A Second Pipe Dream

It's pretty amazing when one DIY project can effortlessly lead to another. Last week, I posted about a candlestick holder that I had fashioned from some metal pipes and paint. That project in itself was a test, or "rough draft" that led to the project I want to share with you today.

Almost 5 Christmases ago, IKEA had a 3 tiered candelabra that I had purchased and loved dearly. Over the years, the metal candle holder developed a bit of rust (probably from improper storage) and became very difficult to open and set out. I tossed the thing out last year, and since then have been on the search for a new candelabra. To my dismay, I had yet to find a new one. Upon a stroke of brilliance a week or so ago, I realized- if you can't find what you like for sale, you should make it yourself! And the idea for this candelabra was born! Similar to last week's candle holder, this project took maybe half an hour to complete. I cleaned all the pipes, assembled them into the shape, primed it and painted! I used Autumn Purple for the color, and gave it a good heavy gloss, just to give it some eye candy qualities! (yum)

 

The only potential setback I came up against with this project was the pipes were about 1/16" too big for the candles- meaning that they leaned or tended to sway to one direction. The solution: wrap the bottom of the candles in several layers of tin foil to build up the depth.

I think what I admire most about this project is the blended contrast of the industrial pipes, with the punch of color. It currently is adding a dose of humor to our dining room table- but I think this candelabra is versatile enough to fit into most schemes!

P.S. Happy Halloween!

Color Of The Week: Hazy Lilac

This week's color is a muted dusky purple- a tone that I just can't seem to get right. It's a fine line between being either too pink or too gray. I think this purple hits it right on the mark. I used to have this impulse to paint our bathroom this color- and who knows, maybe someday, that dream may come true. But, while I truly love muted tones, it's a struggle to incorporate them into a house full of bright, saturated colors. I'm also a pretty big fan of the Hazy Lilac color, as "Hazy" is a common nickname that we use for Hazel at home- so it just fits nicely.

Hazy Lilac 2126-40

While I have given up on purple hues over the past few months, the onset of Fall has brought them back to my mind, and I am feeling particularly inspired this week by a new line of furniture at IKEA. This is the ISALA Laptop Table- a style that fuses traditional elements with a modern twist. I absolutely love the color- and feel it fits in well with the Hazy Lilac tone.



ISALA Laptop Table

Lilacs carry with them a great deal of serenity, and are usually thought to be represented as a spiritual color. I'd stray from using a lilac as a main neutral, but rather in small rooms that could use an airy vibe. In the meantime, I'm going to save this one in the "color bank" as a resource for a well-deserved furniture project for the future. 

Declutter

I think that it's come to light that hoarding simply is one of those unforgivable sins in our culture (just think of all those hoarding TV shows that now exist)- the problem is, whether we want to admit it or not, we're all guilty of the crime on some level, and watching others hoard worse than us makes our own hoarding feel a bit more acceptable.

When you look around your living quarters, ask yourself this question: is my junk functional and contributing to my daily life? It's good to be surrounded by items with nostalgic value, and not everything has to be dual purposed. But, how much of our junk exists simply because we once spent money on it, and simply can't bear the thought of parting with it?

Enter the rule of 10%, which is: in your living space (specifically in your home organizers), you always want to reserve 10% of the space, or leave 10% empty to allow for new things to enter your life. If you're always living with no vancancy, you're not opening yourself up to any newness, or clutter will accumulate pretty quick!

To help assist with the decluttering process, consider having an outbox in your home. The outbox doesn't necessarily have to be a box, but an area that can house items that are ready to be parted with. Think of the outbox as a tool to help you seperate first, and to remove the item from your home later. Give any item in your outbox a week's stay, to allow you to process whether or not you're ready for the item to be removed from your life. After a week, consider whether the process worked and if you're ready to part with it, or if you feel it has substantial enough value to remain in your home.

Decluttering is an avid choice, and requires very little work- but rather, the emotional choice of letting go of the things around us. But, in reality, if you haven't used an item or appreciated it within the past 3 months, there's a strong chance that the item is ready to be decluttered from your life.

If our homes are a reflection of our lives and our personal journeys, perhaps having too much stuff, and leaving no room for growth or change speaks volumes as to who we are as people. Give yourself 10%- it will go a long way.

Here's a Tip

If you'd asked me 2 years ago if I'd ever own a piece of painted furniture, or if I'd even re-paint a furniture item myself, I would've scoffed at you. And now, painted thrifted furniture items are some of the most loved treasures in my home. Throggh the many adventures of trying to prime and get into all the crevices of a furniture piece properly, there still is one chore that I despise like none other: painting the legs of a furniture piece! From what I've experienced, there literally is no way to get a good proper paint job on the legs. Well, at least, there wasn't: I came across this great tip from Martha Stewart (same source that prompted my carpet ghost post)- and she has a brilliant suggestion:

Before you begin painting, tap a finishing nail into the underside of each furniture leg. Turn the furniture item face up, and support the piece on the nails. Raising the piece off the ground will allow for a proper finish of the legs, and will allow the piece to dry properly (without getting stuck to the dropcloth!).

I definetly am going to try this tip out the next time I'm working on a big piece. (which hopefully will be sooner than later).

5 Minute Fall Decorating

If you have just 5 minutes to get some decoarting done this Fall, and just aren't sure what to do- try wrapping a Fall-inspired ribbon around an existing candle for some instant color, pattern, and interest.

I found this owl ribbon at the bottom of the sewing drawer the other day, and just had to incorporate it into our Fall decorating somehow! It was such an easy little project: measure, cut, glue, and admire!

Life can get busy - but carve 5 minutes out of your day to give yourself a break and spend some time admiring the little things in life.

P.S. The above candle is from Bath & Bodyworks (I think it's called "Leaves" or "Falling Leaves" or something like that. We've been burning through it like crazy, and I didn't realize how gross it had gotten with the bits of burnt wicks stuck to the sides of the glass- sick! I apologize for my gross candle etiquette!

Pipe Dream

See this picture:

Can you guess what these parts do and what purpose they serve?

...keep guessing...


....I'll give you a hint: the parts are teal-painted 3/4" round plumbing pipes...

...and they combine together to...


... form a candlestick holder!

I know, I spend too much time at work, dreaming up things that I can make with the junk I see around me- but this one is truly inspired!  

I found these parts in a junk pile of plumbing parts, and snagged them for under a buck. The color I used is the Dark Teal that I featured as Friday's Color of the Week, and I through in a pop of bright yellow just because I'm digging the combination lately. To be honest, I'm not sure yet if I'll keep the yellow in there, but we'll see. To prep and paint, I used some warm water to get all the grease off the pipes, and sprayed a coat of dark gray primer. To finish it up, I just used some paint I had kicking around, and used both a fine brush and a thicker one to get into all the crevices of the pipes.

I love how the candlestick holder looks so industrial, but has a funky vibe in that cool teal tone. Now that I've put this candlestick holder together, I'm feeling uber-inspired with the plumbing hardware, and who knows what I'll come up with next!?

Color of the Week- Teal

This week's all about Teal for me- especially when paired with a vibrant yellow. I'm absolutely craving the combination, and have been itching to paint something teal and yellow.

Dark Teal 2053-20



Teal is one of those colors that has certainly come and gone in popularity over the past few years. I see it as a color with an enormous amount of depth, and carries a degree of mystery as well. Our bedroom "headboard" wall is painted a similar shade of teal, and it is definitely striking. I love to see teal used in the main  living spaces- a bedroom, a living room, potentially a small powder room. I personally don't see the tone working well in a kitchen setting- at least, not as a main wall color (room accents are a different story). I especially would love to see dark teal in a library or reading nook- an area that featured strong architectural features- and in a gloss finish. Consider the Fall season and how brilliant this color would look with those burnt oranges and dusky purples! Some say teal is so over, but I think that this shade is here to stay for a long time.

Teal and yellow! YUM!

 P.S. look for this color to appear next week in an upcoming project!