Auction houses are very unique places and winning auction lots can provide some surprises. This mirror was part of a seven piece lot we bought for $35. I don’t think we even knew it was there until we collected the lot items. It appeared very old and had seen plenty of use. The way the silver crumbled away was intriguing – the perfect dissolve to another layer… paper, of course!

The black paint over the old gold paint was evenly distressed and worth preserving. The only problem was a large chunk of paint that flaked off in an almost perfect square, creating an unwanted focal point. That would have to go.

Once the mirror was removed from the frame, I cleaned the wood with a mild cleaner and covered the square chip with a square of black paper to mimic the missing chip of peeling paint. White glue or wood glue (yellow) will work fine to attach the paper to the frame. A light coat of semi gloss polyurethane varnish seals in the distressing and freshens the wood a bit.

On the mirror itself… The silver on the back was separating badly so I gently brushed off the loose sections.  Then I cleaned the glass in the exposed areas to remove the residue, taking care not to loosen any more silver.

The paper we choose to put behind the glass is a hand stenciled Japanese paper called Chiyogami. This pattern is typical of the types of traditional patterns done in this technique.  The blacks and greys in the pattern go well with the silver and black in the mirror, keeping the contrast in textures all in the same color family.

Once the mirror was assembled, I decided to make one last addition. The necessary clean up of the crumbling silver had left the edges sharper than our original vision. To soften the transition between the silver and the Chiyogami, I added a layer of torn edged tissue paper. The tissue I used is a black Japanese Kingin tissue which has flecks of silver and gold foil added. Although the metallic flecks are very subtle, they keep the tone of the whole piece.

Here is the final piece.. both rustic and elegant at the same time. I had such a difficult time photographing this mirror in a proper way. No matter how I tried, I would get the reflection of something in the remaining silver, which would distort the texture. But I think the final result does justice to this well worn piece.

It’s that time of year, time for all the little ones to grab their lunch boxes and head back to school. I can only imagine how difficult it is for parents to send their children off to school for the very first time. I think however that is one of the best times in school. Before the world of advanced geometry or 10 page essays you get cute colorful pencil boxes and learing your ABC’s. I may not have any kids but I still love these alphabet collages from Fiddleheads for Fiona.

I guess I could always get this one for my little poodle Aimee.

Besides, the sidewalk at our warehouse is too small anyway.

A traditional symbol of fortune and luck, apparently there are some koi fish that sell for over $20,000. Even more amazing there are people who are willing to pay that much for a fish.

I am not one of them.

I do however find them absolutely beautiful. So instead of digging a pond in my backyard and selling my car in order to buy a koi, I think I’ll just admire these paper koi creations.

These origami koi fish are designed and folded by Sipho Mabona from one uncut sheet of paper.

Koi fish have been a trend in tattoo art for years. Faye & Co used that pairing as their inspiration for these wedding invitations.

Created by Lara Fisher these koi light sculptures remind me of a glowing fish tank at night…very tranquil.

Ikea is a wonderful  source of contemporary design and it’s hard to resist the clean, simple lines just begging to be starting points for creativity. On my last trip to Ikea, some 2 hours away in Charlotte, I picked up a Knappa lighting fixture. The plastic panels seemed a perfect host for some decorative paper.

Once I opened the box and skimmed the instructions, I realized adding paper to the design would be easier than I thought. No glue was needed! I could use one plastic panel as a template and simply layer the cut paper over the plastic as the lamp was assembled. The hardest part would be choosing a paper. Almost anything would do as long as it was not too thick. In the end, I chose a white embossed cotton paper. It would keep the overall design impact close to the original, but add a subtle texture.

The contents of the light kit are simple – a snap together plastic frame and semi translucent plastic shade petals.

Once assembled, the frame looks like science project but soon it will completely covered.

To cover the plastic petals, I used 3 sheets of 22″ x 30″ Butterfly Embossed paper. I traced the pattern on the wrong side, rotating the direction of the pattern as I moved around the sheet. Changing the direction of the pattern from piece to piece helps the pieces fit tighter on the sheet and also makes the overall pattern more random in the finished piece. Once all the pieces were traced and cut, I punched the holes for the snaps with a paper punch. Don’t worry if the holes are a bit larger than those on the plastic. The size difference will not show, and adds a little ease for the paper to curve over the plastic.

The assembly of the light follows the enclosed Knappa instructions with the exception of layering the embossed paper over the plastic petals.

The finished light has lots of texture added to the beautiful lotus shape.