How To: Paint A Lattice Border

One of my favorite DIY elements in my newly decorated guest room is the lattice border I painted around this basic mirror. It was simple to do, but took a bit of time taping and waiting for layers of paint to dry. I was inspired by a feature in Martha Stewart Living that suggested painting this border on a door to spice it up.  I’m embracing the theme (see my new blog logo) and used it for this wall.

First, I prepped the walls by painting them gray. Then, I taped out a border equidistant around the mirror with a strip of painters tape. This tape would become the width of the single rectangle (in white), of 1 inch. Then I took two pieces of tape and placed them on either side of the first to create a stencil. I removed the first piece and had a nice, even line around the mirror. I painted a few coats of white glossy paint and removed the tape while it was still wet. The white is the same paint as the trim in this room (and the rest of the house).

For the second layer I decided that it should be the same width away from the first line, so I just used one strip of tape to be a buffer. I wanted the second layer to be slightly wider than the white part (1.25 inches) so I measured 1.25″ away from my piece of tape to place the second piece of tape. After both of these pieces were in place and lined up, it looked like this:I painted this ‘stencil’ Behr Eucalyptus Leaf turquoise in a glossy finish and removed the tape while the paint was still wet. I got crisp lines both times, for the finished look below!

Alternately, you could switch the colors, or make the solid rectangle be on top of the angled one by switching the order of taping and painting.

This project was not hard, it just required a bit of measuring and basic math.

I think it’s a very classic design done in a simple way. I’ve come to appreciate geometry in home decor, and would like to design a room with only references to geometry at one point, mainly inspired by this painting. I could use the golden rectangle, the Pythagorean theorem, geodesic domes, spheres, tessalations, I could go on. Maybe geometry was my favorite math class…

-Liz

The Big Reveal: Guest Room Before and After

The guest room is finally together. I have a few things left to touch up, but it is finished and awaiting its first new guest! Remember when I started working on the guest room? I cleared everything out and started with a ‘White Box Challenge,’ just like on Design Star! Well, this season of Design Star is now complete (yay Meg!), and it took me a lot longer than an HGTV designer to get this done. I was in no hurry, but I may want to reconsider thinking about going on Design Star, ever. Remember what my guest room looked like before it was cleaned out? It was boring and not cohesive and not welcoming to my guests.

Well, I cleaned it out and took everything out (and gave away that awful, ugly treadmill) so I could start anew. The Guest Bedroom Whitebox Challenge was born! I gave myself a strict $200 budget to make this into a welcoming, warm, colorful space.

White Box Challenge

I managed to stick to the budget by using things that I already had, making things that I needed to add, and using one Crate and Barrel gift certificate to add a few new things.

Things I kept:

• Bed (Ikea)
• Bedspread (Dwell Studio from Target)
• Side Table (Estate sale find)
• Chair (Crate and Barrel, part of my 6 piece dining set)

Things I made:

• Paint chip art
• Pelmet
• Marshmallow bench
• A few pillows
• Mirror border

Things from ‘shopping’ my house:

• Mini desk (Ikea, used to be my sewing table, but I barely used it)
• Artwork (other than paint chip)
• Lamps (Vintage)
• Vase and Billy Button flowers (from the garden)
• Books
• Typewriter
• White bedspread (Vintage, replaced from my bed with a brand new steal of a deal from C&B.)

Totally new things:

• Carafe (Crate and Barrel)
• Mirror (Home Depot)
• Gray paint (Home Depot)

Take a look at the new space.

I love it! But there are still a few things I would change. I like the lattice border around the mirror (see way below), and I think the pictures above the bed are a bit small in scale, so I might paint a border on that wall too, or add some new or different art. I think there needs to be art above the tables on either side of the bed as well. Also, the wall by the floor lamp, below, needs to be filled with something, too.

The bench isn’t quite finished yet. I still have to put the tufted buttons on. There was a delay since I didn’t have any upholstery thread, and my other thread just snapped. That is on the to do list.

I have a white garden stool outside, that might look good in this room, but I’m not sure if it needs it, or where it should go.

Here are a few more detail pictures. Yay!

Doesn't it look comfy and colorful? Just how I like to decorate!

Will you come visit me? You’re welcome to stay in my new guest bedroom!

I hope to share a few of my projects more in depth over the next few weeks, so be on the lookout!

-Liz

Linked to: Flaunt It Friday, Amaze Me Monday, Creative Bloggers Party and Hop, Sunday Showcase Party

I’m Indecisive: Club Chair Fabric Take Two

After I wrote that last post about fabric for this chair, I called up my mom and she convinced me that plain green cotton canvas is not the way to go for an upholstered piece. First, cotton doesn’t wear as well as polyester or a blend, and a chair like this might work better with a fabric with more texture. So I returned the first three samples to Joann, and came back with a bunch more. Clockwise from the top left, these are:

Annie Selke Links in Taupe. It’s 100% cotton.

Waverly Mica in Iguana. Polyester, acrylic and rayon blend.

Robert Allen Home Nouveau Wave in Corn Silk. 100% polyester.

Annie Selke again, Pearls in Citrus. Cotton, polyester blend.

And finally, another Braemore Erin in Green tea. Linen cotton blend.

 

I still can’t decide. My favorite pattern is the Annie Selke Links, which is graphic, playful, fun. But it’s another cotton fabric. I want this to hold up well. I like the Waverly Mica too, but the green is a little muddy, and seems a bit old lady-ish, which may not go well with my modern living room. Then again, a lot of my living room is inspired by the 60′s, which is old lady style anyways. I like the texture of the Robert Allen Home Nouveau Wave, but the pattern is kind of hotel like. It might be too busy too. And the textured Braemore is a linen cotton blend, which I imagine is even more delicate than just cotton.

So what do I do? Keep looking? Pick on of these anyways? Help!

 

Club Chair Fabric

Hi friends! Remember this brown club chair that I found for free in my neighborhood many months ago? Well, I haven’t made much progress on it, but I did find some fabric possibilities. Since this is the first real thing I will attempt to reupholster I didn’t want to have to match patterns or stripes, but I did pick out two fabrics that have more random patterns.

The green fabric on the right is basic Braemore canvas in Apple. It is so simple and I love the color. It’s pretty close to the green in my kitchen which could relate really well into the living room.

The second fabric is a wild Crocosil Home Indoor/Outdoor fabric Chicopee in Citrus. The boldness of this is dramatic and would be a statement in the living room.

The third fabric that you can’t see very well in the picture so references the 60′s and might be a bit polarizing. It’s Robert Allen Home Halmstead in Graphite.  I love the grey and grellow, and the vintage pattern references the vintage chair. Maybe too much.

So which fabric did I pick?

I’m going with the green canvas! It’s basic, and will be the easiest to reupholster with and I realized if I bought a chair in the store, I’d probably pick a solid fabric. So wish me luck! Luckily, my mom is going to spend some time with me to help me do it!

-Liz

 

Cheap Ways to Make Your House a Home

Apartment Therapy, one of my favorite websites as you may be able to tell, has a wonderful post today titled “5 Completely Free Ways to Make Your House a Home“. Click on over to that link to find out AT’s five, and then scroll down to read my five!

My suggestions aren’t all free, but are inexpensive and greatly improve your quality of home life.

1. Make A Drink

I often feel better after a stiff cocktail or a glass of California wine or a Sierra Nevada.  A drink at home is much cheaper than a drink at the bar, and while I love having a bartender mix a classic cocktail in front of me, there is nothing like kicking back with your partner or friend on your own sofa with a drink in hand. My favorite right now? A gin and tonic. While you’re at it, set up a nice bar so you can mix drinks whenever you want!

2. De-clutter

I know. Not everyone likes to clean. I certainly don’t. But a clean home is a happy home and it feels good to purge (as long as you aren’t a hoarder!). Get those dishes out of the sink, fold your laundry, or take everything off of the coffee table except for three carefully curated items. You’ll feel way better if you spend 5 or 15 minutes. (Then see number 1 above!)

3. Share It with A Furry Friend

A friendly, furry face greeting you as you come home from a long day at work does wonders on your mood and the atmosphere in your home. If you can make the commitment, it’s wonderful to share your home with a dog or cat that needs a someone to love. My life got way better after I met Daphne. How could you resist a face like this?

4. Add A Plant

If you can’t make the time and emotional commitment necessary to have a pet in your home, and even if you can, a plant adds life to your space. Plants come in so many shapes and sizes too, so you can pick one that fits your personality and the design of your space. Are you quirky and forgetful? An epiphyte would be great! Meticulous and girly? An orchid! Practical and like to cook? Herbs! My favorite plant in my home is this palm-like little tree that is spiky and effortless.

5. Fill It with Color!

Paint the walls, find textiles you love, and enlist the help of friends and significant others so you can have your home visually reflect the exuberance for life you have outside your home. Bring back souvenirs from trips and mementos from special occasions and family heirlooms. Don’t be afraid to have your home reflect YOU, even though you don’t find it in a design blog or magazine. I love my green kitchen walls and grandfather’s art and chandelier from my wedding and mid century table! This room is me

 Anything else you would add to make your house a home?

-Liz

Korin’s Updated Living Room: Before and After

Remember when I helped out Korin come up with a scheme for her living room? Well, she invited me over to her condo the other day to update me on the changes she made. Her changes varied a little from the geometric scheme I suggested, and it turned out quite nice!

Here is a picture to jog your memory on what Korin’s living room looked like before:

Between May and September, Korin accomplished:

• Painted the walls a light gray
• Added a few new lamps (isn’t the yellow Crate and Barrel lamp fabulous?)
• Found a new rug with green organic shapes (barely pictured)
• Installed a deconstructed poster gallery wall.

Here it her living room now:

The art on the wall above her couch is made up of an Andy Warhol print of the Brooklyn Bridge, cut up into 9 pieces and installed in vintage frames. Korin came up with this original concept by herself, and I think it adds a very homey, eclectic feel to a room that needs a little touch of something DIY.

I think it’s quite amazing how different, and more cozy, her room looks with just a few changes. She didn’t add any new furniture or really any huge or expensive new elements, but with a bit of color on the walls and a fun lamp, the whole space is tied together.

I still love those West Elm side tables the best though!

There still are a few other changes that need to be made, like installing some floor to ceiling drapes on the windows to give the room even more warmth, and Korin would like to replace her coffee table with something that fits in better.

Here is another view with the kitchen and a new funky bookshelf.

What’s your favorite piece?

-Liz

 

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Michelle McCormick's home from Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces

“A room is never filled. If you feel it’s becoming cluttered, that’s your head and not the room.”

-Yoko Ono

(Her twitter account, @yokoono, is fabulous!)

Zinc Succulent Planters

It was my birthday last week and Brentan knew just what to get me. I woke up to these gorgeous zinc planters (from Crate and Barrel- who should sponsor the blog since I write about them so much!) in our living room, and I knew just what to do with them!

I went out to the garden center, the fabulous Reagan Nursery, and bought some succulents.
I was all set to make some cool graphics with the types of succulents labeled on the pictures, but unfortunately, Brentan threw out the plant labels. And my memory is not good enough to remember what everything is called!!

I had thought about what to put in front of the door to the house for such a long time, I’m so happy that it turned out well, and pretty much exactly as I had hoped.

These are definitely inspired by Sunset magazine. And the larger succulent culture of California, which has transferred by osmosis into my brain.

Do you know what these succulents are?

-Liz

Linked to:

Laundry lines

laundry is something that we all do. Most people look at doing laundry as a chore that can’t be avoided. I enjoy laundry. I like the  fresh smell of clean clothes. I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment of having stacks of folded shirts and underwear. I get a certain thrill when I have removed an especially difficult stain. Call me weird. Go ahead, it wouldn’t be the first time…

I have posted about my laundry room in the past. Check out the  floor cloth I painted here.  There is more to my laundry room than just a pretty floor.   This may look like an ordinary cabinet.  You may think that I keep cleaning supplies in there. You may be right but there is also a secret behind those doors.

Check this out! I can hang and dry a full load of laundry on my retractable clothesline. I can also hide the line to tidy up before company comes over.  I rarely use my dryer anymore.  I feel good that I am being a good citizen by saving energy.  When I hang clothes in the winter, I appreciate the added humidity from the drying clothes.  During good weather, I open that window and enjoy a fresh breeze to help dry the load. I have tried using a collapsible wooden clothes rack but it takes up so much floor space and doesn’t really hold a full load of clothes. This works much much better. Here is the clothesline that I use but there are others out there that would work too. I replaced the plastic piece that pulls the lines out from the wall. I made a wooden one that is sturdier and can hold the weight of wet clothes. Make sure that you anchor both ends of the clothesline into studs in the wall. A load of wet clothes is heavy. I hope I have inspired some of you to put up an indoor retractable clothesline. It’s a good thing.

As an aside, I found these clothespins at an estate sale. I imagine that a very kind man painted these for his young wife.  She thought of him every time she  washed his overalls or her children’s dungarees. Her laundry line was between his vegetable garden and her flower garden, near the barn. He was the kind of husband who helped his wife with household chores. He washed windows. They probably held hands on walks together.  He brought coffee to her each morning  in her garden. He was a sweet, sentimental man. They both died within 2 weeks of each other,  happy and content after 60 years of marriage.  It is my honor to take care of these clothespins.   Happy laundry!  -Peg

Guest Bedroom Pinterest Challenge!

I’m about a month late to the Pinterest Challenge, but I thought I’d join in anyway, since I finally was inspired to do something.

What’s the Pinterest Challenge you ask? Oh it’s just the most exciting of exciting things to hit the blogosphere since the Pioneer Woman.  First, you pick a theme of something inspiring on Pinterest and then you get so inspired that you make your own thing.

So I love Pinterest, and I decided that my inspiration was paint chip decor. There is a blog post on the Blue Velvet Chair devoted to paint chip stuff, and 2301 Pinterest boards devoted to it (when I searched!), and now I have my very own piece of unique paint chip art that is hanging in my in-progress guest room. It matches the theme (which I can’t tell you about yet), and it matches the color scheme, so it is perfect. I was especially inspired by these images which kept the paint chips mostly intact:

Paint Chip Tags from Real Simple

Paint Chip Coasters from The Crafty CPA

Paint Chip Art from Young House Love

I like that in those images that you can identify that the crafter is still using paint chips, but renewing their use!

Creating the art was really easy. I sat down to catch up on some HGTV, cut the chips into rectangles, arranged the chips on a piece of cardstock until I loved the design, glued them down with a glue stick, stuck the posterboard into a frame I already had, and finally hung it on the wall with a nail. Easy!

If you haven’t, make sure you check out some of the other Pinterest Challenge projects on the Young House Love blog: http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/08/320-pins/

And, if you are not on Pinterest and need an invite, let me know! I have plenty to share.

What’s inspiring you?

-Liz

 

Also linked to Remodelaholic’s Pinhead link-up!