Living Room Picture Ledge

Way back in 2013, my living room was pretty put together.  I had my nice little 32" TV in a freshly painted armoire and some nice little Chicago Instagram pics framed down the wall.

I also had a lovely plant that I managed to kill in record time.  Fast forward to 2014, I upgraded to a 60" TV with a new IKEA console.  I love that I can actually read words on the screen now!

I also got a lovely Rubber Tree.  It has been dropping leaves lately so don't hold your breath on that lasting forever.  I loved the new set up but have been staring at that wall for 6 months now trying to figure out what to put on the wall.  This weekend I caught up on 6 episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV and I guess I got inspired.  I went digging around in my garage for something to make.  I came up with the idea to make a picture ledge with a spare 8' 2x3 leftover from my closet remodel.  That and a little leftover white paint and some leftover hardware from my guest room headboard project had me on my way. 

As you can see, I did this project while watching Big Brother.  Go #TeamDonny!  Anyway, it was a pretty easy install.  The shelf is centered on the wall at 64".  I may need to move the TV a smidge because I don't think it's centered.  Sorry for the poor evening lighting.  My iPhone and the recessed canned lights in the house do not mix.

I don't know what art will go up there but I'm working on getting a few prints and a little more color and height variety.  I guess I should start watching more HGTV since it tends to be what motivates me to get things done these days.  I'm pretty hooked on Fixer Upper and last night I caught the first episode of Flip This Block.  I have a new free furniture piece arriving soon that will need a major overhaul so stay tuned for my next adventure.

Glutton for Punishment

I have killed nearly every green living thing that I have brought into my house, not to mention several green things outside.  My outdoor skills are improving (slowly) but for the most part I've switched to fake plants on the inside.  This weekend I decided to give indoor plants another shot.  I really wanted a large plant in the living room.  I decided on the Fiddle-Leaf Fig.

It has beautiful big leaves!  In it's native habitat these things can grow to 40+ feet but since I'm growing it in a container I hope to grow it up to about 6 feet.  That is, if I don't kill it first.  Anyway, it's beautiful and was only $9.99 at Home Depot.  I'm really tempted to get more but I guess I'll see how this one works out first.

It is supposed to get a bunch of bright, filtered light.  Hmmm.  I may have to put it closer to a window for day to day living, and then move it back for company and such.  I'll keep you posted if I can keep this guy alive!

Pablo's New Nest

It all started at Target this weekend.  I saw this awesome lamp at Target while shopping with my friend Elsa.  I think she thought I was crazy for loving it.

But it is so awesome!  Ok, I don't really need a $60 french bulldog lamp.  Especially since I already have Milo at the front door.

Monday night I was back at Target, this time doing my grocery shopping and saw the lamp again.  I told myself I did not need it but I did look around at the other items in this "Best In Show" collection Target was selling.  I might not need a lamp but I totally needed a blanket!

At a third of the cost of the lamp, it was a steal.  See I have been on my continued mission to rid Pablo of his Christmas blanket and make him use something that matches the living room a little better.

This dog blanket would be perfect.  It is so soft!  It feels like fur, soft and slinky, and it's grey on ones side and dog covered on the other.

I really think Pablo likes it!  He burrowed down into it and went right to sleep.  He's happy with his new nest and I'm happy with the color coordination.  The Christmas blanket will still be around.  I'm going to use it as my blanket on the couch, but quickly put it away any time I have company.  Win-win.

Restocking the Couch

After a series of unfortunate events whose onset can be directly pinpointed to the acquisition of new household member, Stewart...

...my pillow packed couch was down several members.  Four of the pillow below are no longer with us. 

And a couple of replacements might have died along the way.  The pillows now live in the living room closet and only come out for guests.  This weekend I had very productive trips to Target and IKEA and was able to restock the pillow situation.

The chihuahua pillow is my personal favorite.  It was on clearance at Target for $6.  I have a feeling it's Pablo's favorite too. 

It's nice to have a full set of pillows again.  Without them the couch looks so big and stark.

Sadly after I took these pictures, they all went back in the closet.  All except that brown one.  That's the only one I keep out these days.  It's a tough pillow and matches nothing so I figured Stewart would leave it alone.  Even though he's been living in his crate when he's home alone, he still manages to escape so you can't be too safe.

This is a picture of Stewart's crate after I came home to him greeting me at the front door.  Houdini, I tell you. 



Reason 643 That I Love Mason Jars

Touch up paint.  You never know when it's going to come in handy.  You never know when your dog is going to Hulk out and bend metal.  And you never know what kind of damage will be done.

My evenings this week were supposed to be filled with packing and house cleaning in preparation for my big vacation.  Instead they've been filled with rug cleaning and wall repair.  Luckily I happen to keep my living room paint on hand for fast touch ups.

It took about 10 seconds to repaint the damaged area.  It could have probably used a little filler for the drywall damage but I decided to live life on the edge and just repaint it.

Good as new and still time to get some packing done.  Stewart heads to the pet hotel tonight while Pablo and my house will be looked after by my parents.  I'll be blogging my travels over on Life Outside the Loop.  Feel free to check in on me over there!

Stewart's Superpowers

This blog is quickly becoming more about the new dog than new decor.  This is not by choice but as it stands, Stewart is pretty much on a mission to undo what I've been working on during the last year.  Only kidding, sorta.  I was all ready to report how good Stewart was doing in his crate since coming home from the hospital on Saturday.  We had a couple of really good days.  He didn't protest his new position as Dog-In-The-Box and he was even taking his medicines (steroids and pain killers).  Then yesterday, I came home from work and he was there to greet me at the door.

He had escaped from his kennel.  He didn't figure out how to open the door.  No, instead he just bent metal and disassembled his house.  This is your dog on steroids.

Poor guy has some stomach related side effects that created a giant sense of urgency to get out of the crate.  It's hard to be to upset with him but it definitely was not fun cleaning up multiple accidents in various rooms, including several on my dining room rug.  All I could do was move it out back and hose it down.

Luckily you can't see much from this distance and this was after I'd hosed her down.  Thanks to my love of painting, I always have a spare tarp laying around.  It came in handy when I carried the rug back in the house.

I'm hoping the rug makes a semi-full recovery.  Can I tell you how heavy an 8 x 10 WET rug is?  In between cleaning bouts, I made it to the vet to pick up new presciptions for Stewart.  He's now also taking an anti-diarrheal and Valium.  Poor guy.  At this rate he'll be in rehab by September.  I reassembled his crate and put every zip tie in the house that I could find on its joints.

He seems to be okay.  The valium is making him appear drunk when he walks, tripping over his feet and running into walls.  He has some cuts and sores on his muzzle from his escape and his front nails are desperate for a manicure.

I'm telling you, his cute face is the only thing keeping me from completely losing it.  Well, that and the fact that he checks in to the Pet Hotel in 36 hours. 

He Was Framed!

This weekend I finally found the perfect frame for my portrait of Pablo.

 I have been on a mission for a big gaudy carved frame that was gold and slightly obnoxious.  Mission accomplished!

Now, this frame is a hair too big but the price was right so I grabbed it.  I found it at an antique shop down on Industrial  Riverfront.  It is orginally from Belgium. When the picture is centered in the frame there is about 1/2 a centimeter around the entire canvas.  I'm thinking I should be able to fix this by building an inner moulding frame and then painting it. 

The frame itself sits up from the wall about 3" and adds about 5" all the way around.  It's much more fabulous in person.  Pablo is quite excited.  You know who's not excited?  Stewart.  He has been told that he will not get his portrait added to the gallery until he stops eating my pillows.



You may remember this pillow from yesterday's post.  It's one of my brand new ones, and it was slaughtered yesterday while I toiled away at the office trying to earn enough money to afford Stewart's fancy grain-free dog food that he goes through like it's going out of style.  But I'm not bitter.

Spork Art

Last Friday I stopped by Pier 1 on my way home from work to buy a couple more pillows for the living room.  While there I spotted this little puppies on sale and just couldn't resist.

They were so random but also a little fun.  I figured they would work in my cheery kitchen.  I hung them up Saturday morning under the watchful eye of Stewart.

Stewart's really taken to squeezing on to Pablo's bed when I'm messing around in the kitchen.  Luckily Pablo was in the other room.  My giant spoon and fork now amuse me when I walk in the kitchen.  They even work with my wrapping paper art on the opposite wall.  I have quite the utensil theme going on now. 

I also picked up a couple of pillows, since that's why I went to Pier 1 in the first place.  The two green ones are new.

It's a good thing I went ahead and grabbed two new pillows because Saturday night Stewart decided to take out my surviving green velvet feather pillow.  Again, he did seem remorseful, if not a little evil.

I'm hoping this is the end of his destruction.  I really don't need any more of his design input around the house.

Anger Issues

I came home from dinner Tuesday night to the sight of feathers.  I opened the front door and they greeted me in the dining room, fluttering about in the breeze created by Stewart's wagging tail.  There were just a few but I saw the trail kept going.  There were feathers in the hallway, the kitchen, my bedroom, on my actual bed even.  It wasn't until I entered the livingroom that I figured out where they came from.

One little throw pillow created the largest mass of down feathers I've ever seen!  Pablo had been eating food on this pillow earlier in the evening so I guess the smell attracted Stewart and he became convinced there was more food inside of it.  Sigh.  On a positive note, it was one of my old pillows that didn't really match my living room. 

It is pretty much beyond repair.  I really just kept it around because it was my favorite nap pillow.  Luckily it was one in a set.  Knock on wood that Stewart leaves the surviving pillow alone.  As I cleaned feathers, he did look a little remorseful.

It was amazing how many feathers were jammed into that little pillow.  I filled canister after canister with my Dyson.  I'm pretty sure I will be finding stray feathers around my house for years to come.  It was just impossible to get them all up.


Oh no you don't!  Stewart checking out the surviving pillow



Feather tumbleweeds

This is really Stewart's first destructive moment.  Until now, he has only moved things around my house, but not chewed them up.  I find my hairbrush in the dining room.  One stray evening shoe will be hanging out in the livingroom.  Never chewed up though.  I admit, things have been busy lately.  I feel like I'm never home and when I am I've been distracted.  Apparently this was Stewart's little way of showing me my failings as a dog parent.  I've promised to be better.  Or maybe he was just offended that the olive velvet pillows didn't match anything.