My Windows Are Now Fully Dressed And Ready For Their Close Up

After three failed attempts with my normal standby, Overstock.com, I finally found the natural style roman shades I wanted online at Home Depot.

I climbed up on my step stool, drilled the holes for the screws (after much measuring, of course) and hung the shade on the first window.  I stepped back to admire my handiwork and pull the shades up to the desired length and ....nothing.  They just hung there all limp and pathetic.  I pulled the shade away from the window to see if the cord had gotten messed up and found the problem:

Every last one of these plastic rings was broken...ARRRGGGGGGG.  It was apparently broken before it was even shipped because there wasn't a single spec of plastic on the floor or in the box to indicate they broke post shipping. Anyway, after the agony I went through getting the darn thing up, I was in no mood to unscrew the screws and take it down, package it up and, AGAIN, have to send it back. 

I decided it would be far easier to find a replacement for the broken rings.  My handy Home Depot guy at the local store was on duty and advised me to go to Michael's, troll down the jewelry making aisle and find small metal rings that I could fit over the plastic.  One quick trip to Michael's later I found what he had described:

I had the new metal rings attached to the plastic ones in a few minutes and it works like a dream :-),

Sigh....so happy.

 Now, if I could just get those curtains properly arranged and fluffed.  One crisis at a time...

Polishing Off The Dining Room

Ever since I gave my dining room a makeover earlier this year, the round mirror on the north wall has looked...well, it just looks lonely.  It needs sconces or something with candlelight to flank it. I finally found what I was looking for.

I had purchased two black lanterns at Home Goods a few weeks ago for about $12 each and plunked them on the mantle while I tried to figure out what I want to do with the mantle and what I want to do with the lanterns. 

 

The gold star burst mirror hanging above the mantle and the new thrift store ivory urns don't really jive with the black lanterns so I didn't want them to stay there - they were just resting there waiting for my moment of brilliance to arrive. Sometimes I just like to place accessories somewhere and ponder them for a bit.  Specifically, I put them in the living room as that's where I watch TV at night or read or listen to music, chat on the phone, etc.  When you're forced to confront something often enough, you'll eventually have a moment of brilliance about what to do with it (or you'll just take it back to the store for a refund :-).

Anyhoo, my idea was to hang the lanterns on either side of the round black mirror in the dining room.  So, I went to Lowe's and purchased two of these black iron plant hangers for a little less than $2 each:

Next I traced the lanterns to make paper templates.  I always do this to minimize screw ups whenever I have to hang something.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails miserably.

Then the lanterns were ready to dangle from their new hooks.  Ideally, I would have preferred narrower lanterns, but these are fine.  As the Nester says, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I'm expecting these matchstick shades from Home Depot to arrive any day now.  I'm hoping they'll still allow some light in while obscuring the view of the side of my neighbor's house.  It's a lovely house, I just don't necessarily want to look at from my dining room.

Next on the agenda is figuring out a new look for the living room mantle.  The mirror must stay, but everything else is subject to change.  Stay tuned.

Buffing the Living Room

I have been knee deep in paint for a few nights now as the living room undergoes its new wall color.

When I asked for two gallons of satin Sherwin Williams Buff (I highly recommend Duration - it really covers well), the very nice girl helping me said, "You mean Believable Buff?"  "No", I assured her confidently, "Just Buff".  Hmmm.  She had to go look up the number which had me suddenly questioning my decision.  After all,  Believable Buff is one of their best sellers and Buff doesn't even make their top 25 list.

Happily I stuck to my decision and am loving the color more each day.  I was afraid it would wash the room out given my upholstered furniture is in the off white, beige family.  But, it's actually a beautiful, soft, warm ivory.

Here is a corner where you can see the difference between the old (yellow) and new colors.  I had started by painting a huge patch on one wall that gets direct sunlight and it looked so....well, white.  But I reasoned, lets try it in a corner that gets almost no direct light (yes, I have these conversations with myself all the time - usually in my head, though not always).

So I painted this corner and then rehung the artwork to live with it again and just...you know...make sure.

Here's the arch going into the dining room that is fully painted with the new color.  And yes, I even moved that ginormous armoire out of the way, squeezed behind it and painted and moved it back when I was done.  It could go back a skosh more, but I will have to enlist man muscles to finish the job as mine have had quite enough of the whole experience.

I hope to get the living room done today and if I'm feeling really energetic, the walls going upstairs and the upstairs hallway (probably won't happen today though).

Painting my walls is a somewhat painful experience.  The walls are rather elder (70 years) and plaster (read: very uneven) so you can't just sweep over them with a roller and git er done.  No, I have to go over the area in question with a brush first, then later with the roller or sometimes no roller at all ... just two layers with the brush.  Needless to say, it is a labor intensive process and often takes a bit longer than I'd like.

Wish me luck and have a beautiful DIY weekend :-)

Dreaming of a Better Guest Room

Now that I've more or less got the dining room and living room where I want them, I have my eye (well, technically both of my eyes) on my very boring guest room.  It's not horrible or anything, just sort of drab.  The bedding was custom made, but that was in 2001. 

I do know that the bed is extremely comfortable because every single person who has ever slept in that room tells me how comfortable it was and how well they slept.  I bought a very high quality mattress and added one of those toppers that's supposed to gauge your body temperature and adjust accordingly.  Not sure of the science, but it seems to work.  I also have several sets of high quality (always purchased on the cheap at TJ Maxx, Marshall's or Home Goods) super soft sheets for the guest room too.

Here it is in all it's hum drumness...

The furniture was actually purchased for my master bedroom in my second apartment.  My first apartment in Pittsburgh was so small there was only room for a daybed.  Eventually I moved on to higher quality furniture for my master bedroom and put the old stuff to use in the guest room.

That clutter under the little desk (that also serves as a bedside table) is a box of tissues and stacks of magazines for guests to read while waiting to drift off.  I try to put everything in the room that I want when I stay in someone's guest room.

And yes, that mirror is hung way too high.  I have never gotten around to repositioning it after deciding against some decorative items under it that would have made it a little less out of whack.

In addition to a matching bell jar lamp, the other bedside table has a water carafe, and two small candles.

The wicker basket next to the dresser is for a guests dirty clothes.  Yes, I am willing to do a load of laundry or two - just enough to make them want to come back, but not enough for them to overstay.

The photos at either end are of my two nieces and my niece and nephew because family stays in the room more than anyone so it makes them and me happy.

Here are some guest rooms that have been inspiring me lately...

This one from Apartment Therapy is so striking.  I can't think of any other word for it; I can't stop looking at it and keep discovering yet another thing I love in the room.

Even though this sunny yellow guest room from Better Homes and Gardens has coordinated bedding (something I'd like to get away from), I love the individual furniture pieces...the headboard...the chair...the desk.

This soothing blue-green guest room with black and white is so crisp and cool.  And best of all, guests have their own bathroom.  This is not a luxury my guests have - they have to share with me, but I always allow them to have the bathroom first.

I don't know the source of the guest room below, but love it.  I love the painted white floors, the uncovered window, the crisp white linens. 

And I've saved the best for last.  Below is the guest room in designer Joni Webb's beautiful home.  How does she get guests to leave?  I mean, you would have to pack my bags for me and pull me kicking and screaming out the door cause I would not leave this room of my own accord.

So I continue to gather ideas, but it will probably be a while before I decide on a look or pull together a budget to get my guest room where I want it to be.

One More DIY For My Dining Room

After pulling together my new dining room, I left one wall sadly blank while I pondered what to adorn it with.  Here is the lonely wall (below).  You can see why it needs somthing right?

None of the art work I already owned really did the trick, so I decided on another mirror.

After a brief search at Home Goods (of course), I found what I was looking for in the form of this mirror (love the arch):

 

It was priced at $29.99, but the wood frame was badly scratched and even gouged in spots, so some haggling later, I got a $5 discount.  Not what I was hoping for, but I really liked the mirror and knew the size was perfect for the wall in question.  

BTW, objects in mirror are not nearly as fat as they appear - that was a bulky sweater - it's very cold in Cleveland right now.  Just wanted to make that clear.

A major dose of sanding and three coats of the same glossy black paint I used on my other dining room mirror and the tray table and my new mirror was ready for its close up.

Here it is occupying the formerly lonely wall.  My original plan was just to stain the mirror a dark brown as I feared it would look to "matchy" if I used the same glossy black paint on the tray and the mirror, but I do like the overall effect.  

The one big disappointment was that after I cleaned up the mirror, I realized it was covered with fine scratches (visible in the photo below) that were not noticeable when I bought it because of the tape marks, dust and paw prints on it.  Anyone know how to get rid of those scratches?  

Still, in spite of its imperfections I'm quite pleased with my new mirror and at a recent get together with the girls (before I purchased and hung the mirror), I turned the tray table into a drinks station and it worked really well and kept the main table free for the food. 

That's my DIY for the week - unless I get another burst of energy.    
Wealth Consists Not of Having Great Possessions but Few Wants. Epicurus We Americans are drowning in stuff we don’t need.   Buying things you don’t need takes up a lot of life energy that could be used to buy your freedom from debt, among other things.   Next time you go shopping, ask yourself if what you are purchasing is a want or a need.  If it’s a want, think twice about what it’s actually costing you. 

From TUESDAY TIPS - WISDOM FOR EVERY DAY LIFE

My Dining Room Makeover Revealed

I am finally able to reveal my dining room makeover!!

Before I show you my pictures, I know that I should have taken the time to set the table, light candles, buy flowers and put them in a lovely vase and all that good stuff.  But, the guys from Arslanian Brothers just left after picking up the old rug to be cleaned and helping me lay out the new seagrass rug and I was just so excited to show you (all 6 of you...hi mom) my new dining room that I couldn't wait.

First, take a moment to review the BEFORE in this post for a proper perspective and then check out my fresh off the memory card reveal below...

 

This is the view from the living room.  I would have liked to get new shades for the chandelier (these are a pale gold silk), but it seemed an unnecessary expense given these ones from Ballard Designs are only about a year old and aren't really way out of place.  If I find 5 matching shades at a great price in one of my bargain hunts, I may pick them up, but these are fine for now.

I do love my fresh new Ballard Designs slipcovers with initial though.  They were a great buy on sale and I love anything washable. I don't want people stressing about spills when they eat.

I decided to rework the shelves in the built in by removing all but a few books and placing some cream colored pieces from my existing stash on display.

Did you happen to notice that I've entered the 21st century by having a programmable thermostat installed to replace the big ole honkin thing left over from 1940?  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it :).

 

  

  

  

I'm just thrilled with my new room and the toned down pallet is so soothing - exactly what I need right now.  It's hard to gain perspective from pictures, but the room looks sooo much bigger now too.  

Thanks so much for checking out my makeover.

My Mirror Makeover

A couple weeks ago I showed you the mirror I scored at Tuesday Morning for $25 for my dining room makeover.  Three coats of glossy black paint later it's hanging on my newly striped dining room wall and I LOVE IT.

I will show you the completed Dining Room as soon as I get the seagrass rug down (it arrived today -  but I need to buy a rug pad for it first) and then things will be complete. In the meantime, here is the mirror's before and after makeover.

The BEFORE...

 

And the AFTER...

Soooo happy with my mirror.  Now go find yourself a bargain and feel the love :)

I'm Showing My Stripes

As promised, here is a mini unveiling of my newly striped dining room.

As you can see, I haven't even put the switch plates back on the wall yet.  Still, I wanted to show off my stripes and I'm loving them more every day that I live with them.

The room is so much brighter and more open than the previous look I had going here.  I did love that too, but this is exactly what I need right now.

The new (super inexpensive) off white cotton duck slipcovers from Ballard Designs look great.  Not sure the initial was a good idea, but I've never had anything with an initial so I thought it would be a fun change.

The white silk panels (amazing deal on Overstock.com) on the windows are extremely thick and weighty and I'm still playing around with what I want to do.  Should I leave them as they are or split each panel in two and create decorative panels like I had before?

I bought these curtain hold backs years ago, at a store called Bombay Company that I don't think exists anymore, and put one each on the two windows in the dining room when I first moved into the house.  I had purchased two green velvet panels from Pottery Barn and used these hold backs for those.

Eventually I had custom decorative panels made.  If you can't afford enough of a favorite high end fabric to do two standard width panels per window, decorative panels are a great option.  If privacy is an issue, just insert some kind of sheer or blind between the panels.

Tonight I'll hang some of my artwork, put the switch plates on and maybe stop at the hardware store for some privacy film for the lower half of the windows.

I'm still searching for the mirror of my dreams or as close as I can get on my budget.

The Dining Room Makeover is Underway

Well, I hope I made the right decision because the paint wasn't cheap.  I went ahead and bought a gallon of the best Sherwin Williams paint they had in Buff. 

My intention was to just do what I typically do and buy a quart and try a large patch on the wall, view it at different hours of the day over a week or so to be sure I liked it and then plunge or retreat.

But I bought the whole gallon and decided to paint a patch on Saturday.  But, the patch kept expanding because I just couldn't get a feel for it.  The dramatic difference between the brick color I have now versus this new creamy shade made it too difficult to tell what it would look like across all four walls. 

So the patch quickly expanded.  Last night after returning from a fun Sunday afternoon with a big group of girls (15 I think?) drinking mimosas, eating extremely fattening breakfast foods, crafting, chatting, watching Jane Austin and celebrating my friend Lora's birthday, I painted a second coat over the first patch. 

Here's a shot of the state of disrepair my dining room is currently in.  Try to ignore the linen sheers.  They are just there to maintain privacy while I paint.  My brain has already moved onto window treatments, what type of mirror for the wall you're looking at, my beautiful rug will no longer work in this room.  What have I done??????

Now that I've created this monster, I've got to at least get the base down quickly because I can't stand to have the lower level of my house looking like this if someone stops over.

Wish me luck.

Another peek...

I mentioned the other day that although I do have a vanity in my bedroom, it's not really where I keep all my "stuff".  My bedside table is pretty large so I keep a collection of my favorite accessories and assorted girl stuff close by so that I can enjoy it daily.

Okay, you know by now that I always give you the breakdown on the goods so here goes...The mirror is from Home Goods and I know it was way less than $100.  The fancy silver wood box in the center is also from Home Goods and was purchased on clearance for $5.  The two frames are also from Home Goods but I don't remember what I paid for them.

If you live somewhere that doesn't have a Home Goods, my heart goes out to you.  Truly, it is the most fabulous place ever.  You should email or call the company and harass them until they build one near you.  It will save you massive amounts of money on the most awesome stuff.

Back to the details....this poor guy (also from Home Goods clearance - he was damaged when part of their ceiling caved in and he was caught in the waterfall) has been horribly abused between having to wear my fishing hats and various necklaces.

That picture frame still has the picture that came in it.  That's embarrassing to admit, but honestly I keep forgetting to take pictures of my nieces and nephew that will fit into a vertical frame (no, I can't use it horizontally as it gets lost behind all the stuff here).

The silver Paul Revere bowl was a bridesmaid gift from my girlfriend Karen's wedding, the little silver tea light holder is from the local American Cancer Society Discovery Shop and I think I paid $1 for it.  The china sugar bowl...long story...not worth the time to tell.  That long gold thing with the pretty flower on the end is a bookmark.  Unfortunately, it's completely impractical since it weighs too much and always falls out of the book, so I just leave it here.

 

On the other side are some perfumes and a picture of my gorgeous niece, Olivia Rose (I just took it a week ago and finally remembered to do a vertical shot).  Is she not perfection itself?  I truly have the most beautiful, intelligent and accomplished nieces and nephew ever. 

That tea cup and saucer you can just see part of is from my tour of Buckingham Palace.  On one of my trips to England, they had just opened it to the public for the first time ever to pay for repairs done when the royal family's country house was damaged by a fire.  I bought that and a pretty little box that's on my vanity.  The friend with me on the tour made fun of me for "buying into the tourist traps" but I still love both pieces and I'm happy I bought them (so there Janice!).

 

I truly believe that clutter causes people stress and I avoid it as much as possible (that's actually critical in a small house like mine where it can quickly overwhelm you) but, to me, this is pretty clutter that brightens up my day.

That's all for today.  I am hosting family for the holiday so not sure if I'll post tomorrow, so just in case let me wish you a very Happy New Year.  I hope every single dream you have comes true in 2010.

xoxo,

Christine

A Peek Into My Vanity

I finally retrieved my camera from Mom and Dad's house and took a few snaps of my own vanity.  It is an antique piece my Gram and Gramps bought for me when I was a teenager. 

Apologies for the crappy photography.  Also, please note the spots and lines on the mirror are due to the advanced years (sounds so much better than really old huh?) of this piece and not due to my lack of housekeeping (which does occasionally happen).

The lamps I bought in an outlet years ago...can't remember the name and not even sure if they are still in business.  The crystal is part of my small Waterford collection (fairly certain that's a requirement of every girl of Irish decent).  The photo on the right is of my Dad when he made his first communion...so cute in his short white pants and knee socks :).   The other photo is my Gram with her parents, twin sister and other siblings at the lake when she was a kid.

Truthfully, this piece is just for show.  While I always do a front and rear check (Mom always warned me to NEVER leave the house without doing a rear view check) in the full length mirror of my vanity, I do my makeup in the bathroom and put my jewelry on at my bedside table that is closer to a functioning vanity right now.  I'll show you that next...

From GreenHouse to Small House...Dining Room

Yesterday I showed you the cheerful little dining room in the CharityWorks GreenHouse, so today I thought I would show you my own cheery little dining space.

It's a small intimate space at just 10'8" by 11'.2", but it's plenty big enough for me and when I have a gathering, it forces everyone to chat to everyone else (no room to be a wallflower here).

 

This is the view into the dining room from my living room...

 

And the view from my kitchen.

I recently gave the dining room a makeover to give it a more casual look.  The feel before was way too formal for the way I live.  I had very formal green damask slipcovers from Ballard Designs on the parsons chairs that I replaced with these cotton twill ones (color is called butter), also from Ballard.  That table is from Ballard Designs too.

I took down the sconces on the wall and put the plates up and switched out the other artwork with some pieces I had purchased on vacations and at local art shows over the past few years.

 

 

The only piece I didn't change was this sweet portrait of a woman I bought years ago in an antique store (pretty sure it's just vintage, not antique) that has since closed.  I'm a terrible photographer and the light is shining on it, but it's actually beautiful in person.

Here is something else I didn't change...the rug.  It's a Karastan (called Kirman I think) and I love the millions of colors converging in this design.  I fell in love with this rug when I was still living in an apartment and was determined to buy it and put it in my dining room once I owned a home.  It was one of my first purchases and I still love it.

I'm still not happy with the bookshelves, but storing books here is a necessity.  In a small house, rooms often have to serve more than one purpose.  Having all this storage for my books is something I love and have always taken advantage of.  I used to store my decorating books here so that I could access them quickly when I was sitting in the living room watching TV (cause God forbid I actually focus on doing just one thing at a time).  But the decorating book collection eventually became too large and had to be moved to the home office.

So how do you like that 1940s temp control on the wall?  He..he...it's bad, I know.  I'll update it one of these days.

 

I store my cloth napkins, napkin rings and wine ID rings in the cabinet below the built in bookcase.

 

No idea what the point of this little built in cubby is, but there you have it.  Someone told me once they used to put these in homes as a spot to hold the telephone (phones in 1940 were quite a bit larger), but I'm not buying it for this space.  I mean why would they put it in the dining room?  That's usually the one time when no one is willing to answer the phone right?  While dining?  If you have a clue, let me in on the secret.