In which I sell a lot of stuff

This was the state of things at The Works as of Friday morning.  We've had some really unwanted critters visitors for the last couple of months and, after trying a few different approaches, I had to call in the big guns.  This decision, required me to unload the entire contents of my kitchen cabinets to other areas of the apartment.

Yes, I have a chalkboard wall in my kitchen and, yes, I writ out the week's menu on it.  It helps me plan how we're going to use the week's CSA delivery (and tells The Man what's off limits in the fridge!).

Everything was cleaned, purged and reorganized before being put away just in time for the folks' visit on Saturday night.  

What does this all mean to you?  Well, it means that the contents of what I affectionately call The Prop Closet, will soon be for sale on etsy.  Over half of my collection of vintage plates and glassware is going to be up for grabs.  Stay tuned.

Before & After

Once upon a time, on the Upper, Upper West Side of Manhattan (112th Street, to be exact), I found a chair on the street.  She was a lovely chair.  I painted her green and put her just inside the door to my new sublet so I'd have a place to leave my purse when I came home.

Eight years, five apartments and two paint-jobs later, the poor thing needed to retire.  Someone sat on her last month and she literally collapsed underneath them, much to my humiliation!  Sorry chair, you had a good run, but it's time to go.

Enter the bench.  

I've been thinking about a bench for this space for a few months.  I liked the idea of having a bench for extra seating; two people can sit on him, instead of only one, like my chair.  Also, I thought a bench would look great under my sewing table - something to echo the simple rectangular shape of the the design.  I knew exactly what I wanted, but couldn't find anything in traditional stores (Target, etc.) so I began to scour craigslist.  It took me a while, but I finally got the bench of my dreams from a very nice lady in Midtown who was moving and selling a bunch of stuff.  $40 - not free, but I would hesitate to pick up something upholstered off the street.  I'm not shy about garbage picking, as evidenced here, but I draw the line at fabric/upholstery.  Why, I couldn't tell you.  I just do, okay?

Four coats of paint (yes, really) and a $6 yard of fabric later and I have this:

Ta DAA!  

Not bad, right?  I'm so happy with the result!  The white paint-job really accentuates the shape of the bench and how perfectly it echos my West Elm Parsons desk.  I recently painted that wall Benjamin Moore's Labrador Blue and now everything pops against the color.  I love that I can access the drawers of my desk without having to pull out the chair, which is a bonus I didn't even think about.

Ugh, this shot isn't white-balanced but I wanted to give you a close up.  The blue of the fabric is actually more a teal but it looks very similar to the wall color in the picture.  It's not that match-y in real life.

And here's a wide shot of my office/sewing nook.  I bought that rail and hanging cups from Ikea and it's changed my life.  I love having things (scissors, Sharpies, etc.) out and easy to access but this keeps them up and out of the way - the best of both worlds.

Stay tuned for more Before & After action - coming soon!!

Wants and Desires

In my last post I discussed my philosophy for decorating a new apartment.  I explained how 6 months is an adequate waiting period to decide whether you love something or hate it, where to hang art or place a book shelf.  Well, I hit the 6 month period last month and I decided it was time to paint!

Originally my living room was this color:

Benjamin Moore's Poolside Blue.  I chose to make a bold color choice and, well, I chose poorly.  So, it was time to repaint.  

I really love me some teal/aqua; it brings me to my happy place.  Following that logic, I simply moved two steps down on the color watch.  I still wanted the room to feel like it had a distinct color profile, but I wanted it to be much more subtle.  What I decided on was this:

Benjamin Moore's Jamaican Aqua.  Let me tell you, it is the most amazing color in the world!!!  It made the room feel instantly bigger and it makes all of my dark/vintage furniture seem sophisticated, instead of kitsch-y.  It also allows the curtains that I adore to really shine and doesn't compete so much with my area rug.  (Before and after pictures to come soon; I'm still sorting out this no camera problem.)

Now that the room is painted, I'm feeling the itch to add the finishing touches.  I need side tables and lamps, mostly.  Here's what I'm lusting after.

A classic/modern side table in white to keep things airy and light.  They were on sale last week and I'm kicking myself for not buying one!

From Jonathan Adler (I have a Thing for JA), this lamp costs as much as the table (!), but would nicely compliment the oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod I recently hung.

I want the room to feel balanced, but not match-y, so I'd like this table for the other side of the couch.  You also can't really see that side from most vantage points (it's in the corner) so the table can be more utilitarian.

This lamp to go in the corner, to balance out the room.  It's also bronze, but a different shape, so it "goes", but doesn't "match".

P.S.  I'm hoping that I can find some less expensive sources for lamps.  Why are lamps so expensive?

P.P.S  You guys were no help on the alarm clock tip!  Sheesh!  I've resorted to using my phone, which I don't really like.  I have a strict no electronics in the bedroom rule.  Am I the only one with a rule like that?

In which I have a dilemma

I have an ideology when it comes to settling into a new place.  It's not exactly revolutionary, but it's my theory, nonetheless, and in the last week, it's been relatively hard-won.  

There are some things that you have to do in a new apartment right away - arrange the furniture, clean the bathroom, organize the kitchen - so that you feel at home.  It is then that you realize that there are a lot of items (those old Pottery Barn side tables, that desk chair you found on the street) that don't really fit into your new place.  You make do the best you can because, hey, moving is expensive, and while you may want to replace that chair or buy new side tables, you can really afford it right away.  Also, decisions like that may take kindly to a little contemplation.

Then there are some decisions you make after living with the space for a little  while.  Six months is a good amount of time to figure out where to put your favorite photos or if you need a garbage can that goes under the sink.

When I moved into my new place I felt a compulsion to do Everything right away.  I had to have the walls painted and pictures hung immediately.  After hitting the 6 month mark this month, I realized that there were some decisions that I may have rushed and some that I'm  finally ready to pull the trigger on.  I'll have more of that later.

For now, I have this:  My Alarm Clock Dilemma

This is my old alarm clock.  It's perfectly nice.  It has a radio and a digital display.  It has an (indulgent) 10 minute snooze button.  It also has an unsightly cord and a very large footprint that is taking up valuable real estate on my bedside table.

This is my new alarm clock.  It's the perfect size and the right color.  (See, it picks up these little orange accents on my new duvet cover!)  What it does not have is a snooze button or a light up digital display.  For some reason, someone wants to be able to see what time it is from the other side of the bed.  Sheesh!  And, well, I do love my snooze button.

I'm considering returning it, but I'm not sure.  Something so simple as an alarm clock shouldn't be this troubling, but I have quite a few requirements when it comes to The Perfect Clock.  I really would rather not settle for the beast that was taking up so much room before.

Can anyone recommend a relatively cheap, small, digital alarm clock that is also cute?  Please?

 

Spring is right around the corner

Can you feel it?

 

I bought daffodils last week and I was so happy that I did a little dance.  Seriously.  Is there anything I love more than Springtime flowers?  The blousy roses that bloom in Sunnyside during the summer are plain lovely, but nothing get my heart going pitter-patter like daffodils.  

The first sight of them at bodegas and in the tiny gardens in my neighborhood mean one thing, and one thing only:  Spring is coming.  You can feel it, that slight shift in temperature where 40 degrees suddenly feels warm and not cold.  Where the wind seems balmy and chilling.  Spring is coming.  It's daffodils first and then tulips and sweet, sweet hyacinth and then it's official.  Spring is in the air! 

The above photo was taken from bed with my iPhone.  Lord those flowers made me so happy all week! 

This is a better representation of my bedroom:

The moody gray walls and the mint-iness of the bedside table are all pretty accurate.  (The glass lamps are impossible to keep free of dust.  I look at it every night when I go to sleep.  "Goodnight dust!")

Oh dear.  So do you have any Springtime plans?  I for one cannot wait to start going on bike rides again.  Also on my list is a visit to The Cloisters, which is heavenly when the trees start to bloom and The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for the Cherry Blossom Festival!

Look What I Did!

I've had a bee in my bonnet about terrariums for some time now.  I even had a page bookmarked on my work computer and my boss was all, like, "What's with the terrariums?"  

I was all, like, "I just love them!"

I saw this little guy at one of my weekly visits to my secret, undisclosed thrift store.  He was so cute, but I honestly didn't need him, so I put him back and left empty-handed.  Then I saw this post and I thought, "Terrarium!" and I went back to the store after work and he was still there!  I was so excited!

Last weekend I set about getting everything I needed from the local Sunnyside florist and pet store and Home Depot.  Not in the picture is some moss (from the florist) and active charcoal (from the pet store).  I also painted the base of the cheese plate white.

I followed this tutorial kind of loosely because I had a really small container, but I'd seen shallow terrariums before, so I just went for it.  Of course it was adorable, but when I put the lid on, it totally squished my cute little plant.  Terrarium fail!

Surely I must have something else to put my plant in.  Some other container.   Yup.  Straight out of my Prop Closet (which I'll share with you someday).  Isn't it awesome?  I'm a little disturbed by the big pieces of perlite in the potting soil the plant came with.  I may change it later.

As for my little cheese plate, he got the moss treatment, which I actually kind of like.  I'm looking for some little toadstools on Esty to spruce him up a bit.

Not bad for my first attempt, but now I think I'm addicted.  Have you ever made a terrarium?  Was is a win or a fail?

I'm a terrible blogger

When I moved into my new place, I had grand plans to feature all kinds of DIY projects here on the blog.  I would document each before and after, each decision, each purchase.

Does anyone notice something missing here?  Yup.  A lot.  I have yet to really achieve these lofty goals.

I have no "before", but I can show you an "after".  Here it is:

I found these bedside tables on the street.  (I know a lot of you will cringe when you read this, what with the bedbug scare and whatnot.  I know.  But I'm a garbage picker, always have been and always will be.)  These were pretty grimy and beat up when I rescued them, but I could see their potential right away.  

I considered refinishing them and staining them, but my bedroom was looking a little dark and masculine with dark walls and a dark wood dresser already, so I went with paint.  I also was torn between a seafoam green or just white, so I picked something in between.  It's Mint Fizz from Behr.  In this picture, it's a little hard to see.  It's very, very subtle, but I like it.

See those handles?  I don't know why they're crooked.  The holes in the drawer seem straight and the other hardware didn't look crooked, but these are.  No idea.

I also decided to pull out all the stops and line the drawers.  I went a little overboard at Papermojo.com in December and used one of the beautiful papers I bought to line the drawer.  Just a little double stick tape on the bottom and it's a world of difference.

Full disclosure on the bedroom as soon as the headboard is built!