BEFORE

AFTER

THE BACKSTORY: I’ve had this dresser for as long as I can remember and as soon as I decided to move out my mom “decided” the dresser would move out with me. Because of it’s dashing good looks, for a while I had the dresser as storage inside my closet. But pretty soon my closet was overflowing and the dresser needed to be pushed out into the real world where it could do some real good.  So there it sat, like a blank canvas waiting to be messed with… for 4 years.

THE PROCESS: I think the fact that the dresser was so plain made me more weary to do anything with it because you could basically do ANYTHING to it and it would look better! One day I snaped and I decided once and for all to finally go for it…so I scrounged around to see what kind of supplies I had to work with and found some mint green and bright orange paint left over from some room painting projects. After a days worth of researching vintage and new pieces on ebay and Etsy to get inspiration I seemed to be drawn towards the idea of almost overlapping  circles to draw attention away from how rectangular everything on the dresser was. So I measured out center points and made some compasses on each side to help guide me in making good circles. Basically I taped some string to the side of the dresser where the center of the circle would be and cut it to the correct radius. Then I just moved the string around and slowly taped off where the end of the string was and went all around. Eventually the circles needed to become ovals so they would look more proportional, so with a little tweaking I was all ready to paint.  It only took about 2 coats to cover both sides and VIOLA!

Owl Plaque on Design*Sponge

Thanks to Design*Sponge for posting about my Before and After owl parts!

… their readers’ verdict on my redo: CREEPY! And I kinda have to agree… Frames are some of the most uninteresting and bland things out there these days so I’m always looking for new ways to show off artwork and prints. Plus, the owl parts have such a big kitsch-factor that I don’t think there’s anything I could to make them not look creepy.

Plus, what’s better than a pair of glossy owl eyes following your every move? I’d say not much!

Apartment Therapy Post!

YAY! Thanks again to Apartment Therapy for all the love on my DIY Before and After Projects! Check out the post here…

Before

After - With Framed 1895 Isolde Print by Aubrey Beardsley

After - Head Close Up

After - Tail Close Up

After - Wing Close Up

THE BACKSTORY: As some may know, I always have an eye out for crazy owl related objects. So when I saw this lot of owl parts come up I was thrilled. They were totally out there and I had to have them! As soon as I received them though, I couldn’t figure out what I would do with them. All I knew was that he definitely needed a torso that suited him!

THE PROCESS: After a few years sitting in the box he came in, I decided to lift him out after my fiance and I moved to a new apartment. With new wall space to spare I had to find a good place for him this time around. Then I remembered! My grandma had given me a 70s printing of Aubrey Beardsley’s 1895 Illustration of Isolde. I found my owl’s new torso! Since the frame was pretty plain, it was a perfect match. I went to the paint store and found some acrylic to match the color of the frame and started painting. The owls eyes and claws were already a nice shiny black I decided to paint around them to give them a little more depth. Then I let them dry, measured and hung them up flush with the sides of the print. I think he likes his new torso… it certainly suits him!

Thanks for the love Apartment Therapy!

Apartment Therapy Post

Before - Stinky!

After

After - Detail

THE BACKSTORY: The story of the “Stinky Mushroom” gets its origins from the Greek “Fungus foulsmelicus.” Actually, this do-it-yourselfer’s-dream sprouted up on Ebay for $10 and it was love at first sight. “It will go perfectly with our new Thomas Wold Mushroom Table!” I thought to myself… but unfortunately it wasn’t love at first sniff when I opened the box 2 weeks later! It smelled heavily of smoke and had stains all over it, but you get what you pay for! So the day dawned on a new project…

THE PROCESS: After the fabric was removed we found that the foam was in pretty bad shape as well and was pretty much THE source of the nasty smell. So we went down and bought some 6″ thick foam from the local craft store and carved it with an electric turkey knife to the correct shape. For the fabric we used an Urban Outfitters tapestry in Birdie Stamp which we cut and sewed from the pattern of the old fabric. For the top of the mushroom we just placed the foam atop the particle board circle and covered it with a little batting to smooth out the jagged edges. Then we just stretched the fabric over the top, gathered it at the bottom and stapled it down. For the bottom we just re-stapled the fabric to the inside of the tube.

Before

Can you believe this crazy silver chair was destined for the dust-bin?

THE BACKSTORY: One day, while working the morning shift at Urban Outfitters, I saw my co-workers dragging this out into the back to the trash. This chair was part of a “found furniture” shipment that came all the way from Urban’s Philly Headquarters for the opening of the Del Amo store and had been sitting in the back for years. Thankfully they let me save it and I schlepped it home.

THE PROCESS: It didn’t have anything structurally wrong with it but the upholstery was full of holes and there were multiple coats of paint on the frame, including gold underneath the silver! To spruce it up we used heavy duty enamel paint from Sherwin-Williams in a deep chocolate brown and found this awesome fabric at ReproDepot. The upholsterer replaced the grass stuffing in the back and finished off the edges with a lime green gimp braid.

After working at Urban for two years I’ve managed to save this chair, a Victorian style sofa used as the shoe couch (complete with used gum stuck to the bottom), a 5×6 foot gold frame that used to have a full size mirror, and 2 marble tabletops… all of which I have yet to do anything with so stay tuned!

Before

After

Modifications

]]> http://www.alyssazukas.com/before-and-after/before-and-after-old-flannel-shirt/feed/ 0 http://www.alyssazukas.com/before-and-after/before-and-after-vintage-shirtdress/ http://www.alyssazukas.com/before-and-after/before-and-after-vintage-shirtdress/#comments Thu, 20 Sep 2007 02:59:56 +0000 Alyssa Zukas http://www.alyssazukas.com/?p=281

Before

After

After

Modifications

Materials: My mom’s old t-shirt from Nordstrom, elastic

Process: When my mom finally decided to get rid of this, I could not let it go because the fabric was still bright even after being in the wash millions of times. I was inspired by the shape to make it into a flirty, fun, sun dress, and it saw much use from me, my mother, and my sister during our vacation in Kauai.

I first ripped the seams on the sleeves and stitched them both together to make the bodice, and rimmed the top with elastic to keep the top from slipping off while being worn. I cut a half-circle, which I cinched with thread, to make the keyhole in front. I then took off the ribbing from the collar, sewed it lengthwise to make a strap, and attached it to the keyhole. I then cut the skirt by removing the circle left by the neck and attached it with elastic to the bodice.

After

Modifications

sweatshirt stencil

Materials: Old Russell Athletic sweatshirt, hand-cut stencil, white fabric paint

Process: I had this old oversized sweatshirt around that I used to wear when I was younger. I didn’t know what to do with it for a while, until I had the idea to sew it down to make the shirt more fitted. I cut the collar into a U-neck for a fun touch, and trimmed away the “fat” from the hood. It’s still comfy and warm because the pocket is big, and the arms remain long. I spiced it up even more by cutting a stencil from a design inspired by some tiles in my bathroom. I used a light coat of paint for a faded look.