Brass, Secondhand Lions, and Thrift Score Thursday

A couple of my recent thrift store purchases has been featured on Thrift Score Thursday this week!  This is a weekly challenge hosted by Brynne over at The Gathered Home and her co-hosts, who this week are Trisha at Black and White Obsession and Stephanie at Sandpaper and Glue.

First, this solid metal Target knockoff lamp (originally $55) of a much more expensive Arteriors brass lamp.  I was able to figure this out through the help of a fellow Instagrammer (kdall070 of House of Hipsters) and this post from Copycat Chic.  I have big plans for this guy somewhere down the road.

And then, my secondhand lion.  Isn't he fierce?  I have no idea where I'm going to put him.  I might just move him to a new location every day.

Brass is my jam, you guys, can you tell?  Speaking of brass, I've got some shiny new changes coming for the blog, which means my break is almost over.  Stay tuned!

Pretty Stool Makeover and Yes, I Still Blog

Oh hey, remember me?

I'm sorry I fell off the face of the earth for awhile.  I've had a lot of projects to do lately (for my day job), which hasn't left me a lot of time to do anything blog-worthy, or to blog about anything at all.

I've taken some time out to tackle some projects and think about what I'd like to share on this blog, and I have some things I'm working on that you'll see soon - like the dining chair makeover project that has finally commenced!

For now, here's a little stool I made over for my bedroom.  It was a thrift store find of my mom's from about eight or so years ago.  She painted it black and recovered it with some pretty red fabric, and I had it under my vanity table for many years.  Unfortunately, I abused it, so the paint was chipping and the batting on the cushion had flattened and the red no longer fit in with my bedroom color scheme.  In short, it was desperately in need of a makeover.

I neglected to take a photo of the complete chair or the cushion before I ripped all the staples out.  Oops.  But here is the sad little chipped black frame before.

And here it is after a coat of spray primer and its first coat of gold spray paint (it needed two thin coats - no drips!).  I used Design Master 24KT Pure Gold and it was great.  It has a soft glow about it, but it's not too shiny or bright.

I didn't take any photos of the process of reupholstering the cushion, but it involved new super thick batting, a staple gun, and a small piece of  Chiang Mai Dragon fabric in Alabaster that I scored from eBay during one of my recent fabric addiction sprees acquisitions.  I've had it for months with the intention of sewing a pillow out of it, but I decided the stool was a better project.

And here it is!  It brightens up my bedroom so much, and I love how vibrant the green, red, and yellow are against the gray walls.

In all honesty, it was the first real DIY decor project I've ever tackled myself.  It wasn't at all hard, but it was intimidating because I always assume I'm going to fail since I'm not particularly crafty or coordinated.  But once I was into the project, it was so much fun to watch it take shape.  I'm so happy with the result and can't wait to finish the other projects on the list for my bedroom so that you can see the final result.  Or at least the semi-final result.

Stay tuned for more projects, and thanks for reading my little blog.

Dining Chair Makeover Ideas

Remember these groovy cane-back dining chairs that I scored on Craigslist?

I love the chair, but that upholstery is HIDEOUS.  It looks worse in person.  It's a wide-wale gold corduroy.  I bought the chairs with every intention of reupholstering them immediately, but then I couldn't make up my mind what to do with them, so I haven't done anything with them yet.

Paint them black?  White?  A bright color? Leave them wood?  Upholster with a solid color, a print, stripes, something else?  So many choices.

But my mom, who is awesome and knows that I need help starting a project sometimes, has demanded that I set a day for us to start painting the stupid chairs.  This means I have to make a decision.

To help my indecisiveness, I googled "cane back chair" for some inspiration, and was amazed to find a number of similar chairs.  Take a look at some of the goodies I found.

Some black options:

via

via

The white chair with the dark table is nice, bright and airy.  I feel like I'm being attacked by that giant ball light fixture, though.

via

God help me, I'd never paint anything this color or pair it with leopard print, but I entertained the idea of a bright color.  And then stopped entertaining it.

via

These bad boys are no longer available on One King's Lane, but they were vintage, gilded, and carved, so I'm sure they fetched a pretty penny.

via

This guy retails for $1,025.  That is literally $1000 per chair more than I paid for mine.  But I like the look of this chair - that dark glossy paint with the animal-inspired print.  We have a winner.

via

So I made a decision.  I'm going to paint the chairs a high gloss black and use this fabric on the seats.  I ordered a swatch of it several months ago when I was thinking about reupholstering some other chairs that I've since decided to sell (with zero success so far).  I love it - it's apparently 100% cotton, but it has a bit of a sheen and a really tight weave that I think will make it work well in the dining room (i.e., it's wipe-able and won't catch crumbs like the current fabric does).

Want a good laugh?  Here is my unsuccessful attempt at superimposing this pattern onto the chair without Photoshop.  But you can see where I'm going with this.  Imagine the chair is black.  The feet will stay brass, though, because I love them.

We may start painting the chairs this weekend, so I hope to have an update soon.

RIP, Plants

You know who's really good at taking care of plants?

NOT ME!

Take a look at the majority of the plants I recently purchased.

Yes, that's right, I have my very own plant graveyard.

I have one in the backyard, too.

I'm a monster.

I love houseplants so much, but what I didn't think about is that they need light.  Yeah, that whole photosynthesis thing.  My house - with the exception of the kitchen and the bedrooms - does not get a lot of natural light, so it's a death trap for most plants.  Further, I can't seem to find the balance between watering too much and not watering enough.

Since I hate silk plants, my only options are plants that are indestructible, like my faithful Japanese peace lily and the Victorian parlor palm.  Despite my best efforts to kill them - the lily gets moved around a lot, and the palm has been knocked down to the floor more times than I can count, thanks to falling Christmas decorations - they've managed to stay alive.

Peace lily

Victorian parlor palm (and gnome, of course)

The spider plant has also managed to thrive in its spot on the landing strip near the front door, so I know it's possible to keep some plants alive.

Spider plant

So I have done some research and discovered that succulents and plants that require low light are the best options for me.  I'm hoping to purchase some very soon.

Has anyone else had luck with any particular plants in a similar environment?

Decorating for Christmas with Zero Skills, Part II: Two Easy Projects, Two Weeks Too Late

I love pretty Christmas decorations, but as I've stated previously, I don't have the time, money, energy, motivation or surface area for elaborate holiday vignettes.  So I decorate sparingly, and usually just the living room.

However, this year I decided to show the dining room a little bit of love, so here are two easy projects that wound up in that room.  It's two days before Christmas, so I figure everyone has already decorated, but here's the second post anyway, because I promised it was coming.  And maybe you haven't decorated yet.

Please excuse the horrid lighting in the photos.

1. Decorated chandelier

I had some green beads that I strung up and fastened with wire.  On its own, it looked a little "Mardi Gras" (according to one friend - you know who you are), so I had to fix it.  I went to Michael's and procured some pink berries and glittery green leaves.  I made wreaths from the berries for each of the candles, and tucked the green leaves underneath them.  I then added some beaded birds because - well - I like to put birds on things.*

*I'm not alone. Lisa and Bryce put birds on things, too.

2.  Words on glass

I have this entirely blank wall in the dining room that I have plans for that I haven't gotten around to doing yet.  I figured - eh, why not put up something temporary and Christmas-y?  I put some pretty paper in frames I already had, and wrote Christmas messages right on the glass with a black, bold tipped paint pen.  When Christmas is over, I can wipe it right off with a damp cloth, and use the frame for something else.

I added some pink glittery ribbon and an ornament to the large frame.  My bow-tying skills are seriously lacking, though.

I used Command picture hanging strips to hang the big frame, but wound up just using nails to hang the smaller frames. I had used Command hooks, but they weren't up to the task, so the frames kept falling down in the middle of the night (Santa, is that you?!), and pieces of the wall were coming down with them.  Since I have to repair the wall anyway, I figured a few nail holes wouldn't hurt.

If I had more time (or energy, etc.), I would have done more on this wall, because there is still a lot of blank space (see below), but considering there was nothing on that wall before, a little something is better than nothing...right?

Isn't this vintage star clock cool?  I found it at an antiques fair in Tulsa last year and got it repaired recently.

Also, here is the re-purposed wreath I mentioned in Part I.  I spray painted it white, wrapped it with some garland I already had, and attached bunches of some similar-looking small ornaments I found at Target for just a few dollars.  It took forever, and doesn't look super amazing, but it adds color to the front of the house, so I don't hate it. I just tied it to the front door with red ribbon.  Winning.

(The No Solicitors sign is a year-round fixture, I'm afraid)

Have a Merry Christmas, all!

Decorating for Christmas with Zero Skills, Part I: Autumn to Winter

So, remember when I decorated my house for autumn, because I decided that's the kind of person I wanted to be?  And remember I mentioned that I was planning to convert some of those decorations into Christmas decorations later?  Well I did it.

Because I am awesome and efficient and I am not afraid to be a minimalist.

Or I'm just lazy.

Okay, yeah, probably just lazy.

Here's what I did:

1.  Christmas ornaments in a jar

Remember my jar o'gourds?  I switched out the gourds for ornaments.  It required zero work, unless you count ripping open a package of ornaments as work, which I should, so I seem less lazy.

Except that I forgot to tie a ribbon around the jar this time, so I guess that does make me lazy, since I probably won't ever get around to putting one on, but I might surprise myself.

2. Garland and ribbon on the fireplace

I used the same beaded garland, switched out the brown ribbon for something purple (but not radiant orchid) and gold, and added some brown and gold glittery ornaments and some lights.  It's a little bit of a Monet - looks pretty from far away, but up close, it's a total mess (quick - what movie is that from?).  But it creates a soft glow over the fireplace, so I accept this quality.

3.  Branches in a jug

It's still what it sounds like; I just added ornaments for some flair.  No need for a "before" picture here.  Just envision the jug of branches without ornaments.  I like the way the ornaments are reflected in the mirror.

I also converted the wreath on the front door, but I don't think I like it as it is, so I may tweak it a bit and show you later.

In Part II, I am going to share a few of my other decorations, with the caveat that these are meant for people who have no time and no skills.  These are not bloggy-showroom-shut-up-that's-not-really-someone's-house kind of decorations, the ones that make you question your value to humanity.  So if you're like me, and the idea of spending hundreds of man hours covering every inch of your house with decorations for a season that doesn't last very long makes you wish you had never been born, stay tuned.

Holiday Guests: Party Time (OR Why Parties Are More Awesome at Downton Abbey)

If parties at your house look like the photo above, chances are you stumbled upon this blog by accident, and that you are fancy and awesome and probably wear velvet to the post office and have a chauffeur.

I do not fit that description in the slightest (although I once wore an evening gown to the grocery store after a performance because I was out of coffee...I got lots of sideways glances).  In fact, if this blog is anything, it's a consistent record of my unsuccessful attempts to do stuff in an awesome way...like actually having a series of posts on anything.  This is the third and last post in my "Holiday Guests" series, by the way.  Were you dying of anticipation?

Anyway, over the years, I've thrown (or co-thrown) a lot of parties, everything from birthday parties to informal gatherings to dinners to baby showers to bachelorette parties.  In those years, I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't, in terms of hosting a successful gathering.

If I had a full staff of servants, like the Crawleys, things would be much easier; for example I'd have Carson to direct people to the proper rooms, and a team of footmen to serve brandy after dinner.  And also, we'd all be wearing fur and gloves and life would be so much more elegant.

Anyway, here are my suggestions for those without Downton Abbey's house staff.  While these may be intuitive to some of you, they're all strategies I had to learn the hard way, so I'd like to share them.

More after the jump...

Radiant Orchid

I am happy to report that my laryngitis resolved itself in time for my singing gig this past weekend, which was pretty much a Christmas miracle.  Take a listen to this excerpt, if you feel so inclined.

But I think we need to take a break from talking about the holidays to talk about something really important:  Pantone's Color of the Year  for 2014 and how it affects us all.  Or mainly, me.

via

Radiant Orchid is the new "it" color, Pantone announced today.  While it's no Tangerine Tango, the rosy purple is a vast improvement over last year's Emerald green pick, which, if you remember, I hated.

Apartment Therapy put together a slide show of interiors with Radiant Orchid (examples below).  I think a whole room painted this color would send me straight to a mental institution, but in small doses, it could be nice.

The funny thing is, I was considering a pinky-plum for the hallway and just snagged a few similarly-colored paint chips at Lowe's last night.  Perhaps Pantone's pick will make it into my house in 2014, because, so help me God, I have GOT to paint that hallway.  I have all the doorways taped off with painter's tape to give the appearance that I'm about to paint, but it's been that way the entire time I've lived in my home (more than 1.5 years), so I've really just been lying to the world.

Also, the Christmas decor in the living room is brown, gold, and purple (more on that later), so I feel like Pantone is reading my mind.  Or I'm reading Pantone's mind. Not that Pantone has a singular mind, since I'm sure a lot of people work there, so there would be lots of minds for me to read.  Unless it's like a hive mind scenario, in which case, it would explain their ugly sci-fi green pick for last year.

Anyway, I was surprised I didn't see more emerald green all over the place last year (thank God), so it remains to be seen how much Radiant Orchid-inspired home decor and fashion will dominate the market.

Okay, we can resume talking about the holidays now.  Thank you for taking a little break with me!

Holiday Guests: Get Your Bathroom Ready! (Part II: Air Freshener)

It's always a little awkward to need air freshener when you're at someone's house (especially when someone is waiting outside the door to use the bathroom next).  Or worse, trying to discreetly use those noisy spray cans without someone hearing you.

In addition to being noisy, commercial air freshener cans are not so attractive, and full of chemicals.  Since I like everything in my house to be as pretty as it is useful - as well as natural - I found an air freshener solution that accomplishes both, and thought I would share.

I read somewhere that you can use vodka with essential oil as air freshener, because it contains ethyl alcohol, the main ingredient in most commercial air fresheners.  It also leaves no smell when it dries, but the addition of a scented, natural oil will enhance the freshener.

What you need:

The cheapest vodka you can find (try not to worry about being judged by people in the grocery store)
Essential oils
A container with a spray mechanism
A funnel

I was not about to have a spray bottle in my bathroom, so I ordered a perfume atomizer from Amazon.  I actually looked at some vintage ones on eBay, but I opted for a new one because 1. It was less expensive, 2. It is serving an inglorious purpose, so I didn't need anything super fancy, 3. If it falls and breaks, I won't feel bad, and 4. I wanted to be assured that it would work.  Okay and 5, I wanted it to get here quickly, and I have Amazon Prime, so I got it in two days.

Using a funnel, fill the atomizer with about 3/4 vodka, 1/4 water, and drop in 10-20 drops of essential oil. I used lavender, but try pine or peppermint for something more seasonal.  Shake it up, screw on the lid, and spray away! (You know, as needed. Ahem.)  If the vodka smell bothers you, do half vodka, half water.

Tie on a little tag so your guests know what is in the atomizer, and you're all set!

You can apparently also use the spray to clean the mirrors and glass in your bathroom AND to freshen your furniture, Febreeze-style.  Multitasking. I love it.

Enjoy!

Holiday Guests: Get Your Bathroom Ready! (Part I)

As I posted a few weeks ago, I am going to share a few posts this week on prepping your house for holiday guests.  Really, these are just things I do to make my guests feel more comfortable, based on my experiences (good and bad) visiting other people's homes.

I am starting this series with the bathroom.  I am fixated on the bathroom for some reason.  Probably because I always dread using the bathroom at other people's houses (if I've never been there before).  I'm super paranoid about it, actually, and do a full check to make sure I have everything I need before I commence my...business.

Is that weird?

Well, you know me, I'm always keeping it real.

Anyway, there are five main things that I believe are critical to a comfortable bathroom experience.  Some of these seem like no-brainers, but from my experience, not every bathroom has these items, which usually results in discomfort (or in my case, disaster).

#1 Hand Soap

You don't need anything fancy.  Go to the Grocery Outlet or the Target clearance aisle and grab something, even if you only put it out when guests come because you just use the soap in the shower to wash your hands after you use the bathroom.

#2  Hand Towels

There's nothing wrong with this, but a lot of people don't have separate towels just for drying hands on.  But as a guest, it's a little awkward to dry one's hands on a bath towel.  Especially if that bath towel has already been used.  So put out a few fresh hand towels (again, just hit Target or Wal-Mart).  Another option is putting out a roll of paper towels.  I've been to some parties where people have done this, and it's great!

#3  Extra Toilet Paper

I know I'm not the only one who has had that "sweet mercy, there's half a square left and now I have to rummage through the cabinets to find more TP" panic and emergency at other people's homes.  I suggest you set a roll on the back of the toilet, if you don't normally keep extra rolls in the bathroom.

For #2 and #3, I actually keep a basket next to the toilet that has these items in it for easy access, along with some reading material (namely, a physics book for children and a few magazines).  It's not fancy, as you can see, but it's practical and convenient.

#4 Air Freshener

Come on now, you know you've needed a little air freshener at other people's homes.  I actually make my own - it's easy.  I'll have a tutorial on that tomorrow.

#5 Plunger

Having a plunger readily accessible is a good idea. It's not pretty, but it doesn't have to be the focal point in the bathroom. The reality is that no one wants to be the person who clogs the toilet and then has to come out and ask the host to unclog it.  Trust me.

A few other hints - A garbage can is nice to have, especially for ladies who have items that need to be disposed of.  A lit candle is pleasant and cheerful.  A pretty plant says "welcome!"  Some hand lotion would be a welcome amenity.

What about you, readers?  Do you have any hints?

House Plants and the Internet

I have a black thumb.

This is unfortunate, since the women in my family have green thumbs and successfully cultivate beautiful gardens, and I'm super envious of their prowess in the garden.

But one look in my backyard, specifically at my languishing tomato plants, is evidence enough that caring for plants or growing anything green is not in my wheelhouse.

So naturally, I decided that I want to be a person who has houseplants.  Yes, I, Shannon, who has committed involuntary plant-slaughter against every beautiful orchid that was given to me as a housewarming gift, am going to have a house full of plants.  I'm growing up, I think.

To my credit, I have managed not to kill the Japanese peace lily that the execs at the company I work for sent me when I had surgery early last year.  I suspect those plants are indestructible, though.  They pretty much tell you when they need water - they wilt - and then they perk up within like an hour of getting water.  Easiest plant ever.

But I digress.

I have been just absolutely pining away for a fiddle leaf fig, which is the current "it" plant in home decor.  Far be it from me to ever jump on a bandwagon, but the truth is, there is a giant fiddle leaf fig plant outside the elevator on my floor at work, and it makes me smile every day.  It's exotic, but softly shaped; odd, but beautiful.

The little plant shown above apparently grows up into this big fella eventually (this is the one at work).

The problem is, you just can't find one anywhere in this vortex of plebeianism I live in (i.e. Solano County).  Since I'm not about to drive all over tarnation (or the Bay Area) to find a fiddle leaf fig, or steal the 6-footer at my office building, I turned to the internet.  God bless the folks at Google; they directed me to Hirt's online nursery (an Amazon affiliate) that ships plants to your door.

Are you kidding me right now?  You can order plants online, and they come to your house. It was so magical, I felt like I was at Hogwart's at Christmas.

image via (caption is mine)

So anyway, I ordered two fiddle leaf fig plants.  But since I don't know when to say "enough," I also ordered a banana plant, a spider plant, something called "baby tears," a jade plant, and a Victorian parlor palm.

images via

Do I know where I'm going to put them all?  Heck no.  But I have some ideas.

Fiddle leaf fig on each of the coral tables flanking the TV console...?
Spider plant in the dining room...?
Baby tears in an urn outside the front door...?
Jade plant on the nightstand...?
Victorian parlor palm next to the piano...?

We shall see, when the plants arrive, what rooms they shall be placed in.  I'll let you know!  Hirt's has already shipped my order (within like two hours!), so let's hope it arrives soon, so I don't have to pine for the fiddle leaf fig for too much longer.

Decorating for Fall with Zero Skills

I almost titled this post "Fall Decorating for the Busy/Lazy/Inept," because I am all three of those things.  I never have been a person who decorates for different seasons for that reason, but I love the warmth and festiveness of seasonal decor.  So I decided to go to Michael's one afternoon to see what I could find that wouldn't take a lot of time or effort or skill.  Because again, I have not a single one of those three things.

So here's a summary of what I came up with, and I'm sharing in case it might help someone else overcome an aversion to adding seasonal touches to their home.  And also because all the fall decor at Michael's is something like 80% off right now, so go for it.

I realize it's pretty late in the season, but we still have some time before Christmas, so why not embrace what little of autumn we have left?

More after the jump...