It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Hey there! Looks like it's about to start snowing any minute (har har har). Come on in!

 

This was the result of my nerdy project. I (with a bit of help) cut all of these out after seeing someone do something similar. Then I ran a string of white lights along the floor to light them up at night:

 

Take a look at my sweet tree set-up, the centerpiece of the decor:

 

One of my favorite ornaments, a UFO my mom gave me when I was in high school.

 

Another nerdy relic, hung prominently front and center. Also, the bow I picked up at Target. I love it so much. I've always been a star girl, but now I may never go back.

 

The stockings all hung on the bar with care. Also featuring Rodney the Reindeer and Max, the Grinch's woebegone pup, a gift from a college roommate. Check out Jason's sweet Lego Man stocking and awesome glitter-writing done by me.

 

Coffee table centerpiece:

 

 

Dining room tablescape, dressed up for Christmas:

 

Christmas cards and my little Avonlea Presbyterian Church set up:

 

 

And, finally, for fun, I received this scorpion paperweight from my secret santa and named him Sergio. Sergio promptly got loose and terrorized Avonlea. A tragedy!

 

Happy holidays, all!

Fits and Starts III: Teal and Orange!

Where were we? Ah, right. Crafting. Now it's time for more of the apartment!

First, the kitchen. The kitchen is pretty small and narrow. However, it's surprisingly functional as well. I love all the counter and cabinet space and how the cabinets on the left hold dishes and glasses and the ones on the right hold food and I can basically stand in one place and rotate from sink to stove.

After going for a red/black motif for my last two kitchens (or trying to. MAN can blue wallpaper really kill that), I wanted something totally new. I started seeing a lot of brightly colored accessories and linens around late 2008/early 2009 and finally, this year, had a chance to make it happen.

It works especially well with my Fiestaware love. Over there on the right, serving as a utensil crock is my beloved peacock disc pitcher, in fact! Not many links to include here unfortunately, as the plates up on the wall came from TJ Maxx and the sun and moon were bought in Mexico. Potholders were from Target and I hate their lack of thumbs. Apron was also from TJ Maxx.

The other view isn't too exciting. Orange platter from TJ Maxx. Dishtowel from Target. Canisters on clearance from Pier 1.

NOW. Finally. At long last. The plate collage. Tada!

Now here's the whole dining/bar area. The bar is made of LACK shelves from, surprise! Ikea. The poster is from AllPosters. It needs a frame, but I was so excited to have something to put up and we were having people over, so I just stuck it up there with white tacks. How dorm room of me, I know.

To the left of the bar is a huge open space where our Christmas tree will go. Then, after Christmas, we'll finally get some bookshelves! Hooray!

Fits and Starts II: Crafting!

Awhile ago, I talkked about making some artwork for above the bed. I finally got around to it a few weeks ago!

First, I painted some tree branches on the canvas:

Then I made the flowers using 4 little squares of Sculpey III in some sort of shimmery pink color and a flower cutter I got at Michael's in the cake section (Sculpey is sort of like fondant, right?):

That was the first batch, all made with the medium cutter. I then arranged them on the canvas to get an idea for how they'd look:

At the time, it seemed kind of bare, so I made some more flowers, this time with the large cutter. Now I go back and forth between loving it and thinking it's now too cluttered. Oh well.

I googled and researched and tried to find the best glue for bonding Sculpey to canvas. In the end, I wound up just grabbing a bottle of Weldbond at Michael's and it's worked perfectly. I left the canvas leaning against the wall for awhile and none of the flowers fell so I'm reasonably (fingers crossed!) sure none will be bouncing off my head in the middle of the night.

Ta-daaaa!

And, while we're at it, my exceedingly girly dresser. The frame has always been a bit of a sticking point because I love it, but it has no wall hanger, only an easel back, so I'm forever searching for places to put it with enough room for a sizeable 8x10 frame. Turns out it makes a perfect backdrop for my perfume bottles! Right now that's just an old Revlon ad, but I plan to either order an 8x10 vintage cosmetic/perfume ad off the internet or perhaps find and old Vespa ad.

The pink bottle and dresser are from Ikea (dresser is the 6-drawer Malm chest in black-brown). We also have two four-drawer Malm chests right next to it and I love the sleek effect.

Expectation vs Reality: Home Decor Edition

My CB2 plates came yesterday! YAY! The takeout box one is way smaller than I thought. Teeny tiny. This is why I should read descriptions more carefully. Oh well. More visual interest, right?

My breadbox came today! YAY! Except, wait ... the color is totally different. And there's damage the seller didn't mention, such as a GIANT CRACK in the bottom corner that makes the door fall off when you open it.

I am, in a word, displeased. In reading the seller's feedback, they make some nasty retorts to anyone who gives them negative feedback. Bleh. I don't know what to do.

Wall Art Plans

I haven't done much the past few days. Not much to blog about, anyway. Moved some furniture around to create some separation/flat space for a bar/sideboard in the dining room, shoved all the stuff that still needs to be unpacked in a corner, put some of my 90million books onto the empty DVD shelves until I get a real bookcase, stuff like that. I also got some supplies for my next art project.

I've been scouring for the perfect piece of artwork for above the bed. My bedding is cherry blossoms, which are a popular enough subject in artwork, but nothing was really right. It was too pink or too blue or too stylized or too prissy. My bedroom is mostly neutrals with pink accents. I didn't want to post this here because it's a terrible picture, but I want to illustrate. Man those iPhones may be smart but they take AWFUL pictures. Anyway, here's my bedroom:

See? So anyway, I started thinking ... I want something simple, right? And I can DO simple! All I want is a branch with some cherry blossoms, similar to the design on the bedspread and pillows. Then I found this tutorial on making 3D flowers out of Sculpey. In my head, it's so simple. Draw and paint a branch on canvas (wish I could just put it directly on the wall but it's a rental ...), make these flowers, find a way to affix them to the canvas, voila! Mixed media art. So today I got the canvas, the paint, brushes, and some Sculpey. We'll see what happens.

Beyond that, for the living room I am currently on the hunt for the perfect damask fabric in funky colors to put on stretcher frames for the living room. I used to be pretty good at stretching canvas in high school-- way better than I was at actually painting on it-- so hopefully it'll be a simple enough project.

You know, once I finally find the fabric.

I've also been collecting some plates to rip off emulate SB The Clueless Homeowner's plate collage. I got four during the big tax-free weekend sales at Crate & Barrel last weekend, and then two more on major clearance at CB2.

C&B finds. Couldn't find them on the website so I took a picture. Rest assured these are just laid out on my table. My spatial relation skills are far better than this picture implies!

CB2 plates, which will be here soon I hope! Takeout appetizer plate and Compliment salad plate

Well, guess I had more to talk about than I thought!

It's called compromise

Went to Harvard Square tonight for some cupcakes at Sweet and came home with this.

That's right in our entryway next to the front door. It's the only place I hadn't specifically planned anything for, so months ago when this painting was first spotted at Urban Outfitters, I suggested it might be a possible location for Mr. Whale. And now, here he is.

At least it has some teal in it, which ties in my teal/orange love?

Cohabitation=Compromise. Cohabitation=Compromise.

Back on track

Yesterday was a pretty frustrating day. My beloved scooter Clive was stolen right out of our apartment complex parking lot. I stayed up late making Food Mayhem's soft pretzels, which are delicious and great to have around, but I stayed up so late making them that by the time I was done, I was too tired to clean the kitchen properly. I find clutter in general and, worst of all, a cluttered kitchen, to be incredibly stifling and discouraging, especially starting the day with one. Add in that I still feel overwhelmed and disorganized with the last dregs of moving boxes (where is that flippin camera cable!?) and today was a pretty discouraging day overall.

I wallowed in negativity for awhile but around 8 or so, I got really tired of my own whining monologue, I finally decided to finish off those framed scrapbook paper pieces, especially since I had picked up more paper and an x-acto knife at Jo-Ann's on Saturday.

(Again, forgive the pictures. I can't wait til I have my camera back ...)

First I switched out the yellow background in the big frame for a more lemon yellow one. For some reason when I was paper shopping, I pictured the yellow in the shower curtain as a goldenrod. I got a sheet of the scrolly paper in teal, so I'll likely use the goldenrod sheet behind that in the living room/dining room area.

Before and After

Not THAT different, I suppose, but it was enough to bother me how it was before. I also made the smaller frames. In two of them I layered the yellow textured paper I had with some more of the green scrolly paper. In the other two I layered the textured green paper, the lighter green gingko paper, and the yellow paisley beadwork paper. It was an exercise in futility to get them exactly perfect, and there are some imperfections in my cuts and in my proportions, but after an hour of cutting and recutting and ruining, I decided to call it done.

I know I keep harping on my ridiculously simple paper crafts, but I'm pretty proud of myself. I plan to expand my horizons soon by stretching some fabric on stretcher frames for the living room and making simple flowers out of either Sculpey or paper to make a mixed-media piece for over the bed. In my head, I'll sketch and paint a simple branch design and attach the flowers to it, but we'll see how that turns out in reality.

Yesterday's Haul, Non-Furniture Related

On top of the furniture from yesterday, I managed to drop a decent amount of cash on some other things. Namely, for organizing and decor.

August 13, 2010... by flannfry

Top:

DRÖNA box in teal (2) to go in the Expedit bookcase that will be moving to the dining room. I spent a long time debating the teal vs. the black and settled on the teal after trying both in the black-brown Expedit floor model. I'm trying to incorporate more color and decided to take the plunge. I like the way these look better than the glossy black drawer or door options for Expedit. They're also fantastically deep so I'll be able to stash a lot of stuff in them. Like, say, a set of plain white dishes, which I'm toying with picking up cheap because it'll go better with my new birdie linens ... Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone.

KASSETT boxes in orange, one set each of magazine and DVD size. These are to organize my massive collection of sentimental junk. Cards, pictures, play programs, letters, trinkets, old school papers, newspapers. Two rubbermaid totes, a shoe box, and a milk crate full. And it has no rhyme or reason. Particularly after packing for my most recent move. I shoved smaller stuff inside of a box that hadn't been opened since my first apartment in Hartford, way back in 2004. So now that I have majorly reduced storage/closet space, I'm making a commitment to organize and pare down.

I'm looking forward to/dreading the trips down memory lane I'll be making over the next week or so. I love mementos and old letters, obviously, otherwise why would I keep them? But some of them are hard to read, or bring back the kind of bittersweet memories that can be hard to take. I do also intend to take a very strict hand with myself. If I can't identify the item within a few seconds, it's going. I'm cursed with a photographic memory so I doubt I'll be able to toss many of those. I'm also going to try my best to whittle down my massive greeting card collection, taking a really hard look at what I've saved. Things like cards signed with just a first name that I can't identify. Undated Christmas cards with no personal inscription, particularly ones that I receive every year. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, on to more fun stuff!

Middle:

SUPERFIN vase in pink for my bedroom dresser. I picked it up on impulse and I really like it in there. There is a LOT of neutral in that bedroom so I want to play up the pink a bit with little touches like this. I'm also on the lookout for a pink ceramic soap/lotion pump to put my lotion in and put on my dresser. Something more elegant than just a plastic Bath & Body Works squeeze bottle.

Bottom:

SALONG vases in turquoise. Another (sort-of) impulse purchase. I knew I was on the lookout for teal/blue/turquoise glass to put in the dining room area and these three really jumped out at me to group together.

Ikea can be entirely hit or miss with decor items. Some things can be had for a song (the vases I bought today) and some other items I look at the price and think "Really, Ikea? That seems more like a Bed Bath & Beyond or a Target price ..." Ah, the pursuit of a bargain.

Bedroom ... not complete. Sigh.

Went to Ikea today and this was gonna be it. Dressers, nightstands, and done. The bedding was selected and had arrived. It just needed those last bits of furniture.

But, yesterday I mentioned offhand what a pain in the neck the footboard on the bed is when it comes to making it neatly. So as we navigated the showroom today, we paused in the bed section. And looked. And yup. Getting a new bed. Not right away. But now I won't feel like the room is "done" until we have the new bed.

Beginning to wonder if it'll ever be done.

Speaking of awesome bedrooms, I am in LOVE with this sleeping cubby bedroom over on Apartment Therapy. (via NinjaPenguin) As a kid, I LOVED enclosed spaces. I was happy to play in a closet or under a table or in a box. Hell, just this week I couldn't resist climbing in the giant box my Macy's order came in.

Bedroom nearly complete!

My pal Ali turned me on to Kaboodle tonight and I already made my first style board! It illustrates my bedroom decor, which will be completed with a trip to Ikea today or tomorrow. So excited!

Bedroom by flannfry

Shelving Books

I have a lot of books. A LOT. Right now they're lined against the wall in paper grocery bags, taunting me. I know they used to take up at least five shelves of a roughly 5' tall bookcase. But, as that bookshelf itself was the ex's (he was accommodating enough to keep all of his books in the closet), I now need a new bookshelf.

Most of my furniture is Ikea and it's all black-brown wood. A ha, thought I! A Billy bookcase in black-brown is just the thing I need to complement my decor AND store my books! And a bargain at $50! But look closer at the picture.

Does it ... really only come with 2 shelves? REALLY? Who the heck wants a bookcase with two shelves!?

Not to worry! says Ikea. You can buy more shelves! As many shelves as you need! You can CRAM that sucker with shelves!

Well, I'd really just like five shelves. You know, like a normal bookcase. I'd even settle for four, if I had to, going by the height of it. And you know what? At $15 a pop, three more shelves are going to cost me nearly as much as getting a whole bookcase. WTF. Granted, it's a $50 bookcase, and getting it for $95 total isn't THAT much in the grand scheme of things but c'mon. AND you have to take the chance the shelves are in stock, adding another layer of annoyance to the sometimes less-than-ideal Ikea experience. I'm STILL waiting for my additional Benno shelves to come in.

Why you gotta nickel and dime me, Ikea? It's like telling me you have a stove for $50, but it only comes with one burner and I'm welcome to buy the other three for an additional $20 each! No one wants a one-burner stove and no one wants a ridiculous-looking two-shelf bookcase. Be reasonable here and sell the damn thing with enough shelves to make it usable and price it accordingly. Then, if I really want to store 2"-tall books, the onus is on me to buy some more, which I would happily do.

I Love Fishs Eddy

A long, long time ago, when my best friend was a student at NYU and becoming very much enamored of the city, I was browsing the internet for Christmas gift ideas when I happened upon Fishs Eddy and their infamous 212 Skyline pattern. With the excitement that comes with knowing you've found an AWESOME gift, I quickly purchased her a few pieces. After that, I started visiting the site every few months, then six months, then once a year or so, checking out their newest items.

Well, now that I'm in cheap, fun decorating accessories mode, I'm back and I'm in love with everything.
These simple, striking orange carnival coasters would be ADORABLE in my living room! And only $3.95 for 12!

I just love the sorbet stripes on these Rainbow Dishtowels, at $12.95 for three!

Despite my overabundance of bowls (seriously, 5 Fiestaware bowls, 4 from a set of Martha Stewart Everyday, 2 melamine, and one from a third set of dishes ... I'm pretty well covered), I love these cheery vintage-y floral bowls. But ooh, what's that? They also come in storage bowls?

So if you're looking for a quirky housewarming gift or something cheap and superneat to spruce up your own space, give Fishs Eddy a shot.

Is It Bigger Than a Breadbox?

In cleaning out my fridge and cabinets, the haphazard pile of rolls and bread got me missing the ubiquitous deep bread drawer with the sliding lid. With a fleeting thought of a counter top bread box in my head, I hopped into the magical Google machine to see what I could scare up. I didn't expect much. A breadbox is so ... country kitsch or industrial steel and my kitchen is bright and fiesta-y.

Wouldn't you know that THIS was the first result? I didn't even really WANT a breadbox.

The internet is a dangerous place, people.

Back to that curtain rod post for a second

Two days ago, I didn't even know that stupid adorable birdie curtain rod Sarah posted existed.

Now I'm fairly sure there is little I would not do to get my hands on one for my bedroom. And I don't even CARE about curtain rods.

But look, wouldn't it be adorable with my jewelry tree? ::whine::

Can't always get what I want? WHY!?

I was catching up on my pal Sarah's excellent blog, The Clueless Homeowners today and she had a post from a few days ago that really encapsulated a lot of the frustrations I've been feeling with pulling together the look(s) that I want with the apartment.

The bane of my existence has been finding cheap square white frames. If I wanted to spend $10-20 a frame, I would just buy something already put together and be done with it. I know Ikea has them for $5, but something just didn't seem ... right about them to me. I had this image in my head of four 5x5 slightly off-white frames and it seemed that I should be able to get them for about $5 each anywhere I chose. Just a white square frame. No mat. No shadowbox. No glued on hearts or tiaras or teddy bears. From CVS to Target to BB&B. I should be spoiled for choice with inexpensive plain white square frames!

Instead I looked. I scoured. I decided maybe the Ikea ones weren't too far off from my vision and I could just get them on my next trip there in a couple of weeks. And this happens to me a LOT. I get fixated on something I think should be so simple (I once spent two weeks looking for a skinny red patent leather belt. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN THAT LONG. Don't even get me started on a good black cardigan.) and then find myself tearing my hair out, considering paying 5x what I originally thought I'd pay just because it's now become an obsession. A crusade. A red patent leather cardigan FRAMED IN A $%&*#@ SIMPLE WHITE SQUARE FRAME crusade.

But then. THEN! A ha! Enter Christmas Tree Shops! Oh the choir sang and the heavenly light filtered down, mingling with the harsh, buzzing fluorescent bulbs. BEHOLD!







Er. Hang on. Let's try that again. BEHOLD!







See? Aren't they perfect? And $2.99! I'm a sucker for a sweet bargain. That's half the fun for me, putting together a (hopefully, anyway) classy-looking place on as little cash as possible, without settling for less than my vision of How It Should Look.

In update-y type news, I finally got around to putting that scrolly green paper with the yellow background into the big white frame. A month to get around to doing it and 45 minutes to actually complete it. Go figure.







I'm really pleased with how it came out. So much so that now I'm on the fence about "wasting" that gorgeous frame in the bathroom. But I don't have anything else to put in it right now so for now it'll go in the bathroom.

Now let's play "What has Flann blown her money on this week?"

Bedding: Pem America "Zen Blossom" from Macy's. On sale for $89.99 through August 15!

Lenox "Chirp" placemats from Macy's. On sale for $6.99 through August 15!

Lenox "Chirp" napkins from Macy's. On sale for $4.99 through August 15!

Custom 12"x16" pillow covers from This Little Home on Etsy. Haven't seen them yet, but the prices are reasonable, the fabrics are gorgeous, and the seller is very pleasant and accommodating!

I'll surely update again as things arrive. Also finally getting the last dressers and the nightstands this weekend so hopefully I'll be able to show off a completed room soon!

Well, aside for artwork. Don't even get me started on wall art.