News.

I guess it's fortunate that my ancestry includes Gypsies. In the three years since I started this blog you've followed me through two moves. In the decade I've been with my husband we've moved seven times, none of these pansy-ass inner-city moves. Up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Cross Country, Up Coasts, here, there and everywhere.

We're going to add another notch to our collective belt buckle. In the industry my husband works in, moving is a part of life. This by far has been the shortest time in between moves (10 months for those keeping track) but it's a great opportunity and we'd be foolish to pass it up.

So once again, we'll pack it up and get it on the road to start new somewhere else. This time is very bittersweet. While I didn't want to move here, I grew up here and I'd much rather move to a city I've never experienced before than one I'm used to, my best friend is here and she's going through a rough patch and could use some support. So that sucks.

This time around the Emerald City has been good to me: I've spent time with my family, my best friend, adopted Bruce, got some awesome thrift scores...in general had a blast.

Where are we going you ask? Here's a super-giant, big hint:

We'll be moving at the end of December. We're looking for a place now, so if anyone has some leads let me know!

House Tour- November Recap

Kristen 11/8/10

Vanessa 11/15/10

Olivia 11/22/10

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.

Turkey Day!

Today is the day in America where we stuff ourselves with food and take group naps on the couch.

I'll be busy cooking today but if you miss me you can head over to my shop and score some Handmade or Vintage goodies for 30% from now until Monday!

Etsy                                                              Lolabags

I'll be taking today and tomorrow off to enjoy some family time.

Quick Update

I made a quick update in the living room, I changed out the metal peacocks behind the TV.

For a custom printed poster:

I had seen the same poster in someone's house on Apartment Therapy but for the life of me I can't remember who or when (if anyone does know, I'd love to give credit where it's due). It just stuck in my brain. I searched the interwebs for it but no one seems to sell a poster like this so I just made my own. I used an online printing place and for had it done for less than $15.

It instantly changed the whole feel of the room. It felt very modern. I know a lot of people try to hide their TVs or make them less of a focus but let's be honest with ourselves shall we? I love TV, it's what I do in my living room and I'm not ashamed. Be proud!

(ps. I still have the jpg for this if anyone is interested in making their own)

Dresser How-To

So as promised here's how I rehabbed the dresser from last week.

I used:

An Electric Sander (1/3 Sheet Sander)

Primer

Semi-Gloss Paint

I always buy quality primers and paints. I've used the cheaper kinds I really I just end up doing more coats which equals more work. So if you're lazy like me buy quality.

First I removed the knobs, the stickers and sanded it all over. For the little nooks and crannies I got in there with my hand and a small piece of sand paper. When I sand I use a mask. It sucks to inhale that stuff.

If I were going to take it down to wood and stain the piece it would involve a tremendous amount of sanding. For painting I just do a once over on all surfaces.

After sanding I take a damp rag and go over the piece and get all that dust up. Then I used wood filler on the drill holes I wasn't going to use for the handles. I also filled in some dents that looked like someone took a hammer to the lower left door. Anger issues much? When that dries I sand the filler down.

Next Primer! I did two coats. For the nooks and crannies I used a teeny tiny paint brush and a roller for everything else.

Then the paint. Again I used a small paint brush and a roller. This color is Benjamin Moore's "Raccoon Fur". Dan from Manhattan Nest used it in his bathroom and I knew I wanted to use the color on a project.

The paint took about four coats until I was completely satisfied. The thing with semi-gloss is that it will show EVERY little flaw. So be sure to sand and use wood filler because it will show.

So if you're not OCD like me you stop here and enjoy your newly painted piece, but not I. This is the part where I got out my Blue Painter's Tape and went to work.  You can click on the above image to see it bigger. I taped off the detail on each drawer and then decided to mimic that same octagon/rectangle (what is that shape called?) on the top to give it that nice extra detailing.

For this I used a semi-gloss white. When you tape off something a little tip to have crisp lines is to go over the tape with the first color, in this instance the gray, that way you've created a seal between the tape and the dresser so the white won't bleed (supposedly).

It turned out better than when I did the headboard with the same detailing but wasn't fool proof. So after Two coats of the white trim I pulled of the tape (the truly satisfying part of painting) and fixed some bleeds with the teeny tiny paintbrush. It's not perfect but it's finished!.

House Tour-Olivia

Name: Olivia Treviño (nickname Señorita O)
Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Square Footage: about 1,000 square feet
Years Lived in: 3 years
Rent or own: I rent this house from my grandfather, it's an old familiy house that's always been inhabited by family members. My aunt Eloisa lived here before me and when she passed I moved into this house with my boyfriend Carlos. You'll find lots of old pictures of her around the house.
Describe your style: I think the decoration in my house is pretty eclectic I don't think I have a certain style, I like old things, recycled things and I very rarely buy a new piece of furniture. Most of the things you see around my house belonged to my parents or my grandparents, or were found at street markets or antique shops. This is an old house, so it feels natural to decorate it with old things, besides, I don't like spending too much on a piece of decoration and I'm very good at doing a lot with very little. I also like having art around, and books and toys, lots of toys!
Blog/Website/Twitter: radioinmyfingernail.blogspot.com/, www.flickr.com/photos/srita_o/

What's your favorite free/found item? 
My boyfriend is a designer and he will use just about anything to make a collage or paint on it, my favorite piece is an old wooden door he found in the trash and made a huge collage of a giant squid and a zebra on it. The thing is huge and heavy but it looks amazing just leaning against a wall.


What's your favorite purchased item?
All the toys I bought in my recent trip to Japan.

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design?
Well, in my case, working in an old and long neglected house. My biggest problem until now has been water leakings and humidity, that can pretty much ruin your pretty painted walls.


Is your design style organic or planned?
Never planned, I just place things around where they look nice.

What is your favorite spot in the house?
The arch and columns that divide the living and the dining room, it's very rare and very beautiful.


How has your style changed in the past 5 years?
Not much, although I've been buying a lot more figurines and other kitschy stuff lately. I'd say my style changes depending on the things that come my way.

What is your favorite resource or store?
Street markets.


What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve?
Not sure what pet peeve means...

What has been your favorite design trend?
Toys and kitsch stuff, in Mexico, there's plenty of both.


What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style?
Old pictures and old movies.

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate?
The fact that it's an old mexican house, it inspires me so much.


What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact?
Painting things like figurines, chairs, or choosing weird colors for the walls, using walls as canvas.

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.

Handmade Friday.

I love this necklace! It's a sweet little bird that kind of reminds me of a raffle ticket. Made by Marj Tadeo. I wish I could make silver jewelry like this. I tried once with clay that turns to silver with an intense heat gun and I just ended up burning a hole in a rug.

Have a great weekend!

Things We Love-Kristen's Halloween Decorations

By and large, my favorite holiday is Halloween. I know its ‘big’ right now because we’re currently in the Haloween holiday season but even in May and June I am already excited about decorating in October. Over the years I have started collecting Halloween decorations and this past year, I also started making my own. Next year I plan to start decorating the outside as well and am already excited about the expansion! 

-Kristen

www.technologikill.com

www.dailymile.com/kristenf

twitter.com/nekromantikmc

Check out Kristen's House Tour here.

If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

Another Dresser.

Back in August I bought this dresser for $9.99 at Goodwill. Since then it's been sitting in the basement waiting it's turn for a make-over. I started on it just before my Birthday. Then I got sick and it was on hold for a week. So how long this project could of really taken is unkown. My best guess would be about 4 days to a week.

So, here's the before:

If you remember the headboard I redid you can see it's an exact match. Same detail, same color green. Someone had stuck labels over the original drill holes for the handles and apparently took a hammer to the lower left side of the bottom drawer.

This guy took a lot of sanding and wood filler/putty until it looked like this:

Pretty awesome huh? I added that detail on the top, it was crying out for it! I'm not sure if it's a dresser or not, it's very low and on wheels. It's in B's office currently holding all his work stuff. One day his office will be clean enough to actually photograph and share with you.

Next week I'll show you step by step how I did this project.

Jonathan Adler

So this past Friday Jonathan Adler was signing here in Seattle and I got a chance to stalk...errr TALK to him.

Let me preface this post by saying that my husband has a job in the music industry and because of that job we've met a lot of celebrities so I got over being star struck a long time ago but for some reason I was all aflutter about meeting Jonathan Adler. I mean, I tend to talk about him a lot here. He just seems like a guy you could totally hang out with and watch bad tv with. Like the gay BFF everyone needs or is that just me?


Well here's what happened; The meeting was totally casual, you stand in line wait your turn, get your stuff signed (apparently as much as you can hold. I saw a people with armfuls of books and pottery) then you can chat with him and get a picture. There were no handlers ushering people off it was totally chill and relaxed. Unlike a lot of musicians signings I've seen, their handlers are pretty rigid and you get seconds with the person.

All I brought was his first book and this picture:

I told him about this bookcase and showed him the picture, he said he loved it and asked if I was a designer. I said only for fun but I'm also a blogger/crafter and when I told him what blog he said he'd read it. I said "no you don't!" he said "no really!".

Now since he started this book tour I've heard a few bloggers say that Jonathan told them he read their blogs. My first thought is that he just tells everyone that but now I think that his staff probably googles "Jonathan Adler" to see what people are saying and I bet he reads a lot of it. I mean I know I would. Hell, I do! I check and see if anyone has linked to this blog so it's not a stretch to think that he'd want to check on his brand on the blogs.

Anyway, he was so kind and sweet to everyone and it was a thrill to meet him. He thanked me several times for my support. B took pictures but I have to tell you he is the worse photographer I've ever met in my life. It's not joke, since I've known him he can't take a picture to save his life so of course the pics are blurry:

Look at him. He thinks I'm hilarious, you can tell he wants to be my bestie.

Here's what he signed:

For the record I didn't see anyone else getting an "XOX".

So that was my Friday. Now I just have to convince him what awesome friends we would be and get him to mentor me.

On a related note did you see his new Charade collection? I'm expecting that round frame for Christmas and if you're wondering what Jonathan Adler thinks of Seattle check out this article.

House Tour-Vanessa

Name: Vanessa Ryerse
Location: Northwest Arkansas
Square Footage: 2400
Years Lived in: one
Rent or own: own
Describe your style: Modern Farmhouse Eclectic
Blog/Website/Twitter: www.vintagebutterfly94.etsy.com

What's your favorite free/found item?
My piano. My husband surprised me with it on Christmas morning. He and a group of friends sneaked it into the house in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and I never heard a thing. And we lived in Michigan at the time, so there was more than a foot of snow while they did it.


What's your favorite purchased item?
The painting of orange zinnias in a blue and white crock that hangs in my bedroom. It cost ten dollars and we were very poor at the time, but it makes me happy every morning when I look at it because it reminds me of a painting my mother made when she was young.

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design?
In the past, we lived in houses that were old and had a lot of character. We bought this house to be close to a good school for my kids and it is only five years old. I find the house to be rather soul-less and prissy. I don't think I was meant to live in suburbia. I'd like to rip out the granite counter-tops for concrete ones and take all the cupboard doors off.


Is your design style organic or planned?
Organic for sure. I am always buying to stock my store, but some pieces find their way into the house and just stay forever because we grow to love them.

What is your favorite spot in the house? 
Without a doubt, I love the corner of my bedroom that I see when I wake up. I almost never sit on the couch there, but it's the one spot in the house that I am completely satisfied with.


How has your style changed in the past 5 years? 
I'm learning to be confident enough to just like what I like and not care what the trends are. I'd love to say that I'm getting better at editing, but maybe in another five years.....

What is your favorite resource or store? 
I have a circuit of thrift stores that know me by name. I rarely go to garage sales, but I always go to the local estate sales...I look for things I would want to pass on to my kids. Sometimes I have to remind myself when I am looking for a particular thing that SOME people actually go to stores to buy these things. Once in a while, we make a five hour drive to the closest IKEA.


What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve? 
Ooooh...I HATE it when people hang their pictures too high; anything that is too matchy-matchy. And store-bought art.

What has been your favorite design trend? 
I love that people are awakening to the practicality of recycling, upcycling and re-purposing. It's not trashy, it's practical and financially responsible.


What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style?
My own practicality. I don't think I've spent more than 200 dollars on any one thing in this whole house. With three kids and two dogs, I see no point in owning anything too precious.

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate?
Those three kids and two dogs dictate a lot. It's really important that the house just be really comfortable for my family and our friends.


What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact?
I painted the front and back door a bright earthy olive green. It makes me happy whenever I see a glimpse of the doors, inside and out.

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.

Handmade Friday

Generally speaking the majority of handmade items, crafted objects are more feminine. So it's refreshing when you see something masculine.

Now I'm not saying this belt buckle is for men only, I love it! I would wear it but sometimes finding handmade gifts for guys is challenging and this would make a great gift  for the guy(s) in your life. It's made by Kali Mellus of bykali.

Speaking of the men in my life I'm going to meet Jonathan Adler today! I'm so excited,  I've gone all groupie-ish. I'll share deets next week.

Things We Love-Lisa's Loveseat

I like to think it's my big heart that makes me collect things. In reality, it's probably just a little bit of hoarding mixed with a little bit of materialism. I gather first, then I figure out what purpose they have. It's hard for me to split collections, because they're all little treasures--maybe not worth any monetary value, but definitely worth some sentiment. There is one thing in my house that is in a category all of its own--my loveseat. I don't even have a couch anymore. The loveseat isn't the fluffiest or the prettiest, but it is probably the one thing in my house I'll want to keep forever.

We found it in one of the dimmest thrift shops we've ever been to. It was also the only one in which I had to utilize my limited Spanish skills. We eventually determined its price (a whopping 30 bucks!) and put it in storage, since we were house-hunting. It took us two years to find a house and when we finally brought it home, it was like it was always meant to be!

It sits comfortable between two windows in my living room. It is adorned with homemade pillows and a doily lap blanket. On it, I sit, I knit, I've nursed, and I've slept. It's my most favorite of my treasures.

-Lisa

 goodknits.com/blog 

 twitter.com/goodknits

If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

Upstairs

When we moved in I did very little in the space that I call the "Library". It's really just an odd cut out of shelves in a weird nook on the  upstairs landing but what else could I call it really?

Here's a glimpse of what it looked like before. I just kinda stacked the books here and there by genre (yep that's how I organize my books, like a bookstore). Most recently I put the steamer trunk in there.

Kinda blah huh? I think so. So last week while I was confined to the house with my nasty cold I rearranged the Library.

I kept it by genre but grabbed some tchotchkes and art that wasn't being used and went at it. I put my favorite rug up there. It's an discontinued Ikea rug I found at Marshall's and it's pristine so I put it there to A) Keep it pristine and B) Keep the big frame from sliding to the floor.

I put the trunk to use. There's deep storage stuff inside of it but the books piles on top are on my need to read list.

You can see all that remains of the Bruce proofing parchment and duct tape barrier. It's to prevent both cats from jumping from one side to the other over the stairs and giving me a goddamn heart attack.

There's also new art over the turntable. It's a new Ikea piece and it's such a Lichtenstein knock off but it was ten bucks and awesome.

There's one more change on the landing and it's awesome. Last week I found a disco ball at the thrift store (you can read about it here) and I'm trying it here and there around the house to see where it looks best. Hard to believe, I know, that a disco ball is a decorating challenge.

It fits under that stool perfectly but it doesn't throw the light around. I mean, if you're going to have a disco ball it should throw light around right? I'm still shopping it around the house. I'm pretty much in love with it.

Vintage Gift

Last month I found this lamp in a thrift store for three bucks;

Doesn't even look worth that huh? Boy was it sad. What you're looking at there is a jumble of plastic flowers and a pom-pom chick with a parasol. Yuck.

It plays Brahms' Lullaby when you wind up the middle pole in the birdcage but you had to twist the nut to do so. The shade was bad, the chick was bad it was all just baaaad. 

Even with all that horribleness going on, much to the dismay of my husband I still bought it. I'm doing vintage/handmade gifts for the children in my life this Christmas and I knew I could make something of this awfulness.

After several coats of paint, a new shade and finding just the right knick-knacks to go inside, it's done:

The most expensive part of the re-haul was the shade, it was eight bucks. All the paint  I had. The "C" I got at a craft store for a buck and the little bird figurine was two bucks at a thrift store. I replaced the nut to turn the pole with a triangle jump ring I had in my toolbox. I rewired it with a cord I already had and the light bulb came with it. I didn't want to paint the cage, I thought the age gave it character.

So in total this lamp cost about $14. It's for a one year old so really only her Mom will appreciate it for now.

This lamp along with the needlepoint art I revamped and a dollhouse (there's a post coming on that soon I promise) are all rehabbed vintage items and I hope all of the kids getting them will hold on to them for some time and always remember they were made with love (not like that ungrateful jerk Alexander).

My little monster

Look how huge he is! He's about 8 months now and I haven't weighed him recently but he's probably around ten to twelve pounds. (You can click to see a larger picture)

My Grandma and her boyfriend visited us a week or so ago. They're both in their 80's and I find the term boyfriend at this stage hilarious. They actually dated 60 years ago and he dumped her because she wouldn't put out.

Anyway...Grandma's boyfriend insisted Bruce was a Norwegian Forest Cat. I think he said something like "I bet my last wooden nickel on it" or something olds say. Well I of coursed googled it and then stumbled upon an article about Stewie the world's largest cat.

Stewie is a Maine Coon and looks just like Bruce. The more I read about this breed of cats the more I nod my head and think "That's Bruce"...we're screwed. On a side note I think Stewie is an awesome name for a cat.


Thanks for all the Birthday wishes last week. I actually was sick on my Birthday and the entire week. I think this should be outlawed. B enrolled me in a pottery class as a birthday present, which is probably one of the best gifts I've ever received. It's two classes and the first one was yesterday and it was AMAZING. We had a blast and made 26 pots between us. When they're all glazed and finished I'll share pictures.

House Tour-Kristen

Name: Kristen
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Square Footage: Approximately 1300
Years Lived in: 2.5
Rent or own: Own
Describe your style: Eclectic meets eccentric
Blog/Website/Twitter:
www.technologikill.com
www.dailymile.com/kristenf
twitter.com/nekromantikmc

What's your favorite free/found item?
I was driving home after work one day and on the side of the road, I passed this 1970's canvas/wall print. I literally jumped out of my car and picked this up - I was in love instantly! A few minutes later it started to rain really hard so I basically just saved this canvas! Since then I used it to create the color scheme of our office.


What's your favorite purchased item?
Hands down a Wolf furniture Credenza I happened upon in a local thrift store - It was in remarkable shape and I was in love with it the very minute I saw it!

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design?
The rugs and floor: The former home owners actually ripped out the original wood floors, laid down an industrial floor and put carpet over it. We are very slowly replacing the rugs but it's been a timely process because of the amount of moving around existing furniture and tying up certain parts of the house.


Is your design style organic or planned?
I always start with a plan but there our times, some things work better in theory then in reality. For instance, when we were painting our dining area I thought this one wall would look best all white but after looking at it for a few days, I realized it needed more accent so I painted a light grey strip along the top and it really helped shape this wall.

What is your favorite spot in the house?
Hands down: the kitchen. This is because out of the entire house, this is the room we have made the most progress in. All we have left to do is counter tops and the backsplash.


How has your style changed in the past 5 years?
Previously, I wasn't a huge fan of postmodern interior design but each year I seem to branch out in this direction more and more. My appreciation for minimalism and ‘cleaner’ designs is also ever growing.

What is your favorite resource or store?
I love sifting through good wills and local thrift stores. I have been doing so for well over 10 years and to this day I still get excited about it. Additionally, Ikea, Crate & Barrel, CB2, Room & Board and Urban Outfitters are all favorites.


What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve?
I always cringe when I hear people tell me they want to try bolder colors and designs but are afraid they won't work out. My motto: Just try. If it doesn't work it out, you can always change it. It’s like getting a shorter haircut – If you want to do it, do it – if you don’t like it, who cares – it’ll grow back eventually!

What has been your favorite design trend?
I really appreciate the current trend I am seeing of painting people painting accent walls black as well as using wallpaper. I really hate painting walls neutral colors and have been a huge fan of wallpaper in terms of decorating my space.


What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style?
My biggest influence on design comes from my years spent studying various art forms. Though I currently work in technology, I have a degree in multimedia and in college; I studied various mediums of art. I reference many of them when I design - For instance, a series of color theory classes I took have been a huge help when deciding on color schemes, determining which colors compliment each other and why.

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate?
Generally speaking, I usually rely on my mood and my gut instinct. I usually find something I like, such as a painting or a color and create a room around it. It's some what calculated but also very ad hoc as well.


What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact?
Repainting the entire house! Many people underestimate how much you can improve a space or room simply by painting it. When we first moved in almost every room in the house was painted some variation of hunter green it was horrid. Once we repainted everything, it started to feel like our reflected out styles and personalities. It was a great feeling!