Farewell Summer!

Well, it's been about two months since I've posted about my decorating adventures... and let me just say, I've had quite a few decorating adventures!  This post is coming a little late, but it took a while for me to decide what I wanted to do with my treasures from my vacation!  

I went to the Outer Banks for vacation this year!  I filled an empty wine bottle with sand from the beach.  I also found a piece of wood on the beach as well as a black rock and TONS of beautiful shells! 

Using Mod Podge, I  covered the wine bottle labels with scrapbook paper.  I used a sharpie pen to write "OBX 2012" on a shell that I found on the beach.  I slipped the shells on a ribbon and simply tied a boh! Very quick and easy!  This was another very inexpensive project!  The ribbon, scrapbook paper, and Mod Podge are all leftovers from other projects.  The wine bottle was really my only expense.  The sand and shells were free!  This is by far my favorite souvenir!

 Hope you enjoy!!!

Refinished Dresser!

I'm super excited about this post!  I love refinishing furniture and I happened to stumble upon a piece that fit perfectly in my bedroom! 

Here's a before picture of the dresser that I found!  I really loved the color, it worked perfect in my bedroom... however, it definitely need a fresher-upper!

After sanding and painting, this was my final product! It's almost the exact same color!

I had to add the perfect details!  I found adorable vintage perfume bottles at Ikea (only $14.99), white picture frames (only $4.00 from the "dent and damaged section of Ikea), my jewelry box (from a previous post), and fresh picked hydrangeas!

That's not all!  I also added new door knobs.  One of the old handles was broken and the other was missing.  These great little finds were only 50 cents at Micheal's!

Of course, I had to make the inside pretty too! I found scented paper to line the drawers at Marshall's for $6.99!

I loved this project!  It definitely took some hard work and time,but it turned out gorgeous!  The total cost of this project: Roughly $30 for the accessories, $10 for paint supplies, $20 for paint, $0 for the dresser itself!  $60 isn't too bad for a dresser... and accessories!

Falling into place...

In my last post I talked about finding inspiration through art work.  Here's the clip that I'm going to refer back today:

"Intrigued by the brush strokes, I was reminded that it's the littlest details that matter most.  Each stroke coming together to create a larger concept.  Focusing on the subjects, whether it be a person, flower, or landscape, reminded me that there is beauty in everything.  However, in order to see the beauty, sometimes you must step back and appreciate things from a distance.  The colors began to speak to my emotions, feeling calm and patient at one painting, while feeling sad and lonely at another.  The intensity of the colors not only allowed me to embrace my emotions but reminded of the correlation between color, emotions, and atmosphere."

So where does that leave me with decorating my apartment?!  Well, I've combined a few of my budget friendly purchases and budget friendly projects to bring my living room together.  It still has a long way to go, but I am finally seeing it come together, detail by detail. So, Finally! Here are the photos of my living room area...

As I mentioned with the paintings, it's the little details that add up to create that larger concept.  Once I put the "details" in the right place, I took a step back and enjoyed everything as a whole.

After seeing everything as a whole, I felt confident in my color choice; blues and browns.  I enjoy the atmosphere that it creates.

 I've combined one shopping trip and two projects to create my living room so far!  Here are the posts if you would like to take another look!

Budget Shopping @ West Elm!

Glass Jar Make-Over!

&

My First Project!

Inspiration

Inspiration is key when trying to create anything.  I found that I lost inspiration for about a month.  I felt overwhelmed and unsure of what I was trying to accomplish.  I began to feel that my color palette was dull and redundant.  It didn't help that my apartment complex had a plumbing meltdown (it's hard to feel inspired when your home is flooded).  I knew I needed to recharge my creative batteries and where better than an art museum to do so!  I took a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art.  As I observed the paintings and sculpture, I was instantly in-tune with my inner artist.  I studied the paintings; the brush strokes, the subjects, the colors.  I am always amazed at how intense a painting can be when you see it in person.  Intrigued by the brush strokes, I was reminded that it's the littlest details that matter most.  Each stroke coming together to create a larger concept.  Focusing on the subjects, whether it be a person, flower, or landscape, reminded me that there is beauty in everything.  However, in order to see the beauty, sometimes you must step back and appreciate things from a distance.  The colors began to speak to my emotions, feeling calm and patient at one painting, while feeling sad and lonely at another.  The intensity of the colors not only allowed me to embrace my emotions but reminded of the correlation between color, emotions, and atmosphere.  Instead of posting about a project today, I decided to introduce you to my inspiration.

Monet

Charing Cross Bridge (Reflection of the Thames).

 Pissaro

Strollers on a Country Road.

Matisse

Young Woman at the Window, Sunset.

Couture 

Woman in Profile.

Picasso

Mother and Child

Degas

Little Dancer.

 Renoir

Child with a hoop.

These works of art are at the Baltimore Museum of Art!  Photographs do not give the artwork justice.  Seeing the pieces in person changes the whole experience.  As always, thank you for taking the time to read about my adventures!  Don't forget to tell me what you think!

 http://www.facebook.com/PinkPaisleys

Jewelry Box

This was by far the longest project yet!  I began working on this project a few months ago and I never really had the perfect pieces to put it all together.  Now that it's 100% complete, I'm glad I took my time!  I've wanted a jewelry box to store costume jewelry for some time, however, I didn't want the typical department store fancy wooden jewelry box.  I just happen to find a plain wooden box on sale at Micheal's (who would've guessed... I found something on sale at Micheal's?!) and that's where this adventure began!

To start, I painted the exterior of the box.  I stumbled across stationary that coordinates with my bedding.  Using a little ribbon and Mod Podge, I secured the decorative paper. My jewelry box sat like this for a few months.

Until... I found a mirror to place on the inside lid!  Using scrapbook paper, I created a background for the mirror and added a little ribbon for a delicate touch!  Once again, my jewelry box sat for a few more months.

For the longest time, I wasn't sure how to put the finishing touches on the inside of my jewelry box.  I contemplated using fabric verses paper to cover the bottom.  I also wasn't sure if I wanted to cover the sides or just the bottom with fabric.  I finally decided to cover just the bottom with fabric and paint the sides.  I used a mixture of Elmer's glue and water to secure the fabric to the bottom of the jewelry box. Once it was dry, my jewelry box was FINALLY complete (after about 6 months)!

As I stated earlier, I am very pleased with the way this project turned out.  My ideas changed over time, for example, intentionally I didn't plan on putting a mirror on the inside of the jewelry box.  It wasn't until a mirror popped out of an eye shadow compact that I got the idea!  The same went for the fabric on the bottom of the box.  I was in search of fabric for a while and it wasn't until I ruined a tee shirt when I finally locked into the idea.  I used the old tee shirt to cover the bottom of the jewelry box.  When I purchased the box it was on sale for 49 cents.  I also purchased the stationary used on the top of the lid.  All of the other supplies were from other projects or recycled.

Don't forget to follow the Pink Paisleys Facebook page! 

http://www.facebook.com/PinkPaisleys

Wall Decor

Wall Decor has been one of the biggest challenges for me.  It took me a while to find projects, complete them, and then... find the perfect place to hang them!  I finally finished both projects and found the perfect spot for them!

First Project: Key Ring Holder

I found this key ring holder at Micheal's.  I liked the little shelf and the simplicity of the details.  I painted the wooden template to coordinate with the colors in the foyer.  The small frames (which still need photographs) were also purchased from Micheal's.  This was a very basic project, but it's the little details that are really starting to pull my apartment together!  The key ring holder cost under $5 and the frames were $1 each.  Another budget friendly project complete! :)

Second Project: Framed Patterns

This idea came from a project I found on Pinterest!  In the Pinterest project they used wallpaper and fabric with large vintage frames.  Before I invested too much, I wanted to try this project on a small scale.  I purchased three small wooden frames from Micheal's for $1 each and used old scrapbook paper.  First, I painted the frames. Second, I used Mod Podge to secure the scrapbook paper to a piece of cardboard and create and satin finish.  Once the paint and Mod Podge were dry, I assembled the frames and hung them!  Hardest part of this project: Where to hang the frames!

 I would like to take a second and say thanks to everyone who takes the time to read about my decorating adventures! I wanted to reach out to more people, SO! I've created a Facebook page for Pink Paisleys! Take a look & don't forget to LIKE us! :) Thank you!
http://www.facebook.com/PinkPaisleys 

Making a house a home (Or in my case, apartment!)

This project didn't turn out as planned!  My initial idea was to paint an inspirational quote on a canvas.  I started by painting my canvas green.  While I was cleaning my paint brush, my cat decided to walk across the wet canvas!  Her paw prints were too cute to paint over.  I let the "ruined" painting dry and tried to think of a new direction for my project that would include Olivia's prints.  Tonight I decided to add my own hand prints and "Welcome to our home."  It turned out much better than I expected.  I cannot wait for it to dry so that I can hang it in the hallway!

This was another great project that only cost about $6!  My canvas was only $5... It was purchased at Micheal's during a 50% off canvas promotion.  The paint was 50 cents (each color)!  Even though the project took an unexpected turn, it was still less expensive than purchasing a welcome sign from Walmart or Target... And ours is truly one of a kind!