Paris > Projects

Here's the simplest explanation possible for my lack of posts lately:

I don't do anything anymore.

And here's the simplest explanation why:

!!!!!!

We (somewhat spontaneously) decided to take a trip to Paris this Spring and I now spend virtually every waking moment reading-obsessing-making lists, or jumping up and down squealing with delight. When not doing those things, I'm trying to think of house projects that don't cost any pennies (because I've already spent all of ours on airfare), and coming up short.  

Suggestions welcome.

MALM knows best

I've heard it said many times that the master bedroom is usually the last area to be addressed when decorating a home. In fact, daytime TV seems to suggest that people leave their bedrooms in awful disrepair for decades at a time, until the only possible rescue is some sort of ambush makeover show on HGTV...

Anyway, while it makes sense in theory to focus your efforts on the rooms that you and your guests will spend the most time looking at, I'm trying hard to give all of our rooms equal play-time instead.

Ever since Husband and I have lived together, we have put absolutely zero effort into the appearance of our bedroom, and that has been true since we moved in here as well.  Clothes spill out of dresser drawers with reckless abandon.  Laundry piles litter the floor. Miscellaneous junk and dust cover every workable surface. The walls are bare. The bed gets made 50% of the time (which is actually a dramatic improvement.) I'm not proud.  We bought two cheap curtain panels to cover the windows last September, and called it "decorating." Also, because of the cable outlet, the television has been at the most awkward possible angle to the bed, and sits atop a dresser roughly as old as me.

*crappy photo only included to show the awesome vintage IKEA dresser over there. #classy.

So what I'm getting at is our need for a dresser or two, right here.

I really wanted to find a used dresser on Craigslist to refinish or paint ourselves, but logistically that ended up being impractical.  We needed as much (probably more) storage space than we had with the old dressers and I had my heart set on a long, low piece that would fill the wall opposite our bed. Anything that large wouldn't have been able to fit in my car to come home, and husband was having a hard time wrapping his head around the idea of us both using the same dresser, anyway. Also, despite the freaky-warm winter we've been treated to, I knew that a major furniture rehab would have had to wait until Spring, and then probably would take weeks to complete.  I'm really not a fan of "stop-gap" purchases, so hopefully that's not what this turns out to be, but we were so sick of our bedroom looking like a college apartment....we had to take action.

To IKEA we went.
...because if anything says "I'm a grown-up", it's definitely flat-packed scandinavian particle board....

I feel like everyone in the world has at least one MALM dresser at some point in their lives, so I figure this is just our time. For an IKEA piece, they are pretty sturdy, while still being inexpensive enough that I don't feel forced to love 'em for 20 years (which is my biggest furniture-buying handicap).  They will easily be able to transition to other areas of the house in the future if we want to change things up, and I have lots of options for personalizing them...

 O'verlays! - genius.

So anyway, after a lengthy discussion in the dresser section of the store (does anyone else feel like they spend days in IKEA having very public debates with their spouse??) we bought 2 dressers.  We also picked up the glass pieces they sell pre-cut for the tops, which was 100% worthwhile.  They look so much more substantial, and should prevent dents and general wear and tear to the tops of the future.

I'm still don't know if I love the tall dresser, and wonder if maybe we should have put a shorter 3-drawer next to the long one, to make it look like one very long piece.  Oh well, they are not visible from the door to the bedroom, so it's not super overwhelming.  We wanted something taller to put the TV on, too, so it works out okay.

Here's the setup right now:

We also ran the TV cable along the baseboards and door trim using stick-on sleeve thingys (also from IKEA), and though I was nervous about it being super obvious and tacky, it turned out to be barely noticeable.  Yay.

So we still need a rug (saw the perfect one here but couldn't possibly afford the expense), a headboard (thoughts coming soon), nightstands (no winning ideas at the moment), a vanity/dressing table for the corner where the old little dresser used to be, and I just had the super exciting urge to paint something on the pocket door to the bathroom!!  Husband is skeptical about that last one, but he would only see it when the door is closed because someone (me) is in the bathroom, and it's just paint, and whatever-I-don't-care-I'm-doing-it-anyway.

Blinded by the Light

Last weekend, we had $30 to burn at Home Depot thanks to a leftover secret santa gift from Christmas. We used it to buy blinds for the dining room.

We chose the 2" White Faux Wood Blinds from Home Depot because we have some similar in the den, and we dig 'em.  They had two different lengths (both longer than our windows and would need to be shortened), but only the longer one had the breakaway cord feature that reduces the cord-strangulation hazard.  I really don't understand why the shorter blinds don't have this, and it really annoyed me to have to spend the extra money on the longer ones, just to throw away more unused slats...but we just couldn't justify not having the safety feature.

Now that they are installed, I can't imagine how we lived without them for 6 months!  As soon as it gets dark, I can completely cover the windows all around the living room & dining room now and it feels so cozy!

The only thing left to do on the windows is to make some kind of valance with this fabric that I picked up on clearance at the same time as the chair cushion fabric.  I love it, and I wish there would've been enough to make curtains (because virtually every valance pattern I've seen so far is entirely too reminiscent of the early '90s), but we'll figure something out.

Thanks Santa!

Coming up this Winter

While the weather outside is frightful, we're hoping to take advantage of being stuck inside and  get some projects checked off the - metaphorical - list.

1. Finish Moving In

I didn't go around and count, but I'm pretty sure we have between 10 and 15 boxes still in the state the moving guys left them. I have no idea what is inside most of them, or where we're going to put it, but my goal is to finish unpacking before we have to mow the lawn for the first time this summer.

2. Basement

Right now, the situation in the basement is pretty terrifying.  I consciously try not to look around when I go down there (briefly) to do laundry.  While we're no where near being able to afford the remodel we're eventually planning, hopefully some time with a garbage bag and a paint brush will help smooth things over for a while.

3. Pillow Problems

Every night, we wage a war with our pillows constantly falling off the head of the bed, and nothing frustrates me more than unregulated pillows. I want to make an upholstered headboard to stop the pillow-suicides, and also act as a focal point in the room. We still haven't agreed on what shape/style it should be, and which fabric we should use. I also don't know how we will get the required sheet of plywood home...so clearly, this idea is still in its earliest stages.

4. Privacy Please!

There is an appalling lack of window treatments downstairs at the moment, and I'm procrastinating because of some iffy decisions I've made on the curtain front so far - but something really needs to be done about the naked dining room and kitchen windows.

5. 6-Panels

Now that Husband is a door-replacing pro, he can feel free to replace the ones in the hallway upstairs at any point... :) I don't really have much vote in when this happens, so it may not this year at all.  At least we know it's something we already have the experience/skills to do, and that's unusually comforting.

6. Craftiness

This might make me sound a bit spoiled, but I am tired of crafting. on. the floor. Need me some craft room furniture!! 

7. Save, Save, Save

Lastly, and of highest priority, I've mentioned before that we're hoping to replace our upstairs windows and sliding glass door before the summer if possible. This is undoubtedly going to set us back quite a bit, but we feel like it's an important investment in our house, and our utility bills! 

And because this is an otherwise boring, picture-free post, here's a quick one of my handsome man...

...And It Only Cost Me My Sight & My Sanity

It feels like forever ago that I rambled for an entire post about my lust for patterned walls. Specifically, the one pattern that I loved most but was afraid of committing to because of it's popularity.  Well you'll be happy to know (or probably you don't give a hoot either way), that I faced my fear like the renovating daredevil I aspire to be.

HOW TO RUIN YOUR EYESIGHT AND LOSE YOUR MIND IN 5 EASY STEPS

Step 1: Pick a wall - preferably one in your own home.

Step 2: Print out a template (mine came from here).  Enlarge it to your desired scale, or don't (I didn't.)

Step 3: Trace the shape onto cardboard - anything sturdy enough.  I read a good suggestion somewhere to use the back of a cereal box or, if you happen to have a scary basement full of packing materials and moving boxes, that'll work too.

Step 4: Trace the template in a repeating pattern across the wall with chalk. I would recommend taking your time and being relatively precise with this step.  I wasn't, and have a lot more errant chalk lines to touch up than I would have liked.

Step 5: Paint over the lines with a small craft brush. If, like me, you don't have a steady hand you'll probably realize quickly that this project is going to take you a very long time. I figured it out around this point:

(not a diaper)

...and then keep going.

On the first evening, I did all the outlining, and got this far with the painting:

On day 2, I pushed myself really hard and didn't quit until I spilled paint out of the can all over the floor and my feet - which was probably a sign I should've stopped earlier. I was almost seeing double after a few hours of focusing on the wall at the same distance, which made everything look a little crazy and is probably the reason for this wonky photo.

On day 3, I tried to finish up between work and having company over (you know, to show off...) but failed.

After work on day 4 I just couldn't bring myself to stand on the step-ladder to finish up, so I gave myself the day off.  

Refreshed on day 5, I was done in no time an hour and a half.

I am unbelievably glad that I chose such a small wall.  This project took much longer, and was much more taxing than I thought it would be.  Despite that, I love the way it turned out and can't wait to keep working on the room. I'm also kind of tempted to do another pattern (with straight lines so I can use painters tape - I'm not totally insane) somewhere else in the house.

The next step towards creating a girly crafting haven is, of course, furnishing the room. I've been pinning inspiration for months, and right now my favorite setup is this one:

source

I love the cubbies along the wall, the frosted wall mounted cabinets, and wouldn't a couple of eclectic chairs look cute around such a simple table?

I'll be back with an update when I work some extra shifts to pay for those goodies.  Isn't it a shame that furniture is so expensive!?

It's the Little Things

Sometimes, it's the projects that are (relatively) small, that make me smile the most when they are completed.

BASEMENT DOOR

After replacing the garage door and the pantry door, the door to the basement was painfully, obviously, begging to be scrapped. All three are in a line in the kitchen, so the ugly hardware and dirty door stuck out like crazy.  Also, it didn't close - that's kind of a theme around here apparently.

The above photo was taken before we moved in, while we were working on painting the downstairs, so the pantry is still in its original state as well. Those old window treatments from the living room sat in the hallway like that for an embarrassingly long time, by the way.

It makes me a lot happier to look at those doors now that they are shiny and new.

The unmatching hardware is totally my fault.  A long time ago, I decided that the pantry door should have a different handle to distinguish it as a closet, not an entrance.  Then, when we worked on the pantry, I decided I liked the way the knob looked more than the handle.  Then, I refused to buy new (matching) hardware for the basement door, because it seemed like a waste.

I'm a crazy person.  Moving on...

ENTRY TABLE

This may seem like a very minor change, but I searched for weeks and weeks for a table to sit next to our front door.  We made-do with a moving box for a while, but it just wasn't the "look" we were going for.

There is a 16" vent on the baseboard, and an outlet that I didn't want to cover just above it. This spot is also right at the foot of the stairs, so the table couldn't protrude too far from the wall. I didn't think it would be an especially tall order to find an appropriate little table, but weeks of searching my usual favorite haunts and two returned purchases later (darn vent!!) showed me otherwise. Then, one fateful afternoon in World Market, Mum spotted this gem in a corner back by the rugs.

I ended up getting 10% off the sale price because it was a floor model and slightly scratched (nothing a little stain pen didn't fix), and they let me use a coupon on top of that so I paid $32 out the door.  After looking at wobbly, not-even-real-wood, crappy pieces that were upward of $100 it was such a steal!
I know it's just a table, but I love her so much. Of course she's a she. Look how pretty and perfect she is - she was made for that spot.

LINEN CLOSET

Before we could put away all our sheets & towels, we desperately had to do something about this:

Why do the closets in this house give me the creeps so much?! Why do the shelves look like they're melting?!

So, after a couple of cut-to-size shelves and 2 coats of paint, I no longer feel the need to hold my breath when I open the door to the linen closet.  The paint was just leftover from the dining room, so this transformation was totally on the cheap.

If only I could make it look as neat now that there is linen spilling out of it...

I might be a towel hoarder.

These projects were by no means the most thrilling or grand, but they make a huge difference in ridding the house of that "we just moved in last week" look, that we're so good at.

My Go-To Chocolate Cupcakes

Two years ago, when I was just beginning my cupcake baking days, I wasted an sinful amount of butter and sugar in search of the best chocolate cake recipe.  I still remember squealing with delight when I pulled these out of the oven for the first time and seeing their smooth, slightly domed, perfect tops (if there's one thing I hate, it's a messy, sunken cupcake). I don't think I even waited for them to cool before tearing one apart to find a soft, light texture, and my favorite trait of these beauties is that they don't crumble to pieces when you take a bite (if there's another thing I hate, it's wearing my cupcake). I think I wiped the inevitable batter off my phone immediately, that day, to call Mum who had given me the recipe originally and declared that "oh my god, this is the perfect cupcake".  My opinion of this recipe has only increased in the 20-odd times I've made it since - it has never failed me. 

Oh yeah, and they taste rich and delicious too.

This isn't the most glamorously decorated example, and frankly that's because when someone requests just "chocolate cupcakes", I believe that they will be happiest with the cake being the star. I've also topped these with more elaborate frosting and decorations, which have been superbly received as well. In this case, I frosted them with a modest amount of basic chocolate buttercream.

If you're looking to add a filling, these are probably not the cupcakes to choose - I think they are slightly too dense (but in a good way! I promise)

I've been using the same original printout for two years, but for fear of losing it, or covering it so severely in ingredients that it becomes illegible, I tracked down the online source today.
Side note: I have made the Brown Sugar Buttercream that is included with the recipe online, and I'm disappointed to say that it was extremely underwhelming. I definitely don't recommend it.

Devil's Food Cake
Source: Epicurious.com - originally from Gourmet Magazine
Yield 24-28 cupcakes or 2 9" rounds

INGREDIENTS
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Whisk together boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth, then mix in vanilla and milk.

3. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda in another bowl.

4. Beat together butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in flour and cocoa mixtures alternatively in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

5. Divide batter among cupcake pans (a large cookie scoop works well for this), and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until tops of cakes spring back when touched lightly.

Cake can be made several days ahead and stored in airtight container.  Freezes well.