This Has To Be A Fire Hazard...

Herrow! Time for more fall pics!

Here's the whole living room in all it's glory. I wasn't sure how I'd like orange in here with all my grays and blues, but it actually worked pretty well I think!

Close up on my mantle. No it's not on fire, that's fall-y leaves! Though I definitely won't deny that this could be a fire hazard. These candles get lit only for you guys. These leaves and the little red bird were leftover from my friend's baby photoshoot, and everything else I already had. The middle candle holder was on my coffee table and the pillar candles and stands were on a shelf above my TV.

Close up on Mr. Birdie! Love how warm and glowy this looks :)

With this candle holder on my mantle, I needed something else to put on my coffee table. Here's what I decided on!

I already had this cute basket from Marshall's, I cut off some of the leaves from the mantel piece, used some candles I already had, nested in the other Mr. Birdie (they came in a pack of two), and used some of the same filler (also leftover from the baby photoshoot) that I used for my entry way table here. As much as I love you, I didn't light these candles for you. After all, they are basically sitting in a bed of tinder. Might not be smart.

Lastly, here's my dining table! Similar to my Halloween set up with the orange thing and silver tray, but using pine cones and my white World Market pumpkin instead of glitter skulls and candy corn.

I'm super proud of myself because all of these were essentially FREE (aside from the $1 bag of pine cones). Such an improvement after my Halloween spending!

How have you guys transferred Halloween and everyday decor into something Fall-ish? I'd love to see!

Much love,
Katelyn

How To Easily Install a Hanging Light, Renter Style

So I've got my new light up! I ended up deciding on just one from World Market. Partially because three cost a lot more, and partially because one of those three was the wrong shape (different than what the label showed, how fwustwating).

This little project was so easy it doesn't really need a "How-To," but I wanted to put it out there for anyone else living in an apartment who might be a little intimidated by light installation. It required no permanent installation at all so it's perfect for renters!

Here it is!

Mochi's got her lasers on

What You Need:

• Hanging paper lantern
• Light cord (some lanterns come with it, but if they don't you need to buy it separately. It's got a normal 2-prong plug on one end and a lightbulb socket on the other)
• Two 3M hooks

What You Do:

• Plug one end of your wiring into the wall (this is just to make sure you have enough slack to reach the place you want your light hanging from)
  
• I ran my cord to the corner of the room, up the corner (sort of hidden by my curtains)

• Place a 3M hook on the ceiling right at the corner and loop your cord through it

• Run cord along ceiling to desired spot (wherever you want it to hang down from)
• Place your other 3M on the ceiling in that spot and loop your cord through it, letting the extra length hang down vertically
  

• Adjust the slack of the cord until you get it hanging down the desired length (this depends on how low/high you want your lamp)
• Now that you've got it the perfect length, unplug it!
• Screw in your lightbulb
• Attach the lamp (it'll come with instructions, takes about 2 seconds)
• Plug back in and ta-da! Lamp-tastic!

So to refresh your memory, here is the transformation:

See, that wasn't hard at all! And since we used 3M hooks, there's no permanent damage like holes in the ceiling. Super simple. And it cost a total $17 ($10 for the light cord, $7 for the lantern. I already owned the 3M hooks).

Now comes the following question: do I leave this as is or add more hanging lights? I'm still considering getting two more different sized, slightly smaller ones and having a little light threesome in my corner (hehe) or maybe replacing this one with a slightly bigger one? What say you?

Much love,
Katelyn

DeLIGHTful or The LIGHT fail?

Eh eh? Pretty clever play on words right?

*silence*

Well fine then.

*gets hit with a rock*

You're just supposed to throw tomatoes people!! Bahh


Anyways, my Target hanging paper lantern idea was a mess of fail. They are technically outdoor lights, meaning when I got home and opened the box I saw this:

Eeek! Green wire! Green wire that is NOT gonna look good hanging from my white ceiling!!!!

I had no choice but to reevaluate my options. (hehe, REEEEEV-aluate)

Option 1: return the target batch and opt for the World Market ones I mentioned in the last post. Maybe do 1-3 big hanging lanterns instead of 10 little ones. Could be cool, but might be pricier.

Option 2: get some white spray paint and make those ugly green cords white! Huzzah!

I'm just thinking out loud here, but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go with Option 1. Why? Because I can hook everything up and see how I like it, and if I don't like it I can return them and then go with Option 2. If I go with 2, there's no returning that puppy after I've spray painted the crap out of its cords.

Anyone have any other options I should consider? Or places that I can get hanging paper lanterns cheaper than World Market?

Much love,
Katelyn

Let a Little Light In!

Although my checklist of apartment requirements was miles long (I was told by several apartment management people that they felt like they had taken an exam by the time I was through with them), there was one thing I didn't ask about that I should have: lighting.

At the time, I was so caught up in safety and price and how much a pet deposit was that I didn't focus on things like lighting (or ugly brown carpet, oy). Therefore, certain corners of my apartment sometimes looks like this:

Dark shadows live in this corner! :P

I'm on the top floor of my apartment building, meaning my living room has less lighting than the other floors do. Why, you ask? Because instead of having a wall-sized sliding door like the lower floors, I have a fireplace. Which I'm sure I'll love when it gets chilly if I can get over the fear of burning the place down. But sometimes I wish I had more light instead.

Also, I guess it doesn't help that I keep my blinds and curtains closed as much as possible because I like living in a cave to keep the apartment cool (gotta reduce those electric bills!) And that's not gonna change til Texas actually cools off in December or so *shakes fist, cursing Texas heat*

So I have to find a way to bring in some more light into the apartment.

I've already added three table lamps to my bedroom, a floor lamp in my living room, and another floor lamp in my dining room- but it's not enough! Particularly in the living room. Yeah, in that corner where all the shadows are growing. But I don't have much floor space so I didn't want to add the necessary table for a table lamp, and I wasn't sure I wanted a third standing lamp. So my idea? Hanging paper globe lanterns!

I've had my eye out for them for quite a while now. I found some at World Market that were $6-$10 depending on the size, which wasn't too bad, but I'd also have to spend $10 on a cord/light socket for each of them. But then I found a set of ten at Target for $20! That's $2 each! AND they included the needed cords and stuff! I was sold. Granted, they're small but maybe I'll like the look of several small hanging lanterns better than a couple big ones. And if I don't, I can always return them :P

Anyone else have one of those dark corners/rooms? How did you bring in light (especially if you don't have much room to work with)?

Next post will hopefully include a picture of this same corner but with a whole new glow! Wish me luck on my first (semi) light installment.

Much love,
Katelyn

HALLLLOOOOWWEEEEEEEEEEEN!!! pt 5: Frightning Fireplace (and Creepy Coffee Table)

This is the last of the major Halloween decor posts (unless I update the looks at all between not and October 31st, which could definitely happen). Here is how I decked out my living room!

First off we've got the coffee table! I used a sheer white scarf I already owned, layered the other orange thingy on top of it, used the candle holder that was already there, and added the black roses. I topped things off with the little raven to make it not so symmetrical.

This one was difficult because the coffee table is one of Mochi's favorite spots. And that little girl will nom on EVERYTHING. Seriously, she's like a hamster. So this spot either had to be Mochi-proof or had to be easily converted into something Mochi-proof whenever I left the house. The roses were uber cheap and tougher than they look so I wasn't too worried about them, but Mr. Raven is more delicate and expensive! So whenever I leave, he gets to hang out on his perch above the TV far out of reach.

Next up is the mantel! This was a lot easier because it was out of Mochi-reach. I left my usual picture and vases on either side, but I added my black sparkly rose garland which filled the space perfectly! I love the little vines that crawl out from the roses. I then added a little painted wood cat statue that my mom got me years ago. The yellow moon reflects the yellow in the framed picture above.

Lastly, I topped things off with the rest of the bat cut-outs I had made. I also think it's kinda cool that the vase I had on the right is already a little creepy- good thing I tend to like creepy-glam-modern accessories!

And now... Lights off!!

Creepy!!

Anyways, that's the last of the Halloween decoration posts (unless of course I add to them or switch things up, which is a definite possibility).

So how is Halloween decorating going for everyone else? I am dying to see pictures of other people's Halloween displays! Plus feedback is always nice :) I know I have a long way to go before I've got Martha-Stewart worthy displays, but I'm trying! :P

Much disturbingly creepy love,
Katelyn

Living Room Projects: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

You guys got a quick and dirty overview of my living room in the last post, but I wanted to get into the details of some of the little decorating projects I've done here. They're all things that cost me very little money (of course) and were pretty easy to do (also of course).
The thing is, I'm not a power mom with the ability to do a bathroom renovation in a weekend and I don't have a whole craft room full of supplies, so when it comes to projects, if I can do it- YOU can do it. Yay I'm so motivational! :)

So, here are my projects:
 


The Good: Custom Coasters

This was the easiest little DIY and I get compliments on these all the time! I love my black $40 IKEA coffee table and wanted to protect it, but all the cute coasters I spotted at places like Anthropologie were at least $5 a pop and I was NOT about to spend $20+ on a few measly coasters. So if I couldn't find a set I liked, I'd find a cheap set and make them into what I like!

I found this batch on clearance at Pier 1 for about $8, and they are meant for sliding photos into (of your kids, pets, trophy husband, latest victim.. etc). But being an artsy fartsy, I cut up an old screenprint painting I'd made a few years ago and used pieces of that instead! The hint of yellow goes perfectly with my rug, art above the mantle, Target pillow, and oddball yellow square on the wall. Speaking of the squares...



The Bad: Square Frame Flop

There they are above the couch *points with a stick*

This was actually the first project I attempted: squares. Wooden, frame squares that I could stretch fabric over. I got the idea from the wonderful IKEA catalogue and DIY projects like this. But I wanted my fabric-y frames to have a little more lift away from the walls so I decided the best way was to actually build wooden frames! With a few cheap boards, Hami's dad's table saw, and handful of nails we whipped up 6 of these babies in an afternoon.

Mochi wanted them for her fort

So far so good! But then came the time to cut fabric and staple on the fabric. Here was my thought process (travelers beware, you're about to step into the indecisive mind of Katelyn!):

"I wanna add color to the room so I'll pick fabrics with color! Lots and lots of color! Ok maybe having yellow and blue and pink and red and purple all with busy patterns looks like Rainbow Bright threw up on my wall... You know what, scratch the color! I want black! Classy black! *changes all but 1 frames to black* Well crap, all black is boring and shows all the inconsistencies and wrinkles I couldn't stretch out. This sucks... I'm gonna watch some South Park online. *opens laptop and never returns to fix the "square problem*"

That's pretty much how it went. I haven't touched them since. Fear not though! They won't be like that forever! Just until I decide what I want to do with them... Now, onto the last project:



The Ugly: (but functional) Curtain Holdback Helpers

I'm not sure if the picture above shows it, but my windows are so close to the corners of the room that there was no space on the sides of them to put holdbacks! But where's the fun in window treatments if you can never open them up? I had to find a cheap and effective solution.

My first though was using tassels. But those little guys are $7-$15 a pop on the cheap side and I needed 4 of them! That means $28-$60! No way Jose.

My next thought was ribbon, but wanting my little bows to always look perfect meant I actually had to spend valuable time whenever I wanted to let a little light in. No deal Shaquille.

I started thinking to myself that something incorporating a little hook or loop would be a lot easier than tying a bow. That's when the idea was born. I had these tiny hooks laying around with a clip on end. I bought a $2 pack of black simple headbands, clipped my hooks onto them, wrapped them around my curtains, and used the hooks to secure them. Voilà!



Well there you have it! The good, the bad, and the ugly of my little living room DIYs thus far.

Which projects have been your "good, bad, and ugly"? Please link to them, I'd love to see!

Much love,
Katelyn

Living Room: A Victim of Fickality

My living room has been very fickle. It couldn't decide what colors it wanted to be, it couldn't settle on a layout, and it's OCD about being the most perfect room in the house because it's the one everybody sees.

Ok, so maybe I'm the fickle one and I'm projecting all that onto my living space, but that's beside the point. The point is I'm obsessed with making this room perfect but it's still not where I want it to be. See those awkward square things above my couch? See that blank wall above the chair on the left? See that rug? YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME TO CHOOSE A RUG???

*ahem*

Oh and when I say I'm fickle, this is what I mean...

I've gone through (drum roll please)... 3 rugs, 3 TV's, 2 chairs, 3 window treatments, 2 lamps, 10 throw pillows, and about 20 photoshopped color schemes for my living room. Yes, all within just a few months. And I have now officially acquired the title Queen of Returns, feared by customer service people in stores across the land!

For months my living room was nothing but a couch, coffee table, lamp, and furry purple rug from my dorm room. Gross. I cringed at the sight of beige on stone on cream, with icky purple as my only ounce of sad color. So against my frugal nature, I went on a Target-spree. Well not just one... a few back to back.

I'm not going to go into every little thing I bought or exactly how much lighter my wallet was afterward (it was a lot cheaper than I thought it'd be though!), but I will tell you that Target pretty much single-handedly transformed my living room into something actually livable. Yay Target! :)

So, is anyone else out there as fickle as me? Possibly another Queen of Returns out there? And what is your favorite affordable store to hit for room makeovers/updates?

Much love,
Katelyn