5 Things That You Need To Get Rid Of

I'm feeling the Spring Cleaning vibe lately. And, for me, Spring Cleaning generally constitues of getting rid of stuff to make some more space. Here are some suggestions of how we can all lighten the domestic load. As soon as you're done reading these things, log off your computer, and get rid of them! Trust me, you'll shed at least 50 pounds off your home!

1. Purge your closet of any clothes that don't fit you. (no excuses)

2. Donate a small appliance that you haven't used in over a year.

3. Your living room is not a doctor's office- recycle your old magazines.

4. Convert old movies onto DVDs and then get rid of your VHS collection.

5. Objects that you don't like- even if they were gifted to you.

DIY Pendant Light On The Cheap!

I've been eyeballing some of these web-like pendants from Design Within Reach lately. But they can run up $650 just for a small one! Ack! Here's a simple DIY on how you can acheive the exact same result for under $20.

Supplies:
-Yarn (any color of your choice!) You'll probably need a few balls of it to get going.
-A balloon.
-Fabric Stiffener
-Some plastic sheeting to lay down, so you don't make a mess!
-HEMMA Light Cord Set
-Fishing Wire

1. Blow up the balloon to approx 85% of its capacity. Tie the balloon shut with the yarn, using a simple slip knot.

2. Drench the yarn in the fabric stiffener. Make sure that it is very saturated! Begin to wrap the yarn around the balloon in random circular patterns.

3. Keep going until you've covered the balloon to an amount that pleases you.

4. Untie the end of the balloon, and blow just a bit more air in (as it dries, the balloon can have a tendency to sag- blowing more air in will lessen the sag).

5. Hang the balloon to dry for 24 hours. And pop the balloon.

6. Insert the light into the pendant, and keep the light centered by wrapping some fishing wire to the light cord, where the pendant and cord meet.

7. Hang and enjoy!

What Would You Change About Your Home?

The home- such a treasured place. It's where we recharge after a long day. It's where memories are made and cherished. But, I think we'd all agree, that even when our homes are at their most presentable, they all could use some improvements.

If you could reno any part of your home (and money wasn't an issue), what would you update? And why?

The Great Bathroom Adventure Pt. 2

As recently chronicled here, our bathroom has recently undergone a bit of a facelift after we had a bit of a color disaster occur. The paint has settled, and is looking wonderful- especially the blue ceiling! The hooks that were installed are keeping clutter done to a minimum, and we purchased the final component for the room the other day at IKEA- a third and final picture frame. A year or so ago, when the topic of buying a condo came up, our intention was to buy a unit that also had an ensuite- which I was hoping to paint a dusky lavender with gray and silver accents. At which time, one of us (I think it was me) thought it would be humorous to have two framed caricatures of us on the toilet- in a tasteful way. And figured that thesevdrawings would generally only be seen by us. On a trip to Target, we found 2 cheap frames, snapped them up, and I drew the dream into reality. As you may know, we did not end up with an ensuite- just one bathroom for the 3 of us. Which meant that a third caricature for Hazel was a necessity! After some woe with finding a picture frame for her image, everything finally fell into place. I had this idea of having each of our caricatures over our corresponding towel hooks- as a way of personalizing the space. I'm really thrilled with how they turned out:

Me!

Hazel:

Jackie:

There were a few more additions planned for the update, but some things fell through, and will be explained all in good time. So, stay tuned for part 3 of this epic journey!

Trend Alert: Polka Dots!

I'm seeing spots! Polka Dots to be exacted, and they seem to be following my every turn. I'm not sure why, but I have this issue with round objects- they bother me. I prefer all my lines to be clean and straight, and round things just throw everything off-balance. Nevertheless, a trend is a trend, and there's not much you can do to stop it- just go for the ride! And so, enjoy a little bit of polka-dotted bliss!:

KLIPPAN Love Seat:

Red Dot Teapot:

GRÖNSKA PRICKAR Curtains:

Circa Linen:

Polka Dot Glasses:

Multidot Serving Set:

Color of the Week: Egg Yolk

This Color of the Week is a stretch for me because (1) it's yellow- my sworn enemy and (2) it's not a Benjamin Moore Color. Yes, it's true, I'm dancing with the devil herself- Martha Stewart's Paint Collection. I'll admit- she does have a lot of interesting colors, but very few actually floor me. And the few times I have worked with her paint, I've noticed that the colors don't always match the swatches very well. For example, a few months ago, I picked this nice blue/gray to paint the lunchroom at work... and it came out this depressing jail-house tone. It was pretty distressing.




Egg Yolk (MSL 8176)


Anyway, back to yellow. Yes, yellow. I really really want to not like it. But I am a sucker for colors that are true reflections of their name. Can't you just picture a sunburst egg yolk sizzling on a frying pan?- it's beautiful. Sometimes, I daydream about a yellow kitchen, or maybe a contrasting bright yellow and white throw pillow. Caution- use a color like this in highly contained doses. A little bit goes a loooong way. But still keep in mind Steve's rule of 3: An accent color must be incorporated into a room at least 3 times for it to flow.

MSL's Egg Yolk used sparingly on
french doors for entryway impact!

Modern India Living Room to Go

In 2008, a movie called Slumdog Millionaire graced theatres, and since then, Indian subculture and style has invaded the rest of the world. And why not- the colors are bold, the textures are intricate, and the designs carry a flavor and scent of their own. Once again, I'm probably in over my head... (but what else is new?). Here's my interpretation of a living room with a modern India twist. The colors are necessarily bold: hot pink's presence becomes a neutral backdrop for other colors to sway across, while orange takes flight amongst teals. 

Wall Color:

Crushed Berries 2076-30

Blythe Chair, Ruby Ikat:

Saturated Zig Zags Rug:

India footstool:

Random Light:

Nixon End Table:

Shahadra Wheel Trunk:

Preeti Cabinet:

Moroccan Pouf:

Green Printed Flower Pillow:

Green Ombre Paisley:

Lakarri Curtains:

Casablanca Lanterns:

Pierced Metal Tealight Centerpiece:

Pagoda Lamp:

Darjeeling Tea Pot:

Cut-out incense Burner: