Re-Styling and Self-Regulation

I have a lot of stuff. I'm no hoarder or anything but I have significantly more than I need (I mean, don't we all?). The problem isn't that I can't get rid of stuff (I'm an excellent purger of things), but instead that I just don't want to get rid of my things. I have really great things. As a compromise (with myself; is that weird?), I decided I could keep all the things I love as long as they extra stuff fits in a small box in my closet. Yes, I have to rotate my toys decorative items out like a child.

This is embarrassing, but here is my secret stash:

It's not pretty but on the other side of the wrapping paper is a box full of frames, decorative objects, and other miscellaneous items that I love but don't have space for it right now.

Recently, I noticed that the shelf above my sink and the open shelving above my stove were getting a little cluttered. All my pretty things were getting a little out of hand so I did a little restyling and streamlining.

BEFORE

AFTER

 BEFORE

 AFTER

Most of this stuff just got shuffled, but if you ever see something where before there was something else, you can pretty much guarantee it is from my secret toy box.

Thrift Shop Find, Updated

Remember how I am a terrible painter? If you missed my last attempt at painting, here are the links Part 1 and Part 2. You should look at them if only to laugh at how bad of a painter I am. The thing that is ridiculous is not that I'm a bad painter because painting is hard, but that I keep trying when I know I'm not good. I've just always loved painting, so it's hard to give up the dream that I could be good too. There is always the hope that next time I'll be better.

So I tried again and my latest attempt was less of a 'major fail' and more of a 'eh' (which is how a lot of my DIY/craft projects turn out).

A few months ago I showed you guys this painting I found at a thrift shop (more about it here):

It was only $2.99! And it's pretty big at about 14" tall and 18" wide. I love a good deal and I also like things that are just slightly ugly. This scene, while quaint, isn't the best painting ever or anything. But when I saw it I really liked the frame and what the scene evoked. I also liked it because I've been wanting to do a 're-painting' project. I've seen a lot of projects lately that take old thrift shop paintings and update them by painting over or accenting the original (examples here, here, and here).

So I did it!

And it looks... eh. It's just so... 'eh'. Why do I keep attempting painting projects??? That is a question that I just can't answer, but swearing off of painting has done me no good in the past so I highly doubt it will make a difference now.

Not sure what I'll do with this painting. For the last few months it's been on my dresser leaning against my Scratch Map so it will probably remain there.

Have you attempted any re-painting projects? I'm a huge fan of them, but apparently they aren't quite as easy as they look.

My TV is a Diva

My TV is way too cool to be sitting on a dresser, or so it's been telling me for the last year. I'm like, TV be cool, there is no need for you to be hanging up on a wall. But I got tired of it's whining so I finally gave in. Last Christmas I asked for a TV mount and I got one. But then it sat next to the TV in it's box for 10 months, whomp whomp.

One of my goals before the home tour (mentioned here) was to get that dang TV hung. I don't really care about TVs hanging or not. I mean, it kind of seems like a guy thing to want the TV hung on the wall, but I had specific reasons for wanting it up off of the dresser.

1) I moved the TV and dresser from the right wall to the left after about 9 months of living here.

I love this set up so much better for many reasons, but the only set back is that in order to see the TV from both couches the TV always has to be at an angle. I'm juuuuust OCD enough that the TV being at an angle drives me insane. For the last year I've been moving it to angle when I'm watching it and then moving it back to a right angle when I'm not watching it. Yeah, I'm weird.

2) As seen above, the TV is resting rather precariously on the DVD player. Every time I moved the TV (which was often, as discussed in #1), the DVD player creaked and groaned and I saw angry dollar signs coming at me so I really wanted to get the TV off of the DVD player as soon as possible.

3) It is a generally known fact that I am running out of wall space so I've been eyeing that blank wall behind the TV for like a year now. So many options! With the TV hung up I could do one of those fancy gallery walls where the TV is incorporated. Or maybe not, I'm about one vintage advertisement away from my house becoming a TGIFridays :/

With so many reasons to hang the TV and the fact that I already owned the wall mount made it a priority before the home tour, except for the fact that I couldn't hang it on my own. My hand is still really weak, oh speaking of my hand, have I showed you my scar yet?

My eyes are not actually as lopsided as they appear in this photo.
It is a combination of a shadow and heterochromia.
But my hand is really that pale.

Pretty gnarly, huh? I actually kind of like it! It's very Harry Potter-ish.

Anyway, with that plus the fact that I'm pretty sure hanging a TV is a two person job I asked my brother and dad to come over help me. I'm so glad I did! Since I have plaster walls there was an added layer of difficulty, but they did a great job!

It not only looks better but now it functions much better. Photos as proof:

Flat against the wall.

Angled, view from first couch.

Angled, view from second couch.

Angled, side view.

Flat, side view.

Flat, view from entry.

Now I have this big beautiful blank wall just asking to be covered in art and photos! Or should I leave it blank? I feel torn. In some ways my house is getting overdecorated, but also I don't care and I want to just be myself and I think I may be an overdecorated sort of person. Or maybe I'm a minimalist with a hoarding problem? So many questions!

In all of the above photos I hadn't put the DVD player back yet, but here is what it looks like now:

Next on the to-do list is to get one of those paintable cord covers (like this) to help make the cords blend in better. I'm loving this new set up though. Now I can move the TV back and forth all day long!

Updated Faux Sofa Table

Remember my faux sofa table? I made it a few months after I moved in (more about it here).

Here is a refresher of what it looked like behind the scenes:

It worked great for over a year, but then BOB happened:

He was all like, "Hey, thanks for putting this special shelf here just for me!" Not cool, Bob. Since the home tour was coming up I had grand plans of making an actual table out of wood for back there, but like a lot of things, it didn't get done. But, I couldn't just leave it like this for the tour so I decided to get creative again.

Though I have more tubs like the bottom ones they were being used elsewhere so I pilfered only the lids and set them on top of the cardboard boxes. Obviously, this is a bandaid to a bigger problem, but you know... it is what it is.

Little known fact about me: I don't use a top sheet. I find them unnecessary so I have like 10 top sheets that I never use so I grabbed two white twin top sheets and folded them over the tubs.

Voila! Not a long term solution but it worked great for the home tour (and beyond, it is still holding up nicely). One day I would like to build a simple table for back there but one day at a time.

A Gift From Japan

Side note: The home tour went amazingly well! I'll be back on Friday with a post all about it!

A got a gift from Japan, actually I got several, but today I'm only talking about one, and it's awesome!

I had two students stay with me from Japan a few weeks ago and they were great. Sweet, kind, and came bearing gifts!

Can you spy what is new below?

I'll get a little closer...

I got a fan! Were you as obsessed with these when you were a kid? I always had one that I played with (which is retrospect is sort of strange... what did I do with it?). Anyway, I was really excited when my friend got me this one, mostly because I love the print on it.

It's little fish. Adorable! I really really like this print, too bad I can't go buy more of the fabric!

New Blinds, Finally

Happy, happy day! I finally got new blinds in the living room! 

Soooo goood right?? While I was grateful that my house came with blinds on every window (seriously, that was amazing), they were all of the $4 vinyl variety. Not my favorite obviously, but they kept sun and people's eyeballs out. That is until Bob systematically destroyed the blinds in the living room. He kept getting his paws caught up in the cords and yanking them down. After buying four new blinds for the living room (it was only $16 but still, they are ugly and I hate buying ugly things as place holders) I said enough was enough and I refused to buy more. When he broke two more a few weeks later I held my ground. And then... well, a year later I still only had two out of four blinds in the living room, but Bob totally learned his lesson.

But, my long game paid off because when I finally decided I had enough money to buy the ones I wanted (it too me a loooong time to decide what I wanted, here is a post about that) they were on sale! $140 later (sounds like a lot but it totally isn't for blinds, trust me on that!) and new blinds were at my house. Of course, it didn't occur to me until after they came that I would have to hang them, boo. Thankfully, they came after my cast came off (oh yeah, my cast is off!!!!) but my wrist was/is still really stiff so I wasn't sure if I could do it myself (drilling is hard for me on a normal day). I asked my brother to help me hang them some time and he said yes, but in typical Jasmin style I randomly decided one day that I couldn't wait another second and that I was going to hang them that moment. And I did! The process required a lot of cursing and two-handed drilling but the end result was totally worth it. Now, let's revel in their glory shall we?

They are also thermally lined (not sure what that means, but it sounds good) so they provide great coverage at night.

Needless to say, I'm extremely happy that my wait is over.

Last Post Before the Home Tour!

Soooo.... that time has come, the home tour is this weekend! I'm excited, nervous, and I'm already tired thinking about how long I'm going to be standing and schmoozing. But I think it will go well. If you live in the Indianapolis area you should definitely check it out! My house is one of six homes and there are also three buildings. It should be pretty cool. Tickets are available at several Irvington locations (more information here).

In other news, here is what I was able to accomplish before the tour (my original list here, my updated list here):

1) Replace/Get blinds in the living (currently only two of the four windows have blinds). 
2) Hang the TV (I already have the mount).
3) Buy new plants to replace some of mine that are looking sort of sad.
4) Clean, just like, everything.
Bonus items:
* Build sofa table to replace my 'faux' table I created (here). 
* Re-grout shower 
(posts to come about all these projects soon!)

Considering how I was gone for a month and then one-handed for the first five weeks I was home, I'm pretty proud of everything I was able to accomplish. I am excited about the home tour for a lot of reasons but mostly because having my house this clean made me jump on an opportunity I have been thinking about for a while. What is it? Well, you will just have to stay tuned to find out! 

New Plants, Part 4 of 4

Last but not least, my little elephant planter from an antique store got a little succulent love (parts 1, 2, and 3 if you feel so inclined to catch up).

Previously, the elephant planter was filled with aloe, but after using too much of the aloe (sue me! it's really fun to use your plants for practical things!) the plant all but disappeared. 

At this point, I only had one succulent left, so it isn't a big improvement but it is at least a little less empty.

Love this planter, it makes me smile!

So that is the end of my succulent planting saga, I know, it was riveting. Thanks for sticking it out!

New Plants, Part 3 of 4

I managed to make 20 succulents stretch into four planters (Part 1 and Part 2) and here is the third one!

I had this little glass dish/jar/bowl (?) from something, maybe a flower arrangement or something? I kept it because it's hard to just throw away a nice glass thing so it's been in the back of a cabinet for a long time. Anyway, I thought it would make a cute little mini-terrarium (its about 6" tall x 5" in diameter).

Yeah, I'm aware how blurry this pic is, 

but give me a little a credit, I was still be-casted at this point.

Like, the brass planter, I went rock-finding in my backyard to aid in the drainage of this non-planter turned planter. 

Remember my little greenhouse? Well, I'm happy to report, that even though my baby greenhouse did not have a home or any occupants for a few days, it does now! Baby terrarium meet baby greenhouse.

Happy, happy plants!