Living Room

So, I can't even make it one week in before I miss a day. This has been a lazy weekend, involving lots of computer time, a book, and my couch. In my defense, this is the first lazy weekend I've had in over a month. I know, I know, how hard is it to write a blog post. I did do something yesterday worth blogging about. I am going to tell y'all about it some time this week in a make up post.

I spent my computer time split between playing Sims and catching up on my blog reading. Looking at other blogs is inspiring, and I wrote down (or copied to Evernote) some projects I'll do in the future. Still, it wasn't enough to get me up and moving. But, I made some new pins on Pinterest and tagged some photos on Houzz. And, I made a dream mid-century/modern/eclectic living room on Polyvore. Some of the pieces I already have, including the art above the couch (more on that to come this week).

Living Room by schizi on polyvore.com

I like the neutral couch and lamps with the bright colored art work and rug. The tripod lamp is the closest I could find to one I (sort of) have. And, I wouldn't be crazy plant lady without a couple of plants. The jade plant in the round planter isn't as cute as the one I have in the same pot.

My current living room is nice and cozy, but doesn't really look like this. I'll just have to move to a new place so that I can start decorating again on a clean palette.

Corcovado Rug, $798
Petrie Sofa in Sofas | Crate&Barrel, $1,699
Ikea Ikea Stockholm, $199
CB2 - acrylic drink table, $179
Midcentury modern lamp
Monochromatic Lamp, $130
20x200 - Print Information | Birch Forest No. 7, by Lisa Congdon, $20

Cleaning

What did you do for Thanksgiving? Well, in addition to cooking and eating, and preparation for Christmas crafting and decorating, I cleaned out my craft supplies and reorganized the way I had them put away. Now, the tools are in my dining room dresser, and the paper and other things are organized in the tupperware containers in the closet. I broke out the cards from the scrap paper from the colored card stock in an attempt to make it easier to locate what I need when I need or want to make a quick card. And, because one of the things that keeps me from crafting on long projects that take several days is that I either have to leave out the mess or put it away and get it out every time, I bought a little red rolling cart from Harbor Freight. I can roll the cart into my closet, or at least the bedroom, if folks come over. And, it isn't much taller than the table, so I can put stuff on it and keep it in the corner of the dining room but out of sight from the living room.

Paper art

Okay, so cutting a couple of rectangles of paper may not really count as art or a craft. But, I want to take some credit for seeing the potential in these sheets of beautiful paper from Blick Art Supply when I was down in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if I can take credit for the way the swirls line up so well between the two different frames, though.

As you can see on the left, these frames from Ikea once held pictures, which I sometimes swapped out. I was looking at papers to put in the mat in place of a couple of pictures when I fell in love with the red marbled paper. I found the gold and black just a few moments later in the same drawer, and a plan began to form.

My friend and I made a trip to the outskirts of Chicago for an Ikea trip. As we were leaving, we saw the Blick art supply store. I just had to go. I'd only ever looked at their website. Turns out, they were having a sale on canvases, too, so I also got a couple of those that I'm hoping to turn into some kind of art in the next couple of months.

Nature wreath

Welcome to my home!

At least that's what this wreath is supposed to say. I put it together the last time that I was having folks over to my home. It made a huge mess in my living room, but I like it.

I cut the frame out of cardboard into a rectangle using a box cutter. Sure, an Xacto or other type of blade may have been better (and safer), but I could only find my box cutter. And, it was meant to cut through cardboard. Then, I hotglued on twigs that I gathered in the country when I was house sitting. I tried to be random and yet cover the cardboard. In some corners, the twigs are laid side to side. In other areas, the twigs are layered to block out the cardboard. I think the bottom right hand corner got a bit heavy using this method, but overall, I am pleased with the outcome, especially considering I escaped without any burns.

Of course, seeing it every day for the past couple of months has made me think about it a bit more. I may have to take it back to the Table for some enhancements. I don't like how the bottom right corner has two twigs going in the same angle and making a large diagonal line. I also can see all of the hot glue (3+ glue sticks worth) shining under that light.

I've been thinking about it more because I'm having the same folks back to my house tomorrow night. There is no time to do anything between work, cooking the meal and last minute cleaning, so I have time to keep considering. I still have twigs left over, so I may add a few more and then spray paint it. I have some purple spray paint, but I think white would also look good. Spray paint would lend a less nature feel to the frame. I could also get collect some acorns and leaves to glue to it to make a fall wreath. But, then I'm limited to fall.

Tell me what you think!

Finally, new bedding

Well, this is the last post about new bedding. I finally made a decision, purchased the necessary pieces and put everything together. Everything is new except for the pillows, minus the paisley pillow. I'm still contemplating getting new pillows for sleeping. I got a new, fluffy mattress pad, which makes my bed so comfortable.

Quilt - Urban Outfitters

The color of this quilt reminds me a bit of the coverlet that my mom has always kept on her bed. She's changed up the pillows and other textiles over the years, but she has always had a coverlet in a seafoam/teal/green color. This quilt is very soft and has a darker teal color on the other side. If the light side is too bright for the winter months, I'll just flip it over!

Duvet cover - CB2
This looks just like something I would doodle on the sides of my notes. I was hesitant of a white duvet, but I like it a lot. When winter comes, my down comforter will live inside of this duvet and it will probably be pulled up all the way. Not sure I'm ready for that, but at least my bed will be nice and inviting.

Paisley pillow - Pier1
It's amazing how one little pillow can bring in more colors. I like the textures of the different fabrics. I know that paisley doesn't necessarily go with doodles or the damask pillows but I do love different prints.

Sheets, pillow cases, mattress pad - Target
Because my olive sheets didn't go with the new look. The mattress pad was an extra expense that doesn't really show, but it may be my favorite part of this whole new bedding look.

Bedroom redo

I don't think this has been the first post about my bedroom and my plans to change things up. Nor will it probably be the last until I figure out what I want. I've been looking and thinking for about three months now. For me when it comes to purchasing anything, that is an eternity. I really did like a gray quilt from West Elm, but it was backordered until today. I checked this morning (yes, first thing), and the date has been pushed back to the end of September. Urgh.

But, it's a good thing because I visited the websites of some other favorites and things started to come together. Above is the setup that I'm currently thinking about. Well, the picture on the left is a picture of my current bedroom. I'll be keeping the black and white throw pillows but everything else on the bed will be replaced.

Yellow quilt - Urban Outfitters $68 (backordered)
Duvet and pillow shames - CB2 $79 and $19, respectively

I'd probably be posting that this stuff was on its way, but the quilt, like the other quilt I like, is backordered. I guess it gives me more time to figure things out, because I need a quilt or coverlet the most. I really like the duvet because it looks like the doodles that take up the margins of all of my notebooks. But white....

I'll also probably be investing in a new mattress pad and pillows, which makes this whole shebang a pretty decent investment.

iPhone photo of the week

I meant to post this yesterday. I noticed the star on the ceiling while I was doing my morning situps. Definitely didn't see any light reflecting into my apartment this morning, but the sound of rain was sort of relaxing. 

I'm not going to move my blinds, because I'm pretty sure I would never be able to get everything just right to have the light reflect in that way again. 

Grabbing my iPhone, I laid back down and shot the picture. Then, I went to plug the phone into the computer to download the picture (and also sync my phone). Nothing happened. Not when I pushed the buttons. Not when I unplugged it and pushed all the buttons. Not when I plugged it in to the wall and pushed all the buttons. Not when I pushed all the buttons on the phone in random combinations throughout the day. So, I went to the iPhone store thinking one of two things would happen a) they could give me a new 3G because I had the extended warranty or b) I'd be leaving with a new iPhone 4. I didn't think it could be fixed because it seemed beyond the grave. The sales clerk plugged it in to one of their computers and, lo and behold, it starts to power back up. This phone is on notice - one more bit of refusing to work and it's going to be replaced by the newer model.

Desk

NiftyTable, coming to you from this desk. Yep, that's my set up, and my chair is a wooden folding chair. I got the desk before I got the computer; it is a Target MDF desk with one alteration - I added the pretty knob from Anthropologie. The desk is okay -It's narrow and the perfect length to sit under the window in my bedroom but not get in the way of the bed or the closet. The espresso finish matches the bookcases and dresser, so that's good. One challenge I do have is keeping the computer away from the part of the window that opens. I've been known to forget to close that window, so I don't want to put the computer at too much risk during an afternoon rainshower.

All that being said, I've started to look for a new desk. The bones of this desk are good, but the top is not holding up to the wear. It's wearing down where I use the mouse and there are a couple of bubbled areas where I've left glasses of water. I want a small, solid wood desk that I could refinish. Since I live in an apartment, there are a couple of limiting factors: I'll have to do the sanding and painting on my balcony, so it can't be too big nor can I wait too long (don't think I'll accomplish much outside after about October); whatever work needs to be done should only require sandpaper, a paint brush and maybe a screwdriver because that's all I have; it needs to fit in about the same space as my current desk.

I've begun stalking craigslist, and there have been a couple of promising desks, but like Goldilocks, I'm looking for the one that is just right. After spending a while perusing craigslist last night, I turned my attention to cleaning out my Google Reader. And, that's where I spotted this blog post by decor8. I love all of those desk/chair combinations, especially the second from the top. So, I might up the search and head to Goodwill this weekend in hopes of finding my new desk. I've got a couple additional things to keep in mind, too, after reading this ergonomics guide from the decor8 blog.

New Etsy favorite

Do you get the Etsy Finds daily email? (If not, sign up at Etsy) Each email is a gathering of Etsy wares based on some theme. This means that some days I love everything and some days nothing stands out.

On Sunday, something stood out. I visited DazeyChic's shop and came across this beauty, and it's on its way to brighten my home.

Photo Collage

Back in December, I visited the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash and purchased some awesome letterpress letter cards spelling out our last name.  I didn't really think about where I was going to put them, so when I got them home, I tried holding them up around our apartment.  They never seemed quite right anywhere, but ended up on the wall in the corner behind our TV. They were looking really strange to me back there and it finally got on my nerves enough that I decided to a photo collage around the letters.


I'm all about cheapness, and thrifting at Goodwill led me to some fantastic frames for only a buck or two.





After clorox-wiping all of the Goodwill frames, I started arranging the frames around the paper templates I'd made of the letters already on the wall (pardon the puppy, she got curious).





Then, I made paper templates of all the frames and hung those on the wall with the letters to make sure it looked okay from across the room.





I don't have any pictures of the actual painting, but I hauled all the goodwill frames out to the top deck of the parking garage at my apartment complex (oh, how I wish I had a house with a yard) and spray painted them all black while my neighbors looked at me like I was crazy.





Ta-Da!

Nifty Table

Welcome to my new project! My goal is to help spark your creativity by presenting projects that I've completed (along with steps and photos), reviews of craft books, resources, and ideaboards based on what I like at the present. You'll probably also see quite a few references to Etsy, which I love.


During the day, I am a project manager at a software company. But, before this, I had a background in journalism and dabbled in graphic design. I miss the creative outlet that my previous job provided, so this is my attempt to make up for the loss.


Here are some of my projects:

My interests are scattered widely through the craft world: painting, computer graphic desing, sewing photography, but especially paper crafts. I really like making cards or anything that can be done with pages ripped out of magazines. Oh, and as you can tell, I also like birds.

My mom and sister are also quite crafty. At Home (with the big H), we do most of our crafting around the dining room table. Thus the name of the blog. I expect you'll be hearing from the two of them along the way.

Thanks for joining me!