A Literal Cork Board

It's probably not the first time I've seen this nor the first time you've seen this but for some reason I always get wowed when I see it. It's a cork board, literally. A board full of corks, wine corks. I have to admit that after having seen one done so beautifully it makes me want to create my own, but that would be a lot of wine to drink. But if you've got a collection of corks already saved here's a fun project you can seriously think about doing.

Chalkboard Wall In The Home

A chalkboard wall is something I've always wanted in my home, a little piece of old school to make my home unique, fun and welcoming. There are plenty of great places to put a chalkboard wall, your kid's room of course is on top of the list, but for me the chalkboard wall took place in the kitchen. A bare awkward wall was painted over with a few coats of chalkboard paint (purchased at Home Depot) and in a few days I had a chalkboard wall to write my shopping list, reminders, planned menus, notes and such. I absolutely love it! And I'm sure my son, when he is old enough, will love it too.

Was it hard to paint the chalkboard wall? No, not really but it does take more than splashing it on the wall. Chalkboard paint is sold at Home Depot, I merely picked the chalkboard paint and brought it home. Here's a few helpful tips I've learned while painting the chalkboard wall...

1. If you want a smooth surface chalkboard wall you'll need to pick a wall with a smooth surface. Unsurprisingly the chalkboard paint will not smooth out any bumps for you. My kitchen wall has a slightly bumpy texture so naturally the final result came out well, a little bumpy. This can be seen more so when written on, it's not all too bad but still, if I was to do it over again I'd probably do it on a smooth wall.

2. When the directions say "sand the wall", SAND THE WALL! Especially if you have a glossy finished wall you are planning to paint over.

3. Don't be afraid to do more than two coats just remember to wait the specified amount of time to let it dry before painting your additional coats. I did three coats.

4. Purchase the appropriate roller! A roller specifically for a smooth finish is what you're going to need to get this done right. I bought a couple of rollers and used a new roller for each coat that I did, just in case. The chalkboard paint specified which roller I would need- this made it loads easier!

5. Don't freak out if you've found that your chalkboard paint has bled just a little bit past your taped off edges, you can always do a trim or a molding around the chalkboard which will probably only make it that much more beautiful.

6. Slowly and carefully remove your tape from the taped off edges. The chalkboard paint I used is latex so when it dried and hardened I was careful to remove the tape off the edges as I was afraid it would peel or lift the paint off the wall.

7. The type of chalkboard eraser you use is a factor. What? I know right! I thought all erasers were made equal, apparently not, just ask a fellow teacher. I'm not too sure if I got a good chalkboard eraser but it was reviewed pretty highly on amazon compared to all the others.

The vintage wall-clock for less

Often times I'll see an object of desire, they often happen to be  vintage items and unfortunately these vintage items are more than just out of my price-range or simply priced at more than what I'm willing to spend on said item.

This particular situation just happened to be when I saw a vintage schoolroom-style clock at West Elm Market called the Newgate Wall Clock - Brixton, priced at a whopping $135.00 (pictured right below). Boy it would be nice if I could get myself to spend over a $100 on a wall clock! The simplicity and retro feel of the clock had me hooked though, so it only meant one thing... it was time to hunt for a similar style wall clock at a more affordable price and fortunately for us, there's always a more affordable version to be found somewhere.

West Elm Market
NEWGATE WALL CLOCK - BRIXTON
$135.00

Material:  Metal base, glass face, in Chrome
Measurement: 15.75" diam x 4"h
Detail:  Tapered hands, gloss-finished casing eliminates potential glare

The two options I've found for a similar-styled wall clock were both found at Ikea.  The first and most similar to the WE Market Newgate Wall Clock - Brixton was the Ikea Pugg wall clock which is priced at $14.99!

Ikea
PUGG Wall Clock
$14.99

Material:  Stainless steel
Measurements:  12.5"diam

And while hunting for a similar clock at Ikea I came across another affordable gem that I thought worthy of mention, the Ikea Bravur Wall Clock which is priced at $49.99. Whilst the style of the Bravur has the same retro feel the key difference of this particular clock is the size, at 23.25" in diameter the Bravur is rather large giving the style of the wall clock a little bit of a twist to smile about. (You can also check out the dimension of the Bravur wall clock in image at the very top of this post).

Ikea
BRAVUR Wall Clock
$49.99

Material:  Stainless Steel, Anti-corrosive phosphate coating, Epoxy/polyester powder coating, glass
Measurements:  23.25"dia

Know This: Shaker-style cabinets

"The Shaker style is known for unadorned functionality and rooms that are arranged to feel clean and spacious."

-Per eHow

The Shaker-style cabinets are made from hardwoods, with recessed panels and no ornamentation on the front exuding a simple elegance. The Shaker-style features simplicity, utility and neatness with high-quality workmanship that exudes a modest look that is none-the-less charming. The emphasis of the Shaker-style is durability, this is one of the more important aspects of the style.

The floor plan of Shaker-style kitchen is ideally open and organized reflecting a style of simple living. Unnecessary appliances and decor is discouraged, once again this goes towards creating a clean and efficient kitchen. Any furniture should serve the purpose of the room without adding clutter. Plenty of storage space is important, as is having a place for each item.

Elle Moss for beautiful home wall art

The type of artwork you display in your home does wonders for the vibe your working to introduce into your space. Whether you are looking to hang photographs, paintings, prints and whether the style of the artwork is vintage, classic, romantic, edgy, hip and so on, finding the proper images to display is crucial to the overall look of a room, even the home as whole. But let's not allow the stress of finding the proper artwork rub the fun out of the hunt, let's begin by reminding ourselves that we can take our time as we do not have a specific deadline. And for starters, I can suggest beginning your hunt by taking a look at Elle Moss' photographs who's work is available at Etsy. Many of Moss' pieces are romantic while others vintage- there seems to be something beautiful and interesting for every type of person, take a look below for my top picks.

FOR THE ROMANTIC COLLECTOR

5x5 Specimin photograph, Butterfly speciminswhite orange yellow, $15

by Elle Moss, available at Etsy 

FOR THE ARTIST

Whimisical 5x7 Ansco Dream photograph, $15

by Elle Moss, available at Etsy 

FOR THE VINTAGE LOVER

Ttv Beach 8x8 nostalgic photograph, Umbrellas and Sand, $30

by Elle Moss, available at Etsy

Check out Elle Moss' blog

Spoonflower Wallpapers

Wallpapers are one of the most wonderful things , unfortunately it could be deal-breaker as well as a deal-maker.  Picking the right wallpaper for a room, an accent wall, whatever it may be doesn't have to be a hard task, Spoonflower makes this so with its endless amounts of wallpaper ranging from the cute ,to the classic, to the simple, to the modern, to the odd and... you get my drift.  Here are a few of my favorite picks from Spoonflower and a little note of where I'd use them and how.

THE WHITE RABBIT DRESSED AS... by Zephryus Books

BeauAbodes Top Pick for Nursery accent wall

RUFFLE SOME FEATHER (PEACOCK) by Leighr

BeauAbodes Top Pick for Hallway/Corridor with wood flooring

WATERCOLOR CHEVRON GRAY BLACK by Katarina

BeauAbodes Top Pick for Home Office accent wall

CESTLAVIV CHERRY CLAFOUTIS by C'est La Viv

BeauAbodes Top Pick for Kitchen with black accents

View more wallpapers & things @ Spoonflower

Hip & urban wall art

SAIL AWAY

The pop-artwork of Fluorescent Palace is the Andy Warhol of today. While Warhol was at one point busy using iconic objects of the time as subjects for his paintings, creating a rather fun and poppy way of construing messages, the works of Fluorescent Palace although not as heavy-handed with the messages have gone about a similar way in creating by the use of everyday scenes, objects and high-branded fashion.  Fluorescent Palace artwork is outright hip, edgy and urban resulting in a strong kind of sense in each piece that can either be used as an accessory or the focal point of any room.

RADIO CITY

TRANSMISSION CENTRAL

RED SEXY LIPS

UNICORN UNIVERSE

As read in Fluorescent Palace's 'About' page

Fluorescent Palace is a colorful pop-art series designed to fulfill the need for fresh and contemporary decor in homes, businesses, and various spaces.  Artist, Eric Haijar and Meredith Rose bring their creative vision to life with the desire to create edgy, sophisticated imagery that offers a fresh vibe and energy flow to each room.  Fluorescent Palace is a combination of film based photography and design elements, coupled together to create a bright, playfully refreshing take on contemporary decor.

View more artwork at Fluorescent Palace

Item of Note: Engine Room Wall Clock by Apt2b

Engine Room Wall Clock @ Apt2b, $35.00
15.5"across, 1.2"deep

This wall clock reminds me of the film "The Hudsucker Proxy" set in the 1950's, largely filmed in a towering building adorned with a large, old, gold clock (such as the one pictured above). The vintage-styled Engine Room Wall Clock detailed with actual moving gears gives a sense of invention and the old history of it, in the background imagination and dreams can be felt when you lie your eyes on this unique piece.

Urban Outfitters Home dept. - Decor that can make you smile

Here & There $24

Urban Outfitters is probably best known for their clothing but have you checked out their home section?!  Unbelievably cute products are sold at Urban Outfitters home section, and most everything will make you crack a smile.  Here are some of my top-pick from their current selection.

(Pictured above) for the whimsical and in-love is Leah Flores for Society6 Here & There art print.  I may not have had the spacial difference when I met my husband but this poster still makes me think about him, it reminds me that even with all the people I could have ended up with I still found him, the perfect one for me *sigh~.  That's nice.

(Pictured below) the Wasted Rita for Society6 The Art Of... print poster puts it to you straight, "The art of smile & nod when all you wanted was to punch them in the face."  Absolutely hilarious and probably a quote that most everyone can relate to.

The Art Of... $24

365 More Facts That Will Scare The S#*t Out Of You $14.99

My favorite from the current selection at urban Outfitters is the 365 More Facts That Will Scare The S#*t Out Of You by Cary McNeal.  A 2013 Daily calendar with tear out pages, each day with facts that... yes, will scare the S#*t out of you- not for the weary, hypochondriac or paranoid.  Would make an excellent gift as well.

View all other home items @ Urban Outfitters

Hallways standing their own ground

Hallways, also known as passages and corridors where one or more individuals may pass through to get from point A to point B.

I suppose it can be the fact that the hallway is not a room itself that allows it to be, for the majority of the time, over-looked.  Even so, there are many ways to decorate your hallways, passages and corridors so that it may shine on its own and as a result boost its confidence as well as your home's.

Let the eye be lead with frames

Dual usage:  A hallway library

Giving the classic-look a boost with an exaggerated feature

Lining it with useful but statement-making storage

Thinking outside the box

Pictures doing half the work

I am a picture person myself, and by pictures I don't mean putting family photographs up on the refrigerator, by pictures I mean framing, colors, astounding, eye-catching, something to accent the room in which the picture is placed, a picture to help set the area and the mood.

Being as penniless as I am I tend to buy pictures, painting or photographs that I really love and know will look great in my home, and being penniless as I am they tend to be frame-less, so then the next step I take is to frame them.  I found that the cheapest way of doing this is to buy everything yourself and do it yourself, honestly, it really isn't that hard, after framing two you'll be a pro.  In the past I spent close to $300 getting one picture professionally framed, just recently I found myself at Michael's during a frame sale and was able to buy a frame and a custom cut border mat all for $30.  And though some find it hard to believe that framing yourself will be enjoyable, surprisingly it is, being part of the project at such an in-depth level from start to finish and having such control of the project is enjoyable... well, I tend to think so anyways.

The final step and what I find to be the most important step, placement.  A lot of the time many people like to hang pictures at the center of the largest bare wall they have and though at times this is the perfect place for pictures it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right place for that particular piece.  But don't be disheartened, there is no right or wrong place to hang that black and white photograph, or colorful oil-painting, or print.... Simply, stand back and slowly take a look around, look at the spaces and how the piece would look there, or there?  How will it enhance the space?  How will a visitor come to pass to see this particular piece in this particular space?  At this time remember that when you are hanging your beautiful artwork it's not just about the artwork but about the entire space, the entire room- very similar to cooking I'd say, many ingredients are used to make one delicious dish!  

And though it may seem like a lot just to hang one picture, in the end it'll be well worth it.

*pictures from Elle Decor

Things over-looked are NOT over-looked @ Modcloth

Bike on a Hot Tin Sign @ Modcloth

I recently went over to a house-warming party of a friend of mine who just bought his first home, being the tree-hugging kind of guy he is he doesn't own a vehicle and instead bikes around town.  His bicycle was parked and locked in front of the open garage, when I saw this I suggested to him to get his own bike rack and thought how cute that would be, then I saw this Bike on a Hot Tin Sign at Modcloth.

I own a couple of bicycles and park it in my mudroom, I know exactly where this sign is going.

Ready, Set, To-Go Menu Organizer @ Modcloth

In my kitchen I have a designated junk drawer full of take-out menus, they're usually thrust into the drawer with not a care in the world resulting in crumpled and now a hard to open drawer, as a result of this chaos I took out one of my old school binders and made a to-go menu folder.  It really was a great idea but it also took a little bit of time since I wanted the to-go menus organized geographically, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, American and such.

If you've got the same to-go menu drawer issue but don't have the time to put the binder together yourself look to Modcloth who didn't overlook this problem.