Thrift Score

Right now my house is an absolute mess.  Totally and completely.  My refrigerator is empty too, which has forced me to live on a scrambled egg white and turkey bacon diet for the last few days.  Remedying both of these problems was at the top of my to-do list this weekend but you know what?  I didn't do any of it.  Instead I spent the entire day Sunday watching movie marathons on tv and catching up on my crafting projects.  Regrets: zero; New pieces of artwork: 2. This is a before and after post, so don't be scared by this first picture:

I found this bandaid colored mess at the thrift store last Friday and was really digging all the pattern magic that was happening.  The flesh tones, not so much.  So I dug out my box of paints and paint brushes and grabbed a sharpie then went to town.  The results?

A brightly colored laser-light-show wonderland that isn't nearly as blurry in real life as it is in this photo.  I know, I know, I've been laser light show crazy lately, but at least I put a new spin on this with the little black triangles scattered throughout.  It was a risk, but I think it paid off.

Here's a closeup of my master work:

The polka dots weren't here before, either.  I also added the red, blue, yellow and green because those were the only decent colors I could find.  Seriously, I don't know where all my good paint ran off to.

I had such a grand ole time sprucing up the print, once I was done I decided to move on to the 3 dimensional project I've had on the docket for quite some time now.  I found this creepy madonna and child sculpture at a thrift store in Ft. Smith, Arkansas over Christmas break.  Having wanted to play laser party on a sculpture for a while now, I figured this was as good as any to start with.  One Tom Hanks movie later and here's what I got:

I have to admit, I actually tried this project right after Christmas with decidedly different results.  I originally taped off all the areas I wanted to keep white then spray painted the exposed portions with black paint.  Despite my meticulous taping, you know that paint bled and it was yuckytown USA.

I repainted her white and started from scratch.  This time, I bought chartpak tape, a thin, high-gloss tape that comes in every color of the rainbow (even metallic gold!).  The lines you see here aren't paint, they're actually tape.  Once the chart-pac tape was applied, I sprayed her with clear-gloss spray paint to keep everything in place.  Here are more views:

And that is that.  Now I have to skeedaddle, these groceries aren't going to buy themselves.

Virtual Vacation

Good morning, Monday! Thankfully I am ignoring your lame ass by vacationing with my good buddy Shohreh, who's down from the Big D to show Austin who's boss. Should I hang my head in shame and apologize to all you fine readers out there, feeling more than a wee twinge of guilt because I know you're busy rubbing the sleep from your eyes while typing away on coffee stained keyboards, or should we all go on a vacation together? I think I know the answer to that "question," so let's get going on our fantastic voyage. Next stop: Milan. Who's with me?

The five star Boscolo Excedra Hotel, should meet our needs, right? It's just a humble little establishment of 154 rooms, but I think we can make do.

Ok, so the Boscolo's custom made Meritalia furniture, 4,000 led lights, and Gio Ponti-esque design, make a drag queen look demure, but since we're hoofing it all the way to Milan, I figured we should go for broke.

Silly me, did I neglect to tell you about the ginormous harlequin sculpture in the middle of the hotel? Well, it is easy to overlook, but I know how much you love a good carnival, so I thought I should mention it.

So here's the plan: after we check in, we head up to our rooms to check out the accomodations.

It looks flea free -- I think we can make do.

Then we head to the spa to unwind after our long trip. I say Marco! you say Polo! Whatever, you can't hide for long with all those mirrors keeping tabs.

Oh look, there's a champagne bar beside the pool... tank up, ladies (and gents), it's going to be a long night. Be sure to check your reflection in the Tom Dixon pendants for cute hair and lipgloss on your way out.

Downstairs we'll dine on Italian delicacies... and more booze.

Wheeeeeeeee, riding the merry go round is fun! Wait? That's not a ride? I could have sworn it was moving.

I suppose we could retire to our rooms to sleep off the booze, but let's not kid ourselves -- sleeping is for old people.

The night is young, and who knows what it will bring? No, really... what will it bring? Apparently the Boscolo urges you to leave with a lasting souvenir of your stay.

It's ok. I won't judge.

(via Yatzer)

For Your Hot Date This Weekend

There are a couple of people who send me links to things they think I would like, most of the time they are pretty spot on (how transparent am I?).  This week not one but two of my favorite internet super sleuths sent me THE VERY SAME LINK, so you know that shit was good.  Raina and Hope, I pledge to you my undying devotion for showing me these:

Gun Hoof Boots by Iris Schieferstein (via Jezebel)

While these boots are clearly a masterpiece and Iris could have stopped here, she didn't.  Check out the other creepy goodies she's rocking:

Just when I thought taxidermy was dead and buried for good, Iris comes along and makes it seem totally fresh again.

While I'm here, I'd also like to add an update to yesterday's post:

My mother (while working on her 2 martini lunch I presume) found this Hennessy bottle designed by Thursday's featured designer, Inga Sempe

Pair the cognac with your gun hoof boots and, girl, I think you've got yourself a weekend.  Tell me all about it monday, and yes, I want all the juicy details.