Bargains in Black and White

If you're jumping on the black and white bandwagon, here are 5 hand-picked finds--each is priced under $20.


















At $12.99, this black and white ticking stripe pillow cover from Pottery Barn is an affordable classic.















This set of 4 vintage sheet music coasters from Etsy seller A Happy Home would make a fun and unique gift for a music lover. The set is priced at $13.95.















Cling to summer with this set of two white wooden birds from the JC Penney Online Outlet. The pair is on sale for just $16.99.











You can cover a lot of decorating ground with 15 yards of black and white checked ribbon from Ballard Designs, which is on sale now for $4.99. One idea: use this ribbon as a mat for black and white pictures.
















This set of 4 black and white medallion napkins from World Market is $11.96. Matching place mats are available.

Happy shopping!

Wallpaper Alternatives

I've noticed a trend recently in design magazines and on the Internet: wallpaper is making a comeback. Now, I don't want to be a wet blanket, a party pooper, a killjoy, or any other uncool idiom, but I have to throw my opinion into the mix. I think wallpaper has lots of great decorative uses...but gluing it to the wall is not one of them!

There; I've said it. Now you may be thinking that I'm very uncool. You may be thinking, "She doesn't like wallpaper?! No wonder she was always picked last for P.E. teams in school! It's because she's so uncool." But you're wrong there. The reason I was always picked last for P.E. teams was actually because I once accidentally scored a goal for the opposing team in floor hockey. Plus, I was a pretty slow runner. And I had a tendency to duck whenever a ball was kicked, batted, or thrown in my general direction. Even a ping-pong ball. So, you see, it had nothing whatsoever to do with my views on wallpaper.

And the truth is that I do like wallpaper--in smaller doses. You can frame it, collage with it, decoupage it to the front of a dresser, use it to line drawers, cover storage boxes with it, line the back of a cabinet or a bookcase with it, or make cards with it. There are so many great things to do with wallpaper. Just don't glue it to your wall!

The thinking behind the recent resurgence in wallpaper's popularity goes something like this: "Today's wallpaper is different: it's pretty!"

Oh dear. This is dangerous thinking. Dangerous. Need I remind you...

What was "pretty" in the 60's?

















What was "pretty" in the 70's?






















What was "pretty" in the 80's?
















My biggest beef with wallpaper is that it can be so hard to remove. Just ask anyone. I think a great icebreaker activity at a boring corporate training would be to have people discuss their traumatic experiences involving wallpaper removal. That would really get people talking.

I once helped a client remove this wallpaper: (Note: this particular client is also a good friend, which explains why I would sacrifice my sanity in this way.)



















May I tell you how tiny each piece of wallpaper was when it peeled off of the wall? Confetti-sized. The size of a Post-It-Note designed for dwarf hamster. Maddeningly minuscule.

Now, you may be thinking, "I don't care if trends change! I will always love this beautiful wallpaper." That may be true, but unless you are 100% sure that you will never, ever have to sell your home, installing wallpaper is a risky move at best. Because wallpaper can be very intimidating to buyers, many of whom will have had negative experiences with wallpaper removal in the past. Even if you have impeccable taste and chose the loveliest, most expensive wallpaper on Earth, there's a good chance that your buyer's taste will be different from yours.

So what are you to do if you want to give your walls some pizazz without gluing wallpaper to them? Here are some wallpaper alternatives...or "wallternatives".

How about using a paint technique? One of my favorite faux finishes is this linen look (called strie) which is created by dragging a dry brush through a glaze mixture. You can find an instructional video here.















You can also use stencils. Cool stencils, not the corny country apples and mama ducks that you remember from the 80's. Have a look at this lovely room by Patty Henning of Fabulous Finishes. Patty used both a strie technique and stencils on the walls. The fun stencil on the ceiling is a nice touch. I also love the use of beadboard on the ceiling.





















You can paint your own wallpaper freehand like the patient and talented Britt at A Penny Saved.














Or use glaze (over a painted base coat) to create bold stripes. You can find simple DIY instructions here. (Image below is from Barbara Dalton's website).
















If you feel hopelessly compelled to adhere something to your wall, why not experiment with wall decals? There are a number of larger companies offering wall decals, but did you know that Etsy sellers also offer close to 14,000 unique wall decals in their virtual shops? Here are just a few of many fun (and removable) options. (Click on the images to be taken to each Etsy store.)

















































If you just have to hang something wallpaper-like on the wall, Wallbands may be for you. Wallbands just need to be dipped into water and applied to the wall in any direction. The manufacturer promises that these can be removed without steam or fuss--just grab a corner and gently pull the whole band off of the wall. I'm skeptical--these give me flashbacks to wallpaper border removal--but I think that the vertical application is an interesting idea.
















This post has been shared at Hooked on Houses, since I'm hooked on wallpaper alternatives.

Do you have any wallpaper stories--positive or negative--to share? Do tell!

DIY Old Book Photo Frame

Here's a unique way to display special photos. I would love to be able to say that this is a simple project, but in reality I found the concept to be a wee bit simpler than the process.

I saw this idea several years ago in a decorating magazine. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "These old book photo frames would make fabulous gifts! I'll just whip up a bunch of them for friends and family!" Please note that I had that thought before I attempted to actually make one. Now this was a few years back, so the details are a little bit hazy, but I do have a vague memory of almost setting our garage on fire with the Dremel. Almost.

If you would like to attempt one of these book frames, you'll have two main challenges to overcome:

Challenge #1: Finding an Appropriate Book to Carve Up. This is a challenge because you want to use a book that is attractive enough to display, but not one that is a priceless collector's item. I don't want to receive blog hate mail when you watch "Antiques Roadshow" and learn that the book you just diced up was worth more than your convertible. Also, if you value books and reading, as I do, you may have some qualms about chopping into a book. I was lucky to find a copy of The Prince and the Pauper that was lovely and old...but already ruined. When I found the book, many of the pages were covered in "scribble scrabble", so I felt OK about reinventing this book as a frame.

If you plan to make these as gifts, you can have fun selecting titles to match your gift recipients' hobbies, interests...and neuroses. Or you might want to match the title of the book with the theme of the photo (pair a love story with a wedding photo, for example).

Challenge #2: Completing the Rest of the Project
Make paper templates of your "mats" to trace onto the book's cover, endpages, and text pages. The endpages are the decorative papers on the inside cover of the book before the title page, and they make for a really nice "mat" if you don't goof up when you cut them...as did a certain blogger who shall remain nameless. (Hint: The name of her blog rhymes with "The Sled Bear Frog".)

Play with the layout to make sure that you'll see words all around your photo "mat"...and not just on 3 sides. (Another error made by aforementioned unnamed blogger.)

Remember that your largest opening will be on the book cover and the openings will get smaller as they move through the book pages toward your photo.

Use a craft knife with a really, really sharp blade...and extreme caution.

Cut the cover before you cut the pages, as the latter will be more forgiving of mistakes.

When cutting book pages, don't try to cut too many at once.

You may want to save the timeworn book pages that you cut out for card making and other craft projects.

Secure your photo into the book with double sided tape. You may want to use a color copy of your photo so you don't damage the original photo with the tape.

Have fun, and don't burn down your garage!

This project has been posted with other great DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land. Since I'm hooked on this project--whether it endangers my garage or not--it has also been posted at Hooked on Houses. Finally, since I made it myself, this project has also been posted for Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered and the "I Can Make That" party at Just a Girl.