Update to the no cost makeover

Wow, nearly 2.5 months since my last post.  That's a record.  I miss you all!

I did end up doing my little "no cost" make-over, but it was slightly modified in terms of the "no cost" part.

In order to get the blue, tan, white & black color scheme I talked about in my post, I ended up buying some fabrics to make the toss pillows that pulled the design together.  So, I'll count that cost.  The rest, I just moved the furniture around like I figured I would, but still haven't bitten the bullet and painted that ladder shelf. (Going from white to black, to really pull the theme together.)

So, the fabrics I purchased were super inexpensive- one was $5.99/yd, the other two were 2.99/yd.  I purchased 1.5 yards of the black and white damask, and 1 yard each of the trellis and circle damask.  Also, I had found a white fabric shower curtain on clearance for $2.50 at Target, so I used that also to make two solid white pillows.  I still have enough of the trellis fabric to make another pillow, so even though the fabric total was around $16, I didn't use it all!

Also, the mirror above the fireplace was purchased in 2010 (Just before Christmas) so it doesn't count in my 2011 project cost tally (but for score keeping purposes, it's a huge round, chunky mirror, exactly like I wanted, and it was $45.)

So, I moved the couches, moved the ladder shelf, put in another table and my Louis XVI chair, moved the sofa table, and added in a small cabinet (yet to be painted) with a lamp.  We got a new TV stand (also in 2010), and have the glider from 2010.  (Love the glider, but it's hard to decorate around!)

Stay Tuned!  I've got a lot of posts coming up soon- even though I haven't been posting much, I've been taking photos of everything I'm doing.  It's been a busy place around here, and is just about to get busier!

PS: Baby C is growing like a weed!  Here's a sneak peak at his weekly pictures.  YES!  I'm still taking a new photo EACH week!

Week 1:

Week 10:

Week 20:

A little no-cost makeover

Anyone else out there relieved to pack away the holidays?  The house always looks so large once the tree is down, and the holiday decor is safely packed away and out of sight for another year.  However, the large space always leaves me feeling the urge for a change, and a fresh room.  It'd be easy, given all the money in the world, to plan out a fresh new space.  The trick though is to try a no cost makeover.

Our room has pretty good bones.  The couches are neutral, there's a brick fireplace, white slatted blinds, hardwood floors, etc.  I couldn't picture the room pulled together though (for our no-cost makeover) until the other day that I sat on the opposite couch in the room and it came to me.

Our makeover will be based on this color scheme:

 

So, the execution plan will consist of the following:

Paint ladder shelf black (I showed you this shelf before here)

Recover couch throw pillows in white fabric (I've done that once before, here)

Add series of four Black and White NY City prints to the room (from the office, that's not being used)

Reorganize picture frame ledges (see them before, here)

Add white cylinder lamp shade to current lamp, plus add another lamp (this room is dark at night!)

Re-arrange furniture

Here's the room now (right after Christmas decor was removed).  

NOTE: This is not for the faint of heart... I'm not proud, and I wouldn't consider this room pulled or put together in any way... ok, disclaimer over, now you can see the photos.  :)

How on earth do you decorate/stage a fireplace like this?!

The tree (9ft this year!) was in that back corner

Anywho, I hope to work on this room this weekend.  Our adorable baby boy though is so cute, that I just love hanging with him, so I'm not sure how much I'll get done!

Just thought I'd share.  Now, to get this done, and be excited over our room again!

Black and White All Over

Just call me Picasso.  yea!  I painted! 

As I alluded to a few weeks back during my office post, I joined a friend, and painted one Sunday morning in my pjs!

This canvas is gallery style wrapped, and purchased at Michael's with a coupon of course.  :)  I chose a black and white pattern option, similar to a fretwork pattern since the opposite room will have a zebra ottoman one of these days.

I wanted a border on the edge of the canvas so just eyeballed it and added some strips of painters tape. 

 

Then, I actually made two templates, and traced both- one for the outside line of the black spots, and one for the inner. 

 

  

  

(can you see the pencil lines?  It's really faint...)

Next, I just took some time and painted two coats of black acrylic paint in a sort of coloring book style!  Yea, it took a few hours, but painting with friends is super duper fun!

 

  

 

A few days later, I pulled the tape off, and reapplied further in the center so I would then be able to paint my entire black border.

For now, it's hanging horizontally, but if we get an entryway table, the option to turn it vertically is there.  :)

There's that bench again.  And yes, I did decide to paint it black, I just haven't done that yet.  Soon I hope.  So, for now I'm enjoying the graphic print, especially since the wall is sort of an extension off the room I'm considering to be my more modern taste, with the orange curtains and all.  :)

So, what do ya think?  It's pretty contrasty, no?  And, doesn't the painting just solidify the fact that the bench needs.to.be.black?!  I think, yes.  :)

Ballard Inspired Bee Bulletin Board

Do you remember when I posted about my love/hate relationship with bees?  I've been itching to use one in the decor here ever since then.  Now that our calendar is off of our bulletin board (because I made this dry-erase message center), I have a big wall of brown.  Ok, "Cappuccino" if you want to be technical.  But there's no contrast.  Enter: bee stencil, and watered down acrylic paint...

My Ballard-inspired Bee Bulletin Board:

Here are some before photos so you can really appreciate the size of this bad-boy.  I think it's about 36x24" with a 2.5" crown molding border.  It's pretty big!  And, it's a message center for us, directy across from our kitchen.  You may have also see that I posted Christmas cards on it during the season.

 

  

 

Anyway, I finally settled on a bee that looked slightly vintage, slightly whimsical, and not all furry and fuzzy, cause you know I don't really want to look at a full on INSECT.  (Which Z reminded me, it is a BUG... zoinks.)

This was a project inspired by two Ballard Items- Their framed bulletin boards, which are super fancy and a bit overpriced (!) and their bee designs on items such as totes, bags, towels and lampshades:

Their "Madison Corkboard" which is $299:

And things like the "Queen Bee" tote:

or the "laptop tote": or or the "Bee Pillow":

So, here's what I did:

I taped some paper together, and brought the image up on my desktop.  I freehanded this one, by starting with the body shapes, adding in the lower legs, then wings.  I added the detailing of the strips and the upper legs last.

I transfered my drawing to the bulletin board, and made sure the scale was good, and then cut the whole pattern out.  I didn't worry about cutting the stripes out yet.  Then, I pinned the pattern down, and traced the outer edge with a black ballpoint pen.  (Black, since my paint was going to be black, and my pencil didn't work on the corkboard :)  )

 

  

Here's a straight on view in case you want to use this one as a pattern:

 

Then, I took a squirt of cheapo acrylic paint in black (even though it's not a true black, more a very dark grey) and watered it down with a few drops.  I knew I could make the painting darker later, but I was attempting a more vintagey look.

Paint!  Just use your outline, and a brush with a flat edge, and cover your traced pattern.

 

  

  

 

I love that the cork sucked the paint in, and while I didn't water it down enough initially, the cork did the rest by getting me to almost the look I was going for.

Finished product again:

 

  

Up close on the paint:

Now, I just need to find (or make?) cuter push pins.  :)  And one question:  Should the bee body be colored in solid black?  Or, would it look like a flying termite (as Z so eloquently put it) if it were solid?  The stripes let you know it's a bee, but a solid version would look more whimsical?  I don't know!  Help!

I guess this bee thing isn't just a fad.  My first puppy, Kadee, had bee toys.  And Lexi and Gunner share a few bee toys too:

So anyway, I love it, and now just need to work on the rest of that big, blank, brown, boring wall.  Alliteration my friends, alliteration.

**Oh, and did you SEE IT?!  I finally made my curtains.  Go check out the sneak peak, with a full post coming soon.**

Until next time!