Vintage Book Letters

Hey All! Is everyone gearing up for Christmas? We are but aren't. I'm so ready for the holiday but I still have shopping to do! Ack!!

In the meantime instead of getting things done around the house... I've been trying to get some items into the shop for last minute Christmas shoppers. You have most likely seen these before:

Similar ones were sold at Anthropologie and other specialty stores this season. They are super cool but were super expensive (to me at least). I knew it was a project I could tackle myself. 

It's Rug Time! (And another reason my husband thinks I'm nuts)

It's Rug Time, la la la, It's Rug Time! (Anyone else's kid watch Sid The Science Kid?) That song has been in my head for the past few days. 

Anyway- It's been rug time over at our house. I've been searching for a rug for a good while now. I even ordered one on Ebay then returned it after the colors in person were way different than the online colors... I swore afterwards that I would not order another rug based solely on online photos. Until I saw this one that is:

Anthropologie Inspired Coffee Table

It might have taken awhile, I might have run into a few road bumps along the way, and some poople may think I am slightly crazy for taking this on but my coffee table is finally finished!


It all started while browsing Anthropologie and Viva Terra online (this was so long ago they are not even on the website anymore! All I could find was the console table that went with the set) and lusting after the fabulous furniture they have. I love the look and style but the price is always out of my reach. About 6 months ago I saw this coffee table:

I decided to turn my lust and longing into something tangible. We needed a new coffee table, I was tired of the old Ikea one I had since college and wanted something more grown up. So I started on a quest to build my own replica of the table above. After much planning, research and building I finally have it all finished!

I am incredibly happy with the final result and really happy to be finished! I don't have a lot of experience staining wood but I think it turned out pretty well. I tried to add some aged touched to the wood to try and replicate the look of old railroad ties (Which the coffee table I was inspired by is made of).

Here's a full post on how I made the table tops and check out the other parts of the process here to find out how I went from this:

To This:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Thanks and have a great rest of the weekend!

Fabulous Reader Questions

I received an email from a reader with a great question about my recent ceiling fan revamp:

Loved your finished look on the ceiling fan update.  A question...how did you keep the paint from getting into the fan parts?  I'm wondering if it would be easier to use a brush-on paint to avoid this problem?

I have at least 4 fans that I plan to attack soon.

Thanks!

Kim in IL

Great question Kim! I actually hadn't thought about how the paint might affect the fan motor (I usually get an idea in my head and just go for it which can be a good or bad thing). I hadn't turned on the fan since I painted it since it's been cold.


But I'm happy to report I turned on the fan for a good while this evening just to see how it did and it's working fine. I also inspected the inside of the motor and it didn't look like much paint got through the holes at all. So apparently my old fan was ugly but it's still in great shape. I hope this encourages anyone who was hesitant about trying this to go for it!


And for anyone who missed it here's a before and after of the fan in question:

And while we're on the topic of question and answer I received an email from Mary who saw my post on the Anthro Inspired Cupcake Holder made by my friend Samantha. She was wondering what I thought about using super glue instead of Gorilla Glue like Samantha suggested. Since I had not tried the project myself I unfortunately did not have an answer for her. But she tried it herself and had some insight for me that I wanted to share with you:




Hey Rachelle,

I commented on your blog a while back about using the hot glue on the cupcake stands.



I wanted to update you on the results of the hot glue. It did NOT work! Heh. The plates instantly stuck together once they touched making it impossible to make adjustment. It seemed like the glue was going to hold, then three days later they all pulled completely apart. I had to start all over and super glue them. So, I should have listened to you and definitely done it right the first time. :)



Thanks for your response!



Mary

Thanks for the tip Mary! I thought hot glue could have been an option but I guess not! Thanks for the advice.

If anyone else has questions about some of my projects please feel free to ask!

Anthropologie Workspace

Woo hoo! 200 followers! Thanks guys, I'm so excited! 


For a follow up to my wonderings about who these people at Anthropologie are I did a little detective work. I'm not going apply for a job here or anything- I'm just curious about who is behind all this creativity. It seems that (and I could be wrong) that each store has their own designer that comes up with the displays. Their main head quarters is in Pennsylvania at an old Navy ship yard that was converted for their use.

Check out this article that tells all about the headquarters for Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and Free People. With such a cool workspace no wonder they have such amazing merchandise! See some of the pics below:

Having a meeting

Styling it up!

What an awesome space to work in! Check out those columns, can I live here?

I love how it is so open and bright.

Merchandising? Look how they are reusing that concrete structure- how resourceful.

And check out this article from the architects who designed the space. They talk all about the history of the building and have lots of floor plans. They also talk about how they saved and refurbished most of the original elements of the building. Love this!

I thought it was pretty cool to see where all the beautiful clothes and furniture come from.  What do you think?

Reconnaissance = Fail

So I finally went to Anthropologie for my future coffee table reconnaissance mission. And it was a failure!

Apparently they don't keep most of the furniture they sell in the store. I guess I never noticed before. I mean they have beds and dining tables, I just assumed the coffee tables would be there as well.

They are not. The girl told me I could buy one or hope that someone ordered and returned one. Ya ok... So I'll just have to study the picture and hope for the best.

But not to fear- the trip was not a complete loss!



Most people go to Anthropologie for the clothes, I got for the furniture and displays. For an example check out my friend Samantha's Anthroplogie Inspired Cupcake Stand.



Cool bench made out of stool seats!

You could make something like this yourself.

Everything is so unique and interestingly put together.

This display is made out of paper cups, napkins and plates.
Wouldn't be cool to be the person who came up with all this?