Peek Sneak

A couple of weeks ago I made the observation that  when we are finished working really hard at work we come home and work really hard at home.  Whether building furniture, tearing up our yard to build a new one, making clothes, purses and/or art, it is challenging for us to just sit and be still.  I thought it might be a nice idea to get out of town for a few days so that we aren't tempted by our house and our insatiable need to DO and MAKE. The month of July is a slow one for the hair business, so we decided to take advantage of it and go on a little vacation.  A belated honeymoon!   We decided on Portland.  Neither of us have ever been, the weather sounds nice, and people that we like tend to rave about it. We plan to have some  good food and wine (of course), and maybe sit and be still a couple of times.  In the meantime, business is still slow, and I have a lot of free time on my hands.  We have been bouncing around the idea of starting a little Etsy store for a while so I thought now would be a good time to start that rolling.  Naturally, our crafts are all over the place.  Our products range from little purses to cool furniture pieces, all made from recycled materials. My eye for finding treasures among other people's trash, picking out materials and coming up with new ideas, coupled with Kayla's sewing and woodworking skills, astoundingly endless reserve  of patience, and an eye for detail makes us a pretty rad and crafty team.  I think turning these passions into a business is the obvious next step.  We started doing this stuff to fulfill our own needs, and the "doing" turned into an obsession.  It makes sense that if we like the stuff, someone else will too, and we can get paid to keep making it. I hope so, because it's fun.

We hope to have our first furniture piece (coffee table) and to launch our first clutch collection in the fall.  Here is a sneak peek of what is to come.  Enjoy your peek and your day!

This clutch used to be jeans and a flannel shirt.



The inside of these clutches have designated slots for your lipstick, credit card, and smartphone!



The floral one is made from one of our leftover wedding linens (that Kayla made from old sheets).  Laundered, of course. The lining, not pictured here, came from a pair of pinstriped trousers.



Here is the base for the new coffee table, made from reclaimed lumber.

Here is the top.  An old window!

I repositioned some art on the wall today and took a photo to share with Kayla.  I posted it here to show you the entertainment center that started the avalanche of refinishing.  I found this monster in the breezeway of our old apartment building.  It had a ridiculous faux wood grain 70s asian inspired laquered finish and shutter doors in the middle.  We took the cabinet doors off, sanded everything down to refinish, freshened up the hardware and turned the middle drawers into shelves for our TV equipment....We need a bigger TV.  Bertie photobombs.



Ugly Ducklings

We have entered into the days of consecutive upper 90's and 100 degree days in Austin...which means we haven't finished our gravel patio. We will finish it soon, but I suppose we needed a break (and I need the use of my shoulder for work).

Meanwhile,we have been watching A LOT of HGTV, DIY and Food Network shows. Kayla is drawing a lot of inspiration from the food shows, so we have been snacking on some major deliciousness. How about a grilled peach dessert with greek yogurt,fresh mint,and crushed pistachios?









On the DIY furniture front, we acquired two new pieces of furniture that have become new projects (our ugly ducklings). About two weeks ago I found an old dresser on Craigslist that needed some love. We have had on our radar a piece that would complement the big 70s dresser that we refinished and purposed for our entertainment center in our living room. This one was a perfect match in size and style to the one that we already have. It will serve as a buffet for the dining room.

Here she is before (with the drawers pulled out).



Here she is after! The middle cabinet will eventually open up to hold a wine rack and wine glasses. Above the buffet, Kayla will build a hutch to display our white wedding pottery. More on that later.






A few days into the buffet refinishing project, a friend on Facebook posted this charmer and we had to pick it up, even though we don't have a real use for it! We don't want to mess with it's beauty too much, but my vision for it is kind of French/Old Hollywood. Replacing the legs with some heavy ornate brass ones,add new hardware, touch up the stain, fix and lid, and voila! It will be a modern piece without sacrificing it's integrity. I will post more when we get around to working on this baby.