It's amazing what you can find at a local park!

This weekend the weather was so nice that I just had to go out and enjoy it.  Josh and I decided a nice relaxing walk through Vander Veer Park would be just the way to do it.  

The Municipal Rose Garden has a simple little fountain that doesn't really attract a lot of attention because of the large one that "dances" and has lights.  I tend to favor this one because it is less crowded and has beautiful roses surrounding it when they are in bloom.

On a side note,

This flower (sorry I don't know what it is for sure)

caught my eye and I just had to save

it for later when  I might need a pick-me-up.  

If you didn't happen to know Vander Veer Park has some hidden sculptures/features that I convinced Josh to go and find.  The one below we found has a trio of children enjoying the park. I tried to get Josh to pose with them but he was a little camera shy.  I think this would make a cool fountain with water coming out of the top boys watering can.  

Anybody else think so? 

On a second side note,

These were in the girl's basket and it made 

me wish I could smell them.  And I really 

liked the way the light created the shadows.

This is the statue that really started my statue search.

Josh and I decided that every critter needed a name so to us he is 

now and forever Freddy the Grasshopper.

He hides in the trees on the way into the park.  I've seen him every time we visit but I have never stopped to take notice.  Josh had his first introduction this weekend... he was AMAZED. 

(and don't let him tell you any different)

From the front Freddy looks more like an alien than a grasshopper but I think hes cool anyway.

My favorite part of Freddy is that he is made of metal and will stand against the weather while 

he continues to age and change colors with the park around it.

I managed to get a pic of Josh because to him the most fascinating thing 

about Freddy was how he was made. 

Before you say anything I know this is not technically a statue but it is permanent part of this park.

I always wondered why they would put a bridge in the middle of a grassy area with no water.  

The answer according to Josh is that there used to be a playground here and this bridge was the only part they decided to keep.

Even though there is nothing truly exciting about the stones on this bridge but to me this type of stonework always make me think of an old log cabin fireplace where families hang out together. 

Granted graffiti is frowned upon in most states (if not all) I was drawn to the simple heart on this stone.

A heart is one of the universal symbols of love and family. 

Now for a little game of find the park animal...

The bundle of geese on the left scare me a little to be honest and when I took this picture the geese were in a stare-down with a small dog.  Personally, I think the geese would have won.  When Josh and I walked back by the pond we went really quietly and slowly three very scary and intimidating geese.  Needless to say we were unharmed.

Everyone has seen a squirrel before but I was amazed at how long this one stayed on the ground before seeking safety in the trees.

To continue both the find the animal game and the statue search I challenge you to find the bird looking toward the sky.

This wood statue is the staple of this park and has been replaced at least twice that I know of when it became cracked due to the rain and weather of Iowa.

Now I challenge you to go find something amazing in your local park too! 

Light the way to an Invigorating Bathroom

Normally when people go to the bathroom its in and out and they ignore all the boring lighting.

Don't let them ignore yours, give them a something exciting to look and talk about.


When I visited Shoji Tabuchi's show in Branson, Missouri (He's an AMAZING violinist by the way) the only thing that really stuck in my head was the bathrooms.  Below is the women's restroom complete with an enormous purple crystal chandelier in the center and matching sconces between each of the mirrors.

                

Now I know that not very many people can actually have a huge chandelier in their bathroom but just adding a little bit of glamour can interest many people.


I found this bathroom on Excellent Decoration.



I love the bold graphic that surrounds the Jacuzzi tub.  The only problem that I have with this space is that it would be hard to actually use the mirror.  I think this would be really cool under a sink in a modern home's half bath with very simple and sleek wall sconces on either side of the mirror.



This bathroom has a cave-like feel to it with the stone/rock like texture on the wall as well as the curvilinear walls, counter top, and sink.  The lighting in this space truly makes this cave welcoming.  I'm in love with the back-lit mirror that both lights up the wall and space.  
             


Here is an interesting idea that I found on Decorpad.  It is a Mark Williams Design.  I never thought about actually putting the sconces on the mirror instead of next to it.  This instantly doubles the light around the vanity.  I also like that they kept it very crisp and white so that it calm and collected.


And how about just for fun a lighted bathroom...

Vanity Counter top

Tub  (I really love this one!)




 and of course a Toilet



I'm not sure how I would feel about using this toilet.  Personally, it gives me the idea that an alien is going to climb out and get me... not really a feeling I want to get from a toilet.

The Lamp Revamp

Finally the conclusion to the lamp revamp that started with this...

First step sand the porcelain part...

Second step:  Primer the lamp base...

Third Step:  Watch paint dry... 

( I really like how the sun makes shadows on the spiral!)

Step four: Spray the lamp a shiny black...

Watch it dry some more and repaint where you miss.

And waa laa the finished lamp!

Hope I inspired you to create your own lamp.

Lamp Shade-capades!

Hello again,  it is time to get back to my lamp revamp project for class that I started doing research for a couple of weeks ago.  In the middle of the process I found another aspect I wanted to share with you.

Here is my wonderfully dated lamp that I got from the local DAV (Disabled American Veterans) for a whopping $4.

I absolutely hated and I mean HATED the horrible, dated, broken, and not to mention the dust on this lampshade.  So my plan was to rip off the loose from age accordion pink and recover it.

So above is the lampshade after I ripped off the accordion pink crap.  Unfortunately, I put a couple of holes in the shade in my enthusiasm to get rid of it.  The other problem was that I could not get all of the pink material off (see the pink lines on the shade).

One of the other issues and the one I would really like to focus on for awhile is the actual shape in relation to the lamp.

    I felt like this shade was too short and I really did not like being able to see the bottom of the electrical part.

So I had to go onto a new shade with a better and more suitable shape. 

This is a shade I found at Menards for about $8.  I liked the shape of this shade much better.  It was taller, slimmer, and sat lower in relation to the bulb.  The only problem I really had with this shade was the price.  Granted 8 dollars is not very much but with a budget of only $16 it was a lot when I still had to buy fabric and odds and ends.

So I had to go looking again for a similar shade that was more in my price range.

Here is my final choice for a shade.  I got it back at my trusty DAV for about $3.  BARGAIN!! 

It was a bit wider at the base than my Menards shade but it still covers the metal aspects of the lamp.  

This shade was a peach/ dusty rose color similar to the original shade.  

Another bonus was that I would not have to remove the fabric that was on the shade first.

The next step was going to the fabric store finding my fabric.

My lamp has a swirl in the globes that I wanted to mirror in the lampshade.  This fabric had the perfect swirl. Even better the fabric was only $6.75.  Perfect for my small budget.

My recovering process-

1. Make and cut the pattern for the new shade.
2. I put the pattern on the bias so the pattern would come out diagonally like the lamp.
3. Spray glued the lampshade and placed the fabric
        pssst... This is sooooo much harder than it sounds.  Just to warn you.
4. We made two more patterns for the trim on the top and bottom.
5. Attach the trim so that 1/2 inch is shown on each side.
        I used a hot glue gun for this part.

Here's the finished shade!  

Come back next week to see the total finished lamp.

Shell Wind Chime of my Dream

If you don't remember this fun fact about me I absolutely love anything that tinkles or makes noise when it moves.

 Problem one... I don't have anything that tinkles. 

 Problem two... I have a tote full of seashells collecting dust in my closet.

Solution... make a seashell wind chime!

What I needed for this project.

- seashells (I sure didn't need to buy any of these.)

- fishing line ( I used between 5lb and 8lb test.)

- three rings ( large, medium, and small)

- clear round beads

- drill (and plenty of really small drill bits)
- one ring ( I used a large key chain ring.)

Sorry I don't have any pics of the process but here is the finished project.

The largest ring has 3 rows of 16 shells.

The medium ring has 3 rows of 25 shells.

The small ring has 1 row with 10 strings and 5 shells per string.

I was really excited that I got the shells on the largest ring to cascade all the way around in an obvious way.

I LOVE the way this looks from below!

PS. If you were curious about how many shells I used but didn't want to do the math, the grand total of seashells was... 173!

PPS. I still have more shells I have to use!  Any suggestions are welcome!

Going Pendant Crazy!

Holy crap, I immediately love this pendant light from Houzz.  They call it the Worlds Away Venus Pendant Capiz Shell Floral done in turquoise.  It also comes in pink, yellow, and white if you are interested... I now I am interested in multiple colors.  Unfortunately for me it's going to set me back $423 dollars I don't have.

This is another pendant light that caught my eye on Houzz.  This light is from Lamps Plus and can be found under the name Vertigo Large Pendant Light.  Personally I would call it an optical illusion light.  It is like one of these optical illusions.

             

Any way getting back to the light before my eyes drive me nuts, this light would be a conversation starter both because of it's shape but also it's 32.75 inch height.  

These cute little, well not really little (20 inch diameter), gems are from Neenas Lighting.  They are designed by Ferruccio Laviani for the brand Kartell.  I'm not sure how well these would work at the size they are but when I first saw them I imagined a tight little grouping of all different colors to create a total statement as one.  The Kartell Pendant fixture is made of methacrylate in a ton of ranging colors.  The company describes them as soap bubbles and personally I think that is a great way to describe them!

Now meet the sleeker version of a pendant light, the Leucos Fairy Cylinder also by Neenas Lighting.  This slim little guy would look great over a bar or maybe even to highlight a modern fireplace.  I know this is much different from the other pendants here but if you are like me, my eyes need to be able to rest for a while in a space and not be constantly overly stimulated at every  light source.

Labor Day Weekend Art

 

 

I was in downtown Rock Island this weekend to see the Grand Prix.  I went there looking for the GoKarts but I rediscovered this statue on the way between the truck and the racing action.  I like the idea that the statue looks like both a guitar and a person if you use your imagination.  Man and music are one inside a musician or any creative person.