Tag: sponsored

DIY Striped Armoire Surprise

Sponsored by ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape.

I spotted an armoire on Jubilee Furniture’s blog not long after Calvin had been born. I’d been looking for something to replace the storage we lost when remodeling the second floor, and this one was the perfect size. I suspected the quality may be lacking because it was priced at just $35, but it was worth taking a look at.

Well, the drawers are wonky, two shelves have been replaced with plywood, and the left door is badly warped. It may not be in the greatest shape, but it does have great lines and it was decent enough to work with — especially since the price was right. That streaky faux-finish had to go though.

Much better! The doors are not perfectly smooth but the armoire has been moved to the hall where the light doesn’t hit it directly, and its imperfections are much less noticeable. I wanted something dark (but not black), so the color I chose was Shaded Fern by Glidden® and Brandon did the painting. But for the inside, I thought, why not have a bit of fun?

Whoa, that’s a whole lot of “fun.” Now you know why I’m calling this a Striped Armoire Surprise! Here’s how it was done. After priming the inside of the armoire, each compartment inside got a different hue. The colors used were Peach Daiquiri (pink), Extra Virgin Olive Oil (yellow), Crisp Linen White, Sea Spray (blue), Shaded Fern, French Stripe Red, and Safari Green — all Glidden® colors.

I used painter’s tape (ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape Delicate Surfaces with Advanced Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector 2080EL) along with a paper template to mark the diagonal lines on the doors. (The extra pieces you see are the ones I used for the spacing — obviously they were removed before the stripes were painted.) The drawers were painted white and then taped off horizontally with a thinner tape for variation.

I bought a pint of each color in a satin finish, and I have plenty of paint leftover.

After three coats of paint for each of the first half of the diagonal lines, I removed the tape and let the paint dry completely (at least 24 hours) before taping off for the new stripes the next day. It was easier to use the thinner tape this time, aligning one piece to the top of each stripe and another to the bottom, rather than trying to perfectly fit one piece of thick tape along the entire length.

The colors are so bright and cheery! It would be a little much for my taste to do this treatment to the outside, but I love it as a surprise when you open up the doors.

I am proud to be a 3M sponsored blogger, and, as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

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January 8, 2015
At a Snail’s Pace

This post is sponsored by Target.
Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

Our bedroom has been a work in progress for a long time now. In the beginning of last year, I wrote about how I was hoping to make the bed more often (because I’m terrible about getting in the habit), and I talked a bit about the search for curtains and art. Progress has been slow since then, but even though I look around and see all of the projects I want to tackle, the room is actually looking pretty good.

I picked up this fringed wall art to go above the antique dresser. I’d hung those two small paintings with a third initially, but the overall effect was that they looked bitsy. They needed one larger piece to anchor the grouping, and this was an inexpensive way to get in on the woven wall hangings trend. The metallic strands that are woven in are particularly nice, and there’s a larger version available too.

The little bird is an encaustic painting by Amy Ruppel, and the other was a commission by Paul Ferney (from this photo!). I’d still like to add more art to the bedroom, especially over the bed, but obviously I’m not in a rush. I like the vintage “dying flowers” (as Brandon coined) painting hung asymmetrically over the bed.

I’m trying to pull off the ‘I made the bed but it’s disheveled on purpose’ look that all the cool kids are doing these days. Successful? Not sure, but I do like the mix of color, pattern, and texture in the bedding. I had the throw pillows on hand and they’re no longer available, but the quilt and patterned sheets are. They pair nicely with a linen duvet (similar) and chunky knit throw blanket.

Curtains would soften the windows and cut down on the abundant wood tones in the room. I get overwhelmed with possibilities sometimes; plain white, a small scale pattern, subtle stripes, or something darker would all look good. I ought to just pick a direction and go with it. Maybe by this time next year, eh? That seems to be my pace in here!

This post is sponsored by Target. Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

January 6, 2015
The Fireplace Mantel, Decorated for Christmas

This post is sponsored by Target.
Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

Confession: we waited until after Thanksgiving to put our tree up, but I started bringing out the Christmas decorations for the rest of the house a couple of weeks ago! The fireplace is sporting a mix of decorations that we already owned with a few new additions from Target.

I really liked this holiday berry garland, but I used the silver ornament garland that we already owned and then added a few loose gold ornaments to fill in some bare spots. The candle holders are the same ones you saw last month in the dining room. I picked up several small and large bottle brush trees in both silver and white to add to the mantel, and further staggered the height by propping a few of the trees up on small upside-down bowls that are hidden behind the ornaments.

The brass deer are vintage. I loved decorating with them each year in the old house, so it’s fun to see them here on top of the fireplace. You can pick up this guy if you’re looking for a new deer of your own, or maybe just a small ceramic stag head for kicks?

Had the vintage painting leaning on the mantel been something more precious, I probably would have hesitated to string the “happy holidays” glitter banner across it. It may not be the greatest work of art, but I think it is the perfect backdrop for those sparkly letters! And speaking of sparkle, behold. Glitter! Gold! Silver! It’s all very merry.

Our stockings will soon be hung by the fireplace, but that isn’t the only change to come. My sister is hosting a Christmas party this year and she asked if she could borrow some decorations, so I have a feeling some of these will be moving to her apartment soon. At least I was able to enjoy this setup for a little while first! Besides, what are sisters for? (For stealing all of your cute Christmas decor, apparently. Ha!)

This post is sponsored by Target. Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

December 8, 2014
Keeping Track of Sales (and a Giveaway!)

Sponsored by PoachIt.

I tend to shop for specific clothes only when I need them. A new coat because my old one has become threadbare, or more recently, a few nursing-friendly shirts in my current size. While I’m browsing for the best options, I invariably come across a few finds that I certainly don’t need, but that I do like a whole lot. I’ll often think ‘maybe I’ll pick this up if it goes on sale’ but then I forget to check up on it regularly. I’ve missed out on many an item that went on sale for a great price, but now I’m using PoachIt to keep track of things so that won’t happen again.

I’m not exactly jumping up to buy all the things! but I do like to be aware of when the stuff I’ve had my eye on goes on sale, and that info can help me decide what to purchase and when. The service works with over 5,000 stores (I’ve been using it on sites like J. Crew, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, and Madewell), and there’s a browser extension (like the ‘pin it’ button) that makes it easy to keep track of items. When the price drops on something you’ve tracked, PoachIt sends you an email, but you can also view your tracked items, follow favorite merchants, and find valid coupons via the website or app.

Besides clothing and things to wear, I’ve been keeping tabs on some of my wish list items for the house. I would love to grab any of these if the day comes that the price is right!

Now with the holiday season upon us, I’ve started using PoachIt for my home and for gift shopping too. I’m not a fan of hitting the Black Friday sales in person, but I do take advantage of the online sales that accompany it and Cyber Monday. Now it will be even easier to pick up the items on my list at a good price (and maybe treat myself to a little something when everything goes on sale again after the holidays).

Giveaway

One winner will win a $100 AMEX giftcard to shop for any item they want! Just go to PoachIt, sign up for an account, then comment back on this post with a link to the item you’d want to buy with the gift card if you won. (I’d probably go for that hat I’m tracking; I can never bring myself to buy a nice hat for myself.) One entry per person, and you must be a US resident and enter by midnight CST on December 1st. Good luck!

November 25, 2014
Upgrading to a Smart Thermostat

This post is sponsored by Honeywell.

I received a Lyric thermostat and compensation in exchange for coverage. All opinions and thoughts about this product are my own.

We’re continuing to modernize our Victorian’s heating system. We’ve already replaced the boiler with a more energy-efficient model, and we had thermostatic radiator valves installed on our radiators throughout the second and third floors. Now our latest change has been upgrading to a Lyric thermostat.

The house’s existing 1980s model was missing its cover, and I was glad to replace it with something more attractive. This may be a bit dorky, but I actually have a favorite thermostat, design-wise! My grandparents had The Round in their home, and it has always been my standard for what a thermostat should look like. The Lyric draws on the design of The Round, marrying the look with smart new features.

The Lyric app walks you through the installation, and it’s pretty straightforward. I was all set with the power off, and with my phone and a screwdriver handy. There was some wall damage hidden beneath the old thermostat, so I used the Lyric’s optional backplate to cover it. (When I eventually wallpaper or paint the dining room, I’ll repair the plaster and remove the plate.) I mounted the new thermostat, reattached the wires, and connected to it wirelessly, but then I had to name it. Ack, the pressure! So I named it “Hottie” because, you know… it keeps us warm. Clearly I am not good at naming devices on the fly. (Also, I didn’t realize everyone would see what I named it!)

Besides an upgrade in appearance, our new thermostat will also help us save money. Weather and humidity are taken into account with its Fine Tune feature, insuring that 70 degrees actually feels like 70 degrees. You can also further adjust the temperature at any time manually or via the app. We’re keeping the house fairly warm during the day because of the baby, but I did program the thermostat to cool the house down by five degrees when everyone is asleep. The kids get up around 6am so I set that as our family’s awake time for the thermostat, but sometimes I’m up with Calvin for couple of hours before everyone else. I love that I can adjust the temperature through the Lyric app on my phone, without leaving my bed.

The Lyric also has a pretty interesting geofencing feature; it can detect when you’re away based on your phone’s location and adjust your home’s temperature to save energy. When you’re back within range (you choose the distance), your heating/cooling system will kick on and the house will be back at your preferred temperature for your arrival. It’s great for us because we don’t have a set schedule from day to day, and sometimes I do some solo traveling for the blog. Geofencing can be configured with multiple users, so it only kicks in when everyone is away. Smart!

We’ve made so many changes to the functional elements of our house that improve its comfort and efficiency, but that go unseen. Upgrading to The Lyric addresses those issues, and looks good too.

November 12, 2014
A Fall/Winter Holiday Table

This post is sponsored by Target.
Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.

Thanksgiving is just a couple of weeks away, and then we’ll be looking forward to Christmas! To get in the spirit of the season, I set a festive fall/winter holiday table with items I already had on hand mixed in with some new finds from Target.

I wanted to work with gold and silver for most of the decor, but a red runner made a colorful base for everything else to play off of. I love the way the polka dot fabric napkins look with it!

I added candlesticks in two heights, and then picked up several sizes of silver frosted mason jars. I used the smallest jars to hold tealights as intended, but instead of putting candles in the others, I used the larger ones as flower vases.

The table was set with our everyday silverware and classic white plates. So many of us have those standards on hand, but they felt more special with gold chargers at each seat.

The centerpieces were fun to arrange. I think that white ‘flower’ is in the cabbage family. Plus berries! I always go for the berries this time of year.

All together, the mix of metallics and the candlelight feel perfect for special occasions. I’m looking forward to using the decorations throughout the year for other dinners and holidays, too!

November 10, 2014