The Look for Less: Lovie Side Chair

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The Lovie Side Chair by Eurostyle is a sophisticated and sleek piece of furniture.  It’s also easily stackable, making it a stylish alternative to folding chairs; however a set of 2 costs $240 at Staples, which is way above my budget.  Luckily, after some searching, I found a nearly identical pair from Baxton Studio on Overstock.com for $145.

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If you couldn’t tell, the chair on the left is the Lovie Side Chair.  It comes in a variety of colors, as shown in the photo below.

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The more affordable Baxton Studio chair also comes in many different colors, such as the fun, green shade below. One notable difference between the two chairs is the size of the cutouts.  This version has larger cutouts, which resemble branches.
L4L-Chair4However, in most other respects, including the stack-ability, the Baxton Studio and the Lovie Side Chair are practically indistinguishable.  That is why the Baxton Studio chair is a great alternative for price conscious consumers.

Painting with Sharpie

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Today, I have a cool craft to share, that I actually stumbled upon by accident. It started when I decided that my set of ceramic ASKER containers from Ikea needed a facelift. I thought it would be a good idea to draw on them with Sharpie, but I was very mistaken.  The striped design that I imagined would look great, turned out looking like a kindergartener’s craft project gone wrong.  It was horrible.  I was relieved when a quick internet search led me to believe it was easy to erase Sharpie from ceramic with rubbing alcohol.

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Well the internet was wrong.  The rubbing alcohol didn’t erase the Sharpie, but instead diluted and spread the color like paint.

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Luckily, it turns out the painted Sharpie effect is pretty cool, so I decided to replicate it on all of the containers. The result is now on display in our bathroom.

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The unique stroke pattern comes from the use of a cotton ball as my paintbrush. I rubbed the cotton ball horizontally, back and forth, until I was happy with the effect. I was a pleasantly surprised that the diluted Sharpie became a purplish gray color, because it actually matches our bathroom’s color palette.

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The containers themselves are quite functional and are perfect for storing q-tips and cotton balls.

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What started as a diy fail, turned into a pretty cool project.

Color of the Month: Mint

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I’ve noticed that people in Seattle tend to dress in neutral colors.  For instance, my office is usually full of people dressed in black, brown, grey, or white; but the other day one of my co-workers broke the mold and wore a mint green sweater.  It looked fantastic, and I was actually quite inspired.  That’s why I decided that mint should be April’s color of the month. I did some research and found out that mint is actually a pretty popular color in home design and decor.  There are lots of great spaces featuring mint, and I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites.

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Source: Pretty Interior

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Source: Elements of Style

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Source: Etsy

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Source: Achica Living

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Source: Lovely Clusters

 

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Source: 6th Street Design School

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Source: The Family of Love Tree

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Source: Flickr

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Source: Bolig

I have noticed that most of the photos feature white as the secondary color.  White and mint are a perfect combination, because the white tones down the mint and makes the spaces seem a little more calm and accessible. I hope you feel inspired to experiment and try adding some mint to your space.  Happy April!

DIY Geometric Dishes

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Today I want to share a really fun and affordable project.  I gave some plain, white dollar store dishes a geometric makeover, courtesy of ceramic markers.   Ceramic-Marker3

I had heard about ceramic markers, and wanted to see if they actually worked.  My verdict is yes, they work; however, full disclaimer, I have only hand washed the plate and mug, so I’m not sure how they will do in the dishwasher.

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I started by enlisting Joey to sketch a design on the plate and mug, using a charcoal pencil.

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I traced the outline with the ceramic marker and then let it dry overnight. In the morning, I heated the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and placed the mug and plate in the hot oven for about 30 minutes.  Apparently the heat treatment will keep the marker from washing away.

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I am really pleased with the end result, and am thinking of buying more dishes from the dollar store to decorate; but first I want to see how this pair lasts.  If it survives the dishwasher, then I think I’m in the clear.  Even if it doesn’t last, it was a fun project.