SHM'S First Two Design Pieces

I am so excited to reveal SHM Designs first OTTOMAN and CORK BOARD DESIGNS.  There is nothing more rewarding then watching an idea come to life. I want thank both Mark, my carpenter, and Susan, my upholsterer, for doing such an amazing job in such a short period of time.

Both of these pieces were specifically designed for Maryvale's High School Fashion Show Fundraiser. Maryvale is a great school and I was very happy to be able to launch my two new designs at their event. ( I currently have one daughter there and will have another attend next year.)

I thought I would show you some of the steps in creating the cork board:


First, Mark layered the board with a series of different wood moldings

Next, I painted the piece using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite which actually leaves you with a blue charcoal grey color.

After painting the piece with two coats of AS paint. I started to lightly distress it. Because I was making this for an auction, I wanted it to appeal to a larger crowd so I only distressed it a little. Note: When you are distressing your piece you will probably get scuff and smear marks in places you don't want. DON'T WORRY!!! When you wax the piece, those marks will go away.

Distressing all done; now time to wax.  I chose the Annie Sloan Dark Wax because I wanted the piece to actually look black.  Annie Sloan does not have a true black so by using the dark wax on the graphite you will get a very pretty black color.  The dark wax also gives where I distressed, a nice stained brown look.

AND..... the final product.... an amazing cork board. In the past I have painted the cork and then either monogrammed or stenciled a design in the middle but I liked how the natural cork looked with the piece and also by leaving the design out, the person who buys it can hang it either way; vertical or horizontal.

(In the corner are some silk rose thumb tacks I was trying out. I am still working on them.)

I am currently working on two more cork board designs and another ottoman design that hopefully I will be able to show you in the next month. 

Now onto the OTTOMAN. I just love how this turned out. Please, let me know what you think. This design, like I said, was made for Maryvale, but there are so many options, that it could easily be changed to work for anyone. 

Hope you like it:

The legs are painted in a high gloss black. The skirt is made from uniform skirts. (thanks for everyone's donations) I just love how we were able to incorporate the tabs and buttons on the corners of the ottoman.  The size is 2' x 4'.

Well there you have it, my first two designs. Have I told you how much fun this is? Seriously,
I would love to know what you think. If you get a chance, please send me a note.

Take Care,
Stacy

SHM Designs Studio Pictures: Open For Business

Can you believe the studio has been open since the beginning of Feburary and I am just getting around to posting some pictures.  I am having so much fun that sometimes I forget to post whats happening and I leave you all hanging.  So sorry!  Well wait no longer....

Here's a look at the beginning stages of SHM Designs Studio's:

A fresh coat of paint does wonders for a room. I wanted a completely blank canvas so I painted the entire room, including floors, in  Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground.  Having white as my backdrop  makes anything a put in there POP.



A look at SHM Designs Studios now:

I love how it looks but there is SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE.  I have my upholster Susan so busy with client projects and an ottomen line I am about to launch ( pictures of those later ....so so cute) that I haven't been able to redo the furntiture pieces in the studio. All in good time....I need to learn some patience...Good things take time...Baby steps.  I keep repeating those words over and over in my head.  Seriously though, I am so lucky. I have this great place and I am having so much fun.

Hope you like what you see. I am in this huge creative mode and moving quickly on a couple of new designs.  Besides the ottomens, I have designed a new line of cork boards and picture frames. They should be out in the studio in the next couple of weeks.  If you live in the area, stop by to check things out. If you can, please send me a note. I would love to hear what you think.

Remember SHM Designs Studio's is located  on the second floor of:

Things You Love Antiques and Gifts
 243 Main Street
 Reisterstown,Md 21136

Take Care,
Stacy

Laundry Room Renovation

It is amazing how having a functional "pretty" laundry room can make doing laundry enjoyable OK, maybe that is a slight exaggeration but it definitely isn't something I dread anymore.  In past posts I have talked alot about how color helps set the mood of a room; well that also holds true for even the smallest of rooms; in this case the laundry room. For my laundry room I used Sherwin Williams Pink Flamingo.

I have always wanted to use pink in my house but never had enough guts to do it. So when it came time to renovating my laundry room I instantly thought: THIS IS WHERE I WILL USE PINK AND I DON"T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS!.. Believe me, I got alot of funny faces from my family but I didn't care; I was going to do pink and I am so glad I did. I LOVE IT!!!!! The pink against the white bead board has such a fresh, clean look that it makes the room, even when filled with dirty laundry, feel fresh and clean. And those questioning family members...... they love it to. They are shocked at how great it looks. Maybe it will entice them to start doing their own laundry. One can only dream.

Before: (This is a picture with the cabinets already out)

During construction phase:

After: (the computer makes this color look red but it really is the color above)

Mark did an amazing job taking out the existing tub sink, putting up the bead board and building the shelves. The layout of the room is so much more functional; very work friendly. The open shelving allows me to see everything I have and it eliminates clutter. The cabinets became huge dust collectors and areas for me just to shove and hide things.

Well, I hope you have been inspired to create your own "pretty" laundry room. It doesn't have to be a huge change, just some shelves and a little bit of paint. What it just might change is how you feel when doing laundry. It has for me.

Oh by the way, have a ........Happy Valentines Day!

Take Care,
Stacy

Inspiration at the New York International Gift Fair

The New York Gift Show was as always incredibly inspirational. There was so much to take in, I hardly knew where to start. I arrived that morning at 8:45 and went straight to the Piers. I could of stayed at Pier 94 for the whole day; and to be honest I almost did. The home decor was just amazing and the combination of colors ( I am really into lots of color lately) were magnificent!

Take a look:

Michael Clement is the artist of these lamps and vases. He is unbelievably talented and such a nice guy. All of his pieces are custom made; any style or color can be changed.

                                                                              

These bulb vases were so cute and for those who like botanical's these frames were perfect. They open up and you just slid your leaves or flowers right in. Changing your look is just that easy. Or use them for pictures or for your children's endless drawings. GREAT IDEA!

 Love this ottoman. I am designing a few for the studio now. So Excited!

 Love the colors.

 More ottomans

Wonderful bedding!

Love these old cameras and trophy's. Perfect for sitting on bookshelves.

Don't those trays make a great wall arrangement?

This was a dinosaur made out of simple wood pieces. So much fun! 

These were shells painted white and put in a simple frame. The backing of the frame was left off so that your wall color would be the background of the picture. Pretty neat idea. Perfect for a beach house.

I love these garden stools. They make great side tables or combine two for a coffee table. I also like that they can be used in or outdoors.

This light was just made out of wooden slats. Easy DIY project!

This pieces of this whale were just recycled pieces of different material. Again great idea and so easy to do. Just cut out any shape you like on a piece of plywood or foam board( if making a big piece this would be lighter) and then cut pieces of material to fill it in. SO SIMPLE!

Loved Loved these ottomans!!!!!

 and pillows!

Very expensive though because they were made out of vintage material. Oh well, will have to make it a DIY project!

Do you know what this display is? Trash cans spray painted. So Smart and Cute!

This is the artist that inspired me to use color. LOVE HER!!!!!

I actually bought these for the studio. They are so wonderful. I only bought 2 so I will let you know when they get here.

More in different colors. Let me know if you like them. They are the perfect throws in my opinion.

Lamps made out of old wine jugs.

Light made out of a conservatory roof. Great idea.

I love this picture.

Hope you are inspired!

Tale Care,

Stacy