Oopsie DIY

I love reading inspirational blogs for new ideas and one of my absolute favourites is Jenny Komenda's "Little Green Notebook". Jenny takes on a lot of DIY projects; some are simple, while others are more complicated. Recently she blogged about an easy project where she dyed an inexpensive cream flokati rug to a lovely blush pink. I decided that I would like to do the same with my flokati - I would dye it a soft lilac to complement my master bedrooom.

OOPS.

It turns out that my Ikea sheepskin was the genuine wool version, meaning that it was much more absorbent than Jenny's acrylic version. The fibers took the dye much faster than I expected and after just a few minutes in the dye bath, the rug was already quite dark. The soft lilac I envisioned came out about 10 shades too dark. Boo :( Does anyone have any ideas how to soften the colour? I'm wondering if bleach would work or if that's a bad idea.

At least it matches, so I can live with it, but I wish it was the pretty lilac shade I was aiming for.

Art Appreciation

Now that summer has passed, and #ProjectA has wrapped, I finally have some spare time to catch up a few things I've been putting off around the condo. Two weekends ago I recovered the dining room chairs in a golden yellow velvet. This past weekend I was onto a new project: art for the master bedroom. I've been in this condo 23 months, and the walls of the master were bare until this past Sunday.
 

As most of you know, since I mention it frequently, budget is a consideration when I make decor choices. In this instance I splurged a little bit up front, and saved on the other end. Here's the story: I follow designer Christian Siriano on Twitter, and he quite often tweets a "sketch of the day". One day I followed the accompanying link down the rabbit hole, where I discovered "Violet Flowing", a limited edition Christian Siriano sketch. As art goes, $35 unsigned is quite affordable (signed prints are $89), and I knew the sketch would be perfect to hang by my bedside table, so I placed an order.

I'm sure it goes without saying that the 8" x 10" sketch print arrived unframed, so the next step was to find an affordable frame that would enhance the art and suit my bedroom decor. Basically, it had to be a gold frame. I looked at Michael's and Ikea, but it was slim pickin'. I thought I might have better luck at the thrift store, and I was right - I picked up a frame for the sketch at Goodwill and added a new pre-cut mat from Michael's. All in, the framing for this piece set me back $8.72.

The only catch was that while searching for a frame at the Goodwill, I fell for another piece of art, an abstract with lots purple and mauve and swirls of gold. I paired the $6 newly discovered masterpiece with a $10 frame and now it resides above the opposite bedside table.

What I find most interesting is how different these two pieces are, and yet I find beauty in both of them. Where will you find your next piece of art?

The Fun Stuff

Many of the basics at the new condo are complete - the furniture is in place, the closet is organized, and the artwork is hung. Now it's time for the fun stuff; the finishing touches, if you will. Once the drywall repairs are done (hurry up already, Edilcan!) the painting can get underway and the wallpaper can go up in the guest bedroom. Until then, I've been working on the little things, like these pillows I had made for the master bedroom (thanks to Tim for setting me up with a talented seamstress).