Agustus 2013

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Featured on Houzz

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Sabtu, 31 Agustus 2013 0 komentar

My Houzz Ideabook "Chinoiserie to Put You in the Pink" is featured today. You can find it here.

I adore Chinoiserie mirrors in gold or painted in virtually any color, but isn't there something elegant and sophisticated about this silver pagoda mirror? Consider silver if you snag a great vintage Chinoiserie mirror - DIY options include silver leaf, Rustoleum Metallic Silver Spray Paint, Silver Leaf Rub N Buff, and even a Krylon Silver Leafing Pen.

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when DIY goes bad...

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Jumat, 30 Agustus 2013 0 komentar

...i also could have titled this post :

"how to get paint out of your hair",

OR

"how to get paint off slate floors"

cuz, yeah.
i had a little paint MISHAP yesterday evening:

as you know, i have been putting off painting gradys bathroom for weeeeeeeeks now. i finally got the motivation last night at about 8pm to start. i know. bad idea #1.

things were actually going very well. i finished all the prep work in under an hour, started cutting in along the ceiling and around the toilet,vanity and door, and was rolling the walls by 10, happily and loudly listening to pandora on my iphone. (a little abba with some disney movie songs thrown in. don't ask. i was in a weird mood.)

i had finished my second coat, and had some paint in a container that i was using to do touch-ups along the ceiling. i totally forgot that i left the container of paint on the ladder...until i went to move the ladder and felt the paint fall on my head!!
and drip down my neck!
and basically get alllll over me and the floor.

of course, i had a drop cloth down, but about half of the paint that hit the floor happened to land on the one spot where the drop cloth had pulled away! yeah. good times.
what a mess!

not to mention the fact that i was trapped---there was paint all over my feet, so i had my husband and kids race around the house to get me some rags and paint thinner.

oh, and a coke zero.

you know, just the necessities.

so, i first washed the slate with some warm soapy water, which might have been a bad idea, but i was in full panic mode, and would have rubbed just about anything on the floor if it was in the bathroom. it actually did a pretty good job of removing a lot of the paint.

when i finally got a hold of some paint thinner, i put that on a rag and rubbed and scrubbed. i was a little disappointed. i had to rub REALLY hard (at first with the rag, and then a kitchen scrub brush) and even then, there were little particles of paint that were stuck in the "grain" of the slate.

i ultimately tried using steel wool with the paint thinner, which seemed to work really well, but what really helped to removed the last bit of paint that was stuck in the grain of the tile was a magic eraser!

who knew.

the base board is still a mess...

you can see the haze that is on the tile BEFORE the magic eraser:

and here it is after the magic eraser:

i was happy with how the paint came off the floors.

(it was definitely more difficult to get the paint off of a natural stone floor that off of ceramic tile. because i have spilled paint on ceramic/porcelain tile before--although not to this degree!-- and it was much easier to get off!)

oh, and one painting tip:

wrap your toilet with a trash bag while painting to keep from getting paint on the back while painting!

(if only i had also wrapped my head!)

which brings me to another tip:

how to get paint out of your hair!!

(i never thought i would be writing a tip on removing paint from hair. or maybe i HOPED i would never be writing a tip on removing paint from hair.)

here is what worked for me:

round 1:

conditioner + 3-row comb (also called a pocket brush)

i just put some conditioner on my hair, and combed through it for a few minutes with the 3 row comb. it was like MAGIC. i kid you not. doing this removed about 90% of the paint in my hair.

(there have been times when i have had paint in my hair for days after painting a room. not anymore! i am going to do this from now on.)

round 2:

shampoo + rinse + conditioner + comb.

i just shampooed and rinsed my hair like normal, applied conditioner and combed it again.

voila.

ALL of the paint was gone.

potential mental breakdown averted.

for now.

anyway....here is the room this morning:

it was a late night, and i have a busy day. i still need to finish cleaning up the non-paint-spill mess from the bathroom, and do about 35 other things around the house....

but, i am happy to report that the floor looks almost as good as new.

i still need to mop it and do some touch up scrubbing with the magic eraser.

and, the baseboard where the spill happened will need to be sanded and repainted.

but that can wait for another day. my kids get out of school early today, and i think i deserve a pedicure.

don't you agree?

have a happy weekend!

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Elephant Stampede

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier 0 komentar

I have the feeling that we will be the ones stampeding over to Elizabeth McKay today for these incredibly cute patent leather elephant key chains. These are a must for the lover of Chinoiserie Chic, Palm Beach Chic, and Prepster Style. They would make a perfect stocking stuffer, baby shower gift, bridesmaid gift, or stock up now for Christmas gifts for all those tough to shop for people on your list. What color is your favorite? I love the pink, of course. As with all of of their Elephant Products, 20% of the purchase price will be donated to African Parks in hopes of curbing the Ivory trade and preserving wildlife in Africa. A worthy cause.

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a visit to west elm

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier Kamis, 29 Agustus 2013 0 komentar

earlier this week, i popped in west elm for a visit.

this west elm is located in downtown salt lake city, and is in the new city creek center, across from the historic temple square.

if you have never been to a west elm, you need to make a point to pop in the next time you are in a city that has one!

i love the way they have the most items displayed by color.

such eye candy!

if you have only been shopping on west elm online, you might have missed their new "market" area--where they carry dishes, and all things related to housekeeping. their stuff is seriously chic. i found myself daydreaming about throwing out all of my mixing bowls, canisters, hot pads, and kitchen "gear" and starting from scratch.

i am a huge fan of west elm lighting! their items are so unique and look great in any space. they always manage to stock items that add an edge to a very traditional room, or add some softness to a very modern space.

one item that i am particularly taken with is their version of the "bed in a bag". they come pre-packaged in coordinating sets so you can just grab and go and know your bed will look great.

this pretty maize version comes with the sunburst duvet cover and polka dot sheets, and then you can throw on whatever accent you want.

the patterns are so pretty together!

this chevron is another version of their "bed in a bag". the tiny pin-strip sheets are a great compliment to the bolder chevron duvet cover.

love their accessories!

the center of the store has this fun glass enclosure with a large floating branch....

isn't this fun?

i love the bleached wood plank ceiling. wouldn't this treatment look amazing in a beach house?

here are the two accent pillows that we purchased for the college dorm room:

(the green velvet pillow is actually darker and more, well...GREEN in person)

(sorry about the blurry pic!)

thanks for coming along!

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Vintage Brass Animals

Posted by sew4tejhtr6ier 0 komentar

Vintage brass animals have been popping up all over the pages of interior design magazines and with good reason. They are the perfect finishing touch for a coffee table, a bookcase, a bar cart, an end table, on top of coffee table books, or any tablescape. They add a touch of whimsy, vintage style, and the unexpected. They have been selling on One Kings Lane for big $$$. My new sponsor AnthologyHouse has some lovely ones and they are all very well priced. Their Etsy shop is wonderful - they have a keen eye for vintage pieces and a special affinity for all things Chinoiserie.