Happy Hour!

I've mentioned before that I'm a graphic designer. I just thought I'd post another invitation I created for work. This was a fun invite for one of our properties in Texas.

What is your favorite Happy Hour drink?

Barber Shop Vanity Re-do

I mentioned in my last post that at the Country Living Fair, Cari Cucksey spoke about her passion for refurbishing and re-purposing. In keeping with that theme, I thought I’d share one of my own refurbishing projects. While in my hometown one weekend I decided to go to an antiques shop (which is sadly no longer there) just to browse. As I crossed the street to go in the shop, I spotted a grungy table with two drawers and chrome bars on the sides sitting just outside the door. Looking past the grime, I really loved the art deco-like shape of the table and the unique features. Then I found out that it had been in a barber shop. Even better! I knew instantly that I wanted to use it as a vanity.

The table had a terrible paint job and as I began to scrape away the layers I discovered a strange history. The whole table was covered in a murky, gloppy glaze over a muted turquoise paint layer. It had been applied without sanding the under-layer so it peeled up like a sticker. Underneath that layer, parts of the table had been spray-painted silver. And finally I revealed the smooth surface of the original paint color which was a bright apple green.

One of the things I loved about the table right off was the fact that it has two different drawers. One is completely made of wood and has a wooden knob; the other has a metal bottom with holes in it and has a stone knob. I assume the metal-bottomed drawer was for storing things like brushes that would need to dry. Until I started stripping all the paint off I didn’t realize that the metal drawer's inset is actually glass. I even found a silver cross painted on the inside of the glass. It was a neat surprise, so I left it. Even though I stripped all of the muted turquoise paint off everything (including the stone knob on the right drawer) I decided to leave it on the screw that attaches that knob. It makes for a pretty accent. I used chrome polish and elbow grease to clean up the chrome bars on the sides. Initially I thought they might be beyond saving but they cleaned up nicely! 

I chose a creamy pink color (actually it's called Peach Glamour) to repaint it with. It almost matches my bedroom walls. (That was not planned. Living in a rental, I didn’t have a choice about the wall color, but I’m learning to love it.) I like the contrast of the feminine pink with the more masculine elements of the piece, like the black top, the strong angles and the chrome bars. It makes the perfect vanity for me and it is one of my favorite refurbishing projects so far.