Decorating Archives - Page 28 of 67

accessories, Decorating, Furniture, living room

Please Help with my La-Z-Boy Design Decisions

La-Z-Boy Living Room Decisions | Pretty Handy Girl

Remember when I admitted to you that we sit on a dead couple’s sofa? I’m ashamed to admit it, but Pretty Handsome Guy and I have the same sofa that was handed down to us by my godfather when his parent’s died. Several years ago I agreed to stop bringing home inexpensive big furniture pieces. Instead, we decided to wait and save for quality furniture that would last a long time. During the wait, I made the best of an ugly situation and covered that old sofa in hunter green plaid in the 90’s.

Then I bought a bright red slipcover for it in the early 2000’s.

A few years ago, I added a white slipcover to hide it’s true identity.

But, when guests sit on it, they know. I know it by the looks on their faces as their rear ends collide with the hard cushions. It’s like sitting on concrete. Not to mention that the sofa is small. Not just in width, but in height too.

I was talking to my sister the weekend we were working on the beach condo. She is an interior designer and she expressed her disgust with my poor excuse for a sofa, “Brittany, for heaven’s sake, you are in your 40’s! Grow up already and buy a new sofa.” I was shamed and agreed that we needed to find some time to go furniture shopping again. But, this was akin to driving a broken ox to plow through a muddy field (Amazing Race reference.) Handsome Guy hates shopping…especially when it involves looking at multiple colorful swatches and fabrics. I on the other hand don’t mind that part, but I’m particular about quality and comfort. Finding furniture that will last the abuse of our boys and last for decades is important to me.

We set out one date night to hunt down the perfect sofa and drag it home to our lair. We went to half a dozen furniture stores, but none of the showrooms felt right. One was too modern. One had cheap quality sofas. One store had a pushy salesman. (Am I sounding like Goldilocks here?) Sadly, we returned home empty-handed.

In a twist of fate, I was introduced to the new look of La-Z-Boy when they approached me about participating in the Design Dash. Before then, I never considered buying a sofa at La-Z-Boy because — you know — my grandfather had a big fat roll filled La-Z-Boy and it wasn’t stylish! Boy was I wrong!

I walked into that showroom and was blown away…as in “Shut the Front Door! This can’t be a La-Z-Boy showroom.” Read more

January 24, 2015/70 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, Beach, bedroom, Before and After, decor, Decorating, framing, Kids Room, milk paint, mirrored glass, ReNew, thrifting, Tutorial, Upcycling

Racing Stripe Mirror Makeover

While my sister and I were renovating the Topsail Beach condo we had a strict budget. Finding a large mirror for less than $15 was challenging until I found this mirror with potential. I know my sister was doubtful, but I had a vision. Some red milk paint, lattice and glue would make this racing stripe makeover complete!

To transform the mirror, I disassembled the top and cut off the panel portion using my Dremel MultiMax. I salvaged the top crown moulding and re-attached it to the new top of the mirror with glue and finish nails.

Then it was time to add stripes.

Materials (some links are Amazon affiliate links):

Lattice scraps
Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (Tricycle)
Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (Ironstone)
Gorilla Super Glue, Single .11oz Tube
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
Weight for drying
Tape Measure
Small block or Combination Square
Wet rag

Instructions:

Tape off the edge of the mirror where it meets the frame. Paint two coats of Miss Mustard Seed Tricycle red paint onto the frame. (See this post for painting with milk paint.)

After the paint dries, wax it or leave it unfinished. Mark the center of the frame at the top and bottom of the mirror.

Cut pieces of lattice to fit the mirror frame width. (I used three pieces of lattice and cut a fourth piece in half for the outer stripes.) Pre-paint the lattice pieces ironstone (white) and let dry.

Wet the frame and the back of the lattice. Apply a small amount of Gorilla Glue to the backs of the lattice.

Line up the center lattice piece with the pencil mark. Attach it and the other two pieces beside the middle lattice.

Use a ruler to create a space between the middle stripe and the outer small lattice piece. Glue the outer pieces in place.

Set a weight (or paint can) on top of a scrap board and the lattice pieces while the glue dries.

Remove the weight. Paint the top and bottom edge of the mirror frame white to create the illusion that the stripe continues around the frame edges. Distress the lattice pieces with sandpaper if you want a rustic look.

Hang your mirror on the wall and admire! Not bad for $15, two coats of paint, and some scrap lattice!

The mirror hangs happily in the twin bedroom at the Topsail Beach Condo. Click here to see the rest of the condo!

Hope you never turn down a $15 mirror again ;-).

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January 9, 2015/4 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Crafts, Decor Adventures, Decorating, DIY, drill, Home Decor, kids art

DIY Constellation Wall Art

Happy New Year! It’s Jessica from Decor Adventures, back with a fun project for your walls this month. In late November, my husband and I had a baby girl! We are enjoying every minute of her and on the side I’ve been working on decorating her nursery. This idea for constellation wall art is both a way to add art to the walls, and some personalization of her birthday. It’s easy to put together and only requires a few basic supplies.

Materials

Picture frame
Hardboard to fit inside picture frame
Primer
White and black paint
Drill and drill bits
Small nails
Embroidery floss in white
Computer, internet, printer, paper
Hammer
Glitter (optional)

Instructions

1. Paint your picture frame if desired. I used Smitten by Americana Decor chalky paint. I sealed it with 2 coats of polycrylic since chalky paint dries in a matte finish.

2. Prime and paint your hardboard with black paint. You could also use dark blue, since it will represent the night sky. I sprinkled a little bit of black glitter on the wet pant to add some sparkle (optional.)

Paint the nails white. These will be the “stars” in your constellation.

3. Find an image of the constellation you plan to use and print out an image of it. You can find this with a quick search online, but this is a good resource for pictures. Print it on paper to fit inside your frame. Read more

January 7, 2015/2 Comments/by Decor Adventures

arts and craft, Build It, decor, Decorating, framing, gifts, Home Decor, jigsaw, Lowe's Creative Idea, sander, scrapbook paper, stain, Stashbusting, Trash to Treasure, Très Frugal, Tutorial, Upcycling

Floating Wood Block Picture Frames {Lowe’s Creative Idea}

We are days away from Christmas and I’m sure there is someone on your list that you just can’t figure out what to get for them. I have the perfect solution! Make them a wood block floating picture frame using scrap 2×4″ lumber and plexiglass.

If you don’t have scrap 2×4’s lying around, you can purchase a 2x4x8 foot stud for less than $4! You could make 16 photo frames out of that one board! (Granted, you’ll need to buy the plexiglass for each.)

Materials:

2 – 2 x 4s (cut to 6″ lengths)
4 – 6″ x 9″ pieces of plexiglass (3/32″ thickness)
Ipswich Pine Stain
gel stain or Minwax Express color
small detail paint brush
pencil or pen
photos
tape
rag
optional: scrapbook paper, double stick tape

Tools:

Miter saw
Table saw
Jigsaw or bandsaw or a plexi-cutter
Sander with sandpaper
GRR-Ripper 3-D Pushblocks

Instructions:

Set your table saw to a 10 degree bevel.

Set the saw blade to a depth halfway through your block (about 7/8″ deep.) Set the fence to 2″ from the blade.

Use your GRR-RIPPER to safely guide the 2×4 over the saw blade. Check to see if two pieces of plexiglass will fit in the groove created by the saw blade.

If not, nudge the fence over slightly and make a second pass over the blade. Check to see if the plexiglass will fit now. If not, repeat the process until they fit snugly. Read more

December 19, 2014/3 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, christmas gift wrap, Crafts, Decorating, Gift Ideas, gift wrapping, gifts, mod podge, wrapping paper

DIY Paper Bag Ornament

paper bag ornament

Looking for a fast and easy ornament or gift tag? I’m Jaime from That’s My Letter here to share a diy ornament you can make from a readily available paper bag. This project will have you looking at grocery and retail paper bags in a whole new light.

The graphics on retail paper bags make great ornaments and gift tags. Look for fun and festive holiday graphics on paper bags everywhere you go then you can repurpose those paper bags into ornaments.

Supplies:

paper bags (brown bags work best)
1/4″ plywood cut to size to fit your graphics
mod podge
paint brush
scissors
hot glue gun & glue sticks
sandpaper

Instructions:

Step 1: Carefully cut out graphics from the paper bag and pry off handle pieces. You will also need small 1/2″ x 1″ pieces of paper bag to cover the cut ends of the handle hanger.

Step 2: Apply a generous layer of mod podge to plywood.

Step 3: Apply paper bag piece to wet mod podge. Be sure to center paper onto wood then press smooth with fingers and press excess paper over edges down slightly. Let dry and preferably stack heavy books on top to ensure good seal.

Step 4: Once completely dry use sandpaper to remove excess paper hanging over edge. At the same time this will smooth the rough plywood edge too.

Step 5: Cut handle to desired length. Secure to back of plywood using hot glue then cover cut end with small piece of paper bag just to keep things neat. Repeat for other end of handle.

Repurpose paper bags into beautiful handmade ornaments or attach them to gifts as a gift tag. This is a great craft to do with the kids. Have a holly jolly holiday!

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December 17, 2014/2 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio