Archive for August, 2010
Reader Redesign: Somebody’s Nesting
It’s about time that we featured some projects from our über-productive pregnant Twitter friend Jen Woodhouse (who also happens to have moved recently from Nashville to the Richmond area). Jen’s been furiously nesting ever since landing here in Virginia and we thought you guys would love to see some of her projects (all of which you can learn more about on her blog The House of Wood). Here’s her letter:
Inspired by your awesome Craigslist dresser project, I refinished an old dresser and will use it as a changing table/dresser for our little Eggroll. You can read more about the project here.
And since I find myself wanting to show-and-tell all my DIY stuff with you guys, here’s a tufted headboard that I made along with some artwork that I created on the cheap above it! Read more about the artwork project here and see a step by step of the headboard here.
Lastly, here’s a fun little project for anyone else who feels the urge to organize baby clothes. I bought these blank clothing dividers from an online supply store (just google “clothing dividers”) for $0.29 each. I created a template (which you can download here), found some adorable backgrounds via Google images, and tweaked them in Photoshop. Then I printed them out on white full-sheet labels, cut them out, and stuck them on. You can see more here. So that’s what I’ve been up to. As always, thanks for the inspiration! – Jen
Thanks for sharing all of your projects with us, Jen! We’re having trouble picking a favorite so we’ll just say that they’re all awesome and we bet your little Eggroll can’t wait to come out into the world and see them. What do you guys think? Care to name a favorite project from the slew of fun transformations above? Anyone else out there nesting? Or refinishing furniture, making art, whipping up a DIY headboard, or making clothing dividers just because? Spill it.
Oh and don’t forget to check out: our weekly BabyCenter post! This time we tackled a fun little craft project that can definitely transcend the nursery or the playroom (read: you could just as easily whip one up for your living room if you’d like). Here’s a sneak peek:
Check out all the other photos along with a step by step tutorial right here. Fun, fun, fun.
Our Sunroom Mini Makeover: Phase One
You guys may remember the sunroom quickchange that occurred a few months back when we turned our former third bedroom (which once housed a West Elm daybed and a desk) into Clara’s nursery. Being work-with-what-you-have people, we brought the daybed from that old bedroom of yore out into the sunroom, and we mentioned that someday we would hopefully get around to priming and painting it white for a more balanced look (since it’s about a foot away from our other already-white West Elm daybed). We actually didn’t think it looked too bad when it was dark since it worked with the metal framing on the glass doors that surround the room…
… but now that it’s primed and painted it definitely feels more balanced to us. You know we’re not huge everything-must-match people, but we thought since both daybeds had different pillows and a different design (one is a lot less intricate) that keeping them in the same white palette would keep the L-shaped arrangement from feeling too off-balance. Plus we have more tricks up our sleeves to add a ton of layered pattern, color and interest in future phases of this project (so the daybeds will serve as a nice calm foundation for the space). Stay tuned!
Of course it also helps that the trees are green again and we added some pops of color to each daybed (in the form of a few already-owned pillows that were displaced from the guest bedroom which we’ve since transitioned into our home office/guest bedroom/playroom). Oh and in case you’re wondering, the two floral pillows were a gift from a family member (we believe from Bed Bath & Beyond) and the larger blue pillow on the other daybed is from Marshall’s (snagged for $6 a while back).
And for anyone who’d like to know how we went about priming and painting our daybed, here’s the play by play. First we removed the mattress and the linens and placed all four feet on squares of cardboard:
Then we used Kilz oil-based primer (to keep the wood stain from bleeding through and ruining our finish) that we applied as thinly and evenly as possible with a brush. Note: to anyone who doesn’t paint nearly every weekend, you might want to toss down a drop cloth to safeguard the rug/floor against drips. We’re just cocky little painters who make do with the cardboard-under-the-feet-method, but it’s taken us years of painting our hearts out to get there. Oh and if your wood surface is glossy (covered in polyurethane or polycrilic) you’ll need to sand it first to cut the gloss and help the paint adhere. Luckily our daybed was a very matte finish (dry and absorbent feeling, sort of the opposite of glossy) so we didn’t need to sand.
Usually only one coat of primer is necessary since you’re not trying to completely cover the piece and block out all of the black color, you’re just laying the foundation so the latex paint that you apply over it will stick well and that will block the color. It’s in primer’s nature to go on rather roughly (so never expect a perfect looking white effect when you’re done) and our best tip to you would be a nice even and thin application. It’s the people who try to load it on thickly for that matte look who run into tons of drying and bubbling problems later. Brush strokes are ok with primer- they’re practically unavoidable actually! In fact we snapped this close up photo to show you how one thin and even application of primer with a paint brush will most likely look. Then it’s time for paint.
The day after we primed (just to give it time to cure up and dry) we applied two thin and even coats of white paint about an hour apart. We used Freshaire No-VOC semi-gloss latex paint in their stock off-the-shelf white color. And we actually used a small foam roller to apply the paint for a smooth “machine produced” look. This way it would match the other daybed’s look instead of having the painted quality that a paintbrush can produce when you use it to apply those thin and even coats of paint (neither a 2″ angled brush or a foam roller are bad choices for applying paint, so it’s really up to you to choose what you feel most comfortable with and whether you want the glossy hand-painted look or the smooth machine-made look – kind of like Ikea furniture).
Again, a thin and even application of the latex paint is key. Pop quiz: how many times have I said thin and even in this post? I apologize, but it’s super important. It really is the difference between a terrible result and a great one. That and ample drying time between and after coats, which is why we leave a day between primer and paint, at least an hour between paint applications, and 3-6 full days before putting things on the painted item and using it again. In this case we let our daybed dry for a full week before loading the mattress and the linens back on and moving it back into place. We just hate risking any creases or dings from being too impatient. So we lived with the daybed looking a little chaotic for a while, but Burger seemed to love his new lookout tower. Sometimes I swear our dog is a cat.
And after things were all put together again it looked like it had always been white:
Plus we’re happy to report that the color of our painted daybed looks a lot like that of our already-white daybed, so they really work well together. We’re not super neurotic when it comes to our white tones coordinating perfectly, so we didn’t do anything like bring home white swatches and hold them up to the white daybed to get the perfect match, but that’s definitely something that you can do if you want your painted piece to perfectly match something that you already own. Our similar white tones were just kind of a happy accident.
And although Burger’s perch on the displaced mattress is gone, he seems pretty happy with the result. We just love how light and fresh the room feels thanks to all that glass, the airy white furnishings, those pops of green and blue, and the breezy white sheers.
So that’s part one of phase one, and the theme of this phase is all about working with what we already have. Happily the cost for moving the daybed in and repainting it was zero dollars (since the primer and paint was already on hand along with the daybed that was freed up by the creation of our nursery). But we also had a dresser and a large mirror that were displaced from the guest bedroom when we converted that into an office about a month after finishing the nursery makeover. And we also needed a small wooden bookcase in the office (for Clara’s toys) so we swapped the one that used to live in the sunroom (along with the mirror above it)…
… with the dresser and mirror from the former guest bedroom.
Everyone wins! The larger mirror and dresser provide lots of storage and reflect even more sunlight (along with our leafy green view) while the old sunroom bookcase can now be used to store lots of toys for Clara (the footprint of the bookcase is a lot smaller, so it works in the new office while the dresser never could). But again, this is just stage one of the sunroom switcheroo – so we have a lot more up our sleeves for this room in the pattern and color department! Hold tight for our next phase of the project.
But what about you guys? Have you ever moved a dresser or a daybed out of the bedroom and into a living area in your home? Have you painted something to help it fit in – or stand out? Spill it.
Psst- For more furniture painting tips and tricks, check out this very very very thorough tutorial. And happy painting!
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Fab Freebie: Bird Play
***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries***
Who’s ready to win some art? If I were a motivational speaker this is where I would say “I can’t heeeaaaar yoooou!” and wait for you to respond even louder to my question. But I’m not going to do that. And regardless of how much volume you put behind your response (in all honestly, I’m kinda hoping you just answered it quietly in your head) we’re very excited to bring you this week’s giveaway from Modern Bird Studios.
As you can tell from the image above, Gregg Deal – the artist behind Modern Bird – takes any photo you provide him and turns it into a hand-painted piece of modern art on a thick oak canvas. In many ways it’s our favorite type of wall decor: personal and attractive.
The subtle abstraction of your image, paired with two punchy colors and a solid wooden base make for an interesting and meaningful conversation piece for you walls, mantle, bookshelf or table.
Plus it’s a great way to do something different with that wedding portrait, baby picture, travel photo or pet snapshot that you love. Just pick a couple of colors from Modern Bird’s color chart that coordinate with the tones in your house (or complement them for interest and fun) and suddenly you’ll have a piece that looks right at home in your home. And we love the hint of wood grain that comes through for that truly authentic vibe.
So here at the deets on how to enter this week (plus stay tuned for a discount on Thursday):
- PRIZE: One 12″ x 24″ customized art piece from Modern Bird Studios
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “BIRD ME” and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … I know this sounds weird, but if you could be any bird what kind would you choose? Perhaps a flamingo or a toucan so you can hang out somewhere tropical? A hummingbird because you like being small but stealth? Or perhaps a character like Big Bird is more your style because you’d hate to lose the ability to talk and interact with humans?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, August 25th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: The 48 Continental United States
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday. Good luck…
See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from Modern Bird Studios.
Budget Blooms: Bottled Up
Even though it was originally my idea/Christmas-present-to-Sherry to buy fresh flowers once a month, I’ve been pretty absent from these budget bloom posts since their inception – mostly because talkin’ flowers isn’t really at the center of my comfort zone. But this month’s florals are less about the blooms and more about bottles which (as an off-and-on soda fan) are right up my alley. So here’s August’s $2.47 arrangement adding some punch to our kitchen window sill:
This actually started with a blueberry Izze soda (technically it’s “sparkling juice”) that we purchased at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. Sherry and I have both been fond of the graphic flower on their bottles for a while, so the empty Izze bottle managed to save itself from the recycling bin day after day while we enjoyed its quirky beauty on the counter. Then we realized that paired with a few other colorful Izze bottles it could easily become a sweet repurposed vase. So on a recent trip near Starbucks, I dropped in and picked up two more Izze bottles (each with a different colored flower just for fun) and then we grabbed three spider mums from a local florist to the tune of $2.47. So I guess if you want to get technical, although the flowers were under $3, this arrangement was around $9 if you include the Izze. But we did get to enjoy a bunch of fizzy drinks for that price too.
We liked the all-white flowers paired with the trio of hues on the Izze labels. Plus we realized there’s something nice about the blooms blending in with the dominant crisp white color of our kitchen, making their containers stand out that much more.
We’ve always been fans of adapting cups, votive holders, and of course bottles into makeshift vases – this is just our first time using Izzes. They’d also look great in a monochromatic grouping (all clementime flavored bottles with orange or yellow gerbera daisies, for instance) or you can come up with your own mix-and-match color scheme (there are 8 flavors in total). Oh and some classic Coke bottles could add a cute retro feel while some worn green glass bottles at a thrift store or flea market would bring a nice cottage vibe to any arrangement.
So there you have our monthly blossoms. They’ve actually been lasting quite a while, thanks to the fact that they hail form a local florist (which really does seem to make a difference). We also change the water and re-cut their stems every 5 days or so- just to give them the best chance at long term survival (so far we’re over two weeks into things and they’re still going strong).
But enough about our mums, do you guys have any other bottle or vase stand-ins that you’ve particularly loved using instead of the more tried and true meant-for-flower vessels? Are there any other flowers that you’ve been enjoying lately? Oh yeah, and we’ve got more plans for those Izze bottles too (you know we love squeezing as many projects out of our cheap little purchases as we can) so don’t be shocked if you see ‘em again soon. Stay tuned…
Wanna see our first grocery store bouquet from last January? Itching to check out February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September too? How about this year’s January, February, March, April, May, June, and July bouquets? Just follow the links for some pretty sweet cheap-o (and even free) bouquets.
Closing Up Shop
It’s so hard to say goodbye, but in the words of Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton: something’s gotta give.
Parenthood, home improvement projects, and tons of other blog related undertakings have turned us into busy bees. So much so that our little t-shirt and print shop will be closing its virtual doors since we no longer have a spare second to keep up with the whole mom & pop operation anymore. We proudly rely on two local printing and t-shirt companies to create all of our YHL wares, but we do all of the designing, stocking, packaging, and mailing ourselves. We know that we can probably outsource those responsibilities, but it just feels like something else we would have to juggle – and what can we say, we like to be the ones who get our hands dirty and do the work ourselves.
Even though we know closing this door will open the door to future opportunities (and free us up to tackle more projects and write more posts instead of standing in line at the post office and calling in orders) we’re still sad! But we keep reminding ourselves that by simplifying and streamlining our to-do list, we can continue to bring you guys lots of makeovers, before and afters, giveaways, house crashings, and other things that you know and love. Which turns our frown upside down so to speak. Anyway, we’ve assigned an inventory number to everything that’s left in our shop (about 30 items remain) but when those things are gone we’re officially sold out for good.
But enough Debbie Downering (yes, we just made that a verb). Let’s get to the hearts and unicorns portion of this post. We love you guys for your support of our shop over the past two years and we owe a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone of you lovely guys and gals who ordered from us. We’re beyond honored that our prints hang on your walls and our t-shirts hang on your bodies. Seriously, nothing is cooler than that. We so appreciate your support and your interest in our designs!
So now all you guys have to do is stay tuned for more beefy blog stuff that you love. We’ve got big plans for this fall!
First image courtesy of IMDB.
