A picture is worth a thousand words... or a hefty To-Do list!

Hi, my name is Chelsea and I am a compulsive list maker. I have lists that tell me to make other lists. It's a problem I know.... Anyway, I got tired of rewriting my to do lists when the page was full but only half the things on the list were done... so I decided it was time to get a dry erase board. But one of those stark white, office eyesores was not going to do the job. The husband and I often leave each other notes on the bathroom mirror in dry erase marker, so I figured glass worked just as well as any ugly epoxy covered white board. I found an 11x14 picture frame at a yard sale and painted the wood frame a bright blue. (I chose a frame that can stand up OR hang on a wall, since I'm not one for commitment.) Then I printed a background for my memo board on white card stock. If you use an elaborate frame you can always just paint the back of the glass white or frame a blank page. Ta da! Only $2 and no ugly white board.

{A can of spray paint can perform miracles.}

Overall, the project was so easy I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

Crazy for Color

It's amazing what a little color can do to liven the mood of a room. If you haven't read Jonathan Adler's My Prescription for Antidepressive Living, you should pick it up immediately. Jonathan's ideas all follow one basic principle - design should make you happy. With that in mind, some sad little estate sale finds met a can of spray paint and a new (and happy) life is born.

A few underwhelming estate sale pieces BEFORE their colorful transformation:

A short trip to Home Depot and a basket full of color...

And the big reveal... What was once bland and outdated becomes loud and proud! The beautiful lines of the vintage pieces now demand your attention and become a happy focal point for a room.

No Cost Bedroom Makeover

This weekend we finally painted the guest bedroom... it was my Valentine's present to myself. I forgot to take a before picture, but just imagine beige walls, beige trim, and some more beige. Did I mention I hate beige? We used leftover paint from the living room to paint a chocolate brown accent wall and immediately the ceiling felt higher and the room more cozy. I painted over some old canvases to add a pop of blue (what else I'm going to paint on them is TBD) and hung some frames that I had collecting dust in the closet. By re-purposing items that I already owned I was able to give this bare guest room a whole new look.... for free. Gotta love free. :)

{The AFTER}

Baroque Bulletin Board

I've been looking at ornate baroque frames for inspiration. I found this one at IKEA and replaced the glass with corkboard for an instant bulletin board! You could also spray paint the black frame a bold color for an additional pop.

Ung Drill Frame, IKEA $24.99

Restoration Hardware Inspired Curtains

I've been drooling over these $400 Restoration Hardware curtains for months but just couldn't justify the purchase. Instead, I decided to repurpose some curtains I already owned and get the same look for about $20.

{Restoration Hardware}

I already had some "Restoration Hardware blue" curtains but they were about 12" too short for our new house. I went to the fabric store and found a brown that matched our duvet. Note: Sometimes browns can look too red against a green/blue so it's good to bring a swatch for reference.

I sewed a 17" long piece of brown fabric to the bottom of my existing curtains. (Add 3 inches on either side for the width so you have enough fabric for a finished edge.)

For a more modern look, I used clips instead of running the curtain rod through the pocket. I don't do frills. They actually sell them at Restoration but you can get them cheaper at Bed Bath and Beyond or Target.

Next project... matching euro pillow shams.

Lonny Magazine Debuts

Attention past Domino readers! A ray of light shines through the dark economy... A new online-only magazine called Lonny has just debuted their first issue.

{Lonny}

The ideas and design inspiration bear resemblance to our long lost magazine friend, except that you will (probably) never see it on newsstands. (At the close of Domino, I wondered why they didn't keep on online presence.) The online format has it's pros and cons - Pro: click on a product and be taken directly to the vendor's website. Con: you can't tear out glossy pages to put in your alphabetized three-ring magazine clippings binder... but maybe that's just me. You can print, search, link, email, tweet, facebook, dig... the list goes on. It's beautifully designed and well organized exactly like a real magazine. Kudos to co-founders Michelle Adams and Patrick Cline!

{Includes thumbnail navigation and several screen settings}

{Lonny Screen Shot}

Love it!

Filing Cabinet Revamp

We have desperately needed a filing cabinet in our office and were lucky enough to find a used one for free! It was 70's beige, which didn't exactly flow with our new office design... so we used a grinder to sand down the paint to the bare metal. Then we painted the front of the drawers with chalkboard paint to make labeling what's inside a bit easier. It's also a lot more fun :)