Foreign Service Furniture! Yikes!

Here are some things to do with your cookie-cutter furniture! Doesn't it get old going over to someone's house and seeing the same bookcases? For people that are not in the foreign service, these are just general ideas to change it up.  Remember:  Change is good!

Lay your bookshelves on their sides to get a new piece! Great cubby holes.  I'm looking for baskets to put in the bottom ones! Will post pictures when I have those.

I covered with a long piece of burlap cloth for a little flavor. (and to cover up the bottom of the bookcases).

I'm not a fan of hutches in general.  Make yours unique with artwork instead of glasswork! :)

Yuck! That's all I have to say about this table. If I could DIY this government owned furniture I would definitely re-finish it, but I can't.

Put four together to make one larger unique table! Hide those nasty gold drawer handles on the interior of the square.

NEXT:  I'd like to use bookcases to make long benches/seats with homemade cushions on top. And add custom cubby buckets in the bottom for shoes and odds and ends.  Will work on this, but don't know if I have the space here.  Maybe next post!

What is a doily art?

What you need:  Paper Doilies, Sponge Brush, Food Coloring, Canvas, Big Pie-Size Dish, Mod Podge, Latex/Rubber Gloves, Spray Paint (optional)

When spray painting, always make sure to have something underneath so that it doesn't get on the surface you are working on.



Haiti has slim pickins when it comes to brand options.  Lets just say I was happy that they even HAD yellow spray paint.



Let air dry for approximately 8 hours or until it is completely dry. I set ours on top of two chairs to dry and to keep it out of the sun.

Layout the pattern you want the doilies in before you dye them. This was time consuming for me.

My final initial layout. (Which later was changed after the dying process and I saw it with color).

You might have to test the water with paper.  I used a lot for blue and not as much for the red, it just depends on the dye.  You only need enough water to cover the paper doilies, so just a thin layer on the bottom of the pie dish.  Add the coloring and mix before placing a doily in the water.

You DEFINITELY want to wear tight fitting gloves.  I had blue fingers for the rest of the day!  Remember that the doilies are extremely fragile and will wrip or tear if not handled gently (especially when they are saturated).  The most time consuming part of this project is waiting for the doilies to completely dry! I flipped mine and kept an eye on them.

Mod Podge is one of my favorite objects.  It dries clear so don't worry if it seems textured or lumpy.  To apply the mod podge put a generous amount on the sponge brush and apply directly on top of the doilies.  Apply it in a circle motion going outwards, otherwise they will bunch and tear.  For example, pretend as if you are drawing a sun, and the brushes for the sun rays are when you brush the mod podge out past the end of the doily.  (I hope that wasn't too confusing!)

Another VERY IMPORTANT tip is that you need to have lots of scraps of paper towel to clean up the edges.  After you mod podge, some of the coloring might appear on the canvas.  It easily wipes off if you do it immediately after you apply and will not stick to the canvas.  Just be detailed and careful not to nip one of the doilies.  Don't forget they are fragile!

ENJOY!  It's not hard and it is fun! I will be writing a quote on ours and will post a more updated picture once I add the quote!

Mozaik with Recycled Glass Bottles



AFTER

BEFORE

Do you need a weekend project that is hands-on, easy and inexpensive? ? Re-use bottles to update an old object!

I know the proper spelling of mosaic but I'm spelling it Mozaik because there is a restaurant here in Port-au-Prince/Petionville, Haiti called Mozaik!  That is more unique for me.  I must say this project was VERY inexpensive and made such a great improvement in our back yard and it only took me three days! I would give yourself a week though - I was very excited and rushed.

It definitely turned out to be more hard work than I anticipated.  I'm not sure if I underestimated the size of the step or just thought I could perform magic (one can only wish).  The grouting process would definitely be easier with a second person.

I would recommend using a tarp/old blanket or something that you can re-use or get rid of instead of wasting a bunch of trash bags like myself.  Additionally I recommend using gloves, as I still have a microscopic piece of glass in my index finger. It will come out soon on its own!

Items you need: 2 buckets (one for grout, one for water), 2 old rags, a grout sponge or large regular sponge, grout, cement glue *glue for whatever material you are gluing (ex: glass onto cement etc.), glass (the best part! we used beer bottles!), Brush *Thick painbrush would work fine, Grout Float *I didn't have one this time but will definitely have one for the next mosaic project I do, for outside projects wear lots of bugspray and sunscreen!

Step 1.  Recruit some friends to empty out wine/beer/or glass bottles. In Haiti we have a shortage of variation/options of beer! so I could only use green (Presidente), brown (Heineken), and blue (some weird cider beer).

Step 2. Soak in water and remove all labels. Dry.

Step 3. Sort colors. Decide what color you are going to start with, I started with blue. I placed all of the blue bottles in a cardboard box *Make sure the bottom of the box is completely taped so that no piece can fly out the bottom.  I used a 20 pound weight to break the bottles and covered them with 3 durable plastic bags (not the grocery store plastic bags).

Step 4.  After the glass is broken, put your gloves on! Sweep off selected area or object prior to beginning the gluing process.  Once the surface is clean you can begin to glue.  I am in Haiti so it was more difficult to find the perfect glue, but the monkey kind that I found worked out great! I placed a decent amount on the surface and then placed the pieces into the glue.  If you have children I would recommend buying straight glass planes to break up instead of the bottles.  Bottles are round and it is more difficult to find straight pieces. This resulted in some curved pieces with sharp edges sticking out (creating more work for me later when I had to grout around the edges so the pieces were covered and safe.) *This step took me two days. Let all of the pieces dry for 24 hours. It rains frequently here, so I placed garbage bags lightly over the top and placed them down with some rocks, just in case.

Step 5. Grout time! I bought mandarin colored grout/cementix was the brand.  Pour into a bucket and mix with water. Don't be worried about it looking too wet or too thick - you can always add either more water or more grout! It is ready to be used when you are able to dip a pencil/stick into the grout and the grout sticks to the surface. None of the grout should drip or run-down the stick, but it should be smooth enough that you can mix it with ease.

Step 6. Drip-Proof the area. Most of the grout that drips will brush off in the wind or wash away in the rain but why not avoid having to stare at it, waiting for the next rain...and just put a tarp down? You can see some orange residue from my pictures...I am still waiting for it to dissappear. Learn from me.

Step 7.  Start grouting. Add heaping amounts of the grout and smooth it out. Continue until the area is completed. It will cover up the glass pieces and look completely orange (look at the pictures to the right and left where I am adding the grout, it is covered in grout).  I was getting eaten alive by the mosquitos!! Don't forget bug spray!  Let sit for ten minutes. Take the sponge and brush off the excess grout on top. Use cloth to wipe each individual piece of glass to make it shiny and clean. *Great task for a second person.

Step. 8. Let dry for a few hours in the sunlight. Use a thick paint brush or grouting brush to brush away the dried pieces. You will notice there will be a lot of powdery, left-over grout that needs brushed off. This will happen for a few days, especially if your project is outdoors.

Step 9. Admire and enjoy! Brainstorm your next project now that you have the confidence and know you can do it!*I will add a picture in the sunlight! Haven't been at home when the sun hits it directly.

My favorite piece is in this section! Can you guess which one?