11.30.2011

Technology meets DIY

With so many phone cases out there, I've been on the hunt for the perfect one. I know these things aren't really important in the scheme of things, but if you can find something fun why not?

I've been obsessed with needle work lately and (although for the life of me, I can't remember where I first saw it) I knew this cross stitch case had to me mine! 

It was only $7.59 with free shipping (I know what!?), is made of silicon, comes with thread and a needle, and has little holes for you to stitch away on any design you can imagine. 

I chose a paper airplane pattern on a lined paper background inspired by this pin on Pinterest.


I'm totally thrilled with how it turned out and almost tempted to make a second one! Maybe I'll just find another thread based project to throw myself at... hm yes I think that's the solution to my fiber craft craving...

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This post was part of a linky party!

Creative Kristi Designs

11.29.2011

Pretty Small Things: octopus print

One of the best rabbit holes to fall down is looking through prints on etsy - oh the beauty out there. I love to see all of the talent and support an artist directly when I make my purchase.

On one of my deep journeys down the etsy print rabbit hole, I found this beautiful print by Black Baroque, who has a shop FULL of great vintagey steampunk-ish prints. Each picture is printed on a unique piece of vintage encyclopedia paper (lovely I know).


I had an old frame on hand and thought I would DIY the mat like Linda from My Crafty Home-Life did on this awesome post, but once I got to the craft store I was sucked into the have-them-do-it-for-you framing. I guess sometimes you just leave things to the professionals.

Here's what we started with: the awesome print and a plain black frame.


Tim and I chose a grey mat with a black edge that worked beautifully with the print. 

I'm thrilled with how it turned out and am so happy to walk past it on my walls every day. I think the next print on my list is this one. What do you think?

11.28.2011

A Pinteresting Weekend

I was super bummed when I couldn't participate in the last Pinterest Challenge hosted by Young House Love and Bower Power. Maybe I'm crazy, but joining a bunch of other bloggers in tackling Pinterest DIY projects sounds like a fabulous time. Well, maybe I'll be able to catch the next one - fingers crossed.

Anywho, this weekend I had my own little Pinterest showdown. Even though it was a party of one, I had a great time. I'm pumped to tackle a few more soon!


I was super motivated to finish this easy DIY once I finished my burlap dry erase board. Need a place to keep the dry erase markers right? I've had the tea tin forever, but kept forgetting to get magnets. Finally remembered!

The Pin                                                                        And Mine

I'm not thrilled about putting my photo next to freaking Martha Stewart's, but I'm going to pretend I don't care.


I fell in love with this the moment I saw it via Love Maegan. It's that perfect subtly-throw-the-room-off piece. I had the succulent, but the plastic animal toy was surprisingly hard to find. Am I the only one who remembers this being a common type of toy back in the day? I ended up finding the perfect giraffe for $1 at Michael's.

And Mine
I'm not sure if I'll ever spray paint the giraffe a solid color. For now, a color doesn't come to mind so I'm leaving it "giraffe" colored. Any ideas for a spray paint color?

For a look at my DIY inspiration board on Pinterest, just head over here.
What Pinterest projects are you itching to tackle?

11.26.2011

Bunny Lamp Poll Results!

Have you been wondering what the masses would way about this Bunny Lamp? Is it awesome or awful!?


89% Awful!
11% Awesome!

By a pretty large majority this lamp is awful! Sorry bunny, I guess your built in storage wasn't enough to sway people's hearts and minds. I'm going to have to search for some more controversial items...

Did you forget to vote?!  Leave a comment if you agree or disagree with the results!  Voting is fun, but comment "voting" is fun too - promise :)

11.24.2011

Happy Thanksgiving and Giveaway Winner

I'm so thankful for my little family. This Thanksgiving we're spending some quality time with good music and a small dinner. (Tim's cooking - what a guy!)


I also want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who takes time out of their busy day to read my little blog. Your generous comments and friendly responses are the bestest ever. Have an incredible day of thanks with some delicious food! 

Oh right, the giveaway winner. I guess you might want to know who that was...



Congratulations ccross! You'll have two weeks to email me with your contact info (jen - at - insideways - dot - com) and redeem your prize. 

11.23.2011

Pretty Small Things: afghan and bowl

Well it's happened folks, I think I may have found my go to thrift store in the San Diego area. I could have bought like five more things if Tim hadn't pointed out that I was indulging in hoarding tendencies. Just buy what you have need and space for, Jen...


So I edited. A little copper vessel for $2, a nice wooden bowl for $2, and an afghan in really pretty greens for $6. Win!

11.22.2011

Bedroom Reveal!

It's the second big reveal of my White Box Challenge - Bedroom edition!


This one definitely took a lot longer than the two weekends it took to get my living room in shape. In true insideways style, it's still not done done, but it's done enough so that it's time to share with those of you who have been patiently waiting since my sneak peek weeks ago.

Let's dig in!!

The wall art is almost all vintage. That little photograph on the left was the first piece of art I ever purchased. It's of a house in snowy November and I got it because my birthday is in November :). You can also see a little bit of my antique school desk there. This time around, we're using it as a nightstand.

Oh you dresser you. I found this dresser FOR FREE on the side of the road!! Yes, it is horribly beat up, but I have plans for the little guy, yes I do. This was the big thing holding up my reveal. I'm just not 100% sure how I'm going to refinish him... 

A couple of treasures on the nightstand. You might remember these goodies from this and this post. 


I decided to keep my fabric basked out in the open because it's pretty enough so why not? Then I decided to put my wonderful wicker/velvet trashcan on top of it because why not?

So there you have it - very cozy and relaxing, but still very much our style.
What style is your bedroom? Are you negotiating a few unfinished projects?

11.21.2011

Homeless Housewares: knit edition!

If you happen to follow my Pinterest boards, you might have noticed I'm becoming more and more obsessed with needle work. Knit, crochet, embroidery, cross stitch... really I don't know too much of what I'm talking about, but I definitely love it!

Well, why not use craigslist to enable some of that obsession? Meet Homeless Housewares Knit Edition!!

(After image from SF Girl by Bay)
Bertoia Chairs - $140

No, these aren't cheap at $140 each - not even a little. BUT they're beautiful and I haven't run across a better deal. (Yes, I've been looking.) I adore the idea of weaving oversized yarn into the wire grid. Not only does it add completely unique (and comfy) character, but it looks like it would be pretty easy to change if you wanted to mix up your room's look. Versatile pieces are always worth the investment.

(After image from Bloesem)
Unfinished Pine Armoire - $100

Ok, also not super cheap (this isn't turning out to be a "great deal" Homeless Housewares post), but a fair price for a large piece of furniture. I had never thought of using pegboard for oversized cross stitch. What a great idea! With paint and other supplies, this project might run you a total of $150, which isn't so bad for such a great statement piece. I'm thinking I might try this for kitchen cabinets some day...

(After image from Ikea Hackers)
Two Wicker Baskets - $15 each

Here we go, this is a totally decent price. The thing that inspired me about this project was that it really showcases that you can weave yarn or thread into ANYTHING with a grid! While I didn't see gridded pencil containers on craigslist, these wicker baskets would be very cute with a little yarn or ribbon embellishments. I have a wastebasket that has velvet ribbon woven throughout and I love it. Highly recommend.

(After image from Freshome)
2700 Ft Manilla Rope - $324

At first glance this is a lot of money, but it's also a lot of rope. To be honest, I'm not really up-to-date on rope prices... BUT if you were to weave this rope into a giant doily rug(!!!!) then $324 is a great rug price! I have no idea how to crochet doilies, but that is exactly what the internet is for :)


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For those of you new to Homeless Housewares: I don't sell these things -  I just think they're great buys with a lot of potential. Hopefully you're inspired to search your local craigslistings, OR to find these pieces, search the San Diego craigslist furniture listings using the titles above. Maybe you can snatch these up before someone else does!

11.19.2011

Awesome of Awful?: Bunny Lamp

Remember my post about my love for wicker? Well how far can wicker love go? What about a wicker bunny lamp!!??


Let me say that again for those of you still in disbelief... a wicker bunny lamp!
So what do you think? Weirdly awesome or going Bunnicula on you while you sleep creepy?

What do you think about the bunny lamp?

Awful!
Awesome!
  
pollcode.com free polls 

If you're looking at this post in a reader, the voting buttons might not show up. Stop on by insideways.com and vote :)  Be sure to leave your comments on the blog - not the voting website - so we can all see them. Thank you!!

11.18.2011

Our Rocker Finds a Friend

Since moving to San Diego, Tim and I have really learned the value of outdoor space. The weather is exactly as advertised! We've made our tiny porch cozy with my fiddle leaf fig tree, succulents, and our adorable antique rocking chair. But what fun is a porch that only seats one for morning coffee? Meet our solution, miss pretty pink rattan chair :)

I'm not sure about the sun-bleached salmon fabric, but that's an easy reupholstery fix if I have the urge to change it up. I cooould repaint her, but I'm loving her age and character.

Comfy, cozy, and only $25. Gotta love finding that perfect piece!

11.17.2011

Google Reader: The Craigslist Companion

UPDATE: It is with so much sadness that I update this post. Google Reader has been shut down by Google. So, as you can imagine, this method of searching Craigslist no longer works. If you'd still like tips for exploring Craigslist, try these posts:


Hi! Tim here today. I'll be popping in from time to time with some more techie tips for home decorating - yes, they do exist. Ready??

RSS feed readers like Google Reader make keeping up with updates on your favorite websites a breeze. When you add a site to your reader, all of its latest posts will show up as they’re posted, so you only have to check one website to keep up with your favorite blogs! And surprise - it's also a great Craigslist helper!

The benefits:
  1. Using Google Reader to track craigslist searches let’s you mark certain listings as “read” and keep others unread so you don't re-read posts you're not interested in.
  2. Share or follow up on the listings later without having to bookmark the post or search for it again. 
  3. New results will be imported into Google Reader as they’re posted, so you don’t have search for the same thing every day and you have better chances of being the first to spot a find!

So, let’s say you’re on the hunt for a Eames lounge chair for your apartment. (I mean, who wouldn’t want one, they’re awesome, right?) Here’s how you can turn your Reader into the best Eames-chair-finder ever.


1. Go to your local craigslist site and search for “Eames Chair”. 



2. In the way-bottom right corner of the search results is a little orange button marked “RSS”. 
Right click it and choose “Copy Link Address”. 
3. Now go here. The regular Craigslist RSS feed doesn’t include images, which is a major bummer, but this great tool will add them back in! Paste your copied RSS link into the text field and click Run Pipe.
4. When the results show up, look for a button above them that says +Google. Click that.
5. On the following page, you'll get the option to add to your Google Homepage or your Google Reader. Choose Google Reader.

6. Head on over to Google Reader to explore your bounty.

That’s it! New listings will show up in your reader as they’re posted! You can mark them as read, keep unread, +1 them, share them on Google Plus, e-mail them to your mom, etc. etc. This gets especially useful when there’s a bunch of things you’re searching for at once, since you can track them all in one app.

Happy hunting!

11.16.2011

!!GIVEAWAY!! - UTR Decorating

I am super pumped to offer my first ever giveaway!

A few days ago I posted about a new set of tools I tried out by Under the Roof Decorating. Since the post, I've used them even more and am totally sold. Guess what? Now one lucky reader can try them too!

One lucky winner will get...
A bona fide Hang and Level
A pack of Anchor Points
A Stoppy in pink or white

Here are the details:
  • Prize: Hang and Level, pack of Anchor Points, a pink OR white Stoppy
  • How to Enter: Leave a comment and tell me which picture hanging tip or tool from the Under the Roof Decorating blog you're excited to try.
  • Extra Entry: Tweet There's a great @UTRDecorating giveaway going on at @jeneralisation's blog #insideways! Then come back and comment that you did.
  • Giveaway Ends: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 11:00pm PST
  • How Many Winners?: ONE lucky winner!
  • Ships To: US only
  • Also: Please only enter once (with exception to the extra entry), and make sure to come back on Thursday, November 24 to see if you're the winner and claim your prize!

11.15.2011

DIY Paperclip Garland

A while back I found some beautiful vintage playing cards at an antique store. I've been hoarding them away ever since, waiting for the right project to showcase them. The project is here and I'm pumped.

Paperclip garland!


I'm always impressed with the garland projects I see circulating the blogosphere, but hadn't quite figured out my own twist on it until now. I love how my little garland turned out :)

Here's what it took...


Some kind of rope - I used twine because it's neutral and cheap, but you can use yarn or really anything that ties in a knot :)
Paper clips - I chose pretty colored ones for $0.99 
Tape measurer 
Playing cards - I chose 15 coordinating cards for this project


Slide on a paperclip then tie a knot around it.


Then tie a double knot (which helps the clip hang straight) and slide on your card. Repeat those easy steps  (being sure to measure so that the paperclips are evenly spaced) until you have a garland that's as long as you want!


Here's where this project gets really special - you can clip almost anything onto your garland!
Leaves for fall, snowflakes for winter, cupcake printouts for a birthday party, polaroids, just use your imagination!


You can also make mini versions for ornaments. I threw these together in about 5min. 


Clearly I'm excited, but it's just so fun to get mileage out of your projects. What would you clip on your garland?

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This post was part of a linky party!

Creative Kristi Designs