Social Gracious

Mitchell Gold Look Alike Shell Artwork for the Master Bedroom

2012-05-31T10:36:23-04:00

Remember my inspiration for my master bedroom redesign above, it's a Mitchell Gold ad from last summer. It included this really cool shell artwork behind the bed. I loved it, but of course couldn't figure out where it came from. Even if I could have, I wouldn't have been willing to pay what it cost, I'm sure.

It looked to me as if the shells were Spiny Oysters, or spondylus. I thought, of course I could spray paint a couple of those babies, frame them and slap them up on the wall. My first task was to find a couple spiny oysters. They are not exactly easy to find but I sourced some from ebay and the seller is actually located not too far from me so they arrived in a days time. These shells are not inexpensive as far as shells are concerned, for large spiny oysters expect to pay about $15.00 each.

The next step was to find frames, initially I chose two inexpensive frames I thought were wood, but they were some sort of non solid material that evaporated when I painted them, bad idea. I went back to Hobby Lobby with a coupon and bought two white wooden frames, lightly sanded them with steel wool, then painted them with two coats of gloss white paint. I also used white mats from Hobby Lobby, the associate there assured me that the back of the mat would also be white but it wasn't. I was too tired and lazy to go back and buy a big piece of white cardstock so I spraypainted the piece of cardboard that came with the frame gloss white too, and stuck that behind the shells.

For the shells, I painted them in three layers, and I hesitated to paint them, they were such a pretty color naturally, but I had a look I was going for, right? I started by priming them in grey primer. Then I painted them with two coats of gloss white. I let the frames, shells and backing dry overnight. Then I used a glue gun to adhere the shells to the backing.

Finally, I put the whole thing together, as you can see there is no glass in the front. I used Command paint hanging strips to put the whole thing up. It is pretty heavy so there are 4 strips on each piece of artwork. The dog approves, he is supposed to stay ONLY on the cover at the bottom of the bed, sigh.

DIY Thread Storage

2012-05-30T11:32:35-04:00

Storing Thread Artfully

We are just about finished with the bedroom redesign and I struggled with what to do with all my thread that was lying about on the thread organizer on the floor. I need it easily accessible but it's not really attractive sitting on the floor next to the machine cabinet. I really wanted to make a thread tidy out of driftwood like this cool one, but alas, Ubergeek balked, saying it would be an incredible amount of work, and he is NOT retired you know. So I decided on something similar to this pretty framed one, and I'm happy with it.

Mine is quite a bit larger than the inspiration, I also chose to paint the thread tidy a cool blue, to contrast with my Sherwin Williams Sea Salt walls and the reclaimed barn wood frame. The frame was a damaged custom order from Hobby Lobby, so it was $10. I think it looks kind of driftwoody though, which is perfect since it reminds me of the sea, rather than a barn. I used Command Picture Hanging strips to hang both, one inside the other so no holes in the wall.

The fresh for 1960 sewing book and sewing table with machine stored inside were my grandmothers. I love that the machine stows away when I'm not using it.

Diva had fun organizing the thread in sort of ROYGBIV order, then she put it all in a box mixed up and gave it back to me. At least it occupied her for 20 minutes.

DIY Terracotta Clay Pot Birdbath Reveal

2012-05-14T14:48:52-04:00

DIY Birdbath

A few weeks ago I was messing around on Pinterest when I found this post about creating your own easy to make birdbath using terracotta clay pots. It was a weekend when the kiddos were getting a little stir crazy and I was tempted to let them watch just a touch too much TV or play Wii for just a few minutes longer.

The list of supplies was inexpensive:

Terracotta pots: 14" 12" 10" 6"

Terracotta saucers: 16" 6"

Patio Paint: blue, green, coral, yellow

Silicone clear caulk

All of the items were available at Lowes, with the exception of the Patio Paint, which we found at Hobby Lobby.

The first step was to put down a tarp on the back porch and lay out all the pots and saucers. Then we got out foam brushes, the kids and I painted all the pots with two coats of patio paint. We allowed about 30 minutes between coats.

We let the paint dry overnight, then assembled the birdbath with the 14" pot on the bottom, then the 12" pot and finally the 10" pot. I used the silicone to attach various pieces together and make them watertight, then allowed that to cure for 72 hours on the back porch. I did not attach the 14 and 12" pots with silicone as I thought it would make the whole thing easier to move if it could be broken down. You can see that we modified our design somewhat so that our birdseed is in the middle of the bath.

We had just come back from a Caribbean holiday, so the kids chose very bright, tropical colors but you could choose a color scheme that worked for your taste of course. The birds are really loving it and we have to refill the seed and water pretty frequently!

DIY Terrarium Tutorial

2012-05-01T08:40:12-04:00

Terrariums have been popping up everywhere lately, at Lowes, Target, in people's homes, and on Pinterest. Succulents, long the $1.00 plants at WalMart are suddenly hot hot hot! About a year ago, on a business trip to my favorite hotel, the JW Marriott Indianapolis, I saw them at the concierge lounge, and they were gorgeous. At the time I pondered making one on my own, but just didn't think I'd have the time or materials. Lo and behold, tutorials and materials are everywhere now and I am ready.

If you are going to make a terrarium here is what you will need:

Pea Size Pebbles

Charcoal

Sphagnum Moss

Potting Soil/Cactus Soil

Glass Containers

Cute Plastic Animals: Optional, but if you have kids, there are plenty around so why not use them. Dinosaurs in particular look at home in terrariums, don't you think??

Plants: Usually succulents work best. So far I have had good luck with tiny succulent aloes, tiny asparagus ferns, hens and chicks. I have found a good selection at Lowes, and sometimes Walmart.

Most of the supplies can be found at a hardware store or Target. If you have trouble finding the charcoal, check an aquarium or pet supply store. You can use leftover glass containers from flower arrangements for larger terrariums or large recycled jars (spaghetti, relish) for tiny terrariums perfect in kids rooms, to surprise your neighbor or on a teacher's desk. If you are not too embarassed you could walk your dog on recycling day and eye your neighbor's recycling bins, not that I personally would ever do that.

To make the terrarium:

Start with a thin layer of pebbles at the bottom, this helps with drainage.
Add a thin layer of the charcoal, it's OK if it mixes some with the pebbles
Next a thin layer of moss
Add your plants, gently breaking up the soil around the roots. Fill in the the rest of the layer with dirt, you don't have to pack it tightly, just gently tamp it down. Generally speaking your layered pebbles, charcoal, moss and soil should take up 1/4 to 1/3 of the container, but don't stress if they take up more. As you can see, some of mine I just couldn't help, and they are still cute and alive.
Water just a tiny bit, maybe a shotglass, or espresso glass or two full a week, that's it. DO NOT OVERWATER

Voila! You will now be the envy of all your friends. I warn you, once you start making them, you won't be able to stop and you'll have all the supplies. I started as a project with the kiddos but kept making them long after they lost interest. They make great inexpensive gifts and end of year teacher gift giving time and Mother's Day are approaching!

My Favorite Terrariums

Mid Century Modern Chair Makeover Reveal

2012-04-28T15:02:29-04:00

Remember the cute little mid century chair I found for $20 on Craigslist recently? I blogged about it a couple months ago, excited to get started on yet another project. Here's what it looked like when I found it:

I spent hours stripping it, sanding it, then I sealed and stained it in one step with Danish Wood Oil in Medium Walnut. I found a really nice Fabric at Boca Bargoons, it had a water stain right in the middle of the roll. It retailed for $75 a yard, but I got it for $6 a yard with the stain. I bought what was left of the roll and there was plenty at the beginning of the roll for the chair, and at the end for an ottoman and I could just throw out the water stained part.

I was not up for the reupholstering part, since the chair needed to be completely restuffed in addition to recovered. I sent it out to a local upholstery place, and they did a great job! What do you think?

I am still refinishing a table and ordering an ottoman for the bedroom, the bed is finished, then I'll be ready for the big bedroom reveal!

Modern Bedroom Makeover Dreams

2012-02-24T21:09:04-05:00

Back in May I took a weekend trip with my sister, on the plane ride a luxury living magazine was in the seatback pocket. I flipped through it and this ad from Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams just jumped out at me. I love it! I tore out the ad and have been dragging it around with me for inspiration ever since, at one point it was taped up over our bed. Thankfully I found an online version of the ad since it was pretty mangled. The bright green walls aren't really my thing, in fact my sister and I immediately decided that a blueish, grayish, greenish would work better.

Imagine the walls in Benjamin Moore's Bird's Egg paint and these similar ottomans recovered in a turquoisey fabric, plus some accents in gray. I found a very similar white platform bed, which is wood, not leather, preferable for dog hair and cat claws. Oh, and 86 the white shag carpet, I'm thinking a sea grass rug.

The only issue I'm having is finding similar nightstands, the ones in the ad are the Beau Chest and Nightstand. I love the clean lines and nod to mid century modern design but the nightstands / chests retail for about $1000 each. That is not happening, so I thought, how hard can it be to find a rectangle box with three drawers and a square box with one drawer? I could easily find a cool chrome base to attach, and voila, a copycat. Not so much, I have scoured the internet, Craigslist, Ebay, and nothing remotely similar that is reasonably priced had appeared.

This week I contacted Frank at Woodvisions to see if something similar could be made, maybe even with reclaimed wood. He is supposed to get back to me with a price next week so I'm looking forward to that. In the meantime if you have any suggestions, please share!

Mid Century Modern Chair Makeover

2012-02-22T09:05:22-05:00

This little chair is a $20 Craigslist find! It's got great bones, but needs some serious assistance in the makeover department. I'm not sure of the origin of the chair and it does not have any markings or stamp, anyone want to guess who made it or have something similar?

We are embarking on a master bedroom makeover, this chair will be perfect in a corner by the window with an ottoman. Just the place to curl up and read! It's an easy DIY project, comfy, clean lines but the upholstery is ragged, the stuffing is worn and elbow grease will do it good. The nice thing about this chair is that it is super comfy for a short person like me.

First I took off the old upholstery, Diva helped me, with a little tiny screwdriver and her own needle nose, I was so proud! What lie beneath was not pretty:

I needed to take some of the upholstery off in order to strip and sand, but that stuff was yucky underneath. It's not horsehair, it seems to be some sort of wood material and it stunk. Once the upholstery was pulled back I stripped it, fine sanded it and finished it with Danish Wood Oil.

After the wood was refinished, it was off to the upholstery shop to have it reupholstered in a gorgeous grey velvety material I found for a song. Boca Bargoons sold it to me for about $6 a yard although it retails for $75/yard; there were only 5.5 yards left and right between yard 3.5-4.5 was an unusable yard due to water damage. That was fine with me since the chair would take about 2 yards and the ottoman less than 1; I will still have leftovers for pillows!

I'm intending to make a little square ottoman using the leftover fabric, a square piece of plywood and some legs from Uncle Bob's Workshop. Can't beat a $7.50 ottoman!

The upholstery shop gave me a 1.5 week timeline, so I should be able to post the after photos soon! What do you think?

Cave Mommy

2011-02-07T22:41:49-05:00

The other day we succumbed to Chic Fil A, as I pulled away from the drive thru and into a parking spot to get Diva and Eddie's meals situated Diva had a random question.

"Mama, are houses an invention?" Diva

"Yes, someone had to invent houses, before that, people lived in caves, or wherever they could find shelter." Me

"Mama, so you had to live in a cave?" Diva

"No, no, Diva, all my life houses were invented, we even had indoor plumbing; Mama has never lived in a cave." Me

"But Granny and Grandad, they lived in a cave, right?" Diva

"No honey, Granny and Grandad never had to live in a cave, there were even houses when they were little, but please be sure to ask them that question when we visit them, they will think it is funny." Me

I know kids have no concept of time, or history, but when they ask things like this it really brings it home. The whole world is an open book to them, full of possibility, to my daughter, I could have been a cavewoman or the Queen of Sheba before she was born.

Baked Cauliflower with Cheese and Garlic Recipe

2011-02-01T19:48:05-05:00

Usually when I travel I leave meals I've prepared beforehand in the frig for UberGeek to take out, pop in the oven, and heat according to the directions printed on their lids. Unfortunately, I have been relying on frozen vegetables for the sides. You know the kind I'm talking about, they come in a giant plastic bag at your local Costco. UberGeek has grown wary of this and recently asked for a vegetable tutorial. In addition to teaching him to steam fresh veggies I decided to ask friends to send me their favorite baked vegetable recipes. Hill Pal sent me this really awesome one for baked cauliflower. I doubled it and spread it out in three dishes, ate one and froze two for UberGeek later. It's FANTASTIC!

Hill Pal’s Baked Cauliflower with Cheese and Garlic

1 head cauliflower
2 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. milk
¼ c. plain yogurt
garlic powder, salt, black pepper

1. Wash, rinse and break cauliflower into florets

2. Toss cauli with jack and Parmesan cheeses

3. In small bowl mix together milk, yogurt and ½ tsp garlic powder, add salt and black pepper to taste.

4. Pour milk mixture over the top of cauli

5. Place all in an 8x8 Pyrex sprayed with nonstick spray, cover and cook at 375 for 35-40 min.

Tips: If you are not calorie conscious you may use heavy cream instead of the milk mixed with plain yogurt, I found the milk yogurt mix delicious though. Also, stirring the dish about halfway through helped coat the cauli with sauce and cheese. If you would like your dish to have a browned, roasted look, remove the lid about ten minutes before it is finished cooking.

Download Hill Pals Baked Cauli Recipe

Airplane Travel Tips and Etiquette

2011-01-24T21:35:31-05:00

Have you flown lately, or are you planning to in the near future? If so, I've got a few suggestions to prepare you or answer those lingering questions from your last flight.

Be familiar with the TSA rules and guidelines BEFORE you enter the checkpoint security line. TSA has a helpful website with loads of good information that just might help you avoid the enhanced patdown. All the passengers standing behind you will appreciate that you are armed with the knowledge that yes, you have to take your belt off, yes, your coat has to go in that plastic thingie, no you cannot take your giant bottle of water through security and YES we know you just paid $3 for it.
If you are traveling on any plane that has two seats or fewer per row it is considered rude to recline your seat. See the picture above for an explanation of why this is so. You just may thrust the tray table belonging to the person in front of you into their abdomen and do permanent bodily harm. I spent most of the flight in the above picture attempting to uncross my leg. The exception to this is First Class, there are only two seats in each row, but there is plenty of room.
Bring your own snacks, except for Southwest, and maybe JetBlue, you may, or may not get a soda and you are certainly not getting a free snack. The charge for snacks will be astronomical, $5 for a package of almonds, for example. Stop by Starbucks or a convenience store on your drive in, and purchase some of their nuts and popcorn snacks inexpensively, yes, food can go through security. The exception to this is First Class, where snacks and drinks are free and plentiful.
Airplane mode on your device is still not OK during takeoff or landing, turn off your device as directed. Airlines don't recognize Airplane mode during takeoff or landing.
NEVER, EVER use the pillows or blankets on a plane, the only exception is if the blanket is still sealed in plastic, assuring it has been laundered. Airlines launder their blankets infrequently, sometimes as inoften as every 30 days. Bring your own pillow and blanket combo, US Airways offers a cute Nap Sack for $7 with a pillow, blanket, eye mask and ear plugs on every flight, a great deal. Jet Blue also offers a similar option, or check out Amazon for more options.
If you are sitting in the bulkhead row (no seats in front of you) you will need to put your carry on in the overhead as well as your purse as there is no storage in front of you.
Wear slip on shoes with socks, makes getting through security easier.
Stop complaining that the overheads are full, that is because you paid $99 for your ticket that used to cost $200 and the airline has to make money somehow. To save $50 you crammed a roll aboard full of stuff instead of paying to check a bag and so did everyone else on this plane.
Be prepared! Here is what I pack in my backpack/laptop bag:

                Mini pack Kleenex (for yourself or your seatmate)
                Mini pack Clorox wipes
                (they very rarely clean the surfaces of a plane in Coach or First)
                Mini hand sanitizer
                Ear plugs
                Immodium (um, yeah, hello, you are stuck in the air)
                antihistamine
                decongestant (great for popping ears)
                ibuprofen
                band aids (2)
                mini Neosporin
                All meds: Bring 1-2 capsules place them in a sandwich bag in original blister packs.

All of these things are helpful for you, but they are helpful for your seatmate as well; there is nothing that can ruin two hours in the air faster than a seatmate that needs a tissue, or worse, an Immodium. If the baby two rows back starts screaming, you will be oh so happy you sprung for the ear plugs. When the indeterminate yellowish substance crusted on your tray table appears, you will thank me when you whip out your Clorox mini pack (available in the travel section at Walmart)!

Stay tuned for a post about traveling with babies and kids.