Coffee Table Re-mix

When we were first moving into our apartment, Tyler's mother offerred to give us her outdoor coffee table. Of course, we don't have an outdoor space, but we did need one for our indoor living room. The table was/is gorgeous. It is a big rectangle of heavy, weathered metal that looks super rustic and cool. We loved it and were happy to bring it home.

Last week, Tyler's mom called and let us know that she would be needing the table back. While we still loved the table, this news was actually very exciting. In our many months with the table, we'd come to realize that while gorgeous, it wasn't the best fit for the space we had. So, we're giving the table back, and more importantly, this gives me the opportunity to find a new one!

Naturally, I'm not super keen on buying a new, expensive table, when I can buy something much cheaper that I can then make-over using some Jessica-magic. Tyler and I have both agreed that we think something circular might be best. Our living room is currently filled with right-angles, and this will hopefully soften up the space. Here are a couple of my ideas:

Option #1:

I love the idea of using "wine barrels" to create a coffee table. Home Depot sells these for about $30 each, which is totally reasonable! 

Option #2:

This table is something I think Tyler would definitely appreciate. It's got that modern, geometric aesthetic that he likes. I think a darker stain would be better in our apartment, but I like the overall look. 

Clearly, you can see I appreciate the combination of a glass top and wood base, and our living space would definitely benefit from the more open, airy feel. I'm hoping a glass top will help to create that vibe.

At this point, who knows what it will be, but craigslist here I come!

Some Simple Additions

If you've ever visited our apartment, I've probably kept my fingers crossed that you would never ever open the door to the bathroom cabinet. This particular area is one I am not proud of, simply put, because it is a hot hot mess. While there is a semblance of organization below - some boxes on one side and some piles on another, our stuff generally meanders from side to side, slipping around until one of us realizes we can't find it and has to go digging through the piles that exist below. Then, we rearrange, convincing ourselves, "Oh! It's gotten cleaner!"

SO NOT TRUE.

So, where am I going with this you may ask? Well, one day, in my inevitable struggle with the behemoth that is my bathroom cabinet, I decided that it might be helpful to store some of the stuff under the sink elsewhere. Genius! I know.

The first idea that struck was to remove the handful of perfume bottles I had down there. Now, I don't wear tons of perfume. In fact, I wear it maybe only once a week when I remember that I actually own some. However, in my recent blog reading/Pinterest adventures, I begun to take notice of beautifully coiffed dresser tops, such as this one:

Source

The image above captures styling done by one of my favorite bloggers, Emily from Cashmere and Cupcakes. I looooooooooove it. Although, not 100% obvious, what struck me most about the design was the tray holding her perfumes and random pieces of jewelry. After more serious inspection, I concluded that the tray is made of lucite. However, upon first glance, the tray bottom looks like a mirror, and when I saw it, I knew I wanted something very similar. Plus, the entire arrangement looks so unbelievably elegant - the clear bottles, clean white backdrop, touches of gold and the lonely pink flower. I set out to achieve the same vibe for my own space.

On a trip to one of my favorite consignment stores, I spent about an hour or so perusing the many rooms for the perfect tray. Finally, tucked away under a myriad of antique brushes, I found it. It had a mirrored bottom (check!), edged by a gold, lacy trim (elegant, check!). It was $18 and I knew it would look awesome housing my perfume bottles and other accoutrements. I also happened to receive a gift from my one of students around the same time - a jewelry tree! With my two new accessories in hand, I went on my merry styling way. Here is the end result...

Unfortunately, I don't have a before photo, but I love the after. While it is not exactly the clean and pristine look of Emily's dresser, it looks so much more organized and sophisticated than it did before. Now, all I have to do is get a new clock. =)

On My Own...

"...pretending he's beside meeeeeeeee!" Yes, I am singing the title of this post to that very tune from The Phantom of the Opera. Don't judge.

In case you've been wondering in the many, many weeks I've been away, yes, we finished our headboard. Contrary to the title of this post, I did NOT complete this task on my own. My muscles, as I've alluded to previously, are too puny, and I needed my handsome and more importantly strong boyfriend to help me.

We decided that we'd secure the headboard to our metal bedframe. I've read about others who have bolted the headboard to the wall, but given the fact that we've already made so many of those (holes) in our apartment walls, I was hesitant to make more.

Together, we moved our bed about a foot away from the wall. Then, we brought the headboard in, slowly shifting it into place behind the frame. Earlier, I had outlined circles (four) where the bolts would screw through the frame, and drilled holes through the center of each. Once the holes on the legs of the headboard were lined up with the holes in the frame, I screwed the bolts through each end while Tyler held the headboard in place. Then, he tightened things up (again, bigger muscles). Finally, we were done!

For some reason, the headboard appears crooked in the picture,
but I swear it does not look that way in real life.

While I was not completely pleased with the final product, Tyler liked it - mistakes and all. Since it's been up, I've done a decent amount of reflection and I want to clarify something important. My friend, Greg, probably summed it up best when he commented, "Gee, Jess. You made it seem like the worst project ever." He followed me as I blogged about the project, which made me feel awesome. (Thanks Greg!) Going back, and re-reading some of my posts, I realized that he was right. During each phase of this project, I had felt as though this project was doomed to fail. It was tiring and it made me pissy. Even now, months later, I could tell you a handful of things that still bother me about the headboard. In the end though, I realized that all of that crap was what doing it all by myself - on my own - is all about. It's about making mistakes. It's about getting frustrated, even failing at times, and then learning.

So, despite my negative attitude when originally posting about this project, I'm so grateful for it. Because strangely enough, a part of me likes making mistakes. I like knowing that I'm not going to get it perfect the first time. I enjoy the process of figuring it out, and feeling like I'm improving each time. That's the beauty of DIY.

Living with Jessica

TRIAL #1:
I may have mentioned once before that taking me on a trip to Target is never a good idea. Inevitably, I walk away from the store having spent way more money than I intended. At this point in our relationship, I'm pretty sure Tyler equates Target with being in debt, but I can't help it. There are so many wonderful things to find!

On one of my expeditions, several months back, I found a beauuuuutiful green table lamp that was on sale for $15!!! It's emerald exterior and smooth glass finish caught my eye right away, and who can ignore a bold red price tag that screams, "I cost much less than I used to!!" What kind of person would pass that up?!

Exactly this shape, but a pretty green color!

Obviously, not me.

Now, I admit. On most occasions to Target, I do remind myself that I have a significant other with whom I share my living space, and I resign myself to the fact that if I get home and he doesn't like it, I can always make a return. But, I knew this was NOT about to happen with my new lamp. Whether Tyler liked it or not, I was keeping it...even if that meant hiding it in the closet until I could sneak it past him.

Thank God, Tyler had enough sense to like it. It wasn't his favorite item, but he recognized the crazy in my eye that night and allowed it to stay. The one, singular "problem" with the lamp - and I really hate the word problem, challenge might be more appropriate - was that it did not have a lamp shade. Personally, I didn't mind, but after a week or two it made Tyler go crazy, and on a subsequent trip to Ikea, he very thoughtfully bought a shade for the lamp's naked top. Although a thoughtful move, I will confess that my first thought about the shade was, "It looks like someone urinated on that".

The flash washed out the image. Trust me.

TRIAL #2:
Unfortunately, as it happens sometimes, my filter didn't kick in and I shared that comment with Tyler. I'm a big believer in honesty makes a relationship stronger, but this urine comment wasn't my proudest moment.

In my defense, the shade is definitely pee-colored yellow, and after a few weeks, Tyler thankfully came to the same conclusion. Since then, I've fervidly been searching for a replacement, and have brought home multiple shades varying in size, shape, and pattern. This past weekend, on a trip with some of my students to Target (duh!), I hit the jackpot. This time, I remained optimistically hopeful, crossing my fingers that Tyler would like it and I wouldn't have to make a return.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the shade fit perfectly, AND Tyler liked it! I had struck gold.

Source

To be frank, Tyler and I both won that night. He finally convinced me to move the lamp from the living room to our home office. He had mentioned a time or two that the lamp looked odd floating in the middle of our living room, and finally, I had to admit that the teardrop shape of the base, while gorgeous, did seem strange. The lamp needed some sort of backdrop to highlight it's curves. The table against the wall in our office turned out to be the perfect spot.

P.S. Besides my spending habits at Target and my inconsistent filter, I'm pretty much the perfect girlfriend. =)

Joke.

P.P.P.S. My first thought post-lamp transfer was, "I get to buy a new one for the living room!!!"

No joke.