Bringing in My Mid-Twenties Like a Kid

This post is, oh, maybe about two weeks late, but I just found my photos from it so I decided to post about it anyway.

I turned 24 a few weeks ago and spent most of the day acting like the small children surrounding me. First, I went to the National Zoo where I saw the 7 LION CUBS! People may knock the National Zoo, and maybe it’s not San Diego, but it’s free, and they had 10 LIONS there: 7 cubs, 2 mama lionesses, and one big badass lion. I literally power walked through the zoo just to get to the "Great Cats" exhibit. Then I stood there for probably 30 minutes, insisted on watching the lion cubs’ every playful move, and was totally enamored just watching them sit up on the top level and sunbathe with their mothers. I may have even stood on the little ledge that’s meant for children until I realized that I was actually blocking the view of the small children standing near me. Including the kid who was taking pictures with his Nintendo DS, which prompted me to remember that I was actually 24 and that the equivalent of that toy when I was his age had one little screen, was not in color, and had absolutely no photo taking capabilities. But I digress.

Quiz: Who is the most mature person in this picture?

Basically, the lions were AWESOME. I had to restrain myself from belting out every song from the Lion King. I love them. And, OK, yes, maybe it wasn’t the coolest way to spend the day, but I did inspire one of my friends to visit them on her birthday, and my office mate wants to see them before she moves out of DC. So apparently I was just paving the way for other nerdy animal lovers. 





I also saw some other animals at the zoo including the gorillas, elephants, and tigers, but apparently the panda was the only picture worthy one.

To continue my animal-adoring birthday, we left the zoo in time to get back to the PetSmart near my house and play with the dogs at the Lost Dog Rescue adoption event there. The puppies were so adorable and I gave serious consideration to bringing a dog home with me, which is still a serious consideration but one that I’ve tabled for the moment.

After PetSmart, I went out to dinner with my family to Anita’s, a local chain of restaurants that serve good cheap "New Mexico Style" Mexican food. I’m trying to find another good Tex-Mex/Mexican place near my house, so pleeeeaaasse let me know if you have any recommendations for Falls Church/Arlington.

Then I went out in Arlington with my friends, including 2 of my 3 roomies (roomie 4 was out of town unfortunately).

Maybe I spent the better part of my day celebrating like I was turning 6, but I don’t care because it was awesome. And I kicked off the 3 month birthday marathon in our house, so I have plenty more celebrating to look forward. May turning 25 be just as fun as 24!

Get Yo Groupon HG Style

I just got this glorious and oh-so-dangerous email alerting me that Groupon now has a special Home & Garden subscription. Yes please.

In case you didn't get the email, click here to subscribe to Groupon HG. Not signed up for Groupon? Been living under a rock for the past year? Sign up for a Groupon subscription here.

A Place to Hang Your Hat (or Coat) Up

We really lucked out getting a townhouse with as much space as we have for the price we pay. But the problem with having a lot of space is…well…it’s kind of an invitation to fill it. And no one can fill up extra space like four girls. So while we have a spacious coat closet right in our entry way, we found pretty quickly that there was no room for guests’ coats and some of our coats in the closet. So rather than continuing to pile up coats on the chaise lounge my roommate got out of her parents’ basement, I decided to make a cheap/simple/stylish fix.

The solution: a coat rack in the form of a rack of hooks that can hang on the wall. I came to this solution for a few reasons. First, we wanted something wall mounted, and we needed one that was 40”+ long. Those are hard to find and can be pretty expensive. Second, I didn’t want to put a ton of holes in the wall right there because we are renters and it’s always good to minimize the number of holes we have in a wall when possible. Third, I wanted to be able to customize the coat rack so that it was non-ugly, and so that I could hang it on studs rather than having to use wall anchors. And oh yeah, there was also the entertainment/fun value of me taking on another project.

I could've gone for ordinary hooks in this project, but I have a slight obsession with hardware. As in I have been known to go on trips and snap photos of cool doorknobs.

One of my many hardware pics. This one is a beautiful doorknob I saw on a house in San Juan, which is full of awesome hardware.

World Market has really cool anthropologie-esque hardware that I’ve always wanted to use in a project, so I went over there and snagged 8 hooks and knobs for about $27. I got three hooks (two the same color) for $1.99 each, a set of two glass flower knobs for $4.99, a cool blue knob for $3.99, and two pretty cool ceramic painted knobs for $5.99 each (they were a splurge, so they were just so cool!)

Once I bought the knobs, I took them home and laid them out on our floor. To give coats enough space to hang, I decided to hang the knobs about 6 inches from the center of each one. This made the space from knob 1 to knob 8 42 inches (because you multiply 6 inches by the number of spaces between knobs, which is 7, not eight). I then added 3 inches on either side of the knob and determined that I needed a board 48 inches long. I measured this length out on the wall I planned to hang it on, and it worked well for the space.

Because some of the knobs had screws built into them (as opposed to just running through them so you could remove it and use a shorter screw), the board had to be deeper than the screw itself in order for the board to lay flush with the wall. I measured the screws and determined I needed something at least 1 ½ inches deep. I went on an adventure to Home Depot and found a 2x4 stud, which is about 1 ½ inches deep, and had it cut to 48 inches. I used a medium grade 2x4 because I was worried that the nicer wood was too dense and therefore heavy to hang on the wall. Plus the medium grade was cheaper and it’s not like we’re attempting to furnish the White House here.

I measured the holes out on the front of the board and drilled holes large enough for each screw to slip through. That wasn't too tough. 

This is the part of my story where I tell you that a $15 drill from Target that you may have hanging out in your toolbox from college is not powerful enough to bore large holes in a piece of wood. Because I needed to wood to be flush with the wall but I also needed to secure the screws to the wood, I had to drill holes 1” in diameter into the back of the piece of wood. I went to Home Depot and got this drill bit that it supposed to do the trick, and would’ve, except that my drill wasn’t quite powerful enough. So I ended up starting with the drill bit, drilling a few random holes in the circle created by the drill bit, locking the drill and manually twist the drill bit in order to create the hole big enough for each screw to connect through with enough of the screw sticking out for me to attach a nut to it. I definitely recommend investing in a better drill for this, since my process took forever. After that battle, the rest of the process was pretty easy.

Since a stud is meant to be inside a wall and not hanging on it, the wood was pretty rough and had a few stamps on it. To prep the wood, I sanded it with 120 grit paper, followed by 220 grit. This gave me an opportunity to smooth the wood and off some of the stamps that were on the wood.

Once I finished my sanding and removed the dust with a damp cloth, I applied a General Finishes water-based espresso stain, which I had leftover from another project. I used a foam brush to apply the stain because I find that it goes on a little more evenly. I let the stain sit for a minute or two and then buffed the excess off with a piece of an old t-shirt (from my pile o’ t-shirts-they-handed-out-like-candy-in-college that I don’t wear anymore).

The great thing about water-based stain is that you can pretty easily apply it indoors. I started this project on a nice day outside, but brought it inside when I ran out of time to add another coat before it got dark. I set up my $19 pair of sawhorses and the drop cloth that my nurse roommate brought home from the hospital, and added the second coat in our basement/beer pong room. After I applied two coats and let them dry overnight, I covered the entire piece of wood with three coats of MinWax Polycrylic Protective Finish in Satin. I really wanted a matte finish, but Polycrylic is also water-based and can therefore be applied inside, so I made the sacrifice. I also don’t expect this thing to take a beating; otherwise I would’ve used a more durable oil-based finish.

After I let the protective finish dry overnight, I attached the knobs using a combo of a wrench and need-nose pliers to tighten each nut onto each screw. After securing the knobs and hooks, I used my handy dandy stud-finder (no, I haven’t used it to find a studly man friend, and yes, that’s a super cheesy joke) to find where the wall studs were closest to the end of the boards but within the 48” piece of wood (hehehe…get your mind out of the gutter). That way I could attach the wall-mounting hardware to my new coat rack so that I could screw the hardware into the studs, making the piece of wood hung sturdily (this just keeps getting worse) to the wall, and also preventing me from having to use wall anchors, which create holes that would be a major bi-otch to patch when we move out of our rental.

The hardware I used was the type that has one piece that you screw onto the thing your hanging, which you then slip down over the screw you’ve anchored into the wall. I know that is an incredibly confusing description, so just check out the picture below. Make sure that when you use this you hang it with the hole that the screw can fit on the bottom, otherwise the screw won't attach to the hardware.

Now we have a place to hang our coats and a pretty decoration right inside the doorway, which apparently doesn't get fabulous light as it appears in this picture.

This entire project only cost about $39, and a rack this size (ha!) would’ve probably cost a lot more than that in a store, if I could even find one I like. Here’s a list of materials I used: 

• Knobs/hooks from World Market -- $27
• 2 x 4” wood stud -- $3 (and I still have about 40” left over)
• General Finishes Water Based Espresso Stain – had already, but you can find a small can of water-based stain at Home Depot for under $10, and have plenty left to tackle another project
• MinWax Polycrylic Protective Finish (Satin) -- $8
• Mounting Hardware – about $1 (can’t remember exactly)

Total for this project: $39

Next time you're looking for a quick storage solution, consider this one. It could easily be done in an apartment as long as you're cool with sanding in the bathtub and staining in your living room. Who are we kidding? In the spirit of this innuendo-filled post, you've probably done weirder things there before anyway.

Bookcase Bliss

My beloved bed is already tall, and with my thick mattress and boxspring, it measures in around 33” from the floor. Although I have two end tables that I love and wish worked as nightstands, I quickly came to the conclusion that they looked like doll furniture next to my big girl bed. I searched for craigslist for a while to find something tall enough to meet the mattress height and wide enough to look reasonable in the space, but never found anything to my liking.

I’ve always liked bookshelves because they give space to display a combination of books and items that make a room look collected and personal. I also like the look of bookshelves creating a cove for a piece of furniture, making the furniture look like it was built for that space. While this look is better achieved with actual built-in, larger scale bookcases, I decided to try it with slightly smaller ones flanking my bed. This also gave me a good place to put my magazines and books, which I was lacking in my new room.

I bought two white bookshelves from Target for $19.99 each:

Target Bookcase

I’ve seen quite a few examples of bookcases with painted backgrounds, and I really like the contrast and depth that it adds. To make my cheapo composite bookshelves look more custom, I painted the backing of them gray using a color sample from Home Depot. Color samples are great for small painting projects – they are always eggshell and you can get any color you want for only about $3.

Painting the backing wasn’t as easy as I hoped it would be. The backing is just cardboard, but it has a glossy paper on the front that the paint did not want to take to. At first I tried to roll the paint color on, but it just pooled up and didn’t stick to the surface. So I tried priming it, which worked only marginally better. I determined that I couldn’t use a roller and instead spread the primer on with a foam brush. It took two coats of primer to completely cover the backing and create a surface that would take the paint.

I applied two coats of gray paint on each backing and had to touch up spots after it dried. I then let it dry overnight, since the cardboard had absorbed some moisture.

The next day I nailed the backing to each book shelf by laying the bookshelf flat and lining up the top and sides so that the gray didn’t show out on the top or sides. I put four nails along the top and bottom row: 2 on the corners and one right next to each seem of the backing (which was folded in the book). I spread three nails out along the sides between the corner nails. On one bookshelf, I threaded my clock radio cord between the shelf and backing so that I could place it on one of the bookshelves.

 

I still have some work to do when it comes to arranging the items on the bookcase, but here are a few tips I've come up with so far to help you organize your bookcase:

• Try to alternate the side of the shelf that you put books and knick nacks on. For example, I put books on the left side of the bottom shelf, on the right side of the middle shelf, and the left side of the top shelf. 
• Instead of standing your books upright, stack them and put a little accessory on top of them.
• Play with the color of the books. I like to group like colors together when I can.
• Use funky book ends to add interest to the space. I got the bronze horses from my grandma's house, and I picked up that little owl from HomeGoods for $7.
• Know that bookshelves, especially ones next to your bed, will like be a work in progress for a bit. It's important to understand how you will use the space and what you want to be able to reach while you're in bed. I'll still working on the bookshelf to the left of my bed (top picture). You can see that it's looking a little unbalanced with the magazines, books with kind of funny colors, and clock radio on a shelf.

The color is subtle, which is what I was going for. I’m very pleased with the result, especially knowing that I could potentially go with a more dramatic color if I choose. I also like having multiple shelves to place my items on, and a relatively clear surface to place my tv remote a glass of water before bed.

The materials I used for this project include:

·         2 Target Bookshelves, $19.99 each

·         2 mini paint trays (about $1 each)

·         Paint roller – had on hand

·         Foam brush – had on hand

·         Primer – had on hand

·         Gray Martha Stewart Sample Paint, $3

Total: about $45 for two nightstands

I don't know if I'll live with this solution forever, but it definitely works for me right now. It was one of the cheapest, most practical options for two matching nightstands, and I like that the bookshelves can look similar but aren't identical like a nightstand would be.

Have you come up with an inexpensive option for nightstands or end tables at home?



From Bedroom Blues to Beautiful Blue Bedroom

Well, I’ve managed to go a month without posting again. Although it may not look like it, I have actually been knocking out projects and doing plenty of other things. But for whatever reason, I’ve also had a hard time coming home and writing blog posts and posting pictures. Today I’ve finally found some motivation, so the next few posts will be about what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks home improvement-wise.

Remember my previous post that mentioned a certain plain white room? Well, I FINALLY painted it. Two coats. By myself.  And it’s the master bedroom, so it’s probably meant to be a two person job, right?

Here's what the room looked like before:



Excuse the mess. I'd like to say that the clothes on the bed aren't a regular thing, but that's almost always what my bed looks like when I get home from work.



Like the paint samples on every wall in the room? For a little while I was paralyzed by indecision, trying to pick a color in the same family as my bedspread but not the same exact shade of blue-green. Let's just say I'm still trying to figure out how to make the most of all my leftover color sample selection. Also, the paper over my bed is in the shape of a mirror I bought at Home Goods, and I was trying to see how the proportion of the mirror to the bed looked. More on that later.

I decided to paint the room Blue Bonnet by Benjamin Moore. I’ve used Benjamin Moore many times before, and even though it’s a little pricier, it covers really well and goes on easily, so I figured that the time I might save with it would be worth the price. BM Regal paints sell for $45 - $50 around here, and I really couldn’t spend that much money. I ended up buying the newer low-VOC Ben paint, which is on the cheaper side and a bit greener than the Regal paints. Rather than purchasing it from a paint store nearby, I ordered two gallons from myperfectcolor.com. Each gallon was $33, and I got free shipping since my order was greater than $50. Oh yeah, and since the place is located in New Jersey and I’m in Virginia, I didn’t have to pay tax. The price was good for Benjamin Moore paint, but the most impressive part was that I ordered the paint on 12:38 PM on a Tuesday, and it was on my front porch the next afternoon.

via myperfectcolor.com

At first I intended to paint the woodwork in my room, and I started by priming one wall of it. Then I realized that I didn’t really need to prime, because I didn’t need to seal any stains or cover dark colors. So I just started putting color on the walls. It took two coats to cover the room and only one gallon of paint. Once I had finished the color, I was pretty pooped and made the executive decision that in this rental unit, painting the woodwork was not worth the time or energy. So I had to match the color the woodwork is currently painted and paint back the trim that I primed. This is the part where I say “Idiot” in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice. It took me longer than I wanted it to, but I finally finished the painting project.

Here’s the room:

No, my winter/Christmas decorations aren't still up. As you can see from this snowflake pillow, this pic was taken a while ago.

Basically I love love love the color. It’s actually a more blue-green/aqua than it’s currently appearing on my screen.  The color is a lighter shade of the blue in my comforter and the shade of blue that makes me happiest.

I also LOVE the mirror, which I bought from Home Goods for $50 (an amount I consider a splurge for my wall art). I searched forever for some piece of art that I loved enough to have it hanging over my head while I sleep serenely in my princess throne/bed. But I just couldn’t find anything worthy. So I settled on a geometric reflective surface. I am quite happy with my new over the bed art...even if it’s breakable.

More progress updates to come!

Giving Your Daytime Digs Some Style

Hi friends!

Sorry for the month-long hiatus. I've been spending quite a bit of time in the office over the past few weeks and just haven't been terribly motivated to do much else when I get home. I've also been drinking immature amounts of hot chocolate from my over sized mug with an identity crisis (are you sure I'm a mug? I might be a bowl) and trying to brave the arctic weather in DC.

Speaking of offices, it's nice to add a few personal touches to your office. After all, you spend 8+ hours there, so you should enjoy the setting. The girls next door to me have a lovely display of paper snowflakes and a white board on which they can display their lovely handwriting, even if it's just a to-do list. Another girl in the office has a Paris in a bag block set on her desk.

Last week I was looking at Martha Stewart paint chips at Home Depot and thinking about ways to use them for things other than deciding on a paint color. I grabbed a bunch of the green/blue/turquoise chips and a few grey ones, put them in my purse, and forgot that they were there until I got to work on Monday. After a particularly long day, I decided to put the paint samples up on my bulletin board to brighten my room and give myself something to do that involved prettiness and immediate gratification.

This is what I ended up with:

I actually had three Benjamin Moore paint samples on my bulletin board before while I was trying to decide what color to paint my room, so I cut each color out and mixed them with the rectangular Martha Stewart paint samples to a little more geometric interest. Fun and free, and a nice complement to my graphic West Elm monthly calendar.

This project made me temporarily obsessed with the all the other things I could do with paint samples. Make a cool notebook cover? DIY art? Think of the possibilities.

I'll be back soon with details on some recent changes to my room that I'm pretty excited about.

Welcome Back

I realize it’s been a while since I posted anything here. I actually wrote something about plans for the New Year and the like, but I still don’t have the pictures for it so instead I’m updating with this measly post. Even though I told myself I wanted to post things here consistently, I haven’t so much been motivated to do so this week. Instead, I’ve spent a week reading blogs that take me on an exhausting and somewhat inspirational path through the internet, and listening to Mumford and Sons and Broken Bells and the new Decemberists Album on repeat. I do this combo reading/obsessively listening to certain music from time to time, but especially during the winter when I’m feeling especially existentialist and introspective. Oh yes, I’ve also been doing my grownup job, which is soon to involve travel to Atlanta and possibly Seattle (big smile!).

I have some projects planned for this weekend involving my room and the ugly color it is and paint that I ordered online. So hopefully I’ll have something to tell you about by Monday. Stay posted.