Time Warp- It's Saturday?

This morning I woke up realizing that I start a new semester of school this month and that I have no clue which day that is nor have I rented my text books.  So first thing this morning was to take care of that and I am glad I did.  School starts in little over a week.  For some reason I thought it would be later than that.   Oh well, crisis averted. 

Today Andy and I are going into town for a trip to West Elm.  I am excited to check out the new collection.  They new blues in upholstery are very pretty and I am totally grabbing swatches of them.  Also, I will bring back reviews of some of the new items I see on the floor.  In addition to that?  Who knows, maybe some Vietnamese food.  

I purchased a Rast from IKEA in order to give it a tiny makeover for Andy's bed side.  I do not think I will be getting to it this weekend.  Maybe assembled but that's about it.  I need to get caught up with some laundry and some light cleaning plus there is today's trip into town and Prince is getting a hair cut.  In lue of show casing my Rast project, here are some great bedside table ideas to inspire you.

Eclectic Bedroom by Rockville Architects & Designers Kristin Peake Interiors, LLC
Here a mirrored desk works as a night stand and a work station.

Eclectic Bedroom by Fort Worth Media & Bloggers Hilary Walker
A beverage cart can also serve as a night stand.

Eclectic Bedroom by Sandy Media & Bloggers Michelle Hinckley
Ah, an IKEA Rast hack.  It's really classy all white with the bright colors behind it.

Industrial Bedroom by New York Photographers Chris A. Dorsey
Shipping crate or bedside table?  Line it with some wallpaper for color and pattern. 

Eclectic Bedroom
Organize your bedside with a filing cabinet.  You can get them used and cheap.  
Paint it a bright fun color to revive it from it's former cubicle life.

Hello New Year

Preoccupied.  That is the word  I would most likely use to describe myself lately.  It also might be a word I describe myself with as the new year begins and for good reason.  I got a promotion.  Yes, I've known for at least a week but I wanted to wait until I had signed the offer letter and sealed the deal.  My new title is Community Relations Specialist.  The new gig (even though it does not start until later in January) is something that I have wanted to do for a while since it pertains directly to my major in school (Public Relations) and involves recycling and education.  So yes I am excited and I know I will be very busy at first but it will all balance out.

So, new year, new job and hopefully new projects.  In 2013 I revealed my living room, master bedroom and master bathroom. For 2014 I will finish up my dining room (which seems to be dragging), redo the computer room and complete the breakfast nook.  I also hope to fix the backyard some.  I started working on it this past spring/summer but the heat came and then the wet/ cold came so I just never really had a chance to finish what I started.  Now it's in winter mode and looks like crap.

So 2014, bring it.  I am ready.

My Bedroom

What do you do when it is raining outside and the house is clean?  Why take photos of your master bedroom of course!  It is a room filled with cool blue colors, mixed wood and a little bit of shine.  I've included the source list below.

Sea Glass & Industrial Inspired Bedroom

Time Warp- It's Saturday?

Whew!  I know right?  I do not know about you guys but I have been BUSY.  Christmas shopping, in-laws, finals, work and home stuff.  My plate has been full which tends to be the holiday standard.  I can not remember if I have mentioned that we have put off listing the house at least until the beginning of next year.  There is just too much happening and not enough time in one day. 

House & decorating wise?  Well, the bedroom is looking great.  Just a few more touches and you can stick a fork in it.  The dining room is also just about there.  I am just having a tough time finding table linens and figuring out what to hang on the wall above the front door bench.  I returned the IKEA Docksta table that was meant for the breakfast nook and have no found anything since.  So there's that and the french doors still in my garage.  My father in-law thinks they will work but he needs his tools.  Hopefully next time.

No Christmas decor this year except for the pallet tree again.  Originally, I did not feel like bringing it down since we were going to list the house.  Now I am just too lazy to bring it down.  No one will be stopping buy our house so really there is no point to make it all pretty if there is no one coming over.

So what is trending in my mind lately?  Colorful canopy beds.  There are so many options.  You do not have to be stuck with oak, white or blackish gray metal.  Alternatively, if you have some cash to spend Room & Board offers the customizable Architecture Bed in a variety of colors and sizes. All of which can be delivered to your door step if you have the cashola.  I say go find a cheap one at a resale shop and make it your own.  If you can not go that route, go to overstock.com, buy this bed, get some spray paint and call it a day until you find an Ikea Edland somewhere on Craiglist.

Yellow Canopy Bed, materialsgirlblog.com

Pink Canopy Bed, propertyfurniture.com

Green canopy bed, Gozetta.com

Orange Canopy Bed, roomandboard.com

Time Warp- It's Saturday?

There is nothing more crappy than when you plan an entire weekend's worth of projects and a cold front blows through.  No, there is not a blizzard outside, but it is wet and windy and not ideal for painting a wall.  Well crap, there is always Thanksgiving weekend.

I have however managed to start the dresser revamp.  For one reason or another, I thought it was a great idea to paint my IKEA Hemnes dresser a bright, high-gloss orange with dark glaze.  I think I liked it about a year before I decided to lighten up the bedroom colors.  Here is where I am right now, a half painted dresser, stained drawer fronts & brass pulls.

IKEA Hemnes Re-Vamp In Progress

Supplies

Slowly but surely I am sure it will come along and look pretty awesome when it is all said and done.  It is just a slow process because of the weather. 

In other news, Andy and I are going to an open house today and tomorrow we are going to check out another house.  So while the one wall in my bedroom might not get painted, we are going to check out some potential new places to live.  I am hoping we can have our house on my market by the second week of December, we will just have to see how much crap I get done with the end of the school semester arriving.   Hopefully the Fridays I have off will help out a great bit, but we shall see.

Time Warp- It's Saturday

Wow, there has been a total lap of time since I last threw up a post.  We've just been wrapped up with life.  A LOT has been going on.  Let's just say some stuff might happen in the near future which will affect a lot of crap and I will announce it as it happens.  For now, let's talk headboards.

I don't know when we purchased our mattress, maybe like June I think.  Since then, there has been no headboard.  I purchased a box spring cover from West Elm, new bed linens, pillows, the whole enchilada; but no headboard.  After staring at the wall and bed for roughly five months now, I have decided, finally, it's headboard time. 

Andy and I collaborated and thought about it.  After making a trip to Lowes last night and playing in the lumber aisles, we have a plan.  This morning I searched the internet and became inspired.  I am thinking next weekend we are going to make this happen.

Inspiration: Multi-Stained Wood Slat Headboard

Inspiration: Multi-Stained Wood Slat Headboard

Time Warp- It's Saturday?

One thing is for sure, you can tell I've been busy at work & at school.  It was sort of planned so today I would not be busy at all.  I plan to paint my nookway and finish that up.  It's going to be the same color as my living room.  I think it might also need something else besides the little shelf I had sanded down a couple of weeks ago.  I don't think it does to the space what I want it to do in the small space.  Maybe a half table, yes a forest green half table.

Yellow Half Table, Sarah M Dorsey

Pink Half Table, unknown source, worthingcourt.blogspot.com

Different Colored Half Tables, scraphacker.com

Navy Tufted Bed

I love NAVY.  I love it for chairs, ottomans, sofas, curtains, blouses, shoes, handbags, pretty much anywhere.  Right now I am kind of obsessing over it for beds.  There is something that's classy and hip about a navy bed.  It can be tufted, plain, velvet or linen.  Short or tall.  With or without upholstery nails or with a full-on wingback.

Skyline Furniture Wingback Bed, Wayfair.com

Contemporary Bedroom by Boston Interior
 Designers & Decorators Rachel Reider Interiors

Bed Room by EJ Interiors Designed by Emily Johnston Clark

Yeah pretty hot right? Something about them says "I'm luxurious but I am also fun and lighthearted."  Skyline furniture gets it.  You can head over to Wayfair.com and there are several different navy headboards/ beds to choose from.  Affordable too.  Emily Henderson, she get's it too.  Actually, I think she and I probably have would could be considered a navy problem.

And just because it's navy, doesn't mean that you are limited to white linens and accents. Navy goes with magenta, teal, gold, emerald, charcoal, persimmon, marigold and taupe just to name a few. I've said it once and I'll say it again, navy is an amazing anchor color that can serve as that neutral color in almost any room.  Now about that bed, I wouldn't be completely cray if I wanted to make the shift from a wood slatted headboard to a navy tufted one would I?

Sealy Optimum Review

There are a lot of “firsts” in life.  I can remember the first time I shaved my legs.  My first training bra I got on my eighth birthday.  My first car as well as my first traffic ticket which I received while driving said car.  To this list I will be adding my first memory foam mattress.  Traditionally I have always owned an inner spring mattress either A. because it’s what my parents gave me or B. because it’s what I could afford.  When it came time to purchase a mattress, Andy and I knew we would for sure be upgrading in size.  A queen is definitely not for us.  Then came the choice of what kind of mattress.  To be honest, a Tempur-Pedic just seemed pricey, heavy and hot.  We were pretty much dead-set on a Stearns & Foster super cushy mattress. 

This mattress, we laid on it, A LOT.  We kept going to different stores and testing it out.  We monitored sales.  We were on our way to S&F ownership.  However, we started reading some consumer satisfaction reviews and were finding out that for the long run, a S&F isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.  They tend to fall apart and lose support in their later years.  Then we started reading about the Sealy Optimum.  All the reviews in regards to this mattress were good.  For the long run it was good.  So we headed to our closest mattress store.  Needless to say…

It’s absolutely freaking amazing!

It has the cooling gel.  At night time we do not get hot, we actually get a little cold.  It really doesn’t have a strong foam smell like some mattress toppers or other memory foam mattresses will.  Honestly it was slight, but after the couple of nights, it wasn't even noticeable.  It did however make the sheets smell a little foamy when I took them off the first time to wash them.  After that though, they smelt all clean.  And the comfort level.  It is amazing.  It did not take long to break in.  The down side to this?  The middle, where we do not sleep, is not as broken in.  Actually it's a little stiff compared to the remainder of the bed.   The mattress is also not that heavy.  Don't get me wrong, it would be a total pain in the ass to lug it up some stairs but we were able to move it to place a frame under the box springs.  

Would I recommend this mattress?  Yes, yes I sure as hell recommend this mattress.  It's not as pricey as most of the Tempur-Pedics, offers amazing support, has a cooling effect which is great for folks who are hot blooded or live in the south, doesn't smell half as bad as others and is not as heavy.  Two thumbs up all the way, a purchase that was worthy of my hard-earned money.

I would like to add my husband and I are 31. He's 6'2 about 190 and I'm 5'7 at 130. 

Removable Wallpaper

Alright the bathroom has been painted mint.  The new rug is navy and white.  I have a white pendant hanging from the ceiling.  So far, so good.  There's just one thing missing, that added pizzazz.  I don't know if a single painting is really the answer.  A small gallery wall is also an idea, but I don't know if it's what I am really looking for.  Another alternative I have been exploring is peel and stick wallpaper.

It's a relatively new product on the market and for a person who changes her mind, it might be the perfect product.  I don't want to go through the pain of hanging wall paper or stenciling in the small area the toilet.  It is a feat I am not willing to partake in, the area is small.  So I've been exploring peel and stick wallpaper.

There are companies out there that make the product. Tempaperdesigns.com is a site that offers a variety of peel and stick wall paper.  I like this emerald diamond pattern.  Sort of art deco and would really awesome in a dining room or as an accent wall in a living room. 

Another company is swagpaper.com.  They offer trendy designs in multiple colors.  I like the feather pattern.  It comes in teal and coral.  Sounds like a winning combination to me. It would look awesome in a powder room with some brass finishes in any of the colors offered.

designyourwall.com also carries a variety of traditional hung wall paper and re-positionable wall tiles.  The poppies on the green back ground are totally cute and might look awesome in my bathroom.   Might have to take some measurements and consider this one.
 

There are other sites out there as well offering peel and stick wall paper. givencampbell.com now sells there wall paper in a peel and stick variety. Muralsyourway.com sells peel and stick wall coverings. Sherwin Williams has the easy change collection.  You can find the products online at Urban Outfitters and Target.  While these products are totally awesome, they are not cheap folks!  It's almost as if you are going to spend over $60 no matter what.  So I have to decide is this really worth it?  Will it stick to the walls properly in the bathroom?  Will I love it for a while?  

I would love opinions from someone who has used a peel and stick wall paper. 

Some Favorite Things: Target Lamps for Spring

Spring Collection at Target.  A topic that is clearly a month ago, now on sale and offers some nice pieces at a pretty good price, especially since some items are rocking a 30% off Clearance Tag.

Threshold Orange Ginger Jar Table Lamp Base, $54.99.  It's really more of a coral color.  Very bright and cheery.  The shape is a little too traditional for me but if I were a traditional kind of gal I would totally sport this in my house.  The coral color is really amazing and bright.  Think of it as a way cheaper alternative to the artichoke lamps in this photo, they would be amazing.

Emily A. Clark via involvingcolor.com

Threshold Blue Mod Teardrop Lamp Base, $49.99 clearance price, $34.98.   The blue is way brighter than the web shows.  Here it's more of an indigo but in real life it's crazy bright neon indigo.  And the glass looks hand blown even though it's probably not.  It's a really bright lamp and would look fantastic with some black and white geometric styling or a bright yellow background.

New England Home via decorpad.com

Threshold Wood Tripod Table Lamp Base, $54.99 clearance, $38.48.  Very CB2.  This lamp would look great in an office or a little boys room.  It's way more affordable than other tripod lamps I have seen out there  which can range from $90 to over $400.  Target pairs it with floral lamps shades in their collection for this Spring and I'm just not digging it.  I'm thinking plain white shade in a little boys room and it works. 

Caldwell Flake via decorpad.com

Bathroom Accent Wall Round Up

I live in a cookie cutter house.  I have no problem admitting that or the fact that we couldn't afford something cute in town and were sick of apartment living.  And with living in a cookie cutter house, comes cookies cutter facts.  Like Fact 1: your bathrooms will always come with those gigantic frame-less mirrors.  Fact 2: Unless you plan on a major renovation in your brand new cookie cutter house, you are stuck for the most part with the lighting design.  This does does not mean changing out fixtures (except when it comes to my recessed lighting it does.)  Finally, Fact 3: Cookie cutter subdivisions usually mean a paint pallet of botany beige on the walls and linen colored trim- prepare yourself for the linen trim and botany beige ceilings to throw off every color you think about putting on the walls. 

So with all that being said, fixing up my master bathroom was one of the first things I did.  Now I am thinking that wall where the closet door is needs some flair. Some accent paint flair.  Here is the cookie cutter bathroom before any sprinkles or frosting were added.

Here are some great ideas for sprucing up an accent wall in your cookie cutter bathroom.  When art work isn't enough or doesn't fit in the area because of wall size vs light switch vs towel bar layout ratio, go big; let your walls be your canvas. 

Brightly striped wall with wainscoting on the bottom will add a playful punch, Lonnymag

Apply bold patterned wall paper on one accent wall, Southern Shore Dream Bath

Polka-dots are anticipated to be the pattern this year. Why not a polk-dotted accent wall, thedecorista.com

A full wall of vertical striped to draw your attention up if you have short ceilings in your bathroom, elledecor

Large stencil or wall decal can bring nature into your urban bathroom, internet image

I love the look of painted wide or skinny planks in a bathroom , cococozy.com

The simple and clean look of board and batten in a bathroom for a classic modern look, timbarberltd.com

Mood Board- Bedroom, Coral & Grey

I have decided that the accent color of my bedroom will be coral.  Pretty excited.  There isn't anything else in the house this feminine so I am glad I can throw it into the bedroom.

Since I am keeping the white/ charcoal thing that is already happening in the room as well as all of my worldly possessions, I wanted a color that could be modern, natural and fresh.  I already have plenty of green shades in the house.  And yellow is not something I usually choose, even in my wardrobe. (HINT:  If a color looks not so hot on you, don't try and force it into your house, you'll never be happy with the results.)

I look great in coral.  I like coral lipstick.  It naturally compliments navy and olive green.  It can be modern when paired with grey and the color occurs naturally in nature.  It's feminine when paired with white. I think it's a natural choice for the bedroom.  Also, the floor tiles in the bathroom have the red-orange coral color inside it.  So bonus there.

I am ready for some coral and grey in 2013, who needs emerald green anyhow?

Melanie Coddington

HGTV.com

Chevron Bedding & Wall Stencil

I am pleased as freaking pie that Cyber Monday exists.  I just scored a new stencil for my 2013 bedroom project at 15% off.  It looks awesome with my new West Elm Organic Chevron Shams.

My Shams from West Elm:

My new Stencil from OliveLeafStencils @ Etsy:

Inspiration for my DIY bed via West Elm:

Happiness!

Some Favorite Things: Tribal Tribal Everywhere

I like LOVE patterns.  The more worldly the pattern the more I usually like it.  Ikats and Suzanis, bring em.  Tribal and geometric, sounds awesome to me.  I was never one for Americana, French Provencal, or Scandinavian.  I am vibrant and I like my house to reflect that part of me.   

While I am enjoyed trying to make my bedroom some kind of modern Moroccan getaway- I have ultimately decided to give the room it's final facelift when we purchase the new bed/mattress in 2013. The bedroom is headed into a new age of tribal with modern lines and just a hint of glam for my girly side.  The three walls will remain the grey color they are and the bathroom will stay the greenish-gray.

Here are some ideas for the new bedroom.  You can always follow my Boudoir Bop board on Pinterest.com/scordas

Hotel Icon

Between finals at school and all of the Mister's family staying at our place for a wedding, I have been very busy.  With that being said, I didn't have any time for projects the last two weekends.  This weekend I plan on relaxing and playing a little catch-up before the new semester starts Monday.  However, just because I did not have a chance to work on some design aspects of my house doesn't mean I wasn't paying close attention to details.  Case in point, Hotel Icon located at 220 Main St.  in downtown Houston.  This hotel was formerly a bank on the first floor and I guess office/hotel rooms above it.  It is an art deco haven and I was sadly without my camera we do that, we leave our new camera at home all the time so I had to use what was on hand, the Mister's Droid 3.

Just look at all this wonderful paneling done in a pale blue and the fabulous trellis carpet.

The bathroom had the most beautiful marble and the vanity/mirror/cabinetry was the same blue as the paneling and moldings.  The wallpaper was a grey and blue geometric pattern.

The room had beautiful crown molding in the same room, a great desk, fabulous nail-head window cornices and the cutest upholstered blue nail-head benches.

The lobby was also magnificent. Sadly, the pictures on the phone came out lousy. You will just have to believe me when I say all the original details of the bank were awesome. The stairwell, the elevators, even the original vault door. This hotel was incredibly designed minus the cow skinned furniture in the lobby (I guess they had to throw in some Texas.) I highly recommend you to visit the hotel or perhaps stay the night.  Valet parking is $28 bucks for the night, the train is right there and I believe my in-laws purchased their room for around $100 bucks for a Saturday night!  I also hear the beds were very comfortable. Till next time!