Some Loser Painted It Yellow

I spotted this fantastically simple & beautiful coffee table makeover over at <a href="http://modernjanedesign.blogspot.com/">Modern Jane</a> and it reminded me of a funny story.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtedNxZkPfT0uYC-2qQIrzAaghR_klj1YqNoPNCZprUBAqZT_ZpG9xzSvgYSW4u-AahxE72nhMs8zYHKps89fpmPMlQUOdJeS6fNaQHLZvfrDxhBieyt8lgX60hmscZjbZj6rcnF4Hedg/s1600/coffee+table+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtedNxZkPfT0uYC-2qQIrzAaghR_klj1YqNoPNCZprUBAqZT_ZpG9xzSvgYSW4u-AahxE72nhMs8zYHKps89fpmPMlQUOdJeS6fNaQHLZvfrDxhBieyt8lgX60hmscZjbZj6rcnF4Hedg/s400/coffee+table+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://modernjanedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/unsure.html">Modern Jane</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Years and years ago my Hubby (who was only boyfriend then) inherited an identical table.  But he inherited it in the original blah wood finish.  Thrifty even then, I convinced him to paint it a fun colour.  Because he was obsessed with orange and yellow in those days, I suggested pale yellow.  It turned out ho-hum - a bit tacky, even (it was a horrid shade of yellow - like a bleached egg yolk).  He used it for years, but then it ended up at his dad's because I prefer ottomans and didn't want a coffee table when we finally moved in together.  Fast forward to a few years later and Hubby finds out a childhood friend lives near us in the city we had just moved to.  Hubby goes to visit him and spots a yellow coffee table.  Intrigued, he asks his friend where he got it and the friend says that Hubby's dad gave it to him.  Hubby's friend thought it was ho-hum too because, not knowing it was formerly ours, he said something to the effect of, "too bad some loser painted it yellow".  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">P.S.  See the before & after post of the lovely <em>white</em> table makeover at Modern Jane by clicking <a href="http://modernjanedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/unsure.html">here</a>.</div>

Some Loser Painted It Yellow

I spotted this fantastically simple & beautiful coffee table makeover over at Modern Jane and it reminded me of a funny story. Modern J...

Read more »

My DIY Fail

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know I've been getting closer to finally hanging <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/silhouettes-go-where.html">my silhouette collection</a> (which, aside from two my Hubby gifted me, has never, EVER been hung).  I've blogged about silhouette arrangement inspiration twice (see <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/silhouettes-go-where.html">here</a> & <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/silhouette-display.html">here</a>) so that is a good clue as to what is brewing in the townhouse.  I thought the collection would look more sharp if I painted some of the random, tacky frames (see pics below) black so they all match in colour, but differ in texture.  And, it would save some bucks (as opposed to buying new frames).  I even bragged about the saving money part to Hubby.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD262yctpCzzKtzj3wtqhJTAiLM0koXd6kveFdOEyeBmloV7jz3GhlyV669bsgAtK4Pk11IiI2LAl59ThxRGmRs-PG25YC6GFLPhtp0YaGd7MfUUyptvtU9toOEUxjN_MGmmK7ZbB41f0/s1600/P1060287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD262yctpCzzKtzj3wtqhJTAiLM0koXd6kveFdOEyeBmloV7jz3GhlyV669bsgAtK4Pk11IiI2LAl59ThxRGmRs-PG25YC6GFLPhtp0YaGd7MfUUyptvtU9toOEUxjN_MGmmK7ZbB41f0/s320/P1060287.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before - all different frames</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAxzMX3SzKwijGsuwLuBxujDk3Q4I8y4Oa3vd0WBRrbVPx2TnZnM79RacGyGNl2VO67m5T_NJ2kmfsc-8Va0XjXwCh_kH2NAlB-ChCOj4eFIB0JjMZdMDNAgkN0ab61KHsen8tr6mEXNm/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAxzMX3SzKwijGsuwLuBxujDk3Q4I8y4Oa3vd0WBRrbVPx2TnZnM79RacGyGNl2VO67m5T_NJ2kmfsc-8Va0XjXwCh_kH2NAlB-ChCOj4eFIB0JjMZdMDNAgkN0ab61KHsen8tr6mEXNm/s640/010.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a close up of one of the offending frames</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pouncing on a rare warm day, I set to work.  I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed.  I'm no stranger to this kind of project but I tend to only buy Tremclad paint as I typically paint metal surfaces (like the base of <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/01/diy-treadle-sewing-machine-base-desk.html">my DIY'd desk</a>).  But this (new to me) brand did something weird.  From afar the frames look okay:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76kQwJuPk51WU3voHu5FY_Sf6uonpYCYR8kLhnlMp1XYI1i6Ocko9Y659Heweooxf8OunmjCVr50Ld7YyM2zA-qNW1MtOO9s0Df60JbgBU2nDQuZueqMkniLusDDS_vWDPy453X_ly3WQ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76kQwJuPk51WU3voHu5FY_Sf6uonpYCYR8kLhnlMp1XYI1i6Ocko9Y659Heweooxf8OunmjCVr50Ld7YyM2zA-qNW1MtOO9s0Df60JbgBU2nDQuZueqMkniLusDDS_vWDPy453X_ly3WQ/s400/013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />But close up, the surface has turned all bumpy in some areas.  Perhaps the weather wasn't warm enough (the instructions suggested 10 degrees celsius + and it was . . . ), or the can was defective.  Anyway, take a look at the damage:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CZBG3RUxiOdGENtFdTH0oLAsGA-kbnrwikPSoWZeMqB7tpQW3XCW8oGrNUBNsdmcZGUgDSgAXaWhYNsuRem8DP1ieCTxwTzjr0jJmuIqws0Y3br1D5soWnE-YOH0y9XGKPXSZVtzAjNf/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CZBG3RUxiOdGENtFdTH0oLAsGA-kbnrwikPSoWZeMqB7tpQW3XCW8oGrNUBNsdmcZGUgDSgAXaWhYNsuRem8DP1ieCTxwTzjr0jJmuIqws0Y3br1D5soWnE-YOH0y9XGKPXSZVtzAjNf/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DIY gone wrong.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ekCruSTlw38G_tUZW4WhalK1tFmsfuBKPfnLVV7InlAqxlWNNnzsXwzF_lKA_CKycoASYHp538BBWjXQxqh8AGBYDOqzhaogixNjq3k_zuVZgv54-4kQPn1tBMjMIMH7QmOuCHL0Cmgw/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ekCruSTlw38G_tUZW4WhalK1tFmsfuBKPfnLVV7InlAqxlWNNnzsXwzF_lKA_CKycoASYHp538BBWjXQxqh8AGBYDOqzhaogixNjq3k_zuVZgv54-4kQPn1tBMjMIMH7QmOuCHL0Cmgw/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbg_dbUJOY7OSo-lwWGNBmstKQNZjizWZ4c3qsIX1qlRCrnChIATZVfIhVKB4nLGI5gNDWNDX2psfD5BR9e7zvB2EbwoZ-cjZ3nkRbW1R9yLpylSgH-8TiUqg0_Se6mXTDrnd3RiNPxUZ/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbg_dbUJOY7OSo-lwWGNBmstKQNZjizWZ4c3qsIX1qlRCrnChIATZVfIhVKB4nLGI5gNDWNDX2psfD5BR9e7zvB2EbwoZ-cjZ3nkRbW1R9yLpylSgH-8TiUqg0_Se6mXTDrnd3RiNPxUZ/s400/012.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They would pass in the dark with a shove, but I just gave up & bought new frames to replace the damaged ones.  I even found the perfect sized round frame for <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/04/silhouette-display.html">my newest silhouette</a>!  </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGmFsnk_fozkHsJDZBkAydZeraolR8or5jA9F5XgSvn3ZDL6m4mkycx5xjtoKOEUpRDevRE4EWOOz0rKFWw-ISXrm7k2q3pu5qggjOfYJTssKrPrh2Gm8DlO8plrDUezSPlHrUddKEEnh/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGmFsnk_fozkHsJDZBkAydZeraolR8or5jA9F5XgSvn3ZDL6m4mkycx5xjtoKOEUpRDevRE4EWOOz0rKFWw-ISXrm7k2q3pu5qggjOfYJTssKrPrh2Gm8DlO8plrDUezSPlHrUddKEEnh/s400/035.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BIM - Bought It Myself</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up: I finally found a frame for <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/searching.html">my magnetic chalkboard</a> project.  Let's hope I don't goof this up too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1FjeXH8w4HL1GaCAXrXHZRCkXOv9gWF1h2QeaJ81ksALBYgXJq51luwWJOdX1-iDR6MNLnTG4k8aPU68dKIaui-XHsnqArSrhKlDPMAukwadIn-RSsLoO_GIaH-m1xlPvnyQQYBmhYwu/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1FjeXH8w4HL1GaCAXrXHZRCkXOv9gWF1h2QeaJ81ksALBYgXJq51luwWJOdX1-iDR6MNLnTG4k8aPU68dKIaui-XHsnqArSrhKlDPMAukwadIn-RSsLoO_GIaH-m1xlPvnyQQYBmhYwu/s400/017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. Hubby was so cute: he thoughtfully helped me pick out new frames and never once laughed about my genius plan to refurbish the old frames.  He didn't complain that I stunk up the garage for no reason, or got paint on the floor, or left him with a pile of random junk to deal with when the project & I decided to abruptly part ways.  </div>

My DIY Fail

You know I've been getting closer to finally hanging my silhouette collection (which, aside from two my Hubby gifted me, has never, EVE...

Read more »

Front Hallway: "Before & In Progress"

Remember I blogged about getting a photo we took in Portugal enlarged to fit a frame we had?  It was my attempt to inject a bit of "summer" into our hallway.  Here's a<span style="color: cyan;"> </span><a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/it-wont-be-winter-here.html">link</a> if you missed it.<br /><br />Well, we finally have the enlargement and already wrestled it into the frame.  Scroll down for some shots of our front entry way "before" and after a "spit and polish".  It isn't finished, but looking better.  To see another part of this hall, check out my post about making a holiday card display board <a href="http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/diy-holiday-card-display.html">here</a><span style="color: cyan;">.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3n9oChy6VDsjE7ERx0ANIX9WRXDfQLcW44AtN6KTPGbp91W_dxSpfKU4vHNRm3WHR_LmIqLLCIqmBfAj2t0A4gqFPSojbNYyR4g5gU25f3dJGDuIRSSHjdU5RajGj5-JYmU8G7GG8zA/s1600/P1060587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3n9oChy6VDsjE7ERx0ANIX9WRXDfQLcW44AtN6KTPGbp91W_dxSpfKU4vHNRm3WHR_LmIqLLCIqmBfAj2t0A4gqFPSojbNYyR4g5gU25f3dJGDuIRSSHjdU5RajGj5-JYmU8G7GG8zA/s640/P1060587.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture, at last!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXMTGg9R938e9Wx4dq-XomFxaH1L-ZmD2tuTwxTKMj1U81fZmtB3MJMI1FtcXu6dAPyJFNyvgFc37pYGDpSyGWFlI2JTaAvRCoX4ZZGKGsN0ZL5BrbwD76JqJ5gb7MZhqNnQjjLYhBbY/s1600/P1030146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXMTGg9R938e9Wx4dq-XomFxaH1L-ZmD2tuTwxTKMj1U81fZmtB3MJMI1FtcXu6dAPyJFNyvgFc37pYGDpSyGWFlI2JTaAvRCoX4ZZGKGsN0ZL5BrbwD76JqJ5gb7MZhqNnQjjLYhBbY/s640/P1030146.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway "before"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlDCRt6G9pT-JQszPAtmh-YzlY8bLTCWIQBe0_pbg3Kcd1dBs7CWkSygllBobLnlj1Hl4lAB4csvGL3J7LqCVWD8CJhplgOlowerqh3vWog97d0dxnEB6CC6U5oEbTgV2MaIO9Gneico/s1600/P1030189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlDCRt6G9pT-JQszPAtmh-YzlY8bLTCWIQBe0_pbg3Kcd1dBs7CWkSygllBobLnlj1Hl4lAB4csvGL3J7LqCVWD8CJhplgOlowerqh3vWog97d0dxnEB6CC6U5oEbTgV2MaIO9Gneico/s640/P1030189.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallway "before"</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><strong>So, What Did We Do?</strong><br />We kept the tile.  It was installed professionally and the same tile runs through the hallway toward the stairs and in the half bath.  Plus, the same tile in a different colour combo (black & white) runs into the kitchen and then is transitioned nicely to the hardwood.  To change this tile would be an all or nothing job, so we decided to work with it.  Its no secret I like turquoise anyway, so it works.  <br /><br />We did give all the walls and doors a coat of crisp white paint, sewed a new curtain, changed all the door knobs and hinges to silver (mismatched and ratty door knobs and painted hinges were this home's trademark) and bought two new ceiling fixtures.  The rug is handwoven by a Finnish artisan in Northwestern Ontario using reclaimed materials.  Because my mom donates old clothes and fabric to the artisan, one of the turquoise stripes in the rug is of my old pyjama pants!<br /><br />Basically, we just brightened up the space and made it look fresh and clean.  I think an overhaul isn't always necessary (or affordable) and sometimes a "spit and polish," as I like to call it, is enough.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aSaS14Y3zQC9mZGfiHihCEu4SyGALYNRfzusJs5LDmjgzXU4N8MdaX1bFHMkj_pfCklqG68PPO8jJkZVDF9xWG8hftbuFU7lhJ96jX5b1z-gokKBAT-ciR5d-VBPFj7vvWa3cT_pVDM/s1600/P1060581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aSaS14Y3zQC9mZGfiHihCEu4SyGALYNRfzusJs5LDmjgzXU4N8MdaX1bFHMkj_pfCklqG68PPO8jJkZVDF9xWG8hftbuFU7lhJ96jX5b1z-gokKBAT-ciR5d-VBPFj7vvWa3cT_pVDM/s640/P1060581.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXon0XQxRa0_70qu4avK5elE_FGnfm2f1NPV79uDUopamv86fHw6q5Scv57EEv2m3YcF4BPA-9VcfG6m-3KJI87clsTMOQSCfqzJo-RjiX_U4kga3nOJqY3LyHdxLCIPhU-NVHzZmzUCw/s1600/P1060576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXon0XQxRa0_70qu4avK5elE_FGnfm2f1NPV79uDUopamv86fHw6q5Scv57EEv2m3YcF4BPA-9VcfG6m-3KJI87clsTMOQSCfqzJo-RjiX_U4kga3nOJqY3LyHdxLCIPhU-NVHzZmzUCw/s640/P1060576.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZembMVJu4Zjocpq0VdCgw9WsewY7r5IszFCxPmPuDZpdgMUeepjf1o36ePjqm2dFyEgt035FoC1Y6hQnZbMhRnKgzN1qaLg53nQyk4LDo_HkXJZZ2eb0h6ZZs4li_4Oh6zqyasANyQM/s1600/P1060588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZembMVJu4Zjocpq0VdCgw9WsewY7r5IszFCxPmPuDZpdgMUeepjf1o36ePjqm2dFyEgt035FoC1Y6hQnZbMhRnKgzN1qaLg53nQyk4LDo_HkXJZZ2eb0h6ZZs4li_4Oh6zqyasANyQM/s640/P1060588.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My old ripped pyjama pants found new life as a rug!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><strong>Some trials and tribulations:</strong><br />The frame we bought wasn't just a frame, it was a piece of "art" bought from the furniture department at The Bay because it was the largest frame we could find (and <em>loads</em> cheaper than custom).  But when we cracked it open, we saw that the "art" had  been glued to the matting and took some careful slicing to extract.  <br /><br />I also tried to "save" the light fixtures with some black spray paint but they still looked awful and after a mild earthquake which involved much rattling of the danglies, we decided to scrap it and buy new.  Happily, my grandma had actually been looking for similar dangles to replace the ones on her light fixture (hers had turned yellow-y), so parts of these light fixtures lived on and weren't thrown out!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfwePENOpaDHgFHW7qbqJSJ5WvajPvOuRvESRQD5ByUWu9312334l4LXVgbPcAfa6lL35Iqpyg1xcRt70h_0co8vXqbY3FA86_LuSnaaYfxoCsdQcdm9UoffUnte5c3alNPYUT0ulVds/s1600/P1060571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfwePENOpaDHgFHW7qbqJSJ5WvajPvOuRvESRQD5ByUWu9312334l4LXVgbPcAfa6lL35Iqpyg1xcRt70h_0co8vXqbY3FA86_LuSnaaYfxoCsdQcdm9UoffUnte5c3alNPYUT0ulVds/s320/P1060571.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRedtHrMfp4e8Gt2Kdt7uHD3VNIrufIr5eDLfvwqgrgqbrnPP72yswkDggOLfNyT7-uiPTN5p0CAg-d1dKMcuRJ1-urFpw2VYz3wHPbYEkMMauuR5VwKKt2hlqgVP2oWbWZKThBjcEbK0/s1600/P1030297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRedtHrMfp4e8Gt2Kdt7uHD3VNIrufIr5eDLfvwqgrgqbrnPP72yswkDggOLfNyT7-uiPTN5p0CAg-d1dKMcuRJ1-urFpw2VYz3wHPbYEkMMauuR5VwKKt2hlqgVP2oWbWZKThBjcEbK0/s320/P1030297.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPwlUkv5LC-MH8iX0CSveSwJFWW0lhlopzJVyw-p8GxIYwggfwqkJJYSashctz7mOsWykDn6WEmcD3tSEwjxk9hMdxvqoRWSHgjD20lC0yRAWddkMYKNhviBJoXfwqusNT22O5uGPaQ/s1600/P1030694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPwlUkv5LC-MH8iX0CSveSwJFWW0lhlopzJVyw-p8GxIYwggfwqkJJYSashctz7mOsWykDn6WEmcD3tSEwjxk9hMdxvqoRWSHgjD20lC0yRAWddkMYKNhviBJoXfwqusNT22O5uGPaQ/s320/P1030694.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DIY Gone Bad</td></tr></tbody></table>

Front Hallway: "Before & In Progress"

Remember I blogged about getting a photo we took in Portugal enlarged to fit a frame we had?  It was my attempt to inject a bit of "sum...

Read more »