Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Salon Makeover


The reception area in the salon that I work at was in need of a makeover. It had a really cute boutique feel before, but now that the salon is growing and the clientele is increasing, it only made sense to update the interior.

There are a lot of spray tans done at this salon, so I knew I needed to stick with colors that could take the over spray. The chairs before were so cute but were practically ruined by spray tan seeping from the rooms. I started with choosing a semi-gloss pant for the wall. I thought about doing the entire wall as an accent wall with one solid color, but then I realized it may actually make the place look smaller. I remembered learning how stripes elongate spaces. Vertical stripes make rooms appear taller, while horizontal stripes make rooms appear wider.










I used the same color on the doors across from the striped wall to unify the space-also to hide any spray tan that tends to seep out from time to time. I left the frames white to keep a nice contrast.












 The original desk was really cute but definitely needed a more professional desk with more separation. I browsed a few showrooms in Burbank and found a place where I was able to order one custom. I was able to select the shape, color, and exact size so that it would fit in the space perfectly. It was affordable and delivered directly to the salon!







Selecting chairs was a bit of a challenge. I needed to find something that was small enough for the space, and something dark. I first focused only on upholstered accent chairs, then I realized dining room chairs would really be a more ideal size. I knew microfiber material would be perfect because it's super easy to clean, and it also looks really fancy. I found these chairs at World Market in a beautiful chocolate suede. The quilted pattern on the back is a perfect match with the stripes and the rich wood. It almost reminds me of Hollywood Regency meets the beach.



The last item I purchased was the fun side table with the dark wooden legs. I loved the idea of a glass top because glass really helps spaces stay open and feng shui. (funk-shway) Topped it off with some greenery and some magazines and voila! Brand new look and feel. I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tiffany's Nightstand Makeover


One of my girlfriends really wanted to find a unique and affordable nightstand or dresser to add additional storage to her closet. We browsed a little and ended up finding a great piece that had a ton of character, and no serious flaws as far as structure. Those two elements are always important when selecting something to redo. 


This stand was only $20.00 so we couldn't resist! I love the flower details on the doors.

First we made sure to lay out a plastic tarp that we got at the hardware store. It really pays off to invest in items you can use over and over when crafting. The tarp will protect the ground and creates a great surface to be painted on. 

It's really important to completely wipe down and item with rubbing alcohol or an all purpose cleaner before painting. That way, no dirt or dust will get stuck under the paint creating an unfinished, bumpy look. Next, always be sure to use a primer of some sort. Many spray paints now have primer included, so just be sure to look. I really liked this particular brand of spray paint because it's able to be used on multiple surfaces and dries really fast! We decided that powder blue and pearl were the colors we would use. 




Always remove doors first on items like this. I unscrewed all of the hinges and knobs and placed them off to the side. These doors look so cute in a modern  color! Totally accentuates the floral carving. I made sure they were completely dry before putting them back on the nightstand. I spray painted all of the knobs and hinges, and screws separately and off to the side. I chose to use a white to give it a Tiffany's look. I covered them completely with two coats and let them dry 
completely.

      























After everything was totally dry, I reassembled the nightstand and maneuvered it into the closet for additional storage. The finished piece looks so cute and updated! Adds a great pop of color to the closet and is visually interesting. 







Thursday, September 6, 2012

DIY Birthday Cake-Pops

Being that it was my birthday yesterday- It was only appropriate to finally try making cake-pops at home! I found a recipe online but ended up going off track here and there-

First, I gathered all ingredients that you would normally use for a standard cake mix. Use any type of cake batter you would like. I chose vanilla-being my favorite. 





Make sure to include the yolks in the mix, cake- pops need to be made from moist cake. I used a 9x9" pan and poured about half of the batter in the pan, baking for 25 mins total. Put the baked mix directly into the fridge, letting the cake sit for at least an hour so it's completely cool. 
 














Once the cake batter has cooled, break up the mix using clean hands into crumb-like pieces. Just kneed the batter until there are no more huge chunks of cake. Add a few table spoons of vanilla frosting to the broken up cake mix and blend together. The frosting should be evenly distributed throughout the batter.  It should eventually be sticky enough to be able to create a large ball of cake.


















Once this is done, break off parts of the large ball into smaller ones- a little smaller than two inches in diameter. Set the small balls of cake on a greased cookie sheet off to the side.








Next, you will need to find a chocolate coating for the outer layer of the cake-pops. I used a white chocolate, they come in chocolate chip form as well which is easy to melt. Melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl, mixing the chocolate every 20 seconds. Be extremely careful not to burn the chocolate.














After the chocolate is melted, dip any type of lollypop stick into the melted mix. Immediately insert the chocolate coated stick into the small pre-rolled cake pop and let the chocolate cool inside of the cake. Making it sturdy enough to hold up the cake. Let the cake pops cool again for an additional hour.

If you are planning on coloring the cake pops, definitely use white chocolate so it's able to be colored. Milk or dark chocolate will not work for this style. Heat more white chocolate, mixing every 20 seconds again. I added a little bit of red food coloring to make the white chocolate pink! Use any color that you may like for outer shell of cake pop.








Dip the cake balls into the colored white chocolate, covering the cake batter completely. The best way for them to harden and dry, is by sticking them into something styrofoam so they are able to dry standing up right. Once they were upright I added some fun sprinkles. Place the cake-pops back in to the fridge overnight. More decor can be added once they have hardened. Super easy and fun to make at home! Great for birthday parties-less messy than cupcakes!