Surviving Iron Craft '15 Challenge #4: The Glam Goth Condo springs into spring

Adele is ready to show off the Glam Goth condo's new kitchen, living room, and bathroom décor, though as with many an HDTV challenge show, some of the paint's not quite dry. (Other than the 24-hour bedroom re-do in January, this condo was looking kind of grim, as last seen here.)

Things are a little crooked because we just had an earthquake, 'kay?

Progress on the kitchen and living room was motivated by my discovering the Iron Craft monthly challenges on Just Crafty Enough. Challenge #4 (the current one) was "Dreaming of Spring" -- and since the kitchen has pink flowered wallpaper, continuing with a "spring" theme seemed like a win. (The bath was finished in January but never photographed and logically belongs with the rest of the condo.)

With the exception of buying the kitchen chairs, the new bathroom wallpaper, and a can of pink spray paint, I dug into stash for everything. Shall we take a look?




The kitchen table is built from two wooden barrels and two scraps left over from when I punched out the pieces of the Steampunk Orchid. The cookie jar is some sort of charm from the Matsuri Festival two or three years ago. 

At the far end of the counter, Pilar has jars for making her potions.

Of course, no hasty home rehab is complete without the "art project" -- which involved more Orchid punch-outs and some collage notions.

The side of the oven is splotched because Randolph the dog splashes in his water dish!

The project was supposed to be limited to the kitchen, but once a person has a can of pink spray paint in hand, a person just keeps going. When that involves frantically spray painting in a wind storm to try to get done before the rain starts, a person's judgment might be questioned.

The drums belong to Adele.

The lamps are constructed from blocks that started as some sort of bend-it-build-it desk toy given out at a conference a couple years ago, with a dowel for a pole and repainted butter containers from Jack in the Box as shades. The butter tubs had originally been intended for Katie and Hayden's bathroom sink, but then I didn't build their bathroom from scratch.

Yes, that's a giant green Easter chicken. No, I don't know why.

The rehabbed drinks cabinet finally gets its martini glasses! I bought those at least a year ago, at a kiosk at Colonnade Mall that has long since vanished.

Every hip home has a drinks cabinet.

Every fireplace needs glow-in-the-dark cherubs.

Eep! The hearth really needs a floral arrangement or something.

The photo over the fireplace is Pilar's ancestor, Miss Delia Turner. I was looking through my stack of postcards -- some from places I've been, some apparently acquired in bulk from an antique shop on the East Coast, though I have no memory of this happening -- and thought it was a good portrait. Miss Turner had her formal photo done and sent it to her beau, one Bud Ridgeway of Roanoke, Virginia, back in 1907.

I went back and forth for a while on cutting up an actual historic document, then noted that none of Bud Ridgeway's descendants had felt called upon to preserve it... then did a search for both Ridgeway and Turner, determined nobody was pursuing their genealogy, and decided to proceed. However, I did photograph the original in case anybody comes along and cares.

I assume her right arm's folded behind her back, not missing entirely.

Rout #5 must have been a postal carrier's route number, not a highway?

The original plan with the pink Mexican pot was to put in some greenery, but the crystal tree -- bought for dollhouse Christmas decorating that never happened -- really really wanted to be included.

In the background, a pink mid-century lion mauls a glow-in-the-dark cherub.

And now... drum roll... the bathroom. It started out flowered, but after the bedroom leopardized itself... well...

Everybody SAYS you can be bolder with color in small spaces!

The primitive faucets are held on with blu-tak, as I didn't want to glue directly to the Strombecker fixtures.

Twin sinks. Because we are luxe that way.
(Actually because when I told my mother about this bathroom set,
she mentioned she had a spare sink that she should send me.)

My favorite accessory is the hat stand. I bought celluloid heads at a neighborhood antique store that was going out of business. I still have five more.

Don't you just want to hop in the shower?

Exhausted by the day's endeavors, Adele and Pilar relax in their improved and spring-like parlor.

It's nice to have a rug, Pilar. I'm glad we got a rug.