Before & After: Bistro Chairs

Before: Our patio table was cheap and dated looking, and the grill was hogging up a lot of extra room. 

Minnesotans cherish their summertime. With the winters we endure here, being outside in pleasant weather takes on a religious fervor. Living in the city means we have to maximize every inch of available outdoor space, since we don't have a large yard. This patio is a shared space, regularly used by most of the residents in our building.

We've been revamping this outdoor room since we moved in two years ago, living with it and making adjustments as we thought of them or could afford it. We replaced a glaring overhead light with softly glowing cafe lights using a lightbulb outlet converter to avoid hiring an electrician to rewire our 120 year old house. I planted herbs in the window boxes and switched out a tired, not-so-white-anymore rug for a more durable black one to handle the heavy traffic of the front entrance. I also rehabbed the mailboxes with chalkboard paint, a great move for an apartment building where the names on the boxes change frequently.

The final touch was replacing this ghastly patio table and chairs, that's been around the place for more than ten years. I hated the cheap looking plastic chairs, and the umbrella hole in a table sitting on a covered porch. We also added a grill to the set up, but it all felt quite tight and constricted.

I found a few patio ideas I liked online at Target and World Market, but I felt they were overpriced for their quality, style and durability. I needed a round table that could comfortably seat four. I decided to see what I could find locally.

Before: We purchased 10 of these bistro chairs
on Craigslist for $70. 

We found a lovely wicker table with a heavy glass top on Craigslist that looked right at home outside. We found the chairs separately, though they needed some serious rehabbing. They were rusty and the seats needed cushions to make them comfortable enough for daily use. However, the shape was just what I was looking for, and I felt up to a little elbow grease. Poor Eric got suckered in too.

He kindly and dutifully scrubbed down all ten chairs with sandpaper and steel wool. Then he coated
the chairs with  Rustoleum spray-paint in Soft Iron. He also found replacement chair feet to keep them from scratching up the deck.

Next, I went over to S.R. Harris to pick up cushion foam and upholstery fabric. I painstakingly traced the wooden seats onto the foam, and cut it out. I used the seat as a pattern for the fabric too, adding four inches to the perimeter of the circle to allow it to comfortably cover the seat. I used a staple gun to cover the cushions, and Eric screwed them back in.

We also moved the grill to a smaller, unused nook on the other side of the patio which opened up a lot of space and helped it all to feel much more relaxed and inviting. The grill is getting more play too, since it's far easier to cook without bumping into the table and chairs. As a final touch, I've been toying with an indoor outdoor rug under the eating area, but I think there is just too much dust and debris to keep it looking great.

After: Painstaking Sanding, Spraypainting and reupholstering gave us a pretty new look. 

I'm pretty delighted with the results of all the tinkering. I think it looks far more polished and airy and I like the way the new furniture complements the iron railings and accents the orange red shades of the bricks. We've been spending lots of time out here already, and the new look feels much more inviting to me.

Do you have any "outdoor rooms" at your place? What have you done to make them more user friendly? If you have mosquito prevention tricks, I'd love to hear them!

Makeover the Moon

 I found this little fellow during a thrifting expedition. He decided to come home with me and spent a few months serving as a paperweight on my desk. I liked his hand carved features, but wasn't sure how best to accentuate them. Then a few weeks ago, inspiration struck and I spent a pleasant morning on my front porch with a cup of coffee, sanding out his rough edges. Next, I added a little iridescent paint and an eye screw. I strung a few glass glitter stars strung on some fishing line and...

now he's shimmering and swinging sweet dreams over our heads each night. I'm crazy about his garbo-esque eyebrows. After all, if the moon can't get away with stage makeup, who can? What have you made new lately?

Before & After: Becky Kazana World Headquarters

One of the challenges with living small and working from home is finding a way to concentrate on work tasks when personal tasks (that pile of breakfast dishes, the grocery list, the lure of facebook) surround you. Living in such a small space, we desperately needed an office space to shut out chores and concentrate on growing our business. 

My Dad's massive Victorian house had a tool room in dire need of organization. Though of ample size, precious floor space was squandered; strewn with tools, construction remnants, paint cans, electric supplies and various furniture left by previous tenants.  I felt certain that we could relocate the tool room to a walk in closet by editing and organizing, leaving this space free to become Becky Kazana World Headquarters! Here's what it looked like when we started out:



Yikes! The room was so choked with clutter, I could hardly get photos of the space.

After several hours of work, with the mantra "Like Things Together", I started to create some space. I pulled out anything I could sell on craigslist. All told, I made $175 selling items we found down here, all of which went back into the house. Still scary, but looking a great deal better.

Once my dad (on the left) saw the room cleared out, he started to get excited about really making it special. I had planned to move in "as is", perhaps with a coat of paint or two but he called his construction expert Tom (on the right), and got things rolling. The first concern was containing the asbestos paint on the ceiling, which they sealed up by powder coating with paint. The ugly pipes snaking overhead disappeared when the ceiling was painted black, which hid the pipes without sacrificing height. Then an electrician installed several florescent lights and additional outlets on each wall. It was incredible to see the transformation of brilliant light- the room suddenly seemed like a legitimate work space, no longer part of a dingy old basement. But it also shined brightly on the cracked and crumbling concrete walls and floor!

 A bucket of leveler helped even out the dips and crevices in the floor and gave us a smooth surface on which to install a beautiful wood floor. Eric spent quite a lot of time on his knees with a bucket of glue and a jug of foul smelling mineral spirits to get it installed.

My dad had a stack of pine lumber cut from our backyard (my friends may recall the infamous Log Rolling story...) and he decided that would create a nice texture for the walls, also solving the problem of putting drywall in a damp basement where it is likely to warp and crumble. It created a nice warmth for the space and the whole room smells like pine- clean, rich and warm.

All that was left now was to furnish it. We spent a lot of time combing craigslist and made more than one Ikea trip for a row of tables that would create a long L shaped work space.

Here, at last, is the finished product. We are so proud of it. The artwork is all by talented Etsy artists; the Man Riding Lobster poster from Nate Duval, the Ironing Ostrich and Piano Playing Pachyderm are from Wild Life Prints. The matching fawn colored leather chairs were craigslist scores, hardly used from Ikea. The tables were new from Ikea. The custom monogrammed wastebasket is from Two Sisters Designs. Our lightbox is now a permanent feature in our studio, making snapping beautiful photos much easier and we have ample storage for our inventory and all my crafting supplies in the cupboards mounted on the walls. 

Our packing station is actually a cabinet door mounted at waist height so you can stand while you assemble boxes. Eric's greatest innovation has been finding a way to print first class postage at home so that our parcels can go out with the mailman on the same day, without us ever leaving the house. He also mounted a towel rack above to store tissue paper neatly.

I'm so delighted with how this project turned out- it was far better than what I had initially imagined, thanks to my Dad, my husband and the talented Tom. I know great things will happen in this little room.

Our goal is to make this our full-time income stream, with the capacity to support a family someday soon. We'd love to run a business from home, giving us the flexibility to be with our family every day. I'd like to focus on my writing, finding new outlets in free lance writing and adding new facets to the blog and website. Eric is planning to expand our sales outlets to include Amazon and Ebay, in addition to Etsy.

These are big dreams for such a humble little room, but when I look back at the dusty junk yard it was, I have no doubt that it is possible to imagine and create beauty in unlikely places. The first step is making room.

Welcome to the Attic!

I've had a few requests for a peak at our new space and it's finally coming together, just in time for the party we held last night. Let's throw in a before and after while we're at it!

BEFORE: The living area and kitchen.

BEFORE: The living area and kitchen.

AFTER: The Kazana living room, complete with library and bar! The kilim rugs were wonderful finds. Mom gave up one of hers and I layered it with another found via craigslist.

These sumptuous ikat and embroidered pillow covers are from India and Afghanistan via Etsy shops Old Silk Route and Silk Way.

I'm especially proud of our bar and library. We scored this table 20% off at World Market with a coupon from their store club, and I think it does double duty beautifully. It was such a treat to get my beautiful collection of Taschen books out of storage! The mirrored lamp and burlap shade are from Target. I collected the little wooden birds on the shelf during our travels in Uganda. 

I guess I've been in the mood for brown liquor of late- should probably add a bit more variety, eh? The beautiful silver cocktail tray was another Etsy find from Vintage We Treasure, it's engraved with recipes for cocktails popular in the 40's.  The crystal decanter was a wedding gift to my parents. 

BEFORE: Kitchen area.

AFTER: Kitchen area. We found another beautiful kilim rug on craigslist for the kitchen. I'm so delighted with the color and pattern of this rug. The king palm is from Ikea. His name is Filburt. He's very happy to meet you. 

My brother Jake did all the food prep for the party we had last night, which was celebrating many things, including his return from the Peace Corps, our new city, our new home, my Dad's beautiful remodeling job, my 30th Birthday and two Kazanas in serious need of some fun. It's rather a hazardous kitchen for tall people (did you see that slanty wall?) but he made it hum and turned out a beautiful variety of hummus, home made pita bread, and crudites. I cheated and ordered some sweets from Wuollette's, and made a bite sized caprice salad with a Greek twist: cherry tomatoes, mint, feta, red onion and cucumber on a skewer squirted with lemon. Bite sized salad is fun to eat and adds a dash of color to the table. We also had broiled bacon wrapped dates, our absolute favorite party food ever. Try it at your next party- guaranteed hit!

BEFORE: Bedroom nook

AFTER: Bedroom nook. I found this rather Psychadelic bed cover at a thrift shop and impulsively bought it this summer. How perfect is it in there? 

This dresser was another craigslist find that I know we can enjoy for years. Eric and my Dad had this television installed on a bracket so it can swing out to be watched from the sofa or the bed. Everything in this tiny 250 square foot space needs to multi-function to save room and effort. 

Eric demonstrating the scale of our little hobbit door! It leads to a balcony three stories up- above the tree line. A spiral staircase (that takes some bravery to navigate!) lead down to the backyard parking area. We can barely stand up straight inside the peaked ceiling here. 

Thanks for visiting our newest tiny house! I hope you enjoyed the sneak peak.

A Custom Job: Before & After Vintage Wedding Cake Topper

Before...
And after! I can't help but be deeply pleased with the way this backdrop looks exactly like the bubbles in a glass of champagne. Perfect with her champagne colored gown and golden hair, don't you agree? I know the bride will be delighted too.

I can customize a pair for your wedding day too! Snap up the very last couple here.

Mini Bathroom Makeover; Finishing Touches

I did a little more fussing with the details of my mini bathroom makeover.

I filled the vases with seashells and added the Ship Shadowbox to the tableaux.

All this re-arranging got me to re-thinking my art selections. I brought in my wonderful Jacques Cousteau poster from Wayne Pate and moved my Seashell Specimen Boxes here to hang in a pretty row. I like how all the mirrors let me enjoy all these beautiful objects no matter where I am looking. I also think the variety of blues adds depth and prevents everything from looking to matchy-matchy or themed. (That would completely undo the relaxed beach vibe I'm shooting for.)

Apothecary jars and trays of perfume- I don't think I'll ever get tired of keeping those on the bathroom counter top. Someday I fantasize about having an old fashioned mirrored vanity table with a pretty silver monogrammed hairbrush and hand mirror.

What about you? Added any new feathers to your nest lately?

Before & After: Mini Bathroom Makeover!

I'm a little unsure of what to do with the wicker shelf that hangs in the master bathroom, but it was looking quite blah, so I decided a mini makeover was in order.

I laundered all the towels in VERY hot water with some bleach and while they were still warm from the dryer, I folded them into big fluffy thirds and made a sculpture of sorts. Doesn't it look a little like a spa? I think I may fill the jars ($2 at Goodwill!) with a collection of natural sea sponges like these, or maybe seashells.

I'll be honest darlings. There is no way the towels will stay looking this way, but for one afternoon, it certainly did look heavenly, didn't it?

Do you like to re-arrange things in your house? Or do you decorate only when you move in?