Tea Tin Upcycle

On Saturday, I was cleaning out our tea cupboard... getting rid of some expired tea (I didn't realize that dried leaves could have an expiration, but apparently they do), and compiling tins of like tea together. All this to say, once I was done, the cupboard didn't really seem to have that much more room- but isn't that always the way with cleaning? Out of the process, I ended up with an empty tin that used to hold a mint tea:

Were it a cardboard box, I might've had the heart to recycle it. But, it just seemed to be the perfect shape and size to be useful, so I put my brain to work.

Immediately, I thought of Hazel's play kitchen. She has a few measuring spoons and cooking tools that don't really have a home. I've considered hanging some hooks on the side to hang these items from, but it seems like a bit of safety hazard, and I'm having trouble finding cup hooks that fit these tools. Enter the tea tin: it's the perfect size to house these items, and will make clean up quicker than having to re-hook every item on.

I peeled the label off carefully to reveal a silver-like finish underneath. It looked decent with the kitchen, but seemed to lack some character. I rummaged through my scrapbook paper (which, I seldom use for scrapbooking), and found this one sheet that incorporated the orange and brown tones of the kitchen perfectly (and had a bit of yellow too!). The colors and patterns had this vintage feel about it, and it seemed to be the perfect choice.

Attaching the paper was a cinch: I simply cut it to fit, pasted the entire tin's exterior with Mod Podge, and slowly pressed the paper on for a smooth finish. Done. 

I cannot believe that the same tin can is hiding underneath that gorgeous paper! And as a utensil holder, it fits so well into the look of the play kitchen.

The project took me about 5-10 minutes to complete, and was the perfect little distraction while I was coloring my hair. Hazel loved the new addition to her kitchen, and it's a cute way to organize her things. And so, another tea tin has been rescued from the dump, and has simply shifted from our cupboard into a new home as part of a play kitchen set.

It's Official

I'm pretty stoked:

 

My business cards just arrived! We ordered a bunch of them at a smoking deal- and my lovely wife designed them herself! I was looking for a damask/ brocade background, but wanted it to have a masculine feel, and she hit it right on the mark! I think they look fantastic- let me know if you want one, or a couple to refer to other people!

And, if you haven't lately, come check out our interior decorating site: roomtogrowdecorating.com- we just uploaded some pictures into the portfolio section (with more to come), just to seem a bit more legit.

So, with business cards in hand, and website ready to rock, I can't wait to break into the design world!

Chalkboard Wall Wisdom

Here is some chalkboard-wall-wisdom, from our home to yours:

And most importantly:

Happy Thanksgiving.

Like.

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Stenciling

This post is a bit of a rant and a curiosity at the same time. I've noticed an abundance of folk lately inquring at work, as to whether or not we sell wall stencils (the answer is no, just in case you were one of those folk). From my experience, of being a product of the mid-80s, stenciling was essentially a floral border painted along the top or mid section of a wall. It was a means of being different, without being too flashy.

Fast forward 20 years, and somehow, stenciling is cool again. It's the next step in the feature wall/ wallpaper/ wall decal evolution. The problem with wallpaper is that people want the flashy design, but are terrified of getting a sheet of paper wet, and hanging it on their wall. Painting a stencil, on the other hand, is a more managable task for some. The beauty of stenciling is that it's done with latex paint, and if you don't like it, or grow tired of the look- you can simply paint over it. Modern stencils feature large, continuous pattern that make quite the statement. Most stencil-ers will argue that stenciling is much more cost effective than wallpapering. And while that may be true, stenciling can take up to double, if not triple the time!

image from Designamour

For example, recently on a blog I follow (Young House Love- go check it out!), these 2 DIYers decided to stencil their entire office (from the chair rail and up). While the entire project only cost around $70, it took them 13.5 hours to complete the entire project! While I admire their dedication to the project, I'm still stunned by the amount of time the stenciling took. If I were to ever invest that much time in a stencil, I literally don't think that I could ever bring myself to paint over it. 

image from Young House Love

Given the choice between the stencil and wallpaper, I'm still likely to choose the wallpaper. But for a small project, I think I may just have to give the stencil a try!

Color of the Week: October Leaf

While strolling through the mall last week (specifically for some 2 for $25 and an additional 20% off candles from Bath & Body Works!) we came to an unsightly conclusion: beyond the Autumn fragranced candles at this bath store, Fall was absent from the entire mall! I wanted to swing by the Gap to find a nice orange sweater for the season. About 5 years ago, I purchased an orange pull over identical to this week's color, and it had a bit of brown stitiching in it, and to me, it clearly embodied what Fall was all about. Since then, the sweater has aged and ended up in a donation pile, but I am seeking a new clothing item that can offer that same nostalgia. And to our chagrin, everything in the clothing stores was navy and red. I also noticed a surplus of black, white, grey, and silver tones! But no warm oranges, browns, or golds in sight! It was somewhat of a depressing scene. It was almost as though our local retailers had bypassed our favorite season and jumped right into winter.

This color of the week is dedicated to that very orange that is nowhere in sight! That's the beauty of color- if there's a color you need to be surrounded by in your life, it's simply only a trip to the paint store away!

October Leaf, Martha Stewart Paints

This orange is featured from Martha Stewarts' paint line, and is so rich, you can almost taste it! It's a warm burnt orange that you may find in the shadows of a caramel-dipped apple, or (obviously) within a pile of neatly raked leaves. This color embodies Fall at its finest, and would be a welcomed addition as an accent or main color in any major living area. It brings a sense of coziness with it, and- they also say that orange is an excellent color for stimulating conversation! Try out a rich orange in your living room and it will instantly spice up your social life!

READ

Whenever people ask us what gifts they can buy for Hazel, we generally offer the same 2 answers: clothes and books. I want our daughter to grow up with a love for books, and hope that they will enrich her life, just as they have mine. I conjurred up this drawing the other night of an owl resting on a book and hoped she would find some joy in it. When I showed it to her, she tried to give the owl a high-five.

I framed it and set it on top of her bookcase, just as a subtle reminder to pursue the finer things in life.

Beside the new art, is a piece I did for Hazel last Christmas- it's of a
bunny and a chocolate bar, cuz my little girl is a choco-holic :)