# House Proud ~ Share Your Favorite Home Decor & DYIs



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I just recently moved into a new apartment and am in full decorating mode. Though I hated giving up my old place, I am really enjoying this new place and the challenge of pulling it all together. I have a bit more tweaking to do and have yet to really tackle my office or porch but slowly but surely it is coming together. I am really happy with the bedroom, last weekend I put up wallpaper in the bedroom, a removable kind great for renters! More info and photos on that here!










I am also very happy with how this little project turned out, a basic iKea cabinet (I found for $15 on Craig's List), added wallpaper to the sides and glass doors and I think it looks great! I also replaced an ugly folding door to the water heater, next to it, with a simple panel, also from ikea...!

What projects or room make you "house proud"?​


----------



## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Love what you did with your place. I like the color palette, fresh and invigorating.


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Beautiful!  You have a real eye for color.  I'm amazed that you can put up wallpaper in your apartment!

My husband does a lot of woodworking, and he made our cabinets when we re-did our kitchen.  I'll have to take a picture and post it later on.


----------



## RhondaRN (Dec 27, 2009)

My gosh, you are talented!!  Love your rooms, also love the cat on the bed!!


----------



## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh wow, thanks so much on the tip for removable wallpaper! My apartments have always been incredibly boring because I can't paint or put up normal wallpaper. I didn't know such a thing existed!


----------



## Jane917 (Dec 29, 2009)

I am also amazed with the decorating skills. However, if you follow Cuechicks blog http://www.piewacketblog.com/ , you see her talents of photography, writing, decorating are out there for all of us to say "ooooohhhh aaaahhhhhh."

Congratulations on your new digs, and welcome back to California!


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks everyone! Please post some of yours!


----------



## R J Askew (Dec 4, 2011)

I've decorated The Golly Gosh Room in my mind in entirely new shades of yellow music. I will need you to image them though as no camera has yet been invented to quiet capture such sublime metaphysicality. Ach, don't you find it sad that we lavish so much effort on our surroundings and all too often neglect our inner Palazzo?


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Jane917 said:


> I am also amazed with the decorating skills. However, if you follow Cuechicks blog http://www.piewacketblog.com/ , you see her talents of photography, writing, decorating are out there for all of us to say "ooooohhhh aaaahhhhhh."


Oooh and aaahh indeed! Marvelous blog and pictures! (I pinned a couple on Pinterest...hope that's okay.)

Here are a couple from my kitchen. We tore the entire thing down to the floorboards and then worked our way up. (Sorry, the pictures are not the best...) The top one is of the cupboards that my husband made and I finished. Cherry wood with a cherry stain. We also tiled the counter and the back splash. The second picture is of the fireplace that my son and I tiled. My husband made the mantel and the trim. It was a *huge* project, and took an entire summer to finish. Since my husband and I are both teachers, we were able to work on it every day. Also, we made our kids help, lol.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Love the cherry stain and tile, so rich and homey!


----------



## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

Cuechick said:


> I just recently moved into a new apartment and am in full decorating mode. Though I hated giving up my old place, I am really enjoying this new place and the challenge of pulling it all together. I have a bit more tweaking to do and have yet to really tackle my office or porch but slowly but surely it is coming together. I am really happy with the bedroom, last weekend I put up wallpaper in the bedroom, a removable kind great for renters! More info and photos on that here!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would definitely say "The cat on the bed." I adore cats and have three of them.


----------



## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

Your new apt is beautiful! Love the colors in your bedroom and I see the small slice of your new Smegg too...all gorgeous


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Cuechick said:


> Love the cherry stain and tile, so rich and homey!


Thank you


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

These are shots in my bedroom taken at different times. Wall color is the same in all shots. Truest is shot of dog's collar hanging on my bedpost. Color is a green / teal shade. Ace paint "green fog". I love the beach -- Seaside, Florida area in particular. Love water colors.









The artwork over the bed is of palm fronds.









My bro Beagle's last collar still hangs on my bedpost.









This is on top of the armoire on wall opposite the bed.









Got this piece of child's furniture from Pottery Barn Kids. Sits on top of a bookcase I had as a child. (Sturdier than piece on top.) Have a cloth over and hanging in front of the bookcase so I just use it for general storage. Striped cloth can be pulled across doorway instead of a door. If the bedroom door were still hung, I'd lose the wall space behind the bookcase.


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Love that color!  (And that bedpost is gorgeous.)

My bedroom is green as well.  The color is called 'restful' and my kids kept asking me if that's why I chose it, lol.

Grr...now that I've been seeing these pictures, I have an itch to do some painting, lol.  How do you guys choose your colors?  I need something that will blend with the rest of the house.


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

As I said, I love Seaside, Florida. Colors there are pastels / bright pastels. And then water colors leaning more towards greens and teals / aqua, not so much blue. So that's my bedroom. I started with a brightish golden yellow sofa in my living room. Living room is generally that golden yellow, green, and some white. I like the contrast of yellow - green. Wish I could easily change the golden yellow to a softer, clearer, truer yellow. My kitchen is basically green and white. Though have to say I did not do a good job of choosing wall tile. It's mosaic glass -- green and shades of brown. Ugh! I don't have much natural light in the kitchen. How the tile looks depends on what light is shining on it. Most places does not look so good. I'd like to change it. Will say though, I did a good job of choosing ceramic floor tile in the kitchen. It's swirly green / gray. After it had been down for a few days, walked in to the kitchen . . . it just struck me. It looks like the surface of water in the Gulf. I'm walking on water!!! I love that tile.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Now I'm working on my office...








I re-did this little $10 Todd Oldham table by reupholstering the top! 








Details on the easy how to  here...

It really goes with my new desk, which I had to buy after the movers broke my other one...I use it underneath to hold my laptop which is attached to a large monitor....I am out of cash, so I am having to be extra crafty! I also turned this tray into a shelve, (top)....









I found the bottom metal shelve at a yard sale for $1 and spray painted it green-blue. Never underestimate the power of spray paint! I love industrial vintage pieces but wow they can be very pricey!


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Yep, I like a little industrial pieces in the mix too.

A number of years ago I found two of these tempered glass boxes (lid and bottom separate pieces) in a second-hand shop. A little chipped and cracked, but I've got those hidden. They're 15" square X 27.5" high. Paid just $7.50 each. The globe in this box is from the early '40s. Pretty sure it was the globe my mom had so she could see where dad was in Europe during WWII. I use the other glass box next to my bed.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I have been working on a few more projects and will actually be shooting my whole place for a magazine called Flea Market Style. It will not run till the Fall and I have to keep most of my place now on the down low till then. However here is a fun and easy little face lift I gave to a great cabinet I got from urban outfitters. They have some pretty nice furniture and very well priced. This cabinet called "The Draper" (after Madmen's Don Draper I assume) was 199.00!

Oh I forgot to mention how I did it. The original front was burlap (ick) so I had a slim piece of poster board cut to fit, covered it with fabric and staple gunned to the front.. there was a little space so it is actually flush now.


----------



## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

Congrats on the magazine entry. I get that mag from time to time. Love it can't wait to see your house in.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks! It will be out at the end of July. I think I am in the home stretch! I found a great coffee table (vintage Paul McCobb) and the only thing my living room still needs, is a pouf! 








I think I like the orange best but maybe even the two together would be interesting...?
















It will help balance the corner, I can't put a chair there cause it messes up the flow, blocking the entry path... the pouf will work I think and also double as an ottoman for the chair...


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Ok, so I went for this one on Overstock and have learned a lot about Poufs in the process...

A. You want to make sure of the size... some are only 11"'s high... this one was 14 and that 3 inches does make a big difference.
B. Some are super cheap because the don't come stuffed...just know waht you are getting.
C. Some are shipped from overseas and can take a long time to arrive, as long as a month.
D. Shipping on stuffed ones can be significant.

So I went with this one, cause the description told me the size and that it was stuffed and even that I might need to air for a few days... and the reviews were all very good. The shipping at Overstock is only 2.95 so that was also a big selling point. This one looks exactly like the Jonathan Adler one I wanted, though much cheaper, and in stock!


----------



## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

Hi I lived in my previous house for forty five years. Then moved into a two bedroom apartment and had to get a storage unit. First thing I organized was my kitchen. Love to cook and bake and have a lot of stuff and a tiny kitchen. This is what I did to make more storage with a back wire rack.







Then I bought a matching one for the kitchen that is a little smaller. And in Pier One I found the perfect basket for my small cooking stuff because my tiny kitchen has almost no storage. Here is my rack and basket.







Replaced the white shelf with this metal wire one.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Wow! Do you really use ALL that stuff? I love to cook and bake too but, just wow! Is there any room to put shelves above some where? I mean by going up? A lot of people forget that... 

I also downsized when I moved and got rid of a lot of stuff... especially kitchen gear and have not missed much...


----------



## geniebeanie (Apr 23, 2009)

On top of my cabinets I put stuff like my toaster oven,Rachael Ray big pans like her pasta pot and stuff I only use on holidays.  I am addicted to QVC and HSN so it kinda multiplies but I use it all.


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

This thread is starting to look like Pinterest, lol.  I love everyone's ideas!!

I was at Ikea today, and I really wanted a new duvet cover, but couldn't find anything I liked    My bedroom has green walls, and I wanted a nice contrasting color, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  I'll give it a few months and try again.


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I've had good luck at Home Goods and I recently got the cutest sheet set at Ross!


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

So my "pouf" came yesterday and I am very happy with it. It is exactly like this one from Jonathan Adler that I used for a photo shoot. I also painted a bathroom cabinet and added new pulls. My brother helped me (it was attached to the wall and pretty heavy) but had to leave before the final door was dry, so I put it back on and now they are uneven! Not sure what I did wrong... it may have been that way and I just did not notice?  Still looks much better!

I also swapped out the pulls on this built in my hallway... it makes such a huge difference. I splurged at Anthropoligie for some really pretty ones but it was worth it!


----------



## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

Just popping in to say I LOVE the retro look, Cuechick! Simple lines, bold colors. Takes me back to childhood.   (Yes, I'm dating myself.)


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Another DIY....










I got this cubby cabinet from Pottery Barn and then papered the back of each cubby. I used a pattern by my favorite designer Orla Kiely, I had a postcard of it but only one and needed 25. So I photographed, sized it to 5x5 and then printed out the required number on my inkjet printer, on good photo paper. I then cut them with a paper cutter and used a little double stick tape and krazy glue and walla!


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Well I admit I am more than a bit obsessive and the fact that I can't blog about any of this till the magazine comes out means I have few outlets...so thanks for indulging me on KB! I feel like I have been in some kind of weird design marathon but am finally headed toward the home stretch! I can see the finish line at least.









Last night, I pulled the trigger on my last "big" purchase, this darling chair from Target. They really have some great options furniture wise online. 
This will go into the corner of my bedroom under the above mentioned shelve... I almost went with green but I think the orange will look better in the space... I was a little concerned about having so much pattern but heck, I love pattern!

I read many reviews of this chair and know I will have to assemble it, at this point I am an assembling queen! Most said it was easy but many were surprised at how many pieces it was in. One said she was puzzled cause once put together it still would have fit in the box it came in!

I appreciate all of you who have been following along and giving me encouragement! I am waiting for a few items to arrive (I do most of my hunting online) and should be camera ready in a few weeks!


----------



## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Cuechick, I love the living room! I have my living room almost entirely empty right now just waiting for me to come up with some good ideas. I have lots of pieces but haven't found a way to tie them all together yet. So, until then, they're staying out.

I recently did my foyer, and love the way it turned out. I found the box picture idea on Artsy Couture and knew I had to try it with my kids' pictures. I love it -- it's so sturdy and strong feeling, it feels nice in my tall foyer.


20110421-IMG_0007 by hsuthard, on Flickr


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Hi Hsuthard, 

Love the what you did with the photos and the whole display. Esp love the lamp!

and great rack garden Sheiler, love the bucket as a planter.


----------



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

OK, here are a couple pics to try on for size. This first is a view from our sofa what shows some of the colors used in our front rooms ....










And, next is to shots from the retro room. The one is a mural we taped up and painted to mimic a wallpaper print we found online and the other is our bar - which you can also see from the first shot ....


----------



## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

Cuechick said:


> ​




Oooooooow. Retro, cool.

Sorry, the extent of my decorating for the last few years is vacuuming . I need to redo the hall bathroom, the living room and the dining room (as soon as it isn't my sewing room). And the whole house needs new carpet, as soon as the dogs go to the big dog kennel in the sky.

But I love seeing others ideas. Makes me motivated and jealous.​


----------



## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Great use of color Geoffrey! Love the mural too and of course your great retro finds!


----------



## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

Geoffrey said:


> And, next is to shots from the retro room. The one is a mural we taped up and painted to mimic a wallpaper print we found online and the other is our bar - which you can also see from the first shot ....


Awesome decorating! My puzzle-loving, logical mind stared at this picture for awhile, trying to work out the order of taping and painting, then realized it wasn't as complicated as I thought. I _love_ that wall.


----------



## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

WOW, Geoff! I feel like I walked back into my 1970 Swedish Modern living room.  You've done a wonderful job!!

I can post kitchen photos (before/after) after the remodel, but we're not nearly as creative.  Stick up new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances, flooring and call it good!  Neither of us has any decorating flair AT ALL.


----------



## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

*Cuechick*, the chair is great, don't envy the assembly tho!

*hsuthard*, love your foyer! I've always been partial to half round tables. I've got a smaller one in my entryway. Your tray w/ the candles & shells reminds me of Cape May, one of my favorite spots.

*Geoffrey*, you've got great style & taste! Love the orange & geometric wall!


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

Love it, Geoffrey!!  Will you come do my house next??


----------

