Bravo! Bravo

Bravo! Bravo, for giving the decophiles something savory to enjoy ... afterall, HGTV has gone realtor. Though printed in this month's Elle Decor as premieres April 7th, there is no guarantee on the Bravotv.com website for that date.

All we do know is that if and when the series begins, we'll enjoy the insider view of some very well-noted designers. Which ones? From left to right in the photo above: Mary McDonald, Jeffrey Alan Marks (seated), Nathan Turner, Kathryn Ireland, and Martyn Lawrence Bullard.

Personally, as a die-hard fan of Mary McDonald's work, I am very excited to see her process; but all of these Los Angeles designers are in a league of their own, and will make for fabulous television. Wanna sneak peak of their work?

MARY MCDONALD

www.MaryMcDonald.com

JEFFREY ALAN MARKS : ROSS CASSIDY

http://www.jam-design.com/

NATHAN TURNER

www.nathanturner.com

KATHRYN M. IRELAND

www.kathrynireland.com



MARTYN LAWRENCE BULLARD

www.martynlawrencebullard.com

Looks like it's gonna be a hit, right? Martyn Lawrence Bullard is no stranger to television. He was cast on Discovery Channel's 2006 one-season series: "Material World", which seems to have been a very similar concept - following America's most noted and well-paid Interior Decorators and Designers. Though Material World (which I regretfully missed 4 episodes of) didn't have a repeat run, Bravo's got quite the reputation for taking reality television and making it a nation-wide sensation! (i.e., the Real Housewives, Million Dollar Listing, etc..)

No matter, I've got fingers and toes crossed waiting for the premiere. It's been a while since I've had a guilty pleasure in design tv. Will you be tuning in?

Botanical Project Reveal

So, I'm really excited to share with you not only my little project reveal, but the links to the reveals from 3 other super talented ladies who were taking part in the same little DIY challenge. Before we get started with my reveal, I have to thank Kelley of the Polished Pebble for bestowing this opportunity upon us! Thank you, Kelley!

Remember, we were given 8 total sheets, and asked to frame them for less than $20. What a challenge, huh? So, I found these gorgeous spindles and post caps at Buffalo ReUse and knew that I needed to use them somehow. At $5.44, they fit perfectly in my "budget" and they were way too good to pass up! So what did I do?

There you have it! Double sided frames on old spindle stands! I LOVE THEM! I mean, really, truly, want to make 1.000 LOVE THEM! I took the bases and crewed the spindles through the bottom after cutting the spindles to the desired height.

I then lucked into some $1 8x10 solid wood frames with glass panes (unfinished) at Dollar Tree. I knew that I was going to paint the entire piece, so I bought them ($8) and ran (literally) home to get started.

As you can see, one side is the framed antique writing, and the other side is the framed botanical. Two separate frames, wood glued together and then glued to the top of the spindle.

I left this side unfinished so you can see that it's actually two separate frames back to back. But of course, the antique pages are smaller than 8x10,  but not 5x7 so you would have had to have a custom mat to fit them in the 8x10 frames. UNLESS, you're creative and have burlap on hand (which I did) ...

and voila! I simply wrapped the back of the frame with burlap and then laid the botanical page on the burlap, attaching it with brass push-pins (which also came from Dollar Tree [$1 for 100!!!]). The paint finish is one that I have to admit is a happy accident. I used a watered down gold acrylic craft paint as the base, and then used a really watered down latex paint: (MS Fieldstone).

The frames, spindles, and bases were all painted the same way at the same time before the botanicals were put in the frames. Don't you love the shape of these antique solid wood spindles?

Love them, and I hope you do, too! Good news is ... there are TONS of other inspiration photos on the other blogs participating in the same event!

Kelley : Polished Pebble

Melaine : My Sweet Savannah

Andrea : Faded Plains

Please leave a comment letting me know what you think of the finished product, and then head over to check out the other inventive and creative posts! See you Tuesday!