Chair Makeover Inspiration.

Look what I found on my last visit to Brooklyn!
I spotted it on a sidewalk sale, on our way out. We pulled up to the side of the street with much scratching of the tires, and snatched it swiftly for a mere $10.

I believe it's a low back Windsor chair. A little dented –well loved, I should say– and very comfortable for a wooden chair.

Now, on to some makeover ideas!

I like how the chair + chest have been treated: stenciled, while preserving the original wood stain. I particularly love the stencil on the chest!

Since I would like to show some of the chair's original wood, maybe this is the way to go...?

A completely different approach: these chairs have been covered in a toile-patterned fabric. The black & white look would go neatly with my minimalist white desk –although if I do something like this, I will probably do an intricate stencil instead of using fabric.

I also picture it as white on wood: keeping the original wood finish instead of using black paint.

Alternatively, if I end up doing something simple with the wood/stain, the star of the show would be a wild cushion, full of character, in the spirit of this chair's upholstery.

The motif reminds me a little of khokhloma.

Although this little chair will be my studio companion for now, I also see as the first member of my ideal set of dining chairs: all mismatched, all beautiful.

There is plenty of inspiration out there on the subject of mismatched chairs... but that is for another day!

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 

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May Day Swap.

Presents, presents everywhere!

Back in April, fellow bloggers Dawn, Mary, and Shannah organized a gift swap to celebrate the arrival of spring.

Sounds wonderful, right?

People from all over joined in, pretty presents flew in every direction, and (surprise!) some landed on my stoop!

Sarah, from Attic Lace, put together the most beautiful package for me. It was such a joy to open!

Dotted ribbon, a vintage card, some lace... I went through them carefully, gushing like a child, trying to postpone the surprise.

Just look at this treasures!

I love the look of honey behind glass: like a heavy, delicious gem.
Sarah made the pebble paper weight and the owl herself! You may have seen the owl before: it lives on my desk these days.
She also included birds and a set of adorable twiggy pencils.

This was my first swap, and I had so much fun. 

 edit: 
Dawn prepared a showcase of all presents exchanged during the swap —go see!

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Square Cards in Rectangular Envelopes + Beautiful Stamps.

Thank you for answering last post's informal poll, friends! Apparently no one is intimidated by the little extra work that mailing square cards/envelopes may require —as is the case here, in the US.

Meanwhile, I've been looking into envelope sizes, playing around with ratios (for the cards), and discovering new things.

I learned that some crafty folks have circumvented the extra fees & hassle by modifying rectangular envelopes so that they fit square cards, snuggly.

If you ever wondered how to do such a thing, here is a nifty tutorial. Of all the solutions floating around the internet, I find this one to be the more elegant —you could even extend the insert to include the flap, just like regular lining.

I also learned that the US Postal Service has issued a series of awesome butterfly stamps whose denomination specifically benefits squared-shaped envelopes.

This is now the first time I share philatelical pretties in this blog. I put a lot of effort into matching my stamps to the person who's receiving the letter.
For instance: stamps of naval ships go well with rent checks —landlords are authority figures, after all.

Anyway: looking at butterflies led to more browsing. I ended up discovering some new beautiful stamps that I just must own.

Behold, my new findings!

Weather vanes!
They are beyond beautiful, don't you think?

Hey, it's the blue marble! 
This rendering is composed of images created from satellite data and redesigned with 3D computer technology. 

Wouldn't it be cool if stamps had shapely contours, like stickers?
This one comes close: it's round!

Look at this miniature broadsheet!

To evoke the look of posters from the Civil War era, the creators employed one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, where old letterpress methods are still used.

...and Johnny Cash —a dashing stamp!

What pretty new stamps are coming out where you live?
Hope this post gets you enthused about sending slow mail in style!

weather vanes | planet earth | proclamation | cash

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