lions and tigers and bears, oh my! July 24, 2010

I’m sure it comes as no surprise…I LOVE looking at houses. Sometimes I cruise the MLS listings just to see the inside of certain houses I’ve seen for sale in my area. It never ceases to amaze me how people decorate. Let’s face it, everyone thinks they have good taste…but in reality, most people don’t. Now…I’m all for bending rules and creating a unique space that is personalized to your specific lifestyle and taste.

But sometimes the bending goes a little too far and the rule SNAPS!!!!!

Let’s talk about animal print for a moment. I love most animal prints. Let me clarify: I love most animal prints in small doses. I think in small doses, they make the most impact. For example. I’m a big fan of zebra print. I have a long, narrow, zebra print runner in my hallway. I love it. It’s unexpected and gives a dash of whimsy. But that’s where it stops. There’s not a single other animal print anywhere in my house (yet). Animal print can be a great neutral, if it’s used properly. Here’s some great animal prints used tastefully that serve as a neutral and don’t over-power the room:

photo courtesy of YHL

photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy

photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy

photo courtesy of Ballard Designs

See how just a little dab will do ya?

Nice, huh?

So, now we’ve seen what to do. Let’s look at what NOT to do. Thanks to today’s funny-as-heck MLS listing…we have the following “animal print theme rooms”. Now get this…all of these photos are from the SAME HOUSE!!!! This woman must be obsessed! God love her…apparently she told one person “hey, I like animal print” and the next thing you know, she’s living in a jungle in the heart of the Highlands in Louisville, KY. Who knew?

Okay, kill me. Besides it being a design nightmare…it’s distracting. I mean…you can’t even tell what the house looks like because your eye goes directly to the animals. This is the worst thing to do when you’re trying to stage your home for sale. How are the potiental new owners going to picture their furniture and tastes in the house when they feel like they’ve stepped into a jungle?

Anyway…

One more time for the cheap seats in the back. Animal print = good. Animal print in small doses = better!

bye-bye decorating budget July 13, 2010

*sigh* As you can see from below…my car is down for the count. Again. Second time in two weeks. I haven’t heard from the mechanic yet, but I know it won’t be good news.
So…there you have it…Nine months of saving $$$ for decorating and home improvements…sucked into the car.

I’m sad. 😦

…cute idea! July 10, 2010

Oh heavens…look how cute this is:

image from Better Homes & Gardens

I have two medium size drawer knobs at home that I haven’t figured out what to do with…I think I have an idea!!!! I’m going to screw them into the wall and hang a couple of my grandmother’s vintage handbags! I’m sooooooooooo excited. I wanna go home right now and do it. But sadly, I’m at work…you know…to make money to buy cute things!

I’ll work on it this weekend and post pics! Yay…I love a fun project. Don’t you?

2010 – the year of exposed plaster July 1, 2010

Isn’t it funny how things work out? I’ve been fighting for six weeks or more to find a painter who will strip wallpaper and paint my living room and dining room. Unfortunately,  I haven’t been successful. See paint saga one and two. It’s now a good thing that I couldn’t find a painter because I just spent $612 on new brakes and rotors for my car. *sigh* Don’t you just hate it when the money you have earmarked for a certain home improvement is suddenly swallowed up by a boring, but necessary car repair? Oh well…I haven’t had a car payment in more than a year and the car is 10 years old. What did I expect anyway?

So…here’s the new plan…

I’m going to continue to strip the wallpaper off the walls in the living room. Right now it’s only about 10% removed and it looks horrible. Like a big gaping wound in  need of sutures. Once all the wallpaper is removed and the plaster is exposed. I’m going to leave it that way. For now. It’s going to take probably 4 months or so to rebuild my home improvement fund, then I’ll TRY to find a painter. Hopefully by fall they’ll need work.

In the meantime…I’m going to bring back exposed plaster!!! Exposed plaster will be the new chic! High-end interior design?? Think ‘exposed plaster’!!!

This is the only way to keep from crying sobbing because I have such an ugly house. I’m going to take life’s lemons and make plaster flavored lemonade!

I’ll post progress photos along the way. I’m envisioning naked plaster walls with a fully decorated room. Sound gross great?

I googled ‘exposed plaster’ and found some of these photos. It doesn’t look THAT bad, does it? DOES IT?

I’m going to ROCK exposed plaster like nobody’s business. Who’s with me?