Note to self: When attempting to re-paint the hallway, don’t be lazy and choose a kitchen stool over driving 5 minutes to your sister’s house to retrieve your step-stool. I hope the bruises on your legs are testament to how stupid that decision was.
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Painting Safety
March 8, 2010Listed in Decorating | Leave a comment!
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The difference a tablecloth makes
February 13, 2010When I lived in Chicago, I had a little studio apartment that I painted five different colors (orange, lime, yellow, periwinkle, and dark green), and I was very into contemporary, trendy furniture. I intensely loved my two-tone wood table that I bought at a funky store that used to be in Water Tower Place. Unfortunately, even though the size is great for my entry area, the table looks out of place with my more traditional and cozy furniture.
I’ve been thinking about replacing the table, but I decided to see how it would look covered. I used a tablecloth handed down from someone to cover the table, and instantly, it looks appropriate in the living room – a little more grown up. And it cost me $0!
Listed in Decorating Tagged quick fix | Leave a comment!
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A pretty focal point for my desk
February 8, 2010My home office is, unfortunately but necessarily, a dumping ground for items that don’t fit the rest of the house. Right now, it’s holding five computers (three functional), two broken printers, the filing cabinet, a spare side table, an old toy chest (turned coffee table with a marble top), and my American Girl doll Kirsten, which my dad brought me when he came to visit last year. Just what I needed to store. Thanks, Dad. :-P
So I’ve tried to make my corner of the office feel more glam. Last fall, I made two plant silhouette paintings that hang above my desk. They were an improvement. But I wanted more of a focal point, so I re-painted an old floating shelf using leftover paint from my kitchen makeover, and hunt it just below the paintings, so any items that sit on the shelf overlap slightly with the bottom of the paintings. I used little knick-knacks to fill the shelf, and suddenly items that had been in my throw-away pile have a home!
Listed in Decorating Tagged DIY | Leave a comment!
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Iron-on Patch Owl Pillow Cover
February 6, 2010Because of a snowstorm that wouldn’t stop, I was stuck inside today with nothing to do. So I decided to use items I had around the house to transform an old pillow that’s been taking up room on a closet shelf.
Listed in Decorating Tagged DIY, owls, pillow | Leave a comment!
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Lemon Garlic Marinade for London Broil
December 31, 2009Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious. I used spicy brown mustard instead of dijon, because that’s what was in the fridge. I didn’t want to waste a lemon, so I used all of the zest and juice.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of one lemon
- 8 large garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 sprig chopped fresh rosemary (I picked from my garden)
- Zest of one lemon
Puree in food processor. Smother a top round steak in glass baking dish. Let marinade for several hours in the fridge. Broil to your liking! Let rest a good 10 minutes. Slice on a bias and serve with salad, potatoes – whatever!
Note: Make sure to properly season the steak with salt and pepper as well. This smelled amazing while it was cooking.
Listed in Kitchen Experiments | Leave a comment!
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Spooky Details
October 18, 2009
Halloween decorations don’t have to be expensive. I collect wine bottles and cover them with labels from the craft store, use battery-operated tea lights behind books and objects, and repaint hand-me-down decorations. Every year, I buy one or two new decorations, so that I slowly build a collection of pieces I really like (like last year’s finds, my glitter crackle ghost from Pier 1 and ghost tea light holders from a shop in Smithville, NJ). A final touch is stretching spiderwebs (re-used year to year) over everything.
Listed in Chic Halloween | Leave a comment!
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Plant Silhouette Artwork
October 14, 2009In Cape May last month, I stopped into one of the boutique stores on the mall and spotted black and white floral silhouettes on stretched canvas. I loved the look, but the paintings were $25 each, and I didn’t have any of the plants in my own garden.
So I went to the crafts store and picked up a 2-pack of canvases for about $7. I used inexpensive acrylic craft paint (under $2 a bottle) to create a washed-out cream background on each canvas, which I let completely dry. On the next sunny afternoon, I traced silhouettes cast by a red salvia and a peony in my garden in pencil. Then I mixed a custom gray with hints of turquoise, which I used to fill in the silhouettes. It took a few layers to fill in the silhouettes completely, about two hours per painting. The result? Inexpensive art featuring real plants in my own garden – definitely not something I’m going to find in a store!
Listed in Decorating | Leave a comment!
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Gardening for Halloween
August 25, 2009Curb appeal is key at Halloween, even in the daylight. I like my garden to appear ever-so-slightly neglected and faded.
Early October, I let my potted plants die and leave them in their pots for an element of neglect on the front porch.
Listed in Chic Halloween Tagged gardening | Leave a comment!
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Apple Pie
July 21, 2009
Apple pie with acorn cutouts. I haven’t got the crust crimping down yet, but at least it looks homemade!
Listed in Kitchen Experiments | Leave a comment!
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Evening office makeover
July 12, 2009Chris went to a Nickelback concert Saturday night, leaving me with an entire evening free. I had bought panels at Pier 1 with a bold, modern floral print last weekend, but he hadn’t installed the curtain rod for me, so they were lying around.
Panel and curtain rod
Listed in Decorating | Leave a comment!
