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Indian Inspired Copper Stenciled Wall Border

March 11, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

I finally have a post about some progress on the bathroom. At this point the major stuff in the bathroom is finished. The walls are insulated, re-drywalled and painted. There’s a new tub, new tile, new floors, new vanity. Pipes have been moved, electrical has been moved. It’s a fully functioning bathroom. But, I like flavor. I like knick knacks. I like pattern and texture and plants. So I’m still working on putting all of that in. One of the things I’ve planned on doing since the beginning is a copper, global inspired border along the ceiling. I’m a fan of the look when I see it done in moroccan interiors.

How To Create an Indian Inspired Copper Stenciled Wall Border

My set up involved a step ladder with a work surface, my brush, the paint, a roll of tape to refresh the stickiness as the tape wears off from moving the stencil over and over, and the stencil. For the area above the sink, I removed the mirror and stood on the vanity.

It’s a really simple process that involves a large dry brush, a copper paint to dip the brush into, and a stippling motion of the stencil taped in place.

For a worn look, like the one I was going for, a sparsely bristled brush and a “messy” stamping motion disperses the paint heavier in some areas and lighter in others where the paint has worn off the brush. I enjoy the textured look it has but if you want a fuller coverage, a sponge brush would give you a fuller and more opaque coverage quicker.

The lighting is terrible in the bathroom. There’s a lot of yellow light which really throws off the color in the space. I may just change out the edison style bulbs in the lights sometime before I take pictures of the finished space. I was too excited to share this to not share just because of the lighting though.

I know it’s kind of a bold decision to do a stencil like this on the walls but I really like the look. And I think you should totally go bold with things like paint. It’s easy to paint over!

(and of course I wouldn’t notice the shades were crooked until finalizing the post- oops!)

Stenciling a fun border on the walls in a small space like a bathroom is a really unique way to bring your particular style to a space. It’s a small commitment and really inexpensive! Plus, the stencil is reuseable so there’s tons more projects that can come out of buying it.

Shop This Tutorial:

Shelf Styling: with vintage and thrifted decor

March 10, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

I’ve been doing a lot of rearranging of the shelves in my living room lately and I realize there’s a couple pieces I haven’t mentioned for #thriftscorethursday yet. So I thought I’d share an updated look at those rustic industrial shelves and what new finds don them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCQjl8YKcpF/

Starting from the top shelf, the thrifted piece that I’ve never shared before is the fat brown vase. I bought it years ago from a thrift store and it had been sitting in my dark china cabinet for too long. Here the bottle gets to sit out with some of my other brown glass bottles- I collect them!

The second shelf holds another thrift score that I hadn’t yet found a great place to share it for #thriftscorethursday. My black metal globe. This cute little thing was $2 at the tiny thrift shop near my house. I’ve never seen anything like it before so I had to have it and save it for the right spot. On this shelf it works perfectly alongside all of my other eclectic treasures.

And the bottom shelf holds my final find for this week. The brown vase has a native american look to it. I’m not sure how to tell real pottery from fake pottery but I like it. And I enjoy global decor so hopefully it looks good enough to fit.

Explore The #ThriftScoreThursday Feed

I’ve been on an art kick lately so I had to include the Native American head. And then look at that beautifully retro space! Love the stacking foot rests. Those are too cool! And then there’s a pink ukulele. It’s my pink ukulele’s twin!

via @uptick_interiorstyling

via @uptick_interiorstyling

via @erin_coleen

via @f.waynecollection

Have you scored anything good recently? You have to know by now that we want to see!

Here’s The Rules!

We want you to participate! Hit up your local thrift stores, craigslist, yard sales, estate sales, side of the road, anything! Thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean from a thrift store. We want to see your good deals, wacky finds and treasures.
Don’t feel like you need to save those finds for Thursdays! Yes, features are shared on our blogs and Instagram on Thursdays, but we’re all checking in on (and using!) the hashtag all week long. So, when you see/find it, feel free to share it!
Each week, Trisha from Black and White Obsession, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Brynne from The Gathered Home, and Myself (A Designer At Home) will pick a favorite thrift score or two to feature! So please note that by linking up with #thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
Please remember that we can only share love for photos shared on public accounts. If your profile is private, we can’t see your finds.

As is always the case, I would be ecstatic to get my own hands on any and all of these scores and use them in my home. Visit the features and give them a kudos for a thrift well done ?

Before you run off for the day, don’t forget to visit your other hosts for this fab hashtag party:

P.S. If you’re a regular blogger and Instagrammer and you’d like to guest host Thrift Score Thursday, you can apply right here! We’d love to have you!

Epic Etsy Finds & The Shops Behind Them: Pursuing Vintage

March 8, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

I’m starting a new series where I share with you the epic Etsy finds I come across and the Etsy shops behind them. There are some truly amazing Etsy shops out there. Some of them I come back to time and time again because they always have new merchandise that I’m excited about. You know that vintage home decor is kind of my things. I just love an authentic aged look at the story behind each piece. I also love whimsy and a globally inspired collection of goods. So I hope this series brings you closer to the amazing shops I frequent.

The first shop on my list is Pursuing Vintage. The name is epic, right? So naturally the selection would be, too. The shop owner is Kristen and she’s the blog author of PursuingVintage.com. Her blog covers a variety of home decor trends, vintage finds and inspiration. She’s really well spoken (written?) and I love reading her posts. Her shop is an extension of that blog where she shares trending vintage home decor.

Current Pursuing Vintage Etsy Shop Favorites

Did you catch my Boho Home Decor “Must Haves” from last week? If you want to start looking at Imari or chinoiserie in general, she’s a great place to start. She has several Imari pieces and loads of ginger jars, blue and white ceramic, and vases. She also has an extensive collection of brass to choose from- what’s not to love? As is always the case with these types of shops, quantities are limited and stock always changes, so snatch up what you want while you can.

Here are two pieces I have in my home that I shared on my Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCVjWr1KcgF/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCrFfq4KcuL/

Keep up with Pursuing Vintage:

I hope you find this series helpful. We all know we can find what everyone else has at Target, but for a truly eclectic, collected, homey look you’ll want to sprinkle in one of a kind pieces. I’m on a mission to bring you the best places to find those kinds of pieces so keep a look out! You can sign up for email updates so you’ll be notified the next time I have an epic Etsy shop to share with you.

My biggest full bathroom remodel regret

March 4, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

So I hate to be a debbie downer or sorts but I feel like this post is necessary to get off my chest. Taking on a full bathroom remodel has been an awesome experience for the most aprt. Everything from finding our contractor, to picking tile to scoring on a better vanity than I’d imagined. I’ve spent so much money on the space. Even though it makes me so happy to enter the space, I don’t feel like I’ve wasted money. Except for the tile installation.

You may or may not know the breif story I told about my first attempt at tiling. We initially tried giving the bathroom a “facelift” and I attempted tiling the floors with 2″ white hexagon tiles. I loved the tile and was pumped to get it done. I watched so many youtube videos and the guys and lowe’s, home depot and the tile shop assured me it was an easy DIY. Time consuming, but easy. I feel like the only person on this planet that doesn’t find tiling easy.

When we came to the decision to hire a contractor, I was happy to pass the tiling responsibility off. I didn’t want to touch anything that wasn’t cosmetic. I’ll share later what I did do, but today is about my regret. The one thing that makes me cringe everytime I use the bathroom.

When our contractor asked us about how we wanted to do the bathtub/shower situation, I excitedly showed him pictures of built in shelves I’d found on Pinterest. He said it was doable but gave us an additional list of supplies we’d need to get it done. For the shower wall alcove we were also going to need border and bullnose tiles to match the gorgeous jeffrey court tiles. I cannot beleive how difficult it is to find bright white tiles. We eventually found them at The Tile Shop and spent an arm and a leg and our last bit of patience getting the pieces we needed (short story- they promised us tiles on a certain day and it didn’t come).

So what was the big regret?

But after the contactor got to laying in the tile, I started to worry about how things lined up. I marked the especially noticeable ones and had him fix them. But there are still so many imperfections. Many of the tile sheets aren’t spaced correctly. Some are raised off the wall more than others. The corners didn’t match up (and he neglected to use caulk and used a messy thick line of mortar). And the alcove border is sloppy. Some of the tiles are crooked and the moroccan inspired tiles around it weren’t properly cut to fit.

I think it looks pretty bad.

So what could I have done differently?

I should’ve stuck to my guns and required the border be done the way I wanted it be done.

I should’ve asked for proof he’d know how to work with uniquely shaped tile like these ones.

What can I do now?

I can take a tiling class. I know that the big home improvement stores have classes pretty often. And I can learn how to fix this myself. Or I can bring in someone with proof of experience to remove the worst tiles and lay a cleaner borner of tiles. Supervised. So I can have adjustments made before everything is set and “permanent.”

I’ve learned a lesson. I have to wait until after we replace the roof and windows and give the kitchen a facelift (aka forever) to get this fixed but I know for sure it’s not going to happen again. Expensive mistakes are hard to swallow but I had to share. A terrible tile job isn’t something I’ll have to live with forever, but it’s made the elation of the other progress not as exciting.

Have you had a home improvement project go wrong? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. I hope I’m not the only one!

A $20 Dresser Buffet

March 3, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

I like using interesting dressers for a lot of things. Dressers make great dressers, but they also make great media cabinets, console tables, and buffets. For my dining room makeover I wanted to find an interesting dresser to use as extra storage much like I would use a traditional buffet in this space.

I needed something long to place all of my plants. And with drawers to hide crafting supplies for my boy. And it had to have some kind of interesting detail. It had to, of course.

As I would in any search for furniture, I spent some time checking craigslist and lo and behold, exactly what I needed for a price I needed popped up. If you checked in for Monday’s post about my window treatments you already got a look at this piece. I finally had cleared out enough space to photograph it properly so here it is for thrift score thursday!

Explore The #ThriftScoreThursday feed

via @redhousewest

via @mmvintage59

via @thealabastervessel

via @maggieoverbystudios

Have you scored anything good recently? You have to know by now that we want to see!

Here’s The Rules!

We want you to participate! Hit up your local thrift stores, craigslist, yard sales, estate sales, side of the road, anything! Thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean from a thrift store. We want to see your good deals, wacky finds and treasures.
Don’t feel like you need to save those finds for Thursdays! Yes, features are shared on our blogs and Instagram on Thursdays, but we’re all checking in on (and using!) the hashtag all week long. So, when you see/find it, feel free to share it!
Each week, Trisha from Black and White Obsession, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Brynne from The Gathered Home, and Myself (A Designer At Home) will pick a favorite thrift score or two to feature! So please note that by linking up with #thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
Please remember that we can only share love for photos shared on public accounts. If your profile is private, we can’t see your finds.

As is always the case, I would be ecstatic to get my own hands on any and all of these scores and use them in my home. Visit the features and give them a kudos for a thrift well done ?

Before you run off for the day, don’t forget to visit your other hosts for this fab hashtag party:

Latest Boho Must Haves

March 1, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Boho Decor - a maximalist in the making's must haves

I’ve been crushing on a few particular pieces for boho decorating lately so I thought I’d pull together some of my favorite items to inspire you to play around with your current decor. A lot of my decorating stems from gathering and collections. I like a mash-up of different styles and stories so the decor I gravitate towards changes and lends itself well to a maximalist in the making style.

Imari Ceramics:

Chinoiserie is a must have. But more specifically I’ve been crushing on Imari style porcelain. From insanely decorated plates to vases and more, these look great hung on a wall, styled on a shelf, and displayed in a cabinet.

African Mudcloth:

If you can get your hands on real African mud cloth, definitely snatch it up. Also a super versatile favorite of mine lately. Sewn into a pillow, it makes a great pop on a sofa. Draped over a chair it gives a neutral global look to a space. Try draping it over an older chair to give it new life without a reupholstery job or tack to a wall for beautiful wall art.

Mexican Blankets:

Mexican blankets are woven, they have fringe, they have beautiful colors and are so versatile. Use them as a rug, a tablecloth, a throw blanket or wall art. They’re much cheaper than kilims, and they are much thinner, but you get the same punch of color, interest, and texture.

Mix Matched Furniture Styles:

This boho element I was incredibly resistant to for the longest time. I loved my midcentury and I didn’t want to let go. I’ve always loved rattan, but I didn’t think it would pair well. Listen to Nike and “Just Do It.” Seriously. Mixed decor and furniture periods is eclectic and beautiful. It’s also freeing because you’ll have the power to look at any piece of furniture as a candidate for your space.

Patterned Tiles:

I resisted this, too, inititally. I worried it would dramatically affect the resale value of our home. But I just can’t. It’s so fitting for my style. And it fits into most design styles seamlessly. Most of us aren’t going to tile every surface in it’s entirety with in since it’s expensive and busy. But a little pop in a shower alcove, inset above a stove, or around a fireplace is the perfect interesting touch.

Add these elements to your boho home and you’re sure to love their impact. Color and pattern are quintessential to bohemian decor, but even if full blown bohemian isn’t your style, these pieces will add an interest to your home that you’re sure to love. Color, pattern, texture- they’re all perfect home decor accessories.