Guess What I'm Doing This Weekend???

Again...

More Adventures in Painting

First of all, yes, this does look like an insane art project...or maybe something done by a 3-year-old when no one was looking. I don't really fall into either category, in my humble opinion.

Anyway, I know this is a horrible picture taken with my cell phone, but don't the blobs on the left look more gray to you? They sure do to me!

(By the way, even after applying some Kilz (I used a little of what I had on hand) to the wall, I can still see some yellow coming through. Granted, I am probably painting too lightly.)

Second, apparently I'm not the only one out there with the "gray paint looks blue" issue. Seriously, if you're interested check here or do a Google search. Apparently this is a common problem. Who knew? In my effort to be all "scientific" about narrowing down my choices and whatnot... I never really thought to Google it BEFORE.

I'm so relieved the paint looks more gray after painting it on the white primer! I think I will live with these new blobs for a couple more days before I officially decide. Besides, I have some time yet... in an upcoming post I'll show you some of the other stuff I need to take care of first!

Paint Update...

Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions about my paint situation! 

Right before I left for work this morning, I snapped a quick picture of a couple of my paint blobs. At least these look a little more grey! These are right near the window and it was bright and sunny this morning, so maybe just having a lot of natural light helped cut the yellow down. I don't know. I also took this picture using the "daylight" setting on my phone, so maybe that helped? This was closest to how it really looked on the wall this morning...

Hmm... this kind of looks like a Mark Rothko, doesn't it? I DO love his stuff, so maybe I should just build a frame around this and leave it there? Ha. :)

I didn't do any priming yet, but I still plan to this weekend. I really want to be sure my bedroom doesn't turn blue/purple in artificial light before I go and paint the whole darn thing. I'll keep you posted.

Happy weekend y'all!

Watching Paint Dry (May Be Hazardous to Your Health)

You know that expression, "It's about as fun as watching paint dry?" Well last night, when I put paint on my bedroom walls, it WAS fun watching it dry!

Let me back up... I ended up taping my paint chips to my bedroom walls the other day, in two different spots to account for lighting differences. I stared at the chips on Sunday and Monday at various points...my life is glamorous, don't be jealous...and narrowed it down to two colors.

French Silver, by far the popular favorite!

And Pebble Grey. In some light Pebble Grey ended up looking lighter than the French Silver, but at other times, a little darker and a little more tan.

Last night after work I got some samples and couldn't wait to get them up on the wall! I decided to paint a "square" (they ended up more like blobs than anything) for each color in three different spots on my wall. And then I watched the paint dry for a bit. I was so excited...

But then...as it dried it looked ... bluish...

I think the craptastic yellow EVERYWHERE is pulling out the blue tones in the paint...or maybe my retinas are burned forever.

I know the paint is grey...look... ah, so loverly...

I know this isn't the best picture (taken with my phone) but ... am I crazy? Don't these look bluish or purple-y? They definitely don't look very grey in person...and I'm a little worried! Granted, I've been mostly looking at these spots on the wall in artificial light, but I'm nervous I'm not going to get a good read on the colors.

(By the way, the edges are "feathered" so you don't have ridges when you paint over...a neat little trick I read about on Young House Love!)

Any thoughts? Should I go over the wall with some white primer and repaint some sample spots? Take the plunge and pick one of the colors, possibly without having a good read on it? Let the sample spots sit there while I prep and begin painting the inside of the closet, the doors, the ceiling, and the trim....to see if cutting down on yellowpalooza helps?

Help!

Oooh Shiny!

{Imagine me saying that like Jack McFarland from Will & Grace. Season 2...Will just had his floors refinished...the outtakes are flippin' hysterical!}

Besides finding awesome lamps over the weekend and picking up paint chips, I did a little thrift store browsing. I haven't been able to do it in a while, so it was fun and relaxing to look around. Although...I will admit, I was actually one of the FIRST 3 people in Goodwill on Saturday. I walked in behind another woman at 8:58...the store doesn't open until 9:00.

Does this mean I have a problem? It was an accident, really, I promise.

Anyway, I ended up finding this cool silver candlestick!!

With the snuffer thing attached! I've never seen one like that, so I thought it was a pretty cool find. I've been on the look-out for some silver candle holders and candlesticks for a while and haven't had much luck before. I'm actually thinking of buying a few mismatched brass ones and spraying them, but we'll see.

At $1.49, I think this baby was a steal!

For now, she'll stay on my favorite windowsill {can you see all the crazy snow out there? Ugh.}. But I am definitely considering putting her in my revamped bedroom!

So, have you scored any amazing thrifty finds lately?

The Bedroom Update

A while back I mentioned my hopes and dreams for overhauling my bedroom so I could have a lovely, airy, light, inviting space...instead of yellowpalooza. I've been slowly gathering the important elements...bedding, a few accessories, paint chips...

I found the bedding at my local TJ Maxx one day for a pretty reasonable price. I'm going to keep you in suspense for now and not share a pic just yet. I'm mean, I know. It's a duvet cover, so I will have to revive my down comforter that I haven't used for a while. (Apparently my mom learned a trick to get them all fluffed and looking like new again, so I'll let you know about that when I actually do it.)

When I was in the Twin Cities last weekend I found a few other things for my "dream bed", like a fun throw, a coverlet, and some fabric to make some pillow covers. No sheets or new bed skirt yet though. Hmm, I need to remember those things!

Today I went to Home Depot for some paint chips to coordinate with my duvet cover. I plan on hanging them up in my bedroom in a couple spots, like the experts recommend (did you know Martha Stewart paint chips actually have adhesive on the back already so you can do that?! That woman thinks of everything!). I managed to rule out a couple colors right away, but these are the ones I'm left with...

French Silver... when I mentioned to a coworker that I was thinking about gray walls she told me it would be too dark and heavy for a bedroom and chastised me for liking "dark, depressing colors". This doesn't seem dark or depressing to me. 

Cathedral Gray... initially I really liked this one and thought it was nice with the duvet, but after looking at it with the others and in the room, it might actually have more of a tan tint to it. I know you can't tell that here, really.

Dark Pewter... ok, now this is a little darker than I would go, but I still really like this color and it's such a nice contrast. Maybe I could go with this and have them lighten it? Or do one wall with this?

Pebble Grey...I know it might seem that this color is the same as one of the above colors, but when you have the cards in hand, they're definitely different. This is probably somewhere between Cathedral Gray and French Silver actually.

Granite Grey...I'd say this one is between Dark Pewter and Cathedral Gray. Pretty, but has a little more brown in it than I was expecting.

What do you think? I think any of them would be just fine and will look nice with my Parchment White trim, etc.

Now, the thing I'm REALLY excited about....lamps! After looking in a few places in the Twin Cities and here I was feeling a little overwhelmed and a tiny bit discouraged because of how stinking expensive lamps are! But when I was walking through Home Depot today I browsed the light section and found ....

two of these beauties!! On sale! For $27 each! Regularly $54! Woot! Seriously, who would've guessed Home Depot would have awesome table lamps? Anyway, the base is glass...ceramic?...and obviously white and glossy. The shade is just slightly off-white, though it looks a little more yellow in this picture (gee, could it be those yellow walls?) The height is good, I love the drum shade, and it takes a 3-way bulb! Now I just need new bedside tables...hmm.

OK, so you know my room will be full of grey/gray and white. Fear not, I do have color. Here's a sneak peek...

I found this little bird bud vase in a fun shop in the Mall of America and loved it right away. Then I realized it coordinated perfectly with my bedding! Seriously, I had been carrying a pillowcase in my purse all weekend, so to be sure, I whipped it out and voila! So there you go! Grey/gray, white, and this turquoise-y/Tiffany blue color will definitely be in my revamped bedroom!


So, what do you think??

Eye Candy

Maybe it's a bit silly or frivolous, but when I saw this lovely book 50% off at a store closing. I vaguely recalled seeing it mentioned on a favorite blog and once I picked it up and flipped through...I just couldn't resist.

It's chock full of glossy, pretty pictures...

 Solutions and ideas to steal...

 

And it's organized by room, so you can jump right into the part of the house you're most interested in!

But it's also got tons of tips you can really use to decorate your home...in your own style. (They even help you define your style.)  I love that there are real examples of how to mix and match things...I think being a little bit eclectic helps a place feel lived in and not too "matchy". Don't you?

One of my favorite parts (besides the eye candy throughout) is at the end...sort of like a dictionary of all things decorating. So if you ever wondered what your options for pelmets were or what the perfect curtain length was or what that particular shape of headboard was called, this section is for you!

This book makes me happy. I love all the pictures and tips. I love seeing something kind of cool and thinking about how I might be able to do something similar in my house. It's fun.

So how about you? Do you have any house-type books lying around that you love? Either for the helpful tips or for the gratuitous eye candy??

The Bed Post

I'm just dying to revamp my bedroom. Remember Funshine Bear from the Care Bears?

Super cute and cuddly. I used to have one when I was young. Love the color on Funshine Bear...not so much regurgitated in my bedroom. My bedroom walls, ceiling, inside of the door, closet doors, baseboard. All Funshine Bear yellow. And the curtains that were left behind have these purple flowers on them. I have mismatched bedding. It's a mess, which is why I'm dying to change it up and create a lovely, comfy, oasis for myself. Something that makes me say, "Ahhhhh." when I walk in.

Obviously, the bed is the most important thing... doesn't this bed make you want to just jump in? It's all fluffy-looking. And layered. And comfortable. 

This bed doesn't look as fluffy, but I do sort of like the purple fabrics, the different textures, and the layers. I'm also considering purple in my room.

Love the light, airy feel to this room. Here again is a bed I would love to just jump into. I'm also diggin' the turquoise.

Hello cloud-like bed!

I love all the lights here...and the layers and textures. I actually would love that wall color in my dining room...

I think the common factors here are layers and textures, fluffiness, and a lived-in comfortable look. I think I also like the combination of solids and patterns.

What else do you think makes the bed (pun intended)?? A headboard? Certain sheets? Do tell... I'd love to hear!

My dream room will also have:

• a place for my books, including some space on or in the bedside tables. I'm constantly stacking books and magazines all over the table and eventually they overflow to the floor. 
• higher bedside tables (my bed is pretty high) and good (and pretty) lamps.
• curtains or shades that block light at night (I love a dark bedroom), but don't make the room feel like a dark cave during the day.

I want the room to feel lighter and brighter than it does now, but I think repainting the ceiling, trim, and doors white will help with that right away. Obviously having some accessories in the room will be good, but that will come in time. Plus, I don't want it to be overdone or cluttered.

The bedding will help me finally, finally pick a wall color. Though I have been wanting to paint my room grey (or is it gray??) for like a year...

So. Any tips? What else makes a bedroom a relaxing oasis?


**Credits: Pottery Barn,  Real Simple, House Beautiful, Pottery Barn, IKEA.

How to Make a Project More Complicated Than It Needs to Be

All right, picking up right where we left off...here it is...my weird, hybrid method for hanging a bunch of stuff by myself. Again, I probably made this a little more complicated and time-consuming than it needed to be, but it worked. For me.

First, I taped the area of my wall I planned to hang the frames. Your eyes are not deceiving you, the tape lines look crooked. It's partly the plaster wall...probably partly my taping.

I measured those tape lines and then...

...taped the area on my kitchen nook floor! Yup. Crazy! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It made perfect sense in my head...

Now, my taped area probably didn't exactly match the area on the wall, but I didn't care, it was close enough and gave me an idea of the space I had to work with.

After the area was taped, I did the whole arrange/rearrange thing...again.

Once I finally decided on an arrangement, I had to attach wall hooks, so I could hang the finished frames whichever way I deemed appropriate.

Then, since my only assistant was someone without opposable thumbs, I needed to use another trick I've learned to hang things. (I really have no idea where I got this from, but I am certain I didn't make it up myself!) Tape the back of the frame, put a hole where your hanger is, then take the tape off and stick it to the wall where you want it. Got it?

No?

Okay...put a piece of tape across the length of the frame, being careful to line it up, and then poke a hole where your hook is or I guess you can make a mark, whatever floats your boat. This works really well for hanging pictures or shelves with two or more hooks/hangers!

Then stick the pieces of tape to the wall where you plan on hanging your frame or whatever. Again, for hanging shelves and frames with more than one hook, using a level at this point is very important! Why bother with this step? Well, it helps you plan the space, keeps you from putting extra holes in your wall, and I think it's easier than measuring, remeasuring, calculating, drawing marks on your wall you can't see anyway, etc.

Using my picture of the chosen frame arrangement as my guide, I stuck a few pieces of tape to the wall, occasionally measuring to be sure I had enough space between frames. I also occasionally checked things with a level, just to be sure I wasn't completely off with everything.

I started with the "most important" frame, the one I consider a focal point or tend to look at first. Since I have plaster walls, I used my smallest drill bit to drill a tiny hole in the wall right where the hole was in my tape (if you don't have plaster walls or crazy paneling, then you can probably skip this). Once the hole was drilled, I hammered in a nail- the nail was slightly larger than the hole I drilled, so it was still nice and snug in there. :) Then, I ripped the tape off and hung the frame.  

Keep going, one by one, and adjust as needed. The nice thing about using tape is that you can move it around as much as you need. I realized I needed "go outside the lines" and ended up putting my topmost frame above my tape line. No biggie. At least I didn't drill a hole in the wall before I realized that!

I actually had fun with this part. It was the initial arranging/rearranging that drove me nuts. Once I was committed to a design, it was smooth sailing, in spite of some improvising.

Having a quiet critic/supervisor is also helpful...

Pulling off all the tape was fun...kind of like an unveiling!

Voila! What do you think?! Worth the suspense?

Note: I was going to put frames on both of those walls, but realized that I didn't have enough frames to divide between two walls without looking weird. I concentrated on this wall...and actually ended up leaving two of my frames out completely...for now. One was an oval and it looked odd being the only round frame among all those lines; the other was a simple rectangle. Maybe I'll add them later. Maybe not. Who knows!

Steals & Deals

Happy New Year! I feel as though my first post of 2010 should be important and profound...but it's not. It's pretty typical. :-)

I hope all of you enjoyed a lovely New Year's Eve, whatever you did. I spent some time with my brother (who was in town for a few days) and friends. Had a few cocktails, ate a lot of food, and laughed a lot. New Year's Day was quiet...I needed to recover from the previous evening!

I'm dreading going back to work tomorrow. My time off has been absolutely lovely and I'm just. not. ready. to go back yet. So yesterday and today are days of cleaning, organizing, and being lazy for one last day. And a little pampering too.

I've been taking down Christmas decor and packing it in my new giant storage box that I got on the cheap from Target. Love those sales. Since I finally have a house to decorate, I've been trying to catch stuff on sale after the holidays for next year. I am not going to bore you with all the stuff I got, but I do want to share a couple things...

Like my new tree topper (for my new tree). I decided I loved it so much, I wasn't going to let it sit in a box all year long.

So I put it up on top of my kitchen cabinets. Now I can enjoy it year round! Yay!

Of course, while out shopping, we checked my favorite thrift shops and I snagged a couple more of these old Ball jars with the zinc tops. For 69 cents each! Some places sell these babies for $4 or more! I have loved these blue glass jars ever since I got one from my Grandpa's house a long time ago. This one won't be staying there for long...I've got a very specific purpose in mind for my growing collection. 

Did you snag any great deals after the holidays?

The 1st Annual Black Friday Craftapalooza

I'm not sure I meant for it to happen, but I think I may have started a new tradition! After seeing so many fun projects on the last couple of DIY Days, I told my mom we should try a few projects. We made a couple of fancy snowflakes and decided to make more later. I had also finally decided that I wanted to take a stab at Lindsay's book wreath- check it out at Living with Lindsay.

Here's my take on it...

I'll be totally honest with you, when I first saw the wreath on Lindsay's blog, I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. Don't judge me! After my initial, huh??? reaction, the wreath kind of grew on me. Apparently it kind of grew on a LOT of bloggers out there too!! (We tried something a bit different though... so read on).

Anywho, I showed my mom and we decided we were going to make one for each of us and then we decided that my younger sister would join in on the fun. Ah, little did she know what we had in store for her. We're not big Black Friday shoppers, but we did go out later in the day for a few things and gathered supplies at the dollar store. My sister just kept saying, "We're making a wreath out of books???"

Since there were not very many paperback books (that were in decent shape) at our dollar store, we went with hardcover books. I chose mine because I really liked the font (which really doesn't matter much later) and my mom grabbed the other books, sort of based on font style, but also because they had plenty of pages. Oddly enough, I realized later that my book was a fictional story about Freud and Jung! How fitting! Amber's book was about criminal investigation and forensics, which was also somewhat fitting. Mom's book didn't fit quite so well, but it did have a Polish character. :-)

I will admit my sister and I were a little discouraged at first, since it seemed like the first few rows/layers weren't adding up fast enough, but after a while, the wreath took shape. I really liked using a hardcover- the pages were wider, which was good, though we did end up adjusting the length of the pages. We just simply tore a little off the bottom. I usually rolled/folded my torn edges in, but on some it really added some texture and fullness. I also really tried to fill mine pretty tightly when going through for the first time, which meant I didn't have to fill in a lot of holes at the end. My sister actually ended up using nearly 2 books for her wreath!!

Here's my finished product! I realized this pic doesn't do it justice...

Ahhh, this is a little better. You can get a better idea of just how big and pouffy these things are! Initially, I thought the wreath forms at the store were smaller than the one Lindsay used... gosh am I GLAD we didn't get a bigger one!

Mom ended up helping the 2 of us make our wreaths, then she decided that she would use her supplies to make my other sister a wreath, since she couldn't be a part of our Craft-a-Thon... check out our handiwork on my sister's blog here . I think they turned out really well (in spite of what my brother and dad think!)!!

What do you think?

I'm linking up with DIY Day!

The Itch

I've been itching to do something crafty/artsy/creative lately (besides cooking)... probably inspired by some fun blogs I've been checking out (www.inthefunlane.com also the blogs that are listed there). I think it would be so fun! And I'm still not feeling very settled in my home, nor do I really feel like it's mine. So maybe a project would help a little.

Yet, I hesitate because: a) the in-progress house projects aren't nearly finished, b) I really need to make sure I'm studying for licensure (which I've resumed full force), c) I need to be very careful about my budget, d) I have no idea where to start... or what to start with!

Any ideas?