Haunted (Bird) Houses

It is my favorite time of year- fall. And most importantly Halloween!!  I am obsessed with the holiday.  I literally spend all year brainstorming costumes and party plans- quickly jotting notes down in my "Halloween Notebook".  With the previous weekend being the last weekend in September, a trip to Micheal's for Halloween craft suppliers was in order.  I needed goodies for decorating the house as well as supplies for the party I will be throwing in celebration of the glorious day (more to come on decor for that later).

Now, I'm sure you have seen those little Christmas villages that people set up in their homes that light up or have music.  Adorable.  There are Halloween versions too!  I stumbled upon an entire aisle of the awesomeness in Micheal's.  It made me giddy.

Lemax Spooky Town Collection

Phantom Station!  Oh I love it.  The price tag however, I do not love.  That particular haunt comes in at the highly respectable price of $59.99 over at americansale.com and that is because it is a discontinued building.  It originally was sold for $119.  That would not be in my budget.  So I left the aisle discouraged with the haunted noises of ghouls mocking my distressed retreat.  Sulking, I wandered the store and that is when inspiration struck.

Micheal's sells bird houses made of balsa wood for the low price of $4.99.  The cogs began whirling and the end result is this thrifty little DIY.  I decided that three houses was the right number for my little village.  After quickly scooping them up and grabbing some acrylic paint, I ran home to begin.

To start, I cut down any of the dowels that protruded for the birds to perch on.  I then sanded down the ends to create a smooth surface for painting.

Bird house with amazing crafts plastic tablecloth

Once that was completed for all three, I broke out the acrylic primer paint.  Now this is not an entirerly necessary step, but I wanted my black to be the blackest it could be without any wood grain showing.  The primer did a great job at sealing the wood so it wouldn't suck up all the paint.  I also used a foam brush for the majority of the project to eliminate brush strokes, using a paint brush only for the tiny crevices.

I let the primer paint dry completely and then did one layer of plain black acrylic paint.  After letting that dry completely, I went back and spot checked the houses so that every tiny bit was inky black.  This was made incredibly easy to do since missed spots had the white primer to immediately call them out.

The houses looked great, yet I felt that to really make them look spooktacular (oh I am so sorry for that one) they needed an added oomph.  Cue my girl Martha.  Martha Stewart has an amazing craft line.  Seriously.  Buy every single one of her craft products.  Do it now.  She has a great metallic acrylic paint line that comes in every color imaginable.  I decided to use the Gun Metal color which is a dark, smokey grey.  Using that to paint another layer on the roofs and accent features of the houses gave them that added depth I wanted.

Letting them dry!  (Oh and I got coffins for 99 cents too- more on those later)

After everything dried, I set up my tableau and boom!  $15 for the houses + $5 for the paint = one third the cost of 1 pre-made house.  I am still debating drilling a hole into the back of each so that I can feed string lights into the insides.  I think this would give it the final step for completion.

I'm so excited to put up the rest of the Halloween decorations and really creep the place out.  Visions of skeletons dangling from chandeliers and spiderwebs everywhere.  My pinterest Halloween Party board is getting out of control...

Stripe Hype

The bedroom is starting to come together!  I posted on my dream bedroom earlier and now I feel like it is presentable enough, though barely, to show to the world.

My bedroom!

Apologies for the obvious fact that this photo was taken at night, but hey, a girl has to earn some money to be able to spend it all on home decor.  It is starting to come together more and more, however we are still missing some key pieces.  A rug is definitely in the works for my cold toes this winter and some art on those walls wouldn't hurt either.  Of course the other half of the room which is the sitting area is missing a very important item: a chair.

I love the pop of blue those lamps cords give and the texture is slowly being integrated into the room with the pillow (whom is in need of more accent pillow friends) and blankets at the end of the bed.  However, I feel as though it may still need some character.  Cue my obsession with horizontally stripped walls.

Image via Coastal Living Magazine

Of course in my two favoritest colors; cream and beige.  You didn't think I was getting too crazy there did you?  I love the fun it brings to a room without taking away from the sophistication.  I especially like them when mixed with other patterns in the room.  Although I love the look of the above, I don't think I would be able to handle the above polka-dot chair, with brocade bedding and striped shams/bolsters in my bedroom all together.  However, I would definitely enjoy one or two of those elements in conjunction with the walls in my home.

Perhaps this is me getting more adventurous with my bedroom decor?  It has always been the room that I play the safest with.  Do you think you would dare to stripe your bedroom?

The Beach House

Summer may be winding down, but my dreams of beautiful decks on the beach will not die!  Huge wooden decks, weathered from the elements call to me.  Family dinners while listening to the waves and feeling the sea breeze are some of my favorite childhood memories.

Via ELLE Decor

Such great clean lines on the furniture and railings really let the beauty of the scenery take center stage.

Via House Beautiful

I'm in love with the rustic feel of the above.  Weathered wood shingles with white french doors!  Those metal chairs are wonderful with the rustic and natural elements.  It grounds the deck without it becoming kitschy.  Sundance has a version that comes in at $245 a piece.

Via House Beautiful

Let's be honest though- when you are escaping from the city for a weekend what else is needed but a good book and a fabulous view?

That Space Under the Stairs

So, I have this wonderful little nook under the stairs of my new apartment.  It is adorable, cozy and the absolute perfect spot for my new office space.  This has of course led me on an inspiration hunt!

Via Tumblr

I love the graphic interest of the Magis chair ($1,968 for a set of 4).  The cut outs allow the space to appear more open while still creating visual appeal.  Yet, in my opinion, it would feel a little cramped under that closed in staircase.

Via HGTV

Now, after I saw that great red chair and recovered, I started day dreaming about cork boards.  That fabulous wall of cork board material behind the desk is just brilliant.  I am constantly ripping out pages from magazines.  A board such as that by my desk would be filled in a snap with a smattering of anything and everything I felt inspired by.  The Board Dudes have tiles that can be used with both tacks and magnets and are only $13.99 per 17 x 17 piece.

Lille Lykke

This is my favorite!  No doubts in my mind as to why- it almost perfectly resembles the space under my stairs.  So far I only have a cheap, small Parsons desk in black and a chair.  But oh, what a chair it is.  As I type, I have the utter pleasure of residing in a rescued zebra print directors chair.  It is from a dear friend who is currently half way across the world, yet every time I see it I swear I can hear her iconic laugh.

Not to become too incredibly snappy on you (ugh gag me I know!), but the things I love the most in my current apartment are the things gathered from my dear ladies.  A zebra directors chair, feather earrings, a black cat print, and a ridiculously small chair- these, as Maria would sing, are a few of my favorite things.  Without a doubt, these are the items I want to surround and inspire me as I work.

The EFo ladies after graduation.

10 Fabulous Little Additions

One: The Alice in Wonderland booksi by Rich Neeley Designs; $54 / Two: Avington Clear Magenta by William Yeoward; $215-430 / Three: Mr and Mrs Cocktail Glass Set by Furbish; $18 / Four: Subin Stump Table by ARTERIORS HOME; $804 / Five: Roller Stop by Areaware; $130 / Six: Set of Four Octopus Pewter Stemmed Red Wine Glass by Vagabond House; $289 / Seven: Delta Table Lamp by Robert Abbey; $166.10 / Eight: Gnome Cookie Jar by Michele Varian; $68 / Nine: Life is Beauty Full Elephant Throw Pillow by Sugarboo Designs; $120 / Ten: An Extremely Ornate Pencil Holder by Melabo; $50

Sleeping on a Cloud

To me nothing beats a wonderful, fluffy white bed.  After a long day my idea of heaven is slipping between crisp white sheets on a bed piled high with pillows and luxurious blankets.  I am a girl that adores cream rooms that portray depth with pattern and texture.  Starting the process of decorating the bedroom of my apartment is leading me on a pinterest treasure hunt of white bedrooms.

Via Pinterest

I love the mixture of modern style with shabby chic.  The Saarinen Round Side Table by Knoll works in a marvelous juxtaposition with the vintage foot stool at the foot of the bed and the plain wood side table.  The two styles in addition to the mix of materials makes the all white scheme maintain its visual interest.

Via Pinterest

I swoon for that cable knit throw.  The over-sized chunkiness of it all just invites a girl to snuggle down for a day of movies in bed with tea and hot chocolate.  Pom Pom at Home has a great version that can be thrown in the washing machine.

Via Anthropologie

This comforter cover by Anthropolgie makes me have dirty thoughts about my bank account.  Ringing in at $368 for the queen size and then another $88 per sham, I think I would be too scared to ever sleep in the bed for fear of ruining it.  But oh how gorgeous!

All of these images are just of the tip of the iceberg for my bedroom decor board.  Like the rest of the place, the master bedroom sports glorious exposed beams and light hard wood floors.

View from the corner of the master bedroom

I cannot wait until it all pulls together.  My large, cream, iron bedstead with its brass hardware looks as if it was made for this room.  Along with the large white (Ikea) chest of drawers, glass table lamps from Crate and Barrel and the hand me down metal garden tables that I use as night stands a very strong foundation for the room is already complete.

View from the doorway to the master bedroom

Don't worry- the minute I moved in those hideous curtains were ripped from the walls!  Yards and yards of floor to ceiling quilted, cream curtains now reside in this room.  Unpacked boxes still litter the floor, so no way will a present picture be posted.  Once more order is restored however, I will update on the progress.

So, enough about me, what is your idea of the perfect bed?

Pendant Obsession

I'm in love.  I currently have an unhealthy obsession with a particular light fixture.  It has started to consume my thoughts and every time I look at that perfect spot for it above the dining room table I have to stop from grabbing my wallet.

Valerie McMurray's home styled by Cynthia Walker of CLW Interiors

Isn't it beautiful?  So light and airy!  And the texture it would add to a room is just to die for.  I scoured the internet for that pendant and have found two versions.

1. DK Living has one that Clayton Gray Home is selling for $515
2. Urchin by Asian Art Imports is fabulous due to the options available (three colors and four sizes!).  The small comes in at $380

These little price tags include just the shade too- no light fixture in that bad boy.  Hey this isn't called House Broke Style for nothing!  However, the electrical component pieces are not as pricey as one might expect.  (Here is just a sample of those available at Wayfair)

1. WAC has a sleek option for $51.95
2. Lights Up! has a great, inexpensive version for only $32.20
3. Golden Lighting has this fab chain that will allow you to spruce up a plain cord for just $17.90

All together not exactly in the budget for now, but a girl can drool and daydream.  Much like Valerie McMurray's beach house, my apartment has those lovely exposed beams and open layout...

The bottom floor of my lovely apartment pre-furniture.

Can't you just picture it right there by the back closet doors?  It would play off the rough beams and add some feminine softness in the best way possible.  I get shivers, I swear.

Do you ever become obsessed with that one fantastic piece?