Knobs

Oh knobs.  What a difference a few knobs can make.  A few weeks ago, I refinished this console dresser.  My mother had given it to me a couple of years ago.  It was actually from Anthropologie, but after some time I no longer liked the dark, papered finish.  I have been searching for a before with no luck.  Well, here is the after.  I used Baked Brie from Behr latex paint in a semi-gloss finish.  I rolled and painted the paint on.  I did not put a finish on it, although I love Minwax Finishing Paste which I did use on the dresser below.  To finish it off I found these cute pulls from Pier One.  They were only about $4 a piece.

I had also repainted another dresser which we have in our bedroom.  Unfortunately, it is also functioning as a tv stand.  I would get rid of the tv, but I can't live without a bit of HGTV at night before bed:)  I had spray painted the previous knobs with Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and they looked good, but did not fit the dresser.  They were very loose.  I decided to go back to Pier One and take a looksee.  There in a clearance basket sat some lovely knobs for under $2 each!  I picked these:

I left the first knobs on the dresser thinking they would look good together, but as I looked and looked, I realized the dresser will look better with uniform pulls.I will be going back for two more.  

Don't the the dark blue and white look so lovely with the turquoise?  I think so:)

Adding a pop of color`

I was discontent with my living room:

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to have finally gotten a new rug which I love even though it is still shedding quite a bit. It's just that the living room really felt like it was missing something.  With all the different shades of white going on there, I felt it really needed some color.  I went to the internet for inspiration:

Ooooh...

Ahhhh....

Lovely...

After viewing these lovely rooms that felt finished with just a few pops of color, I decided it was time to make something of my own pop.  I found the perfect candidate.  I found this bamboo magazine holder at Goodwill a few months ago.  I had debated whether or not to paint it back then and had decided I liked the natural look. 

However, as time passed it started to look a little sad and I knew just what it needed:

You may be wondering how I came up with this color?  It was quite simple, it was the only bright paint I had on hand and I felt like getting it done then and there.  Which is, by the way, how most of my diy design choices come about:)  It turns out that I was really drawn to the pink pops of color I was seeing, so it really was a great coincidence.

I brought the magazine holder to the basement and sprayed the first coat.  It looked like this:

I got a little nervous because it wasn't looking as I had imagined in my head.  Also, it was a very bad idea to spray paint inside.  The fumes quickly spread throughout the house.  

For next two coats, I took it outside.  Once it was dry, I brought it back in and tada!  Color.

Oh, I also changed the furniture around:)  I tend to do this once a month or so.  It's an inexpensive way to have a wonderful change.  I really like the new arrangement.  I do think I need another pop of pink in the room.  I have been thinking of adding a pouf.  Something like this:

Or this:

I'll let you know when I do!

Milk Glass

About once a week, I visit Goodwill or the Habitat Restore looking for milk glass.

Gosh, even as I say this I am realizing it sounds a bit strange.  I enjoy independent movies, I love reading memoirs, I listen to an eclectic mix of music and yes, I like to look for milk glass.  It's fun because every find feels like a magical surprise.The best part is when I look at the price tag. Milk glass is not expensive-not at Goodwill and not on any online bidding sites.  I bought every piece of milk glass for under $3.

Today, I found two small pieces.

A delicate cup and saucer and I believe, a trivet.

 I have found the pieces I own to be quite useful. I use them in the bathroom to hold cottonballs/q-tips, toothbrushes and small pieces of jewelry.

So for under $9 total, I have a matching set of bathroom accessories.

I would really like to find some bigger pieces one day.  I think I may have to break the $3 budget though for something like this:

or this:

I will keep you posted as I grow my collection:)  Does anyone else collect milk glass?  If so, I would love to see some pictures!

Do you smell something?

Oh my goodness, the hubby and kids have heard me say this at least 1000 times!  But I have to say that I am justified in this...or is that what they all say?  I have three animals in the house, so it is not in my imagination when a strong smell comes wafting from the hallway to the basement.  I go on especially high alert when people come over.  If I see their nose twitch or they run their hand past their faces, I automatically assume they are smelling an unpleasant odor and become consumed by the idea.  "How can I have let someone come over when my house smells!" I think.   It is a bit crazy.  I am sure most people would not say that my house smelled...  or would you?

When we got our puppy a year ago, she had accidents on our carpet and rug early on.  I would find most of them and clean until my hands were raw.  Yet there was a smell whenever we would walk into our house which drove me nuts. I would clean the rug, be certain that Milkshake had not had an accident, and yet it would smell. I began realizing that the cat now saw the oriental rug in our living room as an appropriate place to relieve himself.  I brought the expensive rug that we had gotten from my mother in law to a rug cleaner who basically said that it was beyond saving with a very sad look on his face. I think he might have been more upset than I was.

For two months now, I have been looking for a rug.  The dog is fully trained and the cats seem content now that there are two litter boxes they can use.  It was time.  I must have logged over 100 hours searching for a rug.  Mind you, I found plenty of beautiful rugs that I would have been thrilled to have, it was the pricetag that was a major concern.  I read about scoring a gorgeous West Elm wool 8 X 10 for $180 at their outlet and plugged in the VA location into Mapquest.  "Only four hours, that's not so bad, is it?"  I would ask myself.  Until, I saw that Rugsusa was having a 70% off sale. I searched and searched the inventory until I found two rugs. The first is a Moroccan wool shag rug.

Moroccan Wool Shag Rug

It is a 5 X 7 which fits well in my small living room and cost $160!  I fell in love with this style when I saw it in a makeover that Emily Henderson did.


It is incredibly soft and I have no complaints.  The kids began rolling around on it before I fully unrolled it from the packaging.Here are my before and after pics.

 BEFORE

AFTER

The second rug was a wonderful surprise. It's a chunky jute rug.  I was worried about shedding and that the hubby and kids would complain about the texture on their feet, but $99 for 6 X 9 rug seemed too great of a deal not to try.  When it came, I immediately moved the dining room furniture and laid it out.  It looked amazing!  It made the whole room feel warm and inviting.  The rug was bumpy but soft.  Still, I braced myself for the complaints. Lo and behold, the kids loved it!  My son wanted it put somewhere else so that he could practice his karate on it!  Then my husband came home and both he and I were surprised at how much he loved it.  Score!


Maui Chunky Jute Beige

In my dining room:

The sale is no longer 70%, but even at 50% off these rugs seem like a great deal to me.  

Did you see my cat on the rug in one of the pictures?  I guess I'll let him stay since I did get this new beautiful rug due to him:)

Admitting I have a Problem

My husband nicknamed me "Peeping Irene" a few years ago.  Please don't stop reading...I do NOT look into people's houses to catch glimpses of the unclad, I promise!  What I want is to check out their home.  Do they have crown molding?  What does the flow look like?  What interior design choices have they made?  I can also look at the exterior architecture of old houses for hours.  The older the better.  I feel as if it is food for my soul.  So, when we are in cities or towns with old buildings like Newport, I try to eat up as many of these images as possible until my family is literally pulling me away.




I apologize if you have ever seen me staring into your home from the sidewalk.  Please do not call the police, I promise I am not looking at you! Although, does that make it any better?

Back to realizing that it has gone way beyond normal -even though I now see I should have probably already realized this ;).  My husband and I were watching Walking Dead last night- an amazing show with such smart writing.  Since having to leave the prison, some of the characters have been staying in a house and foraging for food and supplies within others. If you have seen this show, you know how intense it can be both emotionally and visually.  Often, I need to turn away from the more gory scenes.  But guess what I have been looking at and paying attention to as opposed to the blood and despair?  The houses.  I believe they are in the Atlanta area.  Each house they have included has been wonderfully old, and full of beautiful architectural details.  On last night's episode, a new home (the one with the pink room for those who watch) was not only architecturally beautiful, but decorated impeccably.  This is the moment I realized I had a problem. While life and death scenes ensued on screen, I was checking out the bookshelf in the children's room. I was able to find it.  Isn't it so lovely?  Playful, but simple enough to even use in an adult space.

where to buy

And a cute piece of artwork with the following displayed.  So cute.  I had never seen this as part of children's decor, but as I was searching, I found many examples.  This is a decal you can buy from etsy.

decal


So, there you have it.  My name is Irene and I am a designaholic.

We went to the Science Center this weekend during the break.  It was a gamble for sure.  We would either have a good time, or suffer shoulder to shoulder irritation for four hours.  Luckily, it wasn't painfully busy and we had fun.  There was a neat game in which you made life choices by swiping pictures that would either elongate or shorten your life.  Pictures like a beer and a cigarette would swim past you and if you chose it, -20 years would flash and your life expectancy would decrease by that many years. Yikes! and really?!
At one point a kitty and dog floated past and I swiped that sucker hoping to live past age 50 at the very least. + 15 years Yes!  I knew there was a reason I put up with all of that hair all over our furniture. So, hubby, those cats that you think make your life difficult are actually making it longer!  Isn't that wonderful? Remember that when you're about to sit in your favorite chair only to see one of the cats already there;)  

I have always been an animal lover and if I had more room, I would probably own way too many animals. Some may say that we have too many right now with our dog and two cats.

However, I can't quite decide if a love of animals should translate to one's interior design choices. Nonetheless, I did decide to paint a picture of my mom's dog for her as a present.  I had meant to do it for her birthday, then the holidays, and a month later I finally got to it.  My mom is more attached to her dog than her children for sure. She may love her grandchildren as much, but if it really came down to a choice, Nikki the mini schnauzer just might beat them out.

I found a simple tutorial online and bought a starter kit like this one.  
Here are the basics:
1) Begin with a clear, detailed photograph.
2) Take a charcoal pencil and shade the entire back of the photograph. 
3) Use acrylic paints and make sure you have at least one very fine tip brush for details.  
4) Paint one or two layers of a background color as the paint adheres better to paint than the bare canvas.
5)Next, place the photograph over the canvas or board and trace the picture.  Ta da!  You now have a sketch of the animal to work with.
6)Paint in the picture.  
7)Outline with black.

My finished product:

Not a masterpiece, but it's cute and it sure looks like Nikki.  My mom was thrilled!  She framed it and put it in a premier spot on her wall.

What do you think?  Are animal portraits a good design choice for you?

The Beginning

I have always toyed with the idea that I would or could be a writer someday.  I have even written a draft of a children's book.  But the other day, I received the proof that I was indeed meant to write.  I completed one of those Facebook surveys that tells you what career you should have and guess what?  You got it...writer ;) I thought about whether to just jump right in or introduce myself for my first post.  I decided to go with the latter just as Jimmy Fallon did on his first night of hosting The Tonight Show which ended up being pretty awesome.

My hope is that I will be able entertain you a bit and perhaps provide a creative or useful tip or two.  I am not an expert on probably anything, but I love to give things a go.  And a go I gave to my stairs:

It was another snow day on Tuesday, so what better pastime than painting in the house?!  I had been thinking about this idea for a while.  It certainly was not my own.  The first time I saw painted stairs was a Novogratz design:

source

I adore their style in general, but these I fell in love with.  That was quite a few years ago.  On Tuesday morning, I rifled through all of our arts and crafts supplies searching for stencils.  I finally found some number ones, though at first they seemed too small.  But I didn't care!  I was determined to have numbers on my stairs!  I pulled out some leftover chalkboard paint, a small brush and got started.  I found the chalkboard paint I had was too drippy, so I switched to acrylic paint.  They are by no means perfect, and by that I mean a little sloppy, but from a foot or so away, you can't really tell:)

                                                   

I emailed my victory to both my mom and husband.  I got the following replies:

Husband: Umm reason for putting #s on our steps? lol


Mom: for kids?


I think the reason is that they make me smile.  The kids do love them of course.  So maybe that's what I'll stick to...Yes, mom, it's for the kids.



Now, does anybody know where I can land me a time machine?  I took another online survey that told me I should be living in the 50's :)