a fun road trip from rva – staunton

Every year for my birthday I like to travel somewhere. It use to be New York City or swimming with the manatee’s in Florida. Since having the kids the trips are usually a little closer to home. Last year we took the train up to DC this year we  went to Staunton.

I love exploring towns I have never been to before and this one is seriously cute. Lots of antiques stores, little art galleries and restaurants. All in a very walkable downtown area. Staunton has a focus on the arts and a free trolley that loops around town. And it’s only about a half hour past Charlottesville.

There were two stores that I kind of fell in love with. Pufferbellies, which is a kids toy store that stocks the best toys ever! So much fun stuff – tons of Playmobile and cool art supply stuff and fun magnet blocks. There were also lots of  play stations so the kids were entertained while I shopped.

The last day that we were day I stumbled upon rule42 which is basically the store I dream of having one day. The woman who runs it sells the furniture she paints, as well as gifts and home decor items. She runs furniture painting, and other crafty workshops, out of the store and stocks a type of paint I had never heard of before!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ce Ce Caldwell Paints are similar to Annie Sloan (which is a chalk paint)except that they are a chalk and clay combo. It is also less expensive, comes in tons of pretty colors and is totally non-toxic with no bad fumes. The other exciting thing is that the paint line includes light and dark wax and a polyurethane type finish that is all non-toxic with no bad chemicals or fumes.

I’ve tried the paint out (of course I had to buy some to try!) and it I’m liking it so far. Similar to chalk paint you don’t have to do as much prep work, and it dries fast. It has sort of an irregular finish but I kind of like that look. I will show you when I am done with it – a table and two chair set.

Aside from shopping and eating there is a train track that runs through town that was a big hit with my boys. You can peek in the old train station and there are several old train cars you can climb on. Also Gypsy Hill Park is a nice place to run around. You can get there on the free trolley and they have a lake with the biggest mutant swans I have ever seen!

Anyway, if you live in Richmond and are looking for an easy drive day trip you should check out Staunton.

how to cover a lampshade with fabric – darling octopus on Virginia This Morning

Last Monday I was on VA This Morning again. This time demonstrating how to make a custom lampshade covered with fabric. This is a super easy project, especially if you use a drum shade.

Here is a detailed tutorial – good luck!

darling octopus on tv – t-shirt scarves

I was on Virginia This Morning this week demonstrating the easiest craft project ever. All you need is an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors and you can make yourself a t-shirt scarf. I demonstrated one similar to this one:

from favecrafts.com

But here are some more styles you can make.

from tidymom.net

from hawaiifashionfiend.com

I warn you, this project is kind of addicting. The instant gratification will make you want to make more!

how to make paper garlands – darling octopus on virginia this morning

This morning I was on TV again, this time demonstrating how to make a paper flower garland from vintage book pages. This craft project is almost free and really the possibilities are endless. I found some old encyclopedias and went crazy making holiday decorations this year.

Another favorite old paper craft project is this paper tree. All you need is an old book, glue gun, an old pot and a stick from outside.

Here are some more detailed instructions from Lemony Tree Creations.

And here are some different paper garlands to inspire you:

From projectwedding.com

From homelife.com/au

From ellinee.com

how to make felt wreaths – darling octopus on virginia this morning

This morning I was on Virginia This Morning demonstrating how to make felt wreaths. I will post the video as soon as it’s available. This is a super easy, no sew project, that even the kids can do.

You are basically just cutting felt strip in whatever design you fancy and glueing them around a wreath. I like to use the straw wreaths because they are thicker than the styrofoam ones. If you are looking for a good selection of interesting felt try Quilting Adventures at Willow Lawn.

And here are a couple other felt wreaths to inspire you!

From twigandthistle.com

From urbancomfort.typepad.com

 

 

 

 

making the holiday’s pretty

I have all kinds of fun stuff coming up for the holidays and I wanted to tell you all about it.

West End Antiques Mall Sale This Weekend

Today and tomorrow my booth (number 15), and most of the other 250 booths, at the West End Antiques Mall will be 20% off. There will also be free refreshments and an overall festive atmosphere! I have been crafting like crazy to get ready for the holidays and you can find lots of holiday decorations made from old book pages in my booth now!

St. Bridget School’s Girl’s Night Out This Thursday

This is the only craft show I will do all year but it is a fun one. Get some holiday shopping done while sipping wine and hanging out with some fun ladies (like me! come say hi!)

Darling Octopus on Virginia This Morning

Last week I went in to channel 6 and pre-recorded four crafty segments for Virginia This Morning. I am posting the schedule below and I will do a blog post to go along with each show to give you some fun links and helpful information for each project.

11/19 – Felt Wreath

11/21 – Book Garland

12/10 – T Shirt Scarf

1/3/13 – Fabric Lampshade

an exciting new furniture consignment store

I have an exciting new shopping spot for you: Social Consignment. It’s located at 11 W. Broad street, right next door to the Books, Bikes and Beyond thrift store. And bonus, Tarrant’s is a couple of doors down, so when you are done shopping you can pick up a fish taco or a slice of pizza from their take out window! This is starting to sound like a fun Saturday afternoon to me!

Anyway, Social Consignment is full of all kinds of furniture finds. There are pieces that are in great shape and ready to go, but you can also find lots of good deals on fixer-upers too! Another thing that caught my eye was their book and dvd section. They had a bunch of cook books I had to resist taking home and a really great kids book section.

 

 

Like  a traditional consignment store, you can take in furniture to consign to make some money. But if there are pieces you wish to donate you can take them to Social Consignment and when your furniture sells 80% of the profits will be donated to the charity of your choice. This is a pretty awesome alternative to just dropping your stuff off at the thrift store. Now you can direct the money to the charities that you believe in.

 

You will find a Darling Octopus section at Social Consignments. I hope to keep a good selection of my furniture there and I will be marking stuff down regularly, so check back often!

With it’s prime location on Broad Street, right in the heart of the arts district, you can expect Social Consignments to jump into the First Friday’s hoopla with some fun events!

a space of my own

I have been selling my furniture creations for about three years now and honestly, it’s been challenging. I started out on Etsy but shipping furniture is expensive! Then I tried craft shows but people aren’t really thinking big ticket items at those kinds of events. I have had good luck selling my stuff at consignment at shops around town and in DC but it’s a lot of work keeping up with everyone, moving inventory around, etc. So I am now experimenting with another option – a booth at the West End Antiques Mall.

If you have never visited, it’s worth the trip. There are 250 booths over 50000 square feet. It can be pretty overwhelming but you can get a map at the front desk (and come find me! booth 56.) I am sharing a space with my friend Paige, of Old Moon Vintage. It’s a good partnership since she collects mostly smaller things and I collect mostly bigger things. I am going to give it three months and see what happens but I love having my own little space!

I hope you will stop by and let me know what you think! Here is some more info:
HOURS: Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Sunday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

They are closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Address: 2004 Staples Mill Road
Directions: West End Antiques Mall is located near the intersection of Staples Mill Rd. and West Broad St. in the Crossroads Shopping Center, minutes from I-95 and I-64. It’s right behind Kripsy Kreme.
Phone: 804.359.1600
Theme: Antiques
Website: http://www.westendantiquemall.com

paint techniques and finishes for furniture

I taught my first class at the Visual Arts Center this weekend and it was so much fun! I was a little nervous before we got started (ok, I had major butterflies). But once I met my students, and heard about all their crafty adventures, I knew we would have a good time!

The weekend workshop was about different paint techniques for furniture. We practiced on test tiles, covering seven different techniques. We also re-did a chair together.

I wasn’t sure how a chair re-do by consensus would turn out but I have to say I am impressed! And painting goes so much faster with four people!

Here are some of the paint finishes we practiced:

And here is our chair before:

And after we worked our magic:

I’m teaching this same workshop in the fall and an intensive at the end of August where everyone will bring their own piece of furniture and we will re-do them together. If you think you might like to sign up you should visit the Visual Arts Center’s website. They have tons of really great classes and it is such a fun space. I was a student there before I became a teacher!

my favorite salvage yard – s.b. cox

This weekend I went to one of my happiest places – the salvage yard. So much cool old stuff just waiting to be re-used. I find the salvage yard super inspiring and I love to just wander around. My favorite RVA salvage yard is S.B. Cox. They might not have as big a selection as Caravati’s but it has a much more laid back feel and most importantly – it’s cheaper. Now you will have to be willing to do a little digging. And nothing is priced, so you have to ask – but that means they are ready to negotiate. I hate to haggle but I actually find it kind of fun at S.B. Cox. Several negotiations have ended in a coin toss which is just so fun! So if you are looking for some old stuff to add character to your home – check them out. They have a huge door selection – we have replaced two doors in our house there.