.

Zac headed to the hardware store and picked out a thin, lightweight wood that matched the wood grain on the rest of the piece.  He measured the drawers and cut the wood with his circular saw.  (A table saw would've been the better tool for this job but ours is a pain to set up so Zac opted for the circular saw instead).

He nailed the insert in place and caulked the edges, then he handed them over to me for primer and paint.

And now you'd never know….

Faux Bamboo Dresser

This dresser belongs to the same client as the orangish-coralish console yesterday and the chippendale table from a few weeks ago.  Doesn't she have great taste?  She and her husband have had some great luck with Craislist!

Thanks for stopping by!

An Orangish Console

My dad was just asking me the if I have a hard time giving some of my clients' pieces back that I really like.  At the time I said, no, but have since changed my mind since finishing this.  It's going to make the perfect tv console…and I'm in need a tv console….

Here's what it looked like before: big and green and...scrolly.

Yes, the hardware on the right is crooked :(  I didn't notice it until I was uploading the photos and I wasn't about to go retake them all!  The hardware got this treatment and looks worlds better than before.

Don't you love these fabric covered letters from Anthropologie?

My client picked Sherwin Williams' Emotional for the paint.  I never would've picked this color by looking at the swatch - it came off as too burnt orangish, but once I started spraying it I fell in love!