Recently, I started dwelling on the fact that our bedroom is not the relaxing, soothing place that I want it to be. In fact, it had become quite the opposite - a dumping ground for everything we didn't know what to do with - piles of unfolded laundry and plastic containers full of bedding and other miscellaneous items. The worst was part was that my books had no home next to my bed other than the dusty floor. Something had to be done! After doing a simple reorganizing of my closet, I was finally able to put away all the laundry. I cleared out the boxes and sold two disfunctional dressers and an oversized bed set on Craig's List. Sometimes you just have to start with a blank slate. I decided the first thing I needed to get the bedroom redo going was a proper night stand with a drawer and a shelf for my precious books.
As usual, I hit the thrift stores. I had in my mind that I wanted the room to have a mid-century flare, so I kept my eyes peeled for an old piece in need of some work. When searching for items like this, I specifically do not want a pristine piece of furniture - one, because of the price, and two, because I would never get over the guilt aquired from comprimising the integrity of an antique. The third store I went to turned up a fantastic result. One corner of the night stand was a little banged up, but I had an idea for that so I laid down my ten bucks and got out of there.
To deal with the banged-up corner, I added some wood trim and used a little wood filler. After a good sanding, I painted the entire thing a deep chocolate brown and sprayed the handle with silver paint. Now, this would have been fine. But these days, fine just ain't good enough. I wanted to add a little something extra. Knowing what the accent color of our room was going to be, I got out the orange spray paint.
Now what? I thought for a while. I really wanted to make this easy on myself and I knew I wanted circles of some sort - i.e. no hand-painting. Then it came to me that I could simply cut blue painter's tape into any shape I would like. So I cut out little circles free-hand, stuck them onto the drawer, and spray painted it orange. I had to put a plastic bag over the parts of the drawer that I didn't want to be orange.
I was able to peel off the circles without too much trouble. If you ever try this method, however, I recommend using a pin or needle to get each peel started. Don't use your fingernail as it can gouge the base paint.
Among the other projects I have planned for our bedroom are building my own platform bed and jazzing up a torn paper lantern - both projects to be featured in future blogs. Stay tuned!
I grew up making things using saws and hammers with my dad, while my mom was introducing me to many different crafts. Then I went to architecture school and spent the better part of ten years drawing and making models. Now I own a home and often feel like the lady in the Lowe’s commercial who is empowered by her home remodeling project. By now, I know how to use every tool from a table saw and a nail gun to paint brushes and knitting needles. Now that my daughter is three, the time is near for her to learn the ways of the do-it-yourselfer, too - something I am very much looking forward to teaching her. Over the years, I have developed a deep interest in sustainability which comes out through my work in architecture and furniture design.
After several years of being crafty, I get the most excited when I work with reused materials. This love of making things out of “junk” is where Wastenot Workshop began. Creating items that are beautiful and functional out of materials destined for the landfill has given me the opportunity to satisfy two of my passions at once – making things with my own hands and lightening my footprint on the earth. This is not to say that all the materials I use are salvaged, as I have found it too limiting and impractical to do things this way. However, I do operate under the long-used idiom “waste not, want not” – a philosophy that seems to have been lost in our hyper-consumer age. I like using discarded materials, used or new, that just happen to come my way. When new materials are required, I take great care to use them efficiently, saving every scrap possible. I am always amazed at the level of creativity and uniqueness that comes out of asking myself one simple question – “what the heck can I do with this?” Of course, it is no less important to make things that are durable and reusable - equipping us with the ability to waste less.
As a side note, I also enjoy photography and am trying to upload more of my photos to share. Check 'em out!!
As usual, I hit the thrift stores. I had in my mind that I wanted the room to have a mid-century flare, so I kept my eyes peeled for an old piece in need of some work. When searching for items like this, I specifically do not want a pristine piece of furniture - one, because of the price, and two, because I would never get over the guilt aquired from comprimising the integrity of an antique. The third store I went to turned up a fantastic result. One corner of the night stand was a little banged up, but I had an idea for that so I laid down my ten bucks and got out of there.
To deal with the banged-up corner, I added some wood trim and used a little wood filler. After a good sanding, I painted the entire thing a deep chocolate brown and sprayed the handle with silver paint. Now, this would have been fine. But these days, fine just ain't good enough. I wanted to add a little something extra. Knowing what the accent color of our room was going to be, I got out the orange spray paint.
Now what? I thought for a while. I really wanted to make this easy on myself and I knew I wanted circles of some sort - i.e. no hand-painting. Then it came to me that I could simply cut blue painter's tape into any shape I would like. So I cut out little circles free-hand, stuck them onto the drawer, and spray painted it orange. I had to put a plastic bag over the parts of the drawer that I didn't want to be orange.
Love it! I need a side table JUST LIKE THAT. Awesome work! :)
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