Tampilkan postingan dengan label Sources. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Sources. Tampilkan semua postingan

Selasa, 07 Agustus 2012

You Asked: Wrapping Paper Wrap Up

When I recently revealed my newly painted dresser in my in-progress studio space, people were equally as excited about the inside {if not more!} as the outside.  What was so special about the inside of the dresser?  I will remind you:


Whenever I work on a drawer organizing project, I love to take it a step further and add in some decorative paper.  So, I thought I would share a little more about that process, how I select what to use and then take you on a little shopping trip for some really pretty papers that will leave you color happy!

Why do I line the drawers with decorative paper?  

Whether or not someone should or shouldn't line drawers can be argued until the end of time, so I just say it's a personal preference thing.  Some argue there are benefits, others will say that it is more for aesthetics.  I lean towards the latter of the two, but I really am not an expert on the subject.

I do it because I think it's a happy surprise when you open the drawer.  It makes it look nicer, it can cover ugly markings in older cabinets and drawers, it adds color, when using clear drawer dividers it looks pretty showing through and it can protect painted surfaces.



What do I use to line the drawers?

It all depends on what and where I am lining the drawers.  In the kitchen or bathroom, I typically use shelf liner which is made specifically for the purpose of lining cabinets and drawers and shelves.  It is easy to remove and easy to clean in messier or humid spaces.  I also obtained some free leftover wallpaper from a friend and used that to line some drawers in the kitchen, and it also worked out just fine, since it can be washed without ruining the surface of the paper.  When working with dressers or office spaces, I like to use anything from scrapbook paper to wrapping paper or even fabric.  Although it can't be wiped down with a damp cloth since the paper is more fragile, it still can be dusted and vacuumed for a long period of time.


How do I install the decorative paper?

Once again, this has varied as I have played with a few options.  The first step is to always measure the inside of the drawer, and then measure the paper and cut it.  I have lined the drawers by using spray adhesive and double sided tape.  Both have worked well, I have not tried removing the paper with either of those methods, so I am not positive of the long term impacts yet.  I would guess you could also just use small pieces of tape or nothing at all if you want to be sure there are no permanent effects from the process.  Again, standard shelf liners also come ready to stick, and always pull back up leaving your surface as though it was never there at all.


Where do I purchase my wrapping papers?

This seems to be the real question.   I receive numerous questions and emails about where I purchase my pretty papers, so I thought it would be fun to snag my iPhone and go check out a few local shops in person, and share all the lovely papers that caught my eye.  The places I selected to stop at, were all local and some also have options on the web, since the point is to share papers that can be accessible to most.

Since wrapping paper is the least expensive and the most versatile, that is where I focused my attention for this trip out and about.  My first stop was my favorite store of all and where I always find majority of my wrapping papers: Target!  In fact, the pink and yellow papers shown in the first photo above were both purchased at Target. Love. That. Store!


Wrapping paper ranged from $3-$5 and they have a variety of colorful options an patterns!




Most of their papers are in the gift wrap isle, but don't forget to also check their end-caps!

Another store many have access to is Walmart, so I hopped into one of those quick as well.


Their selection was a little less impressive, but I did spot a couple that weren't too "themey" and could be used as very stylish drawer liner; such as the pretty blue mumm paper, the damask styles and even the subtle stripes...


I know that not everyone has access to The Container Store, however, sine they stock all of their papers online as well, it was worth it for me to drive there and check things out in the flesh.  Twist my arm right? 


They actually have quite an abundance of pretty papers, and many of them caught my eye, one you may even recognize as something I have used in my own home in the past.





This gold pattern had me swooning big time, I am now kicking myself for not grabbing a role why I was there...


I also really liked that they had some modern options for lining the dresser's of little bambinos and kidlets:


The Container Store also sells liners specifically for drawers and shelves {so they would be better in kitchen and bath settings but could absolutely work in any drawer} and I have been eying them up for quite sometime:


Have you ever been to a Paper Source store?   OOOO MMMM GGG!  Be very prepared before walking in.  It's the most amazing paper shopping experience....


Shown above are their pricier, more delicate options.  Gorgeous right?!





Everything in this store is frame worthy art!

The store offers papers either sold in single sheets {these ones are less expensive per sheet than the ones shown above}....




Or entire rolls for larger projects!



Their prices are a little steeper than Target, Walmart and even some of The Container Store's papers, however, their selection, quality and fantastic patterns were far better than any I had seen anywhere.

One my way home I remembered that I had found some great MacBeth Collection shelf liner at a TJMaxx or Marshalls, so I hopped into one quick to see what they had on hand.


The two pack of shelf liner was priced around $6 and the wrapping paper was around $3.  Although the selection was minimal at the store I stopped at, the patterns were fabulous!

All the places I had stopped at so far, are larger, well known brands and shops, but never forget to check local boutiques as well.  They may just surprise you and have the prettiest, most unique papers of them all!  In fact, I was recently roaming downtown Stillwater, MN with my fam, happened to pop into the absolute sweetest shop/cafe I have ever seen {Mara Mi for those wondering and local}...


Only to stumble upon some extremely cheerful papers!


So there you have it!  That's a wrap on wrapping paper!

Who else is a drawer lining lover?  Where are your favorite spots to find pretty papers and shelf liners?  Let's keep the convo going!


Kamis, 14 Juni 2012

Items IHeart: Etsy Storage Solutions

Our oldest guy is in need of a few bins for his bedroom and after realizing that we didn't have much around the abode to fit our needs, my brain started to go through the typical places to check out...

Then that oh so happy moment hit me like a ton of bricks.  Etsy.  Why is Etsy a forgotten storage source?  There are so many fabulous storage solutions available on Etsy, it should be the FIRST place I check!  So I did.  And then I started to find so many cool ideas on Etsy, I thought it would be oh so generous of me to share the delightfulness with you!

{ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 }

Fabric decoupaged buckets, makeup brush holders, mini bins, bag organizers, coupon files, knit bowls, canvas bins, wall cubbies and the gotta have it chevron bins, Etsy proves to be a one stop shop for all sorts of storage needs!  And for the DIY'er in you, many of the shops offer the option to purchase the plans to make the items yourself!  I am smitten!

Now, back to my big boy bedroom bin shopping {say that three times fast!}... Decisions decisions!

Feel free to share your favorite Etsy organizing shop in the comments, it would be fun to highlight special shops that have made you smile for storage!


Pssst.  I wasn't paid or swayed to feature any of the Etsy shops or items mentioned in this post.  Just thought it would be fun to share some storage solutions that have caught my eye.

Jumat, 01 Juni 2012

A Sweet and Simple Style Tile Tutorial

An extremely frequent question I receive is how to create room Style Tiles, similar to this one:


Style Tiles are a great way to get a visual idea for a room before you begin to give your space a facelift, or even if you are starting from scratch.  And because I highly recommend going into those types of updates with some sort of a plan, I knew I wanted to address the question and answer it on the blog.  However, thinking of how long it takes me to create one Style Tile, made me realize that trying to explain it may be a twelve hour post.  Ish.

Then, I recently discovered Olioboard, and I can say with confidence that it was a huge Style Tile time and sanity saver!

I know there are probably 101 blog posts out there on the subject of Olioboard, so add another to the list, but when find something that I love, I feel that it is my duty to share.

What is Olioboard?

Very simply put, it's an online moodboard creator.  I call them Style Tiles, but same difference.  And it's FREE! 

So here is my Olioboard story and "How To"...

I have a bestest friend who has a little boy, Nash, and he is one of my most favorite people.  Nash is turning three and is getting a "big boy" bedroom, so I was asked if I would offer up some ideas to pull it all together.  She already has the bed, dresser and bedding, so that is what I had to work with as a starting off point.  And the kid LOOOOOOOOOOOVES "diggers"!  And trucks, tractors, firetrucks... you name it, if it has wheels and is loud, he is a major fan.


Everything else is pretty much a blank slate of a room. 

I typically use Photoshop to create my Style Tiles, and because I am completely self taught and not super swift with it, it takes me a really looong time to put one together.  Saving all of the images from the web, opening them, cutting and cropping them, pasting them into a board, sizing, layering, etc.... 

So, with this new project, I thought I would give the Olioboard site a try.  I had heard so much about it in blogland that I figured it must be pretty awesome.  But for some reason I was putting it off, probably because I have a fear of learning curves and the time it takes to get used to something new.  Now that I have played with it, I wish I would have tried it months ago! 

When you sign up on the site, it's as simple as clicking a button to create a new moodboard.


Once you get started, you have a blank board to work with.  On the right side of the screen there is an online catalog filled with endless amounts of items to browse and include within the board itself!


Since I already knew a few of the items being used in the room, I did a quick search for those products, but came up short.  Since I knew they were from Target, I went to the Target site and found them, and then using the Olioboard button on my Firefox toolbar {just like a Pinterest "Pin It" button}, I was able to basically pin the item to my Olioboard account.


It creates a link back to the original site too, which is great for future reference.

If you still can't find what you are looking for, you can also upload your own images to the site:

So, I started adding a few items to my board.  It was as simple as finding it in the catalog and dragging it onto the board.


Once on the board, a circle appears over the object selected.  Using your mouse, you can hold the orange lever and rotate, enlarge or shrink.  You can also click the object itself to move it around on the board, or use the menu above to flip, move from front to back, crop, etc...

I started adding the items I had already come up with in my brain {am I the only one putting rooms together while laying in bed trying to fall asleep?}


Once of my favorite features can be seen within the green lamp above.  See how it is hovering the other images, all nicely cropped around the entire lamp?  Yeah, Olioboard did that automatically.  It cuts the objects out for you so you can nicely layer them and really get a good idea of how things play with one another. 

I just kept plucking away until I had this {only minutes later!}:


So far things were going swimmingly.  As I added new items, I could easily move and size ones I already had placed.  Piece of cake!  Now, the room still was far from feeling complete, but my brain dump was done and I needed some more inspiration.  Off to shop the Olioboard gallery!

I knew I needed to find a nightstand of some sort, so I started there.  A simple search by category gave me a boatload of fabulous results and ideas! 


And because there were so many results, you can narrow things down even further if you would like, you can even search by color scheme:


Once I had my nightstand selected, Olioboard provided me with a link to the product's website, along with the cost of the item as well:


So using Olioboard's catalog, I found the remaining items, which included a pendant light fixture, fabric for DIY roman shades and some additional storage and accessories!

I also like that along the way, Olioboard was reminding me to save my project so I wouldn't lose any of my work.  And once I was done, it was simple to save, publish, share and even create an image file of the project!


So when all was said and done, I was able to take this:


To this:

{product sources can be found here}

Pretty sweet eh?  And now I can pop over an image to my pal Erin and see what she thinks!  Easy peasy!

If she doesn't love something, it's super simple to access the project, make a switch and re-save it.  But lets just hope that she adores it...

So there you have it, my super exciting, fun, free, easy, time saving find.  I know I have already mentioned about 2,467 reasons why I love it, but one of the best features is that you don't need any special or expensive program to do this {cough cough, Photoshop}.  Just the internet since it's all web based.  And I am quite positive there are all sorts of other cool features that I haven't found yet, but I can't wait to dig in more and keep learning. 

Writing this got me wondering, what one thing have you or did you put off, just because you thought it would take too long to learn?  Who else has fallen hard for Olioboard?  Feel free to leave a comment linking to your favorite Olioboard projects, I would love to see what you all are coming up with!


Pssst!  I wasn't paid or swayed to write up this post.  In fact, Olioboard has zero clue who I am.  I just wanted to share something awesome with you fine friends!