Half Bath Makeover

It's amazing how much cheering up a bathroom can do for your home. I am a big fan of color on the walls, and mixes of beautiful textures, so  I decided it would be nice to spruce up my half bath on the main floor. I am a huge fan of the color green, in fact, almost my entire home is painted green, so I decided to make an exception for the half bath. I went with a vibrant, but rich golden yellow color. I especially wanted the bathroom bright, because there are no windows and natural can only enter through the open door.

Once I taped off the bathroom, it was time for the fun to begin....and I don't mean the painting. I wanted to go with fall warm tones, especially after living in the Southwest for three years. I had purchased some time ago a bath set from Bed, Bath, and Beyond that was created by the hit show Trading Spaces. It included the warm colors from the color wheel and set the tone for the accessories in the half bath. The closest style I could find to this, I found on Ebay when I searched "Madison Stripes" and here is an example of that style <most similar>. Here are some somewhat similar designs that I was able to find... <similar here>  <similar style here> <similar here>

For color interest and fun, I purchased two guest towels from H&M in a bright red. These are perfect for half baths because of their size and light texture.

I've also always been a fan of Turkish towels, so I also found two small light orange Turkish towels off Etsy that I just love.

I purchased a small dark orange pattern mat for the room, a basket and additional towels in warm colors and white to add to the space. The other advantage of having additional towels is that if you have guests over you can switch out towels if they become saturated with water from people washing their hands.

I also wanted to incorporate some of my own art, which includes an abstract painting and drawing of my darling baby puppy dog, Oppie. The abstract isn't quite done yet, but getting there. :)

Finally, I topped the room off with a few decorative items and a set of circular mirrors from Target, which I've received multiple compliments on!

In the future I would like to add a few hanging lanterns, and possibly paint the cabinets a rich espresso color and add hardware. Have a great weekend and cheers!

My Five Functional Design Rules

1. Indoor/Outdoor Rugs in the Dining Area: Sounds silly, but having an indoor/outdoor rug under my dining table has been one of the best decisions I've made for my kitchen. Prior to my current dining table and chairs I had a completely different set and a different rug as well. I had originally had a square table with a rectangular rug. It looked cute, but I didn't think through the rug at all. I had chosen a shag rug, and it was nearly impossible to keep clean. It just trapped everything from dust to food to dog hair.

Here is one from Wayfair. 

It was an absolute pain so when I went with my second table, which was a high top, I didn't use a rug at all. This was in a very small apartment in the Westport area and that worked out well for that space. Once I moved into my row home, I realized that I would eventually want a "real" table and chairs again. I really wanted a rug in there as well to add interest, texture and color, but was really hesitant to pull the trigger. I chose the indoor/outdoor primarily because it was cheaper and hoped it would be easier to clean.

I have been so happy with my purchase! The best part is I can just sweep directly over the surface and if a liquid is spilled I can absorb it easily by lifting it up, wiping what leaked through, and then lightly cleaning the top surface.  This may be more challenging with red wine, but here is a simple way to clean that up as well.

2. Functional Sofa/Sectionals: Comfort is a priority some designers tend to overlook, but really isn't functional for day to day use. I don't really know anyone who wants to lie on a Victorian couch to watch a movie. While decorative couches serve their purpose well for entertaining and look; they just aren't always that practical for a home that has one living area. Taking into consideration you and your family's height, frequency of use, and purpose of the space is important when selecting functional seating.

Couches can also be very frustrating when they are made of materials that are difficult to clean or are light colors. I absolutely love the look of white or cream couches, but would never dare to attempt to maintain one. I have a black Dachshund that would make a white couch look more like a Dalmatian. I currently have a black leather couch that I purchased from TEMA in Albuquerque, NM about eight years ago. It's maintained its shape and is very easy to maintain in terms of cleaning. Be sure to ask plenty of questions about the leather or material when purchasing a sofa. I would also recommend searching for reviews online about the material and not just rely on the knowledge of a sales representative.

This is a gorgeous, but a little higher priced leather sectional from Restoration Hardware. They have a lot of basic and comfortable sectionals like this Capri leather sofa.

3. Don't Crowd Your Walls or Floors: It's easy to get carried away with decorating and deciding what should stay in a space or go. This can be especially true for walls. You don't have to cover every inch or section of wall that is available In dorm rooms, closet spaces, and storage areas this makes more sense, but not everywhere in your home. Adding more and more decorative items to a small room can make it feel cluttered and often lose the opportunity to make the space more practical and functional. Large spaces have more freedom, but can also distract from architectural details and bog down natural existing design.

For example, every space between two windows or a window and a door does not need to be covered in pictures or decorative items. Often new apartment or home owners will be excited to decorate and plan out areas of their walls, but it just becomes too much all too quickly and defeats the purpose of design and creating a tranquil environment. Decorative clutter isn't much different than just regular clutter. Using fewer items, higher hung curtains, and mirrors can help add space, light and an overall feeling of calm in smaller spaces.

Here is an example from Ugly House Photos. Yikes!

Furniture size is also important when selecting pieces to a room. Even if you aren't adding too many items, if they are too large for the space you can still end up with a cluttered effect. This really limits your design options and opportunities to add fun items such as throw pillows, area rugs, ottoman, console tables, plants, and lamps. Choosing small items for small spaces is important and when filling a large space it's also important to not get carried away with filling every available inch. A well designed room can quickly look like a hoarders dream land if you aren't careful.

4. Organization: 

Not only do you want your walls and floors to be clutter free, you want everything to have its place and even your drawers to be organized. Most of us have at least one catch-all drawer, but do we really need that? How often do we actually use those items and can they be easily organized?

Every room in the house requires organization. The kitchen drawers can become easily cluttered messes, wires peeking out from behind TV's and nightstands can create visual clutter, and bathrooms can turn into makeup and hair product explosions if not regularly kept. Organization is also not just a one-time act of getting it together; it requires ongoing maintenance. This maintenance is really the key. One simple trick is every time you purchase something new, something old has to go. This way you won't continue to acquire (junk) while updating your closet or kitchen.

5. Lighting: This is something that is almost always overlooked in a space. Overhead lighting and most built in lighting is just plain harsh, unflattering, and hard on the eyes. Adding softer lighting that isn't blaring down on you and your guests in your home will help with ambiance and potentially avoid headaches and straining of the eyes. It also helps soften the mood and calm the feeling in the room.

Overhead lighting in most dressing rooms are terrible for example. This woman even went to several major retail stores and took selfies to prove it. You really don't want your guests (or yourself) to look horrible over dinner with lights blaring down and creating unflattering shadows! Just say no!

Energy conservation is another practical aspect of lighting that is important to take into consideration. Today most bulbs are measured differently than by watts in terms of their energy efficiency. Lumens for example can help you choose a brighter bulb for an area that you would want to have well lit, for example the bathroom, kitchen, or a room with no windows. The warmth or coolness of the bulb is also an aspect to consider when creating a specific mood or effect. The colors in the room (particularly the wall color) can also impact your decisions and selections for lighting. I personally have used the dining area the most in every home I've lived in and have really enjoyed my recently added floor lamps with soft warm bulbs. I have two flanking the table, which provides just the amount of light for a relaxing dinner or end of day glass of wine and cheese! Cheers!!

Bird Painting Number One

I've been wanting to spice up my dining room for some time with personalized paintings. Finally, I'm getting around to starting them. I had four canvases that I originally purchased for my spare bedroom. Instead, I decided to use them in the dining room, since there is more traffic in that space and they will be enjoyed more there! I purchased four more for the spare bedroom and chose to stick with a color scheme that will work for both spaces. I'm hoping to switch them out if I grow tired of one or the other during the year.

Deciding what subject to paint was not too difficult. I had either floral themes, birds, or food in mind. I decided to go with birds. For the spare I'll probably do floral to keep things versatile. I nixed the food, as it limits that art to be used almost exclusively in a dining or kitchen area.

Next step was to choose a medium. I settled on oil. Not only is it a great medium, but a friend is wanting a very large oil done for her living room and I figured this would give me a chance to "brush up" my skills on some simple art for my own wall.

If you haven't used oil before, you may want to practice with it a bit before you jump into it. One of the most distinct differences between oil and other paints is the ability to paint "wet on wet." In other words, you don't have to wait for it to dry. Watercolor, for example, will bleed all over the place if you have two wet surfaces touching. Oil doesn't work that way. It allows you to continually work with the painting.

For this one I started with a simple base that was a contrasting color (warm) in order to create some interest around the edges of the shapes I'm attempting to create. This adds some visual interest and also prevents any blank canvas from showing.

After creating the base layer, I lightly drew the outline of the bird, stems and leaves. I made the first layer really thin by adding paint thinner, which caused it to dry almost immediately. I then moved on to creating a blue background using prussian blue and ivory. I used several of the Burnt colors to create the outline of the bird and stem. In addition, I added some of the Cadium colors and more reds to lighten the feathers. 

Slowly, I continued to add detail and highlights to the piece and the bird. This is purely done at your preference. I also thickened up the tail of the bird as I went as well. It was challenging deciding how much white I wanted on the edge of the bird and the birds face, but ended up dulling it down a bit. 

The Veridan green was added last to the leaves. I made sure some of the bright base tone peaked through around the leaves and stem. I also allowed some to peek through at the top of the painting just to add some depth and interest. 

Overall I am definitely pleased with my first attempt at revamping my oil painting skills. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the other 3 quickly and move on to the monster canvas that my friend Nancy selected for her wall. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy the fruits of my labor with a nice glass of wine. Cheers! 

Happy Autumn!

Nothing beats a latte and how great is it to be able to make it at home! I love coffee and espresso so this seemed like an obvious purchase for me. If you haven't figure it out yet, I love IKEA. It's such an easy and cheap way to make simple updates to your home, especially when you are single and in your 20's and 30's. Some of my favorite IKEA purchases are kitchen gadgets. I would love to buy a nice espresso maker with a steam frother, but that's not exactly in my working student budget. The RÅDIG Espresso pot was a great option, especially for only $19.99! I also had already purchased the MÅTTLIG Milk-frothing jug for $6.99 and the PRODUKT Milk-frother for only $2.79.

 

The process of making the espresso is extremely simple and the IKEA espresso pot includes detailed directions in almost every language. Basically you fill the bottom portion with water to just below/at the safety valve, add the ground espresso to the funnel filter and place it on the stove! Voila! You've got espresso in no time!

I added some milk to the frothing jug and heated it up as well. The milk frother is not the most efficient and takes a lot of time to get a decent amount of frothed milk. There should only be a little left in the bottom that is not frothed. 

The best part of making these at home though is adding the flavor. The commercial chains and grocery store products have a lot of added processed sugar and I personally like to know what exactly is going into my coffee or drink. My favorite combination is vanilla and cinnamon and just simply add the vanilla to the milk before I heat it up ans sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Cheers!

Crime Scene Victim Halloween Make-Up!

Last year I decided to lay low for Halloween and instead enjoyed some pre-partying time doing a friend's make-up for a group costume contest. It turned out better than I expected and was a ton of fun to do. My "victim" was a good friend of mine who was part of a group costume that included a victim, murder, and detective. This is a really fun and different group costume that is easy to DIY

First step was to glue on the fake stab wound and add the slit throat. These items come with glue, just keep in mind that you will need to use a lot of it to attach something that is projecting out from the body. It will take some time to dry so be sure to start early enough. One tip for the edges of the slashed throat would be to run your fingers along the seam to keep the edges as smooth as possible. This way the makeup you add will look as natural as possible.

Next step was to add some contouring (any contouring kit should work just fine). I used cream based products & tried to use more of the cool tones instead of warm to help with the "dead" effect I was shooting for. Be sure to go over the lips with a light color. You don't want to blend it in too much so the natural color peeks through in any natural cracks or creases in the lips. 

Once blended I added the eye shadow to create a sunken in look. I used the Naked2 palette for this and primarily utilized the darkest colors. Be sure to take the color below the eye as well. You are essentially shooting for the opposite look of health! 

Blend the make-up around the glued seams of the false wounds. This will require thicker products or just a lot of extra. This is especially true if the fake skin tone doesn't match up exactly with your "victim’s" natural skin tone.

Next up was to add the fake blood. Most fake bloods are too red and too thin, so I went with a darker version that came in a squirt bottle. Be sure to add not only to the wounds, but the edge of the mouth or the eyes. 

Either way it is a fun and scary costume for Halloween that will be sure to turn heads! Happy Halloween and Cheers! 

Kitchen Backsplash Stencil

A fun project I started recently was to create an extremely cheap, but functional backsplash. I already had extra paint from my previous painting project in the living room and dinning room areas, so I was able to use that paint in addition to only a few more items! This cut down on costs and used the paint that was just sitting in my basement.

First step I made sure I taped off the edges of the cabinets.

After taping, I removed all of the outlet covers and prepped for painting.

I started off using a drop cloth, but it became fairly dangerous once I had to stand on the counters to reach the top portion of the walls above the cabinets. I highly recommend not standing on the drop cloth unless you can find a way to secure it and prevent any risk for slipping. 

For the base paint colors, I decided to mirror the dining room wall with the same dark green called Behr Alligator Skin  from Home Depot. I had painted opposing walls in the living room and one wall in the dinning room. I decided to keep things consistent with all of the first floor area (minus the half bath). The other walls are painted also with Behr paint in the color Wasabi green shown below. I chose both in a matte finish, which I do not recommend if you have children, but it worked out great for this project. 

If you are using latex paint you haven't used in a while, be sure to stir well and also add some water if need be. I personally always prefer latex for interior wall paint over oil bases just to cut down on the mess. 

This is the far left corner of the kitchen near the refridgerator. I decided not to continue the stencil above the cabinets to really create a backsplash effect instead of a wall detail effect. Of course, it always would be an option to continue the stencil pattern above if you prefer. 

Here you can see the paint is on the wall and now it's time for the challenging part! I decided to add a Polycrylic, also from Home Depot to protect the paint against splashes and messes. I didn't even use a quart, so it really didn't require much Polycrylic at all to cover the small area. I chose a simple stencil pattern to add some interest as well! Note: the areas that are exposed from the stencil will not be protected, so you may want to avoid too large of a pattern with thick lines on your stencil. It hasn't been a problem so far and still looks much better than my plain matte white walls from before. 

I purchased a stencil from Michael's made by FolkArt that was simple and I liked the size for such a small area. This was extremely cheap (only $5.99) and is a very thin, almost flimsy stencil. If you struggle with stenciling and brush work, you may want to purchase a thicker one. I felt confident using this one and had no problems with it's sturdiness or flexibility. I also was not shooting for the stencil to be perfect in order to add some character and charm. 

Make sure you line up each stencil by overlapping to ensure you are staying in line with the exposed areas that are not covered in the Polycrylic. Any areas that seem off or you aren't happy with you can just go over with the center section of the stencil once it's dried. Also you can touch up the exposed pattern with paint using a small watercolor brush. 

I also used a mini sponge roller, which will cause some texturing when you use a Polycrylic. If you want a smoother effect, be sure to use a traditional mini roller, not a sponge roller. Initially the sponge roller looks like bubbles, but it dries looking a little like the surface of concrete. 

In the process of working on this project I also learned it's much easier to start the stencil at the top and work your way down when working under a cabinet in a small space. The edges that don't line up perfectly are not easy to manipulate from an upward direction. One option with solving this, if you are looking for an extremely clean and perfected look, would be to purchase a few stencils and cut them to line up with the overlapping edges. I just held the edges down with my fingers and dabbed with a brush. There is a chance you will bend the stencil when doing this, so be sure to get the large areas covered first and then start on the edges. 

Also, for the edges that the roller couldn't reach, including the sockets, I simply dabbed extra Polycrylic into the corners. Again, I was not shooting for a perfect look so this was not too time consuming and I used a cheap older brush for the job. 

Here are the end results!

It's very difficult to see in photos, but is definitely noticeable in person. The light is reflecting in a way that it doesn't seem to catch the camera, but it turned out just the way I wanted. Now time to enjoy! Cheers!

Cacti for the Front Door

I finally got around to planting something on my front step this weekend, after having several years of trouble keeping anything alive. The very helpful gentleman at Lowe's recommended Cacti! I had pictured something more prickly initially, but when I saw this grouping I knew it was perfect. 

Make sure if you do plant Cacti that you purchase Cactus, Palm, and Citrus potting soil too. Also I trimmed the grass around my front stoop. It's flanked on each side with very tall grass that often spills over onto the steps. 

So happy to have done this simple little project over a busy weekend. Plants are a great and easy way to get some instant gratification in terms of sprucing up your home! Happy Hump Day and cheers! 

Coffee Scented Candle Pots

Project Items:

Mini flower pots

Smokeless wicks with bases 

Coffee beans, grounded

Cinnamon, 1T

Vanilla, 1T

Soy wax flakes, 1 box

Acrylic paint 

Mod Podge 

Sponge brush

Gold printable paper

Glitter 

Exacto knife 

Sticks or chop sticks

Empty can

Sauce pan, medium size

I had yet another birthday project to complete, so I decided to go a slightly different route. This time I went with candles. I had a few small pots that I was no longer using so I decided to clean them up and turn them into candles. It's something I remember doing as a kid so I figured why not try it again. To make the pots look nicer, I went with acrylic paint, gold leaf, and some glitter.

Once I cleaned them up, I put two layers of white paint on all three pots for a base. Be sure to paint the entire inside of the pot as well, so as the candle burns, the original surface isn't exposed. Once you've done that you are pretty much free to do what you want in terms of design.

I went with one pot to be half glitter, which I got that idea off of Pinterest and really liked the simplicity of it. The second one I also wanted it to be very simple and elegant. I used gold printable paper to write the birthday girl's name on it to stick with the white and gold theme. This was pretty simple and you can print off any font and size off of a Word or Google document. I'm sure there are other websites out there as well that you could use for fun fonts and sizes. Just as a warning though, be sure to have an exacto knife on hand to make cutting the words out much easier!

The third one I wanted to incorporate the Brazilian flag because the birthday girl is Brazilian, but cutting out the printable gold paper turned out to be more challenging due to having not the greatest scissors or an exacto knife. I ended up just going with "Brazil" written in bold letters. My first attempt I made them too small and in cursive writing. This just about drove me nuts and cutting around the letters was too much. If you can have your words cut for you; I would highly recommend doing so. Cutting by hand turned out to be extremely time consuming. 

Finally I moved on to the soy wax and smokeless wick portion. First I placed the base of the wicks in the bottom of the candle to seal off the whole that is normally there for draining the flower pot. You can also use pennies for this if your wick doesn't have a base.

Second I tied the smokeless wick to a chop stick and cut the length of the wick to fit the height of each pot. The stick will hold the wick in place while the wax sets. Be sure to keep the wick as straight as possible. Once the wax sets, simply cut the stick from the wick.

Third melt you soy wax and pour it into each pot to the desired level. Be sure to add any scents at this time too while the wax is melted. I went with a vanilla latte scent by adding a tablespoon of vanilla, some ground coffee beans, and tablespoon of cinnamon. Keep in mind that you will be able to see the coffee beans and cinnamon in the wax, so if you are wanting a clean or solid colored wax, you may not want to use only vanilla or other scents. Also be sure to follow the directions on melting the wax. If you put it directly in the sauce pan you cannot use it for food preparation. Also be careful not to burn yourself when handling the can during the pouring process. The microwave is also a good option, especially if you are doing this with kiddos. 

Once you pour up the wax, and let it set, you are all done! To speed up the process you can also place your candles in the refrigerator. Other fun options would be to add color to the wax with old crayons, or different combinations of scents! In addition to using flower pots for a container, you could also use mason jars, cut wine bottles, salsa jars, or wine glasses. Cheers!