The Award Goes To...

I have completely sucked at blogging lately but between client projects, alternating days with Mom at the DC Design House, and other things (like finally filling out all the necessary paperwork to "officially" change my last name) I haven't had much spare time. Side note: if only changing your last name was as easy in real life as it is on Facebook, I did that from my phone on the way to the airport for our honeymoon. If it weren't for the Pinterest app on my iPhone I would be annoyed that I spent two precious hours yesterday at the Social Security Administration office. While scrolling through pins I noticed this one Ikea hack that had been re-posted a bunch and I thought A who has the time for that stuff, and B what a great idea! I am sooo not a fan of certain most DIY projects, which I will not mention, but if its going to cost you $10 and 5 hours to make something you could get at Target for $20, I just don't see the point. While Ikea hacks fall in the Do It Yourself category they are on a whole other level of geniusness. To me DIY things remind me of K Mart, where as Ikea hacks are totally Tarjay. I have always wanted to do a fun Ikea hack of some sort, especially after seeing hacks that deserve an award. If I were the national judge for the best Ikea hacks, the awards would go to the following...

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And for those of us without the time an or energy to accomplish such amazing Ikea hacks, there is always O'verlays! 

The Elephant In The Room Part II

This past Sunday when the Mr. was watching the Super Bowl I couldn't help but notice that our TV was more annoying than the game itself. Disguising the ginormous flat screen will not be easy, but I have to come up with something or some way to blend the electronic beast into the pretty much all white living room. Here are the latest inspirational images I found to motivate me.

Disguising the TV with accents... 

with doors... 

 with art... 

images: the decorista, elements of style, shelterness, houzz, cote de texas, shelterness, pinterest

Speaking of Barn Doors...

Barn Door Hardware 

plus

 Anthropologie Angles & Orbs Mirror 

equals 

Talk about the most amazing barn door do it yourself idea ever!  

image via 

A Mouse In The House!

 Nothing will force you to clean and organize more than a rodent sighting. This past week the Mr. spotted a mouse in our kitchen, and I flipped out! First of all, this is not the first mouse visit (the last one I set free with the help of my Mom, this new guy might not be so lucky) after checking every crevice of the apartment I realized that there was a huge hole under the stairs in the main corridor of our building's entrance. The hole has been patched and repaired, but the thought of another visitor still got me into major ocd mode. Having been forced to do some re-organizing has been quite therapeutic. Here is my progress so far. 

 I am not a fan of the paper towel holders that hang under cabinets, but my white pitcher is the perfect size to hide a paper towel roll. The colander/vase is helpful because as you can see there is only one drawer in the entire kitchen. Every time we wanted to use a pot or pan the cutting boards would slide over and fall down, so I added an extra shelf specifically for cutting boards which only takes up an extra 4 inches of space. 

 I cleaned every cabinet and re-organized glasses and plates. Even though I know mice are attracted to warmth and not my cereal, I definitely wanted to store open food in clear containers from now on. The container on the left was $16 from Target, but the three containers on the right combined were only $12 from Ikea! I definitely need to make a trip back out there. 

I've accomplished my goal of getting the kitchen organized, and have the peace of mind knowing that our kitchen will not be taken over by mice next week while the Mr. and I are in Colorado! Next up on my list when we return- the refrigerator! I love the idea of these refrigerator organizers from the Container Store. 

One Shell Of An Idea

When I first stumbled upon pictures of this shell makeover at And George I immediately thought of my Mom! The woman has three busts in the house, twelve hot glue guns, and maybe three bags of shells in her basement. She always decorates the busts for Christmas, but these guys have gone above and beyond with their bust transformation. Who would have thought shells, rocks, sticks, and antlers could be so adorable. 

The inspiration bust

Images courtesy of Christy Ford and And George.

Read more about this fun project here. 

The Perfect Present

I can't decide what I enjoy more... purchasing Christmas gifts, or wrapping them.

Images: House and Home, Brunch at Saks, Veranda, Good House Keeping, Pinterest, Southern Living

Finally, Matching Bedside Tables!

A month ago I did a post here about my inspiration for two bedside tables I planed on making. In the post I said I would reveal the finished product the following week, however, work, life, work, and more work prevented me from actually devoting time to my do it yourself project. Determined to get this done before 2012, I went to the local glass place and had two mirrored tops cut to the shape of my board's that my contractor cut out for me. Yesterday I picked up the mirrors, some scrap wood to glue on the side for trim, paint, and a tube of liquid nails. I skipped my nightly gym routine and finally finished my tables! In retrospect I should have probably made the wood tops a little thicker, and if you look closely you can definitely tell they are DIY, but I think once I find a better paint to match the base of the corbels they will be perfect. 

Eventually I will paint the tops to match the base but they don't bother me
as much in person as they do in this picture. 

New bedside tables plus a new painting above the
Mr's dresser from my Mama equals a finished (for now) Master Bedroom 

The Elephant In The Room

Love it or hate it, you probably have at least one TV in your house. Back in the day big bulky armoires were the perfect solution to hide big bulky televisions. With the birth of the flat screen, people have become more and more creative when it comes to disguising their TV's. Personally I hate the ginormous ugly black screen in my living room, but I secretly love it on weekend date nights. Here are some of my favorite ways to hide slash disguise the most unattractive piece of equipment in any family room.

Houzz

Elements of Style

unplggd

Pinterest 

Martha Stewart 

Elements of Style 

Cassa Sugar 

Houzz 

While this family room is absolutely beautiful, the TV is hung way too high... something to think about when you are building, or re-facing your fireplace. 

Alice Lane Home 

A DIY Chandelier

Adorable DIY chandelier ideas for parities or your dining room.

Coco Kelley 

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Apartment Therapy 

To get the look, purchase a hanging pendant hardware kit like this one from Shades of Light

Then add something fun (not too heavy) like the Pottery Barn french wire hamper...

 take out the lining and hang upside down with the cord kit

and voila, a beautiful custom chandelier

My Aunt Janine's fab dining room chandelier is the perfect example.