11.05.09

Friday Finds

Posted in Cheap and Chic, Fashion Finds tagged , , , , , , at 11:34 pm by 2inspired

It’s that time again! I went bargain hunting and found an impressive melange of designer duds all for under $100. Let’s see what I’ve found:

Shopping list

White House Black Market: Long plaid bustier $39.99, straight leg pants $49.99 necklace $68.00, and piped leather button heel $49.99.

Anthropologie: Quintessential canvas carryall $29.95 and Lasata jacket $59.95

Long Plaid BustierSkinny Pants

Necklace

Canvas CarryallPiped leather button heelLasata Jacket

Alternative Cleaning Solutions

Posted in DIY, Eco-friendly tagged , , , , at 12:17 pm by 2inspired

Been scouring the net recently for alternative cleaning solutions at home. I got to say everyone’s cleaning ideas from vodka to baking soda, put my Make-It-Yourself stain remover to shame. Here’s what others are using to sparkle up their home:

  1. On Oprah the other day, Kirstie Alley came out as a closeted neat freak. Who knew? A housekeeper eons ago, Alley learned some mighty fine tips like using cheap vodka to sparkle up sinks. It’s cheap, antibacterial and there’s no smell. That’s one tip I could drink to.
  2. On the ever popular Young House Love, John & Sherry got their act together with homemade cleaners by using natural products like baking soda and vinegar.
  3. And Real Simple experts found yet another purpose for baby oil-polishing chrome.
  4. If I’m going to start talking about cleaners, there’s no way I can do a post without mentioning the Queen of Clean, Ms. Martha Stewart. From cleaning your toilet with vinegar to using olive oil for furniture polishing, you really can’t go wrong with Ms. Martha.

What about you? Any homemade, natural ingredients you use to clean your home? If so, share it here.

Martha Stewart DIY Cleaning Itemsphoto by  MarthaStewart.com

11.03.09

Super Easy Desk Makeover

Posted in Cheap and Chic, Design & Home Decor tagged , , , , , , at 4:49 pm by 2inspired

Every day I stare into my old computer screen thinking up creative ideas that’s fast and cheap. But something was irking me. You see, I use two books to prop up my monitor. But staring at those unattractive books, day after day, was just so uninspiring.

So here’s what I did. I simply covered what was unattractive. Now those ugly covers are nicely wrapped in craft paper. Brought me back to my old grammar school days where brown paper bags neatly covered my school books.

Here’s the before:

Books prop up computer monitor

In the midst: I grabbed 2 sheets of craft paper, attached them with my fav craft tool, double-sided tape, and then just folded the paper to fit the books.

In the middle

Happily Ever After:

Book Covered

Creative computer stand

11.02.09

Rehashing Our Happy Halloween

Posted in Cheap and Chic, DIY, Eco-friendly, Holidays tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 3:05 pm by 2inspired

On Twitter (if you’re on there, follow me @2inspired), I announced that I’d be posting pics from our Halloween if things worked out. I’m happy and relieved to say my last minute costume ideas actually came together. The day of, I created them from items found around the house and also whipped up a batch of fresh pumpkin cupcakes as well. So without further ado, here’s our Happy Halloween results:

I wanted the look of patches on my overalls without having to mess with them. Instead, I took two of my ladybug clips and attached them for a temporary pop of color. I added a paint brush, country patterned cloth, and a floral scarf as a belt for good measure.

Country Girl CostumeFarmer Girl Costume

Here’s the complete look:

Freckled Farmer Girl Costume

Now for my husband…It’s a lucky thing he’s a good sport cause I had a pile of trash that I wanted to make use of. So I used my handy double-sided tape and then crumpled a handful of paper, plastic bags and toilet paper rolls. Although it didn’t cost us a penny, the overall look was priceless.

Inexpensive Halloween costume idea

My pumpkin cupcakes were sweet:

Halloween Sweet Treats

To distribute the work evenly between 7 people, we each took a specific feature of the pumpkin and divvied the work up. I had the idea of also using two sides of the pumpkin. And the result was a pumpkin to be proud of-our two-faced creation.

Halloween pumpkin carving

Halloween Pumpkin Carving

10.30.09

I Think I Pump-Kan: My Mini Halloween Makeover

Posted in Cheap and Chic, Holidays, Video tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 11:24 am by 2inspired

Okay I know I’m no Martha Stewart. Not even a smidgen I suppose. And while I heart Young House Love, I will never be as creative as that awesome duo. But I did attempt to redo a section of my home in time for Halloween, at the very last minute and for very little dough, so for that I’m proud. So Happy Halloween you all! Here’s hoping at every project you’ll just do what I did, repeat after me, “I think I pump-KAN. I think I pump-KAN.”

Here’s my first attempt at making a video.

Oh and for the breakdown: The pumpkins were on clearance for about $2.5 and both the pumpkin and glitter were from Martha Stewart at Michael’s. I cut out square pieces of construction paper, one orange and one black and framed them.  This is the 1st project I think that took me longer than 20 min. It was a Martha Stewart project, go figure.

Untitled from BRANDI-ANN UYEMURA on Vimeo.

10.27.09

Smitten with Yosemite

Posted in Inspiration Board, Travel tagged , , , , , , , , , at 8:00 am by 2inspired

Breathtaking views of majestic mountains and cascading waterfalls. Could be perfection, could be my weekend in Yosemite. Take in the fresh, inspiring scenes only nature can produce.
SunsetYosemite house
Yosemite

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite

Mirror Lake

10.25.09

What are Vignettes? TOPC’s Blogger Jennifer Grey Guest Posts the Answer

Posted in Design & Home Decor, Guest Blogs tagged , , , , , , , , at 11:02 pm by 2inspired

Ever feel design challenged? Like instead of interior decorator, you’d be called an inferior decorator? I know the feeling. I drool over Candice Olsen’s divine designs and Nate Berkus’s glam rooms as much as the next girl. Yet, I find myself as clueless as Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless” when it comes to professional decorating.

You can imagine my excitement then, when The Old Painted Cottage blogger (you know the one that transformed her home to this shabby chic dream) Jennifer Grey, offered to give Not2shabby readers the 411 on vignettes.

If you’re as clueless as me, I might have already lost you on the word ‘vignettes’. But don’t worry it’s not as technical as it sounds. Basically, they’re a grouping of trinkets and treasures displayed in your home. They’re also an inexpensive way to redecorate your home. Not 2 shabby, I’d say. But let’s let the expert speak…

Creating Vignettes

By: Jennifer Grey, owner of www.theoldpaintedcottage.com

A vignette is quite simply a grouping of objects that are thoughtfully placed in such a manner that is pleasing to the eye and can be used to reflect ones own personality. Vignettes can even be used to tell a story. For example, you can create a grouping of photos hung on the wall with a similar theme, such as antique portraits, cabinet photos, childhood pictures, etc.. This look is most effective when using frames that have similar color, theme or style.

Vignette Antiques

In creating table vignettes, which are my personal favorite, I find that it’s always important to start with a good base and then work your way up. For example, I love antique silver trays and am always on the lookout for ones that are footed and have side handles. Antique stores and flea markets are great places to scout these out.

Antique Silver Trays

If you have a step in living room with no foyer, such as myself, correct furniture placement and well executed vignettes are key to creating a welcoming feel to your guests the second they enter your home. I used a small antique child’s armoire that is not too deep, pressed against the wall, and placed a library table on the other side of my “entry” to allow plenty of room for traffic flow in between both pieces, all while creating a faux entry that did not previously exist.

Living RoomOnce you’ve found the right foundation for your vignette, you want to consider function and design. You need to ask yourself “Is this a space that requires daily, practical use, or is it more for visual appeal?” Since I use drawers for “hiding” all my practical items, such as keys, pens and paper, batteries and remotes, etc, it frees up my visual space allowing for complete creativity.

Vignettes can be very effective when using similar themes, objects and colors. Height is another important consideration. Try stacking objects at different levels, making the objects more visually appealing and interesting. If using a piece of framed art, try leaning it against the wall instead of hanging it – it grounds the art and relates it more to the other objects within your vignette.

Book Vignette

Most importantly, have fun with it! You can change your vignettes through the seasons, switch out your themes, and show off your collections. There is no right or wrong, so don’t be afraid to get creative!

For more information and to see more of Jennifer’s beautiful before and afters, visit her blog at The Old Painted Cottage.

10.21.09

Divine Bedrooms

Posted in Before & After tagged , , , , at 5:53 pm by 2inspired

Who wouldn’t want a bedroom to melt into? A haven after a long, endless day of stress. I know I do. At this minute, my bedroom is stuffed to the brim with books and magazines. And our tiny room is doing double duty as my office. But a girl can dream can’t she? Here’s a stunning before and after from divine designer Candice Olsen. Check out more of these gorgeous before and afters from HGTV.

The big, but not so beautiful before:

Candice Olsen Bedroom Before

After Candice does her magic:

Bedroom Retreat

10.20.09

A Chair Worth Waiting For

Posted in Before & After, Cheap and Chic, Design & Home Decor, Under 10 Minute Crafts tagged , , , , , , , at 2:36 pm by 2inspired

I finished it!!  It’s not perfect but pretty good for someone with little craft skills and zero equipment.  I wanted the look of an expensive upholstered chair without the time and expense of a reupholstered one.  And I struggled to do it.

The biggest challenge was painting it.  Since this was a really cheap chair from the Salvation Army and what I think was an IKEA original, the wood wasn’t well, wood.  The spray paint didn’t stick well to the shiny non-wood surface.  Plus it rained for a week while I attempted to do this outside.  I have to admit there are still places where white paint drips and the wood peeks through.  It ain’t perfect. But pretty good for my first shot.

The second challenge was trying to figure out how to get new material on its faded black seat.  I don’t own a staple gun and I couldn’t figure out how to detach the seat from the frame of the chair.  Could I pin it? Sew it?

Then, after weeks of contemplating I grabbed an old skirt, cut the material and taped it (with double-sided tape). Yeah, that’s right.  Martha Stewart nerds and wannabes look the other way please.  It’s possible I’ve committed some kind of craft crime, but I had to do it. I needed a way that was fast and inexpensive and it worked.

Here’s my before:

Before Chair Picture

In the middle:

White Chair

Here’s what I used: I loved the material on this skirt.  I was about to toss it but thought, hey why not repurpose it?

Repurposed skirt

The Long Awaited After:

Chair After

After chair picture

10.19.09

Weekend Roundup

Posted in Before & After, Cheap and Chic, Design & Home Decor, Unique Ideas, Wedding tagged , , , , , , , , , , , at 5:33 pm by 2inspired

I had about a million projects to tackle over the weekend, how well did I do?  I’d give myself a C for effort and an A+ for spending two days relaxing by the pool. Here’s hoping I do a bit better next time.  In the meantime, this is my weekend roundup:

Had dinner with a girlfriend at a wine bar and was blown away by this Halloween/fall centerpiece with its pumpkin top and natural twig bottom.  A splendid wedding centerpiece and awesome table conversation starter I’d say.

Cool Centerpiece

Tuned into my inner diva and grabbed a bunch of daisies for $2.50 at our neighborhood farmer’s market.  I love how the red pops against that new ocean blue vase.  What an easy and inexpensive way to change up your home decor.

Fresh Flowers

I heart those red daisies.  Don’t they look pretty in my crafty numbered bottles?

Red Daisies

I’m still working on this sad little chair.  But I’m totally digging it now that it’s got a fresh white coat of paint.

Here’s the before:

Before Chair Picture

The not quite done after:

White Chair

I’m hoping to finish this project by the end of this week.  Keep posted to see the final after!

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