Every once in awhile I get a wild hair.  I was daydreaming about milk glass and how much I really like the effect of chalky painted color inside of a glass vase. 

Then it hit me:  why not painted candles?  I remembered I had some leftover paint specially designed for glass from this project, and some extra glass jars just collecting dust, and I saw some microwaveable candle wax at the craft store, so then my brain started spinning totally out of control. 

Here’s what I came up with:  custom painted glass candles personalized with my own design.  A great gift for Mother’s Day ! 

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Last week, I picked up this dowdy bench with really great lines at a local thrift store.  It was $12.  I transformed it this past weekend with fresh paint, a bit of silk, and some custom fabric covered buttons.  If you want to know how to create a custom tufted seat, follow the tutorial at the end of this post.      

Here’s the Before and After:

Step One:  The first thing that had to go was the original fabric.  Ewwww.  The bench seat was easily removed with a screwdriver, but those side cushions were another story. 

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Last week, I posted some of my favorite dining spaces. Here are the rest of the images I’ve collected over the last few years.

House Beautiful, December 2008: Perfect blue walls and Chinese Chippendale chairs, paired with a dark wood table and floor, an elegant console and simple drapes. Photo by James Merrill 

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Many of you readers may have picked up on the fact that, amidst all of my other projects, I am in the process of redoing my five year old daughter’s room. My little Isabelle can best be described as a cross between Snow White and Bindi the Jungle Girl. She is lover of all critters, and I swear she speaks their language. (Every day, I get some request like, “Mama, can I please have a meerkat for a pet?” CG: “Not today, dear.”)

I wanted a vintage French inspired room, she wanted a jungle habitat. So we settled on something in the middle: a garden. (Well actually, a jardin).

A Few Disclaimers:

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