Some Progress

Started work on closet. It's a slow process. I had a busy weekend with a 5K.

Before, clothes all over futon and terrible closet

Now I've got the clothes sorted into piles and already have 4 bags of giveaway.

Pick from my first 5K, it rained but I still had a good time.

The List

Inspired by many other bloggers who have posted on this recently, I would like to compile my own list of all I need to get done. I'm throwing a baby shower for my best friend next month, and in August I will have family coming to stay. It will be their first time for seeing our new place and I'd like it to be as put together as possible. Also with my summer vacation coming up, I'm starting to plan out my usual summer project list.

Before Baby Shower:

1. Cull and organize closet. This is a big one. My closet has overflowed to the futon in the second bedroom. I need to downsize and organize my beautiful closet (one of the big selling features for me
2. Finish my big organization of files and stuff in the second bedroom.
3. Make art for bathroom. I was thinking a painting using all the sample paints we decided against (we have 13, they need to be used for something.)
4. Hang light in second bedroom. I have it, just need to do it.
5. Hang hooks somewhere for my husband to hand his jackets. He is currently putting them on hanger hanging off my beautiful entry library shelves. He likes to let them air out.
6. Buy more curtains, figure out the hardware to use, and hang curtains in living area. We've picked out what we want, we just need to figure out how to hang them. When you live in the city (unless it's new construction) it's not always strait forward as to how to get things on the wall.
7. Replace bulbs in tack light. Not an easy task since they are 15 feet up and the only way to get up there is with the shaky wooden latter in the recycle room.
8. Continue mural behind the TV (or this can wait)
9. Plan menu! This is the fun part
10. Plan theme! It's a boy, but I don't want to be the traditional blue, I'm thinking black and white, White Sox theme (she's an avid fan)
11. Make a gift for her
12. Deep Clean

Before August family visit:

1. Buy more lighting
2. Pick out draping fabric for our canopy bed.
3. Paint bathroom
4. Get at least a new towel hanger for the hand towel if not all. (they are all these weird hooks and the hand towel won't stay on.
5. New bathmat
6. Plant an indoor herb garden (This is going to take some research to figure out. I've never had even indoor plants myself)
7.  Paint second bedroom?
8. Hopefully get shades restrung.
9. Maybe find awesome deal on perfect low china cabinet. (a girl can dream)
10. Do something awesome to my bedside table. I'm thinking mirrors!
11. Buy or make behind the couch console/desk table
12. Refinish dining room table and reupholster chairs. (hopefully, I might have to call in an expert for this one)
13. Have best 30th birthday ever!

I think that's everything.

Framing a Print

I have a ton of artwork I created in college. I had always wanted to get some of the best work up on the wall in my home, but it took buying a place before that happened.

My favorite piece is a copper plate etching of Big Ben. It is not a normal size, so it would require a custom frame and mat. Even with the online options for custom frames, this was too expensive of an option when I was trying to get so many other projects done in time for my friend's visit. Luckily, I'm resourceful. I thought of just buying the best size possible and having just the mat cut. Michael's had frames on sale, but the mat would be way too much money and take 2 weeks. What was that about? So then I thought of how I loved the torn edges of the paper and how I should display the whole piece, so it wasn't just a picture, but an object. Shadow boxes that big were once again way out of the picture.

Then I thought floating frame, you know glass front and back so you see the wall through it. I found a tutorial and thought I could pull it off. Getting a backing glass cut was out (money), so I ended up buying a cheap poster frame in the same size as the frame I was buying on sale. The tutorial I had seen online was for a much smaller frame that didn't involve real artwork. I didn't want to completely glue and seal in my print, so I thought of using tiny nails like the brackets that hold the back of a frame in. I took precautions and went slowly with my nailing. I got almost done, we are talking the last nail, and it was too much. The front glass got a hairline crack that spread. I can't begin to describe the utter frustration I felt. I had spent hours planning, researching, going back and forth to different art stores to get frames and the right acid free adhesive for the print. All without a car. Do you know what it's like hauling a 2' x 3' frame on a city bus.

"Fail"

So I was left with a frame, a plexiglass front from a poster frame (what was going to be my back) and a print needing a home. Back to the local art store (no more Michael's for me), I got a coordinating color of mat board and they cut it to size for the frame (only 50 cents a cut thank you local art store). Back to carefully lining up my print on the mat, always leave more room at the bottom, and taping down with a stronger hold then my first go around. Now it hangs right by the front door, hiding the fuse box. It's the first thing you see when you open the door.

"Success"

I posted a link to a link up party on GetOuttaMyHeadPlease for my Family Name Eye Chart and accidentally posted this link.

New Twist on the Family Name

Here's another project I completed in time for my friend's visit. I was inspired by David Bromstad from "Color Splash". He always does a painting for any room he makes over. In this one, he created a painting with the names of all the family members in the style of a eye chart. I thought it was a great twist on how to have a personal, family name painting. It's a bit more subtle, and therefor, I daresay, a little more sophisticated (which is what my loft likes).

I first created the image in photoshop, and agonized over the font choice (as I tend to do). Then, using my projector again (I did this the same weekend as the mural) I traced the text onto a stretched canvas in pencil. I will note, this project is not for the faint of heart, it takes a crazy steady hand and super patience. My skills from typography class finally paid off (we did every project my hand). After I finally finished tracing, I used a variety of brush sizes and shapes to fill in the letters in a very dark grey. My advise, go slow and take breaks. I ended up leaving the background completely white. I may eventually add the hint of a gradient in the corners, as if it were illuminated from behind, but I'm not sure.

Here's the final result.

It sits on the brick in the black nook that used to be an original window because the 3M picture hanging strips won't stick to the concrete we have no intention of trying to drill into. It's next to our vintage 1920's dinning room set.

           

Understated, Modern Family Room Mural

I'm an artist, when I have the time. So even before we moved into our new loft last year, I knew I wanted to paint a mural. In the TV area was a big beautiful (at the time white) wall. It spoke to me. It wanted something inspired by the city, not an ordinary framed picture, but an abstract painting right on it. I decided to do a contour outline of downtown Chicago. The adjacent wall was back at the time, so I first thought continue the black as the line to help tie the two together. Then we decided to paint both walls grey (see the post here). The mural kept getting put off.

About a month out from my best friend's visit for the first time since we moved in, I decided it was time to get lots of projects finished, including the mural. (Nothing like company coming to get you to finally check off your to do list. ;) ) I searched all over the internet for a great reference picture and finally went with a photo my husband took while on a sailboat in Lake Michigan. 

I brought my projector from school home for a long weekend. I set it up on one of our height-adjustable stools and plugged it into the computer. I had to play with the sizing on the screen till I got it just right, and then it was just a matter of tracing on the wall in pencil. Pretty easy, just don't rush. I was going to go with a  white paint for the line, but my husband convinced me to use the gold paint that was left over from our paint sample buying extravaganza. I tested it out just behind the tall shelf on the side. IT WAS HOT! I ended up having to do two very careful coats of the gold to get an even consistency, but it was worth it. We love the result so much that we are going to continue the mural to the wall behind the TV (eventually).