I whipped up a set of moving labels yesterday to help me keep the process organized. The last time around, I sat at the front door while the movers unloaded the truck, and tried to tell them where each box went as it came in the front door. Needless to say, we had a rather large pile of boxes in the living room because I kept saying, "Uhhhhh.." as they came by.
I made a Custom Moving Labels project page, where you can download the PDF file to make your own labels!
]]>Over at The Bargain Queen there is a great list of ideas for sprucing up your rental, like:
Add plants. If The Bargain Queen had decorating rules, #1 would be ‘all homes look better with plants’. She’s already written about cutting the cost of gardening, and most of these tips are equally applicable to finding and caring for indoor plants.
Read more of Rental decorating on a budget..
]]>
from AccidentalJulie
from the awe-inspiring Allsorts
I am in the middle of planning out my new workspaces once I move to Providence. Luckily Adam has chosen the dining nook as his computer lair, which means I get the guest room all to my crafty self!
]]>
I learned about it from my brother, who recently finished up the grueling first year of his architecture graduate program (yay, Jeff!). He's been using it to render really amazing and complex structures, but its also simple for a novice (that would be me) to get a basic floorplan to work.
The main piece of advice I have is to assemble the cabinets first!! At the first hint of stain all of the boards warped, and those nice, pre-drilled holes no longer lined up properly. I had to wing it, drill new holes, and screw it all together with a cordless drill instead of those awful allen wrenches. But once it was done I liked it a lot, and it only cost something like $250 for an eight foot-long wall of shelving that held my wine and my television (talk about putting all your eggs in one basket!). It has served me well for three years now. The funny thing is, IKEA now sells pre-stained IVAR shelving. :)
Project instructions for staining IKEA furniture.
]]>Expert tips to stretch your decorating dollars
- Don't move home without it.
- Look for low-cost color.
- Shop your house.
- Make a model.
- Shop the information superhighway.
- Time large furniture purchases.
- Reface, don't replace.
- Network with neighbors.
- Look for bargains at big-box retailers.
- Invest in an interior decorator.
Read more of 10 ways to decorate without debt.
]]>
Knowing that my daily energies will be pointed towards more graphic design and typography over the next few years, Shoestring Decorator is having an identity crisis. On the other hand, I'm moving into a new house in Providence that will have very empty rooms, and if a grad student's budget isn't the epitome of shoestring, I don't know what is.
I haven't really decided what I want. But I do think I will be making changes in the next few weeks.
]]>
]]>
Along with my Real Simple, I tried out Blueprint over the weekend. I'm encouraged! I can tell they are still finding their rhythm, but I liked the style. Once I figure out where I'm living in August, I think I might get a subscription.
]]>
The theme for this week's whiplash was yarn. I have worked with yarn in the past, but I don't really ever feel motivated to knit anything except when its cold outside. So I worked off of the idea of a yarn as a story. This entry could also work for Use What You Have, because I pulled it together without buying anything!
I took the remnants of a silkscreen project I had and bound them up into three little books. I played around with different endpapers, but kept the sizes the same. The idea is to fill each book with a story or memory. This one is the story of a vacation to San Francisco that I took last summer with my two good friends, Jessey and Olga:
I used a simple binding of waxed cotton thread - I just love the little knot that surprises you in the middle of the book. (sorry this picture is a little dark!)
I'm experimenting with a new picture-hanging method in this photo: I've got an aluminum dowel suspended between two screw eye hooks, with tiny clips strung out along the entire width. Its a great way to display a rotating collection of paper items like prints, photos ... and these little memory books!
I used the techniques described here. Unlike the article, I was doing this on my own, so I did have to extricate myself via a cut down the front center instead of sides or back. It made for some awkward seaming around the bustline, but I also didn't have to stand immobilized from the waist up waiting for my boyfriend to wake up!]]>
1. Five minutes to yourself: how would you spend them, ideally?]]>
Lying on the hanging swing on my back patio, thinking.2. Five bucks to spend right now: how would you spend it?
Lunch! No seriously, I am really hungry right now. Food aside, I'd probably go to the art supply store and geek out.3. Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?
The weeds in my front yard. The weeds in my back yard. The weeds growing on pots on the deck! My guest bed. The bizarre logo-festooned duffel bag my company had printed for us.4. Five items you absolutely, positively could never part with in your house?
My work table. The cozy armchair next to the window in the kitchen. The painting Adam gave me last summer. My camera. My computer.5. Five words you love? New word for today: adorkable. superfluous. simple. gobsmacked. schnazzy.