Idiocracy & Art

Am I the only one who feels that my IQ declines a little more every time I watch any news coverage of the GOP presidential candidate race?  Birth control?  REALLY?!  Did you see the weekend update Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers Saturday?  Awesome.  So let me get this straight: don't give out birth control, don't allow abortions, and then don't subsidize any medical, education, or aid for any of these children.  Um okay.  Sounds a like winning plan to me.

I saw the end of the movie Idiocracy last night on IFC.  My husband and I always joke that it's becoming true of our country.  When he saw a commercial of Kraft's new MiO water flavor drops, he flipped, "OMG it's happening!"  Me: "But Brawndo's got what plants crave!"

Today I'm excitedly awaiting the arrival of a piece of art from RACEPONYstudio.  I'm going to make a light fixture with it!!  The artist, Timothy Belcher has to be one of the nicest guys ever.  We met on Etsy and decided to do a collaboration which is going to be wicked awesome (sorry, too much coffee this morning).  Etsy rules.  Nicest. People. Ever.  I swear I don't work for them but as much as I've been promoting them lately, maybe I need to send them an invoice.


Here is an image of the soon to be awesome RACEPONY Chandy:

I will post pics as soon as it's underway!  Stay tuned...

Etsy & Consumerism Apocalypse

I've been swamped with orders on Etsy!  I'm not even kidding, I've shipped 12 orders in last 10 days.  What is even crazier than the fact that I am now a chandelier-making machine is that the customers buying my stuff on Etsy are not your typical little housewives shopping for handmade kids' clothes and knitted scarves.  I'm talking a rockstar drummer, a celebrity athlete, several interior design firms, retail shops, bars/restaurants, and just dudes (regular ole dudes!).

I think more people are jumping on Etsy to find new and interesting things that don't end up everywhere like the Bjursta dining room table that 9 of 10 people I know own, thank you Ikea.  But maybe it's more than just that.  I think it also says something about our purchasing behavior.  A few years ago, we wouldn't buy anything that wasn't USDA certified, UL rated, or FDA approved.  Now I feel I trust something more coming from another mom than I would from another big corporate name.  I've read Fast Food Nation and Skinny Bitch.  I know how it works now.  I'm no longer naive enough to believe these agencies have my best interests at heart.

I'm not going to lie, I kind of love it.  It's like being a part of a revolution.  Viva The Small Business!  Viva Urban Chandy!  Viva Etsy! 

Thinking about it further...Etsy is a great demonstration of individuals learning a craft.  I've seen some amazing craftsmanship over the last few months while shopping my face off on Etsy.  The other night on the Grammys, Dave Grohl went off on a tangent about "the human element of music is what's important...and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do...."  This seemed to strike a note with me.  Sorry but bear with me here, America has been criticized in the last few years for lacking skilled workers and craftsman.  Maybe Etsy is the new Ayn Rand world of craftspersons coming together to create the new America we will live in.  Was that a jump or what?  LOL Maybe, maybe not.  I can certainly tell you I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would have predicted my jump from earning 6 figures in branded wholesale apparel sales to making chandeliers to sell on Etsy.  Well, 3 years ago I never would have.  But here I am...and I'm loving it. 

Staining Merbau hardwood

It's been a few weeks since my last post, I've been slammed with orders - crazy!  But I'm trying to experiment more with the reclaimed hardwood floor that I now have stashed all over our Manhattan apartment LOL (my husband is not nearly as thrilled about this as I am). 

The wood is Merbau, a reddish-brown hardwood and the underside is unfinished and has grooves in it to connect with the other pieces for making a floor.  I was excited to use the underside as the front of a chandelier because I thought it looked really rustic and kind of industrial which is the look I love so much.

So I tried out the charcoal stain on the Merbau and it turned out pretty cool.  Because the wood is darker than the birch plywood I've been staining, it looks very different.

On the left side is 2 coats of the Minwax Charcoal stain, middle is 1 coat, and on the right is the original color of the wood

I also tried staining the Merbau wood in Ebony and it turned out fantastic.  Here is a fixture I made with one 4ft panel of the floor with the pendant Edison bulbs:

More posts to come very soon!  I am aiming to finish the chandelier with the raw gemstones this week so pics are coming shortly.

Orders are coming in!

Or maybe I should say pouring in YEAH!  I'm so excited and a little overwhelmed.  I finally finished the two fixtures that I've been working on for weeks now.  The one made from the reclaimed hardwood floor is so cool!  I ended up cutting the big piece in half to make two chandeliers.  Here are some photos:

The first image is of the big piece that I purchased from Build It Green NYC.  You can see that I cut it in half to make a smaller fixture.  I used antique brass hardware on this one, it went really well with the raw wood.  You're actually seeing the bottom of the hardwood floor as the face of the chandelier.  I left the metal connector pieces on there because I felt like it gives it a more raw feel.  I love this one!!  Will be tough to let go if it sells:(

The other project was a more sophisticated fixture in the new grey stain I made.  I'm quite happy with this one as well.

I used all the same size clear globe bulbs and actually lined them up this time.  The globes are big so they're touching which gives it a unique look.

I'm currently working on 6 more orders!!  Gotta get to work:)

So. Many. Projects. So. Much. Fun.

I'm so excited about chandies and wood stain right now!  I've a couple new discoveries to share:

1. Mixing stains is my new favorite thing!!  I've come up with two colors to add to my offerings: a warm grey that is totally cool, but still workable for us not-so-very-modern folks and a mahogany that is rich, yet still contemporary.  I shared below my mix for the warm grey and now here is my mixture for the mahogany: 2 coats Ebony with a top coat of Gunstock.  Awesomeness.

2. After visiting the newest outpost of BIG NYC (Build It Green NYC) in Gowanus, I have now multiple projects in the works with my wood findings.  I found a chunk of hardwood floor that still has the metal connectors on the bottom, so cool!  I'm going to make the bottom the front of the chandelier.  But it's huge right now, I'm deciding whether to just make a giant chandy or cut it in half to make two.  Check it out:

Now I can't wait until they open after the holidays to check out their original warehouse in Queens.  So much to do so little time!

Lenox Coffee: Cool Place

I finally made it to the coffee shop in Harlem that purchased the chandelier and it looked amazing!  If you're in the area, it's a great little place to stop and have coffee.

Lenox Coffee in Harlem, NYC

The shop is decorated has exposed brick and new hardwood floors with all reclaimed wood furniture, including these cool benches made with coffee sacks and recycled wood!  It's called Lenox Coffee at 60 West 129th Street.

Awesome bench by RecycledBrooklyn on Etsy

 
It's just around the corner from Sylvia's on Lenox Ave.  Super friendly staff, great cup of joe, and a cool little spot.

The Wrong Desk Made from Reclaimed Telephone Poles

So there is a funny twist to the reclaimed telephone pole desk that my friend bought from Crate & Barrel story...

My friend is currently driving cross-country in an RV with her husband right now - so fun!  So she also happens to have an online shop called sundaybrunchdress.com.  A couple days ago she called me from the road because a customer purchased one of her dresses to wear on NYE, so I went next door to mail it for her.  This is the first time I've been to her place since she purchased the desk from Crate & Barrel.  So I'm expecting to see the desk I thought she purchased, but instead see this desk.  haha!  I had the wrong desk!  But it is so cool, a gorgeous desk.  It looks amazing in her apartment, she has such great taste.