DIY – Page 2 – In2Decor

a Grandfather’s tale

It has been two weeks since my last blog, but being a winemaker and being busy with the harvest season, I find that I have little time for anything other than grape picking, grape pressing, inoculations, punch downs and pump overs!

However, I can only go so long without feeding the creative decor animal inside of me : )

Front view of my Louis blue bedside table.

You might remember I was looking for pedestals / bedside tables to paint for my new main bedroom? Well, because I have mostly been cellar-bound, I have not had the time to do the necessary browsing in shops. I thus resorted to my parents garage, a snifflers dream!

I came across two bedside tables which my late grandfather made himself. He was quite a character, and a real “cowboy” as my gran used to call him. Living on a farm, he always had a trick up his sleeve and found pleasure in doing the most daring things; he also told the most amazing stories about his apparently outrageous adventures. Nevertheless, he had a love for carpentry and made so many of these exact bedside tables – enough for his entire posterity!

These are not particularly pretty, but I was determined to make them pretty! On my way home from the winery, stopped at my nearest Paint & Decor store in Stellenbosch. It is a great place for inspiration with good advice from knowlegdeable staff, and they are always busy with some project themselves. With the convenience of Annie Sloan’s chalk paint, that was my product of choice. Herduck egg blue looked a bit green to me, and I wasn’t sure whether that was what I wanted. There is also a Louis blue which is more a light blue. As I have my grandfather’s genes in me, I decided to be adventorous too and decided to paint one bedside table duck egg blue and one bedside table Louis blue. Who says they both need to be the same colour?

The operation began, and I removed the cupbourd drawers to get a more open shelf look. I also got new drawer handles, and I was very satisfied with their new look!

One day when I am big, I will have more time for my creative animal and hopefully also have a creative living studio like Irene Hoofs, and have my friends write blogs about my beautiful projects.

These are the bedside tables in their original robe.

The one on the left is painted duck egg blue, and the one on the right is painted louis blue

Vintage playing

This weekend I was browsing an antique shop called Odds and Ends – a lovely place to find all sorts of vintage treasures. I was looking for two pedestals for our main bedroom which I want to paint a Duck Egg Blue, which was Plascon’s colour of the month last year in March (although I still have a soft spot for this tranquil mood pleaser).

I got completely sidetracked when I came across an old version of a rocking horse. I just couldn’t resist buying this beautiful piece of furniture – which incidently might also offer a playful ride or two – to serve as a decorative piece in the children’s room in our new home. Seeing that I am going to have a room that will need be suitably decorated for a boy (still on the way in July) and a girl, I think I will opt for colours lime green and beige.

I have come across such beautiful children’s furniture recently, I would for instance not mind decorating my garden with this funky seesaw from Egg design. Also check out their fluffy donkey range. What beautiful fun one could have with a fluffy donkey chalk board? 🙂

side tables painted in duck egg blue – the colour for my pedestals still to be found!

Make Up

My 16month old daughter has learned the word “make up”, (although it really sounds like “maauik up”) and everytime I am busy in front of the mirror, she too grabs one of my make up brushes and all her dolls/teddies get a brush stroke across the face.

What is it that gives magic to a bit of paint?.. or should I say “how is it that paint can give something a touch of magic?”

This past weekend we spent our 5 year wedding anniversary in the beautiful West Coast village of Paternoster. The interior of the little cottage called Villa Sophia inspired me to pick up my brushes again to breathe new life into my worn furniture.

Red was used more than once, and see how this little desk and old fashioned school hall chair easily becomes the centrepiece of the room. There is no fear in mixing painted furniture with natural wood furniture – even the red cupboard in the main bedroom says: (if I am this classy, imagine the clothes inside of me” . A side table’s form is accentuated – and makes it just as pretty to use as a pedestal. The green display cabinet frames the vintage ornaments inside.

I also spotted a sweet pink stool on a great blog called Decor8. It is painted in the latest trendy colour Radiant orchid.

My next project is to paint my oak coffee table with Annie Sloan’s chalk in Country Grey… or should I rather opt for Henrietta?

Creative diy lighting

I was very inspired when I recently visited Melissa’s in Stellenbosch. They sell beautiful hand made baskets amongst all their other hand made pretty things. I thought these baskets could actually double up as hanging lights when turned upside down while providing great atmosphere with the interesting light patterns it would let through.
Continue reading Creative diy lighting

Use what you have to make pretty

When we were doing my home office, I was one tresle short for my display unit behind my couch.
My first reaction was to call the carpenter to order another tresle so that I can have two tesles to suport the glass top.

With a little improvisation I realised the antique suitcase which I never know where to put, was exactly the same height as the tresle when I turned it on its side..

I ended up cancelling my order for the other tresle, because the result was just so pleasing!… not to mention the comments and compliments I have had from guests!

I would love to see how you have creatively used your home objects and/or furniture!