Tag Archive | decorating

a little light at a dark time of year

Dec20

Once again, the tree is up!

our tree has been up for a week already

our tree has been up for a week already

A certain little feline somebody likes playing with the tree skirts. The one to the left has not lain properly since we put it down. The one on the right has fared better since he likes to hang out/sleep on it.

lurking

lurking

That photo was from last year, so some things don’t change, I guess (although he wasn’t as abusive of the tree skirts in that photo).

You can see in both photos that the hanging ornaments stop before the bottom of the tree. So far this year, we’ve lost one ornament cat toy, a ball which we found in pieces on the floor (all paws were undamaged). And he’s been very helpful about “rearranging” the branches.

Hanukkah has come and gone. We lit candles, but we’re waiting for Christmas for the big gift exchange (and are planning on taking advantage of this weekend to finish up our shopping).

I’d say I still can’t believe it’s December already, but the darkness when I go to the gym around 6:30 in the morning (it was even dark when I left for home this at 7:30 Monday morning) reminds me. Along with the cold. If the world doesn’t end on the 21st, the days will start lengthening again. But in the meantime, we’ve enjoyed our Hanukkah candlelight and Christmas lights.

because the stores tell me so

Sep10

In our quest to figure out how to decorate our kitchen along with looking around for other practical/decorative items for our hourse, mr. strivingcynic and I have been spending some time in home furnishing stores.

A few weeks ago, we walked into Home Goods, and what I’ll call the “general fall” decorations were on display. Mostly items with colored leaves or in what we consider to be “fall” colors (orange, hunter greens).

(foliage) changes are gonna come

 

A week or two later, we walked in, and the fall colors were over to the side. Front and center and on peripheral aisles…Halloween! Lots of orange, silver, black, purple, bats, spiders, witches hats and shoes, and of course, black cats! In the candle section are candles that smell like candy corn, caramel apples, or that have some “fright” factor punned into their fragrance name. Yes, if fall is coming, then Halloween is coming too..

and it’s not just home decor that’s out there!

On Friday, we went in again. There was the fall stuff, the front-and-center Halloween stuff, and these were joined by a smaller display featuring, you guessed it, turkeys, cornucopias, and pilgrims…because if fall is coming and Halloween is going to be around the corner…then it’s only the blink of an eye until Thanksgiving (I know for my Canadian friends, Thanksgiving is a lot closer than Halloween, but I’m a good 7+ hours from the Canadian border…).

So, I strongly suspect that the next time I enter Home Goods, Christmas and New Year’s will be making their claims on the display space.

No wonder I’m feeling pressure to get my Christmas shopping done.

When I lived alone in my apartment, I never decorated for any holiday. With Mr. sc and sc teen, we do decorate for Christmas (and my menorah gets pulled out and used). But, I am actually a sucker for all these decorations…I want to cover our house in funny/scary/cute Halloween items, have a few turkeys and pumpkins around for Thanksgiving, change the household linens to a “fall” pallette..and why not a few “Happy New Year” cushions on our couch when the big change comes (if they come out soon, I can use them for Rosh Hashanah [Jewish New Year] next week, too…).

I resist in part because I think if I started buying these holiday “accessories,” I’d never stop. I’d be “Halloweenland” followed by “Thanksgivingland,” and although our Christmas stuff comes out of our storage space and then goes back in a few weeks later, I wouldn’t want to do this constantly.

strivingcynic cat (our living Halloween decoration) checks out a stuffed animal counterpart

So, it’s best I just ooh and ahh over everything in the store (although, maybe it will be discounted even more when the holiday passes, so that next year…)

Have you started noticing fall/holiday items in the stores yet? What holidays do you decorate for?

rock my world, or just my kitchen

Sep6

Our kitchen redecoration has moved forward in leaps and bounds in the last few weeks. The pink formica counter tops are no more (well, we still have them in our bathroom and still have it in the pass through between the kitchen and living room).

Here’s a shot of the “old” kitchen.

behold! pink formica…

also not thrilling, the hardware on our cabinets and drawers

the sink was also scheduled for exchange with the new counters

We actually got a deal where we got a sink for free…

So, what’s new?

and bring in the new…

So you can see the total picture…new granite countertops, new hardware, new sink.

We realized when we were looking around that we were gravitating towards “oil rubbed bronze” for some of the fixtures…I like the black/copper look with the countertops and think it mixes well with the silver.

shiny!

priorities…our phone charging station is set up!

The countertops had to “set” for a while…so for the first 24 hours the drawers were out and we had very little set on the countertops. Once we were able to, we were always (and still are) noticing the sounds when we set something down….although at least now we are willing to set something down…I was a little fearful of using the counters at all at first!

We’re really happy with the results. The counters work with our orange paint and the cabinets, while not great, look better too, with the new hardware. The next big step will be putting in a back splash. I imagine it will take us a little while, based on our counter top experience (we kept going to the store and looking at granite, bringing samples home, being indecisive…one day mr. strivingcynic just suggested we go to the store and pick something…and that’s what we did).

What have your big decorative decisions been? Do you feel confident about your design skills?

adventures in kitchen decorating

Jun4

We are, bit by bit, making changes and progress in the kitchen. Last year we got rid of the wallpaper the previous owners had chosen and painted the kitchen terracotta orange (2 posts about that process if you want to read them…the “in-process” post and the “done” post. Earlier this year, we got a new dishwasher, stove, and microwave (the previous dishwasher no longer worked, and the stove had a nonfunctioning burner or two). We’ve targeted the pink formica counter tops as being the next to go…once all that was done, we’d look for a new table and wall decor.

But our plan changed a bit the other day when I suggested we head up to Ikea sometime “just to get ideas.” Ha! Shame on me! Everyone knows it’s impossible to go to Ikea without buying something…and we were no better. We actually did “just get ideas” about certain things, but when we saw and liked a kitchen table that came with four chairs, we started talking purchase.

Here’s our “pre-Ikea” kitchen table (another holdover from the previous owners). It’s really big (usually there are two of us, but we need room for a third for when strivingcynic teen is staying with us, which is frequently). Also, the bench seating takes up a lot of space, and didn’t do good things for my back. Also, the bench was a temptation…as in “put things on me…they can stay here for a long time!” There were also some ugly cushions on the benches (they matched the wallpaper. seriously), but I took them off before taking this photo.

our eating area (recycling area to the right)

Buying a new table also meant we had to buy something else.

the bench seats served as storage (for my cookbooks) as well

Mr. sc and I have a lot of books, so there really wasn’t another place for my cookbooks. Of course, I rarely ever tried to look at them once they went into the benches, even though I’d always like to try cooking more and would like to use them. We had decided a baker’s rack might be a good solution.

So, at first we had liked some wood shelves, but they weren’t baker’s racks and once we found the table we liked we weren’t sure how the woods would work out. At the very end of our Ikea hike (if you’ve never been to one, they make you walk…), we saw a rack we liked in the outdoor/plant section. We thought it would suit our needs perfectly.

And here’s the new eating area.

new table and baker’s rack for the books

notice the intrepid feline explorer between the table and rack…

The table and chairs were actually shown with beige cushions (a separate purchase), which I didn’t want to use. I tend to like pops of contrast color, so I thought navy blue cushions would work with the orange walls. We didn’t see any placemats we liked so we’re using ones we already had for now. I suspect we’ll try to find something in that contrast range.

Two funny things: 1. Everyone looks bigger to me now at the kitchen table thanks to the change in scale. 2. Now I feel as if the walls really need something on them. There’s just so much wall that needs something to break it up…it’s too much/too intense on the orange…but I think it’ll look great with some wall art. We’re also thinking a plant stand/fake plant in the back corner. Also, the recycling has now moved to out of sight.

We’re pretty happy with it so far (and the price tag for the table, chairs, cushions and rack was a little over $200…Ikea rules).

Have you experienced Ikea and have you ever made it out of there without buying something? As you’ve made decorating changes, has that made you want to make other changes?

a creature of habit

Feb13

Poor strivingcynic cat had a bit of a trial the other day (but no worries, he’s fine). He knows his world so well, that any little change makes him nervous! He walks around the house, a proud, fierce, wanna-be jungle cat. But if you test his “jungle smarts” he turns into a scared little boy!

strivingcynic cat in out-of-focus jungle cat mode!

Way back this summer, mr. strivingcynic and I decided that our kitchen needed redoing. The first part was painting…and that was the last part for a while because we found that we needed to devote our time (and finances) to other things. Time marched on and we got annoyed at ourselves for not doing more…so the other week, we devised phase 2…replace our nonfunctioning appliances, one dishwasher (never worked since before mr. sc and I started dating) and our stove (burners that didn’t burn).

So, the appliances were ordered and due to arrive last week. Mr. sc would stay home for the delivery, but I’d be at work. We decided that sc kitty should be moved somewhere for his own safety and comfort. So, he was going to be stay in our room, with his food, water, and litter. Everything he needed, plus room to move around and a soft bed to sleep in. Perfect for everyone.

The day arrived and the appliances were delivered and installed. I got home from work 4-5 hours after the last person left and when I arrived, mr. sc told me that our cat had yet to emerge from his hideaway. In fact, sc cat had felt so disturbed by the goings on below that he had not only gone under our bed, but had managed to climb up inside of it (thanks to the fabric covering the bottom being torn). And he’d stayed there for hours and would not be coaxed or lured out with Whiskas or cat treats.

Thinking my little guy needed his mommy, I went up looking for him, but couldn’t find him in the bed. Or anywhere else. Eventually we found that he’d moved to under the bed in mr. sc’s daughter’s room. He was close to the wall and just staring, but I managed to reach a hand in and got a head rub. A few minutes later he took some uneasy steps out in the open….and then unfortunately, someone knocked on our door, which sent him scurrying under the nearest bed. He eventually felt his world was safe enough to emerge in it again…a fierce jungle cat once more (until next time).

Remembering back, sc cat does stress out pretty easily when it comes to changes in his environment. As I started moving out of my apartment, I noticed he got more and more clingy as there was less and less in the apartment. Eventually, I decided to move him to mr. sc’s before I went there myself since we knew he was comfortable there (I used to stay with mr. sc some weekends once we’d decided I’d move in…my cat came with me so we could all start acclimating). When we painted the kitchen, we moved his food and water bowls for a few hours… mr. sc noticed that he seemed to be “stress eating” while his stuff was displaced. (If you want reminders of the paint job, you can see an in process post and a done post).

So, sc kitty is both a brave little boy, but he also needs his routines (and his mom).

sc cat investigates his new housemate

Oh..and he also wishes everyone a happy Valentine’s Day!

isn't he sweet?

If you have pets, do they get stressed out by disruptions in the household? What was your latest kitchen upgrade (or what would you like to change)?

a strivingcynic cat Christmas

Dec24

strivingcynic cat decided this would be his first Christmas toy

[ie, this one had been on display on a stand until the morning I found him on our living room floor]

one (very cute) ornament he hasn't been able to get his paws on!

his stocking has been hung with the utmost care!

he's been (mostly) respectful of the tree

waiting for Santa

indeed

Have a wonderful Christmas!

holiday decorations happen

Dec19

Saturday was finally our “decorate for Christmas” day. I’m relatively new to decorating for Christmas (I’m not observant for the most part, but my family is Jewish so I did not have the “Christmas experience” as a little kid…and since I had the “Hanukkah experience”  [ie, I got presents] that was fine with me). Mr. strivingcynic and his daughter, sc teen, have a finely honed Christmas decorating routine and I’m happy to observe and participate (just like they’ll do a little Hanukkah candle lighting with me later this week).

So I bring you “A strivingcynic household Christmas decoration” scene!

the soon to be decorations/decorating spot

So, we’ve got a throw pillow resting on the Christmas tree box, and in the background a footstool that will soon be removed to make way for the tree.

the box with the tree

a little background holiday music to enhance the mood

the top before it's the top

strivingcynic cat observes the strange activities

He gets a little freaked out by the changes brought on by the arrival of the tree…but then he starts looking for toy potential.

the tree is upright!

and lit!

and decorated!

Mr. sc and sc teen are obsessed about covering the “gaps” in the tree. I think it looks pretty good.

Santa is put on top

and the tree is inspected

now, time for us to sit on the decorated couch and eat the pumpkin pie I made for the occasion

I had an extra frozen pie crust from Thanksgiving, so why not? It turned out really well!

Do you have a routine or order for your holiday decorations?  Do you do anything to “celebrate” the decorating process?

painting accomplished

Jul16

I’m about to head off for a weekend with some girlfriends (I always feel weird using the word “girlfriends” but I do it anyway). We’re having a “we’re all turning 40 this year” weekend get together at the beach…so I hope I have a good weekend (and heck, I hope everyone else has a good weekend too..).

But, I couldn’t head off for the weekend without saying, folks, my kitchen is now orange (well, warm terra cotta). The first night I couldn’t get over how different and dark it looked. For that night and the next day, I really started to question whether I’d made the right choice. In part, I think because we decided not to put pictures back up on the wall until the rest of the kitchen is set. In some lights I felt okay….at other times, I thought..what did I do?

Of course, I realized I’d gotten used to the atrocious wallpaper and a paint color that made me think of a school cafeteria. I’d lost my sense that people would not prefer the gross wallpaper to the new paint. Even if it was too much…it was better than what was there before…and it was just the start.

Thursday morning I realized I’d gone into the kitchen and didn’t notice the paint. I’d moved past the initial phases and arrived at acceptance AND liking. We definitely need to do more with the kitchen, and we will…but I think this was the big, bold start that we needed.

A few photos:

the kitchen part of the kitchen. The fluorescent light has to go too...

We’re not painting under the cabinets because we’re planning to add a back splash.

the "eat in" part of the kitchen

It’s showing as little more orange than it actually is. The light fixture/fan and the table? They’re probably all going too! The wall definitely needs some art or decoration….

I am so curious to see how it will all look when we’re done!  We think it’ll probably be a six month process (next up, appliances!)

Have a good weekend. I hope it’s a relaxing one.

for reasons I don't quite get, strivingcynic cat likes hanging out under my yoga mat. This was him Friday morning.

Have you ever made a change you weren’t sure about first but then came to like? Cut your hair short or paint a room a strong color? How do you celebrate big birthdays?

making my mark

Jul12

Thanks for all your positive, enthusiastic comments about our kitchen paint choice. I was actually reading the comments (off my new iPhone [love how I work that in?]) to mr. strivingcynic as we were having the paint mixed at Home Depot. Mr. sc is currently “edging” away (I’ve offered to help, but he says he’s okay on his own). Even with a few swipes of the paint, I can see the kitchen looks different.  Change is happening.

I realized it was really going to happen when I got home today to find all the pictures removed from the walls. I don’t know why it has me so giddy. Well, I have some idea. I brought a lot of stuff with me when I moved in to mr. sc’s house in the fall, but this is truly the first mark I am making on the physical structure. And, as a former apartment dweller who never decorated much (I could paint my apartment any color I wanted, but I would have had to paint it white before I left…so why bother), putting paint on a wall feels a little….badass. Like writing on a desk with a permanent marker. In fact, mr. sc just called me in to take a swipe at the wall so that I could get the experience of putting paint on it.

Another member of our household seems puzzled by all this. Things have moved, new objects (paint trays) have appeared….and his world has been rocked by the removal of his food and dishes out of the kitchen and into the living room. But, strivingcynic cat is munching away happily at his food as I type, secure in the fact that he is provided for (although mr. sc insists it’s stress eating because the change has freaked him out)!

strivingcynic cat ponders the future, and looks a little evil while pondering it!

Anyway, here are a few pictures. The lighting isn’t good, but as you can see, the kitchen is being transformed!

behold, our warm terra cotta future...

the edging tool at work

Funny, the stripes look different colors to me in the picture. Must be a trick of the light.

my "mark" (even better than permanent marker)

And sc cat is still munching away, so maybe it is stress eating. On the other hand, he is staying out of the kitchen even though he’s intrigued by the goings on.

And I’ve just gone in for another swipe!

Is there something that you’ve done to help you feel like the place that you live in is “yours”? If you have a pet, is he or she freaked out by change?

Orange you quite the decorator…

Jul11

Mr. strivingcynic and I have known for a while that something needs to be done about our kitchen. The previous owners left behind bad wallpaper. In other rooms, they seem to have had a love affair with bright borders and paint “effects.” Mr sc did what he could, but the kitchen was almost too much. Along with the bad wallpaper, we have pink formica counter tops, and three somewhat nonfunctional appliances (the fridge leaks, the dishwasher doesn’t work, and neither do two of our stove burners–to be fair, that isn’t the fault of the previous owners). When he moved in, he tore down some of the wallpaper in the “eat in” area, but left the “kitchen” part alone.

But let’s focus on the wallpaper. To give you some idea:

yep...this was in the kitchen

another view

You get the idea (I couldn’t quite get the light right for the photos). Pink and blue splatters/blotches.

Thanks to mr. sc’s efforts last weekend, the wallpaper is no more. When we talked about “our future kitchen” I had said that I thought orange would be a nice color. So, we went to Home Depot and had a look at the orange paints…mixed up three samples and tried them out on the wall. Although they were pretty, we concluded they were too bright. Like how you would paint a depressing place to lend it some artificial cheer. We found a fourth orange that had more “gravity” and painted that on the wall. We then realized that since our cabinets are light wood and redoing them was not on our list of changes (the hardware yes; and although we could stain the cabinets, we’d prefer not to) well, the new orange didn’t provide enough contrast. I started to let go of the orange, but didn’t want to give it up entirely. We looked some more. Strivingcynic teen came over, confirmed our thoughts and offered her opinions. We decided we liked orange, but needed a little more depth…more earthiness. We needed to move towards the browns.

On Friday, we had two more samples made. One called warm terra cotta, the other spicy cayenne. Once again, we painted them on the walls and came back to evaluate. We liked both colors, but we felt that one would suit  more than the other.

Which would you choose?

a little deceptive...the first (left) one was the fourth try, 2-4 were the original 3, and the two on the right were the last

You already know it was one of the right two….and the winner is…………..

warm terra cotta

That is…second from the right (the colors look a little different on the computer than in real life..but close enough). I think it has enough of what I was going for with orange…it’s warm and will look nice in our kitchen, which gets a lot of light. Although anything is an improvement over the wallpaper, I think this will be a great improvement. Especially when we get rid of the pink counter tops  (soon!).

Any thoughts on our former wallpaper? If you’ve ever chosen a paint color, what was that like?