Mad Men bar

Mr. B is obsessed with the show Mad Men and has been dreaming about coming home for cocktails after a long day of advertising work (this is kinda funny, because he actually worked in an advertising agency for 6 years) since the show started.

I decided that instead of waiting, and waiting for the perfect piece, I would just get the project started and swap out better/swankier pieces as I came across them.

 I found great inspiration from Kelly Galvin Robson's High Street Market:

I got on craigslist and found a, I think its fondly referred to as a TV table in the midwest, not sure what LA people refer to a slightly-wobbly-fold-down-table as, but I bought it and then painted it white and then my sister, T, helped me make it look a little more "substantial (this is a word that is used to mean, "not cheap" in our family) with the introduction of some handles (thanks for the help!):

Here is the finished, painted, handled bar:

Remember that movie prop sale I went to last fall? Well, one of the cool pieces we found was a metal (maybe aluminum?) tray that was a not-so-pleasing olive color:

But, after a quick yellow spray paint job, it perfectly matches all of our yellow accents in the room!

 We decided to put up this bar, although I'm not super happy with it, so I'm still on the prowl for the actual bar table, but the "look and feel" (as ad men are notorious for quoting) is what we were looking for:

New idea for my one blank wall

I'm not sure how I'm down to only one blank wall in this apartment, but now I'm feeling like I want the "perfect" thing/art/color/texture to tie in the whole room. It is no coincidence that this is the main wall, the focal point of the entire living, that is still bare... it's a lot of pressure!

I saw this ad in a magazine recently for Piperlime.com:

Does anyone know what this design is called? I've tried googling lots of ridiculous phrases and descriptors (including: french museum design, cool looking wall wood, wood frames on walls that's like edging, and wood pieces to put on walls) with no avail (no surprise with my cunning use of the English language). 

Help!

Wallpaper, not just for old people!

Dining Room before

One of my great friends decided to wallpaper her dining room with a Jonathan Adler-esque (not sure if its actually Jonathan Adler's design, I'll ask her) and let me and another friend get in on the fun!

We were all first timers, but we had all the right tools and were excited to find out what this "new" wallpaper craze was all about!

It might not have been the smartest decision to use such an intricate, geometric pattern for our maiden voyage into wallpapering, but after a few trial-and-error strips and understanding how to adjust the lines/patterns before the glue starts to get too tacky, we got it.

My biggest tip: Use WAY more glue than you think you need!

The final result was fantastic and after she gets a mirror up on the wall, I'll show you the finished project!

Now, where could I wallpaper in my apartment??

Silhouette Boxes

Again, I am so inspired by all the bloggers out there and keep trying to bring some great diy designs into my home!

This great idea is one I picked up from Nikki's Nifty Knacks:

The inspiration photo:

This was a pretty easy project actually, just a lot of Mod Podge and drying time. Maybe a little too easy....I ended up going a little overboard and making multiple versions!

Mr. B's childhood "safe" that wasn't secure enough to protect anything, but that he couldn't bear to give away:

Now, I think its much more bearable to look at and even still "locks"!

A shoe box from Aldo that now can be used for pretty storage:

Two Ikea CD boxes:

And an oversize box:

Such fun!

P.S. Thank you to the books who were 'recycled' for this project, you will always be remembered!

Artwork

Welcome back after a long I-got-a-new-job-and-have-been-BUSY pause!

The space on this shelf was frustrating. It lacked a cohesive look, but one can only put up with so many knick-knacks before wanting, no, before needing a more substantial piece.

We commissioned an artist to paint something for the space. We took our chances with an unknown artist, actually one that had never even painted before!

She worked in her studio for hours until presenting us with the perfect work of art!

It looks great, thanks T!