Our DIY Desk's . . . Surface

I'm a tease.  Hubby & I have finally put together the desk we have been planning to build since July.  BUT, I have to let the desk surface cure for a week (which is cruel and unusual punishment) before putting anything on it.  I don't want to introduce you to the desk when it is naked.  I'm not "staging" it, but at least adding the lamps I bought would be nice.  Right now it looks so lonely.

Because the glossy top turned out better than I imagined, I thought I'd post about the surface today and then reveal the desk and the welding tutorial next week.  Picture me hovering near the desk, tightly gripping a lamp, in anticipation.

Without further ado . . . here is the desk surface, in our gloriously ugly basement, a.k.a the pit of despair (more on our basement makeover plans in the next couple of weeks too):

Glossy, no?

How to Cheat:

We had planned on building a surface, like Hubby did for my vintage treadle sewing machine desk, but while we were at Lowe's shopping for lumber, we stumbled upon this display:

Seriously, look at the sweet price:

One of these pre-fab surfaces was the exact size we needed and it saved us hours and hours and hours of work in our freezing garage.  Sold! 

But it looked at little too knotty for my liking.  Hubby is against painted wood (hence the wood-y kitchen we've maintained) so, because it is his desk, I opted for a stain.

How to Stain:

1. We lightly sanded the top and edges because the board was pretty sharp as-is.

2. We wiped it clean with a dry cloth.

3. Pouring a bit onto foam brush at a time (as per the instructions), we applied Saman water based stain and it was fantastic! 

After the fact, I learned that this brand of water based stain can be mixed for custom colours.  I opted for "whitewash".

Why we loved this stain (and this is my own opinion, Saman execs don't even know I exist, let alone that I'm giving the company mad love):

• Water based = easy clean up
• Low odour, making it perfect for indoor projects
• No overlapping marks
• Really awesome coverage

With just one 8 oz. bottle we applied four coats, making the wood almost opaque but still grain-y and wood-y for the Hubs.

Some Varnish Love:

We used Varathane brand (click here to see the can's English side - oops) Premium Diamond Wood Finish in clear gloss.  It, too, is water-based and although meant for outdoor items, worked just fine for a desk.  The helpful salesman at Canadian Tire who sold me my tiny first can of varnish is not as obsessed with glossiness as me.  When I bought my second can, this time at Home Hardware, the helpful salesman there suggested I buy a bigger can.  I'll use the rest, he reasoned.  He's smart.

Oh, tiny first can.  How quickly we parted ways.

I applied EIGHT coats to get the desk surface glassy-glossy and I love the result.  In the office, it just glows.

How to Varnish:

1. Lightly sand any grain that has been raised during the staining process.
2. Wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth
3. Ensure surface is free of debris (I missed this step - crap).
4. Apply varnish using a foam or bristle brush (don't go cheap - my brush left fuzzies I noticed too late - double crap)
5. Allow to dry (2-4 hours for this brand).
6. Lightly sand any raised grain, wipe clean (the manufacturer's suggest sanding the whole thing if more than 24 hours have passed).
7. Re-apply varnish and continue until you can see your reflection (I used 8 coats).
8. Patiently wait for the surface to cure for one week.

Despite some mystery debris trapped beneath eight layers of varnish like some weird grime time capsule, I am happy with the results.  I'll show you the whole kit & caboodle soon!  

My Artful Ikea Expedit Hack

I have many unsightly items stored on my Expedit bookcase, including spiral bound texts, ratty library books and stacks of student papers, waiting to be graded. I love the little door we bought to hide the electronic equipment (bottom left) but those doors are expensive, so I DIY'd my own version.  I used painted canvases hung on hooks to hide my bookshelf clutter and the whole project cost about the price of just one Ikea Expedit door! 

Supplies:

• 4mm Screw Eyes (Lee Valley - $1.90 for 100)
• 1/2" Cup Hooks (Lee Valley - $2.70 for 100)
• 12x12 canvases (Michael's - $29.99 for pack of 7, less with a 40% off coupon!)
• Paint/paint brushes
• Motivation (this is always the hardest to come by, for me)

Before Picking up a Tool:

1. I took everything off the Expedit.  Made a huge mess.  Started to cry.
2. I dusted and gave the Expedit a good, thorough clean. 
3. I put everything back on the Expedit and fiddled with the arrangement, taping up some paper to get a sense of where the paintings should go.

Then I marched down to the basement, also known as the pit of despair, and worked on a few paintings.  Two never made the cut, but the five that did were installed as swinging "doors" on my Expedit.

Install was simple:

1. We measured where the hooks should go, marking the measurement on tape instead of the shelf.
2. We installed the hooks using pliers, then removed the tape.
3. We added two screw eyes to each canvas - carefully measuring the distance each time because the canvases aren't 100% uniform.

The "doors" easily swing or come off to access what is behind, but hide the clutter and general ugliness perfectly.

Finished Product:

I tried to create some balance between covered cubbies, cubbies with books, cubbies with magazine files (like the ones I just painted) and cubbies with objets d'art (and tchotchkes). 

My chevron plans came to fruition!

My painted magazine files look just right

The DIY Showoff Featured My Project

If you're new to my blog, coming from The DIY Showoff, welcome!  I invite you to check out my DIY projects, tour the townhouse, and learn more about me (plus some random tidbits about me, if you're interested).  I'd love to hear from you.

For my regular readers and blog friends, I've been featured on The DIY Showoff!  Click here to see my feature!

I love The DIY Showoff.  Roeshel's home is gorgeous (her bedroom was recently featured on House of Turquoise and you would not believe how many fabulous items she has thrifted and re-imagined) and I love how many amazing DIY projects she features.  I'm flattered to be included among the fabulous features.

Magazine File Makeover

They just don't make 'em like they used to. 

Years ago, wood magazine files from Ikea were solid, varnished and not sliver-giving at all.  Not true today.  But, because my city's Ikea is moving locations, the sliver-giving, unfinished, kind of woobly magazine files produced today were on sale ($9.99, as opposed to $12.99, for a pair) and that made them look a lot better.  What made them even more attractive was a lick of paint.

After lightly sanding and rounding the corners a bit (so they aren't so sharp - jeez, Ikea) I gave them a coat of primer and two coats of leftover pale turquoise paint from my paper storage hoozit.  Because the paper storage hoozit was left light wood inside, I left these light wood inside too, because it was easier for a little subtle coordination.

Before:

Ikea Magazine Files (set of 2, slivers included)

The Transformation:

After:

I know, a pretty subtle transformation but I don't really want to draw attention to them.  Now I have to get them on the shelves and photograph my Ikea Expedit Hack.  Yup, it is done.  Just waiting for a sunny day to snap some photos!  I'm such a tease . . . hope you're not all underwhelmed after all this hype.

Inspiration Eye Candy: Jute Interiors

I recently stumbled across the web page for Jute, a fabulous interior design company lead by Alison Davin.  The company tag line says it all: antiques, art and modern family life: comfortably compatible.  I am totally smitten with the company's use of bold artwork and crisp textiles.  These are some of my favorite spaces from the portfolio:

San Francisco Marina Flat
LOVE the artwork!

San Francisco Marina Flat

San Francisco Marina Flat

San Francisco Noe Valley

San Francisco Noe Valley

San Francisco Noe Valley

San Francisco Noe Valley
Amazing . . .

DIY Beaded Christmas Spider

The Story:

Why Every Christmas Tree Needs a Spider:

A long time ago in Germany, a mother was busily cleaning for Christmas. The spiders fled to the attic to escape the broom. When the house became quiet the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a peek.

Oh what a beautiful Christmas tree!

In their excitement they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed all over the glittering tree. As they climbed, the tree became completely shrouded in their dusty grey spider webs.

When St. Nicholas came with the gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled because saw how happy the spiders were, but he knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw the tree covered with the dusty webs.

So he turned the webs to silver and gold. The tree sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before.

That's why we have tinsel on our tree and every tree should have a Christmas spider in it's branches!

~Author Unknown (and the story varies - sometimes Santa Claus is the leading man)

The Supplies:

1. 4 pieces of 24 gauge wire (approx. 8" long each)
2. 1 eye pin (approx. 2" long)
3. 1 bead cap
4. 1 large bead (for the body)
5. 1 small bead (for the head)
6. Seed beads
7. Bugle beads

The Tools:

1. Needle nose pliers
2. (Optional) Wire cutters

The Time Required:

Once you get the hang of it, no more than 15 minutes per spider.

The Instructions:

First, cut the wire for the spider legs (I recommend doing a bunch at one time).

Wrap all four wires gently around your finger.  Keep them as neat & lined up as possible:

Make a gentle loop, not a kink or bend.

Thread the larger bead onto your eye pin, followed by the wire you've made a loop in, then the bead cap and finally the smaller bead (this will be the spider's body):

Hold the spider body together tightly and adjust the wires so they come out of the bead cap similar to a real spider's legs.  Holding the spider together tightly, trim excess wire from the eye pin (using either your needle nose pliers or wire cutters) leaving enough to create a loop:

To create a loop, use the same steps I outlined in this post about DIY earrings & this post about my DIY pearl & chain necklace.  Bend the wire in one direction then, using your needle nose pliers, gently bend the wire to create a loop in the opposite direction:

Once your spider's body is nice and tight (not wibbly-wobbly), move on to beading the legs.  Thread on one seed bead, then a bugle, then a seed bead . . . until the legs are the "right" length (this is purely subjective).  For this spider, I used one short bugle and three longer bugles.  You can mix it up with size and colour but don't ditch the seed beads because they act as "joints".  When you've threaded a leg, trim the excess wire and close with a loop.  Make sure not to make the legs too tight, or beads might break when you bend the the legs.  But not too loose, either, because you might see gaps.  You'll get the feel for it!  Finish beading all of the legs.

Your spider might look a bit octopus-like when you're done.  Take some time to bend and shape the legs the legs.  It will take some fiddling, but that's the fun part!

And that's it!

Note:

For one-of-a-kind and environmentally friendly-ish spiders, I use some reclaimed beads.  I scour yards sales and flea markets for funky necklaces to take apart and mix those beads with supplies from local bead shops, big box craft stores - even dollar stores.  Click here to see more colour combinations!

Christmas Spider Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone for their kind words last week as I celebrated my first blogiversary.  I was really excited to hear from readers who hadn't commented before and am thrilled to have many new readers following along.  For fellow bloggers who are now friends of Dans le Townhouse, I'm looking forward to checking out your blogs!

I was nervous about hosting this giveaway because the gift is handmade, so I am so pleased (and relieved!) it was well received.  

Because I don't celebrate Christmas, spiders I keep hang out in unusual places . . .

Without further ado (because I can be a little blah, blah, blah), I used random.org to generate a winning comment and the lucky person is . . . .

Tamsyn, of Max & Me (comment #45)!!

Tamysn, email me at dans.le.townhouse@gmail.com and tell me what colour/colours you'd like your Christmas spider to be.

I wish I could give away 54 spiders (but Canada Post would bankupt me on the shipping), so instead I will post a tutorial this week so you can all DIY some eight-legged friends.

DIY Framed Bakelite Brooch

I had a wee bit of an ebay addiction in my early twenties.  I spent many sleepless nights "sneaker-fishing" my way into senseless purchases.  I kicked my habit but have many reminders, including two fabulous, but un-wearably inconvenient, vintage Bakelite pins.  I had considered framing them but wasn't sure how they would look.  The I started to see a few framed brooches around.  Barbara, of hodge:podge, created a version most similar to what I was after and as soon I saw hers I knew it would be a good idea.

[1. hodge:podge] [2. Super Duper Things] [3. Flickr]

  Supplies:

• Cotton batting (I used leftovers from an upholstery project)
• Silk (sourced from my fabric hoard)
• Primer (leftover)
• Paint (leftover from paper storage hoozit I painted)
• Small paint brush
• Glue (Aleene's worked well!)
• Vintage frames ($5.00 for pair at estate sale)
• 2 Vintage brooches (try flea markets, yard sales and estate sales)
• Sandpaper

Painting the Frames:

I lightly sanded each frame, removing any sheen.  Then I gave the frames a quick wipe with a damp cloth.  Using a small brush I applied a coat of primer, let it dry overnight, then applied two coats of paint (following manufacturer's instructions).  I used a smaller artist's brush to get the paint into the "carved" detail.

Creating a Padded Backing:

I used the original "artwork" as my base - you can cut a piece of thin plywood/scrap plastic etc., if your frame is empty.  I cut a piece of batting and silk slightly larger than the backing and "upholstered" it.  I wrapped the fabric tightly, squeezed the backing back into the frame to check fit (and make sure the lines on my silk weren't woobly), and then glued the batting and fabric in place on the back.  I secured with tape while the glue dried (hot glue is faster, but this has a better hold).

Putting it Together:

Working with finishing nails was a pain (it is aggravating to hammer something that tiny, super gently).  Instead, I stapled beside the backing so instead of the staples going through the backing (into the thinnest part of the frame), the staples hold the backing in a kind of friction fit:

These combine my favorite things: a silhouette look (black on cream), turquoise, an ornate frame (I'm accidentally growing a collection), and making use of what I have.  Now I just need to figure out where to hang them . . .

P.S. Don't forget to enter my first-ever giveaway!