Billy & Brigid (Art I Fancy: Kelly Packer, Part I)

I bought a print on Etsy a couple of years ago that I haven't tired of one single day. And (for a good reason, that I'll mention later) I realized the world just has to know about this artist. Back to my art for a second. Spot it on my bookshelf?

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

There he is. Hello, handsome.

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

Introducing: St. Billy on My Birthday, by Kelly Packer. I rarely call him "Billy" or short-hand the name. Quite surprising to some of you, who know that I have a habit of either making words longer, or making them shorter. Because I own the English language. Or something. The phrase "St. Billy On My Birthday" just feels good on my tongue. And (even better) St. Billy on My Birthday feels wonderful on my eyes.

Kelly Packer's "St. Billy on My Birthday" - via ME! (Dwell & Tell)

So, I was recently scrolling through some favorites I bookmarked on Etsy. There are too many empty walls in our home. And it's driving me crazy. So when I saw this saved item... 

Brigid, by Kelly Packer

...I just had to have her. I love how Kelly uses color (colors I'm immediately drawn to: magenta, teal, yellow, brown... Brigid just wouldn't seem the same without her teal leg. 

Look what I found in the mail today?

 I bought her for a spot in our living room, but our bedroom loves these colors too. So we shall see!  

Part 2 will feature a few of my favorites from Kelly Packer.

Are there any colors that particularly appeal to you when looking for art? Or any features that appeal to you when looking for art ? Have you purchased anything recently? Any advice for some that are looking?

Artsy + Barfsy (2 Estate Sale Finds!)

Are you an estate sale shopper? I've been to a few, but honestly haven't found a lot of luck with them. They're either too pricey or they don't have anything I'm looking for. Plus, if you're a serious estate sale person you wake up at 6AM to get the goods. But I'm not willing to do that. So there.

But recently, on my route to work, I saw an estate sale. I convinced two colleagues (aka partners in crime) to go with me over lunch and I found a couple pieces of "art".

Primarily, this great solid print. I loved the muted colors, the "regal" frame and matting. It's kinda' Restoration-Hardware-looking, don't you think? For those of you that are interested in the details, it's a sketch of a castle in Siena, Italy./

Sorry for the sub-par iPhone pics...

Check out that triple-picture-matting action. Word up.

Also bought a new plant. This little corner has always been asking for one, but it doesn't get great light. So when I saw this at Home Depot with the specification that it can be happy in low-light, I grabbed it up1 It's grown a lot recently! A couple of new "shoots" have grown since this photo was taken. But you get the idea. :)

As much as I love this completely legit piece... I have another. A better prize....

WAIT FOR IT...
 

I. Could. Not. Let. This. Weirdo. Go. We found her and found ourselves laughing so hard tears were rolling down our cheeks. I realized this had to be mine and bought her for my office at work. She's really more stunning/scary in person, I promise you. Please notice the (1) Smile (2) Smile, again. Cause it's awesome (3) Pretty neck, pretty back (4) Also, I love her. She is a wreck but I love her.

Pssssst. To my friends whose family photos are in this image. You are welcome.

Find anything good recently at an Estate Sale or Yard Sale? Or new piece or wall art?  Use some green for some green (ha-hem, "buy a plant")? What are you hunting for?

TV Wall - Finally Un-Empty

I can't tell you how many ideas I considered for the wall behind the television.

(in case you don't believe me, here's proof....)

This is one of several considerations.  (Those are cutouts of wrapping paper of various things I was considering). I't could have turned out really well, but I wasn't completely sold.  So  I went back to the drawing board (once again).

I don't know why it took so long to make up my mind.  Maybe it's that I wanted to do something different.  Maybe it's the fact that I hate putting holes in the wall (and we're not talking one little hole here.... we're talking about a lot of 'em) makes me anxious.  Maybe it's because whatever ends up hanging on this wall could potentially crash on top of our vintage dresser and tv - ruling out some of my wilder ideas (which I will spare you).  But for whatever reason, that bare wall just kept calling out "C'mon, Erin... Please... Do something..."  So I decided to keep it fairly simple with a grouping of seven frames: five above the television, and one on each side.

Here's how the process went, and some details about resources that might be helpful if you're planning one yourself. 

The frames.  I decided large (14x18) frames would do the trick, but after shopping around I realized seven frames that size could get crazy expensive, fast.  If I was certain that I would be in love with this wall for years, I would be willing to invest in some nicer pieces.  But I ain't real certain, Paw, so I wanted to tackle this as inexpensively as possible in case I change my mind down the road (for whatever reason). On top of that, I couldn't find 14x18 frames in the big box stores.  Thank goodness my little fingers can walk all over the inter-web to find some deals.  I finally found simple gold frames here for $14.44 (plus shipping, about $17) a pop!

The art.  Believe it or not, I bought the frames before I even knew what I wanted to go inside them.  I  was at a point where I was determined to move forward, and reasoned that even if I used the free art sources I posted about awhile back (here and here), we would be moving in the right direction, and that empty wall wouldn't be driving me bananas.

Shortly afterward (and completely by luck), I stumbled upon Dreamery Studio and knew I found the answer.  Such a charming idea: "Vintage illustration is printed on a page from a tattered antique book. The page has beautiful golden patina of old age and nostalgic charm to it."  

Dreamery Studio prints on vintage paper

Talk about incredible selection and great prices.  They're around $8.50 a print, and I snagged a buy three, get one free deal) to make the deal even sweeter.  I chose a combination of black and white and color images for some extra interest and moved on the next step.


Matting + Art, Part II.  Next, I set out to find equally good deal on the matting.  You pretty much need to go custom for 14x18 mats to 8x10 size, so I was seeing dollar signs all over again.  Eventually I bought custom mats for the prints online here.   I ordered eight (the minimum) at $3.13/piece!  The shipping was $10, so it was all done at around $35.  Super-cheap for this large custom mats!

I measured another 8x10 mat that I already had hanging for the inside dimensions and waited for everything to come together.  But sadly, when the prints were delivered they were too small!  SAD!  NO!  I was almost done!  Apparently the matting I measured wasn't a standard size. (What are the odds?) So I contacted Jo at Dreamery Studio to see what we should do.   You guys - I can't tell you how helpful she was.  Not only did she insist on replacing them without charging me again, but she also hand-selected books with larger pages so they would be large enough for the mats I ordered and let me choose the format (two column v. three column, etc.).

As if that wasn't enough, she emailed me the sweetest idea (even though it meant more work for her!): "I was thinking since we are most likely be using the dictionary pages, you could perhaps choose a dozen or so of desired words, like happy, love, passion, etc..."


After weeding through the pages that were too heavy on illustrations to work with the prints, we were done. I had art that is not only full of character and interest - but also full of meaning for our home.  *smiles*

Hanging It Up!  I was planning on doing a step-by-step of the process of hanging and arranging these, but my process didn't go too smoothly.  I was originally planning on using Command strips, which I tested on one frame.  The frame ended up falling off the wall and I ended up changing game plans. So I'll just give you a couple of tips that worked for me.

1. Paper cut-outs. I cut out some wrapping paper and hung it on the wall to get the spacing and leveling just right.

2. A new toy!  This Hang & Level picture hanging tool really helped me out, too.  This video does a great job explaining how to use it.

And finally, here she is. Remember the lonely blank wall from ages ago?:

Gallery Wall Behind TV -- After

Here's a close-up of the one of the pages. 

What do you have on the wall behind your television?  Any experience working with gallery walls or good resources for frames, art, matting?  

Pillow Updates

I haven't updated you about a few recent happy pillows in our home. Like some pillows I bought that have breathed life into our living room.  And pillows are important, yo. 

I luuurve turquoise. About as much as I love magenta.  And I've actually wanted some rich turquoise pillows for awhile but they've been hard to come by.  

I was super-excited to find some at Pier1 awhile back (three-or-so months ago?).  And then I found another precious addition at the very same store a month or so ago. I also adore oversized paisleys, so it wasn't a difficult choice (especially considering pillows are an easy return).

It's incredible how much happier I feel when I walk in the door because I bought a few pillows.  But then again, I've been holding out for the perfect turquoise pillows for awhile.  So maybe it's not so surprising? 

The only thing that's not so happy: the feathers have been coming out like crazy.  So I'm going to need some new inserts.

Talk to me. Are you a turquoise fan?  A pillow lovah?  Found any great new pillows recently? Where? SPILL!

We're Replacing the Seagrass Rug with a...

... well, a seagrass rug.


I know what you're thinking: "Wow! This is so exciting!  She's so original, so daring!  I love a girl who takes risks like she does." So here's the full story. 

It all started a couple of years ago when Seth's mom gifted us a Pottery Barn seagrass rug she had used for years (although it looked brand new, no kidding).  It was the first rug we ever owned for our place.  Wait a second.  It's still the only rug we have owned our place.  (We need one for the dining room, and maybe the bedroom.  I'm thinking on those...)

The problem started after getting our sofa steam cleaned after its arrival.  The company didn't use drop cloths to prevent the liquid/cleaning solution from spilling all over the rug, so I put towels underneath it to let the seagrass dry while the hardwoods were protected from the moisture.  Unfortunately, seagrass isn't meant to get wet.  The result was this big swerve around the sofa area:

Our seagrass rug after water damage - see the curve?

After months of "the swerve" bothering me, I called the steaming company and asked what they might be able to do.  They sent someone to take pictures and called about a week later.  They're going to replace the full value of the rug!  Wa-hoo!

I've had my eye on a few rugs for awhile.  Like this one from West Elm.

West Elm Zigzag Rug

It's been seen a lot in the last couple of years, like in Ashley Wick's apartment in Lonny Magazine.

Via Lonny Mag

Via Lonny Mag

I want it. But George is now about 90 pounds... and I swear half of that is hair.  American bulldogs are suppose to be light shedders, but it certainly doesn't seem like it.  Our seagrass rug has just about 2-1/2 inches of black trim.  You can clean it one day, and the next it's ready for a new rub-down.  I love George, but I also love this rug.  So he has to go.  Does anyone want this dog?

George on the seagrass... Shedding in his sleep.

Leave a comment below if you're interested in this great specimen of a dog that's keeping me from my rug.  But then again, I'm keeping myself from other rugs I want.  I'm a clutz, so I spill things, and as much as I love this rug it has no chance against my "oh no!" butterfingers and the dirt from the doggies.  Here's just one more I've to considered.  But again, spills and doggie-paw dirt are an issue.

 

West Elm Andalusia Rug

Emily Henderson used the Andalusia Rug in a recent episode of "Secrets from a Stylist".

Via Emily Henderson

Via Emily Henderson

I love them both, but the seagrass stands the test of time, beauty and dogs.  It should be delivered in about a week, so I'll post a follow-up.

Any experience with seagrass rugs?  Any rug lustin' going on in your parts?  What do you think of the chevron / zigzag and Andalusia rugs from West Elm?  Like 'em?  Think we could keep them clean if I changed my mind?

You may also like:

• Living Room Progress - Dresser for TV
• Wing Chairs - Arriving Soon!

Living Room Progress - Dresser for TV

Just a year or so ago, here's what our living room looked like.  I'm sure you'll agree it was time to replace the dorm-room-esque corner TV stand of the hubby's.

BEFORE - Wall with the television... and Bonnie.

After considering all the options, I decided to look for a mid-century dresser, instead of an entertainment unit or tv stand. Ya see, the tv dictates about 50% of our "living room" time, but I tried my best to think of how I would decorate it if it wasn't dictating the space.  Lots of ideas came to mind, then I windled them all down to the question "since we do have a tv what makes sense?".  A dresser seemed to be the best compromise between design, storage and technology.

And then I found a spectacular piece on the house of Craig.  It was great... wonderfully made, great lines, but just transitional enough to last through a number of years.  And six drawers!  Much more than the average TV stand. 

But it was $1,200.  While I appreciated the beauty and functionality I didn't want to spend all that jazz (I make up substitute words, by the way, so in case you aren't following jazz = dollahs) on one dresser.  I kept watching Craigslist for several weeks... maybe months.  It was posted again at $1,000 and I was still obsessed, but unwilling to make the plunge.  Then one fateful evening, after reading some random article about the fear of commitment and getting myself pumped, I made a phone call to see if the price was negotiable.

We went to see it.  It looked good.  And apparently the lady selling it had an antique store in NYC before moving to Greater-Birmingham. (She had LOTS of other stuff) and had purchased it for around $3,000 in New York years ago.

My hubby's a great negotiator when charged, and we came in at less than half of the original $1,200 asking price.

Here's the result:

AFTER / In progress - Living room wall.  Danish modern dresser for television.

Yep, something still needs to happen behind that wall (still thinkin' stripes) but it's an improvement, RIGHT?  Doesn't feel as much like a dorm room now, and really opens up the space (plus, storage to boot! Hallelujah!)

I'd love to hear what you think.  Experience with hard-balling your craigslist finds, working around electronics like the TV?

Jasper Sofa in Da House

It's about time to post the results of our great Craigslist discovery that still has me reeling.
 
I was holding off until I could post some better photos with the new camera but these will give you an idea for now. Since I'm usually running errands or tackling a project on the weekends I have about 5 minutes during lunch to snap some pics, and these rainy days haven't made for great lighting.

At any rate, it's home.

Jasper Sofa from Room & Board + bulldog tail/paw.

Here's a close-up of the white microsuede. 

It's white, so it shows dirt easily (umm, duh) but thankfully microsuede is renowned for clean-ability.  In fact, I heard David Bromstad refer to it as "God's gift to stains" (or something like that) when he bestowed a white microsuede sofa to a client on Colorsplash.  

Now I'm on the hunt for pillows.  But then again, I think I'm always on the hunt for pillows.  I may even be a pillow hoarder. 

What do you think?  Anyone have experience with cleaning a white sofa clean (or, heck, any color)?   Do you think we should still consider getting the slipcover?

Erin

Which Sofa Fit the Bill?

As I mentioned earlier, I've been considering a sofa purchase for awhile. One of Seth's first big purchases after graduating was a living room set, including a leather sofa, chair and coffee table.

I can't lie, that sofa is comfy.  Really comfy.  Okay, okay!  It's the comfiest sofa on earth.  And the leather really was a dream with Bonnie (our dachshund) and George (our newest addition, the American bulldog).  But the heart wants what it wants, kiddos. And after considering all the options, (and almost buying one or two!) I wanted the Jasper.

I saw it first Making It Lovely, one of my favorite blogs.

 

photo via makingitlovely.com

 

And then I saw it here, at SF Girl by Bay

Photo via SF Girl by Bay'

 And she taunted me here on Design*Sponge's sneak peak

Home of jeff bellanton and kim westad via Design*Sponge

If fit most of my sofa criteria:
1. Super-sexy, but just transitional enough in style. I'm in love with the mid-century inspired lines.  Just look at those pretty legs. Look again. Okay. Look again.

2. Clean-ability - They actually sell slipcovers separately that are made to fit the Jasper, which is good because I live with two dogs and a boy/husband.  Not to mention that I'm a clutz.  And we *gasp* eat dinner while sitting on the sofa.  Yes, I said it.  At times I try to lure the hubs away.  He thinks it's the sweetest gesture, but his show is on (or something).

3. Slipcovered. For an additional $450 or so with shipping I can order slipcovers made to fit the Jasper.  What's an extra $450?  I love spending money!  Money grows on trees! But seriously, the number of sofas that have slipcover options are few and far between. Did I mention the two dogs and the careless husband? And that I'm the clutz that comes to your dinner party, trips on the coffee table and spills red wine on your white dress?  Did I mention that?

4.  Price. It didn't fit this criteria.  Not because it's not worth it, but because I'm cheap.  I'm getting less-cheap, very fortunately, because while it's a blessing it causes more inner turmoil than you can imagine. I lust after things that I can't possibly bring myself to... and that one time I longed... with the most sinful desire to... buy... but I... Whaaa... where am I? Oh yes, the sofa.  Moving on.  I'll get to the price issue later. 

5. Size.  86" would work just fine.  I just had to remove the side table harboring with tons of junk, remotes, etcetera.

6. Quality. I've really heard nothing but good things about the Jasper.  I didn't conduct crash tests in the showroom or anything, but I've read reviews, blah blah blah.

7. Will it fit? Yes, it would fit between the doorways and through the condo entry corridors and stairs. 

BUT, my friends, we "need" (I'm using this term loosely...  I'm quite aware no one's welfare depends on a new sofa) so many things that it was hard to pull the trigger on a piece with the price tag. I'm a bargainista to a fault, after all.

I kept my eye on the Room and Board website for at least a year and it never went on sale. I stalked Craigslist for ages with no luck.  I sealed pictures of the Jasper in a bottle and released them at sea.

After months of this torturous pining, I ordered some swatches and told myself to grow some Big Girl pants and buy the sofa.  But the pants didn't grow.  It might sound silly. "Just buy the darn sofa," you say.  But remember how I was about my my Junior Prom dress for example.

And then I found a post on Craigslist by complete accident.  Someone was selling Room and Board gift cards in Atlanta (about 2 - 2-1/2 hours away from Birmingham) for about 3/4 of their value their value. It wasn't a steal, but I reassured myself that I had wanted this for ages and it was my one shot to get a deal. So I emailed the seller and made arrangements to meet at the store. 


Here's where it gets better.  The night before I was scheduled to meet her, a white micro-suede Jasper sofa was posted on Craigslist in Atlanta.  YES!  THE SOFA.  I was literally shaking I was so excited... and nervous.  This had to work at light-speed, after all, because I needed to let the gift-card seller know if I couldn't show up the next day. I emailed the sofa seller immediately. After an hour or so, they responded saying it was still available.

We don't have a truck so I asked if they would hold it for a day or so until I could make arrangements to pick it up... but no.  "First come, first serve." Fair enough.  I would have walked to Atlanta and hauled it on my back if necessary.  Luckily that wasn't necessary. 

Sorry for always featuring my dad, but he saves
my tail so much it's kind of unavoidable. 

Yep, Dad took his entire Saturday to drive to Atlanta with me, load up the sofa, and drive back.  Mind you, he also had to endure my conversation.  I was so excited I couldn't stop talking (and talking fast... like, so fast that I impressed myself by the speed and length of time I could go without catching a breath).

We showed up and it was in pretty good condition, although in need of a serious cleaning and some furniture marker touch-ups on the legs. No biggie.  And no haggling over the price.  The custom upholstery was an extra $400, so it was a solid $2,000+ sofa with shipping.

Here it is the day Dad and I brought it back:

Bonnie liked it.

The micro-suede is so thick and rich it feels like real suede, and it cleans up so well.  Sure, I'm still considering the slipcover, but for now it's working nicely.

Two interesting side notes:
(1) I made sure the gal selling the gift cards knew I wasn't going to make it, and that she was would be okay selling to someone else.  She congratulated me on the sofa and told me she had worked as a buyer for a furniture store (neat-o), and had actually tried to convince them to buy a similar style before.  We've exchanged our favorite design blogs and corresponded via email since then.  Kind of cool, right?
(2) The super-comfy leather sofa now has a home at my mom and dad's.  You guys, it looks so good there.  I may post pics one day.  It's amazing how the same piece can look completely different in a new space.

More pics next week!

Do you like it?  Worth the wait?  Worth the nail-biting?  Worth the slow-growing of big girl pants?

Living Room Progress - Let the Sun Shine! (Sunburst Mirror and Dresser)

As I mentioned in a post last week, the sunburst mirror I bought ended up behind the sofa. 

I also mentioned the dresser was planned for our bedroom.  And it may eventually end up there one day, but for now it's right where I set it up to paint: behind the sofa.

Here's a "before" pic I found on my phone:

BEFORE

And in our little casa now:

After - sunburst mirror in our living room

 

Another a "Happy Friday" pic of these tulips Seth bought (Seth's anniversary gift was getting flowers once a week.  Score!):

The bird was a $.99 thrift store purchase that I painted white.  There's a little chip on the wing (cue Martina McBride's "Broken Wing"!) but it doesn't bother me because you never see it.

Oh, and I finally got around to reading the latest issue of Lonny this weekend.  What a surprise that after posting about sunbursts behind the sofa and "our" mirror in House Beautiful a very similar one was also shown in interior designer Dan Patford's home.

Via LonnyMag

Pretty close resemblance, right? 

Well, whattaya' think?  Should I keep it behind the sofa or try something larger?

I know a shot of the room may help to get a better idea.  First I need to let you in on my sofa find.  And I know, the chandelier reveal is well overdue.  Next week!