Curiously Colorful

Rosella Resin – Handmade Pick of the Week

May 14, 2013

My wedding ring story begins with my life as a cosmetology instructor leading to a progressive allergy to metal on my hands; which was previously a non-issue when I got married in 2003. Leaving my engagement and wedding band utterly useless as far as wear value, I used to attempt to wear them from time to time but the end of the day blistering gave me no hope for long term wear. The search for a substitute ring to wear began after getting hit on in random places that men would not believe that I was actually married and thought I was giving a rude brush off… *rolls eyes*. I purchased two other attempts at a real wedding ring option, a wood option and a shell option; But the third was the keeper… a Rosella Resin ring from Canada made all my wannabe wedding ring dreams come true.

Rosella Resin uses molds in different shapes, styles and sizes to make beautiful hand made custom rings and bracelets in a wide range of colors and textures. And most importantly, they do not create a metal allergy reaction! To some this may not be of relevance, but to have had this ring for the past year and have the ability to wear a wedding ring again daily is priceless.

La Lisette – Adorable Handmade Leather Accessories

February 4, 2013

By chloe

I’m obsessed with foxes right now, so when I came across La Lisette’s fox shoulder bag I immediately asked Kevin to spare $100 for my purse fund. That was a no. However, maybe someone else out there is lucky enough to snag the bag for themselves. Check out all the fun options from their Etsy shop where they ship from their base area of Amsterdam!

Dining Room Change Up

January 21, 2013

By chloe

The changes we recently made in our formal dining room are limited to new window curtains and updated dining room chairs, but somehow the impact is quite dramatic. The dining room chairs were the very first chairs Kevin and I ever “Rubbish Rehab-ed” on our own. Without really thinking long term we used quilting weight fabric, which didn’t seem to lay very smooth and wrinkled easily. Also, when we did the white paint on them originally we weren’t aware of how to create the most durable finish for longevity. By the time 5 years had come and gone, they already needed some serious sprucing up. We decided to paint them a dark grey with a high gloss finish; they already feel 5 times more sturdy than the matte paint finish we used last time. For the new upholstery we ordered some great upholstery weight canvas from Spoonflower featuring some orange foxes on a grey background. As for the curtains, the ones I had made myself from our first go around just didn’t seem to catch my eye anymore. And anytime Anthropologie has a clearance on beautiful velvet curtains, you go for it.

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AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Alberto Cerriteno – Illustrator and Animator

January 10, 2013

By chloe

I first found Alberto Cerriteno’s work through Gelaskins.com when we got Kevin a fancy Ipod skin featuring his “enamored whale” piece. We then researched his work through Etsy.com to locate his additional available artwork to purchase. Love love love his style and subject choice, each piece has a personality of it’s own to share. Not to mention he is a northwest artist hailing from Seattle… I love supporting local artists! Spread the word and buy a print to add some life to your walls.

Master Bathroom Rejuvenation

December 31, 2012

By chloe

This past year has been a long one for us, I’ve been back to work for over a year now and things at home have hit an all time high of busy scheduling and projects. Rubbish Rehab has had to take a bit of a backseat to our everyday lives and household projects for the time being. But we are hoping 2013 will bring a bit of extra time we were lacking in 2012 to get things back to their previous glory of chairs and more chairs. For now however, we are working on making our home as comfortable and enjoyable as possible with a couple updates. The current completed update includes our master bathroom vanity area, where we were able to make some cosmetic improvements to our first attempt at paint color choices back in 2007. We still have one major project pending in this bathroom, so keep your eyes peeled for our update on boring sliding mirror doors!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER – new paint color in “dover gray” from Lowes.

My brooch collection safely organized in a new tray.

New granite counter to replace our fragile marble one, all done by my husband on his own!

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AFTER

Updated medicine cabinet knobs on clearance at Anthropologie for just $3 each, SCORE.

Made our own “bouquet” out of wooden decoupaged shapes to place in my vintage circus vase.

Erin Lightfoot – Porcelain Wonders – Handmade Pick of the Week

November 12, 2012

By chloe

When you think of porcelain as a material, teacups and dinner plates come to mind… but with Erin Lightfoot’s handmade beauties you can bring the delicate medium to fashion’s doorstep. The combination of geometric shapes in the soft but colorful palette are great for year round wear. Australian accessories have taken their hold on me, now if I could just afford to invest in one!

9 Year Wedding Anniversary

October 15, 2012

By chloe

My husband and I have been married for over 9 years now, and dating for over 12 years… my how time flies! I have realized that during the first few years of our marriage, we have very few photos of us to mark the passing of time. To resolve the issue, I am starting a new tradition; yearly couples/future family portraits. This year it is our 9 year wedding anniversary, so close to a decade I can taste it! Our impressively talented photographer Erin La Rue always manages to surpass our highest expectations, and this set of portraits was no exception.

Bando – One of a Kind – Over the top – hair accessories

September 12, 2012

By chloe

Oh the lovely and dazzling hair accessories to be found these days… the only downside of these beautiful hair baubles are the price tags. Bando’s black label hair accessories are one of a kind, so if they sell before you get there to buy it…. you are out of luck! I wish I was getting married again so I could have a mediocre (at best) reason to drop $300 on a hair comb.

Children’s Coats by Little Goodall – Handmade Pick of The Week

August 20, 2012

By chloe

I wish I was as skilled at sewing clothes as I was at other things, but the patience and time management it involves to make wearable clothing has eluded me. Always thinking by the time we started having children I would have spent the time to be well practiced enough to make some cute wearable goods for them…wrong. Instead, I will have to settle for purchasing one of a kind bits of awesomeness from places like “Little Goodall” on Etsy. The artisan behind the scenes is Molly, hailing from the too hot to handle state of Texas where coats seem to be for looks more than for staying warm most of the year. In this case, I can see why….behold the wonderful charm and fantasy of children’s coats meant for the imaginative at heart.

Easy Infinity Scarf Tutorial – Any fabric, always awesome, 30 minutes.

August 13, 2012

By chloe

Now this may seem a bit repetitive, seeing as my last post was a similar but different version of the same scarf. But bear with me, I think you will enjoy the difference and the ease of this new project. I enjoy summer scarves almost as much as winter ones, so when I found a wonderfully soft bamboo knit cotton fabric in wicked awesome patterns I knew just what to do. I decided to turn the project into a “best friends forever bracelet” inspired shared scarf opportunity for two of my favorite ladies. Buying 1 yard of each fabric I wanted to use, gave me enough material to make 2 scarves from each option. The material I purchased feels very similar to jersey, so it isn’t too stiff and drapes softly. If you wanted a more voluminous look, you could use a cotton fabric or layer two scarves together for more fullness. If you decide to participate in this project on your own, I would love to see your results. Good luck and enjoy!

One yard of bamboo cotton knit fabric can yield 2 scarves, with some leftover material for another project! This fabric was ordered from Spoonflower.com and was designed by one of my favorite artists Heather Ross!

First step is to remove any excess unprinted trim on the vertical sides (longest length) of the fabric due to the fact there will be no hem on the lengthwise side of the scarf.

Starting from the left side of the fabric (width side not lengthwise) piece smooth out fabric on flat surface and use measuring tape to guide you to the correct desired width.

For my scarves I decided to go with 12 inches width, if you wanted to get more scarves out of the 1 yard material you could take the total ream width and divide it by 3 to get more slim scarves.

To create a guided straight line for cutting, I re-measured 12 inches all the way down the line and pinned at intervals. Then cut from one end to the other to remove the desired fabric amount.

Once you have your scarf material cut, the last step is pin both the free ends (short width sides, not length) together in preparation of the only sewing line in the entire project!

Get your sewing station ready, and sew away! I sewed over the same hem line twice to ensure longevity. However, if you have a serger sewing machine that would make a much more secure finish.