Sweet Sanity Designs

Blogging is such a funny thing -  a random share can become one of the most read!   My original post on Hiding the Wireless Routers has been my all-time most read post.  It's been pinned, commented on, and constantly comes up in my Google Analytics as the reason people are arriving at this blog.  Clearly I am not the only one disturbed by the ever growing amount of ugly technology laying all over my house.  Maybe I should share my neurosis more often.

{In case you missed this earth shattering post catch up here}

People had OPINIONS.  They either loved my idea, or warned me I my house was going to burn down.  People emailed me their thoughts, their husbands thoughts and even an IT person somewhere offered his two cents! I did my best to reply and even offered a status update; that I hadn't burned my house down, that the boxes were ventilated nicely, that the signal was indeed going through the cardboard boxes (it has to go through dry wall on a good day right?), etc.

Two year later, after moving my router to an entirely different outlet in the house, I wondered what else my little white boxes could hide. Hence, Hiding the Technology Part Two.  Cell phone, tablet, and bluetooth ~ in you go!

I know there are all sort of fancy charging stations out there, but at lot of them remind me of something from a SkyMall catalog - too masculine and office-y.   Pretty boxes however are all over the place (World Market, Home Goods, Target, Container Store) and come in a million patterns, colors and sizes, that can match your room. I put a power strip on the bottom, fed the cords through the hole cut in the back, and brought them inside the top box.

Downside: Yes, each morning I pop off the lid to retrieve my phone.  And if I am traveling and need to bring the charger I have to dismantle the whole shebang and go into the bottom box to unplug.  BUT I do have to say that I actually LIKE the act of putting it away each night.  It forces me to unplug myself from the emails, texts and Instragram updates and officially detach.    Bring on the comments! XOXO

This weekend I am helping out with a surprise Bumblebee Themed Shower.   I've been pondering what could be a fun centerpiece.  Something to get the point across... what better than a BEEHIVE?!

For the record, after diving into this theme you can do wonders with it...the 'Queen Bee', 'Thanks for Beeing" here, honey favors,  beeswax candles, etc.  The brainstorming never ends!  I hope to show you the rest of the fun details next week but until then my Beehive Tutorial.

To Start, the Hive.  Most craft stores have styrofoam pieces. I was picturing a dome shape in my head, and found the perfect pieces (in the flower arranging section.)

Two cake layer-like pieces, plus a domed top worked great stacked together. I tested them out a bit in the store, and settled on a making a large hive and a small one. 

Glued them together first with Styrofoam glue, no rocket science here....

Next I settled on a big fat chunky yellow yarn.  Called "Pittsburgh Yellow" to be exact.   Here's where you need a little patience. I squirted some glue and pushpin-ed the first strand down.  I tried a few strategies: first squeezing out a bit of glue as I went (that took forever), then squirting a bunch ahead of myself and then wrapping the thread.  Finally the best was just using my fingers (maybe a brush would have worked??) to cover about an inch high around the hive, and then twisting the paper towel that the hive was sitting to spin the yarn around so I didn't have to move. Much better!

Let the glue dry!   (Don't be like me, slight mishap when I picked it up and the bottom fell off of the big guy)

Next onto the bees.  This stumped me. Found darling felt ones online but too expensive per bee and if you wanted to buy a bunch. I kept thinking there had to be a way to make a little abstract one using a peanut? a piece of candy? fabric?  After much tinkering I settled on a couple of COTTON BALLS. I pinched them together and wrapped some of the leftover yellow yarn around it.  Then finished them off with a little black ribbon.  They were so light that just a touch of double stick tape worked perfectly to stick them to the hive.

Looks like his little wings, no?

And there you have them!

See how the shower turned out here!

XOXO
Kerry
 

When setting up a little party spread, sometimes the 'backdrop' can be tricky.  I was recently looking for a place for a small folding table with party items and there wasn't a plain wall in sight.  Plus that's sort of boring anyway!  I think that's why you often see nice backdrops behind table settings in magazines. Hanging FABRIC behind a table does wonders.  It screams the 'party is over here'!  

How to hang it is another story.  Every location might be different, but wanted to share a super simple method that worked miraculaouly for me! This three item solution was also cheap and fast.

First I popped a couple of over-the-door-hooks on some double closet doors.  This might even work on a single door, if you spread them far apart.Next I used an adjustable tension rod, this one from Bed Bath and Beyond.  I just twisted it out to the length I wanted, and draped the fabric over it.  Then just cradle the bar in the hooks.  These rods are nice a strong, so they can extend pretty far out without support.  The fabric might pucker a bit but just tug and adjust.  I used this adorable red and white searsucker print fabric, and about 3 yards was plenty.

And that's it!

If you take some memorable shots of your party, close ups look great with a the backdrop as well.
Remember this is not only a good cover-up technique but it really adds some fun color, too!

Hopefully you caught X Benches {Part One} and my xbench collage overload!  I also promised I would show you a do-it-yourself project.  As I mentioned before I was searching online for an affordable xbench and stumbled upon a post from Living Livelier about how they found cheapy cheetah benches online at Sears.  They were $59.99 each. {Update: Now on sale for $51!}   I actually loved the style of the dark brown legs, and while I would have to recover them, I still figured they whole project would be less than most benches out there. So here's the reveal!

I wanted two benches to replace a dusty orphan ottoman that was supposed to be a 'temporary' fix ages ago…

First off, I order 2 benches from Sears and assembled everything.  They got a big thumbs up for being super easy to assemble.  Just don't bother screw down the cushion if you are recovering…

Already happy with how they filled in the length of the couch.  However, while never opposed to animal prints, this one had a fuzziness that reminded me of a child's little fleece footsie pajamas.  Didn't really scream quality upholstery. 

Fabric Time.  Remember my field trip to the Textile Outlet?  Well while there I told my friend I wanted to pick something out for these that would be bold and fun and out of my comfort zone. She would nudge me on whenever I stopped at a cream and white striped linen!   So with her encouragement I bought 3 yards (probably too much) of this bold circular print!

A good old staple gun worked great for attaching the fabric to the back.  No magic here, just stretch it and kept checking the front to make sure it was straight.  For the corners, I tried to tuck the excess material inside a bit and almost wrap it like a present.
I later realized I should have been a bit more careful with where the holes were on the cushion. Some were covered a bit by the fabric so I just snipped it. You need them nice and visible when attaching the base with the long screws.

It went pretty fast!  Note I did not bother with the buttons, just covered them right up.

They are a really nice dimension to fit a good size tray perfectly!
Still getting used to the bold pattern but with some new pillows they are starting to grow on me!
($59.99 x 2)  + $30 of fabric and less than 1hr of labor = woohoo!

I slept in my makeup last night. That might not seem like a big deal to some but I have washed my face every night (yes, even in college) since I was 13.  And no, it wasn't because I was out at some fun event. I have emails that require responses, potential blog posts floating around in my head, & house chores galore ~ I think about all of the above all day long and even make LISTS about them.  But I sit down at the computer and first put four different pairs of booties into my Zappos cart that I will not buy. I get a little satisfaction over this hunting, gathering, and then not buying therapy, maybe that is a good thing?  Next I move onto this instead...

Watch a video about how to make the perfect poofy ponytail.
Mind you, I have short hair right now.

Wonder if I have time to run out tomorrow to buy potatoes and try this for dinner:

Wonder if I could make an imitation Hermes Tray for my den,
complete with a side search over to CB2 to see if they are selling round orange trays:

And decide that I am going to look like this from now on when I grocery shop on Saturdays.  

All this because of PINTEREST.  It is then past my bedtime and I convince  myself millions of women out there don't wash their faces at night and it's allowed. 

It's official, I have a problem. Is anyone else becoming a pinterest junkie?
To a more focused night tonight!! XO

Happy October! Love Halloween so much. Have spots in the house for hokey & cute decorations, but also love to create a creepy vignette.  Here's my idea for a quick creepy spot. 

Find an area where you keep some frames, maybe your mantle or a buffet. For me, it's this chest in the corner. We're going to keep all the frames where they are (so you don't have to rethink how they all fit) and just swap out the photos.

Now head to your computer and google things like "1800s photographs" or "family portraits 1850s".  I feel bad for these poor people but the way they shot seated photos back then was so eerie! This woman was a good candidate.  Then take a red marker (or pop it into your photo-editing app) and red-dot the eyes.  Instant spooky!  {Photo Credit}

Print out on regular paper and slip back into your frames. I put my little clock back (set to midnight) and used some candles and branches to fill in.  The black branches were from the Target $1 bins...it was supposed to be a tree but broke during assembly. Shocking.

Still needed something so slipped a black pashmina under everything.

It's fun picking your photos...even found a set of twins - always reminds me of the Shining!

And even better at night.  Have fun being creepy!

So my filing system is breaking down....literally. 
Not only am I outgrowing my little box from Target, but I have resorted to duck tape as corners burst at the seams and the hanging bar falls out once a day dropping all the files...awesome.

I have considered a rolling filing cabinet for awhile, maybe to slide under my desk  -  but didn't want to commit to the $279 cabinet of my dreams when I don't even have the $299 white parsons desk of my dreams yet to go with it.

So I headed to Craigslist for a reasonable solution and found a posting for this one - $40 for which I offered $30.  Done.

 
It was in perfect condition, nice and heavy, but I knew the coloring was going to battle the rest of the office furniture. I told myself on the car ride home I could just paint it.  But honestly - I have done a LOT of painting lately and once home I just didn't have it in me to gear up for all that waiting/drying/clean up. So I stared at it trying to think of Plan B...

I thought about wallpaper, or fabric, both still taking a bit of work (can you tell I was in an ultra QUICK FIX mood??)  And then I flashed back to CONTACT PAPER - did you ever cover your books with that stuff in school like me?  And push out all the bubbles?  Yes, I was a freak about the bubbles. Well, I wondered if they still made the stuff, and if it was possible that it came in more trendy patterns and choices than in the 80s.   This is the aisle at Joann's Fabrics.....The answer is yes!

I choose this Chevron pattern (yes, that obsession hasn't subsided) that seemed magically to be the colors of my rug and desk combined.  At $19.99 it even has squares on the back for easy measuring/cutting. There were so many choices, and you could even use shape details on it if you wanted, like flowers coming up the sides, etc. Maybe cute for a little kids dresser. Just sayin.

I started on the fronts of the drawers, unwrapping only a bit of the contact paper as I went to smooth out all of those bubbles.  Then continued down the front.  And wrapped it around the sides. 

I finished the sides like I was wrapping a present. Had to snip a little slit in each corner and then pull the top and bottom tabs down and finish with the large panel.  Any extras could just be sliced off with a razor (it cuts like butter by the way!)

Using something heavy and flat like a metal ruler worked great to press it down and smooth it out as I went -- see, no bubbles.  SANITY TIP: If you can fall in love with a PATTERN versus a solid color it will be MUCH more forgiving on the bubbles.

So roughly an hour yielded this (I was snacking as I went, too, so you may be quicker)

Did NOT even bother covering the side. Barely see it and don't mind the contrast.

File Cabinet - $30  / Contact Paper - $19.99  / Time - 1Hour / No painting - priceless!

Remember my Ballard Design blast awhile back? Well, am back with a positive post!  Ballard Designs must have the fastest search engines on the planet because the second my negative post went up an email arrived in my inbox.  A very nice gentleman, Mr. T told me he would like to discuss my experience.  This was no problem.  

Mr. T patiently listened to my story, which is just what I wanted.  The chair debacle had left me so worked up I would have told my taxi driver the story.  I got all of my points across and he shared some of the companies challenges on his end, all very interesting.  He also gave me a gift certificate to bring me back.  Now THAT'S good customer service!  

When the next fun catalog arrived I now felt like browsing again. I focused in on this wall above my little dining table.  I painted these red canvases shortly after moving in.  It was during a moment of 'i need something on that wall, how hard can it be to put paint on a canvas?'

But I am over them, especially as most the red accents have left the building...

I love an excuse to use a gift card. I found lots of things I liked, but spied these Garden District Mirrors that I kept coming back to. 

I liked the slightly worn look and the metal that seemed to go well with both golds or silvers.  So ordered two pairs! 

Not only did they arrive early but they were in perfect condition and exceeded my expectations.  No, Mr. T didn't make me say that.  I do really love them in my space.  It sorts of opens it all up and reflects back the windows and big tree into the space!

I took my time measuring and hanging (and spacing) and wrote it all out.  It was tedious but even all that was probably only 1hour.  Excuse my reflection and the golf on tv - I find golf soothing on Saturday afternoons!  I'm not really loving the table anymore but doesn't that always happen when you change one thing?

So that's the latest purchase.  Hooray for good customer service!

After ripping up the carpet in the bedroom and removing the bulky armoire, I really was hoping to replace it with a long credenza instead of a dresser.  I wanted a nice low table top for lamps, my odds and ends, etc. A credenza would also give me cabinet storage, not only shallow clothes drawers. Here were some dreamy bizillion $ ones...

{Photo Credit: House Beautiful, RoomServiceStore, and Palmer Weiss}

But you can't always have what you want.  I learned that the world seemed to offer credenzas usually between 70-80inches long.  So I got realistic and used masking tape to see the MAX size furniture I could squeeze onto that wall. I also put tape on the wall to about the height I would like. 

MUCH shorter than 80inches! So I hunted with measurements in hand.  This made things quicker -- and easier to pull myself away from pretty pieces that were never going to fit! Finally, I found this piece online at BackGarage in Chicago.  Katherine finds all sorts of vintage second hand pieces.  Walking through her studio was like a time warp - I think I saw my Mom's pea green casserole dish! I am not a real danish/mid-century kind of girl but could NOT pass up the perfect fit or the price. Second hand always affords you the free license to makeover!

I sanded it down, took off the one knob, and did some minor spackling on some cuts. Next the white paint.  Millions of coats.  Just for the record the paneled sides slowed me down!!

I used the same hardware from my nightstand for the single door to attempt to tie them together???

Overall, while it isn't the credenza from House Beautiful, it was under $300 and because I stuck to my guns on the size requirements I am SO happy with its overall fit in the room.  Big bonus to me is that it has a few drawers for clothes AND  a cabinet for extra storage. Yea for masking tape planning!

It's confession time....By far the most neglected spot in this apartment has been the long hallway down to the master bedroom.  I have never known WHAT to do with it. Brace yourself for the changes over the years...

Pathetic. The best is how I went really wild in 2004 for a party and put dollhouse-sized votives down the shelves.  The truth is that every time I went to hang a frame or a series of art down the hallway it just looked weird to me from down at the other end.  I guess anything would after staring at asylum walls for so long!

One idea that had come and gone over the years was to do a big gallery of assorted frames. I would see it in a magazine and have no idea how to achieve that random look without looking cluttered. When I stumbled upon THIS POST on Young House Love I thought, it's time to give it a try!  Using all white frames appealed to me. Maybe that way it wouldn't be too distracting from the other end of the hallway.

I started a gathering mission.  I wanted an assortment of sizes and styles so I hit up Salvation Army for some $2 and $3 frames that I could spray paint white, collected some at home and bought a few with good matting from Ikea. Yes, I fully realized there was no set plan.  Luckily not so costly to begin the collection.

Next the newspaper templates.  I cut out pieces to approximate the shapes of each of my frames.  Can I just say I hate BS tasks like this?  But I also know it is the *right* thing to do and will save me from superlatives later on when there are random holes in the wall. 

I started in the center with my largest frame and built out from there.  I turned some vertically and some horizontally trying to get that random feel.

Using painters tape allowed me to get them up, and then step back and rearrange.  This happened often and over the course of a week or so.  Example: Walking down the hallway on a random Tuesday night and thinking, yuck, why is that one THERE!?  I recommend letting them marinate for a bit.

Hanging the frames...YHL's post suggested nailing right into the newspaper - great advice. I measured how far down the nail should actually go to catch the wire/hook and hang at the right height. The newspaper was also nice because I could mark it with a pen, nail right into it and then rip off when done. (Sorry for the yellow night time pics!)

The cutouts would represent a generic 5x7 or 4x6, so there were still decisions to be made about which style frame was going where.  Then the leveling...over and over.

Starting to take shape...

So here's where I have left off.  Still expanding but needing a little break. Figure after staring at a blank wall for so long I should ease myself in.  Lordy, then I will still have to FILL all of these.  It is all just scraps and ideas and this point!  And how high & wide to go???  Wish me luck...