DIY - Painting Shelves

I moved into a 3 bedroom flat with my partner a couple of months ago which allowed me to utilise the spare room as boudoir. I felt this was the opportune moment to breath some new life into my old draws and shelves that I've owned since a kid. Besides, every pinup needs a gorgeously decorated boudoir, am I right?! Below are the steps on how I approached and created my first DIY project of painting shelves. Seeming it's my first DIY project it's not the most exciting, but later in the year I will be redecorating my draws and a vintage writing desk. 

Original Shelves 

1. Research inspiration and plan a colour scheme. 

 I definitely knew I wanted mint green as my main colour but I tossed around on what colour to pair it with. I narrowed it down to either mint green and light pink, or mint green and white. As dreamy as the mint green and light pink was pictured in my mind, I decided to go with the safer, subtle option of mint green and white.

Etsy.com was my main source of inspiration on how I wanted to paint the shelves. I searched options such as, "retro shelves", "vintage shelves", "mint green shelves".

Choosing the paint was actually quite time consuming. Finding the mint green wasn't too difficult. I matched colour swatches against my shorts which were also mint green. It was helpful to directly have the comparison. Choosing the white took quite a while. There are so many shades of white!! It was a fine line of ensuring I wasn't choosing a stark white or something too creamy.

The paint I picked:

• Horseshoe Falls by Dulux
• ...... by Dulux 
• Note: Make sure to buy tester pots to save yourself money as that's all you're going to need. 

2. Sanding 

This is the worst part. Sanding is not fun (well, for me it's not). My partner let me use his electric sander to make the job easier and he showed me how to use it. At first it was terrifying, I thought the sander was going to fly out of my hands.

To use an electric sander:

• Make sure there is a fresh sheet of sandpaper attached to it.
• Wipe any dust of the shelves. 
• I laid the shelves on its side to ensure it was sturdy while I worked. 
• Ensure the sander is constantly moving across the surface. Do not hold it still on one spot for too long. 
• Use sand paper on it's own, with out the tool, to sand those hard to reach corners/places
• Note: I advise not sanding inside your house. Take it outside or into the garage.  

3. Painting 

• Wipe clean all of the sanding residue. 
• I painted the inside of the shelves with the Horseshoe falls using a roller paint brush. I used an ordinary paint brush to take care of the corners. Ensure to apply your coat evenly as possible to avoid discolouration. 
• Next, I painted .... on the outside of the shelves in the same method as above. 
• Let it dry. Paint a second coat if necessary. 

xx Soda Fontaine xx

Miss Moonshine 2015

I competed in the very first Miss Moonshine Pinup competition on the 1st of February 2015. The competition is organised by New Zealand's Glory Day's Magazine and is held at The American Vehicle Day, Trentham, Lower Hutt. 

Any lovely Pinup gal is eligible to compete, all you need to do is submit a photo and summary about yourself to Glory Days Magazine to be in the running. This was my entry: 

Photo by MissT Pinups

"I am Soda Fontaine, Pinup Girl and Burlesque Performer. 

My first burlesque show was back in December 2011 and I have been hooked ever since. I was a bit of Theatre Geek back in the day so Burlesque appealed to me in the sense that you can be the complete master of your own show. Also all the sparkles and glitter helped lure me in too. My main burlesque style is 'cheesecake' and I tie in my love for Pinup into my performances. 

What I love most about dressing pinup style is how it makes me feel. With the outfits, hair and makeup all tied together, I feel glamorous and confident. All I need now is a '59 pink Cadillac Convertible to complete my look wink emoticon

I also have a love for travel, various genres of metal music, anything nautical themed and collecting artwork."

On the day of the competition, contestants are given the opportunity to arrive at the venue early and pose with classic cars with a professional photographer. You can pose by yourself and have numerous group shots with the other contestants. I decided to wear a different dress for the photos and competition but kept them in theme so I didn't have to change my accessories. 

With my Twinup Miss Charlotte Cake

Myself with Miss Charlotte Cake and Miss Monique Sweet

Photo by Artful Dodge Photography

Next it was competition time and all 16 pinups lined up to take the stage. One at a time, we had to walk the catwalk, work a pinup pose and lastly, say something about ourselves in front of the crowd. The judges tallied the votes and Miss Monique Sweet is announced as the winner. Miss Monique Sweet rocked the most amazing custom made watermelon circle skirt, with matching cardigan and accessories. 

Miss Moonshine was great practice for Miss Pinup NZ which I will be competing in within a few months. I highly recommend the competition for pinups who are starting out or whom are wanting stage practice. 

My Outfit Details: 

• Pineapple Flower Crown custom made by Pop That Cassette. 
• Fruit Charm Bracelet custom made by Pop That Cassette. 
• Necklace from Erstwilder. 
• Both dresses custom made by Honey L'Amour. 

xx Soda Fontaine xx