Saturday, September 21, 2013

Star Noodle Bathroom

Are you ever out to dinner and your friends say to you, 
"Becca, go check out the bathroom, it's really nice. You should blog about it."

No? Well, it's happened to me. In this instance I didn't even use the bathroom. I just went in and took pictures. Here's the goods:



So this bathroom is at Star Noodle restaurant in Lahaina. 

(photo from the Star Noodle website)

They make their own noodles, along with other yummy asian cuisine. 
Their malasada dessert is also really popular. We had a great dining experience. But this is not a food blog, so back to the bathroom...



Isn't this "door handle/lock" awesome?


How's the sink? I feel like I just transported to another world. 
Part asian futuristic, yet almost viking-ish. 


I wish I could get inside the interior designer's head:

"Ok, so we're going to have metallic square wallpaper on top, grey brick tile on the bottom, and a rustic piece of wood moulding through the middle. And let's throw a perfect asian/hawaiiana blend piece of art above the toilet."


And this floor! A slab of concrete with more style than my pinky!



I know it's ridiculous that I'm only giving you an idea of what the bathroom looks like. I suggest you go to the restaurant to get the full dining experience. They're nestled under the West Maui mountains.

(photo from the Star Noodle website)


286 Kupuohi St. 
Lahaina, HI 96761
They're open 10:30am-10:00pm daily.
808.667.5400
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Friday, September 13, 2013

Vintage Vanity - Before & After


 I saw this vintage vanity on CL, and I had to have it. Here's Ivy and I picking it up in my SUV. It BARELY fit. But we had fun, as always! 

Everyone began to squirm when I said I was going to paint it. 


The lines were great, the wood was gorgeous, but what everyone couldn't see was the terrible veneer coming off in pieces. But the whole piece wasn't veneer. The legs and such were solid wood.


 So my plan of attack was this: 
1. Patch veneer with wood filler
2. Paint veneer
3. Miss Mustard Seed antique wax the whole piece
4. Miss Mustard See furniture wax the whole piece

The drawers got painted. The center drawer was missing a knob, and I didn't want to go all "trendy knobby" on this piece, so I patched up the 2 holes and just drilled a hole in the center so I could use the original knob. (see below)



 The mirror got a coat.

Here is the start of the antique wax transformation:


I wanted to leave a little bit of wood on the "mirror holder" up top, to tie in the wood on the bottom:

This piece just has great curves & crevices!
Lastly, I used shellac to add lace in the drawers. I tried to get away with just modge podge, but it wasn't cutting it. It took a couple coats of liquid and spray-on shellac.


The original wooden wheels are awesome! 

Of course, now I don't want to sell it, which was my original intention. 

It's funny, I normally don't love the look of all these vintage curves when I see them elsewhere, but I always like painting a piece with curves. 

Aloha,
Rebecca
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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Little Red Rocking Chair, Part 2

Remember that little red rocking chair I told you about here


Well it finally sold this week! I'm pretty stoked on the sale. You see, it's been sitting on craigslist for 2 months. I knew it would take that perfect person to find it and buy it. It was a little too expensive for your average parent to just make time in their busy schedule to call someone up and buy a vintage chair for their own child. It was also too expensive for someone to buy as a birthday gift for a friend's kid or something. So what eventually happened was perfect. I got a call from a grandmother in New Mexico. Her daughter lived near me and just had a second baby. She wanted her granddaughter to be able to rock her new baby brother. She asked if I would be willing to deliver it since they just had the new baby and all. She sent the check and we're coordinating delivery now. Isn't that so sweet?!
I can't believe it went from this wobbly state:

to this broken down state:

to this put-together state:


I hope the little girl enjoys it!

Ivy is a little heart broken that it's gone, even though I told her from the beginning that we weren't keeping it. I'll admit, I'm gonna miss it a little too, but I'm stoked to be able to move on to the next project. 

Aloha,
Rebecca
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Tall Space Saving Bistro Table

It's 4:30pm on a Thursday. I've got rehearsal with my friend Ajja at 5:00pm, 22 minutes away.
Ring! Ring!
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's Ajja. Have you left home yet?"
"I was just getting in the car."
"Would you be willing to help me pick up a table? It won't fit in my car."
"Sure, I'll be right there."

The piece was all wood, two fold-down sides, some bar stools.
BUT.
There was discoloration on the top of the table, most likely from someone setting something hot on it.
Whatevs. We go to rehearsal. We're only 10 minutes late. Rehearsal looks something like this:



(for more info on ampersand dance company go like our page on Facebook. click here)

At some point during rehearsal, I convince myself and Ajja that I need to paint this table for her. 
The next day I got to work. 


Kilzed it.


Coat #1. Gloss black legs and Shiloh greige top.


Godiva likes to live on the edge, thisclose to wet paint.

Coat #2. 

Gave it a few coats of clear polyurethane so it would withstand being wiped off over and over. 
Once we finally delivered it to her, she sent me this picture of it at home in her kitchen:


I think it matches perfectly. Her home is awesome, isn't it?
It was so fun to be able to paint something for a friend.

Aloha,
Becca
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Spa Water


You've been there. That trendy spa that you've only been to, say, on your wedding day or 30th birthday or something, and as you wait for your massage or pedicure, they offer you a cup of water. But not just any water: they offer you SPA WATER. Say it again, but this time say it with a breathy lisp........ SPA WATER........ Good job. It's got lemon slices or blueberries or mint in it. Since normal people only go to a spa like this once or twice in their lifetime, DIY-ers everywhere have been jumping on the "at-home" SPA WATER bandwagon and now like to refer to it as "Vitamin Infused Water." (SPA WATER is so much more fun to say). 


You chop up some fruits and veggies, put them in water (cold or room temperature), and 30 minutes later you drink! Ahhhh, refreshing. But what makes it so great? Here's a list of my go-to fruits, veggies and herbs, and what they're good for.


I notice that I drink way more water, when I infuse it. The taste is subtle, and you can refill it all day long, reusing the same ingredients. I also can taste the difference when water is served out of glass, versus plastic. Can't you?

So chop up some fruit and get your SPA on. Make every day your wedding day. Or birthday. Or bridal shower. Or whatever event it was that gave you that first sip of (wait, say it correctly) SPA WATER. 

Aloha, 
Rebecca
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