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!

Portals to the unknown

Like I said in my post below, I'm getting better at seeing things and thinking "If I want that exact item, but in white," and then realizing I CAN HAVE IT! So when I saw this mirror on Target's website, I thought it'd be awesome in my bathroom, but in white.

Then I looked closer. And realized that's not a mirror at all. It's a portal to the other side.

Seriously. That goblet does not exist on this earthly plane. Where is it? What is it trying to tell us?

Finding inspiration in others

I know with all of my shopping posts here, it doesn't seem much like it, but I love a good bargain. Or, better yet, a great free find. I've always been a little shaky/unsure of my own DIY abilities. I don't have any fancy tools or a whole lot of patience or even a terribly steady hand. The proliferation of blogs by regular people like me have really helped not only inspire me but assure me that yes, I, too, can make my home beautiful with my own two hands.

One such blog is <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/">Thrifty Decor Chick</a>. I love how open she is about her mistakes and missteps, both in spending and in decor choices. It's a good reminder that, while every strives to put only their very best out there on the public internet, everyone struggles and makes mistakes and I'm not the only one who doesn't make the right choice straight out the gate. :)

Another that I read is <a href="http://www.centsationalgirl.com/">Centsational Girl</a>. I love everything about her site design/layout. It's clean and modern and easy to read without being boring. Her <a href="http://www.centsationalgirl.com/category/before-and-after/">Before & Afters</a> and <a href="http://www.centsationalgirl.com/category/rescued-and-revamped/">Rescued & Revamped</a> have me looking at every object and space in a different light. Instead of thinking "if only this otherwise perfect mirror were white" or "I wish I could start over with this section," I feel confident that I can make it look how I want it to look.

Finally, there's <a href="http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/">All Things Thrifty</a>, whose <a href="http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2009/10/why-you-should-make-your-own-pillows.html">pillow making tutorial</a> is, well, life-changing.

So, as cheesy as it is, thank YOU, awesome bloggers, who make me stop and say "Hey, I CAN do that!"

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.

Pictures forthcoming!

I found my power cable and I'm ordering a new USB cable so I should soon be able to post halfway decent pictures. I hope. I keep nearly posting pictures and then thinking of other bloggers' beautiful photography and I stop myself because no one wants to see my grainy, ill-lit cell phone pictures.

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