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Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday Finds...Christina Williams Design

Welcome Christina Williams Design to Friday Finds! Christina is a very talented graphic designer who creates amazing thanks yous and notecards for a good price! Definitely head over to her Etsy Shop! Thanks for stopping by Chris!!!


What inspires you as a designer?

 I'm most often inspired by what I'm around most often: my kids. It's hard not to be inspired by the creativity and imagination of children. It's fun to experience childhood again through their eyes. I'm also inspired by happy, vibrant colors, and the ocean. My mom is also a huge source of inspiration for me. She's always got great ideas and encourages me to try new projects that take me out of my comfort zone a bit. A year or two ago she got me into jewelry making. I wasn't too excited about trying it, but now I love it and thanks to her encouragement, I've got another hobby that I love.


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What is your favorite pattern/print currently?

 I mostly gravitate to clean and simple prints. I recently saw a little settee covered in Shumacher's "wired" print, and I'm obsessed. I also really love their "knit" print. I also really like stripes, and most simple, geometric prints.


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Where do you find your bargains? If so, what have you purchased recently that was a bargain find?

 I wish I could say I was a good thrift-store shopper. I've tried so many times. But I always get distracted...I can never tell if I truly love a piece, or if I love it because of the price. I do love a good flea market, though. My favorite flea market find is a little side table that I painted lime green. I got it for 40 bucks, and it's way cheaper than something comparable I could buy at a store. Recently, I've started paying more attention to how much I spend on groceries. I've started watching the sales, comparing prices and using coupons. I'm finally getting pretty good at it, and I can usually save about 50% on my grocery bill each month. 


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What is your most proud DIY project? What inspired you to create a piece on your own/what inspired you to fix it up? 

My most proud DIY project isn't exactly one single project...it's the continual process of decorating my house. We've been on a student's budget for almost ten years now, and I decided that I needed to stop waiting for "someday" and make our home beautiful with what we've got, and what I can make. I love the direction it's heading...kind of mis-matched, really colorful, totally fun and livable. I feel like our home reflects the personalities of everyone in my family. I don't know if I would have had a larger budget to work with that I would have put as much thought into each piece I bring into our home. It's been a really enjoyable and rewarding process for me. 

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Did you ever go to school to learn about design? If so where and what was the most important lesson you learned? 

That's funny. I actually DID go to college with the intention of applying for the Interior Design program. The semester I was eligible to apply, the university announced they were canceling the program. They were taking one final batch of applicants, and it was going to be really competitive. I totally chickened out, because I was totally insecure about not getting in. If I could go back to college, that's one thing I would change. I wouldn't be afraid to try new things; or to be told "no." Hearing an occasional "no" isn't the end of the world. I went on to graduate with my degree in English, which has actually been quite useful; but I'll always wonder what would have happened, had I not been scared of rejection.

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Thanks for having me, Meaghan!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Love me some hutch!

So I FINALLY picked up the hutch that my girlfriend's parents (Thank you Daly's for helping load it!!!) were getting rid of and it is currently sitting in the back on my Mom's work van til Monday. It is SO heavy put I am so excited to place it in my bedroom which I am currently making over. I plan on housing my clothes in it until I have a bigger kitchen!









I plan on painting it a crisp white and adding some yellow and grey geometric paper to the back of the shelves. Can't wait to show you the bedroom once it starts coming together! 



Hex tabletops

Here are some images of the hexagon shape tabletops we are working on over at O'Neill Studios for Hank's Oyster Bar! Love the look of these. It is is three sheets of plywood cut and nailed together to give it a thicker appearance. 








we added joint compound around the sides to give it a more smooth look


after it set we sanded the edges and applied primer


I love this idea and it would be so easy to take an old table and give it new life by attaching a top like this one! And remember the paint colors and patterns are endless!



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Frame + Foto of the Day!

Green Distressed Hardwood Frames




The frame of the day is unique with its distressed look and goes well with the foto of the day of our family dog Riggins...who is clearly is not stressed at all! I woke up to him lying in the bed next to me last weekend at the beach house! 





Mirror mirror on the wall!

So we are using a patina solution for a large mirror to put in Hank's Oyster Bar that they will be using the write daily specials on. This processs is amazing!


First apply citric acid to the back side of the mirror using an old paint brush but don't forget your mask!


Spread acid all over backside of mirrr



let the citric acid sit and it will begin to eat away at the backside of the mirror



check out the video of how the acid eats a way at the mirrors back



Sponge off the backside







apply patina solution



after applying the patina solution reapply paint with a sponge to the back of the mirror and this is the look you will get



here the installation! LOVE IT!


Keep it up everyone over at O'Neill Studios!


Monday, July 25, 2011

Oh happy day!

This next project for Hank's Oyster Bar just makes me smile! The color choice is fun and vibrant and will be a great pop in the space!

Oh and any excuse to use the spray gun!







Two more coats of paint and we will be rocking!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Chair Progress at O'Neill Studios!

Here are some more pics of the Hank's Oyster Bar chairs progress over at O'Neill Studios!


armed and loaded for the first coat of paint


first coat is a benjamin moore 1557 silver grey color


of course I spilled some 





set of chairs sprayed!


first pass of a metallic paint





second pass before and afters



they are getting there!!!

New Project for Hank's!

As I have been bloggin about Hank's Oyster Bar rehab all week I just can't help myself...so many fun projects that once it all comes together O'Neill Studios have done a fabulous job with the design!

This new project O'Neill Studios wants a painted tile backsplash of Hank's logo to look something like this


So here are some pics of the materials and my initial tape out for the design



Layed out the tile 





rolled on  BIN primer


Added one row of ties to fit the design


Taped out the border and length of each letter


For the border I choose to have one row of full tiles running through the center...can't wait to get started painting! 



Can't wait to see the final result!