And While I'm at It

My big project this week has been my entryway.  I didn't want to cut glass and order prints for my gold frames and I knew that the alternatives were limited--embroidery, decoupage, paint...  I hie-ed to Pinterest and found this cute little number.  I liked the brightness and the ease. 

"Thursday Evening" Anthro price $3,600.  Gulp.

I choose the colors and got that gel-thickener stuff (genius) and went to work. 

"The Puddle"--$10 plus frame

I love it (it's much brighter and happier than in the picture).  The key was painting it a flat color on the bottom, daubing other various colors over that, and then with a palate knife and thick paint scraping those colors over (letting the underside show, somewhat).  You have to let the thick paint dry before you move on to another color but it was fairly simple.  I like how traditional the frame is and how out-there the art is.

My other frame was a harder nut to crack.  I found this "hydrangeas on a nightstand" art and liked the way it looked like a frowzy blonde. 

The print is totally affordable.  You should buy it.

I really had to work at it and as long as you don't think of the original, it's not half bad.  Good in a 'someone did this for art class in 1963 and it wound up at Goodwill' sort of way.

But I like how they all look together.  Abstract, still-life, and landscape...

Coming Undone

One of the Pinterest projects that I've been thinking of doing is bookshelf styling.  My living room BCs were tired looking and dark (that's the problem there in a nutshell) and until we get annoyed enough to get some light fixtures installed in that room, that's what we've got to work with.  So I pulled everything down and put most of it back up (bagged a bunch of pass-along books and realized that I need to get myself down to Home Goods to acquire some fresh accessories).  Here is my after (which isn't great or anything, I know):

That pile in the middle is stuff that used to be on the tops but I'm not feeling it right now.

Anyway, while I was doing that, Zac was screaming and crying (getting over his illness is less comfortable than being sick, for all of us) and doing, well...this:

Awesome.

Teenage Boy's Room

While Danny was in California this week, I took the opportunity to try and make a silk purse from a sow's ear. The project took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I think it turned out pretty dang awesome. 

The walls stayed the same color - I had just enough leftover from painting it a few years ago to touch up the grubby/scratched bits (Behr - Whisper Yellow).  Curtains and chair cover - IKEA fabric (Susannah (I think)). Bedding from Walmart. Bed from the as-is department at IKEA.

The Pit of Despair

While Danny is away, I've got some big plans for his room.  I've been questioning him about his preferences for the last few weeks. 

Me: Hey Danny...
Him: (in semi-surly teenage voice) What?
Me: How would you like a corner desk?
Him: Whaa? Oh, okay.



Every good project should start with a bad 'before' picture...