IKEA HACKATHON - CHALKBOARD

It's no secret I love Ikea. Okay, maybe I am mildly obsessed. On a recent trip to Ikea I noticed this Norrlida frame and immediately thought of several uses for it and at $9.99 I snatched it up. I thought it would make a cool tray but decided the perfect use would be a chalkboard over my bar cart. I took it apart and painted the backboard with chalkboard paint. When I put it back together I just put the glass behind the backboard so it would have the same thickness. Tim did need to add a wire hanger to the back. I do believe there might have been some inhaled chalk dust in the process, but I am really liking having it above the bar cart. After the holidays I'll use it for drink recipes or menus.

MERRY PELLEGRINO

The shelves came from Target and bar cart is from Crate and Barrel. All ready for the holidays!

More Ikea hacks and love coming soon.

PAULA'S KITCHEN REMODEL - THE BEFORE

AND SOME AFTER…..

Please excuse the metaphor, but we just gave birth to a beautiful, brand spankin new kitchen. And boy are we proud..and exhausted. I was so over the plastic drop cloths on the furniture, layers of construction dust and tripping over tools I was pushing for a finish date of Thanksgiving. It's 95% complete and the last few days we find ourselves just staring in amazement at the results of our many months of DIY hard labor. We've been taking a boatload of photos, grinning ear to ear and rubbing our sore muscles.

There were many times I wondered if this would ever become a reality. I have shared a little along the way about this fixer-upper we purchased three and a half years ago. We spent the first couple years mostly repairing and dealing with the more serious issues. Lots of scrubbing, painting, tearing out and replacing HERE and HERE and much more I haven't shared. But the kitchen was by far the biggest eyesore. The previous owners slapped lots of lipstick on this pig to no avail. And lest you think I exaggerate; here's what happens when the seller slaps latex paint over oil. Looks okay until you wash it and the paint rolls off. 

The wood cabinets and pretty much every other surface was also painted using latex paint with the same results, but with the added touch of dog and human hair mixed in. I'm sparing you those images. You're welcome.

The counters and floors had ugly beige/brown 70's tile with dark, thick grout that looked dirty no matter how much bleach was used: 

tile changes between kitchen and breakfast room

chips in tile

Not grossed out yet? No problem. Take a gander under the drop-in cooktop. We had to take it apart and fix some burners just to use it. 

cooktop grime

Same with all the appliances. The refrigerator melted the ice and froze the fruits and veggies. The oven door was so filthy it didn't even shut. The sink had never been caulked and sealed, so when we turned the disposal on the sink shook violently. Some of the kitchen knobs were stuck onto the drawers only by the paint, no screws, so they came off in your hand. 

inside drawers

The kitchen drawers; I promise that is as clean as I could get them. By now you get the idea. As an interior designer who loves to entertain I dreamt of a remodel. I planned, researched, saved my pennies and collected ideas on my Pinterest Board, just waiting for the day we could pull it off.  

        WELL...WE PULLED IT OFF

Lighting isn't the best and I took these with my cell phone. I'll be sharing much more in upcoming posts, as I share what materials I selected and some DIY's. But I was just so excited to finally show you what McGyver and I have been up to. We were literally putting finishing touches Thanksgiving Day and had guests for dinner. A huge accomplishment and it felt so good and rewarding.

STILL WATERS

STILL WATERS 6x6 oil on board

I reworked and renamed this one.  Not a huge difference, but wanted to add more texture with a palette knife.  Adding two size prints of STILL WATERS to my Etsy Shop in a 5x5 and 8x8.  

Since moving to the desert we have managed to kill numerous plants and flowers. I somehow anticipate the garden nurseries will plaster our faces on a warning poster stating THEY KILL FLOWERS.  I'm learning the hard way that containers work better than planting in the ground.  I just love having vases of flowers from my garden, but that is tough as it doesn't rain and the heat scorches my favorites.  So last year I tried a pot of succulents and when they didn't die I added another and then another.  So far so good. So a couple months ago we added more containers and filled them with more succulents. Still don't really know what I'm doing, but hoping I won't end up with a bunch of empty pots. Advise anyone?

Every chance I get I pick up a few beach stones to add to my courtyard. Adds a bit of interest I think..looks better than dirt, yes?

WINDOW IN BURANO

I have absolutely fallen in love with Burano, Italy.  The houses, shutters and doors are all brightly painted.  I already have a longtime love of windows and doors.  Flowers on the sill or a flower boxes make hearts float out of my eyes.  Yup, it's true.  I get on Google Maps sometimes just to "walk the streets" and tour cities around the world. Burano is one of my all time favorite stops.  

I decided to paint a window for my home and place it in my hanging easel.  I bought two easels years ago at market to use in a Decorator Show House.  I wish I had purchased dozens of these easels because the room I designed ended up on the front cover of Better Homes and Gardens Window and Walls and a book (here's a Before and After post about that cottage dining room here). I had way too many calls and emails wanting those easels.  Problem is they were no longer for sale and I sold the other one to a client.  

Speaking of chandeliers (huh?) I sure wish I had the chandelier I used in that Cottage Dining Room.  It was a bazillion dollars back then and sure it would be two bazillion now.

Before the holidays we invited four couples to dinner and our small dining room got swallowed up when we put the extensions in the table. We would have to walk outside and around the house to come in another door to get to the other side of the table. We tried moving the table into the much larger, unused living room.  As soon as we did, it was such a Eureka moment.  We thought, "Why not keep it this way, we're the boss of us?"  So we did.  We lit lots of candles for that dinner, but we are planning another event this week and decided we need a chandelier.  Went about researching something large enough to light a large room and cheap enough to take back down if we ever sell the house and have to turn it into a living room again.  I was not happy with the prices or the timeframe to order one.  So two weekends ago we set out to find something local, cheap and in stock.  I prayed beforehand for a great find, as God knows I can be a tad bit, how should I say, PICKY.  After hitting all the big box stores we decided to check out Urban Barn, a huge flea market shop/antique, um...barn in Escondido.  That can take about two+ hours so I went in hopeful.  Tim and I split up to divide and conquer.  We met up a couple times and Tim mentioned he saw a chandelier way in the back area but too much stuff barricaded him from getting a good look.  He tried to take me to this back area but were told it was off bounds.  Not finding much, we purchased a birdcage and wine holder and as we were checking out the owner asked if we found what we came for.  Ha, next thing we knew we were the proud owners of this big baby.  Cost?  $35.  Yes way!!!

It's not the one from the show house, but looks and feels very Restoration Hardwareish and works just fine for $35, don't ya think?  Oh, and here's our newly converted "sitting room".  It's my favorite place to sit in the morning and plan my day.  Okay, that scary striped thing is a coverlet and I'm usually under it. 

HOUSE AND HOME; BACK PATIO SNEAKY PEAK

Our efforts these days have been focused on our back patio and I'd hoped to be be further along by now.  Between us only working nights and weekends (extra careful not to do noisy construction "after hours") and now Mini MyGyver is sick in bed and I'm just way too excited to wait one minute longer.  Quicky shot.  I'll do another post later showing the painful Before part.  It's coming together and can't wait to have it filled with friends and family.  

This sectional is from Eurolux Patio right here in the San Diego area.  Picky Paula couldn't be more pleased with the construction, options, price, in stock pieces and customer service.  Believe me, I did the research!  We can easily move these pieces around for different seating options.  Sorry, I'm in my interior design mode again. 
   
Doesn't my Patchwork Landscape look awesome out there?   It's not technically an outdoor piece, but can't say it won't appear for a special occasion. 

Patchwork Landscape by Paula Prass

I spent the last couple days studying how to keep up with the latest gadgets on the web.  One long day just to add Pin It buttons to my images.  I'm a huge Pinterest gal but have yet to link to my boards.  I also over studied Google+ and after too many hours of uncertainty I blindly made the leap.  Hope against hope, I pray there was a benefit to that time wasted, er; spent.   

Any info or advise on how to make Google+ work best for an artist/designer I'd surely be interested.  Might not sound like a big day to you, but my brain is about to explore in HTML jargon.  Gotta love blogs with step-by-steps though.  I read all 237 of them.  Gotta go recover on the patio right now!  

EXTRA HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

It all started with this lampshade.  We were in Target and Tim walked up to me holding this lampshade, knowing I would love it.  I stopped dead in my tracks and when he told me it was marked down to $5.98 I instantly had to design a space to put this.  I stood right there in the isle and redid the guest bedroom in my head.  We snatched up another matching shade and two bases.  Total for each lamp- $26.00!  I picked out a paint color (Sherwin Williams 6702 Lively Yellow) and found multi-striped sheets on a sales rack for $12.99.  I almost hate revealing my cheap sheets, but these were so absolutely perfect and they feel as good as the expensive ones.  I don't want to sound like I'm going all cheap on my guests so let's just keep this between us, okay?   I got the wicker table for $25 and sprayed it white.  The green pillows are Jonathan Adler for JCP and I framed one of my own paintings.  I will do more as time allows, especially with fabrics.  I am so thrilled with how effortlessly and inexpensively the makeover was falling into place.  Normally I hold High Mass over any and all creative decisions so this was a nice surprise.      

I remembered we had two chairs in storage that came from Tim's family.  I decided to paint one and I must admit, it was a bigger task than I wanted to tackle.  First I scrubbed it clean, then de-glossed it thoroughly before painting.  

It has been in the 100+ temperatures here, so I tried working indoors but paint splattered to and fro, so outside I went.  It took five coats in some areas.  I chose to not spray paint because there was just too much blank space.  I destroyed several brushes.  This one took on a personality of it's own.  I named him Guy.

  

The chair is finished and I made a new seat cushion and pillow from some of my Botanika fabrics.  Just in time for my daughter who arrives tonight with the kiddos.  It has been way too long since we've been together and I'm kinda giddy.  Hope it's comfy cozy for her.  

Have a wonderful holiday weekend filled with friends and family and thankful hearts for the freedom and independence we so richly enjoy.   

LIVING ROOM IS LIVABLE

While these are in no way Before and After photos, I took a few pics of the progress on the ole fixer-upper/ humble abode.  After we moved to San Diego I came across an antique french chair and sofa at a consignment store.  Before photos here.   I painted them a fresh white and had them reupholstered.  Just got the sofa back and I'm in love!!!!  I placed it right in front of the new floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves my MacGyver made from Ikea Billy bookcases (and some chewing gum and a couple coat hangers...you know how he is)!

I found that adorable orange side table at HomeGoods for less than $100.   I had a death grip on that puppy.

 Here's my two newest paintings.  The large one is called Spring Rain and the the smaller one on the bookshelf is from my last post.  It just hit me that my last two paintings are about rain; something I rarely see these days.  Hmmm?  On another note, do you say bookshelves or bookcases?  I flip back and forth.

Now it's time to make the pillows.  But no surprise that I've got three big projects going on so it'll be awhile before I am done.  Got my stack of potential fabrics and the start to this quiltie pillow.

So there you have it; another peek into a corner of my world.  Thanks for stopping by.  And as we said in Nashville, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"

STAIRWELL BEFORE + AFTER

We have had house guests almost solid since Christmas Day.  So much so that the people in my art class are convinced we are really running a Bed and Breakfast here.  One set of house guests left last Thursday and the next guests arrive this Thursday.  Instead of relaxing this past weekend we tackled a project that has made such a huge difference I thought you might enjoy the results.   

We bought this two-story with an ODD landing on the stairs.  It's something like a plant shelf, but it's a whopping 34" deep by 7 feet long of useless space.   One of the neighbors has a full size carousel horse sitting on hers, it's that spacious!  I prefer function, especially when space and storage are at a premium.  That ledge is too high up to store things and the deep inset on the bottom half is actually a nonfunctioning area on the exterior of the house.  Unable to change the construction (remember HOA?)  I just needed to at least not hate it so much.  I am still not sure what I will put up there...maybe a mattress and dresser for my new Bed and Breakfast.  This is a photo taken before we moved in that clearly looks like one of those typical sad "before" photos.   It's all I could find that showed the $19.99 original light fixture.  Besides, when I told Mini Mcgyver my thoughts he had the ladder out in 2.2, more excited than I was to make the change.

LANDING AFTER

I found a new chandelier that is perfect for a stairwell as it doesn't have glass to keep clean, plus it's easier to dust and change the bulbs.  I think it was from Lowes; but maybe Home Depot.  I'll keep my eyes open for some tall vases in my colors and a variety of shapes and sizes.  Maybe I'll take up sculpturing because I know I'd have a place to display my work.  Wait; maybe even a mattress and dresser for my new Bed and Breakfast.  

Things were very "masgusting" when we took possession (my grandsons baby word that I never want to forget).  We were forced to pull up the carpet on the first floor and stairs when we discovered the previous owners furniture covered many of these stains and after a couple cleanings this is what it looked like.  I know I'm grossing you out but you can imagine how embarrassed I was to let anyone in the door or live like this.  We decided to remove the old tile in the entry and the process was quite messy but I like even flow throughout.

MASGUSTING CARPET

TEARING OUT THE TILE

Everything has a fresh coat of paint, new woodwork and trim.  What remains is how I will finish the handrails and newel posts; probably paint them black with white balusters like I did in our last house.  My dream would be to switch out the wood balusters for wrought iron, but that might be way down the remodeling road.  Right now I'm dreading stripping all the heavily slathered latex paint, but already stripped the newels and love the feel of my hands not sticking anymore. 
   

Here is the entry looking from the stairs, the hallway to the garage and another good after photo of the after.  I used leftover Flor carpet tiles to make custom rugs.  The painting in the entry is something I started and just hung it up unfinished until I can get back to it.  There's a sneak peak of the bookcases that will be another reveal.  My brilliant ideas combined with Tim's construction abilities, elbow grease and enthusiasm have proved once again that we are still a dynamic duo.  While I am keenly aware of resale I'm not concerned at all about the bold stripes since the whole area would take less than a quart of paint to change.  If by any chance you are holding back from going bold on a feature wall let me assure you this is the safest, least expensive move to make.  Tell me your thoughts. 

HAPPY AND GRUMPY ARE MY FRIENDS

Okay, now that the new floors are down in the living and family rooms I am getting excited about moving towards some designing.  Here is what I've come up with for the family room.  I must tell you that we found the area rug last weekend at Home Goods.  However there was another couple already expressing interest in it.  They walked off (probably because we were hovering) and my bad self wanted to snatch it up, but my gooder self won over and we waited to see what they would do.  They bought it.  I was quite disappointed, esp. after checking the rug out online.  Well, my awesome husband had to drive up to LA on business this week and on his way back he stopped at 4 Home Goods stores and finally found another rug.  I know, please don't hate me.  He did that totally on his own, he's that kind of guy.  The best thing is that it's an indoor/outdoor rug, yet doesn't look or feel outdoorish at all. No wait, THE BEST THING is that it was $100 less than the websites were charging for the same rug.  Happy dance.

When Jennifer and the kiddos were here for Spring Break last month we had an art day together.  I started this painting of Tim, Wyatt and Amelia at the beach, but that's as far as I got.  I see that it might just have a promising future in the family room and am excited to finish it along with some seascapes.  I confess I am one that likes my art to match the sofa.  Shocker, huh?

My need for nesting is taking a front seat lately.  That's a good sign that I might be getting back to my old self.  Finally not obsessing about the exterior paint colors so much.  Ask me why.   Okay, because our next door neighbors are having their house re-stuccoed, painted and tile roof removed, repaired and replaced.  Why should that matter?  Well, we recently spent a weekend cleaning up our courtyard of the piles of crap the prior owners left us.  After hauling away broken pots, dead plants, etc. we washed the windows, bought new planters and flowers and by Sunday eve celebrated our accomplishments.   Seriously, the very next day the workers set up shop in our courtyard.  Because we are all on top of each other here my courtyard became a staging area for roof tiles, scaffolding and equipment.  What we have right now is trampled ground covers, a couple broken things and layers upon layers of sand, grit and overspray.  Just when I thought to sneak a photo from the living room of all the chaos and people, they had just removed the large scaffolding and tarps off my greenery.  You can't see much through my filthy windows and narrow view but there are 6 very boisterous people and loud machinery all in my tiny courtyard. CRAZY.  It's no one's fault and I'm happy to have neighbors fixing up, just can't wait until I can reclaim my space and privacy.   I sound old and grumpy today...I AM, okay?!

Finally, I wanted to thank you all for your great comments on my last post.  I got a few interesting suggestions, in fact, here is one from Funky Kim.  It makes me smile, but don't think the neighbors would have the same reaction.

NICE WHAT?

 We clearly bought the house with the worst garage door in the neighborhood; maybe even Southern California.  The paint was a cross between Pepto Bismol and Calamine lotion (both bring up very unpleasant memories) with touch-ups done in a purpley mauve.  We didn't want a new metal door on our Spanish style home, but didn't want to pay for what we really liked.  So I studied garage doors until I came up with a desirable design and color.  Our neighbors thought we were crazy as they watched us working on it every weekend for the last month.  "If it were me I'd just buy a new metal garage door", which is what they did and probably had it installed the same day.  We finally just put the finishing touches on the new door over the weekend and I'm a little "house proud" right now.  

GARAGE DOOR BEFORE

CLOSEUP

GARAGE DOOR AFTER

When one of Tim's work buddies saw the new doors he simply said, "Nice knockers".

JANUARY 12 in TWELVE TUTORIAL

This last year sure has been a real doozy on my end.  It kinda feels like I was broadsided by a freight train and next thing I knew I was dropped off on the other side of the country.  By Thanksgiving I simply ran out of steam.  I kept getting sick so I made a tough decision to step back and get through the holidays without all the usual deadlines looming over me.  

Alas; new year, new beginning, new projects!  I'm not only back but I come with 12 awesome tutorials for you in 2012.  One project for each month.   
  

Before we get started I know you know that it is already February so I'm late right out of the gate.  Since moving I am having some crashing issues with Photoshop and Illustrator, seriously limiting my productivity.  Trust me, I was working on this in January.  

As you know, we own another fixer upper so I don't need to go far to find projects.  Every room needs a face lift, and as an interior designer I look forward to sharing creative ways to get that high-end look on an affordable budget.  

I was over-the-top excited that Jennifer, Joe and the kids were coming here for Christmas.  I decided to do a quick and inexpensive makeover in time for Christmas dinner.  As you have already learned from my past Before and Afters, my husband starts tearing out while I'm still making the To Do List.  This was no exception and before I found the camera those sconces were in the trash.  I found this Before image taken prior to possession.  

STRIPED WINDOW TREATMENTS

BEFORE 

Notice the $4.99 sconces on either side of the windows?  Take a closer look here.

BAD REPAIR JOB

We remain baffled as to why anyone needed to move those beauties down 5".  Repositioning the junction box and fixtures was definitely a DIY job gone wrong.   I decided to cover the whole bad mess with horizontal striped window treatments and a fresh coat of paint.  

AFTER

The idea for these came about while I was wandering around Ikea with this wonderful $19.99 throw under my arm, which is maybe my best find from Ikea so far. 

I noticed these Ritva curtain panels for $34.99 a pair.  They are heavy cotton but look like linen and they come in various colors.  I placed the white, which is more like a creamy white next to the yummy gray and instantly witnessed a marriage made in heaven.  So I bought one pair of each.  These are not lined but that didn't matter to me since they were hanging against the wall.  

The other plus with ready made curtains is that they are finished at the top.  These have hidden loops on the back to slide a rod through.   I must admit that I have never purchased ready made curtains, but since I snatched these I have noticed some incredible bargains out there.  Look around at Marshall's, Target, Pier One, World Market, etc. and I bet you can make these for less than my $70 find.

MATERIALS LIST:

2 pairs of curtains in different colors
Measuring tape
Straight edge ruler or yard stick
Scissors
Sewing machine
2 colors of thread to coordinate with curtains
Seam ripper

So here is the process used to measure and cut the stripes.  First, determine the desired finished length.  Mine was 94 1/2".  I wanted seven stripes so 94 1/2" divided by 7 is 13 1/2" per stripe once they are all sewn together.  I made this chart as my guide and I suggest you do the same for your curtains. 

NOTE: Because the very top panel is already sewn and finished you only need one 1/2" seam for the bottom of this stripe.   The last stripe at the bottom will be much longer to include the hem.

I suggest using a seam ripper to undo the side hems before cutting the stripes.  I didn't do that, but instead, I undid each seam as needed and just wonder if that took longer.  Hmm.  Then cut the alternating color stripes.  Straight cuts are a must.  Starting at the top, pin the first two stripes, right sides together.  Sew a 1/2" seam.  Wait until after all the stripes are sewn together before pressing seams open and doing this cool finishing touch (below).  It makes all the difference in giving your curtains a great finishing touch.

PRESS and FINISH

Once all the stripes are sewn together press each seam open.  Then fold and press each long side of the seams under 1/4".
   
Sew both sides with the coordinating threads.  Then refold the side hems.  Sew and press.   

BACK OF FABRIC

I found short metal curtain rods at Lowe's.  They were cheaper than one's at Target; about $10 each and included the hardware for hanging.  The Ikea curtains came with double sided iron-on adhesive for the hem, but machine or hand sewn hems are fine.  

I love the way these turned out.  They look custom.  Wait.  They ARE!  And there is plenty of leftover fabric that will probably pop up in future tutorials.  

Hey, let me know what you think.