Paper Trees

I got busy with a discarded book this weekend and made a few new projects.

This is one of them.  I found this cute tutorial over at i craft with love.

I followed the exact same procedure (except I didn’t have fancy scissors, so I cut my edges with regular ones).

I got all the pages I needed cut while I was sitting and watching a movie one night.  I taped the edges together and then slid them onto a piece of bamboo.

I added a little piece of burlap on the top for decoration.

They are so crooked and Tim Burton-ish.  I love them.

Sewing Desk

We were given some antiques by my husband’s parents a few weeks back for our housewarming gift from them.  A gorgeous smoking table (see here if you are wondering what the heck that is), a curio cabinet, and an old desk.

I had big plans for the desk.  Which included a little meeting with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to get rid of the fake wood panelling paint job that someone had done on it.  Why?  Why would anyone do that?

You can see the top was pretty worn, too.  So my plan was to use my AS in Country Grey and then stain the top.

Here it is finished.  I took it all apart and sprayed the hardware and handles.

I love this paint.

Then I painted the whole thing with one coat (one!!!!!) of ASCP in Country Grey.  Waxed it in clear and then put a little of the dark wax on in places.  Sanded and stained the top and slide out extension, and that was it!

It gives it great texture.

But this desk isn’t all about looks.  It has many hidden surprises.

A drawer to file paper.  Or, in my case, probably felt or material.

I’ll probably use the pen drawer for fabric markers and sewing notions I use all the time.  My pins, tape measure, seam ripper.  Seam ripper…  gotta keep that handy!

On the left, the bank of drawers is actually a cupboard door front which opens to this.  A slide out extension.  You pull it out.

And the mechanism behind allows it to do this.

I think this was originally meant for your typewriter.

Now I know there are a lot of talented decorator/ bloggers out there who would have taken pictures of this desk styled to the hilt.  And it would have looked beautiful.  But this desk, for me, is becoming my sewing table.  It is going in a little craft room I have.  It is basically a big closet in our spare bedroom.

Lots of room for a desk.  And these awesome shelves.

Yes.  That’s a big roll of rawhide.  Doesn’t everyone have a stash of this?  And yes, my shelves need major organization.  That another post (or 2 or 3).

I love my little craft room.  It makes me happy.  And this desk is so much better than our old kitchen table, which is what I was using before.

So…. this is how I’m going to decorate my new/ antique sewing desk.  With my Grandma’s sewing machine that’s gone a million miles for me.

And with her mom’s, my great-grandma’s, white chair.

If anyone calls, I’ll be in my sewing room.  Messing around with the seam ripper…