My Master Closet is Done....

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...remember that commercial with Kelly LeBrock? - Well, don't hate me because my closet has gotten BIGGER! Ha! Well, It is complete & now I feel like I have a place for almost everything!  It feels amazing to be this organized, know what I mean? 


I think I would FREAK OUT everyday if my closet wasn't neat & organized!! Creating extra shelving IS DEFINITELY a great way to keep things in place & organized...I can't say it enough. 

For this side of my closet, I decided to add some leopard print wallpaper that I purchased online via Interior Mall. 

I like that it adds to that boutique look that I was going for & also adds some depth to this wall. Having so many clutches- I needed a specific place to display them.  We figured that building little cubbies made sense and it would feel like I was shopping for clutches, which I love!  

I also saved a section to the right hand side of this wall for longer hanging items. The boards were all purchased at Home Depot and stained to match the rest of the closet which gives it a consistent feel. The bottom half of the closet is reserved for my clothes hamper and maybe a pair of boots. 


It's an UGLY hamper, so I may end up buying another one that's more aesthetically pleasing & still functional!

BEFORE

AFTER

Oddly enough in this month's Lonny Mag - there's a closet with a wallpaper background...! See it here.

BIG Thanks to my guy for all the work he did....he's awesome! 

So, tell me...what do you think?  I'd love to hear your thoughts & questions...

-images by jen ramos

A Master Closet...(Via Made By Girl)

This weekend/week while I'm away - I'll be bringing you a few closets from other bloggers & readers plus a couple home tours! I may also be blogging directly from NYC with posts of my trip! 

Every time I walk by my closet, I get a peek at my guy's closet...(It's a BIG mess). My guy is now thinking about re-doing his closet & he really loved this one! I have to agree with him, this closet is super neat!!

It isn't the LARGEST closet in the world, but it seems to cover all the bases. Lots of room for shoes, hats, dress shirts, jeans, socks & underwear! Perfect for what my guy needs to store....

Hopefully my guy can keep his closet just as NEAT at this one!

In the meanwhile enjoy this closet via Ferret & Hound. 
 

This one was done with MDF mostly, but you should read the rest of the DIY here, pretty IMPRESSIVE! Enjoy!  

 -images via ferret and hound

these shoes are to d.i.y. for

just.watch.
he is so talented!!!
monster

every moss and cobweb

shirt- diy / shredded cape - diy / pants - Vero moda / Rings - rebel gear and forever21 / Bailey wedge- Five by Five

I miss wearing my cobweb creations. For a spin, i wore the tee with this diy shredded cape/scarf/overlay or whatever..My friend Curves spray painted the overlay to add more texture and body and the result was fantastic. Visually, it also appeared like it was a smoke enveloping me. I may be afraid of spiders but i find cobwebs very pretty..

Glimpse into My Master Closet...(Via Made By Girl)

Ahhh Monday again. Did you have a good weekend? I know some of you were snowed in with the storms, hopefully you're out & about today! The weather has been amazing here, couldn't ask for better!

On another note, this weekend we finished my MASTER CLOSET! Well, it's actually 98% finished. I'm still considering getting some LEOPARD print wallpaper for the section you can't see behind the doorway.

It's such a PLEASURE walking into my closet now, thanks to my dear husband, who made it all happen. I am in awe of his abilities & grateful to God for him! He bought the shoe shelves as plain wood at Home Depot and stained them to match the IKEA closet system. Brilliant!

above: AFTER (so happy)

below: BEFORE (so ugly)

It's all soooo exciting! I have plenty of storage now, with a bunch of large drawers and shelving for all my clothing & more. The shoe & handbag shelves are my favorite part....it feels like a mini BOUTIQUE every time I walk into this closet!  

When I first started the project, I was UNSURE which direction to head in.  However, I knew I wanted something GLAM..... you know, the chandelier, leopard print and shoes  stacked endlessly on display!  

So, tell me...what do you think so far?

(Click on pics for larger images)

above: those are just a portion of my handbags, the rest are in the IKEA shelving and behind the door.

I think I own 35 handbags. Is that a lot? How many do YOU OWN????
I ACTUALLY had more shoes and handbags.....but I donated them.  If I don't use it after a year I will usually just donate it.

above: My hanging clothes are to the right behind the closet door.
 

Chandelier is from a local antique shop

Ornate medallion is from Home Depot

Leopard Runner by Ballard Designs

Closet System by IKEA

-images by jen

KARLcinogens

This is whats keepin me busy for the past few days..I love white shirts but i love it more if its dirty. So this is what i'll be giving to my readers this month. i cant promise that it'll land on yer doorsteps at exactly on the 25th. I'm no Santa. I rely on Xend for Shipping. And i am really busy with work and everything but i love u guys! Christmas is 4 days away and im so excited. I know you are too, even if yer a grown up who has no Christmas presents ...like me.

My Finished DIY Pendant Light ..... (Via Made By Girl)

Hope everyone had a great long Holiday weekend. OMG. Doesn't it seem to pass by so quickly??!  So, last week I posted here about my DIY random pendant for my home. It took a few days, but we finally finished it this weekend. Overall, I'm pretty HAPPY with how it turned out! However, I have to admit, the only 2 things I DIDN'T ENJOY about this project were: 

1. It was time consuming.

2. Some of the wallpaper paste we used dried between the yarn, and we had to remove as much as we could little by little with a toothbrush.

I basically sat there with a TOOTHBRUSH (after we deflated & removed the exercise ball) & brushed some of the paste off! Most of it DID come off, but if you get real close you can STILL see some of the paste. Oh well.... it'll be hanging high enough that it shouldn't be a BIG deal + for only $50 total spent, I'm not going to complain. 

(click on pic for larger images)

We actually decided to bring an ELECTRICIAN (which I recommend you do) in to make the sockets for us (we got 2 made) and he only charged us $15 each! We'll also be calling on him when we decide to hang them up. (The pendant is currently hanging in my guest bedroom so the dogs won't touch it).

If you LOOK CLOSELY, you can also see that we used a 10" piece of curtain rod (painted it white), threaded the wire through the CURTAIN ROD (giving it a cleaner appearance). We placed one canopy inside & another on top and bolted them together, giving it a sleeker look while stabilizing the bulb. 

We'll definitely be making another one, smaller than this one...but next time we're going to try using fabric stiffener & see if it still shows up when dry. Oh & by the way, the YARN WE USED was white, but with the light switched on, it appears a tan color in the photos.

INSTRUCTIONS:

How to make the ball of yarn:

• blow up a ball or balloon – an exercise ball works well (Walmart has 55cm, 65cm and 75cm if you need large ones)
• mark a 6-7 inch circle off-center (this is for your hand so you can change the bulb)
• cover the floor or working area with plastic (it will get real messy)
• wear disposable gloves (it will get messy, I mean it)
• rub a liberal amount of Vaseline all over the ball (this prevents the yarn from sticking to the surface once the glue is applied)
• put wallpaper paste into a large bowl
• unravel the ball of yarn (we used 360 yards of a medium weight cotton for a 31" ball – use more for smaller spacing) dip it into the paste & saturate it completely – you can work with small amounts to prevent the yarn from getting tangled but it is more efficient to do the whole ball of yarn
• begin wrapping the saturated yarn around the ball randomly covering as much of the open space as possible without covering the drawn circle
• once the ball is all wrapped, let it dry at least 24 hours (we placed ours on top of a cardboard box for stability)
• once dry, deflate ball carefully as much a possible.  Stick your hand through circle space with some scissors and cut it up into manageable pieces (if it is an exercise ball it will have sand in it so careful where you do it). Pull it through the circle opening (the same opening used to change the bulb) very carefully.

Electricals: Hiring a licensed Electrician is recommended on this part

You can either buy a completely made socket kit from Ikea or you can make one. (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60142365) but you will still need the first part below to mount it properly.  Ikea lights are only 60w so they are dim.

Parts needed to make your own:

• 3 plain canopy kits. That will serve to hold the cable in place and to mount it to the ceiling. (http://login.txlampparts.com/onlinecms/txlamp/jsp/viewdetails.jsp?ad_id=918&Sel_ID=1)
• 1 white outdoor-grade extension cord at least 1' longer than you will need.  Get one with the round cord in white. (we used a 10' one from Lowe's)
• 1 white porcelain socket with metal cap (http://login.txlampparts.com/onlinecms/txlamp/jsp/viewdetails.jsp?ad_id=1253&Sel_ID=1) - you can paint the top white if you need.  These are 100w and brighter
  
• 2+ twist on wire connectors
• Tools: wire stripper/snips
  

Make+install it:

• Cut the two ends off the cord and clip it to the proper length - remember that you need it to hang some inside the Moooi globe.
• Thread one end through a canopy, then through the top spot on the globe, then through one on the other side. 
  
• Screw mount the canopies together with the nuts on the inside of the globe.
  
• Pull the loose end through the big hole you left and use a cable stripper to pull off about 1 1/2" of the white outer housing, then strip about 1/2" off each white and black inner wire.  Mount them to the socket, being sure to properly ground it.  Close up the socket properly and drop it back into the globe.
• Turn off the power to the ceiling mount you are hanging the lamp from.  If not already there, mount the strap (the long bar) in place with the locknut.
• Test the length of the cord, leaving a few inches for the ceiling canopy.  Strip at least 4" off the ceiling end, and 3/4" off each of the black and white wires and thread them through the canopy and attach them to their matching ends with solder or properly sized twist-on wire connectors (depends on local code).
• Close up the canopy with the collar-and-locknut provided with the kit.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2installafixture

Let me know what you think so far. Will you be making one for your home? 

 -images by jen ramos

My DIY Dining Chair Project.....In Progress

The Louis chairs I bought are coming along nicely! We are done with the sanding & have chosen a white faux leather fabric along with white semi-gloss paint for the chairs. Thank you to all of you who gave me ideas via my Twitter & on this blog post last week! I'm NOW waiting for my upholsterer to come pick up the chairs so he can cover them in the white fabric & brass nail head accents! 

For the table, I'm SERIOUSLY considering buying the Flatiron Kitchen table from Restoration Hardware. Thanks to Naomi of Thirteenth & South blog for suggesting it! 

I'd love to hear what you all think so far.....

HOW we painted the chairs:

We used a power sprayer (I highly recommend) by Wagner as you can see below....it's the one on the floor behind the chairs. Power sprayers are very efficient at covering large objects quickly, but cleaning the sprayer is tedious!

If you're going to be spraying with this type of machine, make sure you keep your flow even & wipe up drips quickly. Always start from top and work your way toward the bottom. REMEMBER... for best results,  you SHOULD sand the wood prior to using the sprayer! 

Personally, I think we could have gotten a better sprayer for this DIY project, so maybe next time....More to come!

p.s. I finally SOLD my old dining table on Craigslist!!

images by jen ramos