1
DIY Chevron Stripes
Oct 21, 2011
In Crafting, Daily Ramblings, Decorating, How-To
After recently redecorating our living room and bedroom, I see that we need some splashes of bright colors and patterns to balance out the comfy and plain. This chevron painting is the first splash, and I hope to collect some colorful pillows and a throw for the bed in the future. A little bit at a time. I may even get a wild hair up my ass and paint those bedside tables teal. For some reason I see that happening. Crazy?
I’m going to walk you through this incredibly simple process. Here’s what you need:
- Something to paint on (I used a piece of framed art that I couldn’t stand anymore. Just flipped the plywood over and painted the back.)
- Yard stick
- Pencil/chalk
- Base paint color
- Stripe paint color
- Paint brush
- Painter’s/masking tape
1. Paint the base color. I had to paint multiple layers of white since it wasn’t a primed piece of wood. Let dry completely.
2. Measure and mark where your stripes will be using this how-to guide via Apartment Therapy. This is not the kind of project that you can just paint freehand. You need to measure. Trust me. My lines are two inches apart, but I wish I had made the zig-zags a bit further apart. They are almost plain stripes. Oh well, I still love it.
3. Connect the dots with masking tape or painter’s tape. You need to be super precise here as well. Don’t worry, the fun part is next.
4. Paint! Now that the tape is down, this is super simple and fun.
5. Pull the tape off immediately after you paint your stripes. If the paint is not too thick, this won’t be a problem for you. I prefer to pull the tape off before it has a chance to dry because I’ve seen the tape pull off freshly dried paint before.
And you’re done! Super easy stuff, friends! But seriously should I paint those bedside tables teal or what? I’m asking you too, Hubs.
2
Addiction
Oct 18, 2011
In Crafting, Daily Ramblings, Decorating
{photo credit: There’s a Dragon in My Art Room}
Holy crack, you guys. I’m so incredibly addicted to Pinterest. It is literally sucking all of the time of the day and night away from me, which is exactly why I put it off this long. I KNEW this would happen. I’ve been on Pinterest for one week and am pinning more than any sane woman should.
That being said, HOW AMAZING IS THAT SHIT WE CALL PINTEREST?!?!?!
I’m getting so many DIY Christmas gift ideas.
For the newlyweds.
{photo credit: Cranny Found Favorites}
For the ladies. It’s a $3 plate and a $4 clock kit. Word.
{photo credit: Making Time TC}
For the busy family.
{photo credit: Crossing Fences}
I’m even finding ideas for improving our humble abode on a budget.
Totally painting our outdated, gold-plated chandelier black.
{photo credit: Apartment Therapy}
And I’m sooo adding this above the bed, but with a mustard yellow and white chevron design. Can’t. Wait.
{photo credit: Creative Influences}
You know what the added bonus is? Free therapy. Free stress relief. Bonus.
P.S. If you follow me on Twitter, you will find me on Pinterest. Win/win.
4
Makeover
Jul 17, 2011
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating, My Style
Yesterday, I had a little DIY fun at home. I gave my dresser a makeover. I’ve had this dresser since the 3rd grade (or sometime around then) and it felt oddly grown-up of me to pry off the the little wooden bows on the side and give it a fresh color. But I’m very happy to bring something from my childhood to my adult life. It should be sticking around for many more years.
I remember when my mom bought this dresser. We didn’t have much growing up, but she did the best she could for us. She was so excited to be able to get me and my sister brand new daybeds and dressers. We were excited too, because these weren’t hand-me-downs. There were OURS. Our very own possessions to hold our other possessions. Glorious.
Now, with a fresh coat of green paint and some new copper knobs, this dresser can continue to hold my things for a very long time.
2
Comfortable
Jul 12, 2011
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating, My Style
Comfortable. That is probably my favorite John Mayer song. It is also how I like to live my life (with the exception of 4-inch heels, which are sometimes a necessity). I want my world and my love to feel…comfortable.
When I walk into a room in my home, I need it to feel like a place where I can be myself. Where I can kick my shoes off and lounge and feel loved by my surroundings. I don’t need my furniture and accessories to be top-dollar and all the rage.
So this past weekend, when I was finally given the chance to change up our bedroom decor, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, the white down comforter and white bed skirt I chose ended up making our bed look like it belonged in a hospital. My misfortune led to a drunken late-night rage, in which I was bound and determined to solve the problem first thing Sunday morning. And that’s exactly what I did.
It’s amazing what a a few yards of cheap burlap can do, especially when combined with a few Goodwill and Target pieces! Our walls were already brown, so I knew I wanted to brighten it up with a very light colored comforter. I stuck a piece of burlap under the mattress for a rough-cut bed skirt and added a piece to the top for some variation (I would eventually like to get a throw to take its place, since burlap is not at all comfy). We bought an old bookshelf from a friend and turned it into two bedside tables, which make my heart sing. Before this weekend, I didn’t have a table and The Hubs had his college trunk, covered with bumper stickers and such. The tables were a very welcome addition. I found the lamps at Goodwill Sunday morning, and purchased a couple of lamp shades and pillows at Target immediately after.
Finally, I very quickly painted the abstract art above the bed during my drunken late-night rage. I’m pretty sure Drew thought I was crazy, but whatevs. I like how they turned out, even though we giggle every time we look at them because our minds are in the gutter. Why don’t you tell me what you see in those paintings? They are, after all, abstract…
14
Finally! [Updated]
Mar 17, 2011
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating, My Style
UPDATE:
Dear La-Z-Boy,
I have added this little update to my blog post because a good friend brought it to my attention that perhaps something should be done on your end due to the fact that we had to wait 6 months for the CORRECT furniture order. Yes, we love it, but for the price we paid for custom-made furniture, your customers shouldn’t have to deal with incorrect orders, or wait a whopping 6 months when the original order was supposed to arrive in only 30 days. Your hard-working customers also should not learn about extra fees and taxes the day before a delivery is supposed to take place. I appreciate the fact that you allowed us to keep the incorrect furniture while we waited, but did not enjoy our salesperson telling me that I ordered it wrong, especially when I showed that person a picture showing exactly how I would like the chaise arranged. What can you do make this a better situation for all parties involved?
Sincerely,
The Davis’
Six months after originally ordering our living room furniture, it is finally here. They said it would take 30 days. At the 2-month mark, we got our stuff but it was wrong. It took another 4 months to get the right stuff (insert New Kids song here).
But I’m not complaining, because I’m a happy camper now. We love our new living room, and so does Sammie.
Sofa & Chair: La-Z-Boy // Rug, Coffee Table, Picture Frames, Lamps, Leaf Pillows, Baskets: IKEA // TV Stand: Target // Painting: ME!
I consider my decorating style to be “comfy contemporary.” I love clean, smooth lines and solid colors, but with comfy pillows, lots of blankets, and sentimental reminders all around. The living room is where we spend our time together and I wanted it to be perfect for us. I think we succeeded.
1
Lots of changes happening in the Davis household…
Oct 26, 2010
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating
I can’t wait to show you everything when it is all done!
2
Outfit Planning
Sep 20, 2010
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating, My Style
I love Polyvore. Have you ever heard of it? Its a super cool website where you can put together outfits, plan your home interior, and just be a designer for a little while. I just finished planning all of my outfits for our upcoming Austin/San Antonio trip, as well as a plan for what we want to buy for our new living room when we stop at Ikea in Houston on the way home. Wanna see what I came up with???
We are taking this trip at the end of the month for our anniversary. We take an anniversary trip every year. Last year, on our 2nd anniversary we went to Italy. It was amazing. This year, Austin and San Antonio are calling our names. As as added bonus, my super awesome cousin, Morgon, and his wife, Lauren will be joining us for dinner and a Daniel Tosh show one night. Oh yeah! Third row, baby!
Ok, on to the planned attire…
We chose to drive, which means 10 hours in the car each way. You KNOW I plan on being both comfy and chic, and restaurant ready for whenever we arrive at our destination that evening. That’s why I chose my black skinnies and flip flops, my grey asymmetrical oversized tee, and a white cardi. Can’t forget the F21 necklace!
Our first full day is a special one, because its the day I plan on meeting up with one of my favorite style bloggers, Indiana, of Adored Austin. I obviously have to look adorable for this! Who knows…maybe I’ll end up on her blog. For this lovely meeting, I’m going to wear a floral dress from Target, my green military jacket, and my beloved Old Navy cognac flats. Because the dress is so busy, I’m going to keep the accessories to a minimum, meaning simple earrings only.
Our second full day, we will be roaming around during the day and going out on the town at night, so I have two outfits planned for that day. First, I’m going to wear my teal ruffle dress with my military jacket, mustard yellow scarf, and cognac flats.
But when we go out, I’ll be stylin’ in this Mossimo dress and cardigan, and strappy black cork wedges.
Our final full day will be filled with so much awesomeness, I can’t even stand it! This is the day that we get to go to San Antonio to visit my old coworker and friend, Kara…who works at Sea World…who’s getting us in…for free…and introducing us to a lot of amazing critters behind the scenes. I’M GOING TO HUG A FREAKIN’ BABY PENGUIN, YA’LL!!! Then we are taking Kara out to dinner, at a place of her choosing, cause she lives there and will know the best place to go. I chose an outfit that is comfy and cute and can be worn at night to a restaurant: long gray tank, F21 necklace, skinnies, boots.
Finally, we will make the long trek home, with a little shopping at Ikea in between. I’m going to wear my black leggings, plaid tunic, and black flip flops for this travel day…and I’ll probably have a cardigan handy as well. You know how it gets cold in the car.
Oh yeah! Can’t wait for Ikea! I have so many things on our list, like a coffee table, an end table, an area rug, a table lamp and floor lamp, some pillows for our new couch, and baskets for our built-in bookshelves to hide some of that clutter. This trip…is going to be epic. The end.
5
A change gon’ come.
Sep 6, 2010
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating, My Style
I’m super excited, because we just ordered 3 key pieces to begin our living room transformation! Ever since getting the office into shape, I have been dreaming of the perfect living room. And now we are on our way! I plan on doing a full before and after post once it is completely finished.
The main thing I’ve wanted is a small leather sectional with a chaise lounge. This will fit perfectly in our space, and in a chocolate leather (not shown here), our dogs can finally get on the couch with us. We also love the clean, contemporary look of the legs, which are also functional, allowing us to sweep under the couch (dog hair is a bitch, yo).
Then we compulsively bought this chair in this exact color:
Its hard to tell, but it is actually a recliner. Perfect!
And finally, we ordered this tv stand from Target:
All we need now is a coffee table, console table (optional, of course), and a jute rug to pull everything together. Can’t wait!
3
Just an ugly girl…in a pretty room.
May 5, 2010
In Daily Ramblings, Decorating
I’m not gonna lie. This kinda hurt my feelings. I don’t know why in the world my blog would show up from googling the phrase “really ugly girl,” but whatevs. I can get over shiz like that pretty quickly. See? Totally over it already (not).
But you wanna know what cheers me up? The idea of a new living room! Ok, not a new home with a new living room, but a freshly decorated living room that I can lounge in and feel 100% in love with my surroundings! We’ve been in our house for 3 years and finally decorated our office this year. Next is this dream living room of ours. Can’t wait! We’ve already purchased the tv…now we just need furniture.
Lamps, pillows, rug, tv stand, coffee table and sofa table: Ikea
Couch: La-Z-Boy (will actually be leather)
———————-
On a side note, The Hubs and I just spent 10 minutes watching these two box turtles mate. Time well spent. But if you followed me on Twitter, you would already know that.
