Stuff for the Studios Part I

I have a confession...

 there's a new guy in my life.

Meet Seamus O'Bitey!

I popped by the farmer's market to get herb plants

and came home with a Lab/Irish Setter/Pittbull rescue

that's making me crazy, sucking all my time, eating my shoes,

and making me laugh constantly.

I'm surprised I got in a project for Thom's apartment!

As you may remember, my sons, Samwow and Thom,

now have bare-bones studio cribs.

The boys have vastly different styles;

Samwow's preference is a palette of khaki, black and white

with a very masculine tone,

while Thom wants to go with a beachy theme.

We're decorating on a shoe string, but the boys are kind of used to that with 

a Momma like me.

My wallet is shut so tight it squeaks.

 Now we all know my proclivity for candle projects.

I make the strangest stuff.

I'll make a light feature out of anything.

So when Thom wanted candlelight for dinner, which is

what he grew up on, I thought of something flameless (campus policy)

that would fit the bill.

His existing centerpiece is seagrass in a square vase, so...

 ...I hit Dollar Tree for something that would work!

 All you need is 2 votive holders...

 ...2 square, tall vases...

 ...filler of your choice to match your decor...

 ...some flickering battery tealights...

 ...and Goop!

I'm a huge fan of this waterproof, silicone sealant adhesive.

This is the best stuff for glass on glass projects.

 Okay, this is a quick one.

Put your desired filler in the vases.

 Run a bead of Goop around the top.

Center the votive holder on top.

Allow this to dry for at least 4 hours.

 I then nestled the tealights in some marbles I had left 

from a previous project.

 At almost 15 inches tall, these have a presence!

 With Thom's burgeoning tropical style, these will 

make a statement.

I think they'd also be perfect for a DIY wedding,

and at $5 a pair, they'll fit any budget.

And now, for your giggle-snort of the day...

Thanks to my good buddy Jane at The Borrowed Abode.

She and her new hubby Ryan are fellow pet junkies,

although not on the crazy-cat-lady-starter-kit level I am.

A Quick Stolen Free Idea

 We're excited for you guys to all see the finished product, Besties.

Actually, we can't wait for there to BE a finished product.

 (Actual sunset on the lake a block from the project house. I needed a sanity walk.)

 As we draw to the finish line, one thing has become clear:

 I have certainly been absent from Chateau Inferno.

 My Minions are the world's best kids and all,

but they aren't Momma.

The place is a little...let's be nice and go with "neglected," shall we?

I think it's time some decorating started to happen here.

After all, it's a home blog, right?

And The Redhead does not give up easily.

Or at all.

 The new office will be lighter and brighter, and I've been squirreling

away fun finds for months, like these clearance tripod lamps from Target

and white cut out shades from IKEA.

They should provide great task lighting for the work table.

 Check out the cool floral design that shows through when the lamp is on.

 There's a pair of these standing paper lamps as well,

perfect for between my barrel chairs.

A little shout out to reader Julie-Ann who is happy to see that

The Feline Overlords are still in power.

 However, back to lighting.

What do you do when you have the perfect lamp with the perfect shade...

 ...but it's less than the perfect height?

HGTV Magazine solved my problem before I even knew I had one!

 (This table is a future project, and the redo will cost less than $10!)

They recommended grabbing a stack of interesting books and piling

up a base that brings the lamp to your desired height.

 BOOM!

Perfect!

Not to mention, it warms up the tableau,

and you know I'm all about free solutions!

This also gives you some fun options, like using Halloween and horror tomes

to add a subtle touch of seasonal decoration.

Five minutes, and I can read in that corner.

 Shout out number two goes to PJ at Planned in Pencil, 

one of my favorite fellow bloggers and stalkers, who sent me

a glittery little note in the mail.

Check her out and let me know if I should be afraid that she knows my address.

 But yes, we're ready to head home to nest and craft a little.

Not to mention The Minions are tired of Momma phoning in dinner.

So cross your fingers.

The lady of the house is inspecting today.

And if she likes what she sees, Mark and I will wrap this up,

show the transformation off to you,

and I'll dive into the drift of projects I have that will keep you guys

busy until 2014.

After we escape to the beach for a day of doing.absolutely.NOTHING. 

Mug Shots

I've been away in Albany New York

for some serious R&R at my BFF's country house.

While I've been up here braving the cold,

my children have been doing some...

unusual...

projects.

Take for instance this thrift store tiki.

Please...take this thrift store tiki.

Samwow actually needed a movie prop, so he bought the weird thing
for two bucks, then broke into my primer.

Not that this is helping.

The effect may be the exact opposite.

So we'll break out the metallic gold next.

Two coats later, and we have a golden idol for his next big production,

a music video with a zombie apocalypse theme.

Sometimes, I just don't ask.

However, with Dollar Tree white coffee cups, painter's tape, and chalkboard paint,
Savannah managed to pull off graduation gifts for all of her uber
bright friends heading on to their last two years of college.

Simply put painter's tape around the rim, handle and base,
pressing firmly into place.

Turn the cup upside down, and two coats later,
you have a caffeine container that will express an insomniac
chem major's true feelings.

A few sticks of colorful chalk tied with ribbon and
 tucked in before wrapping complete the gift.

And really, what kid doesn't enjoy endlessly personalizing their stuff?

This has been another strange gift idea from the team at LIR.

Yes, yes, I'll be home soon.