Hey now. Look at that updated living room.

As mentioned earlier I’ve been working on a painting project with Sherwin-Williams for National Painting Week. Most of the time my taste and the house leans towards a pretty predictably neutral (aka browntown), so when it came time to add a bit of orange to the mix I wanted it to be BOLDLY orange and therefore decided on Sherwin Williams ‘Raucous Orange‘.

DIY ART  |   MINIMALIST PAINTED FRAME

Art ain’t easy, but hey, at least this project is.

Materials

- Basic White Frame  >  these are from Target, but Ikea and many others have similar options.

- Paint  >  as mentioned this is Sherwin Williams ‘Raucous Orange‘

- Art  >  I used a couple black & white minimalism inspired pieces I printed out at home.

- Sponge Brush / Fine Paint Brush

- Painters Tape

On the mantel is a larger framed piece painted symmetrically about 3/4 of the way around while the smaller framed piece leaned on the fauxdenza is painted asymmetrically for an unexpected hit of color.

How To

- Decide where the painted detail begins and ends on the frame.

- Wrap a piece of painters tape straightly and evenly around the front and side of the frame.

- Use a sponge brush / fine paint brush to apply paint evenly on the front and side of the frame.

- Do a few coats for even coverage.

- Remove the tape and call it a day.

Hey now. A bit of graphic color makes a difference.

I’ve been messing around with a bunch of DIY art type projects and it’s been difficult to get something going that doesn’t look too ‘DIY’ or actually adds to a space in a positive way. The addition of some unexpected color and an unusual composition painted onto the frame turned out to be a nice twist to an old idea and keeps things modern amongst all the vintage. Minimal and bold, easy and budget friendly art for anyone who – like me – is also stuck in browntown. Color it up!

Check out some more orange themed paint action over at Design Crush and look out for some red/pink projects tomorrow on  Vintage Revivals & Style By Emily Henderson. Paint it up!

*This post sponsored by Sherwin-Williams. All photos and words are my own, yo.

Last year I partnered up with Sherwin-Williams to create a paint dipped + yellow themed project for their National Painting Week campaign. What project was that again? Here it is. Right over here.

Recently I’ve started to aggressively worry over random finishing details around the house like art and planters; probably since those things feel more manageable than say gutting and remodeling our awful bathrooms. So for this years SWNPW project I’ve been thinking about color details and unexpected product combos that make things that look great but are way more affordable than updating the kitchen or doing the landscaping.

Oh, you silly endless remodeling projects. How you haunt me.

Thursday I’ll post a couple DIY and orange themed ideas that might include something like *DIYing an architectural pottery style planter to replace the vintage planter + giant cactus stolen from your front porch (*Previewed and pictured above in some early experimental stage of ‘what if I added this to that and it did that or something’).

More details + more DIY later this week, yo.

A sampling of some recent landscape-ish images from my pinterest and my other blog (that tumblr one) which actually gets updated and is somehow GOOP approved. Why landscape-ish? I’ve been feeling guilty about the general lack of landscaping progress at the house as well as my general lack of blogging on this blog. Also been filled with shame by the knee high weeds which have taken over most of our property. Today two separate garden entrepreneurs stopped by with their lawn mowers and offered to mow down the weeds for $5.

Things have gotten pretty bad.

Landscaping? Next year? Here be some fire to light under some ass.

*Click images for source link.

I’ve been trying to figure out a number of creative (aka ‘frugal’) art + framing solutions for a few design projects that have kept things busy busy around here. The whole art thing still remains an ongoing frustration at this house and tends to be a difficult finishing detail to get right at most all design projects. Problem is, poorly installed or wrongly scaled crappy art will ruin a great space almost immediately. Right? Like In the same way how good art can make a blah space seem incredible.

FACT. Art isn’t easy. Framing can be costly. Budgets like to be tight. Details are something something.

As an attempt to work around the art + framing is kind of hard + expensive issue, I’ve been experimenting with a number of DIY art ideas and affordable ways to create large scale pieces that must (and most importantly) avoid looking super DIY or like total crap.

So, an impossible goal pretty much.

A recent project left me with a stack of scrap paper tests I’d printed out as well as some small frames that, like a hero, I have bravely reused and slapped together into something that is sort of like art. Now these two minimalists framed things are living large in the newly updated and simplified mantel vignette. Bold moves considering these are just some Target frames stuffed with scrap paper I pulled out of the garbage.

So, yes, this is some framed garbage displayed on my mantel. Stylishly.

I’m a fan maybe.

Well, at least this project was easy and cheap and pleases my eyes. Budget art success.

I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t prefer to hang a bunch of Donald Judd works on paper instead of this DIY solution. I’d also prefer to have the big baller style art collector money required to make that happen. I don’t so that won’t happen. But for now? My kind of funds can make more DIY garbage art happen. Or I can go nuts and splurge and get working on something LARGE SCALE. Bigger is better.

Till then. I guess.

Last minute is how I roll, I know, terrible at announcing things – but if you’re in LA this Saturday night and looking for love in all the wrong places how about you come on out to SHOPCLASS instead and check out some of my CAMP goods and also shout hello. Come out for a party and for fun and for stuff.

FYI, SHOPCLASS is the newly opened retail coming together of three very fantastic folks, namely Ellen LeComte of Amsterdam Modern, Jeff Garbs and Sally Breer of Commingle Home. It’s amazing.

What are the details and where is this magic happening? Also, when?
 

SHOPCLASS  +  CAMP

SATURDAY, MARCH 9th
7 – 9pm
5212 York Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90042

 
See you there!
 

FUN FACT:  We’ve been working on this house for five years and still haven’t installed handles on most of the original built-in storage cabinets or the closets.

Why rush it. No big deal.

Oh, except that now its been half a decade of living like filthy animals who routinely need to savagely pry open heavy drawers or wonky old doors with a screwdriver or any other available blunt object.

Time for change. Time for?

Leather. Pulls. For. Doors.

For months I’ve been messing around and field testing all manner of leather design bits and objects. Working out the kinks. Comparing materials. Picking finishes. Doing all the leather work. Leather working? Leather science? Leathering? Leathery stuff. The sort of stuff that recently culminated with the plopping out of this finalized prototype batch of simple looped leather+brass handles that make opening the closet easier and much more stylish than a screwdriver wedged in the crack.

Super.

OK. General DIY rundown time.

DIY  |  LEATHER + BRASS PULL HANDLE

MATERIALS

Leather (mine = 1″ wide + 8/9oz + natural veg dye)
Brass Eyelets (mine = 3/16″ hole)
Brass Bolts
Brass Washers

TOOLS

Leather Hole Punch
Eyelet Setter
Hammer
Tape measure
Scissors
Sponge
Towel

DIY BASICS TO MAKE IT    .    SIMPLE LEATHER PULL

1. Measure then cut leather to size. (mine = 1″ wide x 8″ long – final installed handle is approx. 4″ tall)

2. Lightly dampen cut leather pieces with a sponge to prep leather for hole punching. Towel off any extra moisture.

3. Measure and mark matching hole locations on both ends. (mine = 1″ interior from either edge + centered width)

*TIP: Make a template using an extra matching leather scrape to quickly and consistently mark hole guide placements if   you’re making multiple matching handles.

4. Align punch tool with the guide mark and carefully punch out the hole.

5. Place setter and hammer eyelets into each hole.

6. Loop leather strip in half and thread the bolt through both eyelets to prep for install.

7. Thread bolt through the hardware mounting hole, finalize leather handle placement, thread washer onto the bolt end and tighten both very firmly to secure the handle.

and then DONE.

*Optional Finishing:  I’ve been using a leather finisher on the overall handle and then finishing the edges with a slicker and Gum Tragacanth. Leave the leather raw, seal it, dye it, burn it – I don’t care. Do whatever works to finish things up to your taste.

Basically the basic of basics. These finished leather handles work and look pretty great and are totally good to go for install.

Well, except that I haven’t been able to shake off this nagging need to rework and replace the current basic brass bolt set with different hardware that’s feels more unusual or unexpected while still staying minimal and unfussy.

Hey now, at least one closet is all functional for the first time with actual usable handles.

OH WAIT. AND. BOOM.

Say hello, sexy hex detail.

This is what plopped out of all that and ended up being the hardware solution for my closet pulls. I’ve been testing these things out around the house and refining a few construction details, but who cares! I’m in love with this thing. The scale, the finish, the bit of unexpected handle detail is pretty much doing all those things my crazy brain was hoping for.

CLOSET PULL SUCCESS.

Now onto make a ton more of these for the rest of the house and other design projects. Maybe someday I might even make some handle sets for CAMP? Ugh, hold it. Going too far into the future. Must focus on the now and the 34 handles I gotta make just to cover the rest of our closets and built-ins.

I’m a leather handle making machine!

Check back in five more years to see if there was any progress.

LOVE IS MESSY & SO IS THIS.

I’ve had it with trying to make everything CAMP line up perfectly to launch all at once in some sort of culmination of perfect perfection. I’m tired of talking about it, I’m tired of waiting – so screw it. Here’s a quick and dirty Flash Sale for Lovers.

Valentines day seems like a thing? Do you have a lover or something? Did you need a last minute stylish token of love that says hey, I like you and I respect you, but I want to do things with your body? Well, here are a few small baubles and bits to consider that might help you get busy.

For Her?

+ DAILY PILL NECKLACE 

+ EVERYDAY NECKLACE

For Him?

+ LEATHER KEY STRAP

+ SALTILLO PILLOW 

This small batch of things in limited quantities will be available through Friday. Domestic shipping only (sorry), but hey, it all ships for FREE in the US. Orders will be sent out Friday/Saturday and will arrive to you before the 14th.

Also, everything comes with neutral packaging to keep things tasteful?

Maybe someone stylish you know needs a few good basics for everyday living?

Maybe its time to treat yourself? I don’t know!

: |

Thanks to everyone for putting up with all this CAMP crap. It’s been all consuming and I know the blog and house have suffered. Wait, does anyone read blogs anymore? I don’t know! I’m terrible at blogs! I need a girl to model my necklaces because Jeremy just looks silly! I am surrounded by dudes! Someone remodel my kitchen! I hate my pink tub and gross bathrooms! My dining room is a messy workshop! My life is chaos! The dogs are making me crazy! Weeds are growing out of control everywhere! Teenagers are loud and disrespectful! Hemet is a nightmare! I want a forever lazy!

Happy V-Day.

(image via here)

Like a lot of folks right now, I got slapped down and made the flu’s bitch for the past couple weeks. It was unseemly and awfully rude, but now it seems like I’m slowly getting back to business. All that time spent in bed tossing and turning with fever dreams and paralyzing full body anxiety brought on by being completely useless in general when I HAD SHIT TO DO, gave me a great opportunity to feel still more awful since I started obsessing over the shameful progress of our kitchen renovation.

What has happened kitchen reno wise? I changed the light fixture. So, great progress since 2011.

Hey now, I did buy the Ikea Numerar Countertops about a year and a half ago. So I tried. I mean, they’ve been sitting in our garage gathering dust and disappointment, but whatever. No big deal. I’m not a loser.

*I’m kind of a loser.

(images via here, here & here)

When I step into the kitchen I get so pissy looking at those forever unclean looking turquoise linoleum counters that I dream that my concentrated hatefulness would somehow make them get gone and wood appear. Then facts ruin it. I don’t have the time or budget or willpower to update the kitchen right now. Sad face.

For now, I’m bookmarking this great tutorial from a few years ago about installing and treating Ikea’s wood countertops as a way to bone up on what we need to do. But before anything gets demoed? I need a sink. And tile. And a faucet. And I need help. So much help.

Consider this a Shame Post to get my shit together and make our kitchen look just a little less funkytown, you know, before another year slips by.

OH, and if you guys have used these counters yourself and have any install tips or treatment advice, please feel free to share. Personally, I don’t mind if the wood gets worn and dinged and used looking. I like character and the imperfections don’t kill me. Plus, the price for these was right for my budget and this house in general.

2013 feels so 2012 and not like the future at all.

Apologies for looking and sounding like a broken record, but I haven’t had many ‘blog-able’ ideas or much time to work on or even clean up the house. Sorry about that house, all my supplies are piled everywhere and my brain energy has been consumed with getting the CAMP shop running and not with your maintenance. Also, you look awful. Perhaps being ambitiously naive, I fully expected to have been launched and chugging along with everything about mid January; despite certain obvious clues like say this half decade long and ongoing renovation. Unexpected material delays as well as tackling peripheral details like packaging (oh yeah, duh) have pretty much made a mockery of my plans and pushed things back.

So, February-ish. Lets say then?

In the meantime, I’ve been stockpiling vintage textiles and making pillows with much help from my sister. Above are a few samples of the latest Saltillos as well as a peek at the Ruffian, a pillow made from vintage surplus army canvas with a rough cut and hefty surged edge detail. Yeah, it’s a pretty manly pillow.

BEA BREAK.

OK, I am a one woman tornado of making things and interweb wrangling, but hope to be back working on the house and posting better stuff here soon.

In the meanwhile, any sweet advice / tips for the CAMP shop (our independent retail in general)? What do love / hate when you buy stuff online? I mean, like I despise loose packing peanuts but love opening things which are ready to use immediately (*basically not needing an extra pillow insert, special bulb or whatever in order to start using it).

Anyways. Thanks.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve been loving designing and making everything and how completely impatient I am to get this whole thing rolling.

Hey. Whats up? No way, really? Yeah me to.

Oh look, it’s some images that have been floating around my instagram over the last few weeks. Some feature Bea, the most featheriest chihuahua in all the land and some don’t. Some feature CAMP products in the works or highlight a few changes around the house. One features old chicken skin face Bowie and I guess they all sort of feature the holiday doldrums. Try and tell which is which. Great job. You win.

Holidays over yet?

No?

Will someone please get me when they are?

Thanks.