Tag Archives: home

Happy DIY Holidays

From our homes to yours, warmest holiday greetings from DIY Del Ray.

9

8

5

3

12

13

11

1

IMG_4808

IMG_4875

IMG_4876

IMG_4878

IMG_4881

IMG_4459

IMG_4379

IMG_4907

10

Life Around Washington, DC: A Collection of Pictures and Photographs

This post is part of a series of stories about collections — the treasures we gather in our homes, display for our guests, and that bring us joy. If you have a collection to share, contact diydelray[at]yahoo.com.

Both my husband and I grew up in Iowa but met here in Washington, DC.  Not sure if you’re familiar with the transient Iowans who live here but we mainly migrate to DC because of our love of all things politics.  There’s not much to do in Iowa so if you catch the political bug early on, like we did, it’s a given you’ll end up here. 

With that said, Paul and I have taken to collecting artwork that represents the DC area that we love so much and chose our living room to showcase it all. The piece that started it all was President Carter’s Christmas card to his staff.  My uncle worked for his administration and he had the signed card framed.  I was lucky enough to have that passed down to me when he died.

GravesChristmas 2011 033

GravesChristmas 2011 032

Next was a signed print of Mount Vernon at night. Paul and I spent a lot of time on the weekends sitting on the lawn of Mount Vernon before the craziness of life and kids took over and it’s such a great way to remember and appreciate what’s around us. My mom bought this for us as a wedding gift.  Such a great idea to gift artwork!

GravesChristmas 2011 043

GravesChristmas 2011 048

One of our great, but little,  finds were two black and white photographs that we snatched up in Eastern Market in DC. They’re great shots of the Mall and my favorite is the girl with the umbrella strolling through the snow.

GravesChristmas 2011 037

GravesChristmas 2011 038

Our most recent find was a great grouping of Old Town Alexandria prints that we found thanks to our good friends at Potomac West Antiques and Interiors.  We obviously have a soft spot for Old Town and we scored these during one of their amazing sales and immediately hung them up.

GravesChristmas 2011 045

Last, but not least, is my all time favorite, titled, “Rainy Day on the Avenue.” Paul bought this for me for my birthday a couple of years back.  Best gift ever.  He bought it at Art on the Ave here in Del Ray.  It captures Del Ray perfectly and makes me so happy every time I look at it.

GravesChristmas 2011 034

This is only the beginning of our collection and we hope to add more pieces the longer we stay here. It’s a great feeling knowing that even if our boys grow up and move away from here, they’ll at least be able to hold on to their DC roots through the artwork we’re collecting.

Master Bedroom Renovation Hollywood Regency Style

If you’re like me, you focus all of your creative energy on all rooms of the house but the master bedroom.  I guess the thought is, who besides me and my family is going to see our bedroom so what’s the point in trying to spruce it up?  This was my belief until I had a late night breakdown epiphany and realized I needed a nice, relaxing place to call my own and, in my world, that is my bedroom. 

The very next day I set out to transform my bedroom with a plan for new paint, new artwork, bedding and a couple of new smaller pieces for the space.  My goal was to do this without spending an exhorbitant amount of money.  So began my 6 month bedroom renovation.  I know, it has been a long time coming.  Did I mention that projects always takes months longer than I planned?

Here are some photos of my blah bedroom before.  Note the dark wood, neutral walls and generic artwork.  Awesome!

2011-07-05_22-20-40_578

2011-07-05_22-20-48_122

Do those photos make you feel relaxed? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Now, the transformation. You’ll remember that I blogged about my DIY sunburst mirror here and also the DIY chevron paintings that I hung above my awesome Ikea Hemnes nightstands that I found on Craigslist.

12.5.2011 037

Psst! I switched out the standard knobs on my Ikea nightstands with some fab gold knobs that I found at Lowes for $3.00 each.

12.5.2011 021

Once I decided that I wanted my colors to be white, gold and grey, I added some DIY artwork too. Check out the frame I painted white and gold and then found the perfect printable online to finish the piece.

12.5.2011 019

12.5.2011 018

I’ll admit it, as the years go by I tend to forget things more often. To help, I used Crate and Barrel’s chalkboard stickers and put a gold frame around it. Now I can write things that I need to remember the next morning and check the list twice before I head downstairs and off to work.

12.5.2011 030

In my nook that will someday be a comfy reading corner, I decided to girl it up. I have a vintage Vogue print that my mother had and I’ve hauled with me through my numerous moves across the country. To complement that, I added two prints by artist Daphne van den Heuvel who paints women in amazing stripes. LOVE her!

12.5.2011 028

12.5.2011 026

I have tried, without success, to replace the etagere that holds our TV. My first thought was to spray paint it yellow. I did this before I knew that you need to use a primer first. So it turned out uneven and runny. Then I bought a couple pieces of furniture for that space but they were either too short or stuck out too far. So, again in a weird fit of creativity one day, I decided to use gold thumbtacks and use them as nailheads to outline the frame of the etagere.

I have to say it turned out better than I expected. Yes, my thumbs were numb for about two weeks after the project, I have no sense of pinning in a straight line and there were a few mess ups, but for about $2 I have to say it was worth it!

12.5.2011 038

Here’s a close of up of the  thumbtacks nailheads.

12.5.2011 022

I have to say, my room has come a long way. I’m sure I’ll add to it as the months go by but now I have a place to relax and read and appreciate. Here’s one more shot of my new room. Oh and I’m sure you’re wondering about the POSH letters. They stand for the first letter of each of our names in my family. No, I didn’t plan it that way but think it’s kind of funny! How could I not point it out?

12.5.2011 033

Paint:  Benjamin Moore- accent wall- graphite wall color- marina gray
aVintage Art Deco Lamps (on nightstands): Craigslist
Ikea Hemnes Nightstands: Craigslist
Art: DIY
Campaign Dresser (foot of web): Craigslist
Etagere: DIY
Knobs: Home Depot and Lowes
Chalkboard Stick-ons: Crate and Barrel Outlet

Posted by Sara

Design Books: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

The great gift search is on!  Everyone’s looking for that perfect gift to give to their friends, wife (hint, hint), family members, etc.  We have the perfect solution:  Design books!  What better way to inspire, entertain, and keep you going all year long. Below are some of our favorite picks:

Pinned Image

Downtown Chic

The Novogratz family reside in New York, have their own design show, run their own design company AND have 7 kids.  Their personal collection of antique, rummage sale and consignment finds are amazing.  Even more amazing are the ingenious ways they incorporate them into their design space.

They’re my inspiration and they have an incredible idea book that I can’t wait to get my hands on. They do a fantastic job blending modern, contemporary, shabby chic and vintage together to make a space feel personal and homey.

Domino: The Book of Decorating

Pinned ImageHave you checked out the Domino Decorating book yet?  For those of us who fell in love with Domino the magazine and cried real tears when it was discontinued, this book is a great reminder of all the things we can do to our spaces.

There are some design books that offer pretty pictures of perfectly decorate homes and then there are others, like this one, that offer the pretty pictures but they’re realistic enough to actually replicate in your own homes.  Now that’s quality!

Design Sponge at Home

Design*Sponge at Home

Now here is a must have book for any DIY home designer: Design Sponge at Home.  AMAZING!  The book is written by Grace Bonney of the popular blog Design Sponge. This 400-page book is full of unique ideas from people who have submitted their own DIY projects over the years to the blog.  These projects can really be done in your own house!

Thanks to Leslie and Katie who gave it to me for my birthday, I have had endless hours of fun perusing through the pages of this awesome book.

The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers

Have anyone on your list who loves everything gardening? We’ve featured Eileen Powell a couple of times on our blog.  She is Del Ray’s local gardening guru and has written a wonderful book titled,  The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom.  She shares her secrets to having a thriving garden and all the things you can do year round.  What better way to support our community than to give this fantastic book to a green thumb?

And for even more book ideas, check out Leslie’s favorite small-space design books.

These selections are a sure way to make gift giving easy and fun.  Happy shopping!

Posted by Sara