The Power of Paint

Here's a short and sweet post for this snowy Thursday

Craft Project No.2 is complete! The green shelved cabinet from The Gathering Place has been painted an almond/pistachio color. I used Rustoleum high gloss furniture paint from Home Depot, a synthetic angled brush and lots of patience. I was too lazy to prime it (I will be doing that next time because grass green does not like to be painted over) so it took about 2.75 coats of paint. The result is fabulous. I have before and after pictures below.

This piece of furniture is my new bar. It has good shelf space for my large wine goblets and is tall enough to house bottles of alcohol.

Until next time!

Craftacular

I've moved in! Everything is in its place, sort of, and I'm exhausted. I promised to make this post about crafting, so here we go!

One of my many projects for the new place was decorative outlet covers. I bought supersized light switch plates and outlet covers at Walmart for very cheap ($.35 - $.55). I used my trusty paint pens (from JoAnn Fabrics) to create some pretty neat designs. I actually painted every cover plate for the entire apartment (I needed a procrastination tool for packing). The ones I'll feature on this post are in the living room.

Some tidbits I found out along the way:

1. when decorating a cover plate choose white as your base. i was forced to get beige for some of them and unless you're doing a very dark color on top it doesn't work so well. white on beige is difficult to get full coverage.

2. if you have paint penned the entire surface, Sharpie or Bic permanent markers work very well over the paint pen ink, they also do okay on the naked surface of the cover plate

3. even though paint pens claim not to bleed or leak, sometimes they do. keep a wet paper towel on hand to correct any mistakes due to leaking.

Overall I am very pleased with my project. They turned out really nice and add a fun touch of drama to what would otherwise be some very boring light switches and outlet covers.

Below are the living room creations :)

Stay crafty my friends!

The Chicken or The Egg?

Dilemma, dilemma...

This is the largest apartment I've ever had to myself (my last place, a studio in Chicago, could fit in my living room). There is so much space that it will take a while to fill it, which is a good thing, if you're a patient person....

I've been a planner my whole life, which just translates into an obsessive over thinker. I have this great apartment that I can't wait to furnish and decorate. I literally can't wait. Patience has always been a virtue that I lack (the first step is admitting you have a problem right?). I've made list upon list of things I'd like to purchase for the new place and I want to get them all at the same time. But, I've been told its wise to get in there, live a bit, and then see what furniture is right. So do you get the furniture to fit the apartment or make the apartment fit to your furniture. I actually do know the former is best, but I've just got so many cool ideas, many of them coming from IKEA. :)

I also have to remember the things I get now are not the end all be all of decorating my place. I can add, replace, rearrange things as I go. So in the spirit of being both frugal and patient, I hit up The Gathering Place's warehouse (check out their website, its an organization here in Cleveland that benefits families dealing with cancer www.touchedbycancer.org) for some antique/old school items. I found a couch (currently green but I'll get a black slip cover for it, chair (currently a dusty rose but will find some way to cover that) and little display thingy for my dining room (currently a kelly green but I'll paint it and use it as a bar).

That's all for now. Next time will be about crafting....leave no surface uncrafted!

The Blank Slate

The time has come to fly the coop, again. And, it occurred to me how nice it would be to document the journey. As a lover of interior design I have big plans for my new place. I had every intention to paint each and every wall, but got a little spooked when there was a mishap with a potential roommate situation. So now, I'm on my own in an adorable one bedroom, a blank slate. So, instead of doing something as permanent as painting, I'm delving into the world of decals. They're all the rage now. You can find them at Marshall's, Target, Walmart and at a number of sites online, my favorites are creativewallcovering.com (features peel and stick wallpaper) and my-wall-decal.com Also, allposters.com has an amazing selection of decals.

Design Ideas: PARIS. it's so cliche I know, but there's nothing more seductive than French decor. The challenge is to tow the line of kitsch and style. Design as if you live in Paris, not as if you wish you did. Simply Shabby Chic (featured at Target) is a good place to start. The French country inspired items are bound to create a beautiful bedroom.

The Plan:

Kitchen - I envision something clean and classic. Modern really isn't my thing, but I saw these adorable red tulip decals. I saw them on allposters.com displayed on kitchen cabinets. It brings a pop of color without the commitment of painting.

Bathroom - I originally wanted to paint it a pool blue, but now that I'm on to decals its a struggle to commit to a design that I really like. The original design idea was seaside cottage.

Bedroom - Gray is my favorite color so anyway I can integrate that into a French theme, mainly French country is ideal. Damask, which is my new obsession will most likely be the focus.

Dining Room - All of my framed pictures of family and friends are going in the dining room, so something simple will do

Living Room - the most dramatic of them all. Black and white with a pop of jewel blue. I'd call it Parisian Nights, but that would sound so lame :)

So there you have it. I'm really looking forward to getting things started. I'm going to update for each stage of the process. Stay tuned!