Overstock Rug Plunge

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So I finally did it.  I bought a new rug!  It was one of those purchases that I mulled over before hitting the submit button long after Adam was set on the purchase.  It was hard because the rug total came to $185.23.  That big chunk of change is not a usual purchase for us.  I kept thinking how we could find something cheaper on Craigslist, but this rug has perfect written all over it.  I had about $85.00 in credit card rewards to use towards this purchase, so that helped too.  (I never carry a balance on my credit card from month to month, but I always use a credit card for purchases to accrue cash rewards and point rewards.)  The rug was also 15% as part of a Memorial Day sale.  I saved another 7% off using a link through RetailMeNot.  I’m all about checking for coupons first before finalizing an order.  Okay, now on to the perfectness of this rug.  One, the rug is the right size.  This beauty is going into our home office (which is also one of the largest rooms in our house).  I first almost had myself convinced that a smaller rug was the right choice.

I think it was the near $100 price tag that was fogging my judgement.  I sometimes have a bad habit of justifying flaws because the price is right.  Now, this is a perfectly good rug, don’t get me wrong.  It is just too small for my space, and it doesn’t currently come in a larger size.  I needed an 8×10 rug at least.  And I found it!  Even more blissfully, the pattern on this rug seems eerily similar to the scrapbook paper I used on the front of my ikea alex hack.

The ratings for this rug were non-existent and how could I buy a rug without ratings?  Well, after some internet sleuthing, I learned this is a Safavieh rug.  All the Safavieh indoor/outdoor rugs on Overstock have wonderful ratings (much like this one here).

If this purchase goes well, I just might buy the above rug for under my kitchen table.  I might be saying this because I have a two month trial membership with Overstock that garnered me $8.66 in Club O Reward bucks to use on a future purchase.  (Yes, I know this is how they get you, but I will end my membership in two months nonetheless!)

So what do you think of this rug purchase?  I can’t wait to see it in our office!

Quaterfoil? No, wait – Quatrefoil!

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quatrefoil design

quatrefoil design

It seems like every where I look, a quatrefoil (four-leaved) design is a source of inspiration.  Whether it is used on walls or accent pieces, it really lends itself to a clean and modern aesthetic.  Although I like to think of my style as eclectic traditional, I am finding more and more that it is hard to pin down my style.  One thing I do know is I know what I like, and I like quatrefoil.  I am completely inspired by the pantry at The House of Smith’s.  I don’t know if it’s the gray paint that looks like it’d fit our color scheme, or the pantry placement that is eerily similar to our own, but it is totally my style.  You’ll even notice that she uses a quatrefoil design as part of her blog layout!

I am also enamored with her creative use of vinyl lettering.  Now, it’s no secret that I have a new l0ve for all things vinyl ever since my diy vinyl wall tree.  Turn’s out she actually sells custom vinyl lettering.  This means she must have a vinyl cutter.  Drool!  I’m a sucker for random industrial equipment.  Speaking of which, does anyone need to borrow a book binder?

One of the most genius application of a quatrefoil design was at Twin Dragonfly Designs.  Using a clear glossy finish only, it was applied using a stencil.  Can you say subtle chic?

Keep in mind, a quatrefoil desing can be put anywhere.  At Casa de Lewis, tiles were put to good use as beautiful coasters.

Where would you put a quatrefoil design?  I am debating between stenciling the craft room with a clear gloss like Twin Dragonfly Designs or in using a keep it simple approach like Casa de Lewis and using her method to add a quatrefoil design to a vase or similar piece of room eye candy.  Whatchya’ think?

Blogging Fail # 1 – Not Posting Blog Posts

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writingismyhobby
writingismyhobby
Photo by Charles Jeffrey Danoff

Adam and I were recently discussing our lack of posts on our blog.  Between working full-time as a teacher and part time as a master’s degree student, I try not to beat my self up too much over lack of posts.  Adam has a similar time commitment, just in reverse (full time PhD student, part time teacher).  However, even with these time consuming responsibilities, we still feel guilty.  Blog posts from the pros like this and this and this (and more) say blog often.  In fact they all advise blogging a minimum of once a week.  We average a post a month.  If we’re lucky.  Can you say blogging fail?  Now with summer approaching, time is being put into both of our laps.  Time helps.  Of course, thinking that since you have “time” you are going to post more is a fallacy. I’ve been there.  And so has Adam.  So what is going to push us over the edge to start posting more?  What do you think would help?

I am obviously not an expert, but I analyzed the areas of life where I am most productive and I have come to this conclusion.  It is all about feeling obligated.  Responsible.  Accountable.  (I’m trying to find the perfect word to describe the feeling I think I should have, but I’m at a loss.)  Currently, I do not  feel compelled to post to my blog regularly.  It is a side thing, a hobby.  Obligation, responsibility, and accountability seem incongruous with hobby.  But passion can drive a hobby and lead you to accomplish great things.  It is happened to me before (even if right now it feels fizzled).  How do I begin to feel intrinsic motivation to blog?  I decided I need to figure out why I wanted to blog in the first place.

My reasons to blog (a.k.a “Why I wanted to blog in the first place…”)

  1. Build Awareness for my Business, SheekGeek (which is also a side hobby!)
  2. Share DIY Projects I’ve Completed (like this one – which is my current favorite post thus far)
  3. Teach Others (Adam and I are both teachers after all!)
  4. Become a Better Writer
  5. Make Money (I didn’t want to put this, but I am just being honest with myself.)
  6. Document My Life

Looking at this list, I’m trying to find my spark of motivation.  Surprisingly, Number 3 is really what is getting me going right now.  Good writing evolves.  The best writers write all the time. Every day.  I don’t write every day! I can’t reach my goals if I am not working towards them.  Adam and I both have writing a book on our bucket list (hehe, who doesn’t have writing a book on their bucket list these days!).  I get a slight adrenaline high when I write.  Ideas start flowing and it is a good feeling.  That means there is positive reinforcement for writing.  I definitely need to get into the habit of writing/posting.  I think goals need to be said aloud (or in this case typed).  I want to become a better writer. Ah, who am I kidding.  I said it aloud too.  I WANT TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER! Man, that feeling of accountability is growing.

I think if lesson number one of blogging 101 is “blog often” then potential bloggers need to analyze why they would want to blog often.  Especially if they need a kick in the backside like me!

 

Add an Elegant Hanging Light the Easy Way

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For the longest time, we’ve wanted some kind of light above the sink in our kitchen. We finally settled on a simple DIY solution to this problem using the IKEA Hemma cord set. The cord set comes with a long electrical wire that has a normal 2-prong plug on one end, and a light socket on the other. The light socket has a removable screw piece to allow you to attach a lamp shade. The screw piece holds the shade securely onto the light socket end of the cord. The cord itself is quite strong and can easily handle a glass shade hanging from it.

The cord set comes with an open eye hook, but it didn’t work in our situation because there was no stud in the ceiling where we wanted to hang the light. We ended up buying a hanging plant hook kit. We had to modify the hook slightly because the plastic wire hanger that came with the Hemma was too small to fit over the end of the planter hook.

To fix this, I simply cut the end off of the hook with a small hacksaw. The metal was very soft and this took only seconds.  If you don’t have a hacksaw, you could possibly use heavy duty wire cutters to cut the end off.

These hanging kits are designed to hold hanging planters which are pretty heavy and come with the parts to install on either a stud or directly into drywall.  The drywall anchor is a spring toggle bolt, which is capable of hanging a lot of weight. This is a bit overkill for this project, but it doesn’t hurt. For other projects, you may want to check out which kind of drywall anchor would be right for you. To install this toggle bolt, I used a half-inch spade drill bit to drill a hole in the ceiling large enough to accept the toggle bolt when it is folded.

Once the hole has been drilled, simply insert the toggle bolt and screw the hook until it is tight against the ceiling.

We planned to power the light using a power socket under the kitchen cabinets by the sink but we didn’t want the plug just hanging down from the ceiling for two reasons; 1) Because it is unsightly and 2) because the Hemma wire was several feet too long. What we decided to do was to run the wire inside our cabinets and leave the extra wire on top of the cabinet. To do this, we used a larger drill bit to drill a hole bottom shelf and the top of the cabinets as close to the back corner as possible.

A 1-inch spade drill bit which was just wide enough to handle the plug.

We threaded the wire through the holes and tied a knot just before the bottom hole leaving enough on the other side to reach the plug under the cabinets. This knot should prevent any extra wire from coming through the hole.

To keep the wire out of the way and tidy inside the cabinet, we used small nails to tack it to the back side of the cabinet facing. This also help rout the wire neatly around the inner shelves.

We got a shade from a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $2.00. These stores are great because they have a wide variety of random construction pieces and furniture for great prices and the money goes to help Habitat for Humanity. The particular share we got was a bit too big to fit on the screw part of the hemma, so I filed down some of the plastic on the hemma’s light socket to make some room. I was only able to thread a couple of threads on the socket with the screw piece, but that was plenty to hold the shade.

All in all, the IKEA Hemma proved to be a great solution for us. There are tons of really great examples out there using it as well. It allows you to be creative and still coming up with a professional look.  If you have used the Hemma for a DIY lighting project, we’d love to see what you did! Leave us a comment with info and a link.

 

 

A Simple Valentine’s Day Message

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I wanted a simple but sweet Valentine to give out to my students.  I searched Pinterest and did not find anything that had the degree of simplicity I wanted.  That is when I decided to make my own.   I used the paint program that comes with Windows 7 and I was pleasantly surprised with the versatility and ease of use of this program.  I’ve had a thing for owls recently, so naturally I made my own owl graphic.

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