Money

The Options: Deck or Entry

April 30, 2013 2 Comments

Deck or Entry

Option 1: The Porch Company | Option 2: Better Homes and Gardens

It’s times like these, when the weather is starting to warm up and the grass is ESPECIALLY green, that I long for a yard. Our little townhouse has only a small patch of grass out front, so small that even a birdbath would look badly proportionate, and a tiny back deck with no greenery to speak of. So this will be yet another spring season where I live vicariously through inspiration images like the ones above…

Option 1: Ever since starting work as a professional blogger and website designer (WOOHOO!) for a local exterior renovation/construction company, I’ve been losing myself in outdoor-focused blogs. This one in particular based out of Tennessee is such a great resource for beautiful porch renovations. The idea of creating a covered oasis that’s still immersed in the elements is such a fantastic way to add value to your home – and your life!

Option 2: That said, the entryway of a home has MAJOR influence on the sell-ability (and personality) of a home. This one, with its bold color, modern lines and approachable greenery seems like a great use of budget. I can’t help but lean a little more towards a well executed entry, mostly because I want my guests and neighbors to feel as welcome as I do in our hypothetical future home. Curb appeal is everything, right?? Or is it…

Cast your vote!

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Exteriors, Features, Inspired, Money Tagged With: Pins, The Options, Tips and Tricks

Thrift Store Score: Mid-Century Couch

April 10, 2013 14 Comments

It’s finally (finally!) time to reveal what we’ve been up to in our finished basement, or what I’m now referring to as our den because I hate the stigma of a “finished basement.” I’ve teased tons of photos through Instagram, but if you haven’t caught wind of the project, John and I decided to flip this particular living space upside down – figuratively, of course.

The room as it was before (which I’m not even going to bother sharing in photo form, because it was that bad) was full of mismatched cheap pieces of furniture. It was KIND of functional as a TV room, but for the most part just served to give me nightmares at night. It was time to fix things. So we Craigslisted all the furniture, making nearly enough money to buy all NEW pieces! You’ve seen the awkward nook in the corner transform into a desk, but it’s time to see the rest of the space…

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The first thing we needed was a new sofa. I make it a point to check Craigslist at least once a week, searching for furniture listings under the “mid-century,” “midcentury” and “mid century” labels (I get different hits for each unique term). And my prayers were answered a couple of weeks ago with my most incredible “Thrift Store Score” to date. That big beautiful VINTAGE mid-century couch was not only within price range (in full disclosure, we ended up getting it for $440) but also within our own zip code. After following the lister’s directions, we discovered that she lived only about 3 miles away. Easiest. Pickup. Ever.

Oh, and before I forget to mention it – For any locals loving this couch, the matching side chair is still for sale. Click that link for details!

We brought the new-to-us couch home, set it up in the cleared out space and knew that we had landed on some kind of magic. It was perfect…But, of course, the new couch upped the art ante and I started dreaming big. What to hang? Once I narrowed my vision down to an eclectic gallery wall, I realized that I had an accidentally perfect collection sitting in storage in my studio. After hanging the art (for FREE) in less than 20 minutes, and setting up a new arc lamp (scored from the Yellow Brick Home curated sale on Joss & Main), we stepped back and called this half of the room officially “done.”

Please forgive the highly fluorescent photography…There are no windows and therefore no pretty natural sunlight to use to my advantage. Oh, and for anyone curious, the two gray pillows came from The Everygirl curated Joss & Main sale (more on those scores here), the geo lumbar pillow is from Target and the shag rug is from Lowe’s. The wooden box to the side of the couch and the foot stool are vintage.

We still have a few things to do to the rest of the space, but I’m sick of sharing teasers while I hurry to perfect it. The reality that I have to face (yet again) is that these things take time and it will evolve slowly – And frankly, that’s exactly how it should be. That said, here is our progress in the rest of the room thus far…

Quick interjection: That white dresser above is another Thrift Store Score worth noting. Believe it or not, it spawned the entire room. We knew we wanted to upgrade our old TV cabinet (a rickety particle board book shelf from Wal Mart), however we always had in mind a nice wooden piece with legs. But when we glimpsed this white lacquer Lane dresser at Estate Specialist downtown, our vision started to shift. It’s definitely a vintage vibe, but more of a 1970′s space age feel than the Danish piece we had envisioned. In the end, we love the sleek lines and cool, quiet look.

I’m so excited to have all of you along for the ride as we transform this space! Thanks for all of the support so far – You must know that it means the world to me.

Enjoy your day!

Filed Under: Money, Thrifted Tagged With: Art, Mid Century, Thrift Store SCORE!

{Must Have Shoes} “Flatwear”

April 5, 2013 Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, everyone! What are you up to this weekend? Got spring shopping on the brain? I have been out and about this week filling my arms with fun new patterned additions to my wardrobe. Don’t worry – I didn’t blow my New Year’s resolution. These shopping excursions were made possible by a check from consigning my old clothes (which I ALWAYS put back into my closet – seems only fair) and a little Easter money from my sweet mom-in-law specifically meant for the upcoming dress season. I was able to get a bunch of new pieces for my wardrobe and spent only about $115. The loot? 3 dresses, 2 tank tops and a belt. Not bad, huh?

Thankfully, shoes are NOT part of my resolution and are fair game for my meager freelancer’s budget. I am always in the market for new flats and, after a quick trip to my best friend’s family-owned store Must Have Shoes, I met my new favorite pair…The OKA b. Taylor Flats (seen below on the left).

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OKA b. Taylor Flats | Tory Burch Jelly Bow Ballet Flats

I ADORE the pretty coral color and the fact that these (machine washable!!) flats are a grown up throwback to my girlhood jelly shoes, but of course the best part for my budget-conscious brain is the value. At around $40 and some change, I can enjoy this spunky springtime look AND be able to afford groceries. What really sealed the deal for me was that quick comparison above. I’m loving the fact that I was able to stay on trend AND keep $80+ in my pocket.

If you’re wishing the OKA b. flats came with a little embellishment like the Tory Burch pair, you’re in luck – There are a couple of other styles in the store that feature glittery appliques crowning the front of each shoe. I want one of every color please! (please forgive the quality of my iPhone photos below)

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Locals, you MUST go try a pair out in person. While living in D.C. for a couple of months right after college I developed a righteous fear of blister-inducing shoes – These form fitting flats though feel instantly worn in, and I could tell right away that blisters wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, I slipped the shoes on and then proceeded to wear them the entire duration of our visit to the shop. I didn’t even take them off to pay for them!

Speaking of the shop…Here’s a little virtual tour for those of you not in Lynchburg.

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Oh and just so you know, although this sounds like a bonafide advertisement, I am not being paid or perked to write this little post up. Of course, I’m always looking to help out my best friend and her entrepreneurial family, but I also just genuinely love these shoes. I hope you find YOUR flats soulmate this season – But if you’re having trouble finding “the one,” you know where I’m going to send you…

Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. Since it’s becoming a bit of a tradition…Here’s yet another installment of “Friday Feature Roundup,” where I gather up links to my other Internet projects/collaborations from the week. We’ve got two new weekly features over on Le Papier Studio (read up on my new internship with the designer silhouette line at the bottom of this post). The first is a mood board inspired by the Floral Wreath Silhouette Print, and the other is a “Pin of the Day” feature where I mulled over the concept of a “Little White Dress.” Enjoy and, as always, thanks for the support!

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Filed Under: Money, Products & Reviews Tagged With: Big Box Store SCORE!, Family, Gift Ideas, Outfits

“Perfect Pairs”: A bridal shower gift basket

March 29, 2013 4 Comments

As you may already know, our good friends Nathan and Ashley are getting hitched! And, with the wedding coming up in May, it was time to celebrate the bride with a special shower just for her. So us women folk gathered this past weekend to do just that, with tasty finger foods, a delicious cake and lovely floral arrangements put together by the enormously talented mother of the bride.

Mady, Ashley’s sister, was the mastermind behind the entire event and she nailed it. I wish I had more photos to share with you, but imagine handmade bunting with the letters for “Miss to Mrs” handpainted on each flag, rustic burlap table runners and springtime raffia with yellow blooms wrapped around the cake. It was perfection and felt SO “Ashley.”

But of course no bridal shower is complete without the gifts and, as I’m sure you could guess, I felt the need to get creative with mine. I really wanted to put together something unique for Ashley and eventually (after a night of tossing and turning to brainstorm) I finally came up with the idea of “Perfect Pairs,” inspired by the most perfect pair of all – Ashley and Nathan!!

The idea was to pick up useful things for the home that naturally went together – Things like a fork and spoon (a salad fork and spoon set), pen and paper (nice pens and a package of note cards) and a chip and dip (I don’t think that one needs explaining!). In order to bring the point home, I put together little tags in InDesign and Photoshop using colors to match the overall theme of the gifts – blue and green. Once printed and cut out, I was able to attach each to their respective pair using Scotch tape.

As for the wrapping, I decided to skip a paper gift bag and went with a utilitarian rubber bucket instead. It actually cost about the same as a large gift bag, but will last through whatever project Ashley puts it to.

The final step was adding one last paper cut out to the front of the bucket that simply read “Perfect Pairs inspired by Ashley & Nathan.” I think Ashley got a kick out of the gift and I hope she and her hubby-to-be enjoy all of their new housewares! We had a blast watching her eyes light up as she unwrapped things like her gorgeous new dishes, Anthropology kitchen utensils, teal Keurig, serving ware and even a stunning gold Kate Spade bracelet. Bridal showers are so much fun…And Ashley deserves every bit of love!

If you want to try this gift idea for your OWN special bride, grab a free printable of the “Perfect Pair” tags by saving the image below to your desktop and printing it on thick cardstock paper. If you would like the front tag, email me at DreamGreenDIY@gmail.com so that I can customize the names for you.

Bridal Shower Gift Printable

P.S. Before I leave you for the weekend, it’s time for a quick “Friday Feature Round Up” – If you happened to miss any of the things I put together for The Glitter Guide or GalTime (my newest freelance contributor gig!) click on through – I made a DIY Gold Sequin Hair Bow (that my tom boy sister pricelessly modeled for me), chatted about incorporating florals into the home for the new season, and gathered my favorite Easter Egg Projects to try out this holiday weekend. Enjoy!

gold hair bow

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Events, Life, Money, Products & Reviews Tagged With: Gardening, Gift Ideas, Simplify, Tips and Tricks, Wedding

Charlotte shopping continued…Another IKEA adventure!

March 1, 2013 12 Comments

Remember when I teased about my latest trip to IKEA? Well don’t worry – I’m back to share all of the details on what I bought, where it went and how I plan on using the pieces in the future. But first I’ll let my two lovely friends, Alyssa and Sarah, once again demonstrate our excitement upon arriving to the store in Charlotte, North Carolina…

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And those smiles kept on coming as we loaded up our speeding little cart with treasures. I managed to exercise fairly good restraint on this particular trip, seeing as I hardly have a penny to my name. Because this store is the closest IKEA to our town (three and a half hours away), John and I tend to keep a running list of things we need for when we get around to making the trip. Thus I had good direction going into the excursion. That said, I maaaaaaaay have grabbed a few extra goodies along the way – Things that weren’t necessarily on my “IKEA” list, but definitely were top priority on my general “To Do” list.

Take these pots for example. I have a “Pinspiration Monday” project in mind that required terra cotta pots, but these IKEA specific clay vessels outdid my original vision. I LOVE the super straight silhouette (compared to the general hardware store version with a wide lip), and the IKEA price tag of only a couple bucks each convinced me to stray from the few items on my list and buy them.

I’m only going to give you that tiny little tease above because (1) they aren’t done yet, and (2) they deserve their own post.

Another not-exactly-on-my-list purchase was this vase. Again, the shape was something I wasn’t used to seeing in our local craft stores, and at only $1.99, it was CHEAPER than the vases I’m used to seeing in our local craft stores. Sold. Can’t you just imagine a big beautiful handful of tulips falling beautifully around the edges? Too bad I can’t afford fresh flowers now that I splurged on a new vase…

One final diversion from my list is this pair of candles. I hadn’t planned on buying candles at IKEA, but they were far and away cheaper than the large pillar candles I had seen at places like Michael’s and Target. I’ve been in search of a pair for the new hurricanes I picked up for our entryway table (pictured two photos below full of ornaments around the holidays). I think I ended up saving close to $15 by getting these plain unscented pillars from IKEA.

One particular item most DEFINITELY on my list was an armful of Ribba frames. These classic, straight edged frames come matted for a mere $10 – You would pay twice that for the same frame at Target. I bought 3 for my mom, and 2 for myself – 1 11×14 and 1 19×9.

The 11×14 frame ended up in our newly grayed master bathroom, complete with two of my new Paris postcards (scored in this month’s Parisian themed OliveBox). The white, black, gray and mustard palette works perfectly with the room’s new color scheme – Couldn’t have planned it better if I tried!

The short and long frame got an entirely different treatment, also to add a finishing touch to the repainted and restyled master bath. Alas, this project ALSO warrants its own post so you’ll have to wait to see the whole shebang.

The last thing on my IKEA list was a faux sheepskin rug. I’ve seen these little white fluffy numbers peppered far too often throughout some of my favorite rooms via blogs and Pinterest – It was time to grab up a couple for myself. I love the way they look draped over Eames rockers (like this), but for now they are laying on either side of our bed to nestle our toes in.

But wait! We aren’t done quite yet!!

Before even making it to IKEA, the three of us had plans to crash the local World Market as well. We don’t have one of these in our town either, and I had actually never been to the store – Period. So this was a fun trip, to say the least. Have you guys been? They seem to have a little bit of everything – Rugs, furniture, accessories, kitchen dishes, even groceries and wine. Although I SWORE up and down that I wasn’t going to buy anything, I just had to have this little mint cookie jar. At only $12, I rationalized that it was hardly a splurge. Plus, the storage factor and functionality make it a little less frivolous.

After getting it home, I popped a little peel-and-stick chalkboard label to the side of the jar, giving it a good bit of versatility. It holds tea for now, but can easily be relabeled to hold mints, cookies, napkins or chocolates. I adore how it continues the mint color throughout the space, especially on this little bookshelf vignette.

Speaking of that little bookshelf vignette, you may recognize one of my Charlotte “Thrift Store SCORES!” – The set of mint salt and pepper shakers is now proudly taking up residence where we can easily snatch them on the way to the dinner table. Oh, how I love mint…Can you tell?

Are you guys as obsessed with IKEA as I am? Do you have one nearby? If so, I’m beyond jealous. If not, are you like us and make a list before you make the extended trip? Only a week later, I ALREADY have a new running list…It never stops.

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Life, Money, Products & Reviews Tagged With: Art, Before and After, Big Box Store SCORE!, Family, Gift Ideas, New Uses, Organization, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

“Thrift Store SCORE!” {Charlotte, NC}

February 27, 2013 13 Comments

Just to warn you, this post is FULL of photos. I suppose that’s to be expected though when two best girls head down to North Carolina to visit their OTHER best girl. My iPhone got its workout this particular lady’s weekend since I didn’t want to miss a single thing. Upon arrival, we enjoyed the requisite high octave catch up session, but also great food, ~~great~~ mediocre wine (out of a cat shaped bottle, of course) and SHOPPING. Sarah (the NC transplant), Alyssa (my travel buddy) and I did ourselves proud with our shopping this particular trip. But we’ll get to that in a moment – First, a little documentation of the trip…

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That one above is of Alyssa and Sarah in front of IKEA, the spoils of which I will be posting about soon. It was their first time to the store (ever!) and let me just say that they were troopers. If you’ve been, you know that it can be a little overwhelming. Sarah was more than a little blown away by the fact that “they sell FOOD here?!?!!?” and the two of them were uncharacteristically quiet as we snaked our way through the massive showroom. I did my best to motor through so that they didn’t burn out and somehow managed to get in and out in about an hour. That’s a record people! And all three of us walked away with an arm full of personal treasures.

And down below, I threw together a mini montage of food, drink, and thrifted finds that rounded out our blissful little weekend.

Charlotte Instagrams

Since so many of you guys responded to that bottom left Instagram of the Pyrex, I knew I needed to expand and give you more (MUCH more) eye candy. That particular little cluster of vintage finds hails from none other than the mecca of all antiques: Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. If you live ANYWHERE near Charlotte, NC, you need to go to this place. Aisles and aisles of side-by-side booths piled high with the most amazing collection of treasures – Did I mention that the space is 55,000 square feet? Taking the description straight from the website, it features “250+ booths selling everything from Antique Furniture and Vintage Clothing, to Mid-Century Modern and Classic Home Decor.” It literally put my beloved Estate Specialist to shame, and I never imagined that that was possible.

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But let’s jump right in, shall we? First, that now mildly famous photo of kitchen wares, tins, carafes, trays, glasses, tea pots and Pyrex. The restraint I exhibited was almost award-winning. The second photo shows even more 1950′s kitchen perfection, with a fun to-go coffee container, graphic tea tin, pitchers galore and pretty pink linens.

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This pair of brass kitties almost came home with me, as did the wall of old telephones. If there had been a mint rotary phone, it WOULD have been part of my take away.

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Speaking of mint, one thing I was absolutely dying to buy was this mint cake/pastry stand. Alas, the $125 price tag forced me to walk away. The two tiered server pictured below it for only $38 was a great substitute, though I ended up passing on him too…

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Oh man, the glasses…So. Many. Glasses. I’m not much of a glass collector myself (at least after buying this beautiful set of wine and champagne glasses from Estate), but a true collector would have been bouncing off the walls. We’re talking purple glass, amber glass, glass with etching, glass with gold and teal details – There was one particular decanter below, with a price tag of only $4, that caught my eye but my bar cart is already overflowing with pitchers so I had to walk away.

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Alyssa was in particular need of a lamp that day, so we stopped and stared at all the lit beauties offered at the antique mall. The first one photographed below was a quirky piece, made from an old rotary phone (catching our eye more for the conversation factor than the style), and the one after it is this gorgeous industrial floor lamp that I would have loved to take home.

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There were so many dressers…If Alyssa had decided to take us to North Carolina in a truck, this could have been dangerous. Her sedan helped to keep us in line though, and we simply looked wistfully as we walked by.

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Isn’t that cracked mirrored piece above kind of cool? Not sure that I would have done that for MY home, but I think it’s definitely interesting (enough to share it with you fine people!). That big beautiful Danish cabinet several photos up takes the prize for Most-Coveted-Wish-I-Had-$800-To-Spend ::le sigh::

So. What did I actually end up getting? For starters, Sarah, being the ever gracious host that she is, bought Alyssa and I each a little animal to take home – I got this lovely palm sized owl, and Alyssa found a funny little glass skunk.

I also grabbed up this set of vintage mint salt and pepper shakers. At only $8 each, there was no way I was leaving the store without them. That particular booth actually had a BUNCH on display – Alyssa bought a pair as well! It was just too good to be true…

And here’s that fabled antler that I spoke about and contemplated in this post. I’m still a little torn on the finish. Should I paint it (like this), or leave it natural? I’m feeling like “natural antler” is a little too rustic for our tastes, and think that a bold dipped color on the end could modernize it just enough. We shall see. Oh, and it was a teenie splurge at $20.

This $8 vinyl/plastic sign letter “C” was too good to pass up. I love the graphic, three-dimensional shape, and of course the fact that it’s my initial. I couldn’t wait more than a day to get this guy up on the wall – I’ll share where later this week!

So there you have it (well at least part of it). Believe it or not, I have much more Charlotte shopping spoils to share, but that will have to wait since this post is 34 photos long. Until then, happy thrifting!

Filed Under: Life, Money, Thrifted Tagged With: Art, Gift Ideas, Mid Century, Thrift Store SCORE!, Tips and Tricks, Tour

DIY gold coral reef

February 20, 2013 8 Comments

You guys may remember my first attempt to turn something casual into an impostor of the high end variety – I’ll admit that I was a little leery about spray painting one of my childhood toy horses white to look like a porcelain figurine, but in the end, I love the way it turned out. And apparently, so did a lot of other people because it ended up being one of my most pinned projects to date.

Well, I’m using the same concept on a different figure this time. I’ve been sort of focused on coffee table styling as of late. There are so many gorgeous possibilities when it comes to accessories, greenery and vessels. I’ve also noticed a whole lot of people using coral. Not the natural, colorful kind – Although, one of my favorite pastimes is meandering through the fish section at the pet shop, gazing at all of that pretty swaying coral reef…No, the type designers and homeowners are using on their coffee tables is a nice shimmery golden metal.

Now I don’t happen to have $50 at the ready to purchase one of these gold beauties, but I DO happen to have a can of gold spray paint and $8 for a piece of plastic coral from the pet shop…

Nice coral-y shape, authentic texture, TONS of sculptural appeal – And he’s in my price range of “cheap.” Sold. Literally the only step to this project is to take it to a well ventilated area and give it a few coats of metallic spray paint. I did one coat while it was standing on its base, and another flipped over to reveal the little nooks and crannies I couldn’t get to while it was standing upright. With a day and night to fully dry/cure, I took him back upstairs and set him up along with a brand new coffee table arrangement (to be revealed in full on Friday).

I love the layer of glitz it adds to the vignette and the sculptural details just can’t be beat. Hopefully, our guests will be none the wiser that this pompous little piece of gold coral used to be fit for the bottom of the fish tank. Shhhhh…Don’t tell.

What kind of things have you guys been spray painting lately?

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Inspired, Money, Products & Reviews Tagged With: Art, Before and After, Big Box Store SCORE!, Gift Ideas, New Uses, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

A DIY chevron curtain

February 15, 2013 4 Comments

When working in a studio or office space, it can be a bit of a challenge to create a soft look. Things like desks, shelving units, drafting tables and light fixtures are the norm for these rooms, and the unifying factor is a hard, solid surface. Thankfully there are a few options available to us when working to soften our offices, like upholstered seating, curtains and rugs, but it is definitely a challenge to achieve balance.

Luckily for me, I was able to combine a guest room with my studio/office space, which helped tremendously in adding a casual layer of texture. But thus far, the twin bed, leather stool and upholstered desk chair were the only sections adding any kind of softness. I wanted more.

One particular area of the room was anything BUT soft, yet it suddenly hit me that it could easily be changed to suit. The massive shelving unit that you see below is actually a TV stand that my father built several years ago (back when bubble TVs were still cool). After they upgraded to a flat screen, dad added shelves to the inside area making it a perfect place for me to store my art papers and drawings. Although it was functional, my cluttered artwork was really distracting the eye from the beautiful design of the unit itself. It was time for a change.

My idea was to make a curtain to cover the mess, using the same technique that I used on our cafe curtains in the kitchen – A little fabric, some iron on hem tape and a package of clip on curtain rings. Not only would it hide the mess, it would add a nice soft layer to the room as well – Win, win.

I had actually picked up several yards of gray chevron some time last year with the intention of making curtains for the studio, but ended up finding panels at Target that I liked better. So the chevron lay in waiting in the closet for months and months. That is, until I stumbled upon it while rifling through my fabric inventory for this particular DIY curtain project. It was the perfect color combo and added a little pattern to the solid wood unit.

After cutting a piece to size, I simply unrolled a length of the hem tape, folded the edge overtop and ran my hot iron along the fabric to activate the adhesive. Iron on tape is the best. The BEST.

Once my hems were complete and the entire piece got an ironing to get rid of the wrinkles, I simply attached the ring clips every 5 inches or so and strung them on a matching tension rod that I picked up at Target for $6. All in all, this project cost me about $10 – The added color, fun pattern and hidden clutter are all WELL worth the price.

Beyond the aesthetic advantages, the curtain works really well too. It hardly needs explaining, but it’s a cinch to “shink” back the curtain to access the paper and supplies behind the fabric. I get an unusual sense of satisfaction when I pull the curtain aside to get something and then pull it back to cover everything again. No one is the wiser that it’s still a big mess back there – Well, except for you guys…Shhhh, don’t tell.

How do YOU guys soften your office spaces?

P.S. Were you sad to have Valentine’s Day come and go? Well the fun isn’t over quite yet. Click over to Burlap+Blue this morning, where I’m sharing a tutorial for simple DIY heart cake toppers - It’s all in the name of love. And sugar…

diy-heart-cake-toppers

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Tagged With: Art, Before and After, Big Box Store SCORE!, Organization, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

Throwing a curve ball in the bathroom

February 13, 2013 2 Comments

Remember when I was trying to decide between two shades of light pink to repaint our master bathroom? It was down to two colors: “Bella Pink” and “Early Sunset.” Well, here’s a curve ball for you – I chose neither! After careful consideration (and several weeks of staring at the samples on the wall), I decided that neither was the right fit. I thought they seemed a bit gray in photos, and it turns out that they seemed a bit gray in PERSON as well. Having neither the patience nor the funds to buy more samples and paint, I simply went with what we had and what we already knew looked beautiful.

Our new bright gray color is none other than the same gallon of paint used to redo the bathroom in the studio a few months ago. We L-O-V-E-D the color in the studio bathroom so much that it just made sense to go with it in our master as well. I consider myself head cheerleader for gray walls these days – It’s such a sophisticated neutral and allows all of the accents to really pop and shine. Speaking of accents…

Are you as totally head-over-heels in love with our new window valance as I am?? This beautiful piece comes from our very favorite curtain store in town, Curtains, Blinds & Bath. My mom and I have been going to this lovely, locally owned store for decades and can truly attest to the quality and selection found there. I know, I know…Here I go again sounding like a commercial…But TRULY, if you are looking for a wide variety of pattern and styles, this is the place to go.

When I stumbled upon my new valance, I was actually just tagging along with mom on her own errands. I didn’t have any intention of buying anything that day (you know…the whole struggling freelance writer situation I’m in), but I had a great time lazily meandering through the aisles of curtain choices. I would use words like “luxurious,” “colorful” and “unique” to describe the inventory, but AMAZINGLY, I could easily toss “affordable” in there too. Believe it or not, I actually saw one valance with a price tag of only $15! And the sale section had pieces listed for only $5. I kid you not. If you are local, you need to run, not walk, (well, I guess you should drive) to the store.

But just as we were heading out, I happened to look up and there she was…The most perfect representation of my vision in pattern form. It had the gray, it had the mustard yellow (the unifying color throughout our home) and it would look just perfect against our freshly painted walls. Sold!

As for the other side of the room, I kept our white waffle shower curtain and towels and added a handful of inexpensive white hand towels to my basket storage on the wall. I left the brass framed owl print up, but I plan on switching that out for something a little more in line with the new color scheme as soon as I can. More on that soon.

The rest of the art in the room (at least at the moment) is comprised of my favorite pair of brass birds by the window, and my DIY jewelry holders. I am still kicking myself for not painting the frames when I had the chance, but I still love the functionality factor. They have proven to be a godsend each and every day as I choose my accessories for the day without having to dig through tangled drawers every morning. Plus, all of that vibrant color in the necklaces and earrings really works well in bringing life to the space.

I’m so relieved that my thrifted metal birds still make sense in the space with the new gray walls and patterned curtain. The rich color of the brass is picked right up by the dark yellow in the curtains. I couldn’t have planned that better if I tried – Don’t you just love happy accidents?

Oh, and don’t mind the reflection of my pink sweater in that closeup above. In person, it’s a nice warm color all over.

Not sure if you can call it art, but the countertop accessories haven’t changed much from the original set up – My mirrored tray (which is screaming for a gold spray painted face lift) is in place, along with the silver accents I bought when I painted the room green waaaaayyy back when. My little Ikea clock keeps me on track in the morning, and my set of perfume bottles keeps me smelling nice and girly. I also added a little photo of John and me taken at the beach a couple of years ago – Happy memories go a long way in starting the day off right.

So even though I ended up ditching the pink inspiration afterall, I really like how the room turned out – I’ve got a couple more changes up my sleeve to really finish it off too, so stay tuned for that! And since everyone loves a good “Before & After,” take a gander at this…

I frankly really LIKED the green, but it just wasn’t right for our whole house color scheme. Maybe in our next house…Until then, I’m going to enjoy relaxing in my new serene, neutralized space.

Hope you have a great Wednesday.

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Interiors, Money Tagged With: Art, Before and After, Gift Ideas, Tips and Tricks, Tour

One Word: Splurge

February 5, 2013 2 Comments

It seems that just about every new day leads to the discovery of some fun, colorful and fabulous find. Patterned rugs and pillows, iPhone accessories, prints, books, lamps and jewelry – The list LITERALLY could go on and on. Despite the reasonable price points on a lot of the products featured today, each and every one of them is a splurge for me. Why is that? Well, I am currently a full-time freelancer hoping for her next big break.

You may have caught wind of this recent development via various social media outlets where I made note of it, but to get you up to speed, the job I took in October simply wasn’t a good fit. After 12 weeks of training, the reality of the job itself simply wasn’t for me and I made the decision to leave. I’m now in the process of working as a freelancer and searching for a position (nay, a CAREER) that I can really sink my creativity- and art-obsessed teeth into. Thanks for all of the encouragement and well wishes! And until I find that perfect path…I’ll be dreaming of being able to afford any of the sweet beauties listed below