Wednesday Wish List #2

Wow, I guess life has been so crazy (and fun!) today that I completely forgot to post my second Wednesday wish list! Whooops :) Luckily my great friend Sara reminded me of my own invention by posting her list! Even though it's technically Thursday, here is my wish list:

1. Chocolate Vineyard Vines Tote, Carnationcollection.com. I love this bag. And what's not to love? Quatrefoils, a dash of pink, and inner pockets for storage? Why not buy it now, you ask? It's a little steep for a bag ($99) and I already have tons of purses. But this is a definite shoo-in for my Christmas list!

2. A Bookcase. This is a really general wish, because the fiance and I have yet to find a bookcase that suits both of our styles and needs. I did find some potentials online at a furniture store in Missoula, but we will have to wait to buy anything until we move. We are both avid readers, and I love having pictures and knick-knacks around, so some sturdy, nice shelves are a must! Here are a few that have caught my eye so far, all from Conlin's Furniture:

3. A laptop skin for my Sony! The back of my poor computer has gotten scratched and uglified in the past 3 months of ownership. I have googled to search for a skin, but to no avail - I guess they don't make them for my model? Anyone have suggestions?

4. A decent Mexican restaurant in Missoula. We tried 2 different places on our first trip up. One didn't even have cheese dip on the menu (the horror! If you know me, you know I love cheese!) The other was okay, but could not compare to my faves (El Maguey and Tequila Harry's). I know that the northwest isn't exactly known for Mexican cuisine, but c'mon - not even having cheese dip? What?! I was outraged. We will probably be cooking our own Mexi-meals up there. Haha.

5. KitchenAid Stand Mixer in Persimmon. This is definitely going to be something on our registry. I love baking, and this beauty will help out with that! Plus I am drawn to the bright orange (and it's the fiance's favorite color! Score!) and it will go with the other orange accents in there! Then again, the cornflower blue is lookin' pretty nice, too...

Well, that's all for now! Check back later this week/weekend for an update on another crafty project I recently completed :)

Terrific Transformations Part Two: The Kitschy Kitchen

I have taken a little blogging hiatus lately, but I am back to report on the crafty details I've completed to go with my kitschy kitchen! As you might recall, when in Missoula I visited an awesome consignment furniture store, Echo Echo Home Furnishings, where I purchased my super cute and kitschy lime green dining room table and two teal chairs, along with a plain wooden chair.

Well, after thrift storing, I found another chair to round out the dining set (only $1.99! Great!) and I settled on a sunshine yellow and the bright coral/orange as paint colors for the chairs. My fabulous sister helped out with both projects. We also painted three shelves in aqua, yellow, and coral to hang in the dining area, so that I can add some photos and decorative elements to the space. I already owned 2 of the shelves and the other was an inexpensive buy from Echo Echo, so that was a major plus, too! You might also notice an aqua coat rack there. That's another thing I already owned - I thought it would be great for either the dining room or the kitchen, as I plan to hang aprons, oven mitts, and the like on it. Best of all, the blue color matches my kitchen cannisters from Target almost exactly!

Speaking of cannisters...the other project for the kitchen that my sister and I have completed is totally fun, inexpensive, and DIY! I took a tip from one of my favorite blogs, iHeart Organizing, and reused some old soup cans by covering them in pretty scrapbook paper! I did 2 regular soup cans, 2 family-sized, a jar, a small and clean paint can I found in the garage, and a pringles can! (I know that last one seems odd, as it can't fit regular kitchen utensils or gadgets as the others can...but I plan to store tea bags or sweetener packets in there.)

I really loved this project for tons of reasons: 1. I love injecting colors into rooms, and this was an easy way to do so! 2. I love scrapbook paper, and am always looking for creative ways to use it outside of a scrapbook itself. 3. It was sooo easy, just a matter of scrounging up cans, washing them, measuring paper, and gluing! Presto! I loved the project so much, in fact, that I made a few pencil cans for my desk...and then for my fiance's (in appropriate, male colors, of course)...but I think I'll share those pictures (along with another office crafty-art project I just completed) at a later time!

You might notice the little cannisters labled TBCG to the right of that photo. What are they? Ingenious spice holders that my crafty sister dreamed up! You can read all about the process here, at her blog, and learn how to transform old Eclipse gum cannisters into your own spice containers! (It involves more scrapbook paper and stickers - so of course I love it! - a magnet, and a little glue...) Here are the spice holders in action on a fridge.





Adorable, right? So a little paint and scrapbook paper truly goes a long way...I think our kitchen and dining areas will be bright and cheery :) I'll be sure to post pictures of the completed spaces once we're actually moved in!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Wednesday wish list, and part three of the transformations!!

Terrific Transformations Part One: Living Room

Well, originally I planned to reveal all of my awesome furniture transformations in one post, but there are simply way too many things to show, so I am splitting them up into multiple posts. Part One is showcasing the pieces for my living room, including a redone $0.99 end table snagged from Goodwill, DIY artwork, and two baby pink lamps that got a spicy orange upgrade :) Also to come in Part Two, the Kitschy Kitchen/Dining Area: 1. How my uber-crafty sister and I, with inspiration from iHeart Organizing, made adorable and functional DIY kitchen containers, including magnetic spice containers from leftover packs of gum! and 2. The unveiling of the rest of my dining chairs and the bright shelves that match them. Part Three shall feature the bedroom: since the bedside tables are still being completed - my super-duper brother-in-law has painted them brown, but is going to finish them off by painting the inset portions a beautiful Tiffany blue :) - those, along with some other pieces of bedroom decor, will be revealed another day!

So on to the big living room reveal - feast your eyes on the before and after of the end table that cost me just under a dollar but now, after a coat of cocoa brown (painted by my great brother-in-law!) and a new knob, looks like a million bucks!

Speaking of the new knob, here is a picture of it (left) next to the old brassy fixture:

Much better, yes? According to Anthropologie, where I purchased it, the fun little symbol is a chronograph. I love how kitschy and cool it looks!

Another project for the living room: lighting. I have two end tables, so I thought a pair of lamps would be nice to brighten up the area. I already had two on hand: these baby pink ones circa 1997 when I had a rose petal bedecked bedroom. Since I wanted to infuse more of the orange from the kitchen/dining area into the living room, I thought painting the lamp base orange with leftover paint would look good, especially with the brown burlap shades I purchased from Target.

After I finished, though, I felt like the lamp was a little too bold. Then I thought of some cute scrapbook paper I had bought at The Scrapbook Boutique and realized it would look great on the middle portion of the lamp base!

So I used some clear tape to affix the paper to the base, then glued the portions where the paper overlapped.

Voila! A new, toned-down lamp base which I think will go nicely with the futon fabric! (The flash on my camera makes the brown look purple-y; it's really a dark brown.) I need to buy another sheet of the paper to cover the other lamp, and then the project will be done.

And the last piece for the living room: DIY art project involving a 2-pack of 16 x 20 canvases, some painter's tape, and leftover paint from the other projects. I previewed this project earlier this week, but here is a reminder of the before...

....so that you can see the true impact of the AFTER!

Yay! I love how it turned out! It will tie all of the colors of the living room together nicely, and at $7.99 for the pack of canvases, it will be such an inexpensive way to add a pop to our boring white walls. In case you do want to do this project on your own, here are the steps:

• After buying supplies (the canvases, desired paint colors, painter's tape, and brushes/sponges) tape off whatever pattern you want. I just did abstract lines, but you could do any shape with tape!

• Paint canvas as desired and let dry. DO NOT peel off tape before the paint is dry or it could ruin it!

• Easy as pie: peel off the tape and enjoy your beautiful creation!

Super huge thanks must go to my amaaaazing big sister, Megan (check out her blog!) and her super-duper hubs Brandon for helping with all of my projects today!

I can't wait until I can post pictures of our actual living room rather than just the pieces that will go there! Tune in for more reveals soon, starting with projects for the kitchen and dining area.

I'm posting this transformation to the Before and After Party hosted by one of my favorite blogs, Thrifty Decor Chick! Check her blog out -- it's amaaaazing!

Wednesday Wish List

Since I am trying my very best to not give in to my shopping urges now, I decided to create a new blog tradition: Wish List Wednesdays! Here I can list the items I very much wish to purchase, but can't for reasons financial (too pricy!) or practical (no space, or the fact that I'm moving in August and don't need any more things to haul...). I thought sharing the lists would be fun, and even better, as I check out thrift shops, sales, craigslist, or craft stores, I might even find a cheaper version of my wish-list items, or dream up my own DIY version to share on here! (Here's hoping!) So without further ado, this week's top 5 Wish List Items:

1. Classic Symmetry Prints from Crate and Barrel. I've been obsessed with these for months and am seriously surprised (and proud!) that I haven't taken a shopping binge and ordered them. I love them because they're a classy way to work color into my decor, but I hate them because they are really freakin' expensive. $369? REALLY? I already have a DIY-ish project in mind involving super cute, elegant scrapbook paper, matting, and dark wood frames - but I need to find said cute scrapbook paper and also find frames that will be nice quality but not bank-breakers. Unfortunately the nearest craft store (Michael's) doesn't have the best selection of paper (and of course, the store in Columbia, which was oh-so-close when I was in college, had a TON of cute paper that I always diligently avoided.) So a trip to Hobby Lobby, Scrapbook Boutique (the local scrapbook store), or the Columbia Michael's might be in order.

2. Funky Wheel Wall Art Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. While browsing blogs tonight, I stumbled across an ad for Cutting Edge and took a look at their designs. I looove this fresh pinwheel print, and wish very badly that I could own it and use it to create my own canvas art. Alas, it is $42.95, too much for a stencil in my opinion. If I was feeling super crafty I could maybe make an imitation stencil out of posterboard - or I could go the easy way and just keep searching for cheaper stencils in local stores.

3. Orange Overlapping Shells Purse from Toon Design's Etsy Store. I love shopping for handmade items on Etsy (they're usually beautiful products made by small business owners, so it's win-win: help them and buy something unique and lovely). Everyday items are featured on the front page (usually a theme or color unites all the selections), and this adorable little purse was featured today. Unfortunately by the time I discovered this chic and affordable ($17 including shipping? I'm there!) it was all sold out. Sad times. But she offers many other patterns in the same style, so after some perusing I may snag another purse. OR somebody could make my day by getting me one for Christmas ;) The store also features bridesmaid's clutches, which could come in handy as both I and my dear friend Kathryn Palagonia (who JUST got engaged!!! Congratulations, girl!!!) will be planning weddings soon!

4. Set of 3 Tea Lights from Target. I love the faux-wood look of these tea light holders from my fave store, Tar-jay! Ryan loves the woody, outdoorsy look, so these would satisfy his pleas for more natural accessories without being clunky or unfashionable. Sadly, at $44.99 these are not a steal. Unless I learn to carve wood to recreate them, I will most likely wait patiently for them to go on clearance or scour the internets and discount stores for lookalikes or substitutes!

5. Gerber Upholstered Chair in surf and cherry from Target. Wouldn't a pair of these puppies in Aqua look great with my futon? Better yet, if I had the room (and the moolah) I'd spring for two of the springy and spicy red ones in my bedroom...it would make such a lovely seating area! The bold patterns, the dark wood, the comfy looking cushions...I want it so bad, but at $299 it's a big no go! Maybe some clever craigslisting or thrifting and reupholstering with similar bold fabric could do the trick. But that's a project for another time!

So, what are your wish list items? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for checking out this Wednesday's wish list!