before they were upcycled

Danagiveaway, philly home show, repurpose, salvage 13 Comments

So what do these things have in common?

a garden trellis

garden trellis

tree stump

yardsticks

leather belt

a tablecloth

1970s polyester tablecloth

old drawers

drawer

and this nastiness

club chair before

Any idea? I can tell you that they all play a part in the room I am designing at the Philadelphia Home Show. This is just a sample of what will be upcycled and transformed to create a reclaimed bedroom. I can’t wait to share the final results and walk you through the transformations.

I will be installing the room later this week. Follow me on instagram for sneak peeks!

Would you like to visit the Home Show for free? View Circa Dee and The Painted Home‘s showrooms plus visit our shared craft room where we’ll being painting and upcycling on the fly. And you’ll be able to finally see the differences between milk paint and chalk paint in person! Plus, there are 100s of home exhibitors, speakers and special guests attending the show.

Just leave a comment to win a pair of tickets! I will draw 2 winners on Wednesday who will each receive a pair of tickets to attend the Philly Home Show on any day of their choice from February 2nd through 10th.

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January 14, 2013treasure

where i’ve been

Danadesigner, philly home show, repurpose, salvage, upholstery 3 Comments

Where have I been you ask? Thank you for your concern! I have been all over this past week from the city to the country to the beach and back to the burbs picking up a whirlwind of inspiration along the way. I love where I live simply for the fact that I can hit all of those places and spaces in just a few hours. So let me share what I’ve been up to.

You may or may not know about my participation in the Philadelphia Home Show at this point.

To recap, Circa Dee was selected to design an upcycled room at February’s show running from the 2nd to 10th. I am ecstatic to share with you that almost every surface of the room will be repurposed or vintage in nature.

Because that’s how I do.

I’ve partnered with some stellar folks who are helping to make the impossible possible in the world of upcycling.

First up is my upholsterer who’s identity shall finally be revealed. Drumroll please. Hummingbird Upholstery. Will you please stand up?

Here’s what we’ve got in progress.

Upholstery Project

Oops I’ve said too much already.

And this is where the magic happens…on a beautiful horse farm in the depths of Chester County. Yes, I’ve blogged about my love for this barn before. No, this is not a rerun.

More trash to treasure upholstery amazingness to come!

beautiful barn

And moving further east. Further. In Philadelphia. Closer to the river. You’ll find Provenance.

And their warehouse full of SO awesome reclaimed goods.

Provenance Architecturals

You’ll have to tune in next month to see what we come up with it. But let’s just say that Provenance did the new Barnes Foundation floor. And yes, that was formerly the Coney Island Boardwalk. I love the magic of salvage!

Barnes-Light-Court-Reclaimed-Ipe-Flooring

I realize you don’t all live near the city of brotherly love and I don’t want to leave you out of this fun project called the Home Show. I will most definitely share pictures of the finished room here with you and maybe even some awkward ‘during’ shots (although I hope to leave my hot pink paint pants at home). I will also share lots of instagram pics because I’m hooked. And facebook, twitter, pinterest and whatever other form of social media hits the interwebs between now and February 2nd. However, if you are local I hope to meet you at the show!

Oh and speaking of the beach, we were speaking about the beach, right? I rounded out my whirlwind few days there.

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Complete with lots of new additions to my space at the West End Garage. Get ‘em while they’re hot! More about the lobster sign and other paint projects in a post later this week but I hope you like it!

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And I promise to start taking pictures again soon with my real camera and to lay off The Instagram. Soon.

August 8, 2012home

collecting mixing bowls

Danacollection, flea market style, mixing bowls, painting, salvage 7 Comments

When you’re a vintage lover and junker like me it is so easy to suddenly have a new collection or obsession without even trying!

First you pick up one antique green mixing bowl that sparks your interest. And boom!

Just like that, one turns into 6. Or 8.

And you have to admit to yourself (and those around you) that you have a collection. That’s it. Just put it all out there on the mantel. For everyone to see and admire.

With the newest addition being a small ribbed seafoam green number. Just days old to the collection. She’s pretty perfect!

Lady luck is there too rounding out the group with her contrasting pink body on her well coordinated salvaged green cabinet door.

And that’s how collections happen. Don’t fight it. Embrace it. Display it.

May 22, 2012garden

celebrating a birday

Danabirdhouse, diy, family, nature, reclaimed, salvage, trash to treasure 2 Comments

Good day friends! Remember how I mentioned we celebrated a whole bunch of birthdays over the weekend? Yeah? Well, Friday was Ryan’s dad’s bday. He’s a bit of a backyard ornithologist. He’s got a collection of birdhouses and bird feeders that his feathered friends flock too. His yard is a great spot for bird watching. Soooo we decided to add to the collection with a touch of Circa Dee.

That’s right we gifted him a handmade bird house for his birday.

Made entirely from reclaimed wood with fabulous colors and texture.

The bird house has some history, naturally…remember our spindle candlesticks?

They were upcycled from this old Victorian porch railing.

After pulling the spindles apart, we did not waste the railing. That became the chunky “front door” for the birdhouse with 2 openings.

And in case you were wondering, this bird house is a duplex.

Surprise there is a pop of yellow on the back! The yellow and green walls are old wide flooring probably also from a porch.

There’s the master craftsman at work. Rumor has it that there will be more reclaimed birdhouses coming to Circa Dee!

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Linking to Home Stories A to Z

April 25, 2012home

candlestick park

Danabefore and after, diy, mantel, salvage, wreath 3 Comments

Hola chicas! How’s everyone feeling today? Feeling ready for a new mantel display alla Circa Dee? I was all kinds of over due in the mantel department. We still had our busy Easter egg display up until just a few days ago. Now we’ve transitioned to a much simpler display for late Spring…

Me likey! I started by layering a huge tarnished tray with my DIY moss wreath.

You’ve seen this wreath before. He is not new to the living room decor. And if you don’t remember how to DIY it, check last summer’s tutorial here.

What are those stunning candlesticks, you ask?

Oh they’re just a little something we’ve whipped up out of old Victorian porch spindles.

I’m pretty much in love! And you can be too because there is a set of 3 available for sale on our etsy shop.

This is the before as you probably imagined. I just salvaged the whole darn railing.

But wait! That’s not all. Each end is flanked with more tarnished silver. Cream and sugar bowls filled with moss balls.

Purdy.

Linking to Restore Interiors, Lettered Cottage

April 20, 2012home

triple play

Danaannie sloan chalk paint, before and after, coastal, painting, salvage 2 Comments

I’ve got not one, not two, but three before & afters for you today. Thank me later, friends.

Let’s start with this little repurposed wall hook. It started out as salvaged, old 5-panel door cut into sections.

One section was painted Duck Egg Blue with a contrasting Emperors Silk accent. This is what using a lot of dark wax looks like.

Then an old wooden door knob was attached to make for a unique hook. The Welcome text finishes it off!

This chair has been floating around my garage for nearly a year. It was finally up for a makeover.

The chair originally had a caned seat but that was long gone and this wooden one was in its place. I rolled with the new-to-it seat but gave it a light coat of ASCP Cream and new upholstery tacks. The rest of the chair was painted in Arles with dark wax all over.