Thursday 29 September 2016

From Ugly Duckling to Pretty Swan


We saw potential in this chair right away, the wood carvings are handmade which is often not the case, but the paint work was a yucky brown like they often are.



Somehow the brown stuff 'flattens' the dimension of the woodcarving, as soon as it is cleaned up the carving becomes so much clearer, which I have noticed with other furniture pieces too.


Sanding took many days with all the details, we contemplated to only varnish it, but eventually choose to paint it as it does make it different than usual and that is what we strive for.




Painting it took ages too, it needs several layers and all the different colors and carvings doesn't make it easy at all, but I finished it eventually :)


After varnishing the paint it was time to add filling and upholster it, which doesn't take that long compared to how many days the woodwork took.


The last finishing touches like some hand sewing and the trims in good day light...


And here she is :)
It is very colorful but not 'yelling', all colors come back in the paint work and embroideries, I love the weird choice of colors :)


The back is amazing too with a beautiful vintage hand embroidered embroidery, the arms and front are also hand embroideries, people used to have so much patience when there were no mobile phones/ internet/ TV!


I bought the striped fabric a few years ago in Amsterdam and we have been saving it for something special, it found its right place here.


Revamping these old forgotten pieces of furniture is extremely satisfying and fulfilling, turning them in the unexpected, given them a whole new look and life makes us very happy :)



Not to mention the old embroideries which we collect from all over the world!


You can see more pictures and details at StarHomeStudio.

Tuesday 27 September 2016

Newly Listed: Rainbow Bohemian Bag


Rainbow Bohemian Bag, Hand Knitted, Fractal Style, Leather Straps, Kiss-lock, Boho by StarBags
Rain Drops Photo - Pine Tree Photograph, Nature Photography,  Art, Waterdrops Print by kellynphotography
Where I Live, Photograph Photography, Peaceful Tranquil Pond, Jewel Tones, Mist Daybreak by gildinglilies
Peacock feather and water drop, Iridescent Fine Art Macro Photography, Home Decor wall art by MarianneLoMonaco

Thursday 22 September 2016

Newly Listed: Driftwood Vase


Driftwood Vase, Planter Wall Hanging, Vintage Bottle Vase - Beach Home Decor by StarHomeStudio
Old Stone Church Photograph, foggy medieval, ancient stone building photography ruins by FirstLightPhoto
Green Wall Print, Rustic Home Decor, Zen Nature Photography, Chevron, Green Moss, Brick Path by LisaRussoFineArt
Hummingbird Art, bird photography, nature art, home decor, bird wall art, fine art print by SightToSoul

Monday 19 September 2016

From Trash to Treasure


Another ugly piece of furniture rescue project today :)
This was a coffee table, most likely it had a glass top which was missing. I loved the legs which are strong and plain but with a pretty shape.


I dismantled the entire coffee table, the hook kind of things will also be used in a different project.


The legs were sanded.


And then painted 3 times in a beautiful cobalt blue color. I hang them on a rack in the kitchen, it was the best place to do it, even though it was an odd location :)


We then applied cute little vintage decals to the legs.


After two layers of varnish, I had a piece of wood cut to size according to the piece of embroidery we wanted to use.


With black and white piping and ceramic beads on the side it has a quirky and unusual finishing touch :)


 The ottoman is available in our StarHomeStudio shop, among other one of a kind furniture pieces.


Thursday 15 September 2016

Newly Listed: Sweet Escape Weekender Travel Bag


Sweet Escape Weekender Travel Bag - Leather Caryall, Vintage Embroidery and Linen Floral Striped Traveling Bag by StarBags
Cloud Photography - Paint Me a Picture nature sunset photography sky pastel art home decor by briole
Los Angeles photography, the Big City, downtown skyline California, urban cityscape, mountains by MyanSoffia
Purple Nature Photography, wall art branches print branch violet photograph, Garden Sanctuary by CarolynCochrane

Monday 12 September 2016

Lake Tahoe and the Great Republic of Rough and Ready


This is my last post about my stay in America, even though I could make more :) Together with Juliette we went to Lake Tahoe for one day. It is not far from Nevada City and it is a gorgeous place to visit.
About 3/4 of the lake is in California and 1/4 in Nevada.


The entire road there was in the mountains among the trees, it didn't feel very foreign from the Turkish road funny enough. Except that in Turkey most drivers do not much bother on traffic rules while there drivers are super polite and do follow the rules :)


We were in luck with both the lovely weather and the reasonably quiet roads, apparently it often gets very crowded but we could drive around the Lake without much problem.




There are lots of camping places around the lake, wooden cabins and hotels.



We got to enjoy some breath taking views.




The weirdest part was crossing the state border from California to Nevada. Nothing happens, it is just that some laws are entirely different. In California you have no Casino's, but as soon as you cross the border Casino's are popping up every where! Also in California smoking inside is strictly prohibited and I even saw lots of warnings at front doors to smoke 20 feet (or some even more) from the door. In Nevada you can smoke everywhere, as if it is the 70's, very odd :)


A big bonus for me was that I scored two globes in thrift stores at Lake Tahoe! I had visited quite some thrift stores in other towns but had no luck so far.


As you can see my collection is starting to get impressive :)


Another day we passed the Great Republic of Rough and Ready. Yes, a republic, and it is perfectly normal if you have not heard of it :)


The first established settlement in Rough and Ready was made in the fall of 1849 by a mining company from Wisconsin, known as the Rough and Ready Company, during the California Gold Rush.
The town declared its secession from the Union as "the Great Republic of Rough and Ready" in 1850, as it suffered the effects of general lawlessness and a growing resentment for the government having imposed a Mining Tax on all claims. So the Great republic (of 3000 people :)) was largely to avoid mining taxes.


The Great Republic of Rough and Ready lasted only three months as the world's smallest nation. As July 4th approached the citizens began to prepare for the festivities, only to be told by the Nevada city saloons that they weren't Americans! Worse, they refused to sell liquor to these 'foreigners'! On July 4, swept by a patriotic fervor-and an abiding thirst! Another meeting was held and the town gave mass consent to immediately rejoining the Union.


People had to pay to pass the town, excuse me the republic :)
A crazy piece of history!


There was also a little street built to show how the republic was back then, in a smaller scale than real life. I found this whole thing so odd and funny and was very surprised when Juliette explained it to me when we passed.

Saturday 10 September 2016

Newly Listed: Knitted Color Block Top


Knitted Color Block Top, Geometric Crop Top by StarsWear
Monochrome Wall Art, Black and White Home Decor, Nature Photography by BethWold
Grey Fish, limited edition giclee print by EloiseRenouf
Leather Shoes, Printed Oxford Shoes, Black and White Shoes by BangiShop

Thursday 8 September 2016

Nevada City and Surroundings


A few days after my arrival at San Francisco I rented a car and drove to Nevada City which is right above Grass Valley, a 3.5 hour drive with good traffic and if you know your way, I got a little lost and stuck so it took me 5 hours but I was not in any hurry.


It is in the mountains, with fresh air and hot Summers but snow during the Winter.


For almost a week I staid in Nevada City, but don't be fooled by its name, it is a little town in California, not a city and not in Nevada which is not that far away though.
The reason I staid there was that a dear friend who I actually met online through our blog was kind enough to let me stay at her place. While we met irl for the first time Juliette was the sweetest person you can imagine and both her and her family were very kind to me and made my first stay in America such a wonderful experience.


Back to Nevada City... or should I say Stars Hollow? The town is definitely like the town of Gilmore Girls, the church is almost identical! The town is completely historically protected and you are not even allowed to smoke on the street (I wonder if they have a Taylor).


Nevada City first settled in 1849, during the California Gold Rush, as Nevada. The Gold Tunnel on the north side of Deer Creek was the city's first mine, being located in 1850. The first saw mill built in Nevada City was on Deer Creek, just above the town, in August, 1850, and was built by Lewis & Son, with a water wheel. In 1850-51, it was the most important mining town in the state, Nevada County being the leading gold-mining county in the state. The town of Nevada was incorporated on April 19, 1856. In 1864, the word “City” was added to the name to relieve confusion with the nearby state of Nevada, and the town has legally been known as “Nevada City” ever since.


It has a population of 3000 and has lots of pretty shops, mostly very artsy, and chain malls are strictly forbidden so no Wallmart, McDonalds or StarBucks! Only little local shops, this big chains are in the neighbor town, Grass Valley.



As the old buildings are all preserved and the look of the town is like from 1850, the town has something like a fairy tale.



You can walk through town within the hour but there are plenty of shops to scroll through and it is a perfect place to enjoy some quite time.
Nevada City has tourists all year due to Lake Tahoe too, but not in a disturbing amount at all, you don't have to find away around a bunch of tourists to take some decent pictures like I had to do in San Francisco.



You can find all kind of Historical landmark throughout the town.




This adorable gate goes to the Two Room Inn, which is like a Gingerbread house, so very beautiful.






The 'white picket fences' are something you often hear in American movies, it way nice to see it in real life too :)






I walked in the morning, shops open at 10 or even 11, it is a calm life around there, it was very quiet when I was walking around.




I loved the wooden boards of the shops too, they look so vintage (which is the idea of course).



Dear Juliette was not only so kind to open her house she also arranged a meeting with a beautiful shop in Nevada City called KitKitDizzi which will be selling some of our Kilim Bags. The shop is ran by two lovely ladies who are native to the town and have been friends since they are 5. All items are beautifully handmade and I am thrilled to work with this beautiful shop, 219 Broad Street in Nevada City.



Speaking of Juliette, she runs the Art Gallery at the Miners Foundry which is another Historical space and you can still see the machinery of that time.


The Osborn Woods Gallery is full with products from local Artists including Juliette herself, right now all themed with 'Water'.



I was also lucky as I was there on the day Al Martinez did a demonstration and I learned his technique of riveting metal, which I always wanted to learn. I bought some tools for it and I will be trying it out at home these coming days. He is like a Leonardo Da Vinci with jewelry and he makes a lot of his own tools, he also has a very inspiring work space which I visited too!