Guest Bedroom Update

I’ve been busy as a bee over here working on the guest bedroom. Our house has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The guest bed and bath are located upstairs, and with a semi-regular stream of family and friends who come to stay, they’re probably the two rooms to which I have directed my most deliberate decorating efforts. I recently made a few updates to the bedroom and wanted to show you what’s new.

1. At last, a nightstand!

Current reading selection for guests: Window Poems (Wendell Berry), Small Wonder (Barbara Kingsolver), Schott’s Original Miscellany (Ben Schott), The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch), current issues of Reader’s Digest, Breakfast in Bed (Jesse Ziff Cool)

Before acquiring a nightstand, that lamp resided variously on the floor, an unused stereo subwoofer, and a cheapo plastic set of drawers that now holds some of my crafts in a closet. It is much happier resting atop this admittedly traditional but uber-functional nightstand. When I saw it in the store, I worried that the green wood would be just a shade off and clash with the green walls and accent wall that we already had going on in the room. But at $25, I couldn’t just leave it. And it works brilliantly.

2. Bed frame

Before this bedframe, there was nothing. The boxspring and mattress simply sat on the floor. While that may seem minimalist or bohemian to some, it just looked unkempt and silly to me. We had been putting off acquiring a bed frame for this room in hopes that Alex and I would purchase a new, larger bed, and relinquish our current frame to the guest room. As we have yet to make that purchase, my parents lovingly pawned this frame onto me to help clear out their basement donated to the cause. It’s amazing how much more “finished” the room looks, don’t you think?

3. Accent pillows + pillowcases

Between the green walls and the yellow curtains, I decided the room needed a pop of warm color. I decided to hunt down something suitable as accent pillows to help pull the bed together. I was initially searching Joss&Main, but couldn’t find something within my price range. My next stop was Target.com where I scored these babies (haven’t you heard, ikat is in? or faux ikat for those of us who can’t afford the real thing?). They are just as warm and luscious as I had hoped and even pull in some of the gold accents that appear throughout the room. Byebye, sailor stripe sheets and shams. I opted to cover the two pillows immediately behind the accent pillows in regular pillowcases. Have you ever noticed how much cheaper they are than standard sham covers? And they almost always come in sets of two! Thank you, Bed Bath&Beyond 20% off coupon!

4. A cozy throw

Despite the fun accent pillows, the rest of the white bedspread looked a little too bare. Taking inspiration from the bed&breakfast where I work part-time, and where all of the beds have blankets at their feet, I began the hunt for a mauvey/coral colored throw to drape at the foot of the bed. I knew exactly the color I had in mind. I intended for it to pull out one of the secondary colors in the accent pillow. But do you know how unbelievably hard it is to find that color right now? We are, apparently, very much into jewel tones (but not pink) and natural fabrics with accent color stripes. I searched several places online as well as my trusty TJMaxx to no avail. Finally, Wayfair delivered with a sale on Joss&Main and I found this lovely throw for just under $25. This is a great way to bring color to the bedroom, and I love how cozy it looks. Oh, and beyond just looks, chilly guests can wrap themselves up in this throw for a catnap in the papa-san chair.

5. Colorful drawer pulls

Speaking of color, let’s take a look at the dresser in this room, shall we? This was inherited from Alex’s side of the family where Alex used it growing up. We are grateful to have this piece of furniture in the room, but it is showing some signs of wear and tear. I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say some of the drawers – though still functional – may be on their last legs. This piece is darker than the other furniture in this room, and I always felt it to be a bit too heavy, even against the darker accent wall (click here for a re-cap of the accent wall painting). $22 later, I swapped out all of the wooden drawer pulls for these pink bubbled glass pulls. It was a little more than I was hoping to spend, but considering there are other retailers where just one pull would have cost me the total I paid for 8, I considered it a worthwhile investment. I like the way it both lightens up the dresser and makes it feel like it “belongs” in the room, without being too matchy-matchy.

Why is it that I am more inspired to work on making the guest bedroom feel more welcoming and decorated than our own bedroom? I’m seriously just a couple more projects away from making this room “done” for now. I daresay it may even be the first room in our house to be “finished…” two and a half years after moving in…

Anyway, what’s left? Here are my plans:
– I have two small gallery shelves which I plan to paint white and distress before hanging on the wall to the right of the window. I have begun collecting mini photo frames into which I hope to display old family photos – parents, grandparents, and more from both sides of our families. We don’t really have anywhere else in the house to display such a collection. Plus, it’ll give our guests something interesting to look at while they debate where I got my curly hair from or which side of his family gave Alex the red undertones in his beard.
– Light and table (or bench?) for the right side of the bed to help balance the bed and provide extra lighting for reading from both sides of the bed, as well as a place to put glasses, cell phones, etc.
– Replace or refurbish lamp on left side of bed. The current one feels too heavy to me, and the shade is just a touch too big for the space.
– Acquire a luggage rack for guests to drop their suitcases.
– Hang the gold mirror that is currently leaning against the wall on top of the chest of drawers.

What do you think? Is this starting to look like a lovely guest retreat? What do you think is the most important feature of a welcoming, cozy guest room? Do tell.

How Julia Child Ended Up in My Kitchen

Back when we installed the open shelving in our kitchen, I had an idea to pay tribute to Julia Child by including some artwork, or a photograph, or even a quote by that most beloved, gravelly-voiced American cook. I searched Etsy, allposters.com, and more looking for the perfect piece, but nothing really caught my eye. A shelf re-styling came and went, and still there was no Julia in my kitchen.

Recently, I’ve been working on a little gallery wall of sorts to bring visual interest to the otherwise blank wall above our chest freezer and in between our fridge and china cabinet. It all started when I bought this cow, my first piece of “real” art purchased for this house.

See how happy she looks? That’s because we still haven’t broken the news that she stands guard over our freezer full of…beef…Ironic, I know.

Today, Mrs. Cow is not so lonely, thanks to a bit of crafty ingenuity:

Clockwise from top left: cow painting from Etsy seller RozArt; handpainted frames and antique grater; menu chalkboard; handpainted frame with American Letterpress carrots; new Julia Child art!; handpainted frame with a photo of us eating at our wedding reception; menu from our anniversary dinner at The Catbird Seat

Though that canvas at the bottom right stood empty for a couple weeks, you can now see that I decided to paint a subtle silhouette of Julia Child. Finally, she has found a presence in my kitchen and I feel that my humble tribute has been made. Let me tell you how I, a self-proclaimed not-very-g0od-freehand-artist, made this art.

First, I hopped onto google and found a few “action” images of Madame Child that I liked. I even traced them on plain white paper to see which shape I liked best, since I knew I wouldn’t be relying on Julia’s facial expression in my finished piece.

This one was a bit violent in silhouette form:

This one seemed a bit too tame:

With this one I tried to add in the outline of her contagious smile, but it came out on par with a Halloween mask.

photo credit Paul Child

But this one was juuust right:

This one conveys domesticity and poise but also strength and power. I printed it out as big as I could on my computer paper, cut it out, and traced it onto my canvas.

I wanted to do a two-tone canvas so I also drew a horizon style line to give the image some dimension. Then I painted the background as close as I dared get to my outline with the clumsy foam brush, then switched to a finer paintbrush to cover up my pencil lines and fill in the details. To give more suggestions as to who this actually is, I freehanded her apron, towel, shirt collar and pearls, hairline, earrings, and “L’ecole des 3 gourmandes” button. I left the face blank though, to suggest the ways that Julia’s spirit and attitude towards food may speak to any of us – that anybody could look at the painting and capture that same joie de vivre.

So, here’s the gallery wall in its current state. I’m waiting on a couple more photographs for those top right frames. I might even outline Madame Child in a darker color so it’s a bit more clear from far away who she is. But overall I’m pleased with the way this freezer-to-ceiling display helps to fill an otherwise empty wall and create a more distinct divide – a transition area, shall we say – between the kitchen and the dining room. When you have an open floorplan (and a not huge space to begin with), you’ve gotta take advantage of things like wall space.

What do you think? Have you tried any silhouette art – your kids or pets, perhaps? Do tell.

P.S. Like the hand-painted frames you saw here? I’ll be selling frames like this on my Etsy shop very soon so you can grab some wall swagger for yourself or a friend.

This and That

This:

I’ve been going on an organizing frenzy. Can’t wait to show you some of my projects.

Here’s a quickie that I did this weekend: reorganized the pantry. Again.

Before (about a year and a half ago):

This was before we got Nero. Things had gotten a bit more crowded between storing dog food and Alex’s collection of bottles for his homebrew. Exhibit B:

Alex: Hey babe, what happened to Exhibit B?

me: Exhibit B has been destroyed because it was unanimously voted unsuitable for public pageantry.

Alex: …So, you forgot to take a picture?

Precisely. So just use your imagination to make the “Before photo” included above as disastrous looking as possible.

And now we have Rogue. And it’s not like adding a second dog suddenly created a messier pantry. But.. I have yet to find a better correlation.

After about 30 minutes of work this weekend we now have the after:

It’s no Pottery Barn pantry, but it’s definitely more functional for yours truly. Looking forward to adding some chalkboard paint to label my bulk containers on that bottom shelf!

Yeah! Okay! It looks crowded! I hear ya. Let’s just call it organized chaos, okay? I promise I know where everything is and belongs now.

I’m especially proud of the basket on the top shelf and another one on the bottom shelf. See ’em? The top one contains our re-usable lunch tins to make groggy morning lunch-packing a bit more efficient. The bottom one (look closely – behind the aprons) contains open snacks (currently Alex’s cereal and a bag of sweet potato chips). I’ve never been more happy to score some baskets at TJ Maxx.

Also noteworthy is the fact that I divided the middle shelf in half: the left half contains our personal dry goods (jam, canned veggies, wine, etc.) while the right half contains wares to gift or sell and bulk supplies to make some of my concoctions. Maybe it’s hard to tell from the photo. But trust me. An invisible dividing line is there.

Shall we have a collective sigh of relief in honor of getting organized?

Ahh.

When you live in a smallish house, organization is crucial for maintaining a tidy home, and, you know, keeping your sanity. (This blog that I found thanks to Pinterest this week is going to whip me into shape!) I am hoping to win Alex over to my newly-adopted “efficiency rules!” viewpoint in order that the organizational systems and routines we create give us more time to enjoy each other and the dogs.

That:

In other news, both Alex and I are competing in a CrossFit event this weekend. It’s going to be a great time – partner workouts always are.

Like this

Here’s what’s on our dinner menu this week.

Monday: Shrimp and avocado with sprouts and Jamie Oliver’s “old school Marie Rose sauce”

Tuesday: Chicken and leek stroganoff over rice

Wednesday: Turkey meatloaf and Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Thursday: Turkey meatloaf (leftovers) and Potato-Leek Soup

Friday: Beef and Spinach muffins (which we will continue to munch on throughout the weekend)

Game on? Definitely not totally paleo, but not horrible either. Much better than the takeout that we’ve been resorting to over the past two weeks. Note the lack of desserts. I mean, we have to eat somewhat clean when it’s performance week, right?

How do you keep your pantry tidy? What are you eating this week? Do tell.

In Which I Best the Pelmet Box

Last week I finally managed to make a window treatment for my only kitchen window. I’d been thinking about it for at least 3 months. My mom even came up to help me pick out the fabric. But don’t worry. This is a no-sew dealio. I can’t sew. Well, okay, that’s primarily because I don’t own a sewing machine. But let’s just say I was relieved to be the lone pupil in the Sewing 101 class I recently took at my neighborhood Jo-Ann Fabrics.

I was inspired by this post on Young House Love, which led me to this post at Little Green Notebook which, according to the blogosphere, is the mother of all “cheater” pelmet boxes. I studied the plans over and over, trying to work up the confidence to wrap foam core board in some amount of batting and fabric and, more importantly, affix it to the wall above my window without it looking  too…you know…homemade.

Our window has been a bit underdressed for some time. Like this:

]

Not bad. Especially considering we started out with this:

Yikes! But now, we have this

Voila!

Now look. I’m not going to detail every process of making the curtain. There are plenty other tutorials out there that you might consult. But here’s a snapshot:

I did want to zoom in on one particular feature that the tutorial I was using did not seem to focus on: the hanging. I puzzled over the hanging of my finished piece for about a week. Finally, I located some fitty-eight cent L brackets at Home Depot. They were in the lumber section? Like for decking, maybe?

I measured and carefully screwed the brackets into the wall, such that one side of the bracket was flush with the wall, the other was perpendicular to it, thus providing a surface for the inside edges of the pelmet to connect with. Do you see?

And then I tried nearly every combination under the sun to get the darn thing to stay up.

Initially I was going to try screws, but then I remembered that I had used the fabric to cover every last inch of the foam board, so it probably would prove pretty difficult to connect. Even if I had remembered to leave some foam board exposed, there was still the problem of being able to reach up under the board to screw into the L bracket and still have room in the 2.25″ from the board to the wall to maneuver the screwdriver.

THEN I tried epoxy. Have you ever tried to glue something metal to something fabric using epoxy? I’ll save you the trouble. It doesn’t work too well.

THEN I tried to duct tape the darn thing to the brackets. (Don’t worry, Mom, the duct tape was on the inside). Even with Alex’s impromptu duct tape anchor idea, still no luck.

(By this point I was getting pretty frustrated and cursing the day I ever thought it would be a good idea to make this silly thing).

Finally, I went to sleep, thinking a good idea would come to me by morning. It hadn’t–I must not be getting good enough sleep these days–but Alex came home with a fresh bottle of superglue for me. With renewed effort, I placed a small piece of duct tape on the inside edge of the two outside pieces of the fabric – right in line with where it would be touching the L bracket. I still had duct tape on the brackets themselves from where I had tried idea #3. I held my breath – oh, wait, was it the epoxy that stank? – and put a line of superglue on the duct tape that was on the bracket. Then I pressed the duct tape on the inside of the fabric to the duct tape on the bracket. I even used some simple clamps to hold everything together overnight.

In the morning, I winced as I removed the clamps, but the glue held! Hallelujah!

Maybe some reader out there has a better idea than I, but in case you were wondering how to hang your handmade pelmet box, I hope my strategy gives you some tips. Or some non-tips, too.

I love that the fabric picks up some of the other colors in our kitchen, but without being too overpowering. I know big, bold patterns are pretty in right now, but I didn’t want to weigh down the kitchen any more than necessary. Just wanted my window to wear something simple–an easygoing shrift dress, if you will. Not a hair-teased, off-the-shoulder, oversized sweatshirt with stirrup leggings look, if you know what I mean. (And no, that wasn’t meant to be a jab at the 80s…)

What do you think? Have you ever tried to make a pelmet box? Did I miss an obvious pelmet-hanging trick? Do tell.

Front Door Update

This post requires some audience participation. Let’s practice. Ready?

Repeat after me.

ooOOooh!

aaAAaahh!

Very good. Here we go.

Here’s our old front door.

(ooOOooh!)

Here’s our new front door:

(aaAAaahh!)

And here’s our front door now, looking not so naked:

(ooOOooh! aaAAaahh!)

I’m quite satisfied. FINALLY our front entry looks polished. Homey. Welcoming. Whimsical, with just a touch of crafty. Fun! Like us!

I was pleasantly surprised to pick up that blank grapevine wreath form at Michael’s for $4.99 (I was bracing myself for a bigger price tag and trying to convince myself that I would consider it an investment and reuse it over and over, changing its decor as the seasons passed. Luckily, I need not have worried–looks like it’s only the already-arranged wreaths for which the price is jacked way up). I picked up three of the biggest, most interesting silk flowers I could find (also at Michael’s), trimmed them and just wedged them into the wreath’s branches. I figure I can swap them out to accommodate holidays, new colors, or whenever the mood strikes.

Including the over-the-door wreath hanger, this DIY wreath came in at under $20. Woo! What do you think? What makes you think “ooOOooh/aaAAaahh” or maybe just makes you feel “home” about a front door? Are you a house numbers person? Wreath? Artwork? Monograms? Do tell.

And click back here to read more about painting the front door mint green.

 

 

 

It Started With Yum Dreams Green (Episode 1)

Last weekend, my blog friend and high school classmate, Carrie, of Dream Green DIY, paid me a visit. A few months back, I had proposed a “service exchange.” I needed help stylizing the open shelving in the kitchen, but instead of monetary payment, I offered to teach Carrie something. In this way, each of us could maintain our relatively frugal lifestyles by sharing some expertise, thereby enriching our lives with the knowledge we gained from the other.

Recall that as part of our never-ending kitchen makeover, Alex and I tore down a corner cabinet unit and my handyman husband installed open shelving (read more here).

Uncertain about finding the right balance in open shelving between decoration and utility, for a long time those shelves were decorated like this:

Not altogether unpleasant, but I didn’t feel it reflected “me.” Further, I nearly gave myself a foot cramp every time I stood on my tiptoes to reach a frequently-used cookbook on the top shelf. It felt a little bit random; nothing was intentionally in one place or another.

But after Carrie got her hands on it, I think we’ve got a lot more pizzazz going on:

I especially love how the cookbooks are now divided amongst the shelves (and grouped my similar spine color), which gives the illusion that there are more of them, without looking like a crowded bookshelf. It magically feels more literary–more lived in, don’t you think?

As Carrie moved things around and stood back to assess each new arrangement, she shared with me her shelf-styling strategies and has graciously helped me share them for you here!

– Start with a clean slate. Carrie asked me what I didn’t like about my original arrangement. We talked about pieces that were essential (i.e., those that I used frequently), and which pieces didn’t really need to live on the shelves. We cleared everything off to start fresh and further evaluate what I had, in order to group similar items together and analyze color patterns.

– Move it move it. I watched as Carrie tried out the same pieces in different spots. It may sound obvious, but when you place and item on a shelf, it’s not stuck there permanently. You can move it around until you like how it looks. At one point, in describing what she was doing, Carrie said “I’m just playing around with it until I find something I like.” I liked that idea of incorporating play into something that I had otherwise considered on par with dull still life paintings. Definitely makes things more lively and enjoyable.

– United by color. Carrie says it’s ideal to work within a color scheme, and using similar colored accent pieces help anchor your eyes when viewing the entire “shelfscape.” Here, she’s accomplished that with the bright yellow which encourages us, from left to right, to anchor onto the tea kettle, to the lemons, to the decorative plate, to the pitcher, and down to the little Navajo chicken figurine I picked up on a recent trip to Scottsdale, AZ. (I didn’t notice this until writing the post, but Carrie’s shirt picks up that yellow too! Way to go!)

– Take things to new heights. Carrie recommends avoiding placing too many objects of similar height right next to each other. Mix it up! On a related note, books can be stacked to help display items at different heights.

This new arrangement is both attractive and practical. I feel more peaceful already, every time I walk into the kitchen. Thank you, Carrie, for sharing your design expertise! (Oh, and if you’d like to see how I taught Carrie to “clean green,” check out her rendition of the weekend’s events on her blog here. We even managed to squeeze in a little shopping adventure!)

Here’s the before and after one more time:

I had a blast reconnecting with Carrie and chatting about our hometown, home makeover plans, newlywed life, and the one-of-a-kind things we found at local thrift stores. We’ll be back in the fall with another project!

Do you have additional strategies for styling open shelving? What would you like to display on shelves in your kitchen? Or maybe you’re inspired to re-arrange shelving elsewhere in your home? Have you ever worked with a friend to host a “skill swap?” Do tell. (And remember to hop over to Carrie’s blog for the rest of the scoop!).

I See a Brown Door and I Want It Painted…Mint?

My friend, Carrie, from DreamGreenDIY (I’ve actually known her since high school! not just through blogging) says that mint and coral are so in right now.

I am thankful for her artistic eye (or perhaps also her fashion sense?) because it finally came to me how I could give our front entryway the beginnings of a facelift. I’ve gone and painted the front door green. No-holds-barred mint green.

BEFORE

AFTER

Behold! A brighter, more cheerful entry. Alex and I are still getting used to it. I feel that it now draws attention to the fact that the white storm door doesn’t match the brown gutters and window trim on the rest of the house. Either way, I am eager to hang a branch wreath to keep it from seeming like a naked mint beacon of a door.

I always wanted a red front door. But I had a heck of a time trying to find a red that would match our purplish-brownish house siding. Upon further consideration, I realized that our front entryway is rather dark and closed off. (Okay, I know the azalea bushes could use a trim, but let’s focus on the actual architecture of the house, shall we?) Seeking a way to lighten and brighten, mint became a very appealing option. [Surfer Green in exterior gloss by Benjamin Moore] Sorry, Carrie – Alex may be willing to pull off a salmon/coral colored shirt, but I somehow don’t think that a “pink” front door would be up his alley.

I like that it can be seen as a re-interpretation of the Southern tradition of painting front porch ceilings aqua to keep away evil spirits. Not that the painting was prompted by a sudden influx of evil spirits, but it is nice to make traditions your own.  It’s even nicer to feel that a home is welcoming you cheerfully, rather than…I don’t know, reluctantly?

I’ll keep you posted on the other ways we improve our home’s face. In the meantime, Carrie is visiting me this weekend! We’ve got at least two projects to tackle and we’ll share on both of our blogs next week! I can’t wait. I hope Carrie likes the door.