Leopard Print Curtains - Part 1

Once upon a time, I didn't consider myself an animal prints-type of person.  Then I started contemplating zebra print curtains for the living room.  But the zebra print fabric I could afford was too repetitive for my taste, losing the organic quality that drew me to using an animal print in the first place.

Since leopard is so hot right now it was hard not to think of it as an alternative.  What is so ironic about this entire situation is that of all the animal prints, leopard is probably my least favorite.  I consider it a difficult print because it can so easily go from classic to trashy.  And the quality (usually determined by money - of which I have none) has a big factor on which side of the spectrum you're going to find yourself.

The last thing I want happening in my living room is this:

From Amazon, but thankfully unavailable.

Eventually, I found this fabric by Premier Prints that I actually liked - a lot.  Enough to think about it for four months and still like it.


Premier Prints Amazon Wheat

It's called "Amazon" in the Wheat color.  I was drawn to it because of the color palette (not your traditional leopard print) and the hope of it reading as a soft, organic pattern.  After months (literally - I picked it out in November) I finally decided it was worth the risk and bought 3 yards to try out.

They arrived last night and I couldn't wait to tack them up to see how it looked.  Hot or hoochie mama?


Ignore the chair, it's not stylish but does a great job of camouflaging our Wii Rock Band equipment.

What do you think?

Okay, I don't really care, because I'm digging it.  Although I did call my neighbor over just in case I was wearing the "been thinking about this possibility for four months and don't want to start all over from scratch" blinders.  She liked it and totally got the textural look I was going for and the boyfriend even approved.  Shocker, I know.  Although I did have to give him several stern warnings that this means absolutely no other "jungle" related decor because there's possibly nothing I hate more than a themed room (unless it's on Disney property).

Here's a close-up.  It's a bit thicker than I was hoping for (I was hoping for more of a linen feel and this is more of a canvas texture).  But I feel like the online sample pics were very accurate to the real thing.  And for $7.75 a yard, it's a pretty good deal for this much impact.

I'll be adding a wide black border to polish them off (and of course sewing them into proper panels, not just tacking them up with pushpins).  I'm so excited about the outcome, I'm even excited about buying the other 21 yards and sewing (or, let's be honest, probably hem taping and fabric gluing).  So I give you permission to give me hell if you check back in April and I'm still not finished.  Okay, maybe May, depending on whether or not my son does soccer this spring.

Painted Glass Countertops

I have seen painted glass tiles before, but never painted glass countertops.  I love how modern they look, but don't know how practical they would be in a kitchen.



Via Alzatina

Maybe a bathroom would be safer?

eclectic bathroom design by atlanta interior designer In Detail Interiors

What's Up, Wednesday?

I hope everyone had a good Valentine's day!  We went to my son's school for his Valentine's party - otherwise known as Sugar Fest 2012.  I loved seeing him in his element, although it still hurts a little that he has an entire life separate from my own that I'm largely clueless about unless he fills me in on it.  We got to meet his "girlfriend" (who's in 4th grade - cradle robber!) and see him give her a Valentine.  It was just about the cutest thing ever, especially when he was followed out of the class by about ten fourth grade girls oohing and ahhing over him.

The boyfriend bought me this planter at Ross's for my present (although I might have twisted his arm all of the way to the cash register.)  I can't get a good pic, but it's gorgeous - metallic and reflective.  And a lot bigger than it looks in the picture (14" wide x 11" tall).  Ross had a wonderful selection of planters when we went - and nicely priced (mine was $16.99).  I'm trying to get a few planters together and actually plant something this spring.  I really want to grow bell peppers and some herbs, as well as some pretty flowers.

The boyfriend also got me a card that made me cry (and I'm not usually a sappy Hallmark cry baby).  It was exactly the right words to sum up our relationship.  Hallmark, taking full advantage of the fellas on Valentines, charged him $8 for a card - a card!  I joked with him later that he should have bought the cheap card and just copied the poem from the expensive card.  Futher evidence that I am, by far, the cheapest person alive.

Anyway, I'm slowly accumulating stuff for the house.  I wish I had the cash to redo a room completely, but right now we're just adding a few things here and there.  Since I couldn't find a sample, I bit the bullet and finally ordered a few yards of the leopard material I want for curtains, so we'll see if I like it when it gets here. 

I also found this pharmacy-style lamp at Goodwill for $10.

I love it, although it will eventually be moved to a reading chair (yet to be purchased) on the other side of the room.  As you can tell, the base is kind of ugly, so I'm going to try to camouflage that with a side table or something.  The on-off switch is missing (that's what you get for $10), but our living room has switch-controlled outlets, so it hasn't been a problem so far.

Black Sofa

This is the color palette I'm going for in the living area, which consists of the entry, living room, dining room, and kitchen:

I decided fairly early on that the easiest color for the couch would be the taupe (second in the picture).  It's a neutral, which I'd want for a big piece of furniture we'll be keeping for years.  I even found this pretty cotton velvet fabric that I liked:


Antique Cotton Velvet - Fabric.com

However, I was never really excited about it.  Let's face it, it's hard to get excited about taupe.  Even the name is boring. 

I briefly contemplated going golden yellow for more punch, but right now I'm digging the idea of a black velvet sofa.  Not inky, boudoir shiny black velvet, but almost charcoal with a broken-in feeling.  This couch is very similar to mine and I love the look.  It even makes me want to keep the skirt on my sofa.


Via Decorpad

I've never had a black sofa.  I think it would obviously hide stains really well, but I am worried it might require a lot of upkeep (a "shows every speck of lint" situation).  Anyone have any experience they'd like to share?

Progress (?)

What have I been up to lately?  Oh, just trying to finish up a few projects here and there.  Like painting my driveway.

Yeah, that sucked.  And since I haven't visited Lowes or Home Depot to figure out how to safely clean up this mess, every time I pull into my driveway I am reminded that I am not (nor ever will be) a DIY-goddess.

This hurts even more. 

As I went to put the last coat on these mirrors, I knocked over the table holding one of the mirrors and an almost-entirely-full quart of paint.  Luckily, the mirror didn't shatter.  Just my heart.  Okay, maybe that's a little too melodramatic.  It definitely took the wind out of my sails, that's for sure.  And a project that was already taking too long to wrap up (thanks to 24-hour recoat waiting time and a lack of time on my part), is now on the backburner.

In other news, I went by Hobby Lobby recently to pick up some dowels for another soon-to-be finished project (my son's fake roman shade).  I ended up buying some too cute drawer pulls.


$1.50 each with 50% off sale

Total impulse, because I don't have a place for them.  I also bought these with the idea of making cute towel hangers for our bathroom. 


$2 each with 50% off sale

However, as most of you have already guessed, the shape isn't that great for hanging towels (unless you don't mind them ending up in a pile on the floor).  But instead of return them, I'm thinking of bringing all of the knobs to play in the kitchen.  The stripey ones can be for the cabinets and the large flower ones can hold up my apron, shopping bag, etc.  This means I have to go buy 14 more of the stripey ones, and paint the cabinets.  Hopefully such a gargantuan task will get me over the recent "driveway incident."

Black and White Headboard

Living Etc. via Nest Egg

Total and complete love.