DIY: Shelf Styling & Grosgrain Trimmed Roman Shade

When I get bored, I suddenly notice things that I don't like about my house and embark on a whirlwind effort to fix them.  This weekend, I decided that I was bored with my built-in shelves and since I'd been meaning to replace the awful mini-blinds anyway, I did a little re-styling.  Here's the end result:

Excuse the photo quality - I don't know what I'm doing yet.

I started by raiding my bookshelves and taking the dust jackets off of a bunch of hardback books and then picking what frames and small things I wanted to keep out.  Then, I pulled up my interiors inspiration board on Pinterest and went to town stacking things and rearranging until I didn't hate it.  (Working in the records my husband insisted on keeping in the room was really hard.)

Then, I went to Lowe's and bought a plain white roman shade to replace the blinds.  I cut about 2 feet off the end below one of seams and re-jigged the cords so that the bottom panel doesn't gather when you raise and lower it.  I bought 4.5 yards of pewter grosgrain ribbon from JoAnn's and used fabric glue to attach it to the freshly-ironed shade, and then yelled expletives and cursed Messrs. Allen & Roth for designing weird hardware that I eventually succeeded at installing.

Check out that handiwork:

Then, while I was at it, I switched up the mantel a little bit too.  It's nothing award winning, but it will do for now.

Now that you see my stuff, please feel free to share any ideas for improvement on the mantel, or help me in my search for someone I can work with for some e-design.  Or teach me how to take good interior photos?

Awesome Affordable Art: Janet Hill Studio

I get super excited when I find new artists with affordable offerings.  Some of you may be able to pinpoint when I discovered the Janet Hill Studio Etsy shop yesterday by the barrage of Facebook posts and tweets.  But after I saw this post from KDot at Confessions of a Wannabe Fashionista (who I have followed since before I blogged, and wish she lived in Dallas so we could share cardies) I got really excited and immediately starting trying to decide which print I want.

I love the whimsically classic feel of the prints in the shop, and think they'd integrate nicely with the existing pieces in my bedroom.  Plus, the titles are so fun!  Check out a few of my favorites:

 Neither Silke Or Hugo Could Suppress The Nagging Feeling That Perhaps This Was Not The Best Time To Go On A Holiday - Limited Edition Print by Janet Hill

The Lady Never Liked Having Her Portrait Painted- Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

The Westlakes Surprise The Maid When They Decide To Be Spontaneous For Once And Go On A Holiday- Limited Edition Print by Janet Hill

Flashy - Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

The Party In The Next Room- Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

The Enigmatic Ms. Greene- Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

Goldfinch - Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

Francine And Her Frenchie- Open Edition Print by Janet Hill

Aren't these amazing?  I can picture a group of them in an office or bedroom.  I also liked perusing Janet's blog and checking out her other work on her website.

I still can't decide which print I want, though!  Any suggestions?

P.S. Hey True Blood nerds, what did you think of the new promo for season 5?  This post dissected every little bit and I cannot wait until June! (warning, potential spoilers if you click through)

DIY Inkblot Artwork

This Saturday, I found myself with some spare time in the afternoon and decided that it has been too long since my last art project.  I was recently inspired to try my hand at some inkblot art after being inspired by Mondo's collection on Project Runway All Stars (so glad he won!) and a few other paintings I've seen in magazines and on Pinterest.

Source: picktainment.com via Haley on Pinterest

Source: newyork.timeout.com via Haley on Pinterest

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via Haley on Pinterest

Source: aulitfinelinens.com via Haley on Pinterest

And since I'm cheap and ambitious, I got a yard of white denim at Hobby Lobby and two small bottles of acrylic paint and went to town.  Here's how it turned out:

I will be honest and say that some of my creations look like I just made a mess.  I'll definitely do this again, but will try to keep my paint more contained so that the resulting images are more frame-friendly.  I also want to layer different colors into the design like that amazing wallpaper above.

All in all, it was a good use of $10 and only took me about 30 minutes from start to finish.  I think this would be really fun to do with kids, and will generate a set of unique pieces for an area where you've got lots of wall space to fill.  Like my poor little guest room.

So... is anyone inspired to give it a shot?

I'm In Love: Inslee By Design

I am a sucker for beautiful pictures, fashion, and talented people, so it took me all of 10 seconds to check out Inslee By Design when I saw this illustration on Pinterest:

Source: Uploaded by user via Amber on Pinterest

How wonderful is that?!  The details are perfect, and my new goal is to commission a family picture (with N and pups) for our next Christmas card.  Another wonderful thing is that Inslee has an online store, and her 8x10 prints are all $20 or less!  I think a collection of these prints would be perfect for a girly space like an office (that isn't shared) or a dressing area.

These are my favorites:

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Source: inslee.net via Haley on Pinterest

Inslee also has a blog on her site, which I'll be checking out each week for a little bit of eye candy.

What illustration is your favorite?  I'm in love with the Pop of Color print (lady with flower in her hair) and can see it as part of my gallery wall.  Very tempting, indeed...

My new addiction: Society6

I have a weakness for art prints, and thanks to Pinterest, I found a new source besides Etsy that is slowly taking over my internet time.  If you haven't already, be prepared to spend lots of time browsing Society6.  I'm trying to add to an existing gallery wall, and the decisions are killing me!

Here are some of my favorites this week:

one | two | three | four | five | six

What's even more fun is that you can get pretty much any print turned into a phone case or laptop skin

 See anything you like?

Pinterest Challenge: DIY Geometric Art

Last week I saw that some of my favorite famous bloggers - John and Sherry from Young House Love and Emily Henderson (my original design crush) - are participating in a Pinterest Challenge.  They encouraged everyone in the blogosphere to join in, which means that I promised myself that I would complete one DIY project inspired by a Pinterest photo by this morning.  And I did it!  Barely.

At first I wasn't sure what to do, and considered trying to paint some furniture, but then came across a couple of my pins featuring geometric shapes on a canvas and on a headboard (with nailheads, but you get the idea)  I decided to get crafty and try again to make some art for my living room.

Here's what I did:

1. First, I repainted a canvas I already messed up so it was white again.  Then, I used blue painters tape to mark off a design that I liked.  I decided that chevron print was too expected, so I went for something similarly easy to execute that was inspired by the headboard photo.

 

2. Then, I opened the can of my leftover wall paint and went to town covering the untaped areas with Martha Stewart Living paint in Plumage.  Then I waited. 

3. Once the paint cured, I peeled away the tape and was sad.  Every one of my paint lines bled in a totally obvious way.  At one point, I yelled "Eff you Scotch painters tape!" and almost deleted this post.    (Quick Rant:  I am so sick of this tape not sealing on walls or craft projects, despite my going over the sides with a straight edge.  I have since learned that I am supposed to seal the edges with more white paint and then let that dry before adding my top coat of color - lesson learned.  However, Scotch and I have broken up anyway.  I'll use another brand next time.)

4. Once I had a Diet Coke and calmed down, I realized there was nothing to lose but time and decided to try and fix the edges.  I put white paint in an old lunch meat container (the best paint trays!) and found a tiny watercolor brush, then painstakingly retraced all of the edges to cover the teal paint that bled through.  The end result is not perfect, but much better than before.  

All in all, I like my painting.  It has character, and captures the modern look I've been trying to find for my space.  However, I realize it is too small for the wall above my table and a larger canvas would work much better.  I will probably end up moving this piece to my guest room and starting over again in a few weeks.

However, I'm glad to have taken the time to try a new project, and am excited to keep painting!

Did any of you take part in the Pinterest challenge?  What is your best (or worst) DIY adventure? 

Also, if you're an active Pinner, be sure to scroll down and add your link to my Pinteresting post so I can publish a list for everyone to bookmark!

Amazing Art via Pinterest

I am seriously addicted to Pinterest.  I love seeing all the gorgeous things that I probably wouldn't have discovered on my own, especially the art.  My taste skews towards hand drawn/painted illustrations and colorful abstract art, and I have discovered some amazing prints lately.  Some are affordable, and some cost as much as a Kia.  Here's a glimpse at what is now on my radar thanks to my constant Pinterest surfing:

By Sophie Allen

 

By Maya Hayuk

By Ashmae via Etsy

 

Clare Elsaesser via Etsy

By Marisa Seguin via Etsy

By Michelle Armas

By Greg LaMarche

What piece is your favorite?  Have you discovered any artists deserving of more attention?  

P.S. You can follow me on Pinterest, if you are so inclined

Dining area: Done

At long last, I finally made a decision and moved forward with plans for the divider wall in my dining area.  I kept having more ideas and doubting my plans, but on Saturday I began painting and never looked back.  Now I'm really happy with the end result:

Before:

"What you doing Mom?  Is it time for treats?"

After:

 

A decorator's work it is not, but N and I really like the color and personality this collection of frames brings to our dining area.  The color on the wall is called Plumage by Martha Stewart Living (via Home Depot) and the pictures are a collection of travel photos and Etsy prints that represent places that N and I have been, plus a love note written in programming language (via The Wallarroo on Etsy) because we're nerds and that's how we roll.  That basket holds our mail and I left it in the photo because that's how the space works for us, and that vintage dresser is full of our fancy dishes and some serving pieces we rarely use.

I plan to keep adding to the collage as we travel more each year, which is why it's not symmetrical.  I got some inspiration from an old Young House Love post about frame arrangements and I like that's it's not too perfect and that the frames are similar but don't match.

So... how was your weekend?

In the works - Vacation non-photo collage

I've got a lot of wall space to fill in my house, and I've been struggling to find a way to make the display personal without using tons of photos of me and N as well as keep things fun and modern.  I've finally decided on a way forward and wanted to share it with everyone in hopes of finding some new pieces to add to the collection.  (Etsy searching can get tedious when you are faced with 745 pages of options)

My idea is to begin a collection of framed prints representing cities that N and I have visited together.  It will grow as we get more stamps in our passports, and I can move the pieces around the house as I tire of them.  Here's what I have so far (two are on the way and imagine they are in non-matching but similar frames):

I've got Seattle and Vancouver to represent our honeymoon (still looking for a non-generic Whistler print) and Dallas (our home) as well as a vector file of the London skyline I found online.  I added the Love print to represent us, and may sprinkle in some actual photos from the trips as well.

I plan to keep collecting and need to add something for St. Louis (Nick's family lives there) and replace the free London art with this amazing type map from Bold & Noble via Etsy.

Now that you've seen my plans, do you have any options you think I should consider?  My cheapo nature makes this hard since I hesitate to spend more than $20 on any single print.  ;-)