sarah m. dorsey designs

2013-05-17T06:23:00.001-07:00

Short post today, this week has been busy! I should be back to normal next week :)

For now, here is a pic coming back from our drive up the coast last weekend. (yes, it does have to do with our next project!)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How to Build Custom Shelving for Only $35!

2013-05-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Want to know how we built this shelving unit for $35? Read on to see!

First a little background info and why we decided to build instead of buy and why we selected the materials that we did ...

We decided on an open shelving unit for between the office and living room because a. we needed more storage b. we wanted it to feel open, but still have something to divide the spaces

We decided to make our own instead of purchasing Ikea's Vittsjo, because a. the Vittsjo wasn't quite long enough and two was too long b. we are 4 hours from Ikea ... c. it was cheaper by about half

Pretty convincing, huh? :)

We opted for MDF shelves instead of using 1x12s because we needed it to be about 14" wide to fit our baskets (on bottom shelf) and it ended up saving SO much money! We got two large sheets of MDF at Habitat Restore for only $7! (they aren't always there, but hopefully yours will have some too!) One 1x12x6 starts at about $12 and goes up depending on quality. So we were able to save about $53 on the shelves and get them the width that we wanted!

We then purchased 2x2x8 (x6) redwood pieces from Ace Hardware for about $4.50 each for the other wood. We could of saved even more money and went with pine, but we wanted it to be a little stronger and they were more finished, which required less sanding! ALWAYS a plus!

Ok, now here's how we did it:

The overall height was 5'3" and width was 14.5". The drawing and photos don't really show it, but for the center rods we cut a 2x2 in half with a table saw, this allowed us to save on wood and less wood = sleeker appearance (which we were going for).

For the two end ladders, the 2x2s (cut in half) were placed on the edge and the center ladder had them centered.

While building the ladders, it was helpful to have one person hold the pieces in place, while the other attached them.

Next we moved onto the shelves. We had them cut to 14.5"wide at Ace Hardware (before we got the table saw) when we picked up the 2x2s. We then measured where the 6 notches went (on the ends and centered)

Annabelle visited ... this is how she tells us that she is bored and wants back inside :) Inside she went, and David cut the notches with the jigsaw.

He tested to see if the 2x2 would easily fit inside and then cut off a little more if needed. Since the shelves are pretty tight to get in there (more on that later) we wanted the cuts to be slightly big so that they would fit.

Now we started assembling. We predrilled holes in the center of the ladder pieces for the shelves to attach to. (This would of been easier before the ladders were assembled). Balancing the three ladders (you need at least two people :) we carefully slide the shelves in at an angle and placed them and then attached them with screws. We did have to cut a few of the notches slightly bigger at this point so that the shelf would fit.

and then we added braces at the bottom for extra support and to ensure that it is straight. We used a thin piece of poplar hobby board.

We actually painted the pieces separately prior to assembling since we had to install in place (our stairs are too narrow for it to fit). So paint prior to assembling or after, whichever work best for you! I used Zinsser cover stain oil based primer because it bonds to shiny surfaces like laminate (works great!) and a custom mixed light minty blue for the top coat.

and that was it!

Total Cost:

MDF sheets $7 (Habitat Restore)

2x2x8 Redwood $4.50 x6 (Ace Hardware)

Paint (already owned)

Primer $8

Total Cost for wood $34

plus primer = $42

I still can't believe that we got all of the wood for about $35!! Make sure to keep your eye's peeled at Habitat Restore or other similar stores to cheap building supplies, it can save SO much money!

Barbeque Chicken Pizza on the Grill

2013-05-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I would share a new favorite time saving recipe. After all, less time cooking = more time for projects ... ok not just for projects, but sometimes :) And I do really like cooking, but shortcuts can be great too!

We started using our grill more and I love it! Friday we decided to try making pizza on it and it turned out AMAZING, I just had to share!

We started with Trader Joes fresh pizza dough. You just take it out of the bag and let it rest for about 20 minutes and then it is ready to go! I love this stuff, you get the taste of fresh bread without any work! Of course making it from scratch is the best, but this is a great time saver!

Friday we made barbeque chicken pizza, yum! Here's how we did it.

We cooked a few chicken tenderloins on the grill first and put them aside (chopped and mixed in a little barbeque sauce). On the stove we sauteed some onion and finished them off by reducing a little balsamic vinegar.

We spread the dough out, sprayed it with cooking spray, put it on the grill and let it cook for about a minute or two (sprayed the other side with cooking spray) and flipped when it had light grill marks.

We put a little barbeque sauce on the crust a few pieces of cheese (grate if you would like it more even), we added the chicken, and cooked onion, closed the grill and let it cook for a few minutes, checking the bottom to make sure that it didn't get too dark. It cooked SO fast!

Once it was done we put a little chopped cilantro! This pizza has so much flavor that it doesn't need a lot of cheese which is a nice calorie saving alternative!

Last night we made pretzels with TJ fresh dough, (boiled them in baking soda water for about a minute first) and finished cooking them on the grill. I make these in the oven often and didn't think that they tasted that different, but nice if if you already have the grill out!

--

and in project news, we added the supports last night for the shelving and it is a lot studier and straight! Tutorial tomorrow :)

Custom Shelving for only $35!!

2013-05-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend we "finished" our new shelving unit! We decided to go with a custom mixed light minty blue. I really enjoyed seeing the poll and reading all of your comments. It helped me sort out the pros and cons of each color and what would work best in the space! Coral was also popular, but since it is tall and in the middle of the room, I wanted something that would blend in a little more. But maybe coral for the round table that will go next to it...

It's a little unsteady and leans a little so we still need to add supports on the bottom to make it more secure (don't worry we cleared everything off for now, to let the paint cure and to not put any more weight on it till we add the supports :).

I'll give a full tutorial a little later this week once we finish the supports, but for now, enjoy a few pictures!

We wanted something that you could see straight through to make it feel a little lighter. Annabelle in her favorite sleeping spot (as usual :)

We left most of our books on the east coast before we moved to CA, so we don't have too many here. Mostly baskets and boxes to hold office supplies and other miscellaneous things that need a home. So that there won't be too much color to compete with the color already in the room ...

and my favorite part!? It only cost about $35 for all of the wood! We were able to save by cutting down large sheets of MDF from Habitat Restore. All of the shelves only cost $7!!

I'll be back soon with details on how we made it!

This weekend we started working on a new project, if you're following on instagram or facebook you may have seen a little preview.

Through facebook and instagram about 23 said A and 78 said B. I really don't think that we could've went wrong, they are both great! I was leaning towards B, the vote said B, and B it is actually easier ... so B it is! Stay tuned to see what we are making! Sorry to tease ... I want to get a little further before we fill you in!

4 years

2013-05-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

We're taking a break from our normal project posts to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary! Time has flown by, it's hard to believe that we've been married for 4 years!

We've been together for over 10 years, and I feel so blessed that we found each other so early in life.

So we're taking the day to celebrate! I hope you have a great weekend! :)

Home Tour at It's Overflowing + Project Update

2013-05-09T07:29:00.002-07:00

Today our home is being featured on It's Overflowing, make sure to stop by and take a look! It's almost like a brand new home tour since SO much has changed recently!

Make sure to browse Aimee's amazing site too! The decor and project sections have endless inspiration!!

--

and a project update. Two of our five shelves had laminate (we used two sheets of mismatched MDF but the same thickness from Habitat Restore). Well that laminate was unsandable, and when I put my regular primer on it flaked off too easily when dry. My original plan was to put a coat of poly ontop of the paint for added durability, but I ultimately decided to do it right and start with a better primer.

So I sanded off the primer from the two laminate shelves, followed Kate's advice and used Zinsser Cover Stain Oil based primer. It is designed to stick to glossy surfaces without sanding, and after two coats, it looks great!

I'm a little behind, but I think it'll be worth it!

A BIG thank you to everyone who voted on their favorite paint color for the shelving! The poll on the sidebar didn't collect the votes properly (like it said 50 votes and then went down to 10). I won't be using that one again! So I don't have a 100% accurate count, but I'm going off of your comments and what I saw in the poll throughout the day. Check out my instragram today to see what I decide!

Color Options - I want your opinion!

2013-05-07T07:19:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I primed the shelving unit that we built over the weekend. I took it apart since we'll be assembling it upstairs (it's too big to make it around the tight corners of our stairs). Taking it a part by myself was ... lets say interesting. Luckily I'm ok and the shelving unit is ok and we didn't have any major accidents! But now it is all primed and ready for paint!

To save money (and since I have a lot of left over paint) I'll be using paint that I already have on hand.

In addition to the photo above, we also have the statement pendant (sw rivulet) and the turquoise ottoman in the room.

So what's your vote? Cast it in the comments or the poll in the right side bar!

Our Next project + Weekend in Review

2013-05-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi! I hope that you had a great weekend! David's parent's were visiting from the east coast, so we had fun exploring the area (and of course we fit in a little project time too!)

Saturday we went to Santa Barbara. It was such a hot and pretty day! We toured the mission, love the contrast against the mountains in the background! State St. is always one of my favorite stops.

Anthropologie and Paper Source always have fun things to look at. I made it out with just this napkin from Anthro, isn't it great? :)

We had dinner out on the pier. I love the glass bottom tables there. There are seals nearby, but we didn't see any swimming below. But, just looking at the water is pretty!

Finally, we decided that we would build a shelving unit similar to the Ikea Vittsjo for next to the sofa in the living room. $70 is definitely reasonable for the unit; however, taking into account that one wasn't quite long enough and needing to sell it at the end of the summer (we'll be selling lots of furniture when we move then) and not getting our money back, building made more sense. Our building supplies were super low, about $35! We still need to paint, but I like it so far!

Paint is up next! Check back for updates.

Get the Look

2013-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

For today's get the look, I'm using one of my recent favorite bedroom pins. I'm typically not a huge fan of purple in adult spaces because it can look youthful easily. However, this room by Gary Riggs Home works because the purple is the perfect shade and mixed with bold yellows and patterns and an eclectic mix of furniture/accessories are perfection! I want move right in!

I've put together a list of how to get a similar look (either exact or close to sources) of the furniture and accessories in this space. See below the images for the sources!

kravet prospect shadow | world market origami pillow | target fieldcrest silk allure quilt | west elm chevron duvet

1. | 2. + 2. | 3. | 4. | 5.

I think that my next bed must include an upholstered frame. I love how tailored it looks! The rug is beyond amazing too! I'm crazy about the subtle pattern and sheen.

What about you? Are you ready to move in too? :)

--

I'll be back soon with project updates!!

Giveaway Winner!

2013-05-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Lisa M. for winning the Zimba inspired stencil! Thanks so much to all who entered!

I'm still working on compiling the PDF for the stencil print out for anyone who would like to make the stencil themselves, but I should have that done shortly :)

Congrats again Lisa, you'll have an email waiting for you in your inbox!

Weekend in Photos

2013-04-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was filled with sun and sawdust :) If you follow me on instagram, you might of seen a few of these.

Sun because it was super pretty out! We spent some time at the beach, playing fetch with Annabelle and relaxing/reading. She loves fetch but not getting in the water ... sometimes we'll throw the ball out a little too far and then carry her out there (it helps keep her cool, so I guess it's ok). Like I said yesterday, she rolled in bird poop, so she did have one mandatory swim. (and a bath at home of course :)

And sawdust because we found two massive sheets of MDF at Habitat Restore for $7 (updates on what we're working on soon!)

We couldn't borrow a truck (I miss having one!) so the helpful people at Habitat Restore helped us rough cut it so it would fit in the car!

Sunday we found a table saw at a garage sale for $15. Score! The base was broken, so David patched it with some glue and wood, now it's solid as a rock. We're moving this summer, we can give it away or sell it, no big deal.

We had breakfast at one of our favorite places. Annabelle loves it too, I'll give you one guess why :)

David and Annabelle had a serious conversation on the sofa. Probably about not rolling in bird poop :)

And as you saw yesterday, I worked on adding trim the coral sham!

We have two exciting projects planned involving the table saw, so I'm excited to share details as we have them! Stay tuned.

The Easy Way to Apply Greek Key Trim

2013-04-29T09:08:00.001-07:00

I adore Caitlin Wilson's pillows! They are all perfection! Here is my version of the Coral Deco Pillow.

My twill tape arrived in the mail Saturday (all 72 yards of it! The best thing I could find at the time ...) It sounds plasticy, but it's actually cotton so it adheres well.

That evening I got straight to work! After finishing my last greek key project, I realized that there must be some way to fold the tape so you can do it consistently, without cutting each piece individually. At first I thought it would just give weird edges, but by folding it twice for one corner you are able to get square edges and 45 angles for the folds. Sometimes you don't get everything on the first (or second) try! :)

Here's how I did it for my 20"x20" pillow sham. First I made a sham using this method. I ironed it flat and laid out a painters tape guide line as shown in the diagram below (left image).

I created a border around the pillow using painters tape. I inset it a little and it ended up at about 1" from the edge of the sham. The keys were 3.5"x3.5", and I made the inner painter's tape 1.25" thick (the distance of two of my 5/8" twill tape).

You can start anywhere, but you want to start the ribbon with a straight edge (slightly inset from where the tape will join it at the end, so that it gets covered) and then head either counter clockwise or clockwise. I found counter clockwise to be easiest for me.

Below I created a few picture diagrams to show you exactly how I did the fold. The directions pick up after you have laid down the first straight part and you need to make the first corner.

1. The ribbon will be perpendicular to the direction that you want to go.

2. Fold the ribbon straight back on itself. I also pressed with an iron at this point so it would be creased, but it's not necessary.

3. I put a little permanent adhesive for fabrics at the crease to help hold it down.

4. Then I folded the piece back over on itself (like step 2) and then folded it up at a 45 angle. I played with it till it was straight (once you do a few you get the hang of it!)

5. I ripped of the corner of my no sew adhesive (I like heat n' bond) to make a 45 degree angle.

6. I placed the no sew adhesive along the track and ripped it at the end.

7. Then I ironed till it was secure. You want to make sure that you don't iron too long because the adhesive will melt away, check after a few seconds, you want the adhesive to be melted, but still tacky, place it down and it will fully adhere once it dries. I'd also recommend placing a piece of plain white paper underneath the iron (no print otherwise it ends up on your fabric or iron) to help protect the fabric. **note: before applying your no sew adhesive, make sure to test it on a scrap piece of ribbon and fabric to make sure that it doesn't show through.

To finish, where the ribbon meets the end, cut it straight across and fold at a 45 degree angle and adhere with no sew adhesive.

I also went back and stuck a little no sew adhesive under the corners that were loose and secured with the iron.

I love how it brings in white, since all of the other pillows have white in them, it makes them more cohesive.

Meanwhile, this was going on at the other end...

How can you say no to that face? :) Except when she rolls in bird poo at the beach (yep happened this weekend and yes she did go for a mandatory swim which she hates!)

It took about 30 minutes to layout the tape, but a lot of that was figuring about how to do it, so now it would probably take about 15 minutes. and about 1 hour to apply the twill tape.

So total time spent ~ 1.25 - 1.5 hours

Total cost:

Heat n' Bond now sew adhesive $2 (joanns or walmart)

Twill Tape: $10 but I only used about 3.5-4 yards, so about $2

If anyone needs white 5/8" twill tape, let me know, I have plenty. ha! .50/yard and probably $1 shipping (unless you need a lot).

So is this easier? Do yo think it's worth the time?

By the way, anyone notice that my nails are painted? I hardly ever paint my nails, but found a product recommendation at A. Liz Adventures to make it last forever!! Check out April's second tip here. Now I'll be painting them more often! Thanks April!

My go to project + lounge wear

2013-04-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last week when I shared some of behind the scenes moments during Creating with the Stars, I forgot to mention the most important part ... what I wore! Ok, not really the most important part, but I appreciate when I hear about what people like, so hopefully you do too!

* This isn't a sponsored post, I just like sharing a few of my tried and true favorites! :)

My all time favorite t-shirt is this one. It is cut just right so it isn't too baggy or tight, and the material is soft and thin. Oh and it's pretty long, I hate shorter shirts that you have to constantly pull down. If you don't own one, you must try it!

For the bottom, my all time favorite legging, Marika's Balance collection. If you don't own this legging, you MUST go get a pair. They are SUPER comfortable and the quality is great. I know what you're thinking ... how can a legging be more comfortable, trust me ... you just have to try it. I purchase mine from TJ Maxx/Marshalls for about $15. They are definitely my go to lounge/project wear!

So what's your favorite lounge or project wear? Do you own either of my favorites?

--

If haven't already, make sure to enter for a chance to win my Schumacher Zimba inspired stencil!

then and now

2013-04-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I shared a few changes in the living room after cwts, and today I thought I'd share how the bedrooms have changed. I'll be needing to update our home tour page soon, because a lot has changed!

We switched up the charcoal upholstered headboard with a bright coral upholstered headboard. I'm loving the bright pop of color! We also added a grasscloth and nailhead feature wall behind the bed.

To the left of the bed we switched up the draperies and added the mint fabric on the chair. The desk was in the guest room for a few months, so I really need a second "then" shot, but imagine the fabric wrapped table there too (I never really got a good picture).

We decided to move the charcoal headboard into the guest room (we'll be selling the teal headboard). I put the room together with mostly things I already had, and will probably do a little more tweaking, but at least now we can see the bed (this was the dumping ground for cwts) and David's parents who are coming next week, won't have to crawl through to find the bed :)

One of our former nightstands is in the guest room across from the bed and next to the closet. The other one is in my closet. I also reorganized my tiny closet, which is packed full!!

We are still changing a few things and I'll be sure to share pics when I have them :)

Humpday Giveaway | DIY Schumacher Zimba inspired stencil

2013-04-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

Want to make your own DIY Schumacher Zimba inspired drapery panels?? Well here's your chance! I'm finished the draperies in the living room + office, so I'll be giving it away to one of my readers!

I'm also working on creating a PDF of 8.5x11 sheets with the shapes and numbers (to tape together) for everyone to download in case you would like to try it! I should have it done by next week when the winner is announced!

The giveaway will be open til next Wednesday. Use the widget below to enter! (I copied the widget from last time and forgot to edit the text for the comment section, instead, where would you use the Zimba inspired stencil?)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! :)

10 minute pillow shams for the Living Room

2013-04-23T14:33:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the late post today, things have been crazy recently!

Last week I shared a few fabrics that I ordered from fabric.com. The coral was a little pinker than I was anticipating, but I loved it and David didn't hate it, so I decided to go with it!

Yesterday I finished making a few new pillow shams for the living room. I decided to try Jenny's 10 minute simple envelope sham and it was the perfect!

fabrics L to R 1. 2. 3. (in blue, no longer on website) 4. 5.

I followed Jenny's instructions and I added a few tips of my own.

1. I measured the width of the existing sham and added .5" on the two long sides for seam allowance. I placed the existing sham on the end of the fabric and folded it over once, I then added about 4-6" for overlap at the end. (a 20"x20" pillow should be about 20"x46")

2. I folded the short end over .5" and ironed, 3. folded over once more to cover all raw edges.

Repeat on other short side.

4. I sewed the two short sides where I created the hem. 5. I then folded the fabric (right side in) I placed the sham to the side and adjusted the fabric until it was the same length and pinned in place.

5. I sewed the two open ends 6. and finally snipped the corners so that they would stick out easily. I then turned it right side out and pushed the corners out. These were so fast to make!

I also added small black pom pom trim the outside of one sham, using this tutorial. Since the tutorial above only sews two sides (the other two don't have seams) you need a front piece and two back pieces so that you can sew the pom pom trim to all four sides.

1. + 2. After cutting the front to size (.5 inch seam allowance on all sides) I sewed the pom pom trim around the outside 3. I cut out the back pieces with 4"-6" overlap and sewed around the outside.

I love how fun and bright they are. Perfect for spring! I still need to add trim to the solid coral sham. I ordered some online (after not finding anything locally) so it should get here in the next few days :)

The pillow on the chartreuse caning chair got a new cover with this fabric.

Annabelle loves her new seat!

You may have noticed that I moved the furniture around ... I plan to move (or sell) the sofa table and replace it with a taller open shelving, like Ikea's Vittsjo

I also love having the TV in the corner so is no longer a focal point. It fits perfectly here!

Almost done! Just a few more things ...

Also on the list:

Tall open shelving

Rug in seating area

New ottoman/coffee table

Stay tuned to see the trim on the solid coral pillow!

Get the Look

2013-04-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi! I hope that you had a great weekend! We didn't get too much done on projects, the weather was SO nice that we spent a good bit of time outside!

While I was browsing my Pinterest boards, I noticed that the fabric from one of my most recent pins looked identical to a few fabrics that I just saw on fabric.com

I'm pretty sure that these are the exact fabrics from the links below. I love the brightness of the room, but the contrast of the black and the bright colors keep it fun! I also love the old painted wood floors mixed with the modern accessories.

billow coral, parquet black, swell orchid, parquet tangerine

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Here are a few items that are similar to the ones in the space. Of course a lot of these items could be DIYed too. I love the idea of making a simple slip cover with contrasting trim for old storage cubes! Adding pom pom trim the the bottom of an upholstered/slipcovered footboard would be a great way to add a little texture!

What about you? Did you get any projects done this weekend? I'm hoping to make up some time and get a few projects done this week!

How to Embellish Simple White Draperies for Less

2013-04-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Way back in January I started talking about replacing the draperies in our room, and yesterday I finally decided and finished! I was originally thinking that a 3" trim on Ikea Lenda drapery panels would be great. However, once I added up the total cost and realized that the trim would be more expensive than the panels itself, I decided to consider another route.

After I finished the DIY Zimba inspired draperies I realized that paint and a border stencil would be the perfect low cost (and time) solution. It only took $3 about and a few hours!! Read on to see how I did it!

I wanted something subtle that would repeat the chevron pattern already in the room.

So I created a 4" stencil in Illustrator and cut it on my Silhouette Cameo. Mixing fabric medium into latex paint, I stenciled along the edge. I then created an inner border using painters tape next to the edge and then a 1/4" away to make a stripe. I kept the paint fairly light so it wouldn't glob up in places.

*Update: I just added this stencil to my Etsy shop!

I applied a small black pom pom trim to the backside of the panel with Fabri-Tac adhesive. It is similar to the consistency of hot glue, but you don't have the risk of burning your fingers (I did that once and I'll never do it again! SO painful) and I would guess much stronger. It's also washable!

I ironed the hem and sewed it, but no sew adhesive would work too. I then created inner tab tops by folding the tabs to the back, sewing along the existing to stitches so it would blend in and then cut off the ends (making sure not to cut the front panel too!) This worked perfectly with my cafe rod!

and that was it! Each panel took about 1 to 1.5 hours to finish.

I missed having my writing desk in the room, so I moved it back! I love using it as a second desk!

I used the rest of the mint polka dot scarf from the euro shams as the cushion cover. I just folded it under, but I plan to upholster it once I pick up some thick white fabric to go underneath. Since I won't be sitting in this chair a lot, the scarf will work ok, but I wouldn't recommend for a heavy use chair.

Isn't lavender the best? I picked a little fresh lavender a few days ago from a nearby bush and adore how it smells great and lasts forever!

I love how draperies can really make a room! They can add drama and interest, like the Zimba draperies or bring the perfect touch of softness and repetition, like these draperies.

I also love the endless possibilities of paint and painters tape or stencils! You can do pretty much whatever you want at a super low cost! These panels took a tiny amount from a sample size and a quart for {4} Zimba panels.

Price Breakdown:

Lenda panels $20

Pom Pom Trim: $3 (6 yards @ .50 with coupon)

Paint, fabric medium and glue (already owned)

Total: $23

Time Breakdown:

About 45 minutes per panel to paint and apply the trim an about 30 minutes to sew the top tabs and hem.

Since I was going to spend more than that on trim, definitely a DIY success!!

and thanks Kate for your tip on bright interiors without blowing out windows!

Click to see how Kate did it!

--

Also, did you know that this is "National Painting Week"?

Stop by to see a few great projects from some amazing bloggers!

Recap and What I'm Working on!

2013-04-18T08:45:00.003-07:00

Here's a little recap of my week so far through Instagram, you can find me @sarahmdorseydesigns if you're interested :)

For the past couple of days I've been reorganizing and cleaning ... the house is still a mess, but I'm slowly getting there! I decided to move a good bit of furniture around by myself the other day (it's a lot easier with 4 hands, but I didn't feel like waiting for David to come home :)

We're planning on moving the coral dresser into our bedroom and the light gray ones into the guest room. I'm still deciding if this is too deep or not ... Yes ideally it would be a little shallower, but when you are renting and have limited closet space, sometimes you need to compromise, right?

You may also remember that the light gray dressers were our nightstands. I'd love to keep the tables that we used from the Creating with the Stars pics, but we need something a little taller and with a little more room for storage. So we will most likely be building something simple :)

Yesterday the fabric that I order arrived! I'm planning to use these as pillows in the living room. The stripe and solid are supposed to be coral, but they are really pink. I still like them ... so we will see :)

Finally, yesterday I started working on this border stencil. I am finally getting to finishing the draperies in our room. After looking for trim, and only finding some (that I liked) that was more expensive than the draperies itself, I opted for paint and a smaller trim. Stay tuned for the finished result!

Our March Madness | behind the scenes

2013-04-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share a few behind the scene moments of Creating with the Stars! A lot went into each of these projects, and while this post doesn't go over all of them, it captures the highlights :)

First of all, coming up with unique and creative ideas four weeks in a row is exhausting (mentally and physically)! But we did it! And I was happy with the end result of all our projects!

Read on to see what happened, and yes, there are a few embarrassing photos spread throughout :) We're all friends, right?

Here we go!

WEEK 1: Upcycle, From Fluorescent Diffuser to Statement Pendant

Week 1 was crazy! After we got over the excitement of getting one of the twelve slots to participate in Creating with the Stars, we started scouring every thrift and antique store within a 30 mile radius for ideas. That week we spent basically every free moment working on our light fixture. Since we built it from scratch, it took FOREVER. Seriously, between browsing stores for ideas and picking up supplies, I probably made about 50 trips (Ok probably more like 20, but it was a lot) I didn't want to step foot in a store for weeks (that lasted about a day since I had to get supplies for next week :).

This was probably one of the most exhausting weeks; however, we did finish with a little time before the deadline. On a more serious note, David and I both cut ourselves fairly seriously. David's was from not using the correct tool to cut the PVC pipe (a lot of our tools are in MD) and I cut myself from fatigue ... while cutting prints with the xacto knife. I won't go into specifics, but I almost fainted on both accounts :)

Yes I was scrunched down while painting the ceiling and yes I did get paint in my hair (what else is new :) There were a lot of late nights, David wasn't amused with my photo taking ...

WEEK 2: Knockoff, Schumacher inspired Zimba draperies, Anthro inspired ottoman and custom cornice.

Three projects, what was I thinking!? I had actually already started on the draperies in charcoal, but thought that light gray would work best with the ottoman so changed my mind at the last minute. This was definitely the most stressful week because we were so rushed to finish at the end. I didn't have time to edit and probably would of changed a few things if I had more time. We got our submission in right at the deadline! Whew, it was stressful!

Lack of sleep caught up with us on week 2. This is Annabelle's favorite way to sleep on the sofa. She will stare and paw at me until I get into this position. David passed out on the floor, clutching one of Annabelle's chew toys (don't be mad David :)

WEEK 3: Paint, custom stencils and secretary desk

It's no secret that I LOVE stencils. For this week I wanted to created a large dramatic wall stencil and a smaller stencil that would work well with furniture. This project was pretty straight forward since I've painted a lot of furniture and stenciled a good bit, but again it was time consuming! I tend to over think things and try too much, but we did finish on time and I loved the end result, so worth it!

It was a lot of painting, refinishing the secretary, stenciling the back, and stencil the feature wall. David's a blur because we was moving things around while I decided where I liked them (standing back to look at the whole thing always works best for me!)

WEEK 4: Home Decor, Grasscloth + Nailhead Feature wall and Custom Upholstered Headboard

By this point, we were both pretty exhausted!

Early that week we drove up the coast to collect driftwood for a project we planned, but didn't get to (hopefully we will a little later!) We single handily kept Starbucks in business that month. David's drink of choice is black Pike Place and I love Refresh hot tea.

There were a few late night runs to Home Depot. Thursday night, my eyes were bothering me, so we went out for eye drops around midnight, everything was closed but we did make it to In n' Out for a snack. Blurred tail = a happy puppy! Free sniffs for her, a cheeseburger for David and a cheeseburger minus the burger for me (I don't like beef).

All that week my eye was bothering me. After thinking that I had sawdust in one, and after many unsuccessful attempts to remove it, I went to the eye doctor on Friday. Turns out it was just bumps inside my eyelids from allergies. (side note: allergies are new to me since we moved to CA, guess I'm allergic to something that isn't on the east coast). The combination of knowing that I didn't have sawdust in my eyes and the eye drops allowed me to kinda forget it and get to work!

We were lucky that our neighbors weren't home because installing the nailhead was really loud! We got a second set of hearing protection so we could both work. Annabelle had been very patient up to this point. After four weeks of limited play, she was crazy for attention. She would come into the bedroom about every ten minutes while we were working and walk around on the feature wall to get a little attention. Don't worry, we've been rewarding her ever since, a long hike up a mountain, hours of fetch at the beach, and taking her with us most places has her pretty tired (she's been sleeping in recently)!

We still have a lot of cleaning and reorganizing to do, but we're getting there!

It was an exhausting (mentally and physically) 4 weeks, but so worth it! I was stretched to think creatively 24/7 and, as a result, just about ever room is going to be updated! Stay tuned to see how our home is changing!

{charcoal} DIY Zimba Draperies in the Office

2013-04-15T07:37:00.001-07:00

You might have seen last week that I decided to paint the light gray DIY Zimba Schumacher draperies charcoal. The plan was to always make them charcoal, but for the knockoff week of Creating with the Stars, I thought light gray would be best. Looking back, I think that the charcoal would of been great, maybe even better than the light gray! Hindsight, right?

I finished two panels (in charcoal) right before Creating with the Stars started and then was left with one set of charcoal and one set of light gray. So I decided to paint the light gray to match the charcoal. I painted 6 panels total, so I was definitely ready to be done! But I'm in love with the look!

The charcoal is great because it adds a punch of contrast! Here are a few pics of the office area. I'll take a few of the living room side soon.

Currently we have one of our almost finished Eames chairs upstairs. The base still needs to be polished some and we are rethinking the sealant on the chair to something that is more shiny. The rug is from Ikea and the Moroccan pouf is from ebay (I love having something to rest my feet on!)

I purchased the orchid for Creating with the Stars, but didn't use it. The scale is perfect for my desk! Trader Joes has the best prices in town!

I love how they turned out! For $20 for two panels and cost of paint this turned out to be a huge cost saver compared to the $100/yard Zimba fabric!

Also, I forgot to mention on my first post, the Ikea Lenda panels come with a tab top, I simply cut them off (cutting as close to the top of the panel as possible :)

To see how I made the stencil and my process see this post

I'll take a few pictures of the living room side and share those shortly!

Hope you all had a great weekend! :)

Bye Google Reader + Alternatives

2013-04-12T10:28:00.002-07:00

Hi! Happy Friday! Since Creating with the Stars took up all of March, we forgot about taxes until last weekend, guess I know what ~~we'll~~ David will be doing. Trust me, I'm better off working on projects, the one year I tried to help, David ended up redoing what I did :)

--

As most of you probably know, Google Reader will be going away July 1st. I know, bummer! After researching a little, Bloglovin' might be a good way to go! Check out this post here, from Bloglovin' on how to import your Google Reader list.

If you are currently following along on Google Reader, Bloglovin' might be a good way to go! Of course there is still Facebook, RSS, Twitter

I've added a Bloglovin' button to my banner, feel free to follow along there!

or you can follow by email (scroll a little further down the right sidebar)

I have lots of projects planned for the weekend, come back next week to see what I get to!!

Hope you have a great weekend!

From Fluorescent Diffuser to Statement Pendant

2013-04-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share with you the full tutorial on the statement pendant that we made for Creating with the Stars! Now that the contest is over, I can share it here too!

Walking through Habitat ReStore I spotted a few egg crate diffusers - you know those grates that cover fluorescent lights in basements across the country. It's the last lighting fixture I would consider for a project, but once I got around my thoughts of drop ceilings, I began thinking how neat it would be to use the grid to create any square geometric shape that I wanted. At $2 each, what could I lose?

Browsing Pinterest I found this amazing light, Lolita - Shine by SHO and fell in love with the arms. It's lines are simple, but make a big impact! Perfect for a statement piece!

Once we decided on the shape, we measured and marked the edges with a permanent marker. The egg crate diffuser was cut into the shape of the arms with small clippers (clipping as close to the edge as possible).

Next we taped the bottom with painters tape and filled with plaster of paris (mixing it on the thinner side so that it would level itself at the top). You want it as level as possible to reduce sanding. Any excess was leveled off with a spackle knife.

Once firm, they were placed in the sun to fully cure (I ended up letting it sit overnight)

Then excess was sanded off. Some of the squares fell out during sanding, so I used a little craft glue to get them back in place. Then I patched the imperfections with drywall spackle and sanded again once dry. This part was pretty messy - so I was definitely glad to be done with sanding!

We wanted a simple fixture so that it wouldn't compete with the arms. Looking through thrift shops, all we could find were ones with curves (very '80s) we needed something more mid-century modern. So we ended up building our own electrical housing out of old chandelier parts, PVC, and brass tubing.

Here's how we did it:

Honestly, this wasn't the easiest task, but definitely doable. It required modifying (mostly cutting holes in the PVC) so that all the parts would fit snugly.

To assemble all of the pieces we used Gorilla Glue Epoxy

We followed the directions by mixing equal parts of the resin and the hardener (in small batches so it wouldn't harden too fast). This stuff worked SO well! It set up fairly quickly and was SUPER strong!

All parts were lightly sanded to remove any gloss, and dust was removed with a microfiber cloth. Then it was primed, and painted with Sherwin William Rivulet (2 coats).

We finished it off with 2 coats of Krylon Lacquer to give it a super glossy finish.

Turning off the electricity first, we installed the light and held our breath as we flipped the switch.

Success! It works!

We also installed trim and painted 8" stripes on the ceiling to frame the fixture.

and a gallery wall with a few fun prints, paintings, and some fabric mixed in!

I love this fun addition to our office area!

Here's the price breakdown:

(2) Fluorescent diffusers: $4 (Habitat ReStore)

Plaster of Paris: $5 (with coupon at Michaels)

Gorilla Glue Epoxy: $5

Chandelier: $5 (Habitat ReStore)

PVC parts: ~$3 (Home Depot)

Brass parts: ~$10 (Ace Hardware)

Total = $32

Not bad for a statement piece! So next time you see a plastic diffuser don't just pass it by, think about what you can create with it!

And here's a peak of what I'm working on ... yep, I changed my mind! My DIY Schumacher Zimba draperies are going charcoal!

Hopefully finished pics Friday or Monday!

And the Winners are ...

2013-04-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

Congrats to the winners! Cassie B., Jessica D, and Jenner! I decided to match them up with the prize that they wanted instead of the order :)

Cassie B. has won the Farrow and Ball inspired stencil!

Jessica D. has won prints from the Statement Pendant gallery wall!

and Jenner has won the large Arabesque stencil!

Congrats to the winners!! Look for an email from me :)

A BIG thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway and for voting throughout Creating with the Stars!

If you didn't win, stop by Wednesdays for another Humpday Giveway! Not every Wednesday, but I do giveaway things as I have them available! :)

Next giveaway will be the Schumacher inspired Zimba stencil (once I'm done with it!) Guess I better get to work!

Sarah M. Dorsey Designs in Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll

2013-04-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what!? Our 80's chandelier to Glass Mirror has been published in the May/June 2013 issue of Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll!

You can preview before purchase HERE

and the link to purchase through the app store is HERE. Currently, it is only available for Apple products, but an Android version is in the works for the next issue!

Thanks so much for including me Jennifer!