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basket case

9 October 2010 by Andrea 2 Comments

Or perhaps I should say a case for baskets, so you don’t get the wrong idea!

Baskets are a great decorating tool for containing things that might not look as impressive standing alone.  Since I have a lot of unimpressive things requiring containment in my home, I tend to use baskets.  Plus, my sister used to be a Longaberger consultant, so I got some awesome baskets as gifts and she was also kind enough to extend her employee discount to me.

(If you’re not familiar with Longaberger, it’s a family-owned company here in Ohio that creates artisan-quality handmade baskets.  Longaberger is BIG in Ohio.  Their baskets are beautiful.  And expensive.  All of my basket buying was before the collapse of the world [and my personal] economy.  If you like the baskets, but they’re out of your price range, be sure to look for them on eBay…plenty of them for sale there!)

Anyway, on to the fun part…the pictures!

A fruit basket (perfect, since it has a plastic protector, so juicy fruits don’t ruin the basket).

Coasters are one of those things that never seem to have a home.  Hence, the coaster basket…

Who wants to look at icky vitamin bottles, especially when you take as many supplements as I do!  What better place to store them than in a basket!

Extra pillows for watching TV and a cozy blanket for when it gets chilly…all of it fits perfectly in this laundry basket, plus it looks cute next to the fireplace.

Those of you with gaming kids and/or husbands know there is always the ubiquitous video game paraphernalia, which never seems to want to stay in one place, until the arrival of the faux rattan video game basket.  (Got this from Target, and sadly they no longer carry them.)

Since we live just two doors down from my sister, we have a near-constant flow of stuff going back and forth between houses…forgotten jackets, magazines moving on to their next reader, outgrown kids’ clothes being handed down to the next kid on the list, dishware from already eaten leftovers, coupons, books to share, toys…I’m sure you get the idea.  Needless to say, my sister’s family really needs their own basket at my house or things would be haphazardly tossed all over the house…we call it “The Outbox.”  The Outbox is a vintage-look wire basket at the base of the stairs that’s close to the front door.  Then every now and then I’ll empty the basket and load up some kids with goodies to take home.

So, I guess it’s true…I am a basket case!  Are you one too?  I’d love to hear how you use baskets in your home.

the writing is on the wall

26 September 2010 by Andrea 5 Comments

Literally.

It’s fun to have a designated spot to break the rules a bit and write on the walls.

Yeah, you heard right…write on the walls!

By the phone in my office, you can write messages and other stuff on the wall.  (And yes, I do have a pink payphone!)

With permission!

Graffiti is allowed…

Even sarcastic commentary is tolerated…

The teens love to leave their mark…

But that’s not the only place where there’s writing on the wall in my home.  It’s important to remind the kids to find out who is at the door, so I wrote it with a Sharpie around the peephole on the front door…

Even the dogs get some wallspace…

Are you ready to let loose and write on your walls?

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

Sharing this post at the link party on Funky Junk Interiors.

robin’s egg blue

12 September 2010 by Andrea 3 Comments

Robin’s egg blue.  Sky blue.  Tiffany box blue.  I love all of those gorgeous blue hues.  But there aren’t really any rooms in my home where an entirely blue room would work well.  So I decided to create a little vignette at the bottom of the stairs that isn’t really part of any room, but the perfect place for a splash of robin’s egg blue.

And because I have a bird problem, when I think about robin’s egg blue, I start getting all literal, thinking about eggs and nests and feathers and birdhouses and branches…need I say more?  I’ll just show you…

I decided to create a vignette that brought a bit of the outdoors in.  Most of the items in the vignette I already owned.  Only had to purchase the nest, eggs, and feather, so this whole arrangement cost me less than $5.

This small square glass plate is from my old house, where I used it as a candle dish on the mantel.  I think it set me back a whopping $1.99 at Home Goods.

Then there’s this gorgeous blue & black floral bowl.  Another inexpensive Home Goods find.

My favorite part of the vignette is the nest with eggs, and the branch with a feather.  I simply hot glued the eggs into the nest, then tied a little floral wire on the back of the nest so I could hang it on a nail.

When I got the bug to do this project and needed a tree branch, I took a walk on the path that goes around our neighborhood, which backs up to a tree-lined corn field.  Whenever I ride my bike along the path, I have to dodge fallen branches, so I figured I’d find something good there, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I hammered some nails strategically at the joints of the branches, so I wouldn’t have to nail through the branch itself, and risk splitting it.

To give the illusion of a bird, I used a colorful feather, which is actually a Christmas ornament, tucked behind the branch.  Who would decorate their Christmas tree with bird feathers?  Me!  Guilty as charged!

Rather than try to hide the thermostat, I just incorporated it into the vignette, and it more or less becomes unnoticeable.

On the little black table sits a metal candy dish with a bird perched on it, a picture frame, and the lid from a china teapot.  Yes, that still is the fake photo in the frame from when I first bought it, even though I’ve had it for a solid 4 years!  Eventually I’ll get around to finding just the right photo!

The teapot lid has a story to it as well.  Someone – a child or pet, but I can’t quite recall – accidentally sent the whole thing flying across the room on a collision course with a tile floor, and I had to piece together the lid with ceramic glue…now that was a project!  But I loved it so much, I couldn’t bear to call it a loss and toss it in the trash.  It lives again in this fun vignette, full of robin’s egg blue.

Do you have something in your home that’s inspired by good ole’ Ruby Redbreast?

PS…this post was inspired by Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors…she’s having a Robin’s Egg Blue link party, so check it out!

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

tween paradise

30 August 2010 by Andrea 1 Comment

The other day I was looking back through my old photos of homes and rooms that I’ve designed and came across the photos of my daughter’s old room in our California house, which I turned into a funky tween paradise, inspired by 2 sets of clearance Cynthia Rowley bed sheets from Target.

From 2 king sheet sets, I sewed the duvet cover and curtains for the window and on the wall behind the bed, then added even more pops of color and texture with zebra print pillows and an aqua faux fur throw, making for a funky, yet cozy tween room.

Picking up two of the colors from the striped sheets, I painted the room lavender on top half of the walls, and sky blue on the bottom.

White paper lanterns add light and texture, plus a touch of mod to the room.  Amazingly, I found a mirror from Ikea with stripes that matched the curtains perfectly.

A silver lamp with a striped shade was a lucky find at Target, plus more silver accessories from Ikea give the desk area a punch of mod.

Everything a tween girl needs…tween paradise!

PS…I’ll be showing this room off over the link party at Funky Junk Interiors.

best. project. ever.

22 August 2010 by Andrea 1 Comment

Do you have a project that was just your favorite ever?  I’m sure most of us creative types do.

That’s the question that Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors was asking this weekend.

And even though this may not have been my best design ever, or my hippest project ever, it certainly stands out as my favorite.  And the one that helped sell my previous house.

The fish bathroom.

Yes, that’s right, the fish bathroom.  I painted the kids’ bathroom in a light sea foam green, then started painting all manner of sea creatures.

What I loved about this project were the flat, two-dimensional sea creatures, who were embellished with three-dimensional elements, like buttons for the suction cups on the legs of an octopus and false eyelashes on the mermaid.  Perfect for touching, and we all know little kids love to touch texture.

Heck, adults like to have some fishy fun, too!  When we decided to move from California to Ohio, our wonderful realtor told us to leave the fish bathroom as it was, because surely some parents with young kids would love it in our neighborhood of starter homes.  This was true, however, it was a middle-aged gentleman and his wife who bought our home, and one of the reasons was that he loved the fish bathroom!

So here goes…my favorite project ever…the fish bathroom…

There was a whale hiding behind the door…

Topped by an octopus with buttons for suction cups…

A mermaid & “real” jewels spilling out of a treasure chest…

A scary shark…

A swimming bear (inspired by a swimming bear on a pair of my then-toddler son’s pajamas)…

And two of his tub toys made into the mix as well…

And many other crazy undersea creatures, like leopard fish…

Plus big goldfish & little goldfish…

And even a sign outside the bathroom door…enter at your own risk!

Oh how I loved that project!  Best. project. ever.

In fact, I loved that entire house.  It was our home for 10 years, and a lot of life was lived there.  It was a special place, and I miss it.  Perhaps I’ll dig back through my photo archives and share more of the funky designs that lived there.

when you said to frame it, is this what you meant?

17 August 2010 by Andrea 1 Comment

Recently, a dear friend who lives in New York came to visit me in Ohio.

After his visit, because I have a collection of masks like this…

And this…

He sent me these…

He suggested that I frame them, which I thought was a wonderful idea.  So I purchased this framed painting from a second hand store…

I paid $7.50 for it, which is more than I usually pay for something like this.  Free is usually more my price range, but I was motivated and had an idea of exactly what I wanted to do, and this was the perfect frame.  And although the painting was cute in a kitschy kind of way and very tempting to keep, I popped the painting out of the frame and began prepping to paint the frame.

So, it went from this…

To this, which resembles something from a bloody horror flick…

To this, which turned out to be cute & funky, adding a pop of color & fun to a classic office…

A close up of the detail on the frame…

What room in your home could use a shot of color & fun?

Showing off this project at Funky Junk Interiors…

Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special

mod bell

10 August 2010 by Andrea 2 Comments

Home decorating magazines are my guilty pleasure, but I’ve become discouraged with how much the decorating mags are about buy, buy, buy.  Consumption of more and more new stuff.

However, many are beginning to sing the green song, and I am thrilled when I see vintage pieces being reused or repurposed.

Like these fabulous vintage 1950’s-era phones from Sweet Bella that have been rewired for modern telephone lines…

Ma Bell goes mod

Absolutely fabulous!   These bad boys were featured in the September 2010 issue of House Beautiful.  Not only do they look *way* cool, but they’re repurposed vintage!  What more could you ask for?

(Well maybe a lower price, because at $210, they’re a little pricey. But definitely worth saving for!)

The things people won’t think of!

For your more urgent calls

under lock & key

1 August 2010 by Andrea Leave a Comment

Under lock & key.  Or at least under the influence of locks & keys.  Vintage and antique locks and keys, that  is – I just love them!  They’re perfect, rusty little tchotckes to give some character to a nook or crannie.

When we moved from California to Ohio, we found an antique mall somewhere on the prairie in Kansas that had some great treasures that now adorn my home.  An antique padlock with key dangling from some old string…

…and a whole bunch of padlocks and keys, from vintage to antique, on a homemade “key ring” made of wire, punctuated by a small, rusty star.   I can picture some farmer in Kansas bending up some wire to hold all of his locks and keys…

…I imagine that this ring of locks and keys probably hung on a hook in a prairie barn or tool shed.  Now it hangs on a narrow spot of wall in my kitchen, where I enjoy its rusty goodness every day.

Unlock your creativity and hang some unusual rusty treasures on empty little wall spaces in your home!

Showing off at the link party at Funky Junk Interiors.

no sew curtains

27 July 2010 by Andrea Leave a Comment

I’ve been reading a great blog that I love – Funky Junk Interiors.

Funky Junk Interiors blogger, Donna, is inspiring in so many ways.  First, she’s made living small an art form by transforming every day junk into fabulous interior decor.

Even more than that, Donna has overcome adversity, yet she’s still cheerful and upbeat, and inspires so many through her blog.

More recently, she’s inspired me to complete a project I’ve been putting off with her “Gitter Done” challenge.  What was the project?

No Sew Curtains!

While my bedroom has blinds, I wanted to add some curtains to soften the harsh look of the blinds and hopefully to prevent some draftiness in colder weather.  And I wanted to do it simply & inexpensively.

So, a couple of months ago, I purchased 12 yards of unbleached muslin, cut in 3 yard lengths.  Unbleached muslin is typically inexpensive, and this was no exception at $1.99 per yard.  Plus I had a 40% off coupon, so including tax, my total was just under $16 for 4 curtain panels.  Not too bad.

(Then my fabric sat in the bag, um, “curing” for a couple of months.)

Last month I found 2 clearance curtain rods for $9.76 each.

But here’s the best part of this project (aside from not spending a whole lot of money for glamorous window coverings)…I pinned the curtain panels on to the rod with fabulous vintage brooches.  A couple were my mother’s, and a couple I picked up here and there over the years.

So finally, after months of contemplation, the big reveal…

A close up of the individual brooches…

Since I’m trying to live small, you may wonder why I even bothered to spend the money on the curtain panels.  Why didn’t I just spend no money and keep things as they were?

Well, if I continue to live in this house, these curtains will last for years.  So for less than $40, I’ve created curtains with staying power for two windows.

And, if at some point I decide to sell my home, the curtains will give the bedroom a more elegant look, one of the many things that can help sell a house at a good price.  (Of course if I sell the house, I will replace the brooches with some that aren’t family heirlooms!)

But most of all, I love them, and they make my bedroom so peaceful!  There’s nothing quite like retiring to a peaceful bedroom at the end of a long day.  And that’s worth $40 to me!

from frumpy to fab

20 July 2010 by Andrea Leave a Comment

I’m an official dumpster diver.  Also known as trash digger.  Whatever you want to call it, when I see usable stuff in the trash in my neighborhood, I pick it up & try to give it new life.

Now don’t get me wrong…I’m not rooting through people’s trash cans – that is not my style.  However, I’ve picked up plenty of larger pieces on trash day, often with a friendly heads-up phone call from my sister who lives on my street.  She’ll give me a call on her way to work to tell me that so-and-so has a such-and-such out on the curb and that she thinks that I should pick it up.

Some things I keep and refurbish, while some things have been in good enough condition that I’ve resold them.  Like a Shaker-style high-back bench…made $40 on that!

I’ve made early morning trips to pick up a chair from the house by the railroad tracks or a footstool down the street (both items awaiting refurbishing in my garage).

One evening I got a gorgeous vintage headboard in perfect condition from a neighbor who was moving out of state.  It was her parent’s headboard from when they were first married.  She didn’t want to just dump it, since it had sentimental value to her, so she was thrilled when I said that I would take it.  It’s in perfect condition, so no refurbishing is required.

My latest project was also the product of an early morning call from my sister who told me that there were 2 lamps on the curb down the street.  She thought that I should pick them up to resell, but when I saw them I knew they were too dated to fetch much.  However, they would be perfect to paint and reuse.  And I had a hankering for a new look in my bedroom.  A perfect storm!

These were the lamps before the transformation…

Looking a bit frumpy and worse for the wear.  Five bucks for 3 cans of spray paint and one lampshade from my basement later, voila!

Looking fab & oh so classy!

I did spend $12.99 + tax to buy a 2nd lampshade, but less than $20 for 2 lamps with shades is still a steal!

What projects have you retrieved from the curb & revived?

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