New Paint, New Room!

***UDATE: Guest room? Check.. See the full tour here*** 

I need to catch you up! A lot has changed in our house over the last week or so. I mentioned in the Cardboard Chandelier post that we got the wild idea to swap our downstairs guest "suite" with our upstairs "tiny-bedroom/walk-in closet/catch all" room, and I'm so glad we did. 

See what I mean?!  The room before was our closet, storage, project, basically a catch all for things that we had no home for.  We used it as a walk in closet, and while it was really fun having a huge room to get ready in, (we'd heat it up, so nice!) it wasn't the cutest place in the house.  No I think I've seen cuter pantries than this.  You've got to see all the before pictures...

How To: Fish Scale Light

Last week I talked about possibly making the Cardboard Chandelier for the upstairs bedroom, and then I remembered this gorgeous DIY Fish Scale Light I saw on Design*Sponge:

OK - wow... Pretty sure this light kicked the cardboard chandy out of the race for the upstairs bedroom. (Sorry little fella...another time...) The colors are so rich, and I love how it's fish scale inspired so it's not entirely theme-ey like with eyes and fins and such.  The rope really ties into the natucial suggestion of it all too, which, coincidentally is what we're going for in that room. The hint of nautical without the life preservers, oars, and beach fence headboards.  (Nothing against those, this is just a tiny room and needs only a hint!) Think Deep blues, greys, Navy & red. So much fun!

I've rambled long enough, hop over to Design*Sponge for the full tutorial, which I just realized was written by Kara Paslay, one of the most creative people in the whole wide world. She shows a really cool technique to make these circles, involving wax paper and an iron. Good times!

What do you think, is this a go for your home too? Have a great day everyone!
     -Jesse

Related Posts:

• Wooden Cube Chandelier
• DIY Soda Can Flower Lights
• DIY Bird Cage Chandelier

Up Next: New Paint, New Room....moving the guest room upstairs. 

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DIY Party Decorations and Tamale Party

Last weekend we threw a Tamale making party. It was really fun, definitely a lot of work but everyone pitched in & we were eating amazing Tamales in no time.  I, of course, wanted to decorate for this party. It's probably the real reason I wanted to have a party in the first place, who knows!  Decor ups aren't essential for a good time, but in my opinion I think they set the vibe.  You walk into a party that's all dolled up, & your subconscious says oh yea, this is gonna be fun.  I had absolutely no interest in paying for decorations though, so I made really easy paper bunting from things I had around the house. And now I'll show you how to!

Paper. String. Tape. Maybe some staples.  So easy! 

Painting the Brick Fireplace

Some of you probably fell out of your chair from shock, "paint.... the fireplace?!" gasp! Sorry for the scare, but brace yourselves, yes - we're probably going to do it. I know, it's totally taboo in so many circles, and maybe that's why I want to do it - hehe.  Hear me out though, I've pulled up some good examples and inspiration pictures, and both Ralph and I agree that a nice white wash (rather than a thick white glossy coat) will brighten up the living room a lot.  Let's start with a look at what we're dealin' with here:

I love having a woodburning stove, and a big beautiful brick area - but let's face it. It's dark & dated. The long term goal is to redo the brick to some light and beautiful shale or something, with a big wood block mantle...which in reality is a long, long time away.  So I figure, baby steps - let's start with something simple, like a whitewash.  Here's what got me thinking:

This is a whitewash from The Painted Drawer.  (Hop over to her blog for details) I really like it! I saw her post about it on facebook and that opened up a whole pinterest session about painted fireplaces, and suddenly my morning was gone. Ha!  Hereare my favorites:: (you can see the whole living room board here)

Source: theyellowcapecod.com via Jesse on Pinterest

Cute fireplace, and cute dog! This one is the winner for sure, plus they give a brief tutorial on their blog on how to do it. It's a wash of 50/50 paint to water. And probably 3,000 rags but it's worth it.

Here's a really great one, if you can look past the amazing open ceiling and wonderful furniture, there's a painted fireplace in there. I like that the brick is still there, but  not soaking up every ounce of light this place has to offer (like ours!)

Source: southernexposure1.squarespace.com via Jesse on Pinterest

I think we'll just do it. No looking back.  I know, it's irreversible.. but I'm really loving the way it looks in these homes.  What do you think? Would you paint brick in your home or are we insane?  We'll see it how it goes, and I'm thinking it'll go pretty well...   You can see the full living room Pin Board here, if you are as crazy about pinning as I am. I use it for almost everything!

See you next time, I'll show you how I got the house ready to party down last weekend. Fun!
     -Jesse

Related Living Room Posts:

• Disco Ball Inspired Sun Tunnel 
• The Building of a Couch
• Living Room Makeover Board on Pinterest

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & of course, Email. 

How To: Cardboard Chandelier

Back to work today, eh? I'm so sorry... but not really because I (like many!) started back to work yesterday.  So I felt your pain.  But hey, tell your boss you're going home early because you have more important things to do, like tackle this adorable cardboard chandelier:

Sorry Boss! Just can't compete with something this sweet.  I saw this project on How-To Tuesday on Etsy a while back, and have always kept it in mind for just the right time.  This last weekend we got the wild idea to empty out two of our bedrooms and switch them entirely (I can explain...later...with pictures!), which now has me brainstorming the details of it all.  My favorite is figuring out the lighting, I want something unique and fun - this might just fit the bill. One big, one small.... hanging out.....

Head over to Etsy's How-To Tuesday for the full instructional.  Have a great "Monday", as odd as that may sound, it's all how you look at it, right? Sure...

Until next time, hugs! Oh - did you enter my String Art Giveaway on Better After yet? There's still time! Clicky clicky...

     -Jesse

Up Next: Dare we paint that fireplace? Let's think about it first....

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & of course, Email. 

Giveaway Alert: Free String Art!

Yup. Anyone one you want, sugar! I'm finally doing a giveaway for the string art.  Lindsey, of Better After, was kind enough to host the giveaway, and the prize for a lucky winner is absolutely any string art installation your heart can dream of. This includes names, which aren't cheap! (Hey, they're a lot of work!) So run, don't walk, over to Better After, and enter this giveaway right quick.  There are four ways to enter, which totally quadruples your odds.  Run, and share with your friends! Someone's going home with a customized string art tablet.  In case you missed my subtle linkage in the text above here, here's the direct link: Custom String Art Giveaway.

Love ya!

     -Jesse

Up next: A DIY Cardboard Chandelier. Yes, Cardboard!

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & of course, Email. 

Easy Honey and Soy Chicken Thighs

Need an easy but amazing chicken recipe?  Look no further.  We had some friends over a few nights ago, and I tried out a recipe I saw on Pinterest, Honey & Soy Chicken Thighs.  They came out sooo good! I had to share this so that you can make it tonight! Or this weekend I guess...

So Easy. You make the marinade, let it sit, and toss it all in the oven later.  I had all the ingredients on hand, including the thighs, which have quickly moved up the ladder on my favorite meats list.  The full recipe can be found on Pin Recipes.  The side dish was also the easiest thing on the planet, if you can boil water you can make it.  (full details after the break)

Steaks & Red Wine

Oh, was I supposed to make a Valentine's Day post?  Looks like it! Happy Valentine's day to all you lovers out there, whether single, coupled, or miscellaneous (I don't judge!) - this day is just another reason to get together and celebrate and do things you wouldn't normally do. Whether that's an expensive dinner in the city, or a night full of ice cream nachos (oh I'll fill you in soon...), it's special just the same.  For me? I haven't really ever given ol' V-day too much thought, but an interesting tradition did develop in our house, pretty naturally, and that's steaks & good red wine.

Photo Creds: Pic #1; Jinkzz's Kitchen, Pic #2; Closet Cooking

The only rule is that we make them ourselves (No not the wine...). Yep - no restaurants, no fancy chefs - not because we're anti or anything, but that's just how it's always been.  And it's not exclusive kissy kissy date night either (sorry folks!).  Friends are welcome, cause we love them too.  See Ralph and I couldn't cook a steak for our life when we first met, and one of our first few dates was learning to cook a good steak together. Yep - that was a date.  Learning something new, in my opinion, is very romantic.  So, on our first Valentine's Day, we decided we wanted to do it again. Only this time we'd toss in some good red wine & decadent side dishes. I can't remember what sides we had back then, but this year the menu will be:

• Kick ass Steaks...
• Kick ass red wine....
• Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce...
• Potatoes AuGratin ala Julia Child..

Woo! Tonight's gonna be pretty decadent, and delicious.  I think this year for our steaks we'll follow the recipes from the photos above, 'cause they look so good.   Here are the links, the top photo is from Jinkzz's Kitchen and the bottom is from Closet Cooking.  Both have the recipes included, so pop over to them for the deets.  I'd better head out, gotta prep the foodies for tonight. 

So what shenanigans do you get into on Valentine's day? Tell me, tell me! For some reason this made me look back at what I was up to last February.. time flies! If you want to see, clicky here...

Happy Valentine's Day Beezies!

     -Jesse

Next Up >>> Honey & Soy Chicken Thighs
    

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & of course, Email.

Kitchen Bench Brainstorm

When we were first touring our new house (see the photos & tour here!) one of the things (among many!) that we loved was this built in, rustic bench:

Perfectly placed under this vintage (aka: single paned...) window, that we also loved.  I could just imagine it, summertime... the weather is warm, this french window is wide open... perfection! Right?

Knobs for the Hutch

Just a quick update to close the book on this hutch: They came! After all that the knobs came.  Originally they were lost in the mail, so I ordered more, than the originals showed up - then the new ones showed up - so now I have 4! Not that I mind, they are so cute that I will definitely find a spot. This completes the hutch!

 They look like little pumpkins! They weren't bad either, around $6 each from

IKEA Hack: Cheap & Easy Kitchen Cart

Those words are like music to my ears, a kitchen cart that was not only cheap but extremely easy. I've been looking for a while now for a solution to this problem.  Craigslist, thrift shops, you name it - for a kitchen cart that would not only fit, but not be terribly ugly.  Here was our temporary situation:

That's our old kitchen table, we used to have stools around it at the last house.  Of course I appreciated the extra counterspace, but having it 6 inches taller than the counter and hogged up by a microwave? Not so much.  I knew, somewhere out there in the universe, there was a kitchen cart - just for us - that would not only be the right height, but would hold that microwave on a shelf below.  I scoured the internet, and even started to dream up plans of building one from the ground up (Yea, let's add THAT to the never-ending to do list!). Then one morning it dawned on me - duh! Ikea coffee tables!

I was on my way there anyway. So,I went and grabbed two Lack coffee tables from Ikea,  we all know the ones. They are the basic of basic, and completely affordable.  You'll need 2 if you are going to this project.  That's Rubin making another appearance there, always loves to lend a helping hand paw. 

Ready to see the new cart?

DIY: Disco Ball Inspired Sun Tunnel

Have you ever wanted a giant disco ball-like effect in your home? Me too, who hasn't? :)  Ok, maybe I'm alone on that, but after seeing this DIY you might just change your mind...

This isn't so much a do it yourself project as it is just an put-this-all-together yourself project, but it's still super fun! So we have a sky light in our living room that has a drywall tunnel beneath it since we don't have vaulted ceilings (yet! look out drywall...), and when the sun shines in that light the entire thing glows. That's all well and good, but let's really make it sparkle!

Oh yes, we took it there. It's nice to know that all those years dancing beneath the disco ball had a lasting effect on my subconsious, because I always seem to want to throw mirrors in my windows when the sun shines in. Hmm.

Anyway, when I saw the sun pouring in you just know I had to glam it up.  Everyone needs a little disco, right? Right. This project seemed easy enough: get some mirrors, get some self adhesive.. done. Well, not so much... one by one these mirrors came crashing down (luckily none broke) like a mini meteor shower, until I figured out a solution...E-6000. 

UPDATE 5/20/2013 - A few of my mirrors have been really stubborn and won't stay up, so I'm using the plastic clamshell mirror hardware to secure them. success!

How To: DIY 3-D Paper Ball

Good morning! So I guess that groundhog has decided we'll have an early spring, huh? I'll take it, that's just the news I wanted to hear from that furry little rodent.  With spring comes color, life, and the urge to start redecorating!  Remember the DIY 3-D paper wall art post?  Well check this out, I was browsing around my idea board this morning and these totally caught my eye (again!):

These meet the qualifications for me to love them. Made of paper? Check. Textural & 3-D? Check. Affordable? Checkmate!  There's nothing like a project that

Q+A: Painting a Dresser

Rabbit Rabbit! It's February! I'm not crazy, it's an old British superstition to repeat the word "rabbit" on the first day of the month, I've just always tried to remember to do it, for fun :) Here's some more info on that if you're dying to know....

Anyway...back to my post.  I get a lot of emails from people asking for advice & tips on how to get started with painting this or that, and while I love to answer all your emails (thanks for writing!), I thought - I should post these! I'm sure there are others who would like to know but haven't asked, so today I thought we could have a little Q+A.  Here's a question from Brooke:

"Hello! My name is Brooke and I absolutely love your inspiring projects! I just recently bought a dresser off of Craigslist that is a dark wood of some sort and thought that I would repaint it.  I was wanting some advice before I got started just to make sure I'm doing it correctly.  If it has a finish, I would sand it, and then if I'm wanting to paint it a lighter color such as white would you suggest priming it first? Also, how do you know how much sanding to do? I don't have an electric sander so I will be doing it by hand.  Any other steps or advice? I would greatly appreciate it!  Thanks again!"

 My answers after the jump!