Tone Down that Bling

There is a phenomena in marriage that no one warns you about. I like to call it the electronic cycle. Here's how it works: Husband acquires ugly electronic item with lots of cords and wires. Wife attempts to hide all the cords and wires. As soon as the house stops resembling a Radio Shack, husband moves, upgrades, or buys more electronic equipment. Repeat.
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Brad knows that ugly cords drive me nuts, so he really does try to conceal them neatly, but sometimes there's just not that much he can do.



This little situation has been bothering me for almost a year now. I finally figured out that a small ottoman would 1. cover the outlet. 2. provide extra seating. and 3. provide extra storage. The only problem is my that my thriftiness will not allow me to spend $50 or more on an ottoman. Fortunately, I discovered this little beauty:


You know how you're supposed to look in the mirror and remove one piece of jewelry before you leave the house? This little trunk never got that memo. She's was pure gold bling from head to toe. As soon as I brought her home, out came the trusty Rustoleum. I gave her a coat of metal primer and two coats of Blossom White.


I also wrapped some Wal-Mart bags around her leather handles before I started the spray paint frenzy.



I think she looks much more grown up and proper in her new attire!


I'm going to ask Brad to move all the TV stuff forward a smidge, so the trunk doesn't look like it's jutting out so far into the room. Overall, I pretty happy with the look and thrilled to have all those cords out of sight.
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If you've got a great trick for corralling cords and wires, please share!

<3
Hattie

mirror, mirror

If you all followed the link from my last post over to my friend Tracy's blog, then you know about our fun sanding adventure. While we were visiting, Tracy and I also took on a little spray paint makeover. Tracy used her awesome imovie skills to make another semi-embarrassing movie documenting the whole process. I don't think the DIY Network is going to come knocking on our doors, but this is real life y'all, and we had a blast!





If you've been on the fence about painting something, I hope this will encourage you that it really is super easy to take something from eh, to amazing. If you're intrigued by the glimpses of Tracy's living room, I hope you'll hop over to her blog and check out the total makeover. I love this room super duper much with a cherry on top!

<3
Hattie

P.S. posting our sloppy ponytailed, college t-shirt and gym short wearing selves on the web is probably the silliest thing we've ever done for the sake of home decor. Do y'all have any great silly best friend moments?

I've already shown y'all a teaser for one project we have going on around the roost, and today I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of another almost done project.



Brad and I took a little break from these projects to help our dear friend (my twin soul and fellow school librarian) Tracy work on a few things around her house. Tracy and her husband Tim recently bought their first home. It's beautiful but in need of a little updating to create the cool beach, cottage, peaceful vibe Tracy loves. If you'd like to see one of the projects we worked on yesterday, head on over to her blog and check out our cheesy video. I think I hear Hollywood calling . . .
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Have a wonderful weekend!
<3
Hattie

Junk Philosophy - Part 3

It's time for the final installment in my Junk Philosophy series. In Part 1 I talked about how to tell the good junk from the junky junk. Part 2 was all about where to go to hunt down the good junk. Part 3 is going to get down to the serious issue of how to get your newly made over junk to play nice with your other furnishings.
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As a degree carrying member of the English major club, I think analogies and metaphors are always the way to go when something is complicated to explain. So, lets think of your furnishings and decor (new and junk) as guests at a wedding. Obviously, you don't want your guests sitting just anywhere, or your sweet, conservative grandma might end up next your profane friend with a habit of telling questionable jokes. You love both of these people, but they just aren't right together.
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Let's look at some possible seating arrangements:


1. Put everyone with similar personalities together - All your Twilight loving friends and family will enjoy sitting together even if some of them have blue hair while others wear sensible heels. Edward Cullen is a great unifier.
As you can see, the furnishing in this room are not identical or even all that matchy matchy - but they have a vintage vibe in common that lets them get along together. If you follow a few guidelines (pale aqua and red always look great together, an interesting textural piece adds depth to any room, clean lined accessories combat a cluttered look) than you can easily create an inviting room just by combining pieces with a similar feel.


2. Sit all the truly quirky people together - You love your friends, but all of your guests might not appreciate a play-by-play account of Mr. Whisker's last trip to the vet, or having small tufts of fur transferred to their wedding attire, or admiring his picture in Aunt Edna's locket.
If you love something, but it's just a little too odd to work with the rest of your decor, gather a small collection of the items in a pretty container. I've seen this work beautifully with tomato pincushions, matchbooks, vintage hankies, etc. Disclaimer: I really do love cats, but we've all been stuck next to someone who is a little too obsessed with something.



3. Some people are ageless. Your Aunt Jane who loves fashion and tennis and facebook, does not want to be stuck listening to the details of Uncle Kevin's cataract operation. She'd be much happier discussing Banana Republic's fall line with your best friend Kellsie.
Some pieces are so classic that they will work together regardless of whether they are brand new or junk hole finds. The spool leg table and boxy sofa could have been manufactured last week or fifty years ago. It doesn't matter that the styles were originally created in different periods, because both have survived the tests of time and become decor staples.


4. You can mix your conservative and wacky friends, so long as they all know how to be genteel. As long as no one flaunts their summer trip to a commune or lifetime subscription to Rush Limbaugh's newsletter, everything will be fine.
The ultra modern ghost table works with this classic straight backed chair, even though they are incredibly different. This look is possible because both pieces show restraint with clean lines and basic colors. The fact that they are in proportion to one another seals the deal.


5. Keep things in the family. If you seat families together, they're bound to survive because they have to love each other anyway.
You can mix styles, go nuts with colors and textures, but your room will still look pulled together so long as all the wood pieces are from the same tree, or at least stained the same tone. The mirror, lamp, and frame are all the same wood tone, so the graphic rug and lime nightstand are free to be wacky.

6. If you have an odd seat left at a table, fill it with someone known for their tolerance and tact.

This is the white paint, like white lies, can cover a multitude of indiscretions principle. In other words, when in doubt, bring on the white paint. It's a great unifier and can bring elements together that would otherwise clash horribly.

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I hope y'all enjoyed my little junk series. I'd love to know all the juicy details of your own junk decor philosophies!

<3

Hattie

Bird is the Word

I'm sure by now y'all have discovered that I have a thing for bird decor. I can't explain why, but I just love their simple shapes, the muted, natural colors, and the whole nesting idea. When Gina announced she was having a Feathered Friends Party, I knew I had to join in!

Since you can easily do this project yourself to add a little bird decor to your own nest, I'm also linking up to Kimba's DIY Day. Be sure to check out all the awesome ideas over there - I always come away with a new project I want to try!

I've already shown you how I made my little birdie gift tags, and my wise owl card art, so I wanted to do something a little different this time around. I love the whole idea of nests, particularly nests made of twigs, so I took that idea and ran with it.

If you want to make this sweet birdie framed print, go round up the following:

1. Cute, vintage bird art. I chose two adorable selections from The Graphics Fairy.

2. A frame or two. you want one with a fairly flat edge.

3. Fabric or scrapbook paper for a background (I used fabric)

4. Twigs. If you don't have a yard, your friends and family would be more than happy for you to volunteer to pick up twigs out of their yards.

5. Paint for the frame. I mixed french blue and black until I had a blue grey I liked.

6. Hot glue

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All ya have to do is paint the frame, wait semi-impatiently for it to dry, and glue on the twigs. Then, create your background, glue on your bird art, and put it in the frame. Super simple, and oh so cute!

A little side action so you can see that I really did paint the frame. Cheap-o Dollar Store and Ikea frames are perfect for this project.

Go. Run. Check out all the other super sweet bird projects over at The Shabby Chic Cottage!

<3

Hattie

Falling in Love

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." You've Got Mail
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I've always claimed fall as my favorite season. I love the smells, the foods, the changing light. I find something very romantic about fall. It's a fresh start, a well worn sweater, and a crunching walk through fallen leaves. This year, for the first time in a long time, I'm sort of dreading fall. This has been one the best summers I've had. I've gotten so much done, I've really fallen in love with blogging, the weather had been amazing, and I've felt so content. While fall usually feels like a new beginning, this year it feel like an ending. With less than two weeks of summer freedom left, I've realized I need to face fall and find things to celebrate and look forward to in the coming season. In no particular order, here is my list:

1. apples

I love everything about apples - the way they smell, look, taste, and even the sound of a good crunch. Fall is the only time truly perfect apples are available, and I'm excited for the arrival of winesaps, pink ladies, jonathans, fujis, and all the other delicious varieties.

2. new recipes

In the fall it's finally cool enough to having the oven going without turning the house into a kiln. I'm looking forward to trying new recipes involving apples, sweet potatoes, my slow cooker, etc.

3. Camping

Fall is the absolute best time to go camping. Preferably in the mountains. Preferably with great friends. Preferably without melting your shoes. Brad and I have a massive new tent, so we are ready for some hiking, smores, and spooky stories.

4. Homegoods

Homegoods has been teasing me with a "coming soon" sign for months. Their website finally lists a grand opening date of October 25th. Other bloggers always rave about their Homegoods finds, so I'm very excited to finally see what all the fuss is about!

5. Fall Decor

I love changing things up around the roost, and a new season is a great excuse to try new things. I have some ideas brewing for decor involving birds, twigs, and white pumpkins.

6. Sweater Weather

I heart fall clothes in general, but sweaters are my favorite. I love weather that's just cool enough for a sweater, but not a heavy winter coat. Bring on the hay rides, bonfires, and festivals!

7. New YA books

One of my favorite parts of my job is ordering new books. A lot of great books are coming out this fall that I know students are going to go nuts over. I've already been warned by a middle school librarian to expect a big 9th grade group of Hunger Games fans. I think I'm just as excited as they are for the release of the sequel, Catching Fire in September.

8. Where the Wild Things Are

If you have not seen the trailer for this movie. Go. Now. Watch! Everything from the music, to the cinematography, to the font they used appeals to me. I am going to love this movie, maybe even as much as I love the book.

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So there ya have 8 things I'm looking forward to as fall approaches. How about you? What are you most anticipating as the season changes?

<3

Hattie

What a Tease

Brad and I (and my dad) have a couple of projects in the works around the 'ol roost. None of them are ready for their close-ups, so I have a little teaser picture of the project I find the most exciting. If you've been to my house, or followed the blog for awhile, you can probably guess what we're up to. . .

<3

Hattie