old to new

as i've mentioned before in prior posts, i love mixing old objects with new. i've always felt it adds such an eclectic mix throughout my loft and adds a unique flair that isn't seen anywhere else. it's my creative imagination, and my "design" overall.

this past weekend, i found a table for our dining room that was a perfect fit for our small space. i've always loved the look and feel of a quintessential 50's diner style chairs, tables and barstools, but unfortunately where i live, there aren't exactly a plethora of that style where i can mix and mingle this look. however, as i was browsing the for sale section of craigslist, i found this vintage 50's dining table that looked—as my husband labeled—as though we were eating cheeseburgers while being served by a beehived waitress named Flo. for a mere $40, i knew i had to at least go look at it in person.

when i arrived at the gentleman's house who was selling the table, it was covered in—what i call—a bunch of crap. including his TV set and computer. among the dark lighting throughout his small apartment, i knew right then and there that i had to have that table for our dining spot. it was exactly what i had hoped for.

the dimensions were perfect at a small 56" x 32" rectangle which included a rare leaf for such a diner-styled table, which would have fit perfectly for such a small space in our loft. perhaps it did come from an old diner that was appreciated many decades ago by patrons of a retro hangout, which only appealed to me even more.

even though he asked me to pick it up a few days later so he could prepare it for departure, i couldn't wait to arrive with my car ready to load for the trip to its new home. i wanted to leave with it right then and there, but instead, my patience won out and i was forced to wait two whole days.

as we were carrying the table outside to my car, i saw the many stains that permeated the tabletop as though paint had been spilled over several years of wear—but it still didn't discourage my purchase. i couldn't wait to get it home and enjoy our new table for our dining experience.

once my husband and i carried it upstairs, both he and my daughter showed nothing but distaste for the look and feel of the table—a table where we would spend many nights enjoying our dinner. 

or so i thought.

to say the least, i was disappointed with their unhappiness with something i had been so eager to share with my family. it still didn't prevent me from trying to convince them otherwise.

the next day, as i noticed from the sunlight shining throughout the upstairs area, the dark stains that showed its wear over time made me finally give in and reluctantly agree with them. not with the style, of course, but the stains on the tabletop which what i felt, took away from the vintage appeal but only showed dissatisfaction instead. 

while glancing at the table and the surroundings of my loft, the color red immediately sprung to mind. i felt by painting the top red with a gloss coat, would only complement the vintage and retro-diner style instead, thus covering the horrible dark stains.

i was on a mission!

after two coats of paint, i stood there and admired the completion of what looked like a brand new table. i knew this is what was needed to give love and gratefulness as if i purchased it brand new.

i was happy and now, as we continue to eat on our patio as we wind down from the summer months, i'm eager to christen our 'new' table with plentiful amounts of dinner enjoyment and conversation.

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lego my....sculpture?

i realize it's been a long time since i posted in my blog, but i wanted to start out with a lego bang!


recently, i have gone through some changes in my life. unfortunately, these changes prevented me from getting my creative juices flowing, thus causing me to not work on my art. it's been a struggle, i wish i could even explain, but i can't. just trust that in the past 1.5 years, i haven't really created anything worthy of mention.


however, in the last month or so, i can feel my creative juices flowing again. flowing rapidly in my head and they're ready to come out—once again! i had hoped and wished that this day would come again, and i truly believe it has.


i have ideas in my head, so many that i'm ready to burst so i can execute them—put them to use; put them down for the world to see.


but where to start?


a long time ago, i saw this picture of a lego-designed bar and i immediately thought to myself, how cool and how imaginative! i've always loved legos and even bought tons of them for my daughter when she was a little girl, but being the active person that she is, they just didn't provide the interest for her that i had hoped. she was too busy running around the soccer field.


it's ok. i don't expect her to be like her mom and want to color the world! but instead, i wanted to create something along those lines like this bar. it was the coolest thing i had ever seen. luckily, upon searching the internet, i found a pic of this exact bar created with nothing but legos.

as you can see, the color and dimensions that legos adds to this kitchen is beyond incredible. it would definitely make me want to sit down and have a drink—or two, or three.....you get the point. it creates an environment that no other kitchen bar could provide. at least in my opinion.

when i found this picture online, unfortunately the website was no longer active, therefore i cannot give proper credit to the artist/photographer of this amazing masterpiece. so please accept my apologies in advance. i only wanted to show it on my blog as a way to convey my thoughts and ideas.

today i woke up and decided i was going to do some more research. more research in the land of legos. not just legos as a toy, per se, but something that will allow me to take those little tiny colored plastic pieces which will enable me to turn into a masterpiece. something i can incorporate into my home (like the above kitchen bar) and enjoy it every single day. i love color and i love adding many dimensions of color within my home, so it's only natural that i would want to incorporate something similar to this lego sculpture within my home as well.

upon further research, i found a website with the most incredible lego idea—a lego built conference table. 

after finding all of these fun and innovative lego designs, i've come to the conclusion that although i have no idea what i will do with my lego creation that i have running around inside of my head, but the point is, i WILL find something to create and i will display it proudly here in my blog, just like i have with these pieces.

you can find the full story here: http://inhabitat.com/amazing-lego-table-would-make-even-the-most-boring-meeting-fun/

if you want to see more lego sculptures, just google "lego sculptures" and you will find so many amazing works of art that you'll be shocked. 

enjoy!

a recent patio table(s) transformation

i recently made a somewhat simple transformation of my two patio tables to use as one. as always, i started a search at the beginning of the summer for a large patio table, only to be disappointed (or just couldn't afford). since our dining area is relatively small, i thought why not get a larger table for our large patio, something we could use throughout the summer and warmer months. we have 6 chairs, so a large table would have fit comfortably.

unfortunately, any decent outdoor table that I wanted, cost in excess of $700+. ouch! since that's not really something we can afford right now, i took our two smaller tables that we used on our patio and moved them up together to make one, longer larger table instead. the only downside was since they're both metal tables, they were both in pretty bad shape. one of them had a large area of rust on the top surface, while the other one was peeling pretty badly, making dinners quite a challenge.

after a trip to the hardware store this weekend, i bought some all-weather paint and varnish and voila! a new transformation on our patio. i only wish I would have taken before pictures along with the after, but by the time I thought about it, it was too late. it was a much more cost effective solution for our patio, than buying brand new. and of course, it's the green way to go, as well!