A lot but not a lot

So, I've been busy busy busy. I've gotten a lot done but not a lot of projects done. Sometimes life interferes! But, I did manage to clean my house a bit, including a really good scrubbing down of the bathroom. I had a dear friend show me how to sew a pillow cover. I haven't sewed since Grade 7 Home Ec (and failed the sewing portion of the class!) so it was a bit of an adventure. But, I have one pillow down for my crib bench and hope to finish some more this week. My hubby and I worked hard on clearing out the garage today. I just could not work with not being able to move or find anything in there so hopefully, it will help me to be more productive in the future.

But, I did manage to finish one of my 70's stools:

BEFORE:

AND AFTER:

I removed and spray painted the legs a flat black. Took off the 70's flower plastic seat cover. Recovered with a burlap material with my handy dandy new staple gun. Reassembled the piece and finished it off by spray painting a birdcage stencil on top.

Along with the furniture refurbishment, I like to make Victorian/Steampunk/retro inspired jewelry. I managed to finish two necklaces in the last few days:

 This little can actually opens to store stuff inside.

And this octopus pendant is actually a locket.

Now, that I've got everything organized, hopefully I can pump out some more projects!

Before

Just have a quick second to show you what I'm working on now:

 This one I'm pretty nervous about - It's sooo 70's right now!

And this one is a lot of work. Lots of cracks to fill and loose nails to fix. Also, years of layered paint. And I discovered that while you are sanding layers of vintage paint, the flakes start to fly into your eyes! I've already weathered one eye injury this year and I don't want to do that again! So, this one is on hold until I can get some safety glasses tonight.

Charlie's happy

Well, I'm finally ready to show you the "after" shots. I'm pretty pleased with both pieces.
Here is what I did with the vintage crib:

I've turned it into a reading bench for my daughter and I's "Girls Only" room. It still needs some pillows - I need some help with the sewing bits! Here's a little detail:

I also finished this last night:

I made this entire cat bed for under $20! The most expensive part was the legs ($4/pc). The letter C, sign, and frame were all under $1 each. I found the foam for $1 at the thrift store (don't worry I lysol'd the heck out of it and left it outside for several days).
I already had white spray paint and the fabric.
 I love the sign that Isabelle made - I told her to do whatever she wanted on it (thinking she'd draw a picture) and she came up with this. Love it!
The best part? Charlie actually likes it and has been in it all day!

I'd love to be able to make these "made to order" for people's pets. I have a whole bunch of ideas for them - fancy ones, pretty ones, etc.

Improvements needed

So, I was hoping to post some after pictures today but I hit a little road bump. Which leads to my first improvement needed:

I need a new staple gun. I was doing fine with the old one, although it was borrowed, but it turns out that the old one was actually for hanging wire. Who knew? I was just going in after with a hammer! Oh well, I'm excited I get to purchase a new tool for myself!

My second improvement needed is probably more important than the staple gun:

See, my problem is - I will see something advertised for sale by owner and I'll go view it and then even if it won't work for me I'll buy it. I dont want to hurt anybody's feelings by not wanting their stuff! But I guess they don't want their stuff so why should I?
I really have to grow that backbone though or the wallet will stop supporting this hobby of mine!

Excited

Hi,

I've got several projects on the go right now but two are nearing completion and I'm very excited about both.
I'm going to do something with this:

For my daughter and I's "Girls only room" what is a female version of a man-cave called?

And I'm doing something with my $1 thrift store find. It's a pinterest inspired piece. Hopefully, it works.

With any luck, I can post the after pictures soon!

Shocked

I have to say I am shocked and saddened today to hear of Tara Jamieson's (Founder of Lauren Lane Decor) passing. I never met Tara. I had hoped to. The last two months I read every blog entry she had made since she created Lauren Lane Decor. She inspired me to get my butt in gear and do more projects. She inspired me to start making plans to make my hobby into a career.
My mother in law had some email exchange with Tara as we had asked her for some advice in starting a business that carried the Annie Sloan line of paint. She was helpful and honest.
My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. I hope they know that Tara touched and inspired people that never even met her.

Vintage Love Affair

Hi,
I'm new at this Blogging thing but I'm giving it a whirl...

Retro Parlour stems from my love of vintage things and the joys of rescueing old junk.
I love finding things that people have thrown out or given away and bringing them back to life. I also enjoy taking things that are dated or no longer useful and repurposing them into something hip and useful.
When you do this you have a piece that is unique, you can't buy it at a big box store.

I currently have a garage full of projects. Stick with me as I turn trash into treasure.

Here is an example:

Before:

After: