Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Every Bedroom Should Have a Dressing Table!!!!!

OK Kampers,
I'm exhausted.
I've been antiquing with Connie all day, but I can't write about that for another week.....
Soooooo
in the meantime.....
let's go back to the attic bedroom I did in 1995 for the Cape Cod Academy Showhouse.

I love dressing tables in bedrooms for a couple of reasons.
They can be used for primping.....
but more than that they can look really pretty!!!!!
Sooooooo....
I put one in this attic room, because I knew it would photograph well,
and as we all know.....
It's all about the pictures!!!!!
Traditional Home Magazine 1995
I bought an inexpensive mirror that I thought would be cool covered in sand and shells.
It was really gaudy, painted in a garish gold.
Since I was going to cover it in sand, it didn't matter what the finish looked like.
 But first I had to find some sand.
When I looked around for sand, all I could find were large bags for filling sandboxes.
Sooooooo.......
I called a local brick and sand lot, and asked if I could just buy a little bit.
When the guy saw I only wanted a little bag of it, he charged me 5 dollars.
Looking back, I think I overpaid, but at the time, I felt like I got a bargain.
Sooooooo.......
I sprayed the mirror with adhesive, and sprinkled the sand all over it.....
making one very big mess.
Thennnnnnn.....
I glued some shells on it in a very artistic manner!!!!!
What I didn't realize, was that the shells were glued to the sand.....
and the sand could give way.....
so the shells would fall off!!!!!
I had to travel around with my gluegun.
VERY PROFESSIONAL!!!!
After the showhouse was over, I gave this mirror to my friend, Terry Hamilton, and she claimed that no more shells fell off.
Maybe I'm cursed!!!!!????!!!!
Being meeee..... just the mirror on the wall wasn't enough.
I needed more stuff.
So what does one put on the walls when one needs more stuff?????
Plates!!!!!
I was having trouble finding floral ones with a creamy background color.
All of the ones I found had very white tones.
SOOOOOOOO.......
I glazed some with a brown tone, and made them yellower.
By this time I had completely lost my mind,
I was really getting into the seaside theme. (wait till I show you the attached little porch I did.)
I found some seahorse charms, and stuck them into the top edge of the dressing table boudoir lamps.
Sailors' valentines are always pretty.
They are trinket boxes and other small items that sailors would encrust with shells for their sweethearts while they were away on the open seas.
This little mirror was something I found while poking around on the Cape, and I set it on the dressing table top for another ocean themed accent.
1995 was when I was in the height of my love of fringe.
I had this bullion added to the top of the skirt, just because I could!!!!!
It adds another layer of texture and color.
I was using scraps of fringe left over from other jobs that my workroom had lying around.
I had the little chair covered in a piece of tapestry I bought and held on to, having no idea how it would be used.
We had the piece edged with left over green velvet from the chair welting that I did across the room.
This chair was something I had picked up for a client, thinking she would like it for a dressing table seat.
I had planned on painting it white for her.
She didn't like it, SO I GOT IT!!!!!
All my best stuff is the things my clients don't want.
It's now sitting in my Massachusetts kitchen.
I am the ultimate recycler!!!!!
That's it for today, guys.
I still have this miserable cold.

On that note,
Later, Gater
Photobucket

15 comments:

Patty Rumaker said...

I love vanities also and yes because they are functional but also because they can be so beautiful. I love the way yours came together. So funny about the glue and the sand. LOL!
Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design

Miss Kitty said...

Betsy!!!! I ADORE that mirror covered in sand and seashells! A work of art! Thanks for sharing how you did that...I think it is genius. AND making the plates not so white is such a great idea too. I feel so honored that you blog with us other peons and share your fabulous ideas with us. Pinning all of it!

Unknown said...

Since I live close to the beach my backyard is nothing more than a sand lot complete with shells, so how easy it would be for me to do this to a mirror. These photos are proof that fringe should still be in style. Just saying ya know?

Anonymous said...

Great post as usual- Hope you're feeling better! Barbara P from MA

sweet violets said...

Sorry you are feeling sick with that cold.....get some rest and drink a lot of good stuff!!

Always loved a dressing table and I've had one since I was 13 years old!! Bought my first one with my babysitting money and my mom made the skirt and she gave me the stool from her old vanity, which I still have....and recently recovered. When I moved to this house I found a wonderful writing table in an antique store and turned that into my dressing table with a gentleman's shaving mirror on top. It has one large drawer and holds all my beauty supplies....love it!!!

Love all the fringe you use........

Di said...

A soft cream on that wonderful chair would be beautiful. I really like the shell mirror good job Betsy!

Beth C. said...

I have a dressing table too!! Yippie for me! And day 10 of a cold that will NOT LET GO!! We are sistahs!! Best, Beth C.

Amy Chalmers said...

Love the mirror and how you made it!! Thanks for the how to. I remember this room and it was and still is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

I still love that long fringe. I refuse to be a slave to fads, but fringe is TIMELESS to me. :) Love the room!

Charlotte Des Fleurs said...

Darling Betsy , sooo sorry to hear you have a miserable cold. Suggest you try these things which will shorten the length of your cold AND make you feel better. 1) Lozenges containing Zinc gluconate. Zinc is a co-factor for the healing enzymes. Several large clinical trials at places like UCLA have shown zinc to reduce the duration of a cold. You can get these OTC at almost any pharmacy. 2) If this is really a cold (and therefore caused by a virus), take Levo Lysine tablets. Lysine is an amino acid that displaces the arginine amino acid in the virus's DNA. This stops the virus from replicating so your immune system does not have to work so hard to knock out the virus. Beans contain high levels of arginine. Cut back on coffee, chocolate and bean soup while you have any viral infection. 3) Vicks makes an OTC inhaler that REALLY dries up the nasal passages to allow your sinuses to drain.

On a decorating note, love the idea of a dressing table. I do not have one but recently bought a small one to paint and resell. My little 3 year old niece oos and aahs over it every time she comes over. So, I think I will re-paint it to match her room. She is a very girly girl.

Smiles from ridiculously hot, southern California.

Anonymous said...

Completely agree about the dressing table....every female should get. Getting a dressing table when you are in your teens makes a girl feel pretty no matter what the other kids say or do! I gave our daughter one and intend to do the same for our granddaughter. Still in love with bouillon trim. My husband hates it. Too bad for him :)

Anonymous said...

Dressing tables are a must in my house. I love the fringe, and the way you did that mirror is fabulous! I also adore the plates.
You are an arteest! I just love your work. Gail

Anonymous said...

Betsy: I was watching Downton Abbey the other night and noticed the lampshades in Lady Cora's bedroom. They reminded me of some of yours! I just love pretty rooms; pretty is highly underrated. Kathleen

Charlotte Des Fleurs said...

QUESTION??? You mentioned "glazing" the plates because they were too white. What did you use?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Could you do a tutorial on the burnt or scorched bamboo painting technique?

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