Tile Search

Do you know how hard it is to find off-white subway tile in Iowa?  Well, let me tell you.  It’s pretty darn hard.  Or at least Nate and I were making it hard.

Our cabinets are not quite white and not quite ivory.  They are whitevory.



I think we have finally ended our multiple week search.  The Imperial Bone Gloss tile from The Tile Shop appears to be the winner.   Unfortunately the closest location is in Des Moines. We ordered a sample and it’s quite perfect. I keep petting it every time I enter the kitchen…to watch Nate cook. Now we just need to head west to make the purchase.  (Darn expensive shipping.)



We were really hoping the cheapo white tile from Menards would cut it but no such luck.



It’s just a shade off but that shade makes all of the difference.



I don’t think we’ll be able to tackle this project until the end of September or beginning of October…and it’s killing me.  At least the tile search is over!  Phew.

Rug Evolution

I’m not really good at following decorating rules.  I’m just not.  I live in Iowa.  My friends think I’m famous because I write a silly blog.  Who needs decorating rules?

Like rug size.  Who cares what the “rules” are in regards to rug size?  Not this Midwest girl.   Especially not me 3 years ago.

Well, hello baby 3’x5’ rug.  You’re so tiny and cute….and totally way too small for this room.

I told myself this totally worked…because I still had $100,000 in student loans…and I knew zero about decorating.  Totally works.  Totally works.

Slowly I began to learn that at least the couches should touch the rug.  Do you know how much large rugs cost?  A lot of money.  That’s how much.  But I should upgrade.  That rug above just isn’t cutting it.  How about a 5’x8’? That will totally work.

I can’t find a view from above but as you can see, the size is better.  Pretty decent.  But still small.

One popular rule that I have found is that the rug should be large enough to slide under the front legs of sofas and chairs in a seating arrangement.  All the legs touching the rug helps unify the furniture. 

I agree.  I also agree that the “rule” depends on your room.  The “all front legs touching” thing may not work for every room situation.  Rules. Schmules.

I also think I need to scoot the chair closer.  Thanks view from the walkway.

Now I think I need a round coffee table to balance out all of that square.  I should research coffee table rules.  Or stop learning decorating things.  The latter would probably make my husband happy.

Do you follow decorating “rules”?  Are you currently breaking any decorating “rules”?

New Living Room Rug

I did it.  I opened my new rug.  And I like it.  No more hating Overstock.  Woo hoo.

Some of you may be a bit disappointed after having read my navy rug post.  I went boring.  But hear me out.  Boring is good.  Boring is me.  I have this problem lately of wanting everything pretty that I see.  Unfortunately, I am unable to surround myself with everything pretty.  And just because it’s pretty, doesn’t mean that it fits the style of our house.  Does that make sense?

And Ike.  Ike LOVES the new rug!

I went with a jute and hemp rug from Overstock.  I decided that I wanted a neutral rug.  I like neutrals. Neutrals relax me.  A neutral rug allows me to change pillows. I like to change things. Pillows are easier/cheaper to change than rugs.  The price was right for the size.  The rug added some much needed texture to the room.  Sold.

The only thing we aren’t super happy with is the smell. To quote Nate, “It smells like a rodeo.” A day with the windows open definitely helped air it out.

The rug is jute and hemp so it’s not one that’s super soft and squishy on the feet…which may not be for everyone.  We don’t spend very much time on the floor so it’s not a concern of mine.  Ike is the only one who rolls around on the floor and he tells me it’s cool.

Are you a neutral fan or a bold color fan?  Why are rugs so stinking expensive?  Any fellow jute fans?  Can you believe that all of these Ike photos were taken without treats?  Seriously.  Me either.

Five Freakishly Awesome Things

Today I will share with you five freakishly awesome things from my life.  Those of you that follow me on Instagram (username: decorandthedog) already have the inside scoop on most of them but I felt like EVERYONE needed to know about the following….

1. The Pinterest app for Android is now available.  I broke up with Pinterest for awhile.  You know, when it started “seeing” everyone in my real life.  But I got over it and now we’re on again.  Browsing aimlessly makes my heart happy.

2.  My dear friend, Amanda, was home from Reno.  We went thrifting.  I found these Wire Fox bookends.  Obviously our time spent together was a success.

Ike was jealous and decided he needed to be a Kindle bookend.  My feet look freakishly huge and dirty in this photo.  Only one of those is actually true.

3. Amanda, Nate, and I also ate a delicious supper at Crust in Bettendorf.  Naples style pizza. Cheese curds fried in a 312/funnel cake combo batter.  Life changing.

4.   Nate and I had our first kickball game of the season on Tuesday.  It’s our second season playing.  We’re old pros.  Oh wait, Nate is.  I just stand in the outfield and pray that the ball isn’t kicked to me. True story.  But I do have a pretty fierce kickball stare perfected…

5.  Our new living room rug arrived.  I type “our” like Nate is excited about the new purchase.  He totally digs it.  I ordered it from Overstock.  I had a horrible previous experience so I was afraid to open it.  I opened just an end yesterday.  So far so good.  I’ll show you more next week when it’s in place. Unless I hate it and have to send it back.

I managed to twist my knee while lugging it closer to the couch to better visualize.  I am one handy little lady.

What’s freakishly awesome in your life this week?  Fun apps? Rugs? Adult sporting leagues?  Tell me all about them!

Easy Sew Apron Pattern and Tutorial

Last week I shared with you my Pass It Along Project which was easy sew aprons gifted in Mason jars.  Shove anything into a Mason jar and a blogger will love it.   Seriously.  Anything.  Use your imagination.

I chose aprons because I knew my recipients like to cook/bake.  Why I chose sewing as my contribution to the project, I am still not sure.  I like to sew.  I’m okay at it but I have this attention deficit problem.  I should have switched up apron fabric or something to keep me interested.  I have made a pact with Nate.  Anytime I decide to be crazy and ponder opening an Etsy shop, he will remind about the time I made four aprons.  He could even direct me to this post.  But don’t worry, one apron is a piece of cake!

It doesn’t help that my sewing machine has it out for me.  Seriously.  I’m adding a new sewing machine to my Christmas list and my current one will find a new home….where it can torture someone else with it’s bobbin issues.

Anywho, today I’m going to share with you the easy sew apron tutorial.  Be prepared to be amazed at how easy this is.  Don’t worry if you’re afraid of your sewing machine.  You can do this.  I mean, my sewing machine has it out for me and I still made four.

For one apron, you will need:

• One 26x18  inch rectangle (for the body of the apron) 
• One 26x8 inch strip (for the bottom trim of the apron) 
• One 95-105x8 inch strip (for the sash/tie) 
  • The length can vary on this.  I used a little shorter (95”) on these because I was too cheap to buy more fabric.  The shorter lengths tie in the back.  Longer will allow you to tie in the front. 
  • You can either cut one continuous length if you have enough fabric or you can sew pieces together to make the length desired.

Start by ironing the 26x8 inch strip in half.  Then iron in 1” on each long edge.

Open the 26x8” strip.  Place the 26x18” rectangle on top.  Align the fabric along the 1” fold.

Pin the two pieces together and sew along the top edge.  (I have no idea what seam allowance I used.  I just pick something that will hold the fabric together.  Fancy pants sewer.)

Fold and press in 1" on each side of the 26x8” piece.  Fold over and press another inch on each side.  Pin and sew along both edges.

Look at the pretty apron front.  You’re almost there. You can totally do this.

Grab your 95-105x8 inch strip.  (You will need to press this strip in half and also 1” on each side like you did with the 26x8 inch strip.  Stupid pressing.)

Center the apron on the strip.  Place the apron on top of the 1” fold in the strip.

Pin closed.  (Pretend the following photo has pins.)

You need to tidy up the ends before sewing the whole shebang together.  Fold in about 1” and then fold over again.  Pin.

Start at one edge and sew along the bottom of the entire sash.

Yay!  You made an apron.  I knew you could do it.

To complete the project, get yourself a Mason jar.  I found these four in the clearance section of Target for $1.00 a piece.  Awesome.  Fold the apron and shove it in the jar…nicely, of course.

I attached a favorite recipe with a ribbon.  I used the free vintage printable recipe cards from Love vs. Design.  Can’t beat free.

Any questions?  Are you an apron fan? What would you love delivered to you in a Mason jar?  I’m thinking cookies would be perfect right now…

Be sure to check out our other sewing and craft projects here!

Getting Your Dog to Pose

A question we get asked often is how we get Ike to pose so nicely for photos.

I wish the answer was that he is an angel doggy and he does exactly what we ask of him at all times.

But I don’t tell lies.  And our friends and families would rat us out.  Truth be told, Ike is a wild man.  The dog is nuts.  He’s 5 1/2 years old and has a crazy amount of energy.  He is a terrier. 

Luckily the dog is easily bribed.  It’s just getting him calmed down enough during bribery to get some decent photos. Also patience is important.  Very important.  He has had basic obedience classes and does well with commands like sit, stay, and down.  Well, usually he does well.  The following photos may lead you to believe otherwise.

Here are some behind the scenes shots from our recent DIY console table photo shoot.

We start with a treat.  Notice Ike still licking his chops.  Notice me in the mirror trying to get his attention.  It’s obviously going well at this point.

Here is Ike trying to shake off that treat.

The following photos show him confusing “sit” with “down”.  They sound alike. I get it.  Especially when your brain can only focus on treats.

This won’t work.  He’s only interested in the treat on the floor.

We let him have that treat and decide to start over.  Here is Nate trying to get him to refocus.

Staying is for dumb dogs. 

So is sitting…

Okay, now we’re sitting and staying.  Someone had best be fast with the camera.

Let’s move that treat over the photographer’s head…

10 minutes later we have the great shot for the ol’ blog.

Photographing Ike has become more difficult over the course of the blog.  He sees the camera and instantly gets this annoyed look on his face.  We’ve upped the quality of treats and know not to be rushed if we want Ike involved in the photos.

Does your pet like to model?  Did you have any clue that Ike was a wild man?

DIY Console Table How-To

I’m back.  I needed a blog break. Have you ever had one of those times in life where everything that you touch breaks and you do awesome things like lock your keys in your car and flood your garage?  Yeah, that was my last couple of weeks.

I also finished reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess and it messed with my mind. It made me want to start a vegetable garden (I don’t eat vegetables.), adopt babies from Africa (I’m not quite ready for babies.), and stop buying crap for my house (I like crap for my house.).  I told you, it messed with my mind.

And then I bought a new rug for the living room and all was right again with the world.

Now I’m back with the DIY Console Table how-to that you all have been so patiently waiting for.

Purchase List:

• 3 four foot 1x10’s
  • Our console table top dimensions are 4 foot long and 10” wide
  • 2 eight foot copper grounding rods
    • We found ours in the electrical section (near the conduit) at Lowe’s
    • 1 1/4” wood screws
    • 2” wood screws
    • Wood glue
    • 1/2” wood bit
    • Drill
    • Stain
      • We used MinWax’s Red Mahagony
      • Poly
        • MinWax’s Satin Poly

Directions:

• Select one of the 1x10s to be the bottom board.  Place wood glue on top of this board.

• Place bottom board and middle board together and clamp together.

• Screw the two boards together using 1 1/4" screws. Start screwing from the bottom of the bottom board.
• Allow the boards to dry.
• Determine how tall you would like your console table to be.  Our table is 28.5” from the floor to the bottom board.
• To figure out the length and the angle of the legs, use saw horses and scrap pieces of wood to prop the boards up to the desired height.  Doing this will help you get the correct angle and length for the copper rod legs. 

• Add caption
• Place a mark 3" from the outside edge on each corner.
• Put the rod straight up from the edge, then angle in to the 3” mark, placing a line on the rod parallel to the top of the top board

Add caption

• While the rod is at the angle, take a spare 2x4 and place a line on it to match the angle of the rod.

• Cut the copper rod using a hack saw.

• Repeat for all 4 legs.
• To make the holes for the legs, measure in 4" from the ends and 1.25" from the front and back
• Using a 1/2" drill bit, drill a hole through the 2 boards using the angle marked on the scrap 2x4 earlier.  Clamps will help keep the 2x4 in place while drilling.

• Place glue on the bottom side of the top board and set this on the top of the middle board and clamp together.  Screw the three boards together from the bottom board using 2" screws
• Distress boards.  AKA beat the boards up with whatever random tools you can find.  We used hammers, crow bars, screws, etc.  You can’t mess this step up.  More is more when distressing.  Scratches, scrapes and dents are all wanted.

• Stain and poly.  We used 1 coat of stain and 2 coats of poly.
• Cover the ground with something soft to protect the table. Place the table top on the ground with the holes up.  Pound the rods into the holes with a rubber mallet.  Do it classy like we did.  I really should learn to not put pictures like this up on the interweb. Or I could clean our garage.  Neither of which will probably happen.

• The rods will take a little effort to pound into the table because the holes are intentionally smaller than the rods.  This tight fit will help keep the legs sturdy.  You may need to drill a little bit extra out of the holes to get the rods to fit.
• Place the table on a level surface to check to see if the legs are all even.  We had to flip the table and adjust legs a couple of times to get the table level.  We found it best to find which leg is taller and pound that leg in more.
• Set your table up and decorate it with your favorite thrifty finds!

Any questions?  Anyone else recovering from a life funk?  Have you read “7”?  Any good thrifty finds lately?

Pass It Along Project

Do you all remember when I mentioned the Pass It Along Project? Of course you do.  But in case you need a refresher…

The Pass It On Project is all about spreading joy through handmade items.  The principle is simple.  You receive two handmade items.  One if yours to keep, the other is to pass on to someone who could also use some joy.  Who couldn’t?  You then make two items and then send them along to a blog friend.  Your blog friend then repeats.  It’s one vicious joy cycle.

I finally got around to finishing my gifts and sending them off to Mindy and Maury.  So what did I end up making?  Something simple?  Something that didn’t require me to rip my hair out?  Nope.  I never pick the easy route when it comes to crafting. I knew that both Mindy and Maury liked to whip things up in the kitchen so I went with…

Aprons packaged in mason jars with recipes attached.  The recipe cards are a bit large but that just means extra joy, right?

The aprons look like this….

I’m quite the natural apron model.  Probably because I’m such a pro in the kitchen.  Apron wearing comes naturally for me.

I loved the baking fabric paired with the tiny red polka dots. I’m a sucker for polka dot fabric.

I’ll share the apron tutorial later this week.  Along with that DIY console table tutorial.  Tutorials require too much concentration during the Olympics.  Focus.

Thanks to Amy for passing the project on to me. I can’t wait to see what Mindy and Maury pass on!

Have you participated in the Pass It Along Project?  Feel free to share your link below.  Are you an apron fan?  How about polka dots?

Speaking of crafty things, Erin posted more info about the Random Acts of Craftiness.  Click the button below to get the scoop!  We have cheerleaders, husband choice awards, and goodies.  Are you a business/Etsy shop owner that would like to contribute to the goodies?  If so, e-mail me at decorandthedog (at) gmail.  You really don’t want to miss out on this. 

Antique Goodness

Dear Little Brother,

I apologize for today’s post.  Yes, I do realize I should file it under the label “Lame It.”  I appreciate your blog critique.  I was, however, unable to put together our console table how-to because I was helping you celebrate your birthday in the land of slow internet.

Please enjoy the following photos from our shopping trip.  I will refrain from posting the photo of you riding a saddle in a steak house.  That is love.

Sincerely,

Your Sister

My brother is now my blog reviewer.  He informs when me when posts are lame or when I’m selling my blog’s soul.  He’s super helpful.  (And Single.  Have I mentioned that?) 

We enjoyed a morning of junk/antique shopping this week-end. His choice.  I think our love of junk may be the only thing that we actually agree on. 

Here are some photos for you all of one of my newest favorite stores.  I want to move in.

I would have made the following stainless steel table mine if it wasn’t too large for our dining room.  I was kicked out for repeatedly petting the table.  Something about scaring other customers.

This tub was magnificent.  The cell phone photo is not.

The place was full of lockers in every color.  I liked the orange.  Must mean I’m wanting fall to arrive.

Old stools and chippy cabinets.  Be still my heart.

There were maps everywhere.  This store is pretty trendy which is surprising since it is in middle of nowhere Iowa.  Iowa and trendy are generally not in the same sentence together…unless there is a “not” in there.

I loved this numbered set up.  I think I need a second home to decorate with junk stuff….and pink stuff.  I should run this by my accountant husband.  I’m sure he’ll go for it.

This store is the Broad Street Market in Story City, Iowa.  I think it’s pretty obvious that this post was in no way sponsored by them.  I just want to move into their store.  That is all.

Do you have a family member that likes to critique your blog?  Are you a fan of junk shopping or is HomeGoods/TJMaxx more your style?  What would you have taken home from the above photos?

DIY Console Table Reveal

Ooooo, it’s time for me to reveal our top secret project that I mentioned on Monday.  (Even though my SEO friendly title already ruined it).

Today Ike and I would like to introduce you to our pretty new console table.

I’ll share the tutorial with you next week but we made the top out of 1x10’s that we beat with a hammer, crow bar, screw driver, etc to give it that reclaimed wood look. The legs are made from copper grounding rods.  Copper is a hip metal these days.  Hipsters.  The total cost was ~$40.

I was originally inspired by some hairpin leg tables that I had seen floating around.  I wasn’t a fan of the $300+ price tags.  I then looked into the hairpin legs which were still $20 a piece. Four $20 legs plus wood for the top equals too much dinero.  That’s when I conspired with my partner in crime and we saw the copper grounding rod while wandering Lowe’s.  It was a major experiment on our part because we weren’t even sure we could get something to like this to stand.  Somehow we did.  And we’re in love.  Both of us.  Nate is less into furniture PDA than I am.  But trust me, he’s in furniture love.

It’s like the table was made for this spot.  Oh wait, it was. Never mind.

Our farmhouse table now has a mini-friend.  (Don’t mind the tv in the mirror.  I do like how the owl appears to be waving though.  It’s the little things in life.)

Are you digging copper these days?  What about that brassy/old lady decorating scheme I have going on?  Is a console table on your DIY list?  Who’s excited for the tutorial?