handmade inspiration

Danaabout us, bridal shower, bride, diy, engagement, family, favors, friends, gifts, groom, wall art 5 Comments

I just want to create things with my hands all day long. Everyday pretty much. I want to paint furniture, pick out fabric and turn it into chair seats, select wall paint (although not personally paint the walls), cut ribbon & cardstock to turn into pretty invitations, pretend to be a good baker, plant gardens to admire and eat.

You get the idea.

And if you’ve been following this blog for awhile now, you know that I really, truly love locally handmade as well as vintage.

We were honored to have a glorious bridal shower thrown in our honor over the weekend. There were so many details made just for Ryan and I, from vintage gifts, to locally purchased and handmade ones. And of course the registry ones too. Here we are walking in…

bridal shower

I’m here to share with you a few of the creative, handmade gifts and details from the event.

A group of friends took the time to individually bake cookies for the shower. They iced, they stamped, they rolled & cut, they bedazzled a ton of delicate cookies to all be combined onto darling trays to be passed around to munch on after lunch while I opened gifts. I mean who doesn’t love a homemade cookie, really? Especially ones emblazoned with our wedding date and cute aqua gingerbread men!

homemade cookies

Oh the gifts!

Here’s just a sampling of the handmade ones…

From our engagement session, our “trunk shot” is forever engrained on this wood slab. This is a perfect addition to our rustic style.

wood photo

And I seriously think our friend who made this needs to open an etsy shop stat, don’t you?

wood photo

A for awesomeness! A gift basket full of special occasions alcohol commemorating firsts in our married lives complete with poems. Here’s a an excerpt…When your first year of marriage is done, drink this champagne in honor of anniversaries to come! So clever!

special occassion alcohol gift basket

Check out the oil painting version of Ryan and I! This is an image of us headed down to the beach just moments before Ryan proposed. Wilson is right by our side. And my pink paint pants are forever documented! Such a masterpiece. (If you missed the pink paint pant proposal, click here and scroll down.)

beach proposal oil painting

We also received some locally handmade applique dish, hand & tea towels. Note the aqua colors. Holler!

his & hers applique towels

And can you believe the state of New Jersey is on a cutting board with a little heart highlighting Cape May where we’ll be married along with our initials and date? No, either can I!

NJ state cutting board with wedding date

By the way, I received an unbelievable amount of beautiful cutting boards. My newest collection/obsession. I love them all in a totally bizarre way. Like I want to hug them. Hopefully, they will help increase my kitchen productivity and cooking prowess. At the very least, they will look pretty photographed in future vignettes.

Let me tell you about the favor…stop. No words can describe.

Ball mason jar cookie favors

Yes, that is a life size blue ball jar. Labor of love is an understatement thanks to my Sis-in-law. SIL turned out like 60 of these and they taste wonderful too! (I should know, I ate like 3 of them.) Amaze-ball! Get it? Ball? Jar?

Seriously, I can’t thank my family & friends enough for their thoughtfulness and generosity. Ryan and I are so lucky! Plus, they all have our style totally pegged which is just icing on the cake…oh the cake! I can’t wait to share more details of the shower ASAP, just as soon as I seriously process it all.

Excuse me while I go eat another cookie…

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November 12, 2012home, wedding

the greatest show on earth

Danacenterpieces, circus, diy, event, family, friends, party, theme 3 Comments

Happy Monday everyone! I had a fabulous weekend and I hope you all did too. Before I tell you about it, let me first announce the winner of the pair of tickets to Arden Theater’s production of Freud’s Last Session…drumroll…Karen M! See you at The Scene for snacks, drinks & the show on Friday night! For anyone else who is interested in joining us, you can purchase tickets for $30 each here.

Ok, now for the Greatest Show on Earth! Seriously. It was the greatest.

We hosted a circus theme birthday party on Saturday night and it was a blast! It was everything I hoped and dreamed that a circus themed party could be…a little bit of vintage…a sideshow…creative costumes & styling. Fire eating. Yes, I said fire eating.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

Let me just cut to the chase with some pictures. Don’t try this at home! This man is a professional fire eater.

There was also a real live strongman but unfortunately I didn’t capture pictures of him doing his thing which included tearing a phone book in half, bending a horseshoe and other metal objects. Crazy stuff that you’d probably only see at the circus. Or at my house on Saturday night. We managed to transform our sunroom into a theater and cram about 50 people in for the show.

THE COSTUMES

I encouraged guests to dress according to the circus theme and did they ever deliver! I suppose we may have been a little Halloween deprived due to the storm.

Ryan was a lion tamer.

And so was our friend Leigh. I was the bearded lady.

There were many clown variations including an entire family of rodeo clowns.

Followed by an entire family of circus gypsies.

Best costume went to the half man/half woman.

I had some bearded lady competition.

There were so many fun costumes and props. I didn’t get to snap pictures of them all. At some point I had to put the camera down and just enjoy everyone’s company. Oh and there were lots of lions too.

THE DIY

I am guessing that if you’re still reading, you are thinking that a circus theme sounds like fun, right? Yep, it is and it can be fairly easy to put together. I planned a color scheme of red and blue with hints of white and pink. No matter the theme pick a color scheme up front so the event has a consistent delivery. Just like choosing colors when styling a room.

I wanted this circus to have a vintage look so I sourced an old poster, clown cornhole game, reproduction popcorn containers and more. I also pulled out some mismatched vintage furniture from my inventory and used fabric remnants and linens within the color scheme. You don’t have to buy all matching and new tablecloths when styling a party. Always shop your stash first. Again, just like styling a room – always shop your home.

You may have guessed that there was popcorn at the circus along with peanuts and animal crackers. I also designed a few flower arrangements in the popcorn containers. Half of the flowers came from my garden and the other half were purchased at the wholesaler.

When picking your color scheme, consider what the venue already offers. Our dining room palette worked perfectly with the circus reds and blues. I added a bunting that I had already made.

The circus theme is definitely all ages. We had the aforementioned sideshow for the adults. There was a pony corral for the young kids. Ahem, rocking horses not really ponies. Plus a pinata, hula hoops and some other games. The fire eater also made balloon animals.

All in all, I have to say that this was a pretty great party. Two days later and I am still smiling ear to ear! I had so much fun celebrating my soon to be status as the big 3-0. True story. At the end of the month I’ll be 30 and I couldn’t be more excited.

Oh an I’m sure you are wondering where Wilson was for the festivities. He was slinking around…

August 15, 2012home

amazing grace

Danababy, before and after, friends, nurseries, painting, trash to treasure 3 Comments

One of my good friends had her first baby in late June. Prior to the arrival of their little one, her and her family put together a nursery fit for a baby girl. The room was already a divine shade of olive green that coordinated so well with pink. Cream furniture pops against the green backdrop. They chose beautiful silk bedding accessories.

And hung pink, silk shades to match. The Grandmother-to-be sewed a valance of roses over the shades. Such a sweet touch!

You may have noticed though that the wall behind the crib is bare! This is where I came in to play. I was commissioned to put together large artwork made from barnwood. This isn’t just any barnwood though. Emily grew up on a beef cattle farm. When we met in college, I was a typical suburban girl. Emphasis on the urban. I didn’t know any farmers. I’ve always been enthralled with stories of farming and love to visit their family farms. And I’m slightly obsessed with barns. I want one!

Just weeks before the baby was due, Emily gave me wood from a barn that was torn down on her family’s farm. I love the faded red colors and washed out wood however this sign needed to be pink! My handyman Ryan built the “canvas” and I got to work creating something new for baby Grace out of something old from her family.

Emily also gave me fabric samples so I could custom mix the paint colors to match the gorgeous silk bedding. In addition, she gave me a sketch of exactly what she wanted on the barnwood. You could say she was nesting but she is always this precise!

Here’s the final result! I loved working with all of the natural grooves from wear on the barnwood. It gave the piece so much texture. Do you think the colors are a close match to the bedding?

The artwork will be securely hung behind the crib.

So Grace will have something to peer up at when she wakes up!

March 15, 2012home

chameleon

Danaannie sloan chalk paint, before and after, friends, furniture, painting 8 Comments

Hey there! I can’t even believe that it is mid-March already. When did this happen? I was still waiting for this season’s blizzard to hit but I guess it’s not happening considering we’ve had a couple of 70 degree days in a row. I’m not complaining though because I love this early spring weather. In fact, I have been inspired to work with lots of green and yellow lately with the early onset of spring.

Anyway, I’ve got a furniture transformation for you today. Yay! It comes with a bit of a back story so bear with me and we’ll get to the pretty after pics.

Ok, remember the room without a closet? Which is now a room with a closet.

It is the guest room at the beach house and when it didn’t have a closet it looked like this. Bor-ing!

That old 1930s kids dresser was cool but it didn’t do much for the room and guests never used the drawers. So we got a closet up in there. Which seemed more practical because people like to hang up certain things when they come to visit like their yachting clothes. Plus there is a shelf in case they want to tuck something away. Side note: I am thinking of a little coastal gallery wall above that chair. That’s why I haven’t removed that nail. I need to collect some little pics and make it happen, don’t ya think?

Ok. Ok. I digress. So that left us with an extra piece of furniture on our hands. Enter my friend who just moved and was in need of a dresser for her new digs. Presto! New dresser with lots of character.

This one started with a coat of ASCP Antibes Green which is super bright. It got toned down though. Obv. I went with a layering technique and added Versailles over it applying more paint in the centers and doing a dry brush technique on the edges to get the distressed action happening early. I love how many shades of brown, green and khaki seem to come through.

Then I sanded the crap out of it. Seriously. I sanded ’til my muscles ached to get a smooth finish with just the right amount of bright green and natural wood peeking out.

But wait that’s not all…

Clear coat of wax. And buffing. Equals more muscle work out.

By the way, I love the keyholes. They pop out of the light paint now.

And finally I took the original knobs, cleaned ‘em up and dark waxed ‘em so they’d pop. At 5:30 in the morning for some strange reason.

So I’m calling this one chameleon because the paint combination is really reflective of the space it is in. It is very light in these photos, sometimes almost looking like the cream wall behind it. But when we got it into my friend’s brown and tan bedroom - boom! The green just popped. Fun!

Let me know if you are in need of a furniture refresher. Or furniture at all. I can help. I have been hoarding other unpainted pieces just waiting for inspiration!

Linking to:

Primitive & Proper, Domestically Speaking, Restore Interiors, Diamond in the Stuff, Miss Mustard Seed

January 27, 2012musing

happy friday

Danacoastal, design board, friends, giveaway, industrial, maps 4 Comments

TGIF! Seriously, thank goodness. Even if it is raining here. I am so ready for the weekend but first I’ve got a couple of winners generated via random.org…

Sally & Rebecca, you’ve won a new car! Come on down! Just kidding. You’ve won yourselves some fab Vintage Rescue Squad 2012 calendars. Enjoy! Thanks for all of your comments.

So whatcha up to this weekend? I am looking forward to working on a room makeover tomorrow for some good friends. Pics and deets to come but here is a preview of some of the elements we plan to incorporate into their den to transform it into a sophisticated and cozy space.

The goal is to keep to a tight budget and therefore DIY and repurpose the high style (read: expensive) elements. Obvi. Stay tuned!

December 20, 2011home

my Christmas home tour

DanaChristmas, collection, dining room, friends, house tour, kitchen, living room, mantel, sunroom, Wilson 3 Comments

Christmas…just 5 days away.

If you read other home design and vintage blogs, you may have noticed that everyone has been posting their own version of their Christmas home tour. In my attempt to keep up with the Joneses of the blog world, I had planned to post my holiday decor house tour 10 days before Christmas. You would think that wouldn’t be too difficult considering the place has been decorated for Christmas since about Thanksgiving. Well, that self-inflicted deadline came and went. Over the weekend, I tidied the place up with the intent to photograph each room and get the aforementioned post up on Monday. Yesterday. That didn’t happen either.

A co-worker once told me “life happens while you’re making plans”. So true.

Without further adieu, photos of life happening in our home decorated for Christmas. No staging. Or bright natural light that I was holding out for…

Most of our friends come in the back door and enter the sunroom. They’re greeted by a table top tree made of bells and some white pine from the yard.

The sunroom leads to the kitchen. No matter the house, everyone always seems to gather in the kitchen. Am I right?

And this time there is a sing along in progress with our friends children.

A little girl sings along in her party dress.

Overnight guests hang out in matching PJs.

Let’s leave the jam session and check out the dining room where snacks and a game of Apples to Apples were just abandoned. There is our Fraser fir tree centered in front of the window.