Fall-i-fying: The Seasonal Decor Difference

Dear Internet,

Please pardon my long absence. I am a teacher and despite attempts to teach and flea market the start of the school year has been all consuming. Fortunately, I've found some time in the midst of grading to "fall-i-fy" my apartment and share some tips with you!

I've always had a distaste for seasonal decorations, finding them obvious and cheap. That said, I do love seasonal decor. Here's how I explain the difference:

Seasonal decorations are those "cute" knick knacks your mom buys and hangs around the house every Halloween, Christmas, Easter etc. Each year these fake wreaths, window decals, paper garlands, and tacky signs get more and more tired looking but she can't part with them for "sentimental" reasons. 

Seasonal decor is the changing of a room's temperature to fit the season. It's changing the vibe of a room in subtle ways through good design. 

The best news is that anyone can have great seasonal decor and it'll probably cost less than all that other junk. By making a few small changes I was able to "fall-i-fy" my space in an hour. Believe me, it is so easy. 

For the couch, I swapped a light green throw for one with darker, warmer colors and traded out pillows, adding a nice velvet orange. I added a bouquet of fall flowers and some squash on the coffee table and voilà! 

The days may be getting shorter but the music is getting sweeter. A jazz record on a chill autumn night sure lifts one's spirits and this bright bird candle adds a pop of color. On a side note, the record player is modern but the speakers are vintage and they work! 

 I love the feel of chill autumn air. In the dining room I use wooden utensils to "prop" the window open. As a table centerpiece I put squash in a pretty bowl but the teapot alone would make for a cozy centerpiece as well. 

Adjacent to my front door is this table from HomeGoods. I use it as entryway storage; I put my keys in the basket, wallet in the drawers, shoes under it, etc. To "fall-i-fy" this area I simply filled the vase with yellow flowers and bought an orange, pumpkin scented candle. Above it I've hung a great mail organizer. 

Why not get a head start on the holiday season by making a space for those holiday cards? This canvas tacked to a painted wooden board is a yearlong card displayer. I've added vintage clothespins to clip photos. 

Who says apartment dwellers can't have fireplaces? One of my favorite gifts has been this very effective little space heater. I love that it lights up and crackles. So cozy. 

Happy "fall-i-fying" everyone! Keep it cozy. 

And let me know how successful, or unsuccessful, your attempts at seasonal decor are. 

Creating Framed Map Art

I have an affliction known as "the creative itch". My dear mother identified this ailment when I was quite young, after I spent an entire summer boiling eggs, painting faces on them and playing with my "egg people" instead of my dolls. Fortunately for me, she indulged my "itch" - even allowing me to lock myself away for weeks at a time on scrapbooking binges. Today, if I don't frequently participate in some sort of crafting experience I go a bit nuts and feel like pieces of my soul are being pulverized. 

Of course, I realize my need for a good ol' fashioned craft project every now and then is unusual and that crafting can be incredibly intimidating for people. Typically I hear the following concerns and complaints: "I wish I could but I just don't have the time" or "I'm not artistic enough for that". Certainly some projects require greater artistic ability or are more time consuming than others, but the project I have for you today takes ten minutes and literally requires the skills of a third grader. 

But first, we have to begin at, well... the beginning. About a year ago I found an awesome old frame at the Rose Bowl swap meet. I purchased the vintage frame for less than 20 bucks and figured I'd find a cool piece of art and get glass cut. I regularly stroll through home stores just to gather ideas (good designers don't copy, they steal) and after touring the fabulous, yet out-of-my-price-range furniture store, H.D. Buttercup, I realized the perfect thing to put in my frame was a vintage map. Old maps add quirky design to a room and are great conversation starters. 

This vintage map, hung in pieces on a bright wall, makes for a homey modern feel.

Cozy and eclectic. This room screams well traveled and well read.

After measuring my frame, I scanned EBay and found an antique map of Germany taken from an old atlas for $18. I studied abroad in Germany for five months and I liked the idea of having art that reminded me of my travels. In a few short days I had my map, I already had my frame without glass, and I was ready to make some original art. But how to mat it? And what about the glass?

I remembered that in the third grade we made fake leather from brown paper bags and I thought the trick would make for an interesting mat to my map art. I cut two paper bags so that they laid like rectangles and then I began crinkling them. I balled up the paper bags and crunched them in my hands. Then I opened the bags up and lightly ironed them as to keep the ridges. I liked the look then but decided to add a bit of paint across the top of the ridges as an extra detail. After the paint dried I taped the map in the center of the brown paper bag and taped the whole thing into the frame. 

At a garage sale that same weekend I found a poster frame the exact size as my artwork. I popped out the plastic sheet and glued it to the inside of my frame. I knew no one would notice it wasn't glass since I planned on hanging it well out of anyone's reach. 

The result was a unique framed map art all for about $40 that took less than 10 minutes to construct. 

How to Construct Your Own Map Art:

First, find your frame. I hung mine up empty until I realized what I wanted to put inside of it. 

I ordered my map on EBay and was ready to make my custom "mat". 

To make your mat get a brown paper bag without handles and cut down one edge towards the bag's bottom. 

Then begin cutting out the bottom of the grocery bag. 

Once the bottom is cut out, crunch the bag into a ball and crinkle away...

After the bag is properly wrinkled, lay flat and lightly iron, but keep the ridges!

At this point I lightly brushed paint across the ridges of the bag to create a accent. 

I glued a plastic sheet into the frame and taped my paper bag mat in with the map centered. Ta-da! Framed Map Art for less than $40 in ten minutes. 

A Movie Prop Craft Project

Recently I was hired to construct a miniature house for a film shoot. The main character in the film was supposed to have built his dream house to use in his proposal to his girlfriend. Like any girl, I've imagined my "perfect" home and of course my Pinterest boards are full of design ideas for it. In this project I got to include some of my own wishes into this miniature dream home; like a white picket fence, wrap around porch, breakfast nook, colorful garden, large windows, and a chimney. What do you imagine your dream home looking like? 

I bought the "puzzle" house at Michael's for $10 and it took me 2 hours just to get to this point. There were so many pieces! 

After 8 or so hours of work (and several hot glue gun burns) my project was finally done!

Bathroom Makeover: Vanity Reorganization

One of my favorite features of my apartment is the built-in vanity between my bathroom and walk-in closet. This little area reserved just for beauty makes me feel quite glamorous when I'm doing my hair and applying makeup. But before pampering, the right decor is the first step in feeling like a Hollywood starlet. Below are photos from my latest vanity makeover and a few tips on how to make this space extra special. Not to worry if you don't have a dedicated vanity area, with some sprucing up and organizing even your bathroom can have a glitzy feel!

Start by making simple, inexpensive changes. My vanity consists of a large set of drawers and a low rising table. First, I replaced boring silver knobs with amazing glass knobs from Cost Plus World Market ($3.99 each) - a super simple but sassy change. To highlight the low vanity and to make the area more functional, I bought a small chair at Home Goods ($12.99). Lastly, a beveled perfume set given to me as a birthday gift makes an elegant table top decoration.

The knobs before and after.

Home Goods vanity chair. 

If you're anything like me, you spend a bit of money on your jewelry, so why not display it? When I first moved into my apartment I was given a wire Eiffel Tower jewelry rack for earrings and necklaces and I bought a vintage mirror tray from a flea market to display bracelets and rings. Over time though what I hoped would be a stylish design became cluttered and messy.

All of my jewelry in one huge pile is not cute nor practical. The Eiffel Tower alone is not right for the space as it doesn't cover enough of my plain white walls. This counter needs a burst of color to break up all the white and some serious organization.

I never liked the Eiffel Tower wire rack much but I used it because I didn't have an alternative. Luckily on my recent Goodwill run I found a great Pottery Barn jewelry rack ($7.99) to replace it with. The new rack allowed me to free up the mirrored tray and get creative with the space. With some de-cluttering and reorganizing, now my vanity looks like this:

Clean and Pretty. 

The tower and the frame at varying heights help to separate this long, white space. The tall vase with flowers also breaks up the space as well as providing some much needed color. The glass knobs on the drawers match nicely with the glass doorknob. 

The counter has been de-cluttered and will remain that way! This clean look is sustainable because everything has a place; make up brushes in jar, perfumes on mirrored tray, jewelry on rack. 

You can create a similar feel to your vanity or bathroom by trying some of these tips:

This old candle votive works well as a makeup brush holder. The small bottle and old fashion soap were 25 cents each at a flea market and are great accents to a vanity area. When decorating, I like to bunch features like these in groups of 3.  

Mirrored trays can display beauty products or jewelry and are popular at flea markets (or Grandma's house!) Mine was $7 and provides quick access to my regular perfumes.

Fancy perfume bottles sure make a girl feel ritzy - even if unused or empty! Add some candles and you'll be feeling b-e-a-U-tiful in no time.  

A mason jar from a flea market ($5) is an excellent cotton swab holder. The clothes pin box is from a garage sale and adds a touch of yesteryear to my vanity decor.

Small details - like ribbon or a strand of pearls - hung from a drawer can add some pizazz to a room. My pearled "E" is a sweet reminder of whose space this is. 

Small spaces like this are often overlooked when it comes to decorating. But these design tweaks help create a lovely place for pampering that will certainly be noticed by guests. So have fun, be fresh and get creative!

NOTE: If you have limited bathroom space you can also create a vanity by simply hanging a mirror above a dresser and decorating the dresser top. Keep the dresser top clutter free by displaying your beauty products and jewelry as seen above.

Do Good: Shop Goodwill

As a thrifty girl there is not much more appealing than a great design piece for a bargain price. In L.A. flea markets are abundant and offer about every gizmo and gadget imaginable. However, flea markets have become trendy and therefore, expensive. Even local thrift stores can be pricey which is why I like to shop my local Goodwill. Goodwill is a not-for-profit organization funded by a massive network of thrift stores. Goodwill's thrift stores offer reasonably priced second-hand goods, wonderful for creating a fresh, flea market style in your home. And, if that weren't enough, as a Goodwill shopper you support job training and employment opportunities for people who have a disability, lack education, or face employment challenges. 

On my most recent Goodwill outing I found these great pieces:

This cheerful fruit scale will look great in my kitchen next to my bright yellow coffee maker. It was only $9.99, in perfect condition and originally $25 at Anthropologie. 

I am always on the hunt for frames as I love surrounding myself with photos of my friends, family and places I've traveled. These three frames were less than $15 dollars and would look great as is with black and white photos or with a fresh coat of paint. Don't be afraid to paint if something is not your color! 

I've been trying to cut back on candlestick buying but I couldn't resist one of these white pillars for $2.99. It's a little too glossy for my taste so I plan on painting it a soft yellow. Sometimes gloss makes things look the bad kind of cheap. Fresh paint will make this candlestick look shabby chic. I will put this pillar on a high shelf with a thick colorful candle to stand out against my eggshell wall. 

I am so envious of the person who now owns this. I don't have space for this cabinet but it was incredibly tempting at just $199. 

This is not a truly vintage jar but I love to mix the old with the new and for $3.99, why not?

My jewelry has been in shambles lately. This tiered jewelry rack originally from Pottery Barn is a stylish organizer and cheap for just $7.99. It is a bit girly but once again, it can be painted!

When I was a kid it was my dream to have a treasure trove like the Little Mermaid's. As an adult, I hunt for my treasures at troves like Goodwill. I love my finds and keep searching for more. What is the best flea market or thrift store bargain you've found? 

Choosing a Color Scheme

Nothing puts a knot in my knickers quite like a home without a color scheme. The easiest way to make your home (or apartment!) look like one featured in a magazine is to choose a color scheme and carry it throughout the house. Some people believe that each room in a home can have its own color scheme but what a design disaster! Your home should reflect one personality - yours! One color scheme used cleverly unifies a home making it scream,"Yes, a designer does live here!".

Choosing a color scheme is like choosing a theme for your home. Schemes can be subtle or obvious but consistent use of color is the key. You may not use every color in your scheme in each room, but using some of or one of your colors will unify your home by creating cohesion among the rooms. (This is especially important if your home is open concept, like my studio). You can choose your colors based off a rug, a piece of furniture or painting that you already own and start building from there. A good scheme consists of at least three colors but no more than six.

When I first moved into my teeny L.A. apartment I found a perfect painting at Cost Plus World Market for my dining room. I decided to decorate my home using the color scheme presented in the painting: teal, yellow, orange, green, and red. I slowly started to build this scheme throughout my apartment by collecting pieces that were in these colors or that could be painted these colors. In my kitchen and dining room the main colors became red and green with accents of yellow and teal. I like a pristine bathroom so the only color I used in there was teal as an accent to my white walls, tiles and linens. My living room is also my bedroom and in there I used all of my colors throughout. I like my color scheme to feel a little unintentional so when incorporating color in my decor I didn't worry too much about all of my shades matching perfectly - if it looked good to me it was good to go!

Below are some pictures demonstrating how I use my color scheme in each room of my apartment.

The painting that started it all! In my dining room my color scheme is incorporated in my seat cushions, the vase and fruit bowl, the table cloth and the hanging lantern. 

The original knobs were cheap and silver but easily replaced. Don't miss even small opportunities to use your colors!

 

A pop of color in even my kitchen utensils makes a huge difference. 

The top of my short fridge makes a great place to display colorful kitchen items both functional and decorative. 

The teals on my bathroom shelf don't match but that makes my color scheme look less intentional. 

Another small opportunity to include your color scheme. 

Where all my colors are brought together again. My comforter is white but my pillows and throw blanket allow me to mix colors. Bonus: Pillows are much cheaper than comforters and when I want to change my style it doesn't cost a fortune. 

If you've already decorated your home don't feel like its too late to incorporate a consistent color scheme throughout each room or feel that its too late to change it! You've likely decorated with some common colors and a theme can be introduced by making small changes. Try looking for candles, bottles, knobs, pillows, frames or lamp shades in the colors of your new scheme; changing these small features can make a huge, yet affordable, difference.