Andrea – Page 41

beach in a jar

24 April 2011 by Andrea Leave a Comment

A friend of mine bought her first place a couple of months ago, and I recently got the grand tour.

I wanted to give her a little housewarming gift, but I wanted it to be meaningful to her. She has a beachy/cottagey style, and has said that she wants her home to be peaceful and relaxing, just like she’s on vacation. At the beach.

I thought, why not put the beach in a jar?

So, I purchased a glass jar with a lid, some vase filler – also known as sand – and I had a bag of seashells in my basement curing, waiting for just the right craft project.

First I filled the bottom of the jar with sand…

…then layered in the seashells, and voila!

A quick and easy (and inexpensive, yet meaningful) housewarming gift that will look great on a shelf.

(Hope my friend doesn’t read this post before I give her the housewarming gift!)

there’s a bird in my purse – tutorial

2 April 2011 by Andrea Leave a Comment

As you may know, I have a bird problem. So, in the event that you have a bird problem too, I thought I’d show you how to get a bird to nest in a vintage purse.

You will need the following supplies:

Vintage purse
Floral foam
Spanish moss
Floral pins (optional)
Decorative bird’s nest
Decorative bird’s eggs
Decorative bird
A couple of feathers
Hot glue gun

First order of business, find a vintage purse. Check your local Goodwill, thrift store, or garage sale.

Then take some floral foam and cut it to fit inside the purse.

No need to use special tools to cut the foam. Basic scissors will do. And take note…cutting the foam is not a tidy job. You will need to vacuum after this project.

Then insert the foam into the purse.

Next step is to cover the foam with the Spanish moss.

You can secure the moss with floral pins.

Next step is the nest. A nest from a craft store may have wire prongs. Position the nest where you want it in the purse and push the prongs through the moss and into the floral foam. If the nest doesn’t have prongs, you can use floral pins to secure it.

When the nest is secure, hot glue several eggs in the nest.

Place your bird in the nest. Your bird may have wires in the legs. If so, you can use them to secure the bird in the floral foam.

However, if you’re placing your bird in the nest, the wire may be too flimsy to poke through the nest. In that case, clip the wires and hot glue the bird in place in the nest or purse.

If your purse has a pocket, you can hot glue a couple of feathers in the pocket. And voila! A bird has nested in your purse!

I made this purse for my friend Claire, whose house I featured in a recent Road Trip. Since Claire has lots of blue in her house – from sky blue to Tiffany blue – and plenty of red accents, I thought this would be a perfect gift for her (although I did ask her in advance if she was afraid of birds, since some people are, like my sister). The good news is she loved it!

Showing off my bird problem at Funky Junk Interiors and Remodelaholic…

my office studio space

27 March 2011 by Andrea 6 Comments

One of my house goals is to clean up my office. While I haven’t quite finished that project yet, I can show you some of that room, which is upstairs in a loft that overlooks our family room. I call it the eagle’s nest, because I can sit up there and hear just about everything that’s going on in the house. Perfect for spying on the kids.

Here’s a sneak peek of the cleaner parts of my office/art studio space.

My desk and the shelves above it…

Let’s start at the top…the top shelf, that is.

The middle shelf…

And the bottom shelf…

Globes and one of my favorite lamps on the desk.

Here’s a close up of the piece of wood…it’s a piece of wood that my son broke in tae kwon do. I wrote some of the things that are important to me on it, and it sits on my desk as a daily reminder to keep it real in my life.

Moving on in the room…my pink piano. Oh yes I do have a pink kiddie piano!

A gorgeous black velvet covered chair where my American Girl Bitty Baby doll sits. My cat sits there a lot too. Had to do a lot of lint rollering before this pic.

Some day I hope to have a dining room full of these fabulous chairs.

There is a couch that is not pictured here due to the aforementioned mess problem. I use this trunk as a coffee table for the trunk and for extra storage.

And because it would be quickly lost if I didn’t, I keep the key to the trunk on a hot pink velvet ribbon. Functional, plus it adds a great pop of color.

And let’s not forget my pink table.

This table, which we got from Ikea a million years ago, used to be ugly mustard yellow. And it lived that way until finally I spray painted it pink. Quite the improvement.

At the edge of the room is the pink phone and the writing on the wall…

That’s all for now. Still missing from the pics are the couch, front desk (the one shown is the back desk, sort of like a credenza), and the art table. Maybe I’ll clean up and add those pics. Or who knows, I could let it cure for another couple of months or years, like I do with many of my projects!

Showing off my office/art studio at Whisperwood Cottage…

because i still have a home

17 March 2011 by Andrea Leave a Comment

Because I still have the blessings of a home and my family, I am participating in Bloggers Day of Silence: For Japan With Love on Friday, March 18.

Click here for more information. Click here to make a donation.

You know, life isn’t always easy. We all have our trials and tribulations. But the tragedy in Japan is a reminder of just how small my troubles are. A reminder from Mother Nature of how fleeting this sweet life can be.

Reminding me to be thankful for all of the amazing people and blessings in my life.

knife-wielding decorator

15 March 2011 by Andrea 4 Comments

Slowly but surely, I’ve been trying to add pops of color and a touch of mod to our family room.

Today, I happened to wander into Pier 1 Imports on my lunch hour. Always dangerous. Fortunately I got out of there with only minor expenditures!

I found 2 of these fun candles with battery-powered mini lights.

Plus, see that red clearance sticker? Only $4.18 each! Can’t beat the price! And they’ll definitely add some color here…

Plus, since they’re battery operated, I won’t burn down the house! What could be wrong with that?

Nothing. Except they’re way too tall. See?

Way out of proportion. Bummer.

No worries. Have knife, will decorate!

Even though they’re battery powered, the candles are still wax. So I figured that if I took a sharp knife to them, I could cut them down to a better size.

Well, it didn’t cut quite as perfectly as I had hoped, but I carefully cut through the other half of the candle, then trimmed it to perfection with a paring knife.

OK, now this looks better…

More proportionate, and the colors are even bolder without as much white at the top.

Looks nice “lit”…

A colorful improvement!

Check back soon for more family room updates!

Showing off this project at the link party at Funky Junk Interiors.

road trip!

28 February 2011 by Andrea 3 Comments

We’re going on a Road Trip!

Road Trip! is when I leave my humble abode and take it on the road to someone else’s place to share their decorating savvy.

So let’s Road Trip! to my dear friend Claire’s home.

Claire is PLU…People Like Us. She’s fun and funny and very clever and creative. And since she and her husband, Aaron bought a house about a year ago, she’s let her inner decorator run wild and I love it!

This is Claire…

I’m sure that Claire will probably not appreciate me hijacking this photo from Facebook, but I love it, and it gives a hint of her wild personality, which shows in her decorating choices.

Lest you think she’s completely insane, here’s a more, ahem, normal pic of Claire and her hubby, Aaron.

Aren’t they sweet and so in love? You can really feel it in their home (which is far more important than any decor), such a sense of warmth and caring that makes their home inviting.

But enough chatter…on to the pictures!

Here it is from the outside…an adorable place in the Clintonville neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.

Let’s start with the kitchen, which is painted a striking sky blue with lots of red accents…

The thing that surprised me most about Claire’s decorating style when I first saw her house is that she dresses her house like she dresses herself – with bold prints & florals, reminiscent of the 70’s and other vintage eras. Like the kitchen curtains, for instance…I could see her wearing those!

It’s a small kitchen, so they added valuable work space with this long, narrow island from Ikea. Don’t you love the original black & white checkered floor?

One of the things that Claire and I have in common is our love of all things vintage and antique. So you can imagine that I almost died when I saw the vintage restaurant booth that they found in an antique shop. LURVE it!

The kitchen packs a punch with pops of red and lots of vintage style. A welcome sign & place to hang your hat…

Along with a vintage reproduction clock…

…and real vintage light fixtures that really make the space…

…and pink vintage melamine coffee cups that would make any vintage-loving gal green with envy…

On to the dining room that shows off Claire’s versatile eclectic style. A bookshelf and another fun pop of red. And just in case you didn’t notice, there is a package of mustaches on top of the bookshelf. Just what every eclectic dining room needs.

Lots of yummy texture on the dining room table and chairs.

A vintage children’s cat chair and a bird cage add to the eclectic elements…

And more pops of color with red chairs and gorgeous curtains!

A true lesson in what I like to call “eclectica”…none of the dining room pieces really “match” but they all look fabulous together!

On the other wall, an antique table that Claire picked up just yesterday in Springfield, Ohio, which is known for it’s antique malls.

It’s carved and fabulous, and she got it for a song!

Step through the archway, and it’s into the living room. To the left is the main part of the living room…

…with this to-die-for red bench behind the couch…

To the right is a reading nook…

…and a home office area…

Great use of space in corners that would be difficult to incorporate into the main area of the living room. Love the use of lime green in the living room.

But none of it shouts “lime green”.

OK, maybe these shout “lime green,” but aren’t they perfect?

Let’s take a peek upstairs…

At the top of the stairs is the bathroom, which plays the eclectic card, with cool, mod glass tiles and a vessel sink countered by a bohemian mirror frame.

Doesn’t this bathroom make you want to mix it up a bit in your house? Then there’s this, showing Claire and Aaron’s wacky senses of humor…

Or who knows…maybe they play with them in the tub! It’s not my place to judge!

The guest bedroom is warm and serene and made me want to move in. (Guess no one told Claire that a guest bedroom shouldn’t be too comfy cozy or your guests might never leave!)

On to the master bedroom. Let me tell you that today I fell in LOVE with the master bedroom! The last time I saw the master bedroom it wasn’t painted yet. When Claire told me the color she wanted to paint it, well, I was a bit skeptical. But it’s perfect!

Tiffany blue! What girl doesn’t like Tiffany blue? I didn’t think it would be warm and peaceful, but it is both, and it envelopes you in its richness.

The room is large, and has a cozy nook by the closet…

Love the ponyhair cube! The artwork is SO Claire! Another pattern I could see her wearing…

Working the eclectica with a touch of Greek goddess…

A dumpster diving friend in Manhattan rescued the dress form where Claire hangs her necklaces. And check out the lime green cowboy boots that I covet…

A vintage chest of drawers topped with an antique shutter that holds more jewelry and other tchotchkes…

Up close and personal…

Another vintage chest of drawers…

…holds photos and vintage hats…

A wall of family photos make the crawlspace door almost disappear…

That concludes today’s road trip. Wasn’t it fun? And inspiring!

Thanks so much to Claire and Aaron for opening their home to me to share with all of you! It’s a wonderful home, full of warmth and fun. Congrats to Claire for doing such a great job decorating in one short year!

inspiration from an historic building

27 February 2011 by Andrea Leave a Comment

Today I took the kids to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus for a lesson in government and politics.

As we tooled around the historic statehouse, which was completed in 1861 after 22 years of construction, I drank in all of the amazing architectural details. The craftsmanship was stunning – so much intricate detail – no wonder it took 22 years to complete!

Believe it or not, I found plenty of design inspiration at the statehouse and thought I’d share it with you.

The beauty of the rotunda…

Corinthian columns in the Senate Chamber…

These fabulous blue velvet couches were also in the Senate Chamber. What I wouldn’t do to score one of those for my living room!

Wouldn’t you love these chairs in your kitchen? Gorgeous! And don’t you love the pink in the carpet?

An ornate metal grill covering something…

A beautiful wood medallion…

The Senate Chamber doors…they just don’t make things like these doors any more.

Even the trash baskets shout “Ohio”…

The trash baskets in the Senate Chamber are Longaberger, which is based in Ohio.

The hallways had beautiful black & white marble floors that I would love in my kitchen…

When you look up, there are beautiful coffered ceilings…

…and incredible medallions that I NEEEEEED for my bedroom…

The entire place was loaded with gorgeous antique doors! And an occasional bride & groom. I want to get married too…to this door, because I love it so much!

If that antique door was my husband, this one is my boyfriend!

So many antique doors, so little time.

Now I’m inspired to find antique doors and ceiling medallions and blue velvet couches to vintage up my house!

A statehouse may seem like an odd place to look for design inspiration, but design is everywhere, so why not find it in the statehouse?

What’s the strangest place you’ve found design inspiration?

so what’s the plan, stan?

25 February 2011 by Andrea Leave a Comment

Sadly, this is not my house, because I love this house…

Recently, I think I’ve finally landed on a plan for what to do about my house.

In case you’re wondering what’s wrong with it…nothing. It’s just that ever since I got divorced, I’ve been wondering what to do with the house. Should I stay or should I go? If I stay…oh you know the words to the song!

Here’s the rub…

Although it’s not a mansion – not even a McMansion – the house is probably too big for just three people, and next year, it will just be two of us most of the time, since my daughter will be off to college.

And to be honest, the house to a wee bit too pricey for me on only one income. Like many people, we’ve experienced some mandatory belt tightening. Plus, the value of the house has gone down. Significantly. So much so that if I sold now and actually had the audacity to hire a real estate professional, I probably wouldn’t make back any of the down payment. Meaning that I wouldn’t have enough to put a down payment on a smaller place. Meaning that I’d have to rent, and in our area, the rents aren’t that much less than my house payment.

For now the plan is to stay in the house and squeeze by financially for a couple more years, until the market improves and/or I have more equity in the place.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to do projects and complete house goals that take it from tract house to treasure, so that if and when I do decide to sell, it will grab someone’s heart immediately and will sell quickly. And of course, we’ll be the lucky folks who get to live there in the meantime.

So for now that’s the plan. It’s not written in stone and it may change 20 times between now and Sunday. But no matter what, I’m determined to make some model home magic happen on this place, and of course I’ll share it all here!

How have your home plans changed in this tough economy?

no more peeping toms

13 February 2011 by Andrea 5 Comments

This weekend I picked off another home goal from my 2011 list and put an end to any peeping tom foolery in my master bathroom windows.

OK, so maybe I’m a little bit paranoid, especially since the master bath is on the second floor, but I feel as if people can look in between the blinds and the window and see me all nakey.

I decided that this year I would add some curtains, so I could rest easy when I’m waltzing around in my birthday suit, plus it would warm up the room a bit and the windows wouldn’t look so nakey either…

The tile on the floor and in the shower & surrounding the tub is a slate-like ceramic tile with a hint of light blue & teal blue…

…so I opted for teal blue as an accent color for an otherwise neutral room. I purchased 4 curtain panels for $9.99 each as well as 2 curtain rods at Target…

The wild fabric behind the box is the ironing board cover that I made…

…and got to work prepping to hang curtains.

Of course, I hit a snag. Literally.

Usually this would send me back to the store to return the item in a fit of frustration, but since I’m basically a lazy human being, I decided to see if I could remedy the problem myself with the help of my knitpicker.

At least that’s what I think it’s called. It’s what my mom the knitter calls it. The handy dandy knitpicker is a tool used to pull snags through knits. It can also be used on looser weaves such as this one.

So I knitpicked the snag…

And pulled it through to the other side of the curtain…

Crisis averted. Then I went about the business of hanging the curtain rods and the curtains. No small task considering that I had to work around this large garden tub…

I suppose I could have put a stepladder in the tub to work on, but that would have meant stopping the project & going downstairs, and as I’ve already stated, I’m basically a lazy human being, so I did it the hard way, precariously balancing, rockclimbing my tub like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 2.

Nevertheless, the curtains were hung by the bathtub with care.

But I didn’t like the way the inner part of the curtain looked on the rod. Not as gathered as the rest of the curtain.

Simple enough to solve with some large safety pins.

Since these curtains will be remaining open, I pinned the back of the pocket to make it more gathered up. Here’s the end result…

Definitely solves the problem of covering the openings on the sides of the blinds. They warm up the room and they have great texture.

To be honest, I’m not sure I’m in love with the color. Seems a wee bit too bright. I’m usually not crazy about short curtains, and these seem to have a highwater feel to them, but considering that they’re right by the tub, and that the tub is used exclusively by my 10-year-old son who doesn’t care a whole lot about whether or not curtains get wet, they probably should be highwaters.

For now I’m keeping them. Maybe someday I’ll switch them out if they don’t grow on me more.

Also, I’d like to give a shout out to my special helper, Max, who was with me through this entire project…

Another 2011 house goal complete!

a bird problem

12 February 2011 by Andrea 3 Comments

According to my sister, I have a bird problem.

No, I don’t have a flock of annoying Canadian geese over-running my yard.

Actually, it’s more that I like faux birds and enjoy decorating with them as well.

Along those lines, I made this lovely little bird assemblage…

A faux bird appears to have nested in a vintage purse…

I had it listed in my Etsy shop, AngArtica, but as soon as someone expressed a shred of interest, I realized that I didn’t think I could part with it. So I decided to keep it & find a home for it in my own home. Maybe I’ll make another to sell some day.

Sigh. Will I ever become a minimalist?

Probably not.

Showing off at the link parties at Funky Junk Interiors and Remodelaholic.

« Previous Page