I am not ashamed to say that I have a lot of stuff on my walls, but even I felt a little crazy looking at this picture. Maybe it wouldn’t drive me batty, but it would definitely be the most distracting part of my whole house. Why, I wonder, would someone want people to pause there? It seems like it would be uncomfortable – here, stop and look around in this narrow, confined space. But maybe I’m alone in feeling this way. To find out, I created a little poll. Please cast your vote, and then explain yourself in the comments if you feel pressed to say more!

(Image via Elle Decor * Design by Steven Gambrel * Photo by Eric Piasecki)

I wanted to share this cute, simple project from Donation 2 Decor. Cheap or – even better – found picture frames get a makeover and some new contents using spray paint, masonite, some printed words, and sealer.

The instructions are here, along with several other neat projects for the home. If you give a go, be sure to send me an email with your results!

Would of, could of, should of… Had I only known about these amazing animal trays from Ibride while they were still available at Velocity!

The word ‘ibride’ is a play on words in French meaning ‘hybrid’, and many of the pieces combine several forms and several functions.

The animal trays are themselves hybrids – should they be used at teatime or hung as art on a wall? Ibride’s animal trays are indeed water-resistant and dent-resistant, but imagine the looks you might get if you served coffee on one.

For the non-hunter, Planet Fur creates mounted heads that didn’t cost anyone a life. Made of 100% woolfelt, a renewable and environmentally friendly resource, these heads are quite a bit smaller than the real thing, which is actually perfect for the majority of people who don’t have a hunting lodge in which to hang something as in-your-face as, say, a mounted rhinoceros head.

Aren’t they too, too adorable? If her Flickr stream and blog are any indication, most of the creatrix of Planet Fur’s life seems to be adorable. Color me jealous! I spend all my time trying to cutesy up my home to no avail. Ah, well, at least I can have a sweet little jackalope head for Paloma’s nursery, right?

The Lonely Hangers are derived from cup handles that were broken off from their cup. But to me, they look a lot like ears.

Are they still lonely, though, now that they’re grouped in threes and can hang on the wall in living rooms, bedrooms, lobbies, bathrooms, wash rooms, and the like? Who knows! But I will say they’re pretty darn cute, though admittedly a little pricey at $45 for a trio.

Far too long ago, the lovely Leslie wrote to ask:

I’ve been looking at Etsy home decor, and some of the items they have are wall decals. I’m really liking the idea of having that as a pseudo headboard for my bedroom, but I’m worried about their quality. I’ve only seen pictures of them, not any in practical use in person. What is your opinion?

I love vinyl wall decals and think they’re a fantastic way to spiffy up a boring wall, and some of the headboard decals are totally sweet (like the one from Blik above). There are thicker decals and thinner vinyl decals, but as long as they’re not so thin that they rip or get warped when you’re trying to apply them, there’s not *that* much difference in terms of the quality of what’s on the market. The thing about wall decals is that they last the longest, whether they’re self-adhesive vinyl or fabric like these, when you take the time to thoroughly prep the surface on which you’ll apply them.

I should add that temperature changes will make wall decals shrink and expand, so if your area is prone to cooling off or heating up really quickly, you may find that decals don’t last as long. But I think that the temperature changes would have to be pretty extreme for it to really impact the life of the decal. That said, the best temperature in which to perform the application is somewhere around 60-70F because extreme temps can make putting up the vinyl wall decals difficult.

But for the most part it’s all about surfaces. The paint on the wall needs to be a standard latex or acrylic, not oil, and it can’t contain any of those neat little Teflon particles that some paints contain to make them easier to clean. Your decal will peel right off. Now a wall decal is basically a sticker – as in, it is something that sticks – and any sticker will stick best when it has lots of area to adhere to. If the wall is textured or the paint was applied with a fuzzy roller or old gnarly paint brush, the paint will be bumpy. It may not look bumpy, but the bumps are there. You can get around this by sanding a bit where the decal will go (which really only works if the decal is one big piece, like a headboard, and not skinny strips). Oh, and new paint should have a chance to cure for about a month before your vinyl wall sticker goes up.

Once your wall is smooth, it’s time to clean it! Walls accumulate all sorts of icky stuff – dust, grease, stuff that comes out of car mufflers, etc. – that can create a barrier between the actual wall surface and the sticky stuff on the decal, so you want to give the surface a good cleaning with a nice soapy detergent. In short, taking the time to choose a good application day temperature wise and then prepping the surface thoroughly will go a long way toward extending the life of you decal!

Isn’t this retro Jones & Co wall clock to die for?

I believe it is the Jones & Co Boxy Clock, which as you might have guessed from the lovely reflections in the photo taken by a certain booyaa, is made from glass. I am in serious coveting mode right now!

For an easy update, you can’t beat wainscoting (especially the fakey stuff that doesn’t need much other than cutting down to size, though of course it doesn’t look as sharp as the real deal). But what is wainscoting, exactly? And how do you say it? According to Webster’s, the proper pronunciation is not waynescahtting but rather waynescoating – though either is acceptable in a pinch. As to what it is, wainscoting is paneling typically applied to the lower three feet of a wall below a chair rail and above the baseboard molding, though it can be much taller. According to Wikipedia, the original purpose of wainscoting was to cover the lower part of walls which, in houses constructed with poor or nonexistent damp-proof courses, are often affected by rising dampness. Nowadays, it’s purely decorative.

Here’s what it looks like:

Raised panel wainscoting (via)

Flat panel wainscoting (via)

(more…)

…it’s sushi time, obviously!

(Do you wish it was sushi time at your house? It can be! Clock 1 and clock 2 can be yours, for cheap.)

How cute are the Amy Butler framed prints on acid-free paper or canvas from Art That Fits? There are two distinct collections inspired from by Amy Butler’s floral and graphic textile designs, and all of them are awesome.

Now Amy Butler is launching a wallpaper collection for Graham & Brown, squee! On one hand, wallpaper sucks – it can be amazing. On the other hand, unless you plan to wallpaper forever, covering over the old with the new, it’s the biggest butt pain to strip.

But you (by which I mean *I*) could use the new Amy Butler wallpaper for craft projects, providing you can be small enough lengths of it or you plan to make a bajillion crafts. That’s right…BAJILLIONS.