Posts from — February 2008

I read about some really great do-it-yourself, inexpensive home decorating projects that I just had to share.

Toiletry Shelf - “Use wood screws to secure a pair of wooden shelf brackets to either side of the door frame; screw shelf to brackets. The shelf should rest on top of the door molding, which will help support the weight. Keep small bottled items and toilet paper in handled boxes.”

This is a great idea from Martha Stewart for people like me with a small home. When you are dealing with small spaces you need to get creative with how you make yourself more storage. She takes a normally “dead” space and makes it easy-to-reach storage. The trick here is to not just throw your TP up there. Make sure you pay attention to presentation and make it neat and presentable.

Door Headboard - “A solid old door, refinished and hung sideways, becomes a headboard for a bed. Check yard sales and flea markets for doors. A strip of crown molding along the top edge offers a neat finish.”

Another great Martha project. Martha knows that us girls on budgets don’t have headboards because that is the one piece of furnishing in a bedroom that you can live without when you are on a budget. But I think this is a great cheap idea. A brand new door is even a steal at Home Depot (only about $30).

Jewelery Shadowbox - Grace at design sponge offers this idea from Blueprint that she made her own. She used, “a few extra ikea frames (the kind that are set in like shadowboxes) where the backs of each frame are just thick enough for the tiny screws so i went out to my local craft store and hardware store and picked up gift wrap and hooks that would be fun for the project (i also used printed paper from dwell’s new promo notepad). ” The one above is from Blueprint and I must admit that I like Grace’s better!

Make Your Own Bulletin Board - You will have to visit this Design Mom yourself to see these photos because I didn’t want to steal them from her site, but trust me, it’s worth the extra click. She is making a fabric covered bulletin board that is really amazing. I love the tall version with the pockets. Don’t worry she spills the directions.

A Canopy - OK. This is not exactly instructions on how to make this… but I am pretty sure there isn’t much to it. You do however need a fabulous four poster bed like this one. Over at Apartment Therapy they showed the above bedroom design from Kara Mann. This is pretty simply a draped striped fabric that is two sided (may be two pieces of fabric sewn together) for a really pretty effect. Now how to build the four poster bed you got me on.

So far 2008 has been a pretty exciting election year.  Democrats are debating the faults and virtues of Barack and Hilary at the water cooler daily now.  Well, if your pooch is a supportive democrat as well you can help him dress the part.  Check out these “I Heart” doggie collars and “Mission Accomplished - Dick Cheney and George W. Bush” doggie-waste bags.  It’s a little silly but if you happen to be taking your dog to a democratic rally, you want him to be properly dressed, don’t you?

Lauren C. knows what she likes and she sticks with it.

I really love the look of dark nail polish on a short, nicely manicured nail, a la Lauren Conrad. But manicures are rarely in my budget and dark polish is hard to do yourself. It can easily get look messy and worse when it chips it. A recent issue of Allure had some really great tips on how to apply dark nail polish. Here are a few that I liked …

1. Dark polish can stain nails. Swab nail with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball to remove discoloration no more than once a month.
2. To steady your hand, anchor your pinkie on your work surface and grasp the brush with your thumb and three fingers.
3. After applying the second coat of color, skim the brush in one horizontal stroke across the tip of each nail to prevent chipping.
4. A quick fix for chips: Dot the tiniest drop of polish remover on your fingertip, and rub it over the chip to smooth its edges. Then apply two thin layers of color and a topcoat.
5. The first and second coat should be thin and cover the same surface (otherwise you have streaks)
6. “The deeper the shade the more flattering it is on pale skin because of the contrast it creates”.
7. Black can often look too harsh so try deep violets and blues. (One of my favorite polish colors is O.P.I’s “Lincoln Park after Dark”)

   

They suggest when painting nails with dark polish use these steps:

1. Saturate a cotton ball with remover and wipe away polish. Gently file nails with a fine-grain emery board until they’re short and oval. (Good Tip: The bolder the color the shorter the nail shape).
2. Place hands in warm, soapy water for several minutes. Then massage on cuticle remover and push cuticles back with a wooden manicure stick or stone cuticle pusher.
3. Gently rub a soft buffing pad from side to side over each nail bed until ridges are completely smoothed away.
4. Swipe nails with a cotton-wrapped manicure stick saturated in remover. Apply a thin layer of base-coat; dry for two minutes. (My mistake is that I rarely use a base coat because I am in a hurry and I never let the first coat dry long enough).
5. Wipe one side of the brush against the lip of the bottle, then use the other side to paint one stripe of color up the center and one on either side. Dry for two minutes and then apply second coat.
6. After second coat dries for two minutes apply a topcoat to add shine and prevent chips. Erase any mistakes with a wood manicure stick dipped directly in polish remover. (Good tip: Using a wood manicure stick. The cotton on a Q-Tip just grabs hold to your nail and smudges your brand new nails)

Britney, if you’re not going to shave please put your arms down.

I wrote another update on my no!no! hair removal treatments. You may be interested to hear my honest opinion. Check out my post to see the update here.

I don’t think I have ever actually bought a pair of shoes from Target. Usually, I find them to be uncomfortable and not that fashionable. But that was when I could buy clothing and shoes without worry… now I am try to save money and shoes are not something I can splurge on anymore.

I saw this cute pair of Loeffler Randall for Target flats in a magazine and figured I would check out the other stuff they have right now. Look at all of the great deals I found. I would wear any one of these! Don’t worry I am still on my spending fast this week so I didn’t buy anything. But I do have a few things bookmarked.

Loeffler Randall for Target “Rosette” - $29.99

Mossimo Dani Cross-Toe Flats - Gold - $6.24

Mossimo Dodie Peep-Toe Wedges - Polka Dot $6.24

Xhilaration Taylor Cork Wedge Shoes,Black - $8.99