Tennis Rackets Turned Household Item!

I love the look of old tennis rackets. I've found a few in the passed weeks and fell in love with the worn leather, fine wood details, and the designs on each one.

Hanging them on the wall as is seems pretty cool but I thought it would be fun if it served a purpose... especially as I am not a tennis player!

Here are four different takes on a useful tennis racket wall hanging!


 Number One: "Melbourn"
... I love the vintage colors of this racket! The lighter wood and cream with black accents stand out nicely on a darker wall. This single hook could be used for any variety of things, keys, necklaces, something in your kitchen, your ID badge by the door... 

Number Two: "Davis"

... The two smaller hooks on this racket provide a symmetrical hanging devise perfect for a his and hers key holder! Also could be used for necklaces, ribbon, ornaments, or just as decoration. 

Number Three: "Ardmore"
... Affixed to it's traveling case, this racket is full of the old wood and worn paint vintage charm that I love. The four hooks can be used for anything from keys to jewelry. 

Number Four: "The Postman's knock"
... This racket is my favorite. I love the red details and what I turned it into! I hand painted the quote on the rim that read, "None will hear the postman's knock without a quickening of the heart" by WH Auden. I attached springs to the face and a hook to the neck. The spaces in the spring are perfect for mail and the hook is perfect for keys! Are there other uses you can think of?! 

Pull up that... DRAWER?!

A few weeks back, on a bright and cheery Monday evening, I went for a run. Around here Monday night is a lot of fun. Why? Because Tuesday is Trash Day! On my run I saw a disgusting old wooden file cabinet. The cabinet was worthless but the drawers stacked beside it? Awesome! I ran home, got my cousin and my car and headed back to the treasure. Cousin M confirmed the coolness of them and laughed as I put them in my trunk. 

The possibilities for these drawers began to pour into my head and I scrambled to sketch out ideas. One of my favorite ideas was an ottoman. Add some legs, a comfy, classy top and POOF! You've got yourself a snappy little foot rest. 

The legs on this ottoman are from an old corduroy ottoman found by my fellow picker sister, R. I tore that one apart (underneath it's ugly duckling hood, there was a great wooden frame...that will be revealed when it has had its own POOF moment) and cut wood, fabric, and my fingers. Woops, shouldn't have included the fingers but creating requires sacrifices. I only hammered them twice while applying the tiny furniture brads. 

I am so pleased with the outcome. The contrast that I am constantly looking for is definitely present here: classy, sleek, and beautiful with a warm flare from the vintage base item. 

Original varnish on the front. I added a slight sheen
to the rest of the drawer. Here you can see the small piece of
wood affixed to the top as well as the metal legs.

These are the legs attached to the underside of the drawer. They
squeeze and fold up into the bottom.

Ready for the top! See the foam and fabric on the left.

Attached the foam and then began the drama of the faux leather...

Add some silver brads to reflect the legs and POOF! I love it. 

 

This lovely piece will be available on Etsy!
www.sjcoffin.etsy.com

I couldn't find the table I wanted...

So I made it!

I am doing some interior design contract work right now and have a client with a tight budget. My partner and I were looking for a long thin table to go behind their couch. With heights, colors, lengths, and prices to consider we just couldn't come up with what we wanted.

This vertical half door was raw wood and only $10 at an Architectural Reclaim Store. J called me and asked if I wanted it. With correct dimensions, it eventually would become our elusive table!

                             The raw wood door.                                  The raw wood table legs.

The table legs I wanted were not available in the store and, because of time constraints, I had to settle for these sleek and simple square legs instead. It ended up working out well as you will see in the pictures. As Tim Gun says, "Make it work!"

                                       

I stained the top and bottom with Ebony wood stain. I spray painted the table legs gloss black and the horizontal wood details gloss black as well. 

I then added silver brads (or upholstery tacks) to the front and sides for a little fun detail.

               

Toolbox

A toolbox is my go to for a lot of my work. Each profession has a 'toolbox' of sorts... whether it is your breifcase, office drawer, camera bag, purse/manbag, or chef's knife set, there is something that holds the materials that you constantly go to. Lately I realized that my 'toolbox' (which happens to be a literal toolbox) was quite uninspiring. It was plastic and cheap, a plastic-y red color with plastic hinges. Quite sterile, really.

Plus it smelled like vomit.

Now, I know that is disgusting and I really am sorry I have to say it but it truly did. I have no idea why but I had it confirmed by friends multiple times. The similarity was disturbing and again, not inspiring!

So when I saw a great sturdy metal toolbox at a yard sale a few weeks ago, I knew it had to be mine. It was full of stories from projects done over the years, beaten and rusty but still in perfect working order. For a hefty price of $1 I took it home with me. I cleaned it thoroughly and sprayed the outside with Rust-o-lium to prevent further wear and tear. I want to get my name engraved on the area under the hand that looks like it was made exactly for that!

Then came the fun part. I taped up the outside and the inside black metal tray with painter's tape. Then I sprayed the inside with Watermelon-Pink Metal Spray Paint!

Now it holds a little bit of mystery with its own history and I constantly want to open it. THAT is inspiring. What is your toolbox?

1. The Restyling Etsy Debut and 2. The Process Behind a Lamp

1. I have more pottery as well as the debut of some of my ReStyling work on Etsy! Go to www.sjcoffin.etsy.com OR see the right hand bar on my blog!

2. I also wanted to share the work process of a recent piece that I finished.

A dull base and shade... ready to be ReStyled.

I tore the shade apart... which was quite gratifying!

I had some burlap seed bags from the garden center where I used to work (Merrifield!). I cut it, washed it, and lint-picked it (yup, I just made that a verb).

I traced the shade along the burlap, cut it out, and burned my fingers like crazy as I hot glued the burlap to the frame. There are sacrifices for beauty, you know!

Meanwhile, the base was drying from it's coat of metal primer. I think it already looks cooler as you can see the shadows and details of the metal work.

After tightly wrapping the burlap, I sprayed it white (coat after coat after coat) which really cleaned up the rustic look. It looked FAB. But, as I looked at the shade I knew it just needed a little something.

My mom had just refinished a small antique bench and the leftover antique brads were sitting on our workbench. Voila! Perfect finishing touch to the burlap shade.

The base got numerous coats of gloss white and came our beautifully!

Bada bing, bada boom! The white on white gives the rustic burlap and vintage base quite a modern edge. Sleek and clean without being cold.

And with a lower wattage bulb, it gives off the perfect little glow.

SOLD.

Lessons and Limitations

Last Saturday I took my new wares to their first debut. It was a Flea Market. I had my doubts (which turned out to be true) but knew that this would be good. It gave me an end goal, it forced the work out for critique (a scary but necessary part of this whole process), and forced me to try something I wasn't absolutely certain about the outcome.

[Click here for more pictures from the day]

All in all the day was complete fun and a flop. I learned so much about the market for my things, about display, and about pricing. The flea market was a great debut. People who go to flea markets like that are either really in need of a deal or just really love old things. The latter are my customers.

People's responses were so encouraging. They would be snooping around all of these random stalls with assorted items and suddenly stop at my display. The intrigue, shock, and appreciation was payment enough to make up for the lack of actual money made. People don't go to flea markets to spend a lot of money for hand made things... they go for deals on old things. I did sell the New York mail/Key piece to a woman who loved it. She was from NY and had just bought a house on the Chesapeake (where I found the crate top). I also met a master craftsman who ended up giving me some metal Victorian ceiling pieces and some large letters which I certainly have exciting designs for. (I know i just ended that sentence with a preposition and I'm not changing it! ha!)

Armed with a healthy dose of discouragement to surmount, I left the experience much better for doing it. I was humbled and seriously cold (ha!) but as the G.I. Joes say, "Knowing is half the battle." So, I'm getting back on the horse and continuing to ride towards the sunset, dagonit.

A new look and new work!

Don't be alarmed! You've come to the right place.. I just updated my blog background.

AND!! I have new pieces to show you! Once again, click on the name of the item to see more pictures of it in my online album.

Half Barrel Single Shelf #2

Vintage Travel Set Coasters

Half Barrel Apron Spoon Hooks

Hooks Hooks Hooks!

I am in love with all of the old organic pieces of wood and nature I've gathered over the years! But I've found that not everyone loves old or dried things as much as I do. So with a lot of creativity and a little work, I've figured out how to "restyle" them so that others can love them too! ...

Here are more items from my "ReStyling" period.

Click on the title of the piece to see more photos of that item!

New York Mail/Key Holder

Old Wood Jewelry Hooks

Half Barrel Single Shelf

Half Barrel Double Key Hook