Goal Set! - Painting Furniture Silver

I am going to get this chest painted this week.  The goal has been set.  No more walking by the half finished chest.  A couple of the screw heads are stripped in the handles, but I will overcome.  Ok, not that dramatic, but I do want to finish.  So many projects, so little time.  As always, I have my eye looking ahead to more projects.  Finished pics posted soon.  Project on!!

Cinnamon Bread Breakfast Sandwich

I am all about easy when it comes to cooking.  I love doughnuts, but hey not the best choice for breakfast.  When I found this Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Bread I was in heaven.  Nothing special here.  Make your eggs any way you want, I use a microwave egg poacher, microwave pre-cooked bacon, and toatsed bread, with butter.  Then yum.  Now to decorate for Christmas or not to--- that is the question.  Such a hassle, is it worth it?  Hmmmmmm.  Thoughts?

Easy DIY or as I like to say Fake it DIY -- Fake it 'till you make it!

Yes, you can fake a DIY.  You can fake it 'till you make it.  Or just plain fake it.

Here are some great examples.  First the fur chair.  If you check my archives, I made one from simple fabric store fur.  This one I love.  You have 2 choices here, go to your fabric store and get some to just drape or staple, or even safety pin on a chair.  Or, choice 2, the throws, yep, the throws with the furry undersides, they wash great, just throw over, pin or staple.  My Walgreens, and my grocery store both have them at this time of year for super cheap.  Ok, $15.00.

Now to the desk.  Store bought (any big box or home improvement store), get a plank of melamine in the size you want and put on file cabinets, mine in my office are on old shelves from Target, they have 3 shelves, you build them for like $9.99.  Be creative folks.  Craigslist, Target, Big Box, Home Depot, Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.

Seriously, what can I say, but LOVE. No where in my house to do this, but hey, still Love it.   If you are looking for the feel, but can't do the whole effect, (yes, your dogs will chew that pile of shoes).  Then do a clothing rack, I have one from Target (yes, one of my favorite stores), I made it smaller, and it sits in the corner.  BTW, they are  normally on sale for $9.99.  Eat at home and buy your rack.  Feel more open shoes?  Afraid not for me I like to wear my shoes to death and without socks, need I say more?  Get some open shelves, stack, make, be creative, you are going for the feel not the exact look.

Who doesn't love a furry bean bag?  This one I would just use any one you have and cover with a throw, or, the other day at Ross, I saw some microfiber furry sheets in zebra and cheetah, for yes, $9.99, you could get the twin or even a full and throw over the bean bag, and then saftey pin, or sew underneath.  Kind of wrapping it around, even a rubber band to secure on back on bottom. 

Again, these are Fake it DIY ideas, be creative, be original, be having fun, and do it with personality.

Photo 1, Pottery Barn.
Photo 2, Jenna Lyons, J. Crew.
Photo 3, Restoration Hardware.

TV Easel -- Would you?

My TV stand is old and the TV barely fits on it.  I was looking for a credenza, but no luck.  So, I decided to expand my search. 

 

Ohhhhh, TV Easels.  I might have found my new love.  I am in love with the left over paint on it.

 

Cost Plus Market's TV Easel.  Cost Plus World Market.

Overstock.com TV Easel.  Overstock.

Restoration Hardware TV Easel.  Restoration Hardware.

Image below, via Apartment Thearpy.  Apartment Therapy.

Enjoy your weekend.

Cut Spaghetti -- Fast and Easy

I saw a box of Cut Spaghetti Noodles in the store, and thought, wait----I can do that.

 

So, I broke my spaghetti into pieces, and boiled it.  Cooks super fast.  I am sure there is some scientific reason, but I don't know what it is.

 

Here is the super fun part.  I had some leftover cheap spaghetti sauce -- currently loving the Target Market Pantry brand.  Oh, now for the fun part. Remember the canned spaghetti you ate as a child?  The fun is sweetening it up with sugar and some parm in a can.  It will be just like you remember from childhood.

Quick fast and a great side dish.

Seriously, you can add wine, vodka, sugar, etc to a jar of spaghetti sauce and spice/sweeten it up.  When adding wine or vodka, cook for a bit so the alcohol cooks off.  I love a budget sauce.

Bar Cart Extraordinaire

It is time for Million Dollar Decorators Season 2 on Bravo.  Tonight!!

Talk amongst yourselves, if you will or won't watch.

 

Meanwhile, this amazing Bar Cart is in the home of Million Dollar Decorator Mary McDonald.

 

 

Looks like an amazing gathering.

 

 

Recreating Art - No More Fighting Over Family Paintings

Does your family fight over Art?  You know those paintings that have hung in your parent's house that you grew up with?  Funny, but the most fought over are usually ones with only sentimental value.  Inevitably they are the ones you can't find a match for.

 

This is the case with the Hubs.  He is from a big family, 7 kids.  There is this painting that is huge.  Like I think it was painted on 2 doors huge that has been fought over for years.  The artist was a mural artist, and passed away in the sixties, almost none of her work is left, and this particular piece was commissioned for his dad personally.  Over the years the piece was cut in half, got water damage, and is badly faded and damaged. 

 

It was something that hung in the Hubs house, and was a major part of his growing up.  One of his brothers has it hanging in his home, so.....I decided to do like the Museums do, and copy shot it.

 

Now don't scream copyright laws.  I am NOT selling it.  I actually altered it a bit and no, it is no longer as huge.

 

Yesterday was kind of gloomy, so we went over his brother's house with my trusty Fujifilm camera, and took a shot of each panel, each panel is the size of a house door.  I even stood on a overturned bucket for one of them.  The trick is to get a flat light, no reflections, and straight on, thus the bucket for one of them (hung in a stairwell seperated).  If you can put the art on floor and stand over it, that works too, be careful for reflections in glass if it is a glassed piece. 

 

Then, off to the casa and into the computer they went.  They had tears and other stuff, so I corrected them with a program that was in my computer (thanks Lo!  Bang by Lo), and then enhanced the color, and yes, I cropped them too!  The panels were badly damaged on the ends, seriously looked like the wood had been eaten by critters. 

 

Then off to Costco for their 20 x 30 -- $8.99 prints.  Seriously the best deal in town.  Made one of each panel, remember the originals were door size, mine are  20" x 30" each.

 

Then off to Hobby Lobby for some 50% off frames.  Couldn't find the size in the price range etc. so we improvised.  We chose silvery leafy ones, in a 24 x 36, for a steal, and 2 silver mat boards, that we had cut to 24 x 36, we will float the prints on top of the matt board, so the print appears larger than it is, and just runs into the board and becomes one.  I am really glad we went larger, as it will increase the size and make it feel more comparable to the original. 

 

No, you aren't seeing the art.  It has some nudes in it, and I didn't feel it was appropriate.  However, those are the frames, and silver mat board.  It will be 30" wide by 85" tall with frames and spacing.  Seriously can't wait.

Will be floating on top, to increase the size.

They will hang vertically on this wall.  I really need to upgrade/change the TV stand.  Still looking.

 

The above, is a photo we took a year or so ago behind our house, blown up to 20" x 30" at Costco for $8.99.  Love it, was hanging in the wine room, but we decided to move it out into the family room.

So, I guess the moral to this story is.  Don't be afraid to try something different if you aren't the one   that gets the family art.  Be creative.  I took some photos of some of the others that they fight over, and I am going to put them in a digital frame in his office so he can enjoy the rotation of some of them. 

Be Creative!!

Decorating with Leopard

Yes, I am thinking animal print. I am partial to leopard or cheetah, but maybe a bit of zebra might do.  How do you feel about the animal print trend?  Do you feel a bit Peggy Bundy (Married with Children)?  Or do you love the super elegant feel that Aerin Lauder has given it?  I love the elegant feel myself.  But, where to put it?  That is the question.

 

1. Library. Architectural Digest.
2. Aerin Lauder for AD and House Beautiful.  -- Love it.
3. - 5. Tumbler.

Photo Collages

 

I love a good photo collage.  I have loved them since I was a kid.  In fact, I have a folder on my computer called "Photo Collage", where I am collecting photos for just such a purpose.

 

I am thinking of printing mine in multiple sizes, and black and white (a personal pic fav), and putting them on a giant canvas. 

 

I am using the photos below for inspiration.

 

 

 

I am loving all of these images for inspiration.  Who doesn't love pictures stuck inside the sides of a  mirror.  Hmmmmm.  I wonder if that would work on those cheap $9.99 door mirrors.  Would totally jazz them up.

Enjoy your weekend.  I am contemplating projects.

1. Image via Design Sponge. (erich-mcvey).
2. Image via House Beautiful.
3. Image via Apartment Therapy.
4. Source Unknown.
5. Source Unknown