Art In One Hour

Charged by absolute rocketfuel (I love my coffee press!), I put pen to paper and finally had something to fill the Dollar Store frames I got this month. 

I was inspired by Jonathan Adler's silhouettes of his family, including Liberacce the dog. I traced photos I had in ifoto from my computer screen and added some pizzaz with my beloved Sharpie. 

Here's where these babies live. They're an unexpected point of interest in an otherwise dank and boring hallway.

What the hell is a disco stick?

"Let's have some fun, this beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick"

I'm like a kid on Christmas, I cannot stop thinking about my Halloween costume. Tonight, I begin construction on my "disco stick" (post later). Until then, here are chandeliers that are very Gaga-esque.

Shoal's Fishes Chandelier

Swarovski's Morpheus Chandelier

fuseproject's Nest chandelier

I know a certain someone who is going to DIE when she sees these ;)

Closet Inspiration

I'm still committed to finishing this closet project by Friday, however, my Halloween costume is monopolizing most of my time. 

Yes, friends, I am going as my beloved Lady Gaga. Was there any other choice??

This morning, I wondered what a Lady Gaga Room would look like.

Lady Gaga Inspired by court.chase on Polyvore.com

First Closet Update

Got these gorgeous bins from HomeGoods during my lunch. Each was $12.99 and they come a variety of sizes. I used them to house the random sports stuff we have: soccer cleats (B has 3 pairs), shin guards, socks and tape, as well as my tennis sneaks, spin shoes, and our softball stuff. The neurotic perfectionist in me is disappointed that the bins are not the same height, but I need to get over that. A good, quick fix. 

Now all of that stuff is hidden but easily accessible. Just in case we're called in to sub on a random softball team, we're ready! (PS-B is an RBI machine and I murder teams with my base-stealing ability. Just sayin...)

In the closet.

Carrie Bradshaw's Closet/HBO

I have always wanted a walk in closet and make it a shrine to my clothes. This was impossible during college in Boston and in my subsequent post-college apartments, including one where I was basically sleeping in the living room and relied on IKEA wardrobes to do the job. 

Now, I've revamped my closet in FL more times than Madonna changes her look. I had two IKEA Malm dressers in there that have travelled from one side of the closet to the other and now are gone. I threw them away because I live with a man who had a tshirt collection that could clothe a small village. His t-shirts took up an entire dresser and he only wears whatever was on top of the pile. I opted to display all his Ts in canvas hanging shelves. At least now he can see all of his options before making the decision to put on one of many black t-shirts. 

Not only does this display everything he has to wear, but it also eliminates overstuffing dresser drawers. I had a few shelves open at the bottom where he can put his crumpled up mesh shorts and miscellaneous hats. 

Like I've said earlier, this is the only closet in the house outside of the pantry and the linen closet. It has to do twice the job of most closets. I'm heading out today to IKEA to get the most bang for my buck. 

Here's the to-do list:

1. Fabric bins for the top shelf to hide the sporting goods

2. Shoe racks for both sides

3. Drawers for underwear and socks

4. Jewelry storage

My goal is to put this to bed by the end of the week. Wish me luck. 

Wallpapering the Nook?

First of all, thank you ALL for the comments over the past few days. It's so rewarding and reassuring to know that I'm not blogging to outer space!!! I love your feedback. With that said, I need your opinion.

I am contemplating doing an accent wall (I know, please don't gag) in the little recess under the sofit in my entry/dining nook. My only concern is that it will look imbalanced compared to the adjacent kitchen and make the room look lopsided. Any thoughts? 

I feel the pattern may be too busy or too black (although I don't entirely believe that there is such thing). Perhaps I can go a little more subtle (if that is possible). 

Sherwin-Williams Easy Change Wallpaper

$29.25/per roll

Manufacturer: Brewster Book Name: INK BLACK,WHITE,NEUTRAL EASYCHANGE Pattern Number: SW-82362940 Color: BLACK

Repeat: 5.19" Adhesive: PREPASTED Substrate: NONWOVEN PAPER

Thrifty.

After 2 years of living in Fort Lauderdale, I have finally found a little pocket of the universe where thrifty and stylish furniture exists. I have driven by this store for months and one of my nurses suggested I take a gander. Boy, was I in for a surprise....I think I need to buy a truck!

Oh my god. Yes, please. This was a faux stone coffee table for only $160!!

I think this was about $400 bizzos. The fabric was in GREAT shape. 

The crowning glory was this guy. As you know, I'm trolling for a secretary. This one isn't bad but it's not exactly what I want. I'm due back in this neighborhood in two weeks so I'll post pics of any finds I purchase. 

Worth the Time.

I was filing away important papers in our file cabinet a few months ago when it hit me: "If there is a hurricane/fire/emergency I can't drag this baby down 10 flights of stairs with me." I started thinking of consolidating all of our important info in one place that was easily portable given any natural disaster. The solution? A "Home Bible."

There have been many articles and blog entries on how this is done. Cynthia Kling covered something similar in Domino on running a well-stocked house. Decorno wrote in early 2009

about keeping a "Renovation Binder. " John and Sherry at Young House Love just wrote a post on how they keep their magazine tear-outs in check by creating the "Ultimate Magazine. "

I created a one-stop shop that houses both our vital information in one binder. It covers the gamut of credit card storage and info, medical/dental benefits explanations, extra insurance cards, car title info, and pet medical records. 

I recommend buying a 2-3 inch binder and some divider tabs. Office Depot sells a great 24 tab pack that enabled me to create core categories divided in two for each of us. You'll see in the pic below that my stuff is on the left and the corresponding info in that category for Ben is on the right. 

Here's the breakdown:

-Credit cards: Use business card sleeves to house each card. On the back side, use sticky mailing labels to write the account username and password for online access, any pin numbers (Don't let this binder out of your sight), and customer service numbers. 

- Medical/Dental Insurance: Keep the most basic outlines of your plan benefits as well as any extra prescription info or extra ID cards. 

- Car title and Insurance: Include the title and your most recent insurance payment statement. 

- Business/traveller/shopping rewards cards: Again, use a business card holder to house these in the same fashion as your credit cards. I keep my BJ's/Costco, Borders, PetSmart, etc cards here to de-clutter my wallet. I purchase items here with a plan in mind so they don't need to be handy every day. 

-Pet Records: Remember, given an emergency, your pet will need identification papers and proof of vaccination

-ID: Passports, SSN Cards (These should NOT be in your wallet-why not invite people to steal your identity, have a party!)

A month after I finished, we came home from a late night out. Minutes after we got home (At 2AM, mind you) the fire alarm went off. Someone tampered with the sprinkler system in the garage (I basically live in a dorm for grown men) and the fire trucks were around the corner. B grabbed Higgins and I grabbed the binder. The problem was resolved in minutes and the most important things in my life, living and not, were safe. 

Accent Fabric

You have probably observed that my decor is mainly black and white. It's no accident, it's what I do best. I'm slowly incorporating more of my fav accent color, green, into the mix as you can see from my inspiration and home pics. 

A week ago, I spied a dog bed in a tiled pattern like this below. Being how I am, I guffawed at the 20$ price tag and thought, "I can do this myself at home." Sound familiar? The moroccan tile-ish theme is growing on me. You can see it on my entertainment center doors as well as the same exact pattern on my dining room chairs. This could be the start of a cool theme...maybe use this for an ottoman or accent pillows?

HouseFabric.com Emilio Grasshopper

$14.95/yd

On the fence.

Hello, fellow blogstresses! I need help managing my web-stalking. I'm currently tracking all of you on Bloglovin and while it's got a cute interface, it doesn't update me on comments. I noticed a lot of you are using Feedburner--what are the differences between this and Google Reader? Are they one in the same? 

Let me know what you think and what you use to track and browse. 

Pet chic-How to accommodate your pets

Last month, I decided to get rid of Higgins' crate in the living room. As much as I tried to camouflage it by turning it into a side table, it was still an eyesore (Think cardboard on top with a scrap of fabric as a topper; ghe-tto). He no longer needs to be kept in the crate during the day but still likes to have his own "nest, " so I aimed to re-create something for him that would work for the both of us. With that in mind, I repurposed a cheap IKEA patio table and tweaked a gorgeous Badgley Mischka table cloth ($14.99 at Homegoods). 

The idea here was to rig up the table cloth so he could pass in and out of the space without pulling on the cloth or having to weasel his way under it. I sewed two long, green grosgrain ribbons to the top of table cloth. Then, I made little loops out of black ribbon to attach to various points on the table cloth. 

Finally, The long green ribbons were threaded through the black loops and the table cloth was zhushed up like so. 

Total time and cost: $14.99 (ribbon was left over from another project) and 1 hour. 

I can't wait until my little man gets to see his new house!

More Living Room

apartmenttherapy.com

Does anyone remember Ron Marvin's apartment from Apartment Therapy's "Small Cool" contest a few years back? This is always lingering in the back of my mind and I came across an updated picture of his living room. So simple and elegant. 

decorpad.com

I am REALLY into the updated rug and the greek key pillows. Ron made great, neutral choices in his furniture which gives him the freedom to update his look using accessories. 

Are we sensing a theme in my tastes this week? I have always been adverse to white couches but after the last two days, I think I'm sold. It's so Miami but....when in Rome...

Thoughts? Anyone know where I can get this rug?

Missed the Boat

decorpad.com

I may be the last person on earth to stumble across decorpad.com, but has anyone seen their "Look 4 Less" section? Amazing.

https://www.decorpad.com/look4less.htm?blogEntryId=79

Here comes the sun.

Decorpad.com

The bonus-spending continues. Found this in Michaels yesterday and almost dropped my handbag in shock. You HAVE to check out the xmas aisle in Michaels-there are three sunburst mirrors for under $100 each with corresponding gold and silvery accessories. I'm going back w/ my coupons.

I snagged this mirror. Apologies for the horrible picture but it's 8am, my hair is not brushed, and I do not have enough caffeine in me to artfully portray this beauty in a proper light.

 

I'd LOVE to put this over my bed but it weighs about 5 lbs and I would be horribly sorry if it came crashing down on my face (or worse, my man friend's face) while we slept. Here's what I'm thinking:

Max Azria's Living Room-Harper's Bazaar

Decorpad.com

whoa.

Ummmm yeah. Jenny, you were totally right.

Progress

Went to Pier 1 to get my chairs. It was quite the ordeal getting them into my Dodge Charger. We got them out into the parking lot and were like, "Now what??"

Remember this.

This scene is about to change in a few hours. Going to Pier 1 co claim the chairs I've been eyeing for the past three months. (Hope they're still there!)

OMG I Dunno.

This face pretty much sums up the past two days for me. Over it. 

Spent the past 24 hrs wondering if I still had a job-gotta love surprise layoffs. So far, I am not laid off which is fabulous. I was really NOT wanting to go back to slanging fish sandwiches at the local fisherman's bar. Not the most glamorous part of my adult life that's for sure.

Tomorrow, granted everything goes as planned, I get my bonus and life gets back to normal and I can get back to buying stuff and painting it. Until now, I'm getting a glass of wine!

Out of Chaos...More Chaos.

I was sick from work yesterday. If you know me, a sick day is not a day of rest. Here was my morning to dos:

You can see how far I got. Instead of napping all day and taking care of myself, I demolished my closet. 

Yes, I know, I cheated on my "I'm sticking to the living room projects." I just couldn't help it. Our dresser in the closet was broken from me moving it a million times and since my man friend doesn't like to put things in drawers, I made it easy for him and put all his tees in the hanging shelves. I'm going to get baskets for his mesh shorts (which he LOVES to drape all over the place and can't seem to find them on their shelf), as well as some up top to store my purses and sports equipment. 

Undies, socks, and jewelry do not yet have a home. I think I did more harm than good. Yikes!

Oh, and I also had a little helper.

Please find me.

Thomas O'Brien Hallings Secretary

csnstores.com

THIS is the answer to my office space situation (or lack thereof). It may be cheaper to rent a 2 bedroom than to buy these though! 

Anyone know of something similar and/or cheaper? I'm trolling craigslist today on my sick day.