DIY Disasters

I was checking out what Sherry was up to at Young House Love and I empathized for her loss. 

Ouch!

This is the story of my failure to protect my porcelain friend.

I've been searching for a gnome way before that movie came out.  It took me a while but I found him at Dandelion Kids on Commercial Drive (who by the way, are wonderful people in a lovely store). 

Dandelion Kids

It turns out, the lamp that I bought is actually quite popular but Dandelion Kids had the best price (and dare I say, service?):

Even though he's a handsome bloke he wouldn't have been able to compete with the green vases on my console table so I thought I'd give him a little make over.  I learned two valuable lessons:

1. You can't use regular spray paint on porcelain.  It takes forever to dry and the paint did weird things.  What I should have done is this:
• To promote adhesion, you'll have to get some sandpaper and rough up the surface that you want to paint.
• Use primer to prepare the area.
• Use acrylic spray paint
• Finish the painted surface with some epoxy spray to lock in the color.
2. Be patient - because if you're not patient, you end up dropping your homeboy like humpty dumpty.  

So, yes - I dropped him.  I dropped him right on his head.  I screamed.  I cursed.  I panicked a bit.  I rushed to grab the gorilla glue but it took forever to put him together because of gravity.

This is what my gnome-boy (ha, I'm so witty) looks like:

Looks can be deceiving

But when I turn on the lights, he's just the creepiest and saddest little guy:

Be good to your porcelain friends.  They just want to be loved.

Hands to Hold

Back in February, I had posted about some artwork I had been wanting to buy.  I ended up buying Casey Ohngren's "Holding Hands" 2n1 card and placed it in a small frame.

Casey is an apparel, graphic, textile design + illustration guru based out of Portland, Oregon.  You can learn more about her and her designs on her website.

HOLDING HANDS 2-IN-ONE CARD - Casey Ohngren

Due to circumstances out of Casey's control the delivery of the card was delayed.  Instead of just shrugging her shoulders she offered to send me two extra cards.  Two!  I was so delighted with her thoughtfulness.  These cards and designed in a way where you really can't help but continue deliberate acts of kindness.  What is a 2-IN-ONE Card?

"2-IN-ONE" CARD:

"Bonus print on back side of card + perforation allows you to transform this into 2 postcards or use as a regular card.

Keep one for you and send the other as a postcard, send to 2 friends, or send as a regular card and let your friend pay it forward!"

So I'd like to play it forward as well.  If you'd like my extra card, the first one to claim in by making a comment on this post gets it!

Thanks, Casey!

Save Sadako

When I was a kid, the story of Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes put me into an origami frenzy.  To this day, I have an affinity for folded art pieces.  There's something about their crisp, clean lines and how simple it all is.  Yet, it looks complicated, well thought out - well executed. 

So, as an homage to something that brought me so much delight as child, it was only natural to incorporate it in my own home:

My bedroom in my Brentwood Park apartment

The crane decals are from a Vancouver based studio called Surface Collective.  I've bought these decals twice, now, as I wanted the same design scheme in my new home.

Pictures from Surface Collective

Japanese culture has always fascinated me.  I studied the Japanese Language well into University (but I've probably forgotten 90% of it).  The recent and ongoing tragedies in Japan are heart breaking.  They've handled it with great dignity and the world has been watching along - wishing they could do more but doing as much as they can.

I was just about to purchase a new piece from Society6 for my apartment when I decided to "follow" some of the artists whose work I have on my walls.  I stumbled across this beautiful piece by Claire Ingram:

Ganbare (Don't Give Up)- Claire Ingram

All proceeds go to directly to the Red Cross relief fund for Japan. 

There is no beauty tragedy - the beauty is in empathy and hope.

P

Jumping Through Cakes

The morning started out rough.

• Woke up at 7:50 am
• Mutter a number of swear words and curses
• Threw on some clothes, grabbed toothbrush and paste
• Gave boyfriend stinky kiss goodbye
• Throw on inappropriate foot wear for the weather
• Muttered more curses
• Wash face with baby wipe
• Risk life by putting on make up while driving
• Discovered there's no parking at work
• Cursed the parking gods
• Walk two blocks to work
• It rains like Axel Rose's wedding.

I always wondered why the guy jumped into the cake when all hell broke loose.  Meh - I guess it's something I'd like to do as well - I guess he thought "hell wit it".

The rain is coming down sideways.  As my Burberry flats were getting soaked by the envious rain, I tried my best to channel my thoughts to a place that is warm and inviting.

Every time I think of the rain today, I'll look at the Polyvore set that I put together and the soundtrack to that set is "November Rain".

May my day be a bit brighter.

Somewhere warm by pamalamadingdong8 on Polyvore.com

Small is Cool - or just a necessity

Oh... Apartment Therapy's Small is Cool Contest is on, again.  I have thought about throwing my hat in the ring several times but always feel like my place isn't quite complete.  Perhaps next year I'll feel more confident.

I'm always filled to the brim with awe and amazement with what people do to their homes.  Their creativity and ingenuity is so inspiring.  With great excitement, I check the contest page to see the contestant's ingenious space saving solutions, unique-to-die-for artwork and colour palettes which cause mini paradigm shifts.

In the next couple of weeks I will be singing the praises of these decorators, designers and architectures who invite us into their homes and share with us their secrets to their designing success.

My favorite so far:

 

Laura's Teeny Tiny (360 Sqt) home in DC.  360 sqt!!!!!!!!!!  

The weather outside is frightful....

You know the next line - come on, now.  Yes, it snowed about 30 miles away from my apartment.  Granted, it snowed on a mini mountain but still, it snowed.  It snowed while I was dreaming about my patio garden.  I.was.crushed.

As much as love pretty things, I love practical things, as well.  This statement is strongest when I am discussing my patio garden - which at the moment is rather bare.  Over the years, I have been toying with the idea of getting the ugliest thing in the whole entire world:

Ooooooo, Girl!  That thing is ugly.  Can you imagine it in my patio garden (pic taken at my old place)?:

 

But the Topsy Turvy works.  I'm going to make a couple of my own instead, which, apparently, is not hard to do.  DIY Maven has some easy to follow steps that I'm sure will lead to my success in grown the WORLDS-GREATEST-TOMATOES-PERIOD! Yes, I am very enthused.

I'd also like to grow some herbs indoors using this same method. The Boskke Sky planters are just stunning and I would love to grow some basil and parsley indoors but the pots are just too pricey for me, especially if I am to consider how much it would cost to ship.  I am also unsure about poking holes into my ceiling so I think I might attaching some type of hook-like apparatus on the wall seen on this pic:

Here's a pic of the Boskke Sky Planters:

Chilly spring be damned - last year was a terrible spring/ summer for gardening and I had the most lush garden, ever.  I will be surrounded by a jungle of herbs and flora.  I show 'em.  I show 'em all.

Sparks

My current view include the Westside of Vancouver and False Creek, as well as BC Place which is looking like it got hit by a bomb as they undergoing a major facelift to install the retractable roof:

There's something about the current structure of B.C. place that reminds me of that baby/ spider toy in Sid's room from Toy Story 1:

Ack!!!!!  That scene was frightening yet made me laugh at the same time. 

At night there are still crew members diligently working away with their torches - making sparks that create a light so unexpectedly bright that I'm told it would be damaging to the eyes if I were to stare too long.  Oh... that was the perfect opportunity to insert a cheezy line - I'll spare the world.

I am also happy to say that I have taken decisive action against the "Kitchen with no Personality".  I literally look at my kitchen and smile silently because it belongs.  It looks right.  

Here is what the kitchen looked like before the mini make over:

Here are a couple of pics of the cheery and organized space.  It's a amazing what a couple of shelves can do.

Items used:  Bekvam shelves, bygel rail and "s" hooks, Asker containers, Grundtal S hooks (all by Ikea).  *sigh* and *smile*  Happiness is mine.