Re-purposing ceramic planters for serving food. Oh Martha, aren't you clever!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Serenity now
Whenever I'm feeling unsettled by the giant mound of clutter piling up on my desk or the utter disarray of my kitchen drawers, I head over to see Martha. There I can find a calm oasis in a sea of chaos, and after a little while I don't feel so bad. Even though I might not have the willpower to pull off or maintain even a fraction of her inspiring organizational ideas, it soothes me just to know she's out there coming up with them. Look how nice:
Re-purposing ceramic planters for serving food. Oh Martha, aren't you clever!
Re-purposing ceramic planters for serving food. Oh Martha, aren't you clever!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
This is made of awesome
NOTE: This post contains very important information that must be shared immediately.
Just recently I was lamenting about the poor selection of "decorator" spray paint colors available. Krylon has maybe three good ones, Valspar has a few more. But when you're looking for a very specific color (like maybe coral) it's easy to strike out.
Behold! I opened my new issue of House Beautiful and right there on page 38 was my solution: Montana Gold spray paint. It's available in 182 COLORS (yes, really) and according to what I read online, it has "the highest covering capabilities & opacity of any known spray paint. It's also durable, long lasting, weather resistant and suitable for all purposes and surfaces."
Even though I'm a graphic designer and a fine artist I'd never heard of these before. They're available at Dick Blick online for $8.29 a piece! And if you get really serious and decide to spray paint every surface in the house (tempting, actually) there's a swatch book available here for $24.95. I wish I'd known about this stuff earlier in the week before spraying my $20 faux bamboo chandelier from eBay with a can of Valspar Terracotta which I later discovered had a texture to it. Grr. Now I'm thinking I'll sand it down and try again with Montana's Dirty Apricot or maybe Red Orange.
Just recently I was lamenting about the poor selection of "decorator" spray paint colors available. Krylon has maybe three good ones, Valspar has a few more. But when you're looking for a very specific color (like maybe coral) it's easy to strike out.
Behold! I opened my new issue of House Beautiful and right there on page 38 was my solution: Montana Gold spray paint. It's available in 182 COLORS (yes, really) and according to what I read online, it has "the highest covering capabilities & opacity of any known spray paint. It's also durable, long lasting, weather resistant and suitable for all purposes and surfaces."
Even though I'm a graphic designer and a fine artist I'd never heard of these before. They're available at Dick Blick online for $8.29 a piece! And if you get really serious and decide to spray paint every surface in the house (tempting, actually) there's a swatch book available here for $24.95. I wish I'd known about this stuff earlier in the week before spraying my $20 faux bamboo chandelier from eBay with a can of Valspar Terracotta which I later discovered had a texture to it. Grr. Now I'm thinking I'll sand it down and try again with Montana's Dirty Apricot or maybe Red Orange.
Rethinking plates as wall decoration
I give you some examples that prove you don't have to have plastic covered furniture and doilies on everything to have a plate collection. Vintage patterns look fresh when placed against an unexpected backdrop and multiple eras united by a color palette add visual interest. And best of all, plates can be an inexpensive option for tricking out a bare wall. Take a look here:
photo from Domino Magazine
photo from Anthropologie — check out that GORGEOUS wall color too!
And let us not forget this fantastic example from my painted cabinet post.
So how do we get started with our own collection? It's easy, and even better is that it certainly doesn't need to cost a lot! First and foremost, a good thrift store crawl generally produces a lot of hang-worthy specimens. I've also found that places like HomeGoods and/or TJ Maxx can be great resources for unique one-off plate purchases.
If you're the shop at home type, Ebay is your most obvious resource, as my search for "vintage china plate" will attest. And let's not forget Etsy! Personally, I love Trixie Delicious who hails from New Zealand. She sells what she describes as "vandalized art", vintage dinnerware that she hand paints with words — some featuring mature language. Each one is unique. Great stuff. I've been contemplating her Seven Deadly Sins plates for my kitchen for some time now:
photo from Domino Magazine
photo from Anthropologie — check out that GORGEOUS wall color too!And let us not forget this fantastic example from my painted cabinet post.
So how do we get started with our own collection? It's easy, and even better is that it certainly doesn't need to cost a lot! First and foremost, a good thrift store crawl generally produces a lot of hang-worthy specimens. I've also found that places like HomeGoods and/or TJ Maxx can be great resources for unique one-off plate purchases.
If you're the shop at home type, Ebay is your most obvious resource, as my search for "vintage china plate" will attest. And let's not forget Etsy! Personally, I love Trixie Delicious who hails from New Zealand. She sells what she describes as "vandalized art", vintage dinnerware that she hand paints with words — some featuring mature language. Each one is unique. Great stuff. I've been contemplating her Seven Deadly Sins plates for my kitchen for some time now:
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
You go, HGTV!
Although I am somehow paralyzed in front of the screen whenever HGTV is on at my mom's house, I often think that the makeovers on the shows are pretty hit-or-miss. But as I wandered around their website the other day I found this:
I'm really digging the Tiffany blue walls, the black and the shots of color.
Everything about this kitchen is working pretty well for me too.
Well played, HGTV.
I'm really digging the Tiffany blue walls, the black and the shots of color. 
Everything about this kitchen is working pretty well for me too.Well played, HGTV.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Some thoughts on eclectic style
Sometimes it can be difficult to reconcile different tastes when it comes to furnishing and decorating your home. My guess is that most people probably have a slightly eclectic style at the very least. It makes sense considering all the experiences that influence us over our lifetime that certain unrelated things would stick. A few of mine: The pattern of one of my grandmother's dresses, the colorful trinkets in a Chinese restaurant we went to when I was growing up, the Pantone color swatch book, a seashell mirror my mother made in the 70's, antique Audubon prints... You get the idea.
Granted there is probably a certain percentage of the population that truly doesn't care too much about how everything looks together, but I think what prevents the rest of us from letting our eclectic decorating personality shine through is an uncertainty about how to pull it all together. We've all made some missteps over the years attempting to express our personality through our home, but it's time to take charge! This post is dedicated to all the other reluctant eclecticists (I think I made that word up) out there — with the hope that together we can overcome fear and avoid RTG syndrome* at all costs.
*RTG syndrome – noun Pathology.
a common ailment characterized by the matchy-matchy "buy the whole room look" found at Rooms-To-Go.
My apologies for repeating the above photo from a previous post.
Ruthie Sommers' living room from the first issue of Domino still makes my heart sing.
photos from Domino Magazine
Granted there is probably a certain percentage of the population that truly doesn't care too much about how everything looks together, but I think what prevents the rest of us from letting our eclectic decorating personality shine through is an uncertainty about how to pull it all together. We've all made some missteps over the years attempting to express our personality through our home, but it's time to take charge! This post is dedicated to all the other reluctant eclecticists (I think I made that word up) out there — with the hope that together we can overcome fear and avoid RTG syndrome* at all costs.
*RTG syndrome – noun Pathology.
a common ailment characterized by the matchy-matchy "buy the whole room look" found at Rooms-To-Go.
My apologies for repeating the above photo from a previous post.
Ruthie Sommers' living room from the first issue of Domino still makes my heart sing.
photos from Domino MagazineTo borrow a phrase from the Beastie Boys, in my opinion Domino was the most mackinest at illustrating examples of combining different styles, eras, finishes etc. Why, why did it go away, leaving this sad hole in my heart?
My boyfriend has teased me on more than one occasion for the obsessive way I fuss about keeping all my Domino back-issues safe and intact — I have every issue, you see, and the book too. But to me, that publication was an awakening to the idea that it was possible to have a home that's a true expression of self that doesn't look too shiny new or over-decorated, but just right.
I'd like to devote some space in future posts to explore inexpensive ways to achieve an eclectic style. Stay tuned.
My boyfriend has teased me on more than one occasion for the obsessive way I fuss about keeping all my Domino back-issues safe and intact — I have every issue, you see, and the book too. But to me, that publication was an awakening to the idea that it was possible to have a home that's a true expression of self that doesn't look too shiny new or over-decorated, but just right.
I'd like to devote some space in future posts to explore inexpensive ways to achieve an eclectic style. Stay tuned.
Monday, July 6, 2009
I heart free furniture
Those who know me well know that I have several weaknesses. Carrot cake, British comedy, and furniture left at the curb. Well, there are probably a few others too. Best to save those for another day, another post.
But back to the curbside castaways. Over the years I've become somewhat infamous for acquiring all sorts of misfit furniture in varying degrees of salvageable-ness. I've had a few great hauls, and some not so great ones. But the beauty of not having to shell out any money is you're free to experiment freely.
My neighbor from across the street recently moved out of state, leaving a large portion of her household goods to be sold at a garage sale. When it was all said and done, the unsold merchandise was left in the driveway with a sign indicating that everything there was free. So I carted these two items back to my carport, where they're awaiting their makeovers.
Hardware's actually sort of neat. Structurally in good shape but the finish is best described as some sort of badly damaged green tortoiseshell shellac type thing.
These narrow drawers are going to require a some wood filler, a little glue and a lot of love. I've pried most of the chipped loose veneer off the drawer fronts. Am thinking of adhering some decorative paper or something over those spots and painting the rest a fun color. Not sure yet!
But back to the curbside castaways. Over the years I've become somewhat infamous for acquiring all sorts of misfit furniture in varying degrees of salvageable-ness. I've had a few great hauls, and some not so great ones. But the beauty of not having to shell out any money is you're free to experiment freely.
My neighbor from across the street recently moved out of state, leaving a large portion of her household goods to be sold at a garage sale. When it was all said and done, the unsold merchandise was left in the driveway with a sign indicating that everything there was free. So I carted these two items back to my carport, where they're awaiting their makeovers.
Hardware's actually sort of neat. Structurally in good shape but the finish is best described as some sort of badly damaged green tortoiseshell shellac type thing.
These narrow drawers are going to require a some wood filler, a little glue and a lot of love. I've pried most of the chipped loose veneer off the drawer fronts. Am thinking of adhering some decorative paper or something over those spots and painting the rest a fun color. Not sure yet!So, any ideas on how to transform these pieces? I'd love some suggestions!
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