Anthropologie Verdant Canister Knock-off (part 1)

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I sweat me some Anthro. Especially these bad boys (or girls. they are pretty fem):

The bread bin (bigger one with handles) is $158, and I’m not sure about you but this is a little beyond my means. The smaller one is $78- a little more reasonable by comparison but still…

I have been loving this beaut for some time. It kinda haunted my dreams not gonna lie. I pictured it in my kitchen lovingly holding all my wooden spoons. It didn’t help that I had to stare at my very non- Anthropologie pot thing everyday.

Yuck. Yuck to it all.

Yeah yeah I know everything in the kitchen needs some help. Try and look past the painted herb tile and the pinkish-purple counter. The glare. Try. I’m focusing on what I can change (for now) people!!!

The day had come. I needed to stop staring at the hideousness on my counter and try and inflict some Anthropologie up in here. I figured the current ceramic mess that I had holding my spoons could be transformed with a little spray paint and clay.

Here’s how (the first parts) played out:

 

I waited 12 hours before even touching the thing. Then I started the highly experimental business of adding the design. I tried a lot of things before I really got into the groove of it. I had three kinds of clay-like materials laying around.

Clay options

In the end good old fashion white clay worked the best. Well so far…

I need to smooth things out a bit more but I think I’m gonna get there. I was seriously seriously worried when I first started. I still am a little but I’m hoping that when more of it is finished the imperfections are going to just blend into the overall design. Wishful thinking? We’ll see I suppose.

Here’s a comparison of what I got done today.

(That’s me holding up my clay to the computer screen).

This whole time I was working on a flat foam work surface to make things easier but as the clay began to lighten and dry, I draped the foam over the clay pot to dry in the natural curvature it would eventually be on.

 

I can’t do anymore until this much dries. I’ll post more as I go along.

 

Scallops and Scales and a Mirror Oh My

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Whatever you want to call them, these undulating shapes are turning up in fabric patterns, diy art and now mirrors.

fabric via Spoonflower from designer Holli Zollinger (love her!)

Crocodile Scales print from Farouche on Etsy

iPhone case from Urban Outfitters

 

I stumbled upon scale patterns as a second-best option for a DIY mirror frame. Originally I had my heart set on making a mirror frame with multidimensional polyhedrons. Kinda like these, but as a frame…

 

 

Sounds complicated? It was. I did have requirements: unique and cheap (or recycle/ upcycle something for free). I tried to use foam paper templates (yeah I stole them from my kids!), and recycled cereal boxes, egg cartons covered in paper mache etc etc etc. Nothing worked the way I had envisioned.

So I decided to test out option two. I shopped the materials in my stash and found the white pleather I used to recover the ottoman. White pleather croc scales were born!

detail...a little blurry. sorry. but you can see the subtle texture a bit.

I’m sure somehow the scalloped fabric patterns and details crept into my subconscious, sprouted an idea and chose this time to come out. It was good timing. I love how the mirror turned out. Best part-it was free! Everything I used was just laying around the house. If I’m being honest when I look at it alone I feel like it is a little too preppy or pretty or something, but I will bring on some funk and it’ll all be alright! I’m holding out for the bigger picture people.

The room is in SERIOUS need of some attention but sometimes I just need that one little project in the room to boost my momentum and get excited to tackle more projects. (Be kind. I know it’s a mess!!!)

 

(P.S. Yeah that last colorful poly garland pic was found AFTER I did my project…Check out the link. The blog has instructions for easy print and fold shapes. If only I had scoured pinterest harder!!! Nevertheless I have plans for these babies. I’m not givin’ up on the geometric-ness in this house.)

Easter Tree

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What? Doesn’t your family have a Halloween Tree? an Easter Tree and a Christmas Tree? No? Well, we do.

It’s a tradition my mom started with my sister and I and I’ve continued it with my kids. We get or make some glittery decorations and hack off some nearly budding branch outside and call it a Spring day.

Now in our house the only constant for Easter Tree decorations is the branch, but how the branch stays in the vertical position is somewhat of an adventure each year. So I got to brainstorming…I didn’t want to rob us of that comical tradition, I just wanted to secure a few days of safety for the little ones that run a muck through the house.

As I shopped my house I came across a $6.99 glass vase I got at Marshalls that I originally intended to be the kitchen terrarium. I thought I could fill it with weighted plastic eggs, but that was still iffy. It still left a lot of room for movement. 

 

Since I was outside looking for a branch already I spotted a smallish tree stump I’d been hoarding for another project. Surely the stump wouldn’t mind being temporarily used utilized.

I quickly ran for the drill and a drill bit. I made a small hole in the “center” where the wood was already separating a bit.

I stuck the branch in that bad boy and called it a day. And you know what? The Easter Tree was extremely secure this year. We had other laughs let me assure you, and no bruises. Ignore the wilting blooms. We did.

 

Gotta have the Succulents

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In a Terrarium that is.

I know there are amazing succulent gardens and terrariums, and hanging air plants popping up all over the place, trust me I stalk them on etsy, and pinterest. But my love of succulents began a year ago when a neighbor donated some henning chicks to us. As grateful neighbors I wish I could say we planted them immediately with loving care…No we let them sit in a plastic bag for almost a year! The shame…

When we did finally give them some attention I realized that succulents are like a woman’s best friend (y’know like a dog is a man’s best friend?) cause they are always there (aka can’t kill ‘em), they look perky and greet you with the most intoxicating shades of green. That’s this woman’s version of love waggin’ it’s tail. Who doesn’t need that kind of happy around?

Anyway, I knew that I had to get in on some of the terrarium love and spread some succulents around. As luck would have it I ran into this unique beauty at TJMaxx a few weeks back and quickly filled her up with some $1.98 variety succulents from Home Depot. I love her, pear shape and all.

 

Blue and Brass Family Bath

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Has anyone out there caught the “Brass-bug”?

Well I have…I just didn’t know where to use it in the house until we had to repaint our upstairs bathroom due to improper sheen issues on a previous paint choice (anyone else make that mistake and had horrible water marks screeching down your walls???) Yeah not a good look.

Anyhoo…We  My husband chose a deeper blue than we had before. I was worried about it but the fear of it looking horrible outweighed the dread of laboring over the paint choice alone (I have major commitment issues when it comes to paint. I’m always worried that it won’t turn out right.) It literally took him two seconds to point to one and say “that’s good,” to which I replied “…eeee I think it’s too dark,” (making me feel like I had not relinquished all control but still the decision was technically “his”- all future blame on him) and proceeded to point to the one color up on the swatch. He nodded his head and it was done.

I don’t suggest picking paint this way, but this one time it worked for us. We actually love the color. It has inspired a whole new direction for the bathroom for which I previously had none. It is pretty lame and sad. It’s a messy, dirty dump zone that we scrambled in and out of several times of day. It needs some love.

I was playing around in Polvore and created this mood board to inspire the execute of more deliberate choices. These are just jumping off points to get the flow goin’. It could change at any point in the journey…

Blue and Brassy Family Bathroom
So I’m not divulging any before pics of the bathroom just yet (truthfully we haven’t finished cutting it with the paint yet) but i will go ahead and give you the run down of how my mood board coincides with my list-of-wish-to-do’s:
1. (Above) Is a pic of a simple mirror with a textured rope against a dark blue wall that reminds me of our color. I love the warm rustic rope with the polished sophisticated blue. It’s quite masculine but elegant I think.
2. AMAZING lighting inspiration. Key word: Inspiration! I’m gonna have to DIY a version of this somehow. I love the repetition of it in threes but we might not have enough room for that in our bathroom, however, we will have enough for two- one over the sink and mirror and one over the other vanity counter (pics to come of the bathroom to visualize).
3. Ginkgo leaf Sconces…I have a pair of black pillar sconces in the bathroom right now that  I will make brassy, and classy to look like these. (I scored those at Kmart a zillion years ago). I really want to convert these from candle sconces to lighted sconces but we’ll see. I’ve been trying to figure it out already to no avail.
4. Lovely peel and stick vinyl tile…I didn’t choose it. It chose us. It will stay as the bathroom floor. It’s functional and neutral. Can’t fight that.
5. Another splash of blue for variation. May bring this in in the form of art or something. To be continued…
6. Knob love! I love the mix of brass and porcelain. Hopefully I can find some for cheap or more likely DIY/ remix our existing to be similar.
7. Wavy, scallopy tile. Isn’t she purdy? I was thinking of doing the backsplash behind the sink and mirror from counter to ceiling in this pattern. All that tile gorgeousness is not in our budget so I a painted treatment and some glaze will give the effect, beak up the blue and add some rounded-ness that echoes the lotus lamps and ginkgo’s organic curves.
8. River rocks…Don’t all bathrooms need them? I have some black ones and sea glass in a silver tray right now. I’m still not sure how they are going to squeeze back into the room but they will. Will I be that girl and make one of those trendy bathmats? Who knows. I surprise myself all the time.
Hope you’ll come back to see the progress! Do you have brass going on in your house? Any bathroom remix tips? How involved is your husband in the paint picking process?