sittin Stage Decoration

I want this book! I'm already working on a handful of weddings this year that are going to have some amazing DIY touches and I have a feeling that Handmade Weddings: Over 50 Crafts to Style and Personalize Your Big Day would come in very handy...

Grace assures us that it's that perfect mix of trendy and timeless, crafty and classic...I've seen a lot of DIY weddings that are a little to precious for my tastes, but this book looks like a great guide for projects that will make your day wholly unique.

hey, did anyone out there get engaged over the holidays? how's wedding planning coming along?

How to wrap a gift in an envelope.

Today I show you in a visual tutorial with photographs of their own, how to wrap a gift in an original way, in an envelope.

Every day we are concerned about the presentation of our gifts, and no longer seems enough to wrap a gift from the classical form.

To change the way we wrap a gift, there are plenty of ideas and tutorials to learn how to wrap gifts in a new and different.

Today I suggest you wrap a gift in an envelope.

Using a form of gift wrap is a perfect gift idea planes as clothing, a book or music CD.

HOW TO WRAP A GIFT IN THE FORM OF AN ENVELOPE

Gift wrapping materials into an envelope:

A planned gift
Gift wrap
Scissors
Tape


Visual tutorial to learn how to wrap a gift in an envelope:

1 .- Cut the wrapping paper with enough left over by all sides.
2 .- Turn on the gift the bottom of the paper, covering it completely.
3 .- Double pointed the sides on the gift.
4 .- Fold also pointed the upper remaining part of this gift.

In 4 or 5 simple steps we can wrap a gift so original as to create an envelope with our gift.

A decorative stones domino.

Decorate with stones is as simple as taking some stones from the beach or the mountains, and pile them on any site to create a decorative centerpiece, or a natural decorative element.

But decorating with stones, can also be a wonderful gesture making more elaborate decorative elements, combining natural creativity, and crafts.

What do you think of this very cool and decorative handmade domino stones and paint?

This manual, which I found in Martha Stewart, proposes to create a domino, as functional as decorative, natural stones.

This is one of those "do it yourself" is surprising for its originality and simplicity, when compared with the results of this highly decorative handmade domino of stones.

A mere stones, some river stones, beach stones or stones collected in the field, can be the raw material to make do ourselves this original and decorative domino stones.

After getting the stones to our craft domino, we only need common white paint and a fine brush.

Yes, finally to make this craft also going to need something to draw a pulse at a time, the typical dominoes on each of the stones.

Pure Style Project #9: How To Make Wax Drip Candle Covers for Your Chandelier

Hope you had a great weekend!  We painted the nursery, organized it (finally!) & I started hanging things on the walls.  wahooo!!  Our washing machine broke and our house got so trashed from working on the nursery and neglecting everything else,  that we decided to head over to my parents' house and do laundry & order pizza & watch movies Saturday night.  They'd gone out for the night so we got to relax in their newly finished basement (redone after the flood.) (For those of you who haven't been reading this blog since the beginning, Dave & I had moved into my parents' last year to save up for this house.  It was one of the best things we ever did, although at the time it seemed like an eternity.)  It was cool to be back in our old "home" (the basement) Saturday night and remember all of our saving & dreaming & planning for a new house and to realize that we were there.   

Also, I've decided that because so many of our projects are decorating-related and not necessarily organization projects, I'll include both.  (BecausetTicking stuff off of my "to do" list gets me more organized even if it is purely decor-related.)

For this week's project I wanted to share with you the wax drip candle covers we made.  The stark white candle covers always bothered me on our old chandelier.  (We'd had to rewire it and replace the old damaged candle covers that were oroginal to it.)  I wanted pretty wax drip candle covers. 

So we made glue drips down the sides of the 30 cent plastic covers with Elmer's Glue.  I let a layer of drips dry before starting another one.  Here's the first layer (below).  Just start at the top with a glob of glue and let it drip down.  (As you can see from the pics it was a learning process.)  And use something better than a paper towel as the surface...  it sticks to the candles.  ;)

Once they'd dried and I had enough layers, I painted them with a cream paint we had lying around:

Here's a close-up:

I'm really way more into the orangey-aged color of the one wax drip candle cover below on the left (It adds so much to a chandelier) but I didn't have the right paint lying around. 

 So here they are for now & when I get the chance, I'll be recoating in a more orangey paint & antiquing:

But so much better for now.  (At least I don't cringe when people look up & examine my poor chandy or I put pics up on the blog.)  So if you have any chandeliers that are in need of new wax drips, please join in and link up!!  

xoxo,

lauren

ps-  This project's at your own risk.  I didn't use heat resistant paint, which I'm sure would be the smartest thing to do...  We checked our covers (prior to painting) and they don't get warm so we went for it, but that's up to you.  :)

On a Crafty Scale, I'm probably above-average for normal people but below-average or average for crafty bloggers/ blog readers/ DIYers.  I get very impatient & sloppy and like quick & easy projects.  This was sooo easy.   

*update -  also I didn't come up with this myself-- I think I must've read it in a magazine a few years ago**  :)

Wallpaper Stencil LOVE

Well my sweet husband finished the LR wallpaper stenciling this weekend!! The stencil was roughly 17 x 20 inches & it took 3 days of painting. (RL stencil from here )

He says the worst part about it was having to wash out the stencil between every few applications of the stencil. We used a latex paint: Sherwin Williams 'Ancestral Gold' recommended by Maria from Colour Me Happy & the color coudn't be more perfect!! (a pale goldy-green- awesome with the sofa- Thank you Maria!!! :) He didn't use a stencil brush & we just went with a Home Depot cheapie about 2-3 inches wide. The application isn't even & is just what I was looking for. (perfect imperfection!!)

Here's what our living room looked like before:

And here it is after the stenciling:

(A clear glass floor lamp is on its way to the right of the fireplace to balance out the chandelier & we're adding a custom mirror in the fireplace box.) It's hard to see in the far away photos because of the light coming in through the windows, but there is a sort of grid-like pattern where the stencil applications meet. I've been going around by hand to fill in these areas (this will also take FOREVER) but it's worth it because it makes it look continuous.

It reminds me a little of my grandparents' wallpaper (where I lived growing up) and looking at it just gives me this feeling of "home." I seriously teared up when Dave finished it. (ha pregnancy! ;) It looks like a timeworn wallpaper & I couldn't be happier. It really warmed up the room & made that huge high wall feel smaller.

Now my dilemma is this: I don't think I can cover it up with my 30 Leonardo Da Vinci sketches!! (At least not right away because I just want to gaze at it lovingly.. not kidding.) But I already ordered them... SO now I think I'm going for a CRAZY gallery entry with them going all the way up the 3 walls in the entryway. Any thoughts??? Should I put them in the living room or entry? If I put them in the entry, what your thoughts on the living room? Should I put the black window-like mirrors back? (in above before pic-- they're very loft-like & strong.) Just keep it empty & lean whichever mirror and/ or art I feel like at any given time? (below) Do you think it feels too empty as it is now? (This is tough because it feels "emptier" in photos than in person because the wallpaper stencil stands out much more in person...)

Ok, would love your thoughts & ideas. And one last pic of my chemistry beakers!! (In case you didn't read the comments in a previous post, I had to laugh so hard when Terri of WindLost said she loved everything in the room except for the chemistry beakers because she's a scientist. hahaha Yes, I have to agree that I wouldn't feel the same way about them had I her job!!)

Looking back over the weekend stenciling project: YES, I almost told my husband to quit after it took an hour and a half to do the first 3 stencils. He was a serious trooper & just kept going & going but I KNOW I wouldn't have done it myself. I don't have the patience. IF you have an insane stash of patience, it's a project worth doing, but I agree with many of the comments in my last post that wallpaper doesn't seem nearly as expensive now. He's moving onto the foyer this weekend & that will be rough on a ladder the whole time but I'll post when we have pics!

xoxo,

lauren

ps- Head over to Velvet & Linen to vote for which readers' rooms you think deserve the GORGEOUS brickmaker's coffee table!!! I took part in the selection of the finalists & I cannot tell you how many beautiful well-designed rooms were sent in!! It was SO tough- bloggers & readers are so talented!!!

xoxo

Wallpaper Stencils

Right now I'm helping (i.e. watching & providing wonderful & lively conversation for) my husband paint this wallpaper stencil all over our living room wall:

A very sweet reader, Mary, gave me the idea to try stenciling after learning that I lusted after wallpaper for my living room & entry. (It's a RL stencil from here and reminds of a henna tattoo & I just LOVE it!! ) It's INSANELY intricate and will most likely take years to complete... No really, it's baaaaaad. It's taking FOREVER. The ceiling is high and the wall continues into the entryway...

Stenciling is for the extremely patient, crafty or BROKE person. (And I'll give you a hint, I'm not patient or crafty... ;) Can you guess what color I chose for the stenciling? The Color Queen from Colour Me Happy (AKA Maria) recommended it to me & it's prefect!!

Have a great weekend & we (he) will be meticulously painting away-- ahhhhhhhhhhhh

xoxo,

lauren

The Appliance Saga Continues...

So, I called the company that I bought the liquid stainless from --they were really nice & even offered to send me my money back--- to find out what product we'd need to get the paint off of our stove. (If you didn't read yesterday's post & are unsure of what the "appliance saga" is, you can read about it here. )




Here's the "painted stainless steel stove" above. It doesn't look as terrible in photos but in person it looked totally, well, painted. Anyway, they recommended a product, CitriSolve and we got it at Home Depot and my poor husband went to work undoing what I'd had him do the day before. (He really puts up with me. )

After letting it sit for 30 mins, he scrubbed it and was able to prettty much just wipe & scrub all the paint off. (Which took a couple of hours.) The only problem is that since it took so long to come off, the solvent was left on for too long and took off some of the stove's white factory finish on the bottom handle. (I'm more than okay with this because I'm just so happy to have it back white.. we'll just touch that up with white appliance paint.)

And here is is this morning: brighter & whiter than it's been in a long time! (It really got a good scrubbing ;)


It's not too too terribly far off from the Big Chill vintage reproduction stove (below). Does anyone know if there are replacement handles you can have put on your stove that might look a bit more vintage? (I feel like that's what's mostly keeping mine from being attractive.)

as far as the fridge is concerned, many of you suggested I cover it in chalkboard paint & Linda from Lime in the Coconut sold me on this image:

Thanks so much everyone!! When Dave was at Home Depot picking up the paint stripper, he also picked up some black chalboard paint. It won't help in lightening back up my kitchen, but at least it will be a fun & easy alternative to the fake stainless. We'll keep it until we can afford this:

Or this I love too: Anyway, thanks everyone so much for your suggestions & thoughts. I have to admit I am a stainless steel lover (finger prints and all- I think it's beautiful) but taught myself the lesson that it's not always right for a space. I was so excited to hear so many of you say how you loved your white appliances! Will be posting soon on the chalkboard fridge!!!

xoxo,

lauren

ps- my dishwasher (a dying old thing that's really more like a dish "disinfector" because you have to clean everything before you put it in) is going back to the same gray-green as the cabinets again... It honestly didn't bother me when it was green so back it goes!

Stainless Steel Appliance Paint... or How I Ruined My Kitchen

There will be no pretty "after" pictures in this post. I seriously ruined my kitchen today. Wanting stainless steel appliances and loathing my "bisque" fridge and dishwasher, I started researching cheaper options. I got SO excited when I read about the product, a "liquid" stainless steel! (I haven't listed the brand because I don't want to put a company down or cause it to lose any business, but if you really are interested in the product, you can email me and I can give you more details.) I thought: at least I should give this stuff a try for $50 before buying new appliances. Well, I bought it and here's what I got:

It actually looks better in the above pic than it does in person. It looks more like this:

It's really dark and looks just like what it is: painted appliances. I really fell for the photos on the website. To be fair, I'm sure they applied it much better than we did and so the appliances pictured probably look much better, but I really should have known better. I think it's a great idea and it really might be for some people, but it's not for me. I'm actually embarrassed of my kitchen now.

Coming home tonight (we were out waiting for it to dry) and seeing my kitchen "finished" I wanted to cry. hahha I know how stupid that sounds but it's my favorite spot in our house and now all I see are these fake-fake-fake appliances!!!!! They used to just sort of recede... I forgot about them knowing one day we'd replace them... now they're so in my face I can't stand it!! (Before I thought, "it's got to be better than bisque".. well it's not. at all.)

BUT, I have found a little silver lining. Even though the finish looks terrible, I'm able to envision my kitchen with stainless steel appliances and I'm not sure if that's what I want any more.

I know it's pretty much standard in beautiful kitchens but I'm not so sure how well it will work in mine to get the feeling I'm after. I love all my white beadboard on the walls and the fridge in stainless really makes it feel smaller and interrupts the beadboard. (pic above before, when range was white.) I'm considering a new or craigslist white fridge to replace my bisque-turned-fake-stainless one... which, in the end will be much cheaper than all stainless appliances. Now I'm leaning more towards something like this:

I know "real" stainless reflects much more light than my fake painted stuff and so in that way, it will be lighter & maybe not interrupt the flow as much... but still.. white is now calling to me. After doing a little research, I've decided my "dream fridge" is one of these vintage reproduction fridges by Big Chill....

Oh my goodness how I want one....

And how perfect would the matching stove be?!!!

Ok, so anyone have any other ideas??? I've got to do something!!!! (I'm attempting to scrape off the stainless paint from the range tomorrow... the fridge isn't worth saving..)

xoxo,
lauren

Wallpapering Is Hard To DO-O...

(That's being sung to the tune of "Breaking up is hard to do!")

Dave installed the breakfast nook wallpaper last night... AFTER mowing the lawn, accompanying me & providing the man-power on a Home Depot trip to buy shrubs/ trees and 3 huge bails of hay and finally, digging holes for 2 tree-shrubs (don't know the name, just that they were tall & are helping it make as if people live inside our house!) and 5 rhododendron bushes. He really deserves a medal after the past few months.

I'm loving it!!!! (He said it was really hard to install and wants to hire a professional for the hallway... I'm okay with the few wrinkles you can barely see!) Next up: baseboards & bamboo roman shade installation & crystal sconce installation (and then of course some pretty things/ accessories) and I'll show more pics when it's all done next week. Anyway, have a great weekend & will be back Monday!!! :)
xoxo,

lauren

ps- Michele from My Notting Hill was at the Pear Tree Cottage Design Seminar & did a great (and very sweet!!!) post on it here Thanks so much for coming Michele!!

Click & Lock Hardwood Floors Installation- phew!!!

So this past weekend was crazy (good crazy) for us: client install (Fri night/ Sat AM), Pear Tree Cottage Design Seminar (Sun) and last but not least hardwood floor install at our place!!! It started out with a day/ night of demo on Saturday: (NOT fun)


Here it is down to the plywood: The next day we (Ok, DAVE) finished the demo and layed down the sound barrier- the red stuff all over the floor. My parents were watching Christian for the weekend...

And then Dave began click & locking away!!!! I was off to the Pear Tree Cottage and when I came home with Christian he'd almost finished the whole living room & dining room!!!

The next day (Monday, our last day of the long weekend) entailed lots of walks and outside time for Chrstian (who was now home) & Ashby (our pup) and I while Dave installed away. He really is a workhorse and stayed up really late nto finish the floors the day before his first day back at school teaching (11 & 12th grade English). Below, Christian really wanted to help and made sure to cover his ears while Daddy hammered:



He liked his giant "puzzle" and got out his hammer & everything:


Ashby chilled while I took pictures. (Rough job for both of us! ;) ;) She seems to like the new floors. { This is really funny but at the Pear Tree Cottage Workshop, I did a TON of squats in heels without really realizing it, because all of my items for display were sitting on the ground and I had to squat to pick up each one (trying not to abuse the old back!)... hahahah so literally I was SO SORE that walking was difficult for a day or 2!!! It was like I'd had this awesome workout!!! (It's been a while for me, I'll be honest) But now I've decided that next time I do squats it will be in heels because it was one of the best workouts ever!!!}

And, like most projects, this one expanded. We had some extra and went into the bathroom with it. Not my first choice for a kids' bathroom, but we had the scrap and it's better than the linoleum that was in there. We'll try to be good to it, but if it doesn't last forever, I'm ok with that. Below, is our very GREEN bathroom which is now getting a makeover. The green toilet left (sorry I don't have a pic of the pretty litle thing!) and we're keeping the green shower for a good long while (yuck!) and I'm working on a shower curtain for it right now to hide its special beauty away. The sink (also green) is going now too. Will post some "afters" on this bathroom next week.

And, now for some pics of the installed floor!!!! Dave's putting in new baseboards this weekend & then we'll be TOTALLY FINISHED!!! But I'm so happy with how it looks:

Here it is in the kitchen:

And in the breakfast area. (You can see the wallpaper didm't go up yet. As we were prepping we found an outlet above the window that allowed us to install some sconces we had!!! So wallpaper is on the list for tonight...)

And as I was taking pictures of the hallyway about 20 minutes ago, Christian stumbled out of his room and curled up on the floor so I had to get a pic of that. He was there for 5 minutes or so just "hatching"/ waking up. I guess it's comfortable...

We have a bunch of items that are arriving & a few DIY projects left but I can't wait to show you some 'after' pics!!!! It's really all coming together & we're SO looking forward to relaxing & waiting for Baby 2!!!

xoxo,

lauren

**UPDATE: I forgot to mention that we got the floors from Home Depot for around $3.25 per square foot. They messed up on the label though & I think the actual price is around $3.75 or so per square foot but they honored the low price for us & quickly changed the label. They are engineered HWs--- and veneer is elm with a walnut finish. I'm really happy with them so far and we have a pup with long nails & so far she hasn't done ANY damage, even when she skates accross them (she's still getting used to the floors haha)... I chose them because they were the best -looking in our budget... there were others I would have chosen if the price could be doubled or tripled but alas, it's not!!! :) xoxo ***