Gifts for the Home: (Low-priced Lighting Options I Like)

27 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Bedroom, Children, Children's Rooms, Design, Design Dilemma, Family, Holidays, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Living Room, Office, Product

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

aqua, aqua shade, blue, brass, Christmas gifts, chrome, Copper, desk lamp, French lantern, gift ideas, home gift idea, kids room, Kirkland, lamp, lamp shade, lantern, nickel, patina, Peacock lamp, pharmacy lamp, silver

My radar is always on for just about any product you can imagine. That’s why when I received an email asking for some low-priced lighting options, I had a couple of options handy that I think are lovely. And with the holiday season upon us, they also make thoughtful gifts priced at $25, $40 and $50, which is why I thought I would share my picks:

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DIY $1 Nutcracker Ornaments

24 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Children, Christmas Decorating, Craft, Design, Design Dilemma, DIY, Do it yourself, Family, Fashion, Foyer, Hallway, Holidays, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Parenting, Product, Renovation

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

beautiful ornaments, Christmas, Christmas tree, DIY ornaments, Dollar Store crafts, Dollar Tree, holidays, how to make nutcracker ornaments, inexpensive nutcrackers, nutcracker, nutcracker ornaments, plaid ribbon, set of nutcrackers, tartan, Xmas

Ornaments can be crazy expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a skimpy tree or a tree full of balls; it just means you need to have your eyes open. The Dollar Tree has adorable 8″ nutcrackers for $1 that I have made into ornaments that look gorgeous on my nine foot tree.

And if the stigma of something from a Dollar Store gives you pause, bear in mind, I have ornaments on my tree that are extremely pricey and these blend in seamlessly, and I am very picky!!

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How to Make a Baby Sleeping Sign

17 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Bedroom, Children, Children's Rooms, Craft, Design, Design Dilemma, DIY, Family, Fashion, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Parenting

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

baby sleeping sign, diy, diy a sign, diy art, diy kids' art, door knob, door sign, green and brown nursery, how to make a plaque, how to make a sign, name plaque, Nursery, Nursery ideas, wall plaque, wooden plaque

My older brother, the City Mouse, had a baby two months ago and I wanted to give him something that I made (along with some other gifts) because this would not be something in his realm. I decided to make him a “Baby Sleeping” sign for the nursery:

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How To Make a Child-Size Table

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Bedroom, Children, Children's Rooms, Craft, Design, DIY, Family, Home, Kids, Kitchens, Life, Lifestyle, Office, Parenting, Product

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

birthday party, build, child-size table, children's play table, children's table, craft table, diy, how to make a coffee table, How To Make a Kid's Play Table, how to make a table, kids play table, kids' table, kitchen table, Wood

With two little ones, the need for a child’s table was needed for many reasons, but came in handy for more occasions than I imagined when I made it…

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Halloween Treats for Your Sweets

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Children, Craft, Design, DIY, Family, Home, Interior Design, Kids, Life, Lifestyle, Parenting

≈ 43 Comments

Tags

blood, Bond Street, Bond Street Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate skull, classroom parties, diy, DIY Halloween candy, DIY Halloween treats, DIY Halloween worms, edible eyeballs, edible fingers, Halloween, how to make candy, how to make candy worms, pumpkin cake, treats

Halloween parties….I have two children, which means two classroom parties. So what goodies to bring for the little ghouls? I’m not a rookie at this, but I feel a little bit of pressure for some “shock and awe”. Last year, my youngest was in preschool at a Montessori school that didn’t have classroom parties. But now, she’s at her big sister’s school, so I need to bring out the big guns. Here’s what I’ve been looking at:

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Guest Post by a DIY Network Host

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Baths, Craft, Design, Design Dilemma, DIY, Fashion, Home, Home Improvement, Interior Design, Life, Lifestyle, Living Room

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

art, Chevron, diy, DIY Channel, DIY Network, Fresh Coat, graphite, guest post, host, how to make a stencil, how to paint a pattern on a wall, how to paint furniture, how to trace a pattern, paint, paint ceiling, paint furniture, Painted Ceiling, Pinterest, Shannon Kaye, Stencil, tracing paper, transfer technique, tv host

Recently I received a submission which I thought was compelling enough to share. I love receiving submissions and requests for guest posts, but because I look for unique projects and instructions, this will only be the second guest post I’ve had on my blog! Shannon Kaye, who hosted DIY Network Channel’s “Fresh Coat” and is now launching a series of videos on DIY’s website, contacted me a few weeks ago, submitting her work to my blog. I was actually familiar with her work and had a picture of her chevron painted ceiling in one of my files:

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Designer Rooms: A Peach Dining Room and a Tiffany Blue Boudoir

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Architecture, Art, Bargain, Bedroom, Design, Dining Room, DIY, Flooring, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design, Life, Lifestyle

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

antique chandeliers, antique sconces, blue bedroom, Blue Room, cool paint colors, coral room, coral room inspiration, designer bedroom, flea market design, high-end bedroom, how to add designer touches, Kelee Katillac, luxury blue bedroom, luxury dining room, neoclassic, panel molding, panel molding inspiration, peach room, sconce, warm paint colors, window treatment ideas

Good news and bad news. Good news is I have a new favorite paint color: a pinkish peach. It is delish. The bad news? I was looking for a cool color! I realized I have a lot of warm colors in our house, so I think I need to change a room or two on our first floor.

But peach…it’s just scrumptious! On Friday, I did a post on part of interior designer Kelee Kadillac’s apartment, but only showed you a portion of her apartment because it was quite a bit to take in. Here is the rest, starting with her yummy dining room:

Orange and pink is a “hot” color combination right now.

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Designer’s Apartment Filled with DIY Inspiration

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Architecture, Bargain, Design, Dining Room, DIY, Flooring, Foyer, Hallway, Home, Home Improvement, House Tours, Inspiration, Interior Design, Life, Lifestyle, Living Room, Renovation

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

blue and yellow living room, blue living room, diamond pattern stained floors, diy, DIY shutters, gold stick lamp, harlequin pattern, high end design, high end living room, how to add panel molding, interior designer's living room, Kelee Katillac, luxury apartment, Luxury interior design, mirrored furniture, Moulding, panel molding, paneled walls, raw amethyst quartz, upholstered doors, upholstered walls, yellow living room

Interior designer Kelee Katillac and her partner, architectural interior designer Steve Heiffus, recently collaborated on a 1915 apartment that showcased and married their skills. It seemed that the project was a success and both were happy with the result, which is good, because they are more than just partners – they are husband and wife – and they live in this apartment!

I wanted to show you this apartment because it is full of the DIY potential and inspiration. Even if this style is not yours, there are things that Kelee has done that are wildly creative and can be used in different applications.

I could just die over these floors!! This was the first thing that drew me to the apartment; I have been dreaming about doing this stain treatment to a floor (maybe our foyer or our kitchen??) in our house…having never done it before, though, I am slightly nervous about messing up! I’ve never even painted the harlequin pattern before…yikes! So, it may be a long time before I muster the courage, but there is one little entry area that I could try it that if I messed up, I could sand the floors and re-stain them…ugh…

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DIY Funky, Cool Office Art

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Craft, Design, DIY, Home, Inspiration, Interior Design, Life, Lifestyle, Office

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

art, canvas, chips, computer, diy, diy decorations, frame, Leonardo Ulian, mixed media, office, parts, spare, wire

Want a crazy-cool piece of art for your office? If you have old, broken computers lying around, you may want to convert them to art as Leonardo Ulian did. You do not need some great artistic ability with a paintbrush, merely an eye for where to glue pieces on a canvas.

It’s so simple that it’s genius.

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Darling DollHouse

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Children, Children's Rooms, Design, DIY, Home, Interior Design, Lifestyle, Product

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

Birthday, Christmas, Craigslist, doll house, dollhouse, dollhouse ideas, dollhouse kits, gift ideas, girls, Hobby, holidays, kids, parenting, St. Patricks Day, toys, Valentine's Day

My post yesterday had a picture of a dollhouse used in a laundry room, which inspired me to show you our dollhouse. I always wanted a grand dollhouse. Growing up I used a narrow, vertical bookcase as a “mouse house”. (To understand read my blog post, An Award, Moi if you haven’t already.) Clearly, it started in childhood because I thought mice were way more appealing than dolls!

I still have that bookcase (it’s in my oldest daughter’s room), but I wanted to take it up a notch for my girls. For Christmas a few years ago, I wanted a special toy for my girls that could be passed down to their children and I thought that they were ready for more than the plastic ones. Being the perfectionist that I am, I spent months researching dollhouses. My choices were:

Buy a kit and build one
Make one from scratch
Shell out a L-O-T of cash
Search for one online

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Colorful, Customizable T-Shirts

08 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Children, Children's Rooms, Clothes, Craft, Crafty Corner, Design, DIY, Family, Fashion, Kids, Lifestyle, Parenting

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Children, Craft, customized, customized clothing, diy, kids clothes, kids' shirts, personalized clothing

Little did I realize when I started blogging just how much it would help me and how fabulous and close this community is. I want to thank everyone for such kind comments on my last post. To take the time – your time – and offer comfort to someone that you have never even met is nothing short of amazing. It means so much to me, but it is taking me a while to address each comment (as I can only address a few at a time before being a complete mess.) But onto something lighter…

Since I had saved my back to school business cards, but was waiting on a selection from my youngest, I received a promo offer from Vistaprint for kids’ t-shirts for $2…I am never going to get out of this website because you get to design your own shirt. I love designing, no matter what it is!

Of course I had to customize it within an inch of its life:

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Back To School Business Cards

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Children, Design, Lifestyle, Office, Product

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Business, Business card, cards, Children, Children Youth and Family, children's business cards, Children's cards, children's name cards, children's stationery, gift tags, Gifts, girls, Greeting Cards, kids, kids' business cards, kids' cards, kids' name cards, kids' stationery, name cards, School, Shopping, Stationery, VistaPrint

Although my children aren’t back in school yet, I am anxious to get everything in order for when they start. Thanks to VistaPrint, adorable little cards that include your child’s information (and yours, if you like) are super inexpensive! Some designs are free (but you do have to pay for shipping), while others are $5.99 and $19.99 (now on sale for $10) for 250.

They also last a long time – I ordered some a few years ago and just now have to reorder. I also use them as gift tags – so handy – and my children just love having their own “business” cards!

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Kid Craft Birdhouse Project

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Architecture, Art, Bargain, Children, Children's Rooms, Crafty Corner, Design, DIY, Garden, Interior Design, Lifestyle

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

A Detailed House, Baby bird, Bird, Birdhouse, Birdhouses Feeders and Baths, Craigslist, Decorative Birdhouses, diy, Fledgling, Garden Accessories, Home and Garden, How to make a birdhouse, Kid craft, Loggia, Portico, Shopping

Since my children were gunning for a project and I wanted to finally start on my upstairs hallway project, I went to the craft store to buy large canvas boards. Unfortunately, they don’t carry any large enough (GRRRR!!!!). So….I’m either going to have go to another craft store -or- make my own. But I’ll figure that out later. Although my children were disappointed, they handled it well (i.e. no whining about it), so I suggested we see if there was anything else the store had that may be of interest for a project. They were beyond thrilled when we found these unusual, unpainted birdhouses:

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What I Got on Craigslist

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Children, Children's Rooms, Design, Design Dilemma, Home, Interior Design, Lifestyle

≈ 72 Comments

Tags

A Detailed House, Antique finds on Craigslist, Antique furniture, Armoire, Bargains on Craigslist, Basement storage solutions, Craigslist, Family room armoire, Kids' storage, Shopping, Wardrobe

Nothing pleases me more than a bargain. Well, maybe that’s an overstatement because I am really happy when my house is clean and in order, but honestly that is a freak of nature thanks to the loves of my life, all two and four legged. Since that rarely (if ever) happens, I have to get my thrills from bargains.

When I did my post on DIY Ideas for Kids’ Rooms, I talked about Craigslist as a source for armoires. (Now with flat screen TVs, many are trying to get rid of the armoires that they used to store their bulky TV.) In my research, I happened upon a find that I couldn’t pass on:

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Gold for How Much???

16 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Design, DIY, Hallway, Home, Home Improvement, Interior Design, Lifestyle, Product

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

A Detailed House, art, Best gold paint, Do it yourself, Gold finish, Hallway, Home Depot, Krylon, Krylon gold paint, Lowe, Lowes, paint, Rust-Oleum, Rustoleum, Shiny gold paint, Walmart

When doing a post, I usually do a lot of research and work on multiple projects at one time, which is why it takes me so darn long to do one measly post! I also like to ponder my projects (I can’t tell you how many mistakes I would have made if I hadn’t thought about some of these for a long time!) and try out materials to make sure I’ve thought of everything possible.

In my research, I found a great bargain that I wanted you all to know about: Krylon spray paint, which I think is wonderful for achieving a gold finish (in terms of paint), is available at Walmart for $3.67 for 12 ounces! Wha-wha-what??? I couldn’t believe it! Currently, Krylon isn’t carried at Home Depot; they sell Rustoleum, which sells for (if I remember correctly) $8/for 8 ounces, and I’m not sure if Lowes carries it.

I sprayed a (white primed) scrap piece of wood for you all to see and took some pictures:

Taken outside in full sunlight, it looks like a very bright gold.

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Why Does Life Get in the Way of My House Projects?

04 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Architecture, Bargain, DIY, Foyer, Home, Home Improvement, Interior Design, Product

≈ 40 Comments

Tags

diy columns, foyer molding, pilasters, Roman Corinthian, Roman Corinthian cap, Roman Corinthian column, Split columns

I have been planning this house project for a long time, so I was VERY excited to start on it. However, we had my friend over one night, a girls’ sleep over and a school project to finish up for Monday. Come on people! Don’t you see I have some materials here that I am dying to put up!

So, of course it didn’t get finished….sigh. But aren’t you a little curious as to what has my britches in a bunch?

It started outside with these tools – Ok, maybe I didn’t focus exactly on the tools, but how cute is that face 😉

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Clawing for a Clawfoot Tub

29 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Baths, DIY, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration

≈ 39 Comments

Tags

Antique bath, Antique bathroom, Antique tub, Bathroom, bathroom renovation, black and white tile, Black and white tile floor, Black and white tile idea, claw foot tub, clawfoot tub, glass tile, grout, iridescent tile, Non-sanded grout, refinish a clawfoot tub, Retro bathroom, Retro tub, tile, Triangular tile floor, vintage bathroom

I’ve seen some pretty unique things, but when I stumbled upon this, I did a double take. I think I’ve made it well known that I love all things old and historic ….but sometimes they do need a facelift and this was pretty ingenious:

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My DIY Carpet Tiles

Featured

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Bedroom, Children's Rooms, DIY, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design, Living Room

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

Carpet, carpet tiles, diy carpet tiles, DIY kids room, do it yourself carpet tiles, Floor, flooring option, how to make carpet tiles, kids room, Lowes, Wood flooring

If you saw my post Pretty in Pink, you saw the the interior design I did for my daughter’s room, which included architectural details and carpet tiles that I made.

Since our second floor is hardwood, when I started planning the design, I searched for rugs, but I couldn’t find whimsical rugs in the sizes that I needed for her bedroom and sitting room. This turned my search to carpet ties, which yielded two things: my shock at the price ($10-$80 a tile) and dismay at the lack of the appropriate sizes and shades. I thought one of the main benefits of having carpet tiles (for me anyway) was that if they got stained beyond repair, you could pop them out and replace them cost-effectively.

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Adorable DIY Ideas for Kids’ Rooms

01 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Art, Bargain, Bedroom, Children's Rooms, Crafty Corner, DIY, Home, Home Improvement, Inspiration, Interior Design

≈ 134 Comments

Tags

Armoire, Baseball, children room decor, childrens room decoration, crafts, Craigslist, diy decorations, diy home improvement, DIY kid, DIY kids room, Do it yourself, Flat panel display, Home Depot, kid art, kid room, light fixture, Lowes, paint

While I work on my posts for how to make the carpet tiles and cornice boards, I thought I would dig into my files and show you some adorable, simple and inexpensive projects that I thought worthy of saving for future consideration.

Before flat screen TVs, many tried to hide their TVs in armoires. Now, those that bought flat screen TVs are trying to get rid of them!

I searched Craigslist while doing this post, just to see, and there were hundreds of armoires, many of them for free! Try to imagine them with a coat of paint, molding added to the top, different door knobs, added shelves, etc.

Here’s why:

Finding one this wide would require patience, but what child wouldn’t love a little nook like this?

Children adore hiding spots, so another option for an armoire, if you can find one with full length doors, is remove the back and place it in front of a door, so it’s a “secret” entrance, whether to a closet or a room.

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Pretty in Pink

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Bedroom, Children's Rooms, DIY, Home, Home Improvement, Interior Design

≈ 81 Comments

Tags

carpet tiles, chandelier shades, child room, Crown molding, Crown moulding, DIY kids room, girls' room, girly girls room, kids room, make chandelier shades, pink girls room, sitting room

Following up on my previous post, A Peek into My Daughter’s Room, I finally took pictures of one of my little girl’s rooms that were semi-decent. Taking pictures is a skill that I lack!

As I mentioned, this room was a complete overhaul. We even had to do drywall work where the bed is placed because our crappy builder put a duct going right up the middle of the wall! This of course was NOT on our architectural plans.

It took me so long to figure out how to address that awful eyesore, but I finally did. I chose to drywall a larger section to make a wall large enough to accommodate a bed and then build bookcases on either side.

The rug/carpeting I made. I had seen carpet tiles, but they were surprisingly very expensive and the colors were limited. For all this carpeting, which covers the sitting room and bedroom, I think I paid about $700.

The girls love the checkerboard pattern and frequently make up hopping games. I think it gives a playful touch for a child’s room. If you all are interested, I will do a post showing how I did it.

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Closets Need Love Too (aka What I Bought Today)

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by ADetailedHouse in Bargain, Closet, Design, Home, Home Improvement, Interior Design, Kitchens, Product, The Forgotten Rooms

≈ 30 Comments

Tags

chandelier, Closet, design, Do it yourself, kitchen, light fixture, Overstock, Overstock.com, Overstocks, Shopping

It is my belief that every inch of a house should feel the love and it is because of this belief that I paint the insides of my closets. Now, it may take me years for these closets to get my affection, but I eventually get around to them!

This is the case with my kitchen pantry. I did paint it, several times, but it needed a new light fixture, beyond the generic one that had been slapped up on the ceiling to pass inspection…11 years ago!

It hasn’t been for a lack of looking; I have off and on through the years, but have never found something that would sufficiently match the chandeliers I already had in the kitchen and since there is a window in our pantry (and the children have claimed it as their “office” and is large enough to store their toys), the door is open a lot.

Well, I finally found it! And I wanted to share because it is a bargain and there is nothing that I love more than a bargain! It is brass, which is contrary to today’s trend towards chrome, but I’m not redoing all my light fixtures to follow a trend!

I got in on Overstock.com for $39.50 with $1 shipping 😀

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