friday things

a few things around here lately...

fiona as a day of the dead skeleton spider princess for halloween. i tried to tell her that she was just a day of the dead figure but she promptly corrected me. she tried to throw "cat" in there but i challenged her. and ultimately won. i had a lot of fun doing this makeup and making the crown. the day when she no longer needs me to help her with her costume will be the saddest day of all time. 

 

i met a lovely woman named danielle through internet space. she went to africa and brought back some juju hats. one thing lead to another and i traded some art for a hat. but if you don't have any art to trade, she takes money too. this giant juju hat was for sale for $250. which as you probably know is less than half of what they go for.  she has a few left...

32" red juju is $250 USD. available here. it's the same size as mine. mantel perfect. 

 

black, brown and natural 32" $250. available here. 

 

black, brown and natural (some cool spotted feathers in there too) 32" $250. available here. 

 

pink 21" $180. available here.

go get one! 

i introduced some small jelly prints to my shop a few weeks ago and got some requests for large versions. ask and ye shall receive....now available 34 x 26 and 48 x 36. that's big ya'll. 

and finally...

remember when i did this painting for the tommy hilfiger store in NY? well, here it is in situ...

photo 1 (11).jpg

working on a commission for a public space was a first for me. and i honestly had no idea how it would turn out....most art you see in stores just looks blah. i think not here. that painting really draws you in. total USA-all-the-way colors but with a mercurial feel. rob and connor at tommy hilfiger knew exactly how to use that painting to elevate the whole area. and i have to say that is not easy to do. i have seen some glorious paintings fall flat in a space which just makes me sad. 

 

ok then. you have things to buy. prints, juju hats...commissions. wink wink. 

 

happy friday. 

 


one room challenge -week 6. the end. unless you're me.

people usually start with the bad news, right?

and end with the good?

well, that's what i'm gonna do. 

the bad:

the lab isn't finished and there are no amazing photos.

the truth is we ran out of funds. not energy or drive.

i say this because i don't want you to think for one minute that i just gave up or lost steam.

i am still going to continue this challenge, just in my own time. 

still needed 2 important pieces of furniture to hide all the clutter that one hides.

and not enough funds for the accessories that one needs to make a room shine.

plus as anyone knows who's ever styled a room for photos it's ALL about the accessories.

and i simply wasn't going to get all photographical with the important photographer who takes amazing photographs until the room looked like a supermodel.  

know what i mean?

but!!!

here's what DID get finished....which i will amaze you with with shittastic iphone photos..

but first let's look at some befores... (gag)


shudder. 

 

 

and now for the changes...

carpet tiles! they are awesome in here. they make it so cozy. like i'd actually sit up here and watch a movie or something! whereas before you couldn't get me to stay in that room for more than 5 minutes without fear of disease.

the bed cover didn't work out as we had hoped. my MIL worked so hard on it too but it just wasn't quite right.  

i have new bedding in mind but it will have to wait til my pockets fill back up.

she did make a box spring cover that turned out great. we used a canvas drop cloth in natural from the hardware store. 

so cheap and looks like linen.

she also made that bolster with some really cool vintage buffalo check fabric i found on etsy.

it's turquoise and olive green and is pretty fantastic in person. so bright and poppy with the moody gray walls. 

the art above the desk are R Land originals and were a gift to mike from the artist himself. 

they need frames obviously but i wanted to stick them there to get a feel for them in that odd ceiling-slash-wall area. 

you get the idea.

 

you might remember that wicker chaise from week 2. it had some blue buffalo check that i thought i would like but it read a little too french country in person.

so i went with a sort of check ikat. lewis and sheron has a basement with stacks of remnants and this was the first remnant i picked up. the fastest fabric shopping of my life. all 4 yards were 25 bucks. 

 made by my MIL. 

 

i love love LOVE these pillow covers. they were a steal on etsy. 

they look expensive in person which thrilled me to no end. 

nothing like spending $19 on a cushion cover that looks like you could have spent $100. 

that shop and all 1500 of it's pillows is right this way. 

you're welcome. 

where i have failed you in bringing you a gorgeous, completed room i have surely made up for it by bringing you a super-awesome kilim pillow source, right?

 

that's about all there is fit to print.

 

it's a weird concept to decorate a room in 6 weeks, isn't it?

it feels like those hgtv design turd shows a little.

everyone hitting up every homegoods in the area for the perfect piece of crap tchochke only to have it break or fall out of trend in 3 months. 

or worse! you find you hate it in 3 months because you rushed into it to get it done.

or, oops...you now hate your bright blue bedroom. 

or you built a crappy bed frame out of MDF and now your mattress is moldy. 

and for what?

blog traffic?

or maybe you're a wannabe designer and you think this is the stepping stone to getting clients.

maybe it is. 

good for you.

 the fact of the matter is if you have the budget it is a WHOLE LOT EASIER to decorate a room in 6 weeks. 

it is also a whole lot easier if you are a PROFESSIONAL designer.

which i am not. just a fool with an eye for design.  

at the end of the day i don't think you should decorate a room under such time constraints.

sure, it may help to light a fire under your ass to get things going.

it surely did mine, so for that i am thankful that i did it.

this room needed to be fixed up. end of discussion.

mike would have been happy to keep this room the hovel that it was but that's another post entirely.

however, i begged to differ. 

now i would totally hang out in there. i think he would agree that that in and of itself made this whole thing worth it. 

 

but fear not design junkies....

i aim to complete the room and i aim to have it professionally photographed.

 

because this is a design blog. mostly. and i am not a quitter. 

 

now if your interested in some of the sources i used...

here you go:

 

paint: benjamin moore upper west side. i can't say enough about this color. it's the perfect shade of greige. a delicious balance of brown and gray. 

chair fabric: lewis and sheron raleigh ikat.

mirror- anthropologie. no longer available. 

sconce- urban outfitters.

pillows- etsy sandy kilim. 

carpet tiles- craigslist. an excellent source if you want cheap flor tiles. these were .75 cents a sq. ft. 

bamboo roman shades- payless decor. premium bamboo roman in mandalay natural. i have them on every window in my house. 

all furniture on craigslist. 

and my MIL's pillow shop on etsy is here.  she is a great seamstress. 

 

 

thanks for playing along.

go check out the other reveals here. there are some legitimately good ones in the mix.