Saturday, April 28, 2012

Birthday Bubble Chandelier

So I am officially 28,  my birthday was last Wednesday (April 18).  My birthday was awesome; I got to take the day off of work, go to some of my favorite places, and get an amazing birthday gift from my hubby!  A Bubble Chandelier!  

Since this project required some DIY work (and by some I mean all), I had to do a little research on the exact type of chandelier I wanted.  I used pinterest and google images to look at different bubble chandeliers that have been created out there in blog-world.  There were many impressive ones that totally left me inspired! 

After our research was finished we landed on this one from Pelle Design on Etsy.  I love how structured and ordered the design of the chandelier seems, it is whimsical appeal with the bubbles but has a more purposeful looking design.


I will start off by saying that this chandelier is far from easy to make, which is why Pelle Design can sell them for a good price on etsy.  My husband was the brains behind the planning and execution of the piece, he did all of the work.  I just researched and told him what I thought looked pretty! 

There were many steps in the process such as trying to decide the dimensions of the chandelier.  Before ordering the bubbles we decided to blow up some balloons and string them together to get an idea of the size and shape we wanted. 


We ended up adding many more balloons than pictured above.  BTW stringing balloons together is MUCH easier than the glass bubbles!

Then we placed our order with CB2 for the 4" size bubbles

Here's a list of our supplies:
-28 glass bubbles from CB2 - (we ordered 33 and had some extra)
-3 - 3" 60 watt bulbs (already owned from the bathroom light fixture)
-cotton rope (2 sizes)
-hanging lamp kit - we actually used an old light fixture from above the sink in the bathroom, it had 3 sockets and Matt rewired it to work for this lamp - YAY for saving some moolah!
-sturdy copper wire cut into 2" length for hanging the bubbles - Matt slightly varied the wire size for more visual interest
-Teak wood drilled in the center, sanded, and conditioned with coconut oil
-wood glue
-masking tape
-electrical tape

Here are a few in progress photos:



The masking tape was used to number each string so that it was a lot easier to adjust if one bubble was too low - Matt's absolutely genius idea!


 And here is the finished chandelier in the room!
















Here are some close-up, more detailed shots.





I am thrilled with my birthday gift!  I hope you like it too, please ignore the ugly popcorn ceiling.

I didn't provide a step by step tutorial but if you have any questions about the construction feel free to ask in the comments.  Have any of you completed a DIY project recently that you are absolutely in love with?  Please feel free to share!  I hope you all have a wonderful week!



Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Vintage from the Burg!

That's our Etsy store, and today is the day that it is finally making it's debut!!  Well, at least on the blog!

We have already been up and running for a few weeks and have
SOLD three ITEMS!  WOO HOO!


Here is a preview of what we have posted in the past month or so.  Enjoy!







Special thanks to our friend Hilary who modeled all of the clothes for us!  And I hope you come and visit our little shop soon!  xo!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Look What Made It's Way Inside!

I had a very productive day yesterday.  I spent it rearranging, cleaning, and completing small projects around the house. 

I love our house!  Even with all of it's quirks and imperfections.  I even love the long to do list of projects that it comes with, although the line between love and hate is a little more blurry with that one.  But I love the to do lists because I know that it is a work in progress and that it's not beautiful yet but that someday it will get there.

Isn't this a great description of humanity?  I mean I know that I'm a work in progress and I'm not perfect and have my own quirks, imperfections, and just plain ugly bits.  But I'm a work in progress, crafted by an AMAZING GOD, who is the one who is in control of shaping and molding me into something beautiful.

 Anyway, do you want to see what I did?

I was thinking about my favorite thrift store find (this one) and how much I love it and am not getting to enjoy it b/c it's outside under a cover.  Once the backyard projects are complete (who knows when that will be) I will be able to sit back there and enjoy it, but for now whenever I see the backyard I just feel overwhelmed by all of the things that need to be done.

Well, I decided to bring it inside and put it in the dining room.  I also sold my dining room table on craigslist yesterday and made some money, (hopefully to be spent on a new chandelier for the bedroom!).

 After discussing it with Matt, the dining table that we already owned was never a long term solution.  Once the kitchen remodel is underway we are removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room and therefore it would not fit anyway.

Without further ado, this is what our dining room looks like now.



The whale needs to be hung a little lower on the wall but since we are planning to remove that wall anyway we probably will not rehang the whale until it finds it's permanent home.

I also did another little project in our bedroom but want to wait to reveal it once the room is complete!  At this point the bedroom is in need of new curtains, a chandelier,  and some minor tweaks here and there.  I can't wait to show it to you! 

Until then I will leave you with a few more close ups of my beloved bamboo/chinese chippendale set.



Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Capizing up the Hallway

Hi, 

It's been awhile so I thought I should apologize for staying away so long and give a little update on the happenings in my life.

I have recently had a couple of things change in my life, for starters I received a promotion at work, I have started an etsy business with a friend, and I have an upcoming business/design prospect (that to be honest, scares the absolute daylights outta me!).  This is mainly the reason I've been so absent from the blog.  But I had an idea to use the blog as a tool to prepare for some of my new endeavors.   I also am hoping that my blog can reformat itself into a place where I can not only share our house updates but also a place where I can explore my love of design.  We'll see what this will actually look like as the blog posts progress b/c the creative side of me doesn't want to be pigeon-holed into having a super defined objective, haha, so type B!  A more general goal for myself is to post at least once per week.

Anyway, onto the fun stuff.  Here are some pictures of our most recent project completion!  The hallway of our house left much to be desired but after adding a little life it may just be one of my favorite places in the whole house.








 First we painted the trim to the attic entryway white and followed up with using a grayish blue color on the ceiling.  We actually got this paint in the oops section of Lowes for $5.   It's been sitting forgotten until just this occassion to add a splash of color to the otherwise neutral hall.  After that was done my husband installed the capiz chandelier that we bought a few months ago when we vacationed in Sanibel Island. 








Is it weird to want to sit in the hallway all day turning the light switch on and off?

I love how the wood and capiz look against the grayish blue ceiling!  Now all I need is a bigger picture or a collage where the boat photograph picure is and it will feel more balanced.  There's always another step that needs to happen but my lack of patience couldn't wait to share it with you!  Have you made any changes to your house that you just can't wait to share?  Please comment and tell me about it!