Tag Archives: Mrs. B DIY

At Last

May 3, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

I had the opportunity to set up early for Dining by Design so I rattled around in a mostly empty enormous exhibit hall unloading my stuff from rolling suit cases.

It all worked out beautifully as I was able to get everything finished, pick up the boys from school and have a normal dinner before I left for Chicago Friday morning.

It was great fun to watch the designers constructing their backdrops and creating their vignettes. Styrofoam looked like stone and store displays seemed like antiques as these incredible creative minds transformed stuff to fantasy.

My friend, Mrs. Kerr, whipped up a table cloth from remnants of Le Lac that I had from my living room curtains. The dinner plates are my china, Herend’s Golden Edge, topped by yellow fretwork dishes from World Market. Chinese medallion plates on loan from Linda Hancock Antiques are the icing on the cake and I do wish these were in my private collection.

Sharyn Blond generously loaned me ten black linen napkins and I have to saw when you feel high quality linen you realize that there is such a difference; it is worth every penny. While I used Tiffany Bamboo on my dream table two years ago, this flatware is from World Market as well. The bone handled knives are mine as is all of the glass ware. The glasses are a mix of crystal, bud vases that can be found at any big craft store and the red glasses that I scrounged from two different booths at the River Market Antique mall and Blackwell’s, a treasure trove of a thrift shop on 63rd.

When I realized that any lamp I own would look like doll house furniture in this space I made an emergency plea to AJ at Barbara Cosgrove Lamps. “I think the black glass pillars would be so sexy,” and she was right. They finished the space beautifully.

The table was pretty, while some were spectacular, but the best part of the evening was the people who were with us. As is always the case.

I did not take pictures of other tables (as my photography would not do them justice) but will post some as the become available. Fellow Kansas City blogger, David at Midwestern Malaise, snapped a few and you can see them here. Also, I believe the plates from World Market are at the tail end of their run; there are some in stores, but they are not on-line.

Finish Line

April 29, 2010UncategorizedDesigners, Mrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

The living room and dining room are back to order. Oh, yes, the dining room was piled and stacked and fairly buried as well.

The car is loaded and I am all ready for set up for Dining by Design. I will report back with pictures on Monday (see, only one more post), but if you are in town do pop in to see the tables. Table Hop Friday night 5 – 9, just $25 at the door or the sneak peek Saturday from 9 to noon for $10. All the info is here.

There is a silent auction both Friday and Saturday nights, and I tip my hat in grateful thanks to Margaret Russell who donated a signed copy of Elle Decor’s Style and Substance

and Thomas O’Brien who donated a signed copy of American Modern.

Wanda Allen Jewelry and Tom Tivol have made lovely donations as well and these are only a few of the treasures that will be up for grabs.

Hope to see you there.

Floored

April 26, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIY, Musings from the Dream HouseMrs. Blandings

“Could you help me carry a few things in from the garage?”

“What is this?”

“Well. Well, I thought the Dining by Design table needed a rug. You know, to define the space a little better.”

“Uh huh. Where did you get these things?”

“Lowe’s. Jimenez told me about it.”

“How did you get them in your car?”

“Oh, there was the nicest man there; he loaded them up for me.”

“And they fit?”

“Well, not exactly. They had to go up over my headrest.”

“So, they were basically on your head for the ride home. And you couldn’t see out the back.”

“Basically.”

“And why are we taking them into the living room?”

“I just can’t quite figure out what I’m going to paint on them and I can’t get a sense of the scale until they are all together.”

“You’re going to paint them.”

“Right.”

“But not in the living room? In the garage. Or how about the basement?”

“Huh.”

But he knew from the start that I was going to paint them in the living room, just as the nice man at Lowe’s knew that I was not going to come back with a bigger car, but was going to figure out how to take these three four-by-eight pieces of laminate home right then.

I hate math, it’s such an inconvenience, but I measured a little then got out the yardstick. I was off, of course, and things had to be reconnoitered. I hate that. So I ignored the incorrectly measured part and went ahead and painted the border. I wanted to paint; I did not want to measure. When I finished the border, I stood back admiring my work, grateful for creative friends and low-priced home goods stores. Painting the floor in the living room was fine, bother Mr. Blandings and his concern.

Then I felt a nudge. Not of conscience or of sense. A nose nudge. About mid-thigh. It’s a common experience as it is Rosie’s usual way of letting me know I have forgotten her walk or her food or fetch. As I looked down into her amber eyes I realized that I had not quite accounted for keeping the dog off of the “rug.” She does not follow verbal instructions as well as the boys, which frankly is not all that well either.

So for a week Mr. Blandings and the boys have said nothing as half of the downstairs is blocked off with chairs and tables as they all work around me.

Idiot Proof

January 27, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

Gosh, I didn’t really think my binders would be all that interesting. Several people asked about the process, so here goes. I used these binders from ReBinder. They are recycled cardboard. I like the idea of them, but they don’t seem all that heavy. I’m a little worried about how they will hold up, but they were super cheap. And I was too lazy to look further or send them back.

All the paper I used was from Paper Source as I could pick it up in town. (See, again, lazy.) I cut the paper exactly the length of the binder; I did not wrap the paper around the top and bottom. I covered the spine and about two inches of the front and back cover. I was concerned (as was a commenter) about how the opening and closing of the binder would affect the paper, but it does not seem to be an issue. The paper does not gap or pull away.

I attached the paper with Spray Mount. Easy as pie. I did fold the paper around the spine of the binder before I sprayed the adhesive so I could set the binder down on the paper exactly where it needed to go then smoothed the paper up the sides.

The acrylic magazine holders are available at CB2.

I am looking for labels for the binders so that I can signify, well, something. I’m not quite sure how the tear sheets will be filed. By subject, as they currently are? By designer? By magazine? Oh, gentle reader, these are the things that keep me awake at night.

The Order of Things

January 26, 2010UncategorizedMrs. B DIYMrs. Blandings

Magazine holders ordered, check. Magazines sorted and culled, check. Books moved to accommodate aforementioned magazines and holders, check.

I moved all the design books to this side of the room as well so every little thing I need is right at my fingertips. I should mention that while the design books and magazines are in a specific order, the rest of the library is a jumble with classics, biography and mystery mixed together. This was not previously the case and that task now looms as Malcolm Gladwell becomes acquainted with Anne Tyler and Ian McEwan meets Elinor Lipman, perhaps for the first time. They are all making the best of it.

Naturally, I entered into the spine-covering with glee. Cutting and pasting complete, there they stand, six soldiers, spines ramrod straight, at the ready to guard the tear sheets. Empty. Mere shells. All dressed up like servicemen in a parade; they look good, but they are waiting to be put to use.

All paper from Paper Source.