Pantone Tangerine

Against all my monochromatic tendencies, I really like punchy colors in my wardrobe (ok, in moderation). I love Pantone's reference colors and with the marketing and products they release, there's plenty to go around. I recently purchased this set as a gift and then had to purchase another so I could have my own! (It was on sale for Leap Day, so maybe it'll be discounted again...)

Each year, Pantone makes a Color of the Year announcement and 2012's is Tangerine Tango.

When I was getting my dose of second-hand shopping (the same trip that garnered me the squirrel!) I came across a skinny belt that made me think of Pantone's Tangerine, so I had to snag it.

I don't think wearing the belt will improve my dance moves, but I think the bright stripe of color will look great against a gray sweater or dark pants (I often use a nail or a hole punch to give belts more length options for around-the-waist or around-the-hips wear). If you want to pick up some other Tangerine gear, Pantone's site has all sorts of items, including this fun mug:

Any colors you're loving right now? Have any inspirational shopping trips recently?

Sample Sale Scouting

In earlier posts I shared my love of online sample sale sites, and today I circled around several of my favorites and catalogued some mostly affordable and/or project-inspirational finds!

Joss and Main

1. Uzbek River Rock Throw $50

2. Bryant Mirror $140

3. Arteriors Home Eastwood Log Table $274 (ok, I just added this as further justification for this project)

4. Preserved Beetle in Frame $104 

5. Pony Cube Ottoman $48 (at first glance I was amazed at how inexpensive this is, but then realized it's microfiber--which could be a bonus for some folks)

6. Durham Mirror $130

One Kings Lane

7. Dalmeny Side Board $1,999 (don't you think that adding a coat of metallic paint to a dresser could achieve something similar to this look and save some moolah?)

Ideeli

1. Woodcut Print Art $150

2. Violight Toothbrush Sanitizer $23 (I just don't know)

One Kings Lane

3. Deco Mirror $29

4. Overlapping Circles Mirror $29 (I was debating purchasing this for either side of my bed, but I think I'll need to go with something even larger)

5. Overlapping Circles Square Mirror $29

6. Gabeh Hand Knotted Rug $1,299

7. Fascination 3-Light Bath Bar $285 (I think it's a cool alternative to the typical bathroom vanity lighting)

Rue La La

1. Oushak Rug $1,800

2. Mamluk Rug $10,000

3. DVF dress $130 (how did that get on there?!)

Gilt

4. Fortune Cookie Vase $29

5. Husk Vase $48 (a Jonathan Adler item that's almost a good a deal as this)

6. Judy Ross Swim Pillow $129

7. Dransfield and Ross Quartz Pillow $165

Gilt

1. Map of Paris $225

2. Nambe Butterfly Salad Servers $60 (evidently they're handy for serving rocks)

3. Mirrored Trays $75

4. Round Wall Mirror $32 (Deco Mirror from One Kings Lane, we meet again--it's $29 at OKL, though--not counting shipping costs for either...)

5. Map of London $225

One Kings Lane

6. Colin 4-Drawer Console $899

Phew, how's that for a sample sale site tour?! Want to know how I knew it was time to stop browsing? It was when I came across the creepiest shoe of all time:

Prada $525 (can you believe it's currently 50% off?!)

Yeah, that's a sign. Have you done any online or window or catalog or in-person shopping recently?

Feelin' Squirrely

There is no real reason I needed this, but when I saw this little guy I thought he'd really really feel at home in a Monochromatic Dynamic environment. It didn't hurt that this (Jonathan Adler!) squirrel was $5. Too good to be true? Actually, yes. There's a charming, character-building crack around his tail.  But I'm over it and may or may not try to smooth over it with a little paint or caulk. A small price to pay for $115 discount on a new woodland pal.

Evidently it's a ring box, but a pecan works, too.

Come across any good deals recently? Have you made peace with the presence of any cracks or chips or dents?

Completely Stumped

Based on a True Story
Scene 1:  House Party
This scene is set outdoors in a backyard with a patio area, people milling around, playing games, enjoying beverages.
Jasper*:  Hey! I haven't seen you in ages? How are you?!
Partygoer:  Good, I've been...
Jasper: OMG! Are those stumps stacked back there? OMG, I have to go check these out.
Jasper scampers off to the unlit recesses of the backyard.
Partygoer raises eyebrows.
*name has been changed because I'm that person would be so embarrassed.

I cannot tell you how excited I was that I was able to have my pick of some substantial stumps left from a tree that met a sad uprooted end in my friends' backyard during one of the worst storms of the year. Really, giddy.

I posted way back when about how I liked the look of wooden stools and wanted some others in the house. These stumps fit the bill and the price was right (hooray, freebies!)

I felt better about my social faux pax when I saw this listed on One Kings Lane some time later (for lots and lots of dollars but I can't remember how much):

Well, I just got around to staining and sealing one of the stumps (I have plans for it to be a coffee table base!)--here are some photos of the process:

This is basically the fresh stump (I got so excited about the project that I've already stained the top in this photo, though). I sanded the sides and paid special attention to sanding the the edges of the base since I didn't want any rough edges catching on the kilim rug that it will be sitting on. It's flipped upside down in this photo.

I used stain that I had on-hand from this project and wanted the stump to have a little more color variance, so I used a rag to wipe (basically scrub, actually) the stain to be lighter in certain areas.

Another view of staining in process--you can see the original stump color on the lower left corner.

I've titled the picture below "Impatience"...I really wanted the stain to dry so I could add my first coat of polyurethane!

Gross photo of the snotty looking sealant. I would advocate that you should use thin multiple coats to seal a piece of furniture, but with all the crevices in the stump, I brushed this on pretty thick so it would sink in a bit.

Here's another photo of some sinking-in-sealant.

And here's a photo after 2 coats of sealant in the daylight. The stump is flipped around so it's right side up in this photo (I didn't stain the top of the stump that will be covered by the tabletop). It's interesting how different the color looks in natural and artificial light!

At the end of this previous post I said one of the things I would have changed is that I would have gotten a water-based sealant. Since this project was accomplished entirely with things I had on hand, I used the non-water-based polyurethane again and I'd just like to reiterate that water-based stuff is so much more convenient!

Now I have this stump sitting in the middle of the loft waiting for it's table top (which is getting spruced out a bit from its previous life as a marble patio table top--as told to me by the craigslist seller). Hopefully I'll get that back soon and have photos of the completed project in the next week or so...

Have you been up to any zero-dollar (that's $0!) projects recently?

Happy Friday

Maybe you'll enjoy starting your weekend off with this terribly shot video I recorded in the ASU Art Museum. I really enjoyed the "desert whimsy" of this piece.

"The Last Dance" by Dennis Oppenheim