Kitchen Shelves

At some point in the last few months I put up some shelves in my kitchen. I wanted to display some of my nicer dishes and vases, and also at the same time put something on the huge empty wall in the kitchen. The other walls have plates and baking dishes on them, so I was kind of out of options for the big wall.
I was prepared this time--since I was planning to get some customizable shelves from my favorite hardware store (Ace Barnes Hardware!!) I wanted to be sure to get the right size for the space. I measured the wall and approximately how high up I wanted the shelves. I decided at that point I wanted probably 2 shelves. Since my walls are white and I don't have a real color scheme in the kitchen, I decided to go with white shelving.

I got the metal rods, brackets and shelves very similar to whats pictured above. It was very easy to put up on the wall--it came with all the necessary hardware and only required a screwdriver.

I put my colorful collection of  vases and what not on the shelves at first:

 

Inspired by others dining room hutches and shelves I've seen in blogs, I decided to streamline and put only one color on the shelves. The collection started with the cow shaped creamer you can see in this picture. I added a vase I found at the salvation army, and one day I found a couple other vases at Michael's.

 

I am overall very happy with this look. Eventually I may spray paint some of the pieces to match the others more closely. The pitcher in the middle in particular is much more of a cream than a white. Another future change is to replace the college-style black metal cubes with a real buffet or cabinet. I've had my eye out for a long dresser at the Salvation Army that could be used in the kitchen, but so far I haven't had any luck.

My New Best Friend

 Is clear polyurethane. From reading other DIY blogs, I know that a coat of polyurethane can make your painted furniture more shiny and more easily cleaned, but since I have always used high gloss paint I hadn't tried it. Well, after being frustrated with the side table tin my living room looking dirty, I decided to see what it did. I am VERY pleased with the results. After doing the side table, I also did my desk. I notice that when I am writing with a pencil, often the color gets transferred to the desk, and I have to wipe it off fairly frequently.
Before before:

And then:

And now:

Ok, Maybe its hard  to tell from these pictures. But it looks and feels different in person.

And the Desk:

I'm not sure what other people do, but the friendly guy at Ace told me he likes foam brushes for applying polyurethane. I took his advice, and wasn't disappointed. Not only did it apply easily and thin, but the brush itself was less than a dollar, compared to about $7-8 for a brush. If only I had more things to polyurethane...

Lamp

I got a new shade for the lamp. I'm unsure about how the colors look together, but For now, I like it. I got the shade at Target for $14.99, and this style shade doesn't require a finale. I will just save the blue shade until I have a need for it or send it to the Salvation army in a rage of cleaning things out.

Awesome Find

One of my favorite blogs has an advertisement on the side for a website with awesome lamps. This lamp is always teasing me:

Unfortunately, it comes with a steep price tag: $299. I don't see that being an option anytime soon.

Imagine my excitment today when I find this little gem in my local TJ Maxx:
Price: $29!
Sure, its got a blue shade which doesn't fit in my decor at all, and its missing a finale..and its a different shape. But its the same lamp!! With a new shade and a finale (which will still keep this lamp at a really reasonable price) this lamp will fit right in. In the mean time I will pretend I just saved $270.

Things I've been meaning to post for a while

A while back I came across a store called "Calico Corners." I had never heard of it, but its apparently a chain of home decor fabrics (ie NOT apparel). I was quite excited and inspired by some of what I found in the store. Below are two pictures I took with my cell phone while there:

 There was a lot of other less cool stuff there too, but overall I was impressed. I had a project in mind at the time and I thought these fabrics were good candidates (albeit more expensive than I was into)

Well, since I have been on spring break for about 48 hours, I decided it was time to do a project. The first thing I did was rearrange my living room- remove the black side table near the window, move the couch down, and put the armoire/tv back in the corner. Also I switched around a lot of my lamps. Specifically, I switched the floor and table lamp from my office into the living room, and moved the eiffel tower lamp down to the side table.
I had some ugly pillows on my couch that I bought with the intention of recovering. So I decided that could be my next project. I went to Joanns with the intent of getting some fabric that could go over those pillows,but while I was there I was struck with a better idea.

 

Remember this chair? Well I found a fabric that I could see myself covering that chair with. I can't find the fabric on Joanns, so you'll just have to see the actually pictures.

First you can see the pillows I made for the couch. I think the living room is really starting to come together.

This is what I did for the seat. Be patient- this isnt 100% done yet. The pillows really are the same size even if they look different in this picture. The front of the cushion needs some work- it's rounded in the front and was a challenge for me.

 

The best part is yet to be reveiled: one of the things I didn't like about the chair was the back. It was a little less formal than I would have liked. So I found a way to make it look more like a chair and less like patio furniture. I considered buying some foam and really making a back, but that would eliminate the need for the pillows. This worked well and it was much easier than my other ideas.

 This is the back- looking good, right? A lot more like an actual chair.

 

 

And a side view. I basically just made a case for the back and slipped it over. Probably the easiest part of the whole project.

Busy Break

I've done many projects over this break (and consequently many posts)- but I'm not done yet. I finished painting the table and put it in place in my living room. I switched my ugly floor lamp with my ugly table lamp, because of the length of the table and the size of the lampshade.
The color of the table is the same as the color of my desk. It is called "mocha white," basically a white with a slight brown tint. I am quite happy with it. I also replaced the knob on the drawer on the front-- for a whole $.49. Ace had a basket of "clearance" knobs and that was one of them. It's a nice one-- much heavier than I would normally consider buying. Perhaps in the future I will get a pretty knob for it.

(Franklin likes it too: see fuzzy butt)
Pretty knobs: I think you can see what I'm going for.

knobs by aburlock on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Knobs  - Hardware  - Anthropologie.com, 9.19 CAD
Knobs  - Hardware  - Anthropologie.com, 9.19 CAD
Knobs  - Hardware  - Anthropologie.com, 9.19 CAD
Hardware  - At Home  - Anthropologie.com, $8
Anthropologie.com > Decorating > Hardware, $8

Another find this week is this other table. Maybe its a console table? I'm unsure. It's currently in and going to stay in my office. I intend to paint it, as soon as I pick a color.

Currently its serving as a tissue paper flower/cat bad table. It needs some work. There is some damage to the detail on the legs, and notice the piece of paper I'm using the keep the table level. It needs to be reinforced a little.

Heres a close up of the table with a couple color options I picked up at Ace.

When I'm looking at the table in person, I like the middle option best. But when I see it in the picture, the darkest option strikes me. Either way, the lightest option is out. Another possibility is to do a completely different color altogether. I have seen many projects where furniture is painted a crazy, unexpected color, and this might be a good chance to do that.

color! by aburlock on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » before & after: Jelena’s Dresser
Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » before & after: Jelena’s Dresser
Before & After: Lady in Red
Before & After: Lady in Red
A Family Heirloom, Revamped

I guess time will tell. My classes and work start again this week so I can't promise this will be finished soon.

Well...

For a while I've been thinking about replacing my bed with something that allows a fabric headboard.
Until very recently, I was the proud owner of an Ikea MALM bed, which I bought in Chicago about 5 years ago. It's treated me well, but I needed a change.
I listed the frame on Craigslist, and within 4 hours, it had been sold! I was surprised it went so fast, and unprepared, so I spent a night sleeping on my mattress on the floor. You see, the MALM bed doesn't require a box spring. So I didn't even have one of those.

The day after it sold, I set out to find a boxspring or equivalent, and a frame. I bought just a standard metal frame. This isn't the excited part. The exciting part is now I get to make a headboard! Below are some of the headboards I dig and will be taking inspiration from:

Headboards by aburlock on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
Overlapping-Squares Headboard | west elm, $199
Diamond Tufted Headboard | west elm, $349
Velvet Tufted Headboard - Aubergine, $300
Modern Velvet Headboard - Lagoon, $280
DIY Weekend: Upholstered Headboard « Lauren Messiah

These headboards range from out of my budget to completely ridiculous.

But, making a headboard very similar to the ones shown isn't an impossible task. Below are some DIY-d headboards.

diy headboards by aburlock on Polyvore.com

Items in this set:
A Photo Gallery Of Dramatic Home Makeovers and Before & After Pictures...
How To: DIY Tufted Headboard Charissa's February Jumpstart Project...
How to DIY a Tufted Headboard | Meet Mabel & Violet
Upholstering A Headboard Is An Easy And Cheap DIY Project- Here's A...
Tufted headboard - - - - by apartmenttherapy.com

I don't think this is a project I want to rush into, so at the moment I am headboard-less. I have ideas, but I need to do some research before I move forward.

My Favorite Blogs- Shelter Blogs

I know I did a post like this in June, but I feel like it can't hurt to tell you again about my favorite blogs.

First and foremost:

Making it Lovely is an awesome blog by a woman who lives outside of Chicago. Her blog is about her adventures "transforming the so-so" in her house, as she puts it. I really like her color choices and have been learning a lot about placement of objects from her posts. My favorite posts are about her china cabinet in her dining room, her pink christmas tree, and her living room rug! I highly recommend checking her site out. Also, she is a finalist for Apartment Therapy's "Homies 2009"-- You have until Jan 6th to go to here and vote for her!

Next, in no order:

High-Heeled Foot in the Door

This blog is about Camilla's journey starting a home design business. Her blog regularly features other designers/bloggers who write an "in the day of.." post. In addition to the great projects she does herself, which are very much along the lines of mine in terms of style and budget, her features introduce me to a ton of new and awesome blogs. Many of my regular reads are a result of her "In her shoes" posts.

Good Bones, Great Pieces

Good Bones, Great Pieces is written by a mother and daughter team. The mother worked for Martha Stewart for many years but now works as a decorator. They have exquisite and often very pricey taste. They also are more on the traditional side. Their blog normally serves as inspiration for me to find a copycat piece or item for a lower price. In addition to interiors, they also blog about fashion. Again, very classy, pricey pieces.

These ladies are very accomplished-- in addition to the mother working as a producer for Martha Stewart Television (and winning five Emmys!) the daughter worked as a fashion writer for Teen Vogue. And, they have been featured in House Beautiful and Martha Stewart Living.

Tomorrow, or later today, I will write about my favorite DIY type blogs.

Salvation Army Find

I went to the Salvation Army this afternoon intending to donate some stuff I had cleaned out, but apparently everyone else in Ann Arbor had the same idea. The line to donate was crazy long, so I decided to just take a look around and try again tomorrow.

I found what I thought was a really cool looking cabinet, perhaps a speaker. I had plans for it immediately replace the front with two cute little doors, paint, and use in my office. BUT, it was actually the amp for an organ, for sale only with the organ. I don't have room for one of those, nor the need. So that was out.
In the furniture section, I did find a cute little side table. I was particuarly drawn to it because of the detailing on the drawer, and the legs. It looks very similar to my desk, and could make a cute printer/plant/lamp table or whatever in the office.
I plan to paint it-- but the color depends on where it ends up. If its in the office, I would probably start with the same white as my desk, and maybe use an accent color. But when I got it in my apartment, I put it next to my couch, and now I'm torn. It could make an excellent side table.
So I don't know whats going to happen to it. But I'll let you know.

I don't want to brag but...

Pink christmas trees are totally cool this year.
And I've had one for like 4 years.

At Michael's last night, I saw they had light pink trees on sale for $19.99. I don't know how tall they were-- maybe 5 feet? If I had room for one and cats that didn't knock things over for sport, it would have been mine!