GORGEOUS SHINY THINGS

the outside

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:06:09 PDT

I hope all you Mamas had a great day yesterday!

I know I did. I spent it laying pea-stone...

Our backyard has been a dirt pile since we ripped the old sunroom off and I was fed up with how much sand and filth was being tracked in. I told my husband we have to finish the patio and put some stone down ASAP. Well it turns out if wanted it done I would have to do it myself. So I grabbed a pick axe and hummed "Hi-Ho" and leveled the area last week

It took 3 days, totally sucked, but I tried to think of all the calories I burned.

My husband finished it up by making sure it was graded level and I planted some shrubs...

Then for Mother's Day I got just what I wanted.

10 tons of pea-stone!

And the party started...

Landscaping fabric was laid down to keep the weeds out, and stone was dumped.

It was hard, I am pooped, but it is shaping up...

Kid's even helped...

Still have the area around the beds to finish and some edging to do, as well as trying to decide how I am gonna layout out the furniture and plants...

but I already christened it last night with a bottle of wine.

Be back with some real "done" pictures at the end of the week!

(I also have some garden magic I am working on along the fence)

Right now I need to let my arms recover.

Yo Mama...

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:15:12 PDT

Its almost Mother's Day, so I just wanted you to know O'verlays is giving 15% off the entire site with code MOM15.

Why? Because Moms are awesome!

And check out this nod to mid-century Malm makeover by Sarah Hearts.

If you thought you had to O'verlay every drawer, think again.

Just two will do.

sale runs until May16th

What's happening...

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:45:52 PDT

I have had a the deadly blog trifecta strike.

1) Nice weather. 2) Heavy workload.

3) Messy desk syndrome that makes me do all my biz from an iPhone instead of my computer- therefore no blogs 'cause I am not smart enough to iBlog. Insta-Facebook gets my love.

So here is what has been occupying my creative minutes.

A whole bunch of unfinished, non-glamorous stuff with a cloud of ozone depletion.

Lets begin with the last post. The upholstery class.

Moldy chair update- I have spared its life...

I am a masochist.

And can I say hand tied springs suck.

I am learning that there are things I don't ever want to do again. Like grain alcohol punch, acrylic nails and hand tied springs.

I will appreciate every penny I pay my upholsterer in the future, because I really don't like or understand this mess...

Sunroom chairs are done, but I wish I painted them white.

Still might ... I want calm out there and I think it might happen if they are white.

(You can see the base of the one in the back is still white primer... I like it better)

P.S.A. time...

Make sure your children wear helmets when crafting...

(and get a tetanus shot too)

Also, Rustoleum Automobile Primer works great for ceramic lamps,

just add a high gloss color over

Rustoleum Orange in Gloss

(- P.S. call me Rustoleum, I like you. Lets do drinks.)...

before

after

and I tried spray painting a stained dhurrie rug with white paint....

it turned it a soft gray, which actually wasn't bad. But I just couldn't leave well enough alone.

Stay tuned, still trying to fix this one.

I discovered cheap black Home Depot plastic planters actually look OK with some Hammered Bronze spray-spray

(Hey, I live in the North, so I totally overindulge in spray paint once it thaws out up here)

and the old porch railings got trimmed into trellis panels for the garden...

and finally, this nonsense came to my town on Saturday...

We had an American Idol "Homecoming" parade and concert over the weekend.

Turns out that one of the top 3 American Idol finalists is from my little town of Beverly, MA.

Watch all about it tonight (if you do that stuff), you might even see my youngest Joe. He got some camera time during the parade with the guy in gray below.

My kids were so excited. Not gonna lie, I totally got into it.

Like 8th grade minus the mushroom cloud perm.

Good times. Don't judge.

Upholstery 101- A scary tale

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:54:14 PDT

Warning: this post has graphic and gross images that might give you the heebeegeebees

Yikes! I did something out of "self-taught" character, I signed up for an actual class!
After years of attendance to the University of Google, I decided to get some hands on experience in the field of upholstery. Why? In the past I have managed to figure out how to upholster many things, including a couch that looked like it came straight from the set of Boogie Nights. With all these projects my impatience got the best of me and I would cut corners, like skipping the welting and zippers and other time consuming boring (IMO) tasks. I just wanted to finish, and I didn't feel confident in those areas, so I just left them out.
Maybe I am growing up or something, but I finally want to do something the right way. I enlisted in the Upholstery at the Eliot School in Boston (and I dragged my Mom along with me). It is a 10 week program that teaches you how to reupholster, and you bring in a piece to work on. I also figured it would give me some good stuff to blog about.

I was all excited.
I've had this chair that I wanted to redo for a while now:

I found it on my neighbors curb and thought it had great lines, I even posted it way back when in a trash picking confessional. This chair was finally going to have its day!

I brought it to class this week, and in the first class we got right to business. We were given some pliers and flat screwdrivers and told to strip off the old upholstery, starting at the bottom and working up. Once it was cleaned off we would be gluing any wobbly legs and such.

I did as I was told, and my first thought was "This is going to be a piece of cake! I should be gluing in an hour..." I even had some extremely cocky thoughts like "How is this class going to take 10 weeks? I finished a sofa in a day and a half?"

Curses.

Sometimes things are on the curb for a reason.

I got the bottom fabric off and started pulling off the back.

I was greeted with a very nasty discovery. Mold, lots of mold.

I had the instructor come over and look, thinking he'd be just as horrified as me.

I was wrong.

"Totally salvageable, see it all the time".

It looked perfectly fine on the outside, but the vinyl had kept in plenty of moisture.

I kept going, and it only got worse.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to put my chair back on the curb. The freaking chair was alive!

It looked like it had its own network of veins and nerves.. see?

I wanted a respirator and some gloves!!!!

(we were told to only bring 2 drop cloths and the piece of furniture to the first class)

I had to touch the thing!

See the horror in my eyes? I was so glad I wore turtleneck and my glasses:

"It can totally be saved!" is what I was being told. I just wanted to quit.

I was not making any friends in this class with my cootie chair.

Even my mother next to me was inching away from me.

She was lucky, just horsehair and cotton in her chair:

Lets just say I didn't do any gluing. Instead I had to take my chair back home wrapped in a trash bag to "de-mold" it with bleach and Murphy's Oil.

( I think I scrubbed part of my skin off after that class.)

The chair still sits in the bag outside. I haven't worked up the nerve to open it up.

I have actually been trying to find a different chair to strip down and bring back to the next class.

I just can't believe that that nasty thing can actually be saved.

I will keep you posted and let you know what I do.

Part of me wants to just throw in the towel, while the stubborn part wants to prove that it really can be saved. What should I do?

Do you guys want to see me save it or do I just move on? I promise to document either way.

Regardless, I am bring a mask and some gloves to the next class

AND I went and got a tetanus shot the following day.

Back to the basics!

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:27:01 PDT

Feeling grateful and so much lighter today,
my brain is working again after a good nights sleep.

Today I am full of mojo and I just want to dive into the weekend.

For me that means a big to do list:

working on those above chairs, whipping the new screened porch into shape,

some gardening and painting, a birthday party and maybe even a yard sale or two.

Follow me over on Instagram (danikaherrick) for some creative chaos and project bouncing.

Stuff is gonna get done!

Update from Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:10:49 PDT

I will be back with regular design stuff soon.

Funny thing is yesterday I started painting/upholstering stuff in my house and it felt great. Lulu DK and orange painted chairs were happening, I took pictures for DIY's, felt like life was normal and all that... but today has been intense and I have no interest in yesterday.

I actually only had about 3 hours of real sleep last night, so that might be magnifying things. That and the glass of wine I just had. I had nightmares- horrible "kid-like" kind of nightmares, where you wake up every hour and it is the same dream- and at 3 AM I just decided to stay awake. I chalked it up to the week. I chalked it up to the fact that I was worried about my 7 year old and the fact he had wet his pants twice yesterday... something he hadn't done since he was 4.

Life has been strange around these parts lately, and having kids home for school vacation week only makes it stranger.

Having to explain bombs and terrorists were not in my plans for happy family fun-day vacation week, but that is what my 7, soon to be 8 year old got into today. Duty calls, and I birthed an old soul.

"Why did someone set off bombs in Boston?"

(he had heard two women talking about it at the park)

I knew he had friends that were at the Marathon, and on Monday shit was going to get real once he was back in school- I had to fill him in. I needed to prepare him- he was a deep inquisitive kid, and despite my best efforts to keep it light, he was onto me.

Q&A didn't go quite as I planned... he wanted answers, real answers (hey, me too)...

"Who are they? How old? Can I see a picture of them? Why? Why? How? Why?"

(Meanwhile, I left out the part that a boy his age and 2 girls close in age to his cousin,

and a cop were killed-because his imagine is a rival to mine.)
His questions were intense, and exhausting... but I realized that he was much smarter and in tune than I wanted to give him credit for.

I have no idea what this situation is like in the rest of the country or the air play you are seeing. Here it is 24/7-we don't even see weather reports on the local news channels.

I also still have no idea what motivated these guys to do this, and having to explain it to a child is even harder. I know answers will come to light over the next few days- hopefully.

As I typed that last sentence my husband just walked in the door from work an told me they have the second suspect in a boat. I am relieved. SO very relieved. My son is relieved, more importantly.

I just want peace. For families of those lost and hurt and the families of the suspects. I am sure they hurt right now too.

No more hurting people.

We need to listen to this little angel's message right now.

Praying for Boston and no more hurt.

today

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:08:57 PDT

Pretty can wait. Paint can wait. Everything can just fucking wait.

Its just all too close, too real. Thats my city. I had friends running, friends watching, a niece across the street in lockdown... the waiting to hear from them, and then hearing their accounts, the news- constant news- its everywhere. I am angry and sad and my heart hurts, I'm lost today.

I have written and deleted this post too many times already, and words don't make sense. I feel like a rambling mess. Not much makes sense actually.

My heart and prayers go out to all the families affected by this tragedy and to all the responders that selflessly risked their own lives to help others. And for peace.
This violence can happen in any city, and I pray that it will just stop.

My niece slept over last night and we talked about the day.

She had gone down to the finish line on her lunch break and left shortly before the blast.

She just kept telling me how awesome it felt to be down there watching finishers... it was a beautiful day, the crowd was so excited, she said it was one of those days where you just felt so proud to be a Bostonian. "It was awesome..." is what she kept saying. That statement is what I am trying to hold on to and focus on despite the horrific events that followed for her shortly after, despite the gruesome images that keep filling my brain. I was hit by an M-80 firework on Halloween when I was 17 by a bunch of asshole kids throwing eggs (and an M-80) from a car, and I remember the pain and terror I felt when it exploded right next to me and how that is nothing, nothing at all in comparison to what all these bystanders experienced. I cannot imagine, and I am doing my best to squelch my vivid imagination.

Knowing that we will grow stronger and prouder and that despite a cowardly asshole's attempt, people will continue to run and cheer and say "it was awesome". We need to hold on to that feeling. The goodness and happiness we felt before, the innocence, and not let it get taken away by fear and evil because then they win.

That is what I am trying to focus on today, and it isn't easy... because not much else makes sense.

Porch Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:11:52 PDT

(Exterior) stuff has been getting done around here!

We converted our open air porch to a three season porch this weekend.

It is SO much better, and I can't wait for it to warm up and switch out the screens, because I feel like I have finally one up'd the local mosquito population a bit. The whole triple E and West Nile drama they bring is such a downer, and those pesky little bitches always figured out how to get around my mosquito netting.

Here is a Before and After Montage for your Monday

(just because I love B/A Montages since they let me see the slow change that has been happening over the past 3 1/2 years and make me feel productive)

2009 when we viewed this beauty to buy, WTF were we thinking?...

2 1/2 years ago after paint and a landscape/ramp rip up...

yesterday-

please ignore all the crap strewn around the yard- we have no landscape plan yet, so stuff is everywhere ...

And again...

Mosquito Net, pretty but not the most effective...

take that mo-fo-squitos!

The entire process was done using Brosco Combination Storm Doors

We measured the opening of our porch, and figured out how many panels we would need. They come in a few heights and widths, and you can trim them down easily.

We ordered the unprimed pine to save money and painted ourselves.

The openings were framed out...

And the panels went in and get trimmed out and attached...

And then the windows or screens go in.

The panels we chose came with both since we are in the North East and we want to use this room as year round as humanely possible (space heater required).

Insta-Room! Now I get to decorate.

On other porch fronts, the front porch is done!

(well almost- trim is not painted and we still need to add the screen door...)

My Dad installed the decking with a very cool product called Tiger Claw Deck Fasteners.

They hold the decking in place and no nails are needed.

You need 2 people for this, and there is a learning curve,

but the end result are smooth planks and no nail holes.

You take a metal clip and insert it into the rubber holder...

Line up the clip with the floor joist, and hammer the rubber holder so the clip gets tacked into the outer decking board...

Screw clip into place, and continue adding clips down the rest of the board length...

Lay your next board in front of the last board and using a piece of wood as a buffer, hammer the new board into the clips while making sure to stand on it to keep it flat.

Then repeat the steps by adding clips to the front of the new board.

And boom! No nails!

OK, I am off to get some stuff painted!

Be back soon with an easy DIY for you all.

The trail of inspiration...

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:59:32 PDT

As I go about life in my "squirrel brain project land" I hop from one idea to the next, continually changing the game because I see something new that inspires. So much of creativity comes from sparks of inspiration that are then compounded upon and altered. The trail of inspiration is quite a messy, tangled fabulous web if you ask me. So it makes this blog all the more worthwhile when I am able to inspire someone else's creativity.

I recently got an email from decorative artist Jessica Jones.

She sent me some pictures of her amazing scalloped bathroom walls:

She painted them by hand, and what

I found particularly cool was her trail of inspiration.

It started on Pinterest with this image:

and then she saw a tutorial I did for this journal cover using different sized coins as a template. She had a lightbulb moment as to how to achieve the look for her walls:

(Speaking of trails, this was my inspirational spark for the journal:)

This is how she achieved the look:

"I made different sized stencils using foamcore board, grabbed some metallic paint, and went to work transforming my sad, windowless bathroom into a room full of fun, metallic pattern. I love the art deco feel and glints of metallic!"

She just super sized the coin idea with foam core and created a much grander idea!

Besides being clever, she is quite the talented painter.

Check out these malachite walls she painted on her website...

amazing!

Thank you Jessica for sharing your work, keep it coming!

Front Door Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:38:14 PDT

This is one of the many projects around the house I have been working on,

transforming my 1960's front door into something a little more coastal-cottage:

Here is my original door:

I don't have one good before picture of it since there was a storm door blocking

it and it was dark navy blue so it vanished into a black hole:

Please note the old stone steps because those changed too during the door makeover. (ADD time-yay!)

They were small, crumbly and the front porch was nonexistent. And what was SO annoying was that if you came to my front door you had to step off the steps to allow for the door to open.

A wood front porch is currently almost completed.

I designed it to be larger to accommodate planters, porch squatting and

to give the entrance some oomph:

Lets have a little flashback to 2009 when we first bought this rancho...

Hello Big Fudge Brownie

The entry was a big dark abyss that sucked you into all things groovy and 60-licious...

OK, back to the door...

So I was inspired by this over-pinned lovely:

But I had this, and as much as I love me a good sunburst I was over it.

I was going to panel them with a herringbone:

I sanded it down and primed the outer areas.

My Dad has an insane math brain, so he helped me with this figuring of angles stuff.

We used leftover exterior bead board and drew a center line down the middle of each square. We cut a 45 degree angle on one side and lined it up at the top and against the center line. He then marked the left sides where it met and used that as is guide to cut the other 45 angle.

We then figured the rest of the cuts for that side using the first piece as a guide and marking each piece the same way. Once you have one side done, you just need to cut a reflection for the other side.

(Be sure to mark left or right on the backsides- it gets confusing!)

We cut enough for all three panels and made sure they fit. Some squares were not perfectly square, so we had to trim them a bit.

Once we had everything fitted it was time to glue the panels in place

using a basic household adhesive...

Now they needed to be framed in...

I took a trip to the lumberyard and picked up to moldings that allowed for the 1/4" projection of the bead board. I cut the ends on 45 degree angles to fit the squares.

Then I stapled the frames together on the backside...

and made three frames...

I used a bit of adhesive and nails to attach and wood putty to fill the gaps and holes...

And then took the door off to prime & paint (no drip marks this way).

I used Fine Paints of Europe Eco

(a water-clean up oil in a high gloss finish called Brilliant).

Amazing stuff, it self levels and is super shiny!

I had it tinted to Ben Moore's Palladian Blue.

Two coats later and new door hardware...

(I actually just spray painted the old brass mail slot with Rustoleum's Hammered Bronze-

goes right over metal!)

And new door!
Total cost was under $100, the paint was actually the most expensive part costing about $50 for a quart.

Once the porch it done, and all is painted I will take a better after shot.

Oh, we also added the bead board to the right of the door...

There used to be 60's wavy glass.

Yeah, I'm totally flushing the 60's away... funny because I do love me some vintage, but I think the amount this house had just overwhelmed me.

Small doses, small doses.

Stay tuned, another 60's cleansing is happening now:

bye bye partition wall..

Four Years ago...

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:36:17 PDT

I started this here blog!

I can't believe its been that long- thats like high school long. I was hoping to have an awesome anniversary post for you with lots of witty stuff to say with montages and rainbows, but I just experienced my first day back in society yesterday (both kids finally went back to school after their March Madness strep-virus-mononucleousis-Herrick Family leper colony party) and I had some massive errands that needed to be attended to.

I just wanted to say a GIGANTIC thank you to all my readers.

It is because of you I come here and blab and DIY, and without you that would mean I was just a crazy lady talking to myself. I have some big plans in store for this blog in the upcoming year, and I would love your feedback too. What would you like to see more/less of? I am seriously up for anything.

And thank you all for following me on the social media train wreck. I have been a bit heavier on my FB and Instagram (@danikaherrick) postings this month because its just easier, and I still suck at tweeting, but thanks for continuing to follow me there too;)

To show my love I have a little thank you code for 15% off O'verlays too...

use GST15 at check out

good until 3/31/13

So thanks again for being there, you guys are the best!

Danika

PS- My new color combo obsession:

loving citrus/grapefruit

Real Life: White Slipcovers-keeping it clean.

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:24:49 PDT

I have gotten a lot of questions about my white slipcovers from readers and friends.

When I made these slipcovers many asked to give an update on how well the wore.

Here they are today, white as ever and fresh out of the wash:

and here they are a year ago (April 12th, 2012- so almost one year ago) right after I made them:

I have to say I am really thrilled with how easy they are to maintain. Prior to this was a life with microfiber. Don't get me wrong- it definitely is stain resistant- but its just so much easier to toss the entire mess into the washing machine as opposed to spot cleaning and getting water ring marks.

And microfiber really didn't go with the whole bright and casual beach feel I was after.

Here is how I keep it clean and bright folks. I just did all my slipcovers in an effort to rid the house of germs and a spring clean. I wash them about every 2-3 months (or more if we are extra messy).

My usual routine was to spot clean with Resolve and toss in the washing machine with a cup of bleach.

This works OK, but I would still get faint reminders.

Here is a chair:

before, coffee stain and lord knows what:

After, there is still a faint tinge of the "lord knows what" and coffee is gone:

My couches were totally trashed.

I have had sick kids laying on them, eating and spilling, and the worst offender was the multicolored Pedialyte freezer pops. Straight up dye. Sorry I don't have before shots, so use your imagination.

I decided to take a new approach and it blew my mind just how white everything came out.

Here is my new go to method:

1) Mix up this magical potion: 1 part Dawn/ 2 parts hydrogen peroxide

Yes, you've seen it all over Pinterest and even my Mom has even been singing its praises, but it works!

2) Spot treat all the stains. Let it sit for 10 minutes, rub into tough stains.

3) Fill your washing machine with warm water and add 1 cup bleach. If you are afraid of bleach use a cup of OxiClean powder. Add the slipcover and agitate it a bit so it is all submerged and in contact with the water. Its important not to overfill the machine. You want the slipcover to be able to move around in the water.

4) Now this is the important part.

LET IT SIT

I paused my machine for about 30 minutes. In the past I would just let the machine cycle, but there was always residual stains and rings left. This time I was blown away with the difference, not one ring!

Look how white they are!

OK, as I was writing this post I went into my kitchen to find my kids eating ice pops, red ones, and dripping on my latest slipcover.

Just to show you the magic of Dawn and peroxide I whipped up a little insta-spot clean for you.

I poured a bit of Dawn/Peroxide on and rubbed in:

and here it is 10 minutes later,

only a very faint red dot is left, all without going into the washing machine:

If I was totally neurotic I might toss this in for a cycle, but I'm not and a tiny red spot doesn't bother me. It will have to wait a few weeks until the kids really trash it.

Anywho... Just wanted to share this with you and attempt to be a poster child for white slipcovers.

They really are easy, pretty and go with everything.

And you can change your color schemes with the flick of a pillow.

I am off to continue the spring clean/ santization. Happy weekend!

Just having a moment...

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 06:21:25 PDT

Please excuse me for a second while I get all giddy and wax nostalgic.

My kitchen redo is being featured on glo.msn right now...

Remember my pre-demo kitchen that was "renovated with paint",

right down to the painted marble counters?

Its being featured here.

There are some really amazing makeovers featured in this article, and I am in serious good company here... like one of my design idols, Amanda Nisbet, so I am a little "wtf, no freaking way!" right now...

After the past few weeks of chaos, sick kids and reno-drama, this look back is helping me refocus & gain new perspective. Nothing happens overnight- the last little "paint reno" took about 2 years to get just the way I liked, so I just need to take my time with the current situation.

Not gonna lie though, this also has me going a little "wtf, I killed my cute old kitchen."

I still have that above view at the moment, but amidst ripped up floors, walls and dust:

I just need to take my time and let it evolve.

One thing I have learned from this house is that when I force something to happen, or try too hard to make it work, it usually falls flat. I am a "change fanatic" as you all know. It is through these constant changes that I learn a ton about what I like, what I don't, and what makes me happy.

My house is my little experimental guinea pig.

This last kitchen makeover was one of my favorite rooms, and its because it took time, a whole lot of experimenting (5 colors in all I think) and negotiating (getting my husband to finally agree to painting laminate). All these hurdles made the end result much more satisfying.

And I know I really liked it because I find myself using elements of it in other areas of this current renovation (painted ceilings, navy and white as the foundation colors for most rooms/ woodwork).

I still don't have a finalized plan for the kitchen area, but I have decided to keep it a little open ended to allow for changes and "evolution"- and I am just praying for some more patience!

Indoor/Outdoor Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:49:12 PDT

Its Spring!

Even though there is snow on the ground I am am so happy for this milestone.

In a few short months outdoor living will be the norm,

and to get myself excited for this

I have rounded up my favorite and most affordable* "indoor/outdoor" pieces.

These items are made to handle the elements, but if you ask me

they can double duty inside your house during the colder months.

They are very neutral so you can easily dress them up with the color of the day.

1/2/3/4/5//6/7

Happy Spring!

*(all the items above tally up to less than $950 combined!)

Things

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:31:44 PDT

Hi everyone. I just wanted to pop up a quick post.

I will spare you the snotty details, but I am now going on the 3rd consecutive week

of a kid/kids home sick from school.

Feeling a bit :

bonkers/eye twitchy/trapped in the house/cuckoo

because I am unable to get these babies healthy & on the mend.

I am so behind on work, so anyone who is waiting to hear back from me please bear with. I will be back just as soon as I have everyone healthy. These little guys are my priority right now.

On the bright side, I haven't been able to spend much time on the computer (which has actually been quite refreshing) and I have just been scrolling Instagram from my phone for my design crack.

That rabbit hole led me to discover some great new to me fabrics from Tulu. You likey?

And, I'm sure you've all seen this all over the blogosphere:

Lonny

It drove me to do this:

...splatter up my slipcover that I just made for my bench:

I used watered down black paint

(instead of Rit Dye like I did here)

Since the kids eat at this bench it is sure to get gross. I will be tossing this in the wash often with bleach. I was afraid bleach would lift the dye, and I know from experience & many wrecked clothing items that nothing gets dried paint out.

Hey look, no more studs! We have plastered walls.

I am just waiting out the week for them to cure so we can

get moldings and woodwork up and paint on. Floors still look crappy.

I also got to experience (via Instagram)

how my sister handles being house bound with 2 sick kids & an abscessed tooth...

like a carpenter on crystal meth.

This is what she did last night when she couldn't sleep...

she added wainscoting to her family room:

Here is the "before" from yesterday afternoon:

seriously.

And a few days before that she transformed her brick fireplace ...

into a real legit wood mantle with shelves:

I'm dumbfounded. She needs to come for a visit.

I am going to get her to give a tutorial, she said it was "easy".

How To: Make a Pattern Repeat, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:09:17 PDT

This post started off as a "How to Cut Your Own Stencil" and evolved into a multi- part how to with melt downs and hating on Martha Stewart, so bear with.

Many of you have asked me how I figure out repeats when I am painting a design or making a stencil. A lot of it has been due to luck and a bizarre math gene I inherited from my father, but until recently I never truly "knew" how to make a pattern. I just had my weird ways of figuring it out.

Let me introduce you to the right, easy way to make a repeating pattern.

Lets start with spots. Who doesn't like a good spotted pattern?

I bought this book about a year ago and I highly recommend:

It explains it all, and I just had to share.

So here is what you'll need to do a basic straight match repeat:

If you want a BIG pattern, get BIGGER paper.

Start drawing your design. I am using graph paper because it is easier to line up when making a stencil, but if you are scanning this into a computer, go for a white background.

Continue and leave some space around the edges:

Now fold to find the center and make little crease marks, and add "1, 2, 3 & 4" in pencil to the four quadrants of the paper (I forgot to do this in this step so: 1 in top left, 2 in top right, 3 in bottom left, and 4 in bottom right):

Now cut it in half horizontally. (Use a ruler to make a line if you aren't using graph paper).

Take the bottom half and put it on top. Tape to hold together:

Now continue filling in your pattern in this space. Stay away from the side edges though:

Now cut in half vertically, switch-a-roo & tape together:

(you should have clockwise from top left in this order 4,3,1,2)

Fill her in, leaving space at the top and bottom:

Now untape.

Arrange in the following order clockwise from top left: 2,1,3,4

(you can faintly see the pencil number in the photo below)

You will have a blank space in the center. Finish the design:

That is it!

You can now rearrange it back to the layout ad scan it into a computer, trace it or do what you'd like with it.

In my case I was making a stencil, and I didn't wan't to cut all those half circles on the edges, so here is how I dealt with it.

I cut around the edges of the circles along the bottom keeping them whole. I then taped them directly to the top where they matched up.

I then did the same thing to the right side:

and taped them to the left side:

The result was a complete pattern with no broken "dots":

I didn't have any clear mylar on hand so I had to use what I found at the big chain "Arts & Crafts" store. I will refrain from cursing Martha & her crappy blue stencil blanks, but screw it... I suffered through misery with her shit... it was terrible, do NOT recommend. It was so tight curled that it was impossible to lay flat and even with tape it kept popping up.
Note: Always buy FLAT CLEAR stencil mylar.

This part will be brief since I have to get better mylar to finish this.

Trace your pattern:

Hey did I mention the stencil blank was BLUE? How the heck am I suppose to trace through this?????

It was like driving in the fog after a few cocktails.

Yeah it is a pretty color, but function over aesthetics please. Come on Martha, fix this please!

At this point I am just annoyed, pissy and hating.

I broke out my heated stencil cutter and a piece of glass to cut on, and had at it until the curling plastic decided to pop up and curl...

After cutting about 1/5th of it I decided to do a test run:

The plastic buckled right when I went to apply paint and it smudged.

At this point I am DONE, my nerves are shot and Martha's crap is going back to Michael's.

I am going to be painting this big white slipcover, so there is NO WAY

I can use that stuff and not commit crimes:

So, I will be back with better stuff and "How to for Drop Repeats" next.

Peace out and a big glass of wine x3.

I'm propagating boxwood y'all!

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:22:51 PDT

This is by far the easiest, most awesome gardening trick I have ever come upon

(thanks to my Mom and her storehouse of trivial facts and big time Pinterest addiction).

The other day I was complaining about the snow and how it destroyed my boxwoods.

These have been growing for about 2 years,

and the blizzard crushed them and snapped off half their branches:

She tells me about this blog, A Garden for the House, and how the guy used boxwood cuttings to grow this amazing garden:

He just took cuttings and stuck them right in the ground.

My mind was blown.

I immediately posted it over on the GST facebook page

(what I do when I am feeling too lazy to blog), and then we got hit with another foot of snow.

I checked the boxwood carnage and decided to take all the broken branches and try this idea out.

They had been buried under snow and were still "alive", but you can just trim any boxwood shrub.

You will need damp fertile soil for this, and if it is warm enough where you live you can just stick these right into the ground. I have a few more weeks of winter here, so I am starting these inside.

Trim the cuttings to 5-6" and clean the leaves off the bottoms:

Take a group of about 6 cuttings and just stick them right into the dirt, packing them firmly.

Keep them watered and they should take root. Crazy easy, right?

I just made a dozen boxwoods!

I feel like a gardening god or something.

If I can keep them alive I just saved about $100, and I am closer to my dream of this:

I will keep you posted on them.

Anyone try this before?

Details

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 16:59:39 PST

The sky might be spitting slush and my entire house is infected with strep throat,

but I couldn't be happier.

This shit happened today, from a crappy little sketch I drew...(just ignore the unpainted shingles).

team Ryan-Brent-Carmon you rock

The name of the my game was called:

"Detract from the Pizza Hut roofline and draw attention to the round window and break up the long ass run of house with a shape that kind of looks like an outdoor fireplace"

I am thinking its working. No? Is it just the penicillin fog I 'm in? Does it look weird? You can tell me.

Exterior bead-board going next to the front door to tie it all together.

and to sustain my giddiness we passed inspections today and plaster happens this weekend.

walls. fresh new walls.

back with a real post about how not to screw up a stencil once I can form big sentences again.

peace and antibiotics!

HOW TO: Faux "Burled" Wood

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 12:06:01 PST

So here is the dresser I spoke of yesterday that was

my guinea pig for turning into a burled wood dresser.

Note to anyone about to try this:

Start small first. Jewelry box, side table... not a dresser...

and practice first too.

before:

after:

You will need to paint the piece a warm golden-orange in a satin finish.

Benjamin Moore "Amber Waves 2159-40" is a good start, but basically if you were looking at a sample of real burled wood its the lightest tone in the wood you are trying to match.

The materials you will need to do this are:

-an assortment of brushes (a few small fine artist brushes, round stiff stencil brush for the knots, a good softening brush, 2-3" flat brush for applying glaze, inexpensive chip brushes, stippling brush)

-a good latex glaze (I used Liquitex, but I do not recommend.

It dried way to fast and needed an extender.)

-Arcrylic artist paint in Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Black

-Oil Based wood stain in Mahogany and English Chestnut or Cherry

-sea sponges torn in small pieces

-a wide toothed comb

-clean rags

-dishes or palate to mix paint

In reality, pieces of burled wood rarely measure larger than 12" x 24", so keep that in mind if you have a large area to cover. You might want to tape out sections to mimic a veneer or inlay.

I only burled the drawer fronts of this dresser and used a very simple faux wood finish for the rest.

Step 1:

Mix a glaze of 3 parts glaze with 1 part Burnt Umber and 1 part Burnt Sienna. You may need to adjust this depending on how strong the pigments are in your paint, and add an extender if the glaze is drying too fast. Paint the surface with a coat of glaze.

Step 2:

Working quickly, take a stencil brush and dab Burnt Umber for the burls across the surface.

Step 3:

Stipple the surface by dabbing with a stiff brush...

Step 4:

Using a damp sea sponge dab randomly over the surface and then using a softening brush feather out the surface. (sorry my glaze was drying too fast and I don't have a picture of this step)

Its going to look pretty crappy, but it will get better soon:

Step 5:

Now take the stencil brush and dip it into some more Burnt Umber.

Using the faint shadows of your last dots reapply more "knots or burls", this time giving your brush a little swirl as you apply, use a smaller brush to vary the burl sizes...

It should be starting to look more like this...

Step 6:

Take a thin small artist brush and dip it in a mixture of black and burnt umber paint.

Add small dots to the existing larger dots.

Outline the edges of some:

let dry

Step 7:

Now to add "grain".

Take a flat brush and dip it into the initial glaze you used in Step 1.

Using a wide toothed comb brush through it so that the brush becomes separated:

Very lightly drag the brush over the surface.

Wiggle it to create a grain texture.

Keep repeating until the surface is covered... let dry

You can stop here, but I wanted to darken my piece up more and add more depth.

I mixed 1 part Mahogany stain and 1 part English Chestnut stain:

Using an inexpensive chip brush I brushed the stain over the entire piece:

I then took a rag and blotted it off. I feathered out the entire surface with my softening brush.

You are basically done. I stippled some more stain to areas I felt were too light and around the burls, then feathered out....

done.

As for the sides and top, I brushed on the latex glaze, sponged off, feathered and let dry.

I then brushed on the stain, used a crumpled rag to blot off and then feathered. Its a pretty generic faux grain and it doesn't distract from the focal point which are the drawers.

Here is the finished piece. It is still wet here, but once it dries I will be coating it with clear satin polyurethane.

There are MANY types of burled woods, and last night when I was painting this piece I started with a more oval shaped burl look. If you follow me on Instagram (@danikaherrick) you might have seen this:

It looked a bit more like tortoise shell actually. I had to stop before I finished my last drawer because one of my boys became ill. In the morning light I realized I was too heavy handed in many areas due to poor lighting and it felt really "painted":

When I went to finish it I had lost my rhythm and the bottom drawer came out with circles instead of ovals and the color was off too.

I wound up messing up the upper drawers in an attempt to blend it all so I had to redo them.

Boo. Sucked.

Lesson: Try to have good light when doing this, and try to do it all in the same time period

so they feel "together".

I am happier with the new upper drawers though, they feel more like wood...

I have added hardware, and it is waiting to go into the boy's room.

I think the boys are getting the brass lantern I found too:

I will try to get a how to video of this for you to make it easier.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

good wood

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:12:30 PST

I am the first to admit I over-paint things.

Sometimes you just need to leave well enough alone.

Lately I have been loving a space that has a beautiful wood piece in it,

and especially drawn to burled pieces.

They ground the space, add a classic feel and add warmth.

You can also have a ton of whimsy or color going on

and it tones it all down like a cop at a house party.

little blue deer

Lonny

Ruthie Somers

Little Green Notebook

Miles Redd

Today I am undertaking a paint "reversal" of sorts.

I have this dresser that actually mine when I was a kid. I painted it gray a while ago, and underneath its oak-not that exciting. I like the lines and plan on using it in my boys room...

I have no plans of stripping it, instead I am going to faux grain it to look more like this:

I hope to have the tutorial for you by tomorrow or Wednesday,

and in reality I probably should have started with something like a Parson's table... but here goes.

If there are any other finishes you would like me to do tutorials on, just shout it out.

I have a bunch up my sleeve from my decorative painting years.

A Definite Overshare

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 06:48:39 PST

I contemplated posting this, but it is just too damn funny

and I thought you all might need a laugh this weekend.

I opened my Kindergartener's backpack this week and inside his folder was plastic bag.

I opened it and was shocked to find a pair of my black lace underpants.

I was like ??????? / totally embarrassed.

So I asked Joe why my underpants were in his folder.

He tells me he found them in the leg of his pants.

OK, they must have gotten stuck in the wash...

but I'm still thinking "oh shit, really? how many people saw them.."

Then I read the enclosed note:

and I realize the whole class saw them, but it gets even better because the sub... a MAN...

had to deal with the whole thing.

Thank god I have a twisted sense of humor,

because I have not stopped laughing when I think about the entire scenario.

It made me remember a friend of mine's story about a similar thing happening to her teenage son- except in her case they were stuck to his butt of his pants and were a hot pink G-string.

At least these were one of my nicer pairs, and thankfully they were black.

Could have been a ratty pair of granny panties.

I'm sure the teacher's room had a good laugh that day!

Has anyone else had this happen?

how to kill a creative slump (with zebras)

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:20:08 PST

For me its simple.

I need to paint something...

I have to drag myself to a can of paint and make myself paint something.

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by my squirrel brain & I get creative paralysis and wind up doing nothing. I find that this makes me very cranky- just ask those near to me.

This week amidst a super chaotic reno environment I forced myself to draw and design the High Fiving Zebras I've had locked up in my head.

AND make a stencil and start painting them in my office.

The current view from my desk:

I have been struggling with my office.

Remember where we last left off?...

So a while ago I was planning how I was going to redesign my kid's room & I was contemplating Scalamandre's Zebra awesomness for them.

They hated it, but liked the arrows shooting the zebras- what do they know at 5 & 7?

I decided I wanted it in my office,

so I decided to reinvent it for me.

This included high fives and donkey kicks.

Why?

Because it makes me very happy to look at a high fiving zebra. Seriously, it does.

I currently have 12 painted, and like 60 more to go.

But it has been very therapeutic and it is making me come up with more ideas for other spaces (not zebras of course), which is good.

The mess of my office from outside my new window:

Speaking of new windows...

They are all in!

Check the before and afters I have currently.

First the sunroom (aka: the hot as balls/or freeze your proverbial nuts off room) is no longer with us.

Here is the before

(you can use the chimney for a reference point):

And After:

I can't wait to add new raised beds and a pea stone patio in it's old place.

I am so OK with losing square footage for this. Looks so much cleaner now.

And then there is the front of the house. We replaced all the old leaky crank outs with double hungs in an attempt to make it feel more coastal cottagey.

Before:

After, as of this morning. Still needs to be shingled and trimmed out, & I am so happy with it.

The best improvement was finally losing the 12' long fishbowl window in the front.

You can see how close to the road our house is, and its a pretty active neighborhood, so I always felt like we were on display.

Now we have more privacy on the inside... oh, and recessed lights- so much brighter now at night!

see what I was talking about?

it was like "howdy neighbor, wanna watch TV with us or see my kids pick their nose?..."

before:

Next step is framing/electrical inspections and then we can board and plaster it all up

and get to the fun part. Painting and decorating.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

If you need me I will be high fiving some zebras.

School Vacation Week

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:05:04 PST

Hey all! I am back from a little spontaneous vacation with the family. We kind of do everything spontaneously around these parts. The kids had off this past week, so we headed south to Florida's Gulf Coast (same place we always go) to soak up a little sun and palm trees and thaw out.

We hung out with some friends we have down there,

went fishing...

My youngest was so mad that none of his fish were big enough to keep,

that he tossed the fish his brother had caught overboard when no one was watching.

We got back to the docks and found an empty cooler, and had no idea what happened to the fish.

He later confessed, but OMG I am not looking forward to the rivalry between these two!

Joe was also very excited to find a coconut.

Kept asking me to buy him a ladder all vacation so he could pick some.

Lost interest in them once he realized how hard they were to open.

We also did some water slides, and I even went down the big scary one.

I convinced myself I was getting old & chicken and needed to hit my reset button.

Scary water slides are a great reset button by the way. Feel much younger now.

My husband even jumped on board and did it.

...and we got a Christmas card worthy family shot at the beach.

It was a great week & went way too fast!

So, beside chillin' with my homeboys, I also found some new design love

while reading mags at the airport.

Love everything about this one by Nam Dang-Mitchell, especially the details on the island:

and these two feel relaxed, more realistic for my life and just about perfect:

(scanner not working, excuse the pics)

via House & Home

I also discovered Tiffany Pratt and all her super cool awesomeness.

She is a highly creative artist & stylist, founder of Glitter Pie, and has great hair.

Super inspiring, my kind of girl.

Check her out.

and I started reading this book:

...a little slow on the draw, being its been on the Best Seller List for 100 weeks now.

Hey, I don't get that much time for reading in my life.

I will keep you posted, only on chapter 3- but it all makes sense.

I have been on a "revamping my life mission" for a while now, wanting to refocus my priorities.

I am in the midst of a 30-something balancing act crisis.

My kids and family have gotten neglected these past 2 years as I have been more business focused,

so I have been making big changes to fix that. I won't wax too deeply here, but I have felt something was missing- I always felt that I didn't have any time... always busy, busy. I needed to make changes. Things I thought were important at first were really so not,

and time is all we have so I am trying to make the most of it. My kids are only going to be little for a short time, and I have to be here, present, now. am I making any sense?

Also my creativity has been in a slump for a while, so I am working on that- along with my neglected saddlebags. Project Danika underway, should be interesting.

Thanks for the mini vent.

I hope you all are having a great weekend!

xo Danika

home-work

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:36:23 PST

My head is about ready to pop! I really don't enjoy making decisions for myself when it comes to design, and suddenly I am bombarded with questions from electricians, contractors and my husband as to what goes where. I have been so busy the past few weeks, that I haven't been able to give it my focus, so I am just making snap decisions and hoping I am right. This is definitely one of the downsides to just jumping into a renovation without a real plan. Truly "intuitive decorating".

One thing that I am contemplating is the area in front of our fireplace. It is tight, (9' x 12') with doors or passageways on every side, so I am thinking maybe making it a cozy study area. I would love to stick a desk out there and be able to work "outside" my office when I feel like it, and feeling more connected to everyone else. I can always go hide in my regular office when things get loud or crazy.

The light is also so nice out there.

so here is a lil' montage of cozy work/study areas I am dreaming about

these two aren't so little:

I also wanted to show you guys the miracle/updates that happened during BLIZZARD week/weekend!

It was a long crazy weekend, book-ended by two days off from school, so the kids though it pretty much rocked. Have to agree with them. The only time I appreciate the word "hunkering" is when it refers to parking myself next to a fireplace in a snowstorm with lots of supplies (magazines and wine).

This is what went down:

First off, the window miracle.

My house underwent a bit of cosmetic surgery and successfully received some new "enhancements".

This happened less than 24 hours hours before the blizzard...

it was cut wide open in 20 degree weather. my house was all "brrrrrr" and I was all "what happens if you guys can't get the windows in?"

But they were superstars and finished by 7 pm.

After...

(seriously, there is nothing like an impending blizzard to get shit done)

So, the area I am thinking for my desk is in front of the french doors.

What do you think?

Oh, and here was the before...

house of big sliders

The rest of the house will be getting new windows in a few days,

so I will be wearing long underwear and ear muffs.

Things that get my husband real excited... this window...

he unwrapped it, caressed it and I think he might have named it too.

It is sitting in our living room, and I pray the kid's don't break it.

Besides that nonsense, blizzard fun was had.

We sledded outdoors...

and indoors,

we can call this one schlizzard fun ...

My sister and I taught our kid's how to floor slide on blankets at my parent's house.

Bourbon Old Fashioneds were involved,

and my sister and I might need knee replacements sooner than we hoped.

Good times, and no one was injured that bad.

Weekend Update from Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Danika Herrick) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:17:09 PST

We've succumbed to the plague- think its the mother of head colds, not the flu- so I have been laying low in bed. So far I watched Groundhog Day way more than once, and finally got a chance to watch Downton Abbey and bawl my brains out.

(So not good with a head cold, kind of feels like I could suffocate.)

I've also read all my online mags & I picked up new bad habits on my iPad.

like this app:

drawing, sketching virtually, happiness

and of course this one:

right now it is mostly just my kids doing goofy stuff (they REALLY like Vine),

but I hope to start using it for before and afters & how to's...

On other fronts, we have new patterns at O'verlays and a new website that will be launching soon.

The current one is impossible to navigate with all the patterns/sizes, and we realized we started this company not expecting it to grow so quickly and with no knowledge of websites (just a blog)- so thank you for your patience while we have been mucking through it.

This is the new Bubbles design.

Over on the blog, we are showing her off and doing a "How to Mirror your Malm" tutorial.

Very easy.

(and we finally released the thick Greek Key Brackets, check em out on the Lack table in the background or on Sanity Fair's Vittsjo etagere.)

And one last nugget for the "Pickers" out there planning to be in the Portsmouth area.

Last weekend my husband and I did a "date day". We hit up a couple of salvage yards and found a great little gem of a store that specializes in vintage lighting.

First the lighting.

You must go here:

Knew it would be good by the sign outside the door...

And when I walked in there truly were no words, I just had to remember to breathe.

Overhead was more vintage lighting than I have ever seen in one room.

It was like Ebay and Craigslist in person...

(sadly what heaven would look like for me, but with out price tags of course)

worth the trip for the "after-life" sensation alone.

Now lets talk salvage yards...

Right next door to the above lighting utopia in Exeter, NH is this place:

Architectural Salvage Inc.

its a bit of a dig through and it was VERY cold inside, so bundle up, but the shop owner was really nice and helpful.

I scored this brass lantern, which I plan to use in the remodel somewhere...

The next salvage shop is not to far away in South Hampton, NH.

Nor'East Architectural Salvage

This place was more organized and better laid out.

It had tons of lighting, old built ins and knobs & bits:

how cool would this piece be in a (big) kitchen?

They also make reclaimed wood tables...

and here is the #1 contender for our laundry room door:

and they have a barn and a yard filled with more:

There is also a good salvage yard in Portland, ME we keep meaning to get to...

next date day.

See you on the flip side of tissues and NyQuil soon!