Thursday, January 17, 2008

When I first found this medicine cabinet at my local IKEA I knew that it was destined to serve a greater purpose than the ho hum holding of cotton swabs and pills. A cupboard this attractive need not be stuck in the bathroom at a party.




In fact, when invited to the living room this wooden character becomes the belle of the bash!


Emboldened by my successful decorating dare I decided to take it one step further and add custom styled bar ware.


First I found glassware of a suitable size. (And at a bargain to boot!)



Then, I marked off sections of tape that were slightly smaller than the height of my glasses.



Like the orange polish? Take note, this is what happens to your judgment when you get a manicure while at a bar.



I (unfortunately) chose to take a shortcut and use spray paint instead of etching the glass. Guess which paint has NOT been proven food safe by the FDA? Damn.


These glasses will be for decorative purposes only but I couldn't resist showing you my original vision. Have I created something completely useless? Ideas are welcome.

17 comments:

Jennifer W. said...

I love it! And I think I still would be inclined to use the glasses. The booze will kill whatever lurks in the non-FDA approved spray paint...

Anonymous said...

You are a genius! The clever repurposing of the cabinet! The crafty glass making! I'm totally copying you!

p.s. orange is my favorite color!

Mandi said...

It looks wonderful, what a great idea! There must be something they can be used for....but who doesn't love something that's nice to look at! And I adore the manicure and totally want to go to that place. I found it very ironice that the LA beauty bar said it was decorated with retro salon furnishing found in Bakersfield. Who'd have thought!?

Anonymous said...

Note to self: Do not have drinks at Evie's house.

Very cute idea and cute is what matters--forget function :)

Anonymous said...

I say drink from the inside not the outside and you'll be OK. Have you purchased you new knife yet? I say go for it. Grampsdon

Anonymous said...

Maybe I finally got this right. You are so clever. We love you muchly.

kickpleat said...

so awesome!! i love it.

eviedee said...

Jennifer, you are welcome to come try out the glasses with me anytime. We can suffer the consquences together!

Vaguely Urban, you are so sweet! Orange rules.

Bicycle, there is a place that sells DEWARS ice cream right near Beauty Bar, it was like a mini trip to B-town.

Sarah, I assure you that I have other glasses. You should come for drinks!

Grampsdon, I have not purchased the knife yet as I have been busy with useless projects like this. ;) Love you!

Kickpleat, Thanks for the kind words!

carrotz said...

Having just finished my second bout of flu, I think your medicine cabinet might have the cure I REALLY need! I don't suppose you have something in that cabinet for me, Great Wizard?

Anonymous said...

Would love the see the photos!

kelly said...

Hi -- I found you via ikeahacker and I wanted to stop by and say great work on this!

Also, you might want to try glass etching cream -- you spread it on, then rinse it off and it actually etches the glasses (not just coating them). That way, you can have your pretty glasses and drink out of them too!

(Etching cream is available at most craft supply stores. The big name is Armour and you can check their site out here.)

Anonymous said...

If you tape a rim around the top, maybe 1/2 tape thick, and then a slighly smaller cross, you could get a similar effect with less exposure to the frosted part.

Channel 4 TV said...

Hi there! I'm making 8 short films for UK Television (Channel 4).

Based in IKEA Wembley in London, each episode will tell a different story about the wide range of people who pass through IKEA's doors.

I am really keen for one of the films to focus on IKEA Hackers.

Do you visit IKEA Wembley or know someone who does?

If so, please get in touch with me, Rachel, on 07903 806926 or rachel@formmedia.co.uk. Thanks!

eviedee said...

kelly, I had considered actually etching the glass the paint seemed like the easy way out. Etching sounds like a much better plan! :)

Catherine, what a fabulous idea. If I can't muster the motivation to actually etch the glass at least I won't kill my guests.

johnebgood said...

My dad has a sand blaster, if you want I can set you up with real frosted glasses with whatever pattern you wish.

John B

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful idea. My roommates and I have been discussing how to build a bar without bankrupting our miniscule bank accounts and this is perfect.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

you can stain the glass with some glass etch cream. just tape off the part you want to stay clear and apply the etch cream to the parts you want stained. once it's on there for a while it will start to "frost" the glass. wash the rest off and you're done. just be sure to keep that stuff off your hands cause it'll mess you up. but once it's washed off, the etch cream stains the glass nice and frosty, and better yet it's safe to drink out of.

for examples of what it looks like check out the tags left by writers on the windows of your local liquor stores.

http://www.amazon.com/Armour-Etch-Glass-Etching-Permanent/dp/B0001DTWYG