Framing Maps: Part 1

I have a thing for maps, especially old maps. When I was a kid, my grandparents bought an atlas for us kids to use, and I was hooked.

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I knew the capitals of all 50 states by the time I was 8 and forced all of my family members to quiz me before dinner.

Now than I'm an adult working on sharpening my eye for interior design, I really love the look of framed maps. Case in point:

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Framed maps are such a great and easy way to display places that are special to you. Naturally I wanted to start with framing a map of good ol' North America, so when Nan and I went to our first estate sale back in October, we scooped up this awesome Rand McNally atlas from the 1960s.

Added bonus: there was a smaller sized leaflet of the continents inside, just begging to be displayed in a pretty frame. Enter this cute little shadow box-type frame that we scored at a local thrift store.

Unfortunately the back looked like this:

I cut the cardboard/paper stuff off with a knife and pulled up the staples holding everything in place. Once I removed the cardboard and the pink flower photo from the inside, I was still left with a pink border. I thought this would be a problem until I placed the map inside. The border actually compliments the pink color in the map!

I'm planning on adding this to the collage I'm slooowwwllyyyy assembling to go above the TV. And we still have a few more maps to frame, so... to be continued...

Tis the Season... for reflection

It's December 1, which makes me scratch my head and wonder where the time has gone. How did we make it to the end of 2012 already? As I drive around I'm seeing more and more houses decked out and lit up and I remember the days of my dad and I making a game out of counting the decorated houses while making our way to grandma's house. And I think about how this time of the year is both and blessing and a curse for many people.

Last year something in my brain clicked and I decided to no longer be a humbug around Christmastime, although I thought that I had every reason to be. Using my past to justify the present is something I became very good at when I didn't want to take responsibility for my emotions/actions.

Although it’s still painful to recall, a week before Christmas 2008 I received the worst news of my life that my dad passed away. This December 17 will mark four years since his death, and it’s still difficult to grasp that it’s already been that long without him. Even though I've managed to really come to terms with his death and make peace with it, nothing changes the fact that losing a loved one at any time of the year hurts deeply and is something I will always have to work through.

Last year I had a change of heart. I wanted to really embrace Christmas like I never had before, or more like I had when I was a kid. I wanted to give gifts to everyone. I wanted to sing Christmas songs and watch movies and decorate and be happy and joyful. After all, I was engaged to the love of my life and we were both enjoying living with a special member of the family. Plus we were having one of the warmest winters on record so I had no reason to complain about the weather.

We headed up to Maine to spend Christmas Day with my mom’s side of the family. It didn't take long for alcohol and the absence of an uncle to stir up some hostile feelings which erupted in a shouting match while young cousins watched in horror. And I stood in the middle of the room, begging and pleading for everyone to stop and realize the absurdity of all of this. But hurtful words had already been exchanged and morale was low. At that moment I realized I could no longer play peacekeeper. Unfortunately I had to come to terms with the fact that these people don’t see things the way I do. Maybe someday they will, and I truly hope that happens. But I cannot hold out for that moment. I have to create my own reality.

A year later I’m living in a different part of the country with my husband and our tight knit family and we’re excited for the holidays. Thanksgiving was a success and now Christmas is on the horizon. The incident of last December feels like forever ago and I’m so ready to welcome my mom and grandmother here to celebrate with us. They deserve to be a part of a happy and loving family that has no interest in drama and we are welcoming them with open arms.

On that note, everyone deserves to feel welcomed and loved during the holidays and any day of the year for that matter. If the holidays create stress and anxiety for you, then my suggestion is to take a step back, breathe, and reevaluate. I know that sometimes family members can be pills and the mixing of personalities can be a recipe for drama. But love them anyway. Send out love every chance you get; you just may be surprised in the ways in which it comes back to you.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. What could be better than family and friends gathering to enjoy good food and great company? Throw in 60+ degree weather, sunshine, and homemade sangria and you've got the makings for an awesome holiday.

Spiced Cider Sangria
1 bottle Chianti
1/2 bottle Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
(what can I say? we like rum)
1/2 gallon apple cider
1/2 liter soda water
Mix in spice mix, cinnamon sticks and sliced fruit

We got crafty a few days before Thanksgiving and made up some cute place settings using pine cones from a local thrift store, craft paper, ribbon and leaf stickers. Total cost of this project: less than $10. And we have extra so we can add more names for next year ;)

Not to mention, they were a great addition to the fabulous table Nan decorated:

We started off the meal with some amazing squash and sweet potato soup. Trust me when I say it was even more delicious thank it looks.

Then it was grub time. Excuse the mismatched pink cup... I needed lots of water to go along with the heaping mountain of food I consumed.

Once the tryptophan set in we all scattered around the house for a nap, making sure to wake up in time for some football and dessert.

I have to say that overall, this is the best Thanksgiving I can remember. I have many, many fond memories of Thanksgivings past, but this one was very special being the first holiday spent with Evan as a married couple, and with my new family. There was no shortage of gratitude and happy bellies after our amazing meal, and it really set the tone as we look forward to entertaining even more family and friends next month. 

Cheers!

The Room of Living (Progress)

Cue the holidays and suddenly my days seem to be getting away from me. Well, that and I've been making an effort to work extra shifts at work and lately Nan and I have been immersed in Operation: Finish the Living Room. When we first moved into our little bungalow, this was where we all gathered:

Nan's cute furniture from her previous apartment barely filled this new living space. It's not quite pictured, but the funky red leather-esque chaise made for a comfortable addition to the side of the couch for TV nights when all five of us would gather around for some of our favorite shows, like The Walking Dead and The X Factor. Yep, we're a zombies and bad reality TV kinda family.

Some things about this room that really bothered me/us:

Orange-y wood floors and trim. Once upon a time there was carpet in this room and the owner never quite got around to fixing the baseboard or the million little nails holes that surround the room. But it's not "our" home, so we're living with it.

The weird ceiling/molding that comes about 6-8 inches down the wall. I guess it's a Midwestern thing because I've never seen anything quite like it. Bungalows tend to have such small, cozy spaces to begin with, why make it feel smaller? If the place were ours, we would definitely push the ceiling back up high where it belongs. I'd say we have a good 10 ft. overall so this room could feel much larger.

Fast forward about a month and a half. We brought in the happy turquoise TV dresser, which drastically changed the vibe of the room if I do say so myself. Then we got rid of the sofa and brought in this guy:

Add some new curtains from World Market (one of Nan and I's favorite haunt) and the living room started to become a lot more comfortable and pulled together. Oh, and even though the TV dresser looks pretty junky, I have since purchased some 1x6 planks from Home Depot, had 'em cut to size, and created shelves for the baskets. I just need to stain and snap a new photo.

But first we decided to attack the other awkward side of the room:

The computer desk was a cheap Target buy that worked as a temporary solution when we were all cramped up in a 2-bedroom apartment. Now it's time to introduce a more impressive piece of furniture.

It wasn't a side if the road find, and I did have to slave over vague assembly instructions in a dimly lit room, but I think it was worth it. Looks expensive, huh? No? I thought so...

After browsing Craigslist like a pro to find an accent chair for a reading nook we envisioned for the other corner, I stumbled upon this resin wicker chair:

Yay for more bad iPhone photos. I'm still guilty of not taking out my "real" camera when I want a quick picture. I'm thinking there might be a more compact point-and-shoot in my future. But I figured the chair would be great for the space which we're trying to keep "natural". So far we have woven baskets in the TV dresser and our little burlap elephant that we scored from Home Goods. It's also perfect because Stella can't destroy the top of it with her claws like she's done with other upholstered chairs.

As far as the rest of the corner goes, the table is a $10 find from Thrift Nation (my new favorite place) as is the lamp. The too-small shade, which will be used elsewhere, and the seat cushion is from World Market. The fuzzy blanket is from Marshall's and the vase was a gift. The pillow was included with our couch, and is something we plan to cover with some new fabric or possibly a sweater.

I've officially decided that furnishing and decorating is fun... when I have time. And I'm slowly yet surely making sure to tackle at least one project, big or small, every week. Again I need to remind myself that we have only been living here for just about 2 months and we're feeling very prepared for the upcoming holidays. Let's see if we can stay on track!

Re-purposing Fun: Neglected Dresser turned Entertainment Center

Nearly a month later I'm almost done with our entertainment center, proving that one man's trash is a frugal woman's treasure.

After picking up this dresser with the nice albeit banged up legs I knew it would make a great vintage/antique looking entertainment center with a bright, bold color. Just the thing to add something fun and functional to our otherwise dark and beige living room, and I was eager to finally get my hands on something and release the creativity.

So the dresser sat in the garage for a few days weeks. Per usual, I procrastinated while browsing for a tutorial on refinishing a piece. In the meantime Nan and I made our way to the Depot to decide on a paint color. Behr's Teal Zeal was the winner. We also picked up the necessary supplies, like wood filler and this little guy:

As you can see, the top of the dresser was in tough shape, much like the rest of it. After filling in a few holes and gouges I sanded 'er down, then noticed the wood bubbling around the edges. I decided the top layer was too crappy to salvage, and upon further inspection I realized it could actually be peeled off to reveal the natural wood below.

With putty knife in hand I scraped til I couldn't scrape anymore, then sanded it down one more time. I do realize that I essentially took off a layer of the wood but it worked just fine, revealing a much smoother surface below. The rest of the piece wasn't going to peel as easy at the top so I figured what the hell, I wanted that dark brown to show through the teal a bit to give it a distressed look.

One coat of paint gave me just the look I wanted. Although it still needs some finishing touches like plywood cut to size for the middle and bottom shelf (plus fabric to cover said plywood) and some type of protective covering for the top, here she is in her glory:

 

I'm making a promise now to take better photos with my real camera once it's complete. Until then I used some crappy little particle board shelves from another trash find that I actually kind of like. I may cut to size and paint the unfinished edges and keep that slat look for the middle. The bottom has already collapsed under the weight of the baskets full of DVDs so a new plywood shelf is needed ASAP.

Breakdown of project cost to date:

• Dresser: free (found on the side of the road)
• Baskets: free (purchased with gift cards at Home Goods)
• Paint: $12

Plus cost of supplies, so no more than $50. 

I'm officially hooked. Let's hope this nearly finished project will inspire me to look for the potential in other unloved pieces.