Friday Foto Fun

The weekend is finally here! My company Christmas party is this Saturday and we plan on getting some work done around the house too. Today I thought I would share some amazing 'fotos' from my father's hometown in Spain. It's a teeny-tiny hillside town in Galicia (Northwest Spain). If you want to check out a satellite picture, click here. Anyway, my cousin emailed them to me a while back and I enjoy them every time I look through them.



(This was the church my dad was baptized in!)

You better believe I'm using those boat and fishing pictures in some or form for our guest room!

Oh. Em. Gee.

Yes, I really am squealing like a little girl who just met Justin Bieber. Why? Well, let me start out with the back story...

I've been going back and forth (and sideways) with different ideas for guest room lamps. I pretty much change my mind every day. My latest choice was to attempt a map-covered lamp shade:

I thought it would be perfect if I could use a map of Cape Cod or Maine. Unfortunately I forgot that I live in Atlanta, and maps of Maine and the Cape are not exactly in stock at my local Barnes & Noble. I figured I would have to order online. Eventually I started to wish I had a really cool vintage map and I was kicking myself for not buying an antique atlas at the estate sale the other day. 

Today, my co-worker appears at my desk with this. It's a 1955 Esso Cruising Guide:

Check out the little lighthouses!

His aunt passed away and left him a farmhouse (with a barn) in Ohio. They had just brought back all her old furniture and he found this map in one of the piles. Since it was a map of Long Island (on one side) and southern Maine/Cape Cod on the other, he knew I would like it. Like it? I was dancing around the office like a giddy little kid on Christmas morning. Honestly, I love it so much that I don't think I can bring myself to cut it up for a lamp - I think I'm just going to frame it! I've been scouting out some Pinterest ideas:

I cannot wait to get home and see how it will look!





(More) Random Fun Stuff

First stop in the random adventures of the weekend? Hobby Lobby. While working on the dreaded rope mirror, Hobby Lobby and I became good friends. It's a love/hate relationship though, because I hate that they are closed on Sundays, but they have a great fabric selection and their custom framing cannot be beat. Even though I went in for some foam board, I couldn't help but check out their 'nautical' section. 

These buoys were actually pretty cool and subtle enough without screaming 'check out my nautical bedroom':

This life preserver was flat out cheesy:

The only thing I liked in this display was the rope door stopper:

Now these weights were right up my alley. Might have to get a small one for the guest room:

A little flashy, but I just love this lighthouse.

I try to stop into Goodwill at least twice a month to see what hidden treasures they might have. This weekend I found three lamps shades for under $10 TOTAL. The first two were really large drum shades (which Target sells for $25 a piece). One was in perfect condition and the other had a little stain in the back. I initially thought I would cover them, but they don't even need it. The shades are a little too large for the guest room, but I think these will be great for the master bedroom (whenever we get around to it).

The second shade I purchased as a test case for my map lamp. I've been dying to make one like this:

I picked up this little guy for $4.00...now if only I can find the map that I want.

My husband was still out of town on Saturday, so I opted to go to some estate sales. Brian has been wanting some antique surveying equipment for a while, but this thing was waaaay overpriced:

Also too expensive, but really cool piece:

Honestly, does this not make you laugh?

Super cool:

The man claimed this was made from a 'real whisky barrel':

Anyone in the market for a four poster bed? This was a steal:

So what did I buy? For a grand total of $4.00, I came home with this little green industrial box and two really old Spanish books used by a student at Georgia Tech.

I didn't discover the coolest part until I got home. Inside one of the books was an amazing drawing:

And two birthday cards and some class notes (Literature):

Georgia Tech was originally known as Georgia School of Technology. The name was changed sometime after World War II, so these books are pretty old!

Can't wait to see what I can find next weekend!

Rope Mirror: Take 1

So much for having the mirror finished. Not that I didn't try, but sometimes things just don't turn out quite the way you expect them to. What happened?

First let me comment on the fact that no one else in the blogosphere (not even Pinterest) has undertaken this project. Normally I like to fully research things and find out some tips and advice that might not have been mentioned in the original instructions. The rope mirror had nothing. Should I have taken that as a sign? Not that I don't trust Nate Berkus, but I'm pretty sure he has several assistants, plus the magic of TV to ensure his ideas are executed perfectly. Case in point: circular cardboard cutout.

I will admit that my decision to use a 29 1/2 inch mirror added to this debacle, but cutting out that circle was not pretty. First I had to find a piece of cardboard big enough, which led me to use one of those science fair tri-fold thingies:

We traced the mirror, then used a box cutter to cut the main circle out. The cardboard was really way to thick for the project and cutting through the corrugated cardboard sucked. Once we got the main circle, it was time to cut the inner circle. It's all downhill from here.

First, we had nothing to trace, so the only solution is to measure 1 1/4" increments around the whole thing and then freehand a line to cut on. As if that didn't suck enough, cutting an accurate and precise line with a box cutter is next to impossible.

So, we tried Plan B. I thought that using some foam board would be easier and cleaner.

It seemed to be working so well until we arrived at the dreaded 'inner circle'. Again, it was so difficult to get a clean line that was actually the same diameter all around.

Not only was the actually cutting of the board not going well, but I really wasn't happy with the fact that the rope would be raised from the mirror. That wouldn't be a problem if you only saw the mirror head-on, but my mirror would be directly to the left of your face when you walked in the room. After some deliberation, I decided to just glue the rope to the mirror and call it a day. The glue gun was plugged in and ready to go, but then Matt brought up the fact that we weren't even sure if the glue would stick to the mirror...darn.

On Sunday, Brian and I decided to buy a cheap-o Goodwill mirror and do some glue testing. (Can you tell I really live life on the edge? lol)

The loser? Mirror glue:

The top contenders? Old fashioned glue gun and Gorilla Glue:

I thought the hot glue had won, until we tried to pry the rope from the mirror and it popped right off. The Gorilla Glue stuck on there like nothing I had ever seen. I could pick the entire thing up just by the rope. The only con is that the glue really foams up twice its size, so you have to apply a very thin line. Also, I happened to buy the 'dries white' version, but I am hoping the original will dry clear.

So there you have it. The longest post ever on a DIY fail. Hopefully, it will be all done by this weekend!

Special Delivery

Yep, that's my three-strand manila rope (all 25 feet of it) that was delivered yesterday. What does that mean? More crafty fun at Amber's tonight as we try and tackle this project. Make you sure you come back to see how it turned out!

p.s. Shout out to Web Rigging Supply for having any and all types of rope (and selling them by the foot) and having an incredibly fast shipping time.

Before and After: Goodwill Lamps

I've been husband-less all week (he's out of town for work), but what better opportunity to have a girls night/crafty sleepover? Amber and I stopped into our local Goodwill during lunch yesterday and walked out with two perfect lamp makeover candidates. Check these out:

This is my pick. Grand total? $8.00. And that shade was almost immaculate!

Amber picked up an awesome 70's floor lamp for $15.00 (and the shade was great condition).

After an excursion at Hobby Lobby to buy fabric, adhesive and spray paint, we were on our way. Keep in mind that we were spray painting these lamps in the dark, outside an apartment and it was cold. It's a small miracle they look this good.

My lampshade looks good from afar, but I had a difficult time getting the edges of the fabric to wrap neatly over the shade. Thankfully we did mine first and by Amber's shade, we were professionals. In true over-analyzing fashion, I research the crap out of fabric lampshades. Some people are on Team Spray Adhesive and some are Team Glue Gun. After last nigt, I've decided to be a free agent. I love the spray adhesive; it was easy to use and relatively clean (just don't spray your fingers like I did), but there are times when a glue gun would have come in handy (mostly with the seam in the back). We also learned (the hard way) that the easiest way to trim the fabric is after you've glued it onto the shade. Don't bother trying to trace and trim it to size because you will inevitably cut it to short. The last lesson of the evening? You can't rush spray paint. I am probably the most impatient person I know, but when you spray paint something you really have to do several light layers. I did have a few drip marks on mine, but it all worked out in the end.

Ready for some side-by-sides?

If anyone out there needs a lamp, just let me know! I am dying to work on the next one. Maybe we should go into business...