Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thursday DIY: Stained and Painted Bar Stools

This is a DIY project I did a little while back in the fall. I had these bar stools from Wal-Mart since I got my first apartment 3 years ago. They were definitely bland but have always served their purpose. I have, however, developed a love for dark-stained wood. 

Bar Stool DIY: Before and After
Stools are a really nice place to start experimenting with staining because typically no one notices them while their butts are on them. So I had seen a number of really cute looking tutorials on sprucing up bar stools and took a shot at my own style. 

Bare with me on these horrible pictures, I did this project well after midnight and took pictures on a Blackberry.
First off you will want to sand at least the top of the stool to take off the thin varnish it comes with.

Spray down and wipe off the sanded areas to remove any dust. If you don't do this you will end up with clumpy stain and you're gonna have a bad time.

I used Minwax finish on mine. I chose a dark stain with an ashy tint, as opposed to red.

A little bit of style comes in to play at this point. I really wanted the top of the stools to be dark, so I did 2 coats, applying with a rag. After the second coat had sat overnight for maybe 5 or 6 hours, I went back with my rag and created a rougher texture.

I really liked the way the top turned out. It has a lot of grain texture in it and a nice rubbed look. After the stain had fully dried, which probably took around 2 days, I then applied a few coats of ModPodge to seal it all up.

Finally, I painted the legs white with just one coat of acrylic paint (that's what I have lying around so that's what I used).

Happy crafting!

Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress. - Bruce Barton 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Home Wednesday: Casa Inspiration

My home inspirations for the week. Enjoy!





entry room: vintage wedding photo wall, wooden bench, and wire light covers


kitchen


Beautiful Bathroom. Love the antique table converted into a bathroom sink/vanity.











beautifully lit room


Fall Chrysanthemum Arrangement







Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. - Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Monday, January 28, 2013

Art Monday: My Art Lately

I have a lot going on with my art right now. It's a given that when taking a lot of classes for your major, you are going to have a lot going on in that direction . . . but I mean that I have A LOT going on with my art right now.

The most important contributions being made to my portfolio though are the works I am creating in my printmaking course and in my independent study. In printmaking I am continuing to work on an idea I came up with last year: my native girls.

Here is my girl from last year:

I showed her a little while back in a post about my floating head tendencies, found here. My latest linoleum block is just about ready for final prints, with my first pulls looking like this:
But these aren't the only floating heads I have worked on recently. I also finished a painting before Winter Break:

So I am definitely making head way . . . pun intended? But then I also have the final drawing of my three part series I started last year also. You may remember the first two girls from the post Progress Shall Be Made! Well the third girl is proving quite interesting thus far. This lady is being drawn to supposedly fit in between the other two. Here she is:

Nothing on this is really finished yet, but I thought I would give you a glimpse. I also have another print I'm about to make along the tribal girl lines, a few collages to be converted in to paintings, and even more collages to create. Whew. One. Project. At. A. Time.

What do you think? You should pick up a pencil yourself and get to sketching.

Auf Wiedersehen!



Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing. Thomas A. Edison 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Style Saturday: Lacey Pink Collar

My friend and I went thrifting at the local Salvation Army and she held up this pink blouse to me, insisting that I try it on. I admittedly was skeptical: it seemed too frilly for my taste. When I put it on over my other shirt though I absolutely loved it.

Despite having to cut out the shoulder pads, this is one of my better purchases at a thrift store. Two lessons were learned this day: trust your [stylish] friends and try things on before you dismiss them.


The Owl Necklace is from Wal-Mart

The Skirt is from Forever21

The Shoes are Steve Madden

The Bracelets are American Eagle Outfitters

The Top is Kathy Che



I fell off my pink cloud with a thud. - Elizabeth Taylor

Friday, January 25, 2013

Organize

So it turns out that it is really difficult to keep up with writing when I'm taking so many classes. Therefore, I made myself come up with a schedule of what will happen on what days, not as a commitment to write every day, but as a helpful push which will encourage me to write by already having a topic assigned depending on what day of the week it is.


Mondays will be Art day. This includes write up on my Favorite Artists (a few previous ones can be found by clicking the link), on pieces I have seen recently that really struck a chord, and on my own artwork. Hopefully some day soon this will also broaden to show reviews once I move out of Findlay.

Tuesdays will be for Travel. I love dreaming about where my next adventures will happen. I would love to share with you all the beautiful places I want to go.

Wednesdays are Home days. I will round up great images of home decor, furniture, and ideas that inspire me. I have watched this on several blogs I follow and absolutely love the days when they post. Check out Espacio Vital.

Thursdays we will explore the Do-It-Yourself world. I will post recent projects I have taken on as well as share projects that other bloggers have posted that I find especially useful or intriguing.

Friday will be Fun day. I love posting some well needed funnies to begin my relaxation for the weekend.

Saturday is a Style day. On Saturdays I will show you some of my favorite outfits of my week, ongoing trends, and great ways to spruce up any ensemble.

I really am excited to start posting more again, and can't wait to see what comes up. Have a wonderful weekend!

The human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross and violent stimulants; and he must have a very faint perception of its beauty and dignity who does not know this.  - William Wordsworth 

Monday, January 14, 2013

Beautiful Strategy


Dearest Lovelies, I have not abandoned you. These past weeks have been both mindless relaxation, and, more recently, hellfire. I have a few updates: I just interviewed (like... 40min ago) with Kingston University London, I have submitted more applications, I am beginning what I believe will be my most exciting semester of independent study, and I have updated the cover photos on my Pinterest page.

That last one is the real kicker, right? Well, I'm pretty darn excited about it and have decided to share my cover photo strategy with you. It's pretty top secret, but I'm willing to spill the beans just for you... I choose pins with a similar color from every board. Whoa. I know. Well, in light of the upcoming Valentine's Day I went with pink and red. I really think this adds an extra edge to my account that hopefully gets more people interested in following my pin boards. If it doesn't... well... I still enjoy doing it, and what else really matters?

So tell me what you think. Below are my boards and here is a link to my account: whitney goller's pinterest. Will you be implementing this strategy now?



However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.- Winston Churchill
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