Project: The Snoozing Bench (You CAN paint anything!)

My second project for this house: I bought this collapsible canvas storage box/bench in Korea, and it works great for storing smaller drawings until they find homes, but it didn't exactly go with my décor. In the past two houses, it was banished to the garage or basement, but I don't have a basement here, and the garage is packed right now, so I had set it in the kitchen area and Pete was using it as his fave hang out spot, so.....operating on the principle that everything can be painted, I went to Ace and bought a little sample can of paint. The rest is snoozing history.

After: a soothing blue for the new house

Before: Cheerful, but out of place

Project: Art for My Walls

My big creative project for this break between semesters (besides getting my house organized and decorated) was both something new and a return to my roots in art. I’ve never really been a painter although I love color and the textures and patterns that I can create on my canvases with paint as preparation for charcoal drawings. My first love has always involved getting the tips of my fingertips black. Over the years, my cats have evolved into simplified line drawings that reflect the innate grace and elegance of my subject matter, but lately I have been itching to get back to something more detailed in the drawing itself. This led to the creation of a more solid background, although one that still features many layers and textures—and a little bit of glitter—which allows a more complex image to be seen clearly. Many thanks to my darling Sarah for modeling for me a.k.a  cat-napping.

Decorating: Tan and Aqua Inspiration

When staging or decorating, it's always a money saver to take a good long look at what you already have and see if one or two colors seem to dominate. Here is my living room and the room that inspired it. Obviously, I'm not into the vintage-clutter look, but I was inspired by the color scheme that blended tan, aqua, a lot of wood--and oh yes--that giant black TV. I really love the light aqua walls and may wind up painting at least part of our house that color in the future, but for right now, I am doing what I suggest to a lot of clients when they buy a new house and am trying to "live with it" until I decide what I really need to change. After all, most of us buy a house because we like it, so why make a lot of changes right away? (Unless your husband bought you a fixer upper again because it had a giant shop!)

Project: No Sew Curtain

My first official project for our house in Texas was to make a new curtain for our guest bathroom. The previous owners took every single curtain and rod, except that one. They left me with a red and blue Americana looking curtain that didn't match my shower curtain at all. I took a little trip to our local quilt store and bought some fabric, which I had them cut very square. Then I came home and got out my iron and Stitch Witchery and made a curtain. Whoever invented that stuff should be sainted.

We have a very charming fabric shop here in Sealy. It is in an historic building in the old town square and is run by some very friendly ladies who didn't make fun of me at all for not being a sewer.

Old curtain--going to Goodwill

No sew curtain to match my decor

Staging: Where to Find Inspiration

So we all remember that HGTV show Sensible Chic, right? The one where designer rooms were recreated on a budget. Well, I have my own version of that going on right now, except that I am using designer rooms as inspiration to decorate my rooms using what I already have on a budget of $0.00. This would be a great idea for anyone staging a home to sell or decorating a new home because all it takes is a little Google time and some imagination.
Here is my inspiration room in yellow, white, and blue, and my toned down version for my guest room in the new house.

Inspiration room

My guest room