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Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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I have been making some major headway in the new house, despite my radio silence on the matter... I have had freelance project after project and haven't hardly had a moment to update you on what I have been up to otherwise! In fact I am almost completely finished with the Family Room, squeal... can't wait to do the full room reveal for you guys! Such a fun space... 

In the meantime the other areas of my house are needing some love desperately too! Remember this painting I found at Denio's, my new home away from home? Well as much as I loved it as it was, I wanted something fresh and exciting and so I took a paint brush to it, duh. After all, the reason I purchased it in the first place was the sheer size and of course the price of a mere $3! Doesn't get better than that folks, except when it gets a new 'do' and that 'do' is a little reminiscent of a space I loved when I shared it with you here... See the room with the spotted art above the bed? Yep, loved it...

One of my goals in the new house is to turn my design style up a notch and mix things up. I want to really push my design boundaries and find a new style to love for a while! The only way for me to do this is to take risks, so a few dalmatian-ish spots above the bed are a great place to start! 

I will spare you the 'tutorial' since it's pretty straightforward, but I will mention that I used Rustoleum spray paint and primer in one to give it a good base coat. I used just regular acrylic craft paint for the spotted goodness and a sponge brush with a round tip. That made the spotting that much easier to do! Easy Peasy update and I couldn't love how it sets a fresh new tone for the space any more than I currently do. It makes me happy to remember it's there and stare at it. Ya, that's probably weird but, it's my way...

Also... how devious does that pup look. I clearly caught him in the act of something, I have yet to simply find out what... He's a little out of focus here because I was shooting the painting, but that look on his face is priceless. Part, leave me alone, part, did she see what I was doing? eek...

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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It's has taken me the better part of two days to finish this project, and it was much like a blooper reel, I'm sure, to have seen this unfold. To say that I struggled would be a major understatement but... you guys... this is the first time I have ever used a Silhouette and believe me, it was apparent through each and every step! Eek.

At long last, I finished this cute little addition to our family room and I learned a ton along the way! At least you all won't suffer much when it's your turn to give this a whirl... there is something to be said for that. Believe me...

So let's get into the wwwww.... oh and one of you lucky folks will be going home with your very own Silhouette Portrait! Sqeeeeee... Aren't you so excited? I posted the giveaway here, so click on over to enter, yay!

Please bear with me through this crazy maze of instructions, and know that the images don't coincide directly with some of the ultimate results. This is because many of the details I was able to photograph were midstream or before I decided to scrap the whole thing for the 3rd time and change it entirely. The details remain the same, but the appearance may get wonky throughout.

Also we are going to begin at the very beginning of using a Silhouette machine and this is because I learned much that might have been helpful to know from the start and I couldn't find any exact instructions along these lines. Now there will be something helpful for those of you in my situation! 

Let's dive right into the chaos, shall we? So the first thing you will need to do is set up your image or text in the Silhouette Studio. Now as you will see in the next couple of steps, the guides for where your paper should sit, aren't exactly accurate so you will want to be sure your image or text sits down 1/2" from the top of the 'paper' edge on your screen. Likewise, it should sit up about 1" from the bottom of what appears to be the 'paper' edge. and at least 1/2" in from either side. If you keep your image within those boundaries, you will have better luck when you start to cut! 

Once your image is set you will need to get it ready to send to Silhouette and you will have to choose a few settings to make this thing function properly.

First you will want to choose chipboard from the dropdown of paper/item type. If you don't have that option (as I didn't) you can choose custom OR you can choose heavy cardstock paper weight and make sure your cutting blade level is at a 6. Now, if you do have the chipboard option, it will set your level to a 7, but if you have never used your machine, mat and blade before...this will cut right through your brand new surface and leave you with a mat that is a bit crazy. So start with a 6 to be safe. You can simply adjust the number using the little arrow buttons. 

Also, if you haven't cut anything with your machine before, stick an extra piece of chipboard or cardstock to your mat and peel it off to de-sticky it a tad. Mine was so sticky at first that it ruined my cuts. 

Once you have your level set to a 6, you will need to trim down your chipboard so it will feed through the machine properly. I removed about 3" from the width of the chipboard and stuck it onto my mat, centered and lined up with the guides on the mat. 

Once your chipboard is on your mat, you will want to center the mat between the white roller wheels on the bar in your machine. This will make sure your page goes through properly. 

The image above shows what happens when you don't add that extra clearance for your image (the 1/2" extra bit of margin I suggested earlier). Eek. 

Now let's chat about your blade. That cute little thing above has markings around the white portion with numbers. When I mentioned you want to set your screen setting to a level 6, this also means you need to adjust the actual blade accordingly. To do this, use the gray cap that comes with your blade, or the hole on the front of the machine to set your blade and then turn to adjust where the red marker aligns. Once it's set for 6, you are good to go according to the blade directions and set up instructions. Unfortunately my blade still wasn't cutting. After chatting with support for an entire day, it turns out that I can make the blade cut by removing the teeny tiny top portion of that white cap (which the instructions say to remove for cleaning and then replace). It seems as though it is supposed to sty on, but my blade doesn't stick out far enough for that to work, so I simply left it off. I am sure I am ruining my machine or something devastating, but I tried 2 blades with the same results and 2 blades in 2 different packages can't both be defective... so my thought is that a new safety measure perhaps, is a bit too safe? Not sure, but this is the story I am sticking too! 

This is what it looks like with this little piece removed. You simply unscrew it by turning it counter clockwise. 

Voila she cuts... and then if your mat is too sticky, she doesn't come off. Double eek.. 

At this point I figured perhaps the sticky mat and the chipboard dont mix and I should just send the chipboard through without the mat... wrong... that sucker got crazy and folded over on itself and made a horrid horrid mess. No, you need that mat to keep the small cut sections from lifting, but you need that mat to just be a little less sticky, which it was after my first incident with my cuts not coming off properly. Another problem accidentally solved... after I spent 30 minutes trying to scrape the residual chipboard off, of course! 

Finally after I adjusted my margins, used a less sticky mat, adjusted my blade to a 6 so it didn't cut all the way through, removed that cap from the blade and re ran that sucker through... everything worked properly! And then I decided it was too small... womp womp womp. 

Back to the drawing board, and I don't have pictures of these steps since by this time it was nearly midnight but I will happily suggest you paint any of your pieces prior to removing them from the mat. This just makes things easier... 

Ultimately I was able to fit 2 hello images per sheet and I cut a total of 6 to layer and give it dimension. This isn't necessary if you are making a banner in the traditional sense, but I was of course moving to the beat of a different drum... 

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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UPDATE: This contest is now closed and a winner has been drawn at random. Check below to see if it's you! If you would like to purchase any of the bundles listed below, you can do so with a discount by entering CONFIDENTIAL at checkout! Yahoo

I am excited to bring you all an amazing giveaway today and a promotional bundle of deals for those of you who prefer to buy your way to bliss! Silhouette just came out with a new product... Chipboard! I know, right? For those of you who like banners and anything with glitter, chipboard is the stuff for you! And for those of you who like to win big, one of you will be going home with a new Silhouette Portrait... Sqeeeeeee... I know, right? Could you die? Yahoo. I will be back in just a bit with a project showing you how to use this cool stuff... stay tuned!! 

There are three bundles available to TDC readers which you can take advantage of by visiting www.silhouetteamerica.com/chipboard and entering promo code "CONFIDENTIAL" at checkout by May 15, 2013:

1)  1 pack of chipboard, 1 $25 download card for $19.99


2)  1 Silhouette Portrait™, 1 pack of chipboard, 1 grey dust cover, 1 $25 download card for $129.99

3)  1 Silhouette CAMEO®, 1 pack of chipboard, 1 natural dust cover, 1 $25 download card for $269.99

And now for the even more exciting part? Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win your very own Silhouette Portrait from Silhouette! The giveaway ends at midnight just before May 13, 2013 (so on May 12 basically) and a winner will be drawn at random and notified via email! 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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This post brought brought to you as part of my monthly partnership with Denio's. All opinions are 100% mine.

There really is nothing quite like the hunt... It's thrilling... it's invigorating... it's pure bliss for a gal like me. You see, nothing gets me more excited than the idea that I get to browse acres and acres of 'retail' in search of unique home decor items for a fraction of the price! Seriously...the idea gets me moving in the morning and is also how I look at DIY projects. When I seek inspiration and come up with an idea that I can reproduce for a fraction of the price, it's the greatest thrill of all! It's all about the satisfaction of improving my surroundings, and of course by improving I often mean decorating... duh. 

My recent trip out to Denios, that local slice of heaven for me was the best yet. Not because I found the best items, but because in the warmer months the vendors are in rare form! There were almost double the fabulous number of vendors (that is saying a lot since there are always tons anyhow) and the produce, oh the produce... my goodness it was off the charts. If you follow me on Instagram you may have gotten a sneaky peaky of my exploits and seen the beautiful colors from the produce section, and if you don't follow me there... well you should! I have cute kids and I post lot's of pictures of them. 

My winnings for the day included the school chair you see above and that amazing vintage jeep with the perfect amount of rust! I have big plans for both, but one will be getting a super duper fun makeover... bet you can't guess which. Stay tuned for all the details on that...

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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This post sponsored by Golden Age, all opinions are my own.

If it's true what they say, and history repeats itself, then the masses (that's us) generally follow when the style pendulum swings from a love of industrial to something more natural and organic. A general adoration of all things vintage and industrial has swept the globe over the last many years, without doubt, and has in fact begun to morph into a new trend toward vintage items with a more organic quality. 

True to historical form, I’ve noticed a lovely reemergence and redesign of nebular organic lighting fixtures lately, and I for one couldn’t be happier about this. As someone who loves a nod to the past, but doesn’t want to sacrifice that modern sensibility I’ve grown to love and need, these beauties are perfectly suited to my taste, with their retro style yet undeniably modern vibe and unquestionably organic feel!

What I find really exciting about the direction this genre of lighting has taken is the immense variety of representations that have manifested within this look. It’s incredible… From modern and minimal to grand and organic with everything in between, lighting designers have utterly outdone themselves!

As part of my partnership with Golden Age, I will be bringing you new features each month and chatting all about Lighting and Home Decor. Such a huge part of any room's decor. I hope you enjoy these, and if you would like to check out previous lighting articles, click here.

Sources

1 | 2 | 3 | via | 4 | 5

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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I'm excited to announce a new partnership between TDC and Golden Age Usa! Along these lines I will be bringing two fun new columns to this site on a monthly basis as well as contributing to their site, and I hope you enjoy the eye candy and idea bringing as much as I do! Yahoo!

Today we are talking about making your builder grade homes a bit more 'you' by changing out those boob lights... yes you know the ones to which I refer. And yes I said boob. Let's just get that out of the way right up front... 

It's something most people don't really think about doing, but let's just imagine the impact this kind of change can have. Changing out your lighting is actually pretty easy and fairly quick, within the realm of DIY home improvement projects. Heck, even I can do this task with the need of the hubster if I so choose. Easy Peasy and if you don't want to stray too far outside the lines of those boob lights or have an issue with clearance (perhaps in an entry way or near a door), a semi flush mount light is perhaps ideal for you! 

I personally love the idea of giving a small-ish light fixture a ton of personality. And from this day forward you will hear me repeat this constantly, I'm sure... but the fact is there are 3 things that make a room feel complete: Lighting, Curtains, and Art. If you do nothing else beside adding furniture but add lamps or fixtures, hang curtains and throw something up on the wall, your room will feel amazingly complete... promise!! 

I thought I would share some amazing semi flush light fixtures from around the web. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the options, but hopefully this grouping will help you see the variety and of course the awesomeness of what can be found! 

To read the first post in this series for wall sconces, click here.

This post brought to you by Golden Age Usa, all opinions are my own, duh...

Sources

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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Post sponsored by The Home Depot, but all opinions are my own, of course!

I couldn't be more excited to partner with Home Depot for a fabulous Do It Herself Workshop on May 16th (mark your calendars people) and a Twitter Party on May 2nd! That's right people, the ladies have spoken. The Home Depot is expanding their Do-It-Herself Workshops to more of The Home Depot Stores. It’s time to get hands-on, so find a local workshop in your area today. If you are local to the Sacramento region, I hope you will join me for this at the Stanford Ranch Store (10001 Fairway Drive, Roseville, CA 95678), I can't wait to meet you! It's going to be such a fun night...

Are you a gardening guru? Are you a gardening guru? Learn how to make your own succulent garden with The Home Depot. Registerfor the May 16 DIH Workshop today! Get inspired by Pinterest on May 16th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm EST at The Home Depot Do-It-Herself Workshop. Join us and The Home Depot on May 2 at 8:00 PM for a one-hour Twitter Party to learn about the Do-It-Herself Workshops: Inspired by Pinterest and succulent gardens! This will only be my second twitter party ever, but the first one was so fun and I loved it, very truly! I hope you will hang with us for this too. You will see what I mean about the twitter parties. Fast paced and pure DIH adrenaline! 

The Home Depot wants everyone to have the skills and confidence to be a first class do-it-yourselfer. These free weekly workshops are a great way to get step-by-step instructions and hands on experience learning to do basic repairs and easy home improvements. Did you know The Home Depot holds DIH workshops monthly? Me either, so I was super excited to hear this great news...Check your local The Home Depot store to see if it’s holding Do-It-Herself Workshops. These aren’t designed specifically for women, but a lot of ladies do attend. Register today with our online registration link.  With clear instructions, plenty of time for questions and answers and a wonderful demonstration, Do-It-Herself Workshops will give you a dose of do-it-yourself inspiration. More and more women are taking on do-it-yourself projects these days. Join in on the fun with participants and The Home Depot associates at theDIH Workshop: Inspired by Pinterest. 

So here is what will be on the agenda for May 16th:

We are going to create a Pinterest-inspired succulent garden by identifying and selecting succulents to create a container garden. Register today if you want to attend this one or one in your area! Succulents can be used for decorating- on a sunny, dining room table, hanging on the front door, or in pots around the yard. Learn more and join us at The Home Depot Inspired by Pinterest: Succulent Gardens workshop.

Of course I couldn't let this opportunity pass without posting a couple of stylish succulent tutorials to top it all off, since that is what we will be doing at the DIH Workshop! Yay! Stay tuned for those in the coming weeks, I think you will LOVE my take on them, at least I do...

Disclosure Language:

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me for their Twitter Party and DIH Workshop program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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Is it just me or do any of you folks have those projects that haunt you... plague ridden with problems from the start? This was one of those projects for me, but luckily it was only because we were in the middle of a move and I didn't have the proper tools I truly needed to complete this project with ease. 

I can't stress how much the 'right' tools are the make and break of a project, the true determining factor of a project's ultimate success or utter failure, outside of the more obvious potential design flaws that are a definite possibility with some of my hair brained ideas. What can I say, I'm a dreamer, and some of my creative endeavors speak volumes to that fact. This was not one of those failed whimsical projects, but it could easily have gone more smoothly and so we shall just look at this as the crash test dummy to your quick and fast DIY project and count ourselves lucky that someone had to take the bullet on that one and that it wasn't you! Yahoo!

When Wayfair and Hometalk challenged me to create something using this bad boy, I actually jumped at the chance because a) it speaks to my inner Macgyver persona and b) I kind of needed a light fixture in my family room. Would you believe I didn't notice that there wasn't one when we moved in? Yep, I'm that gal.. the oblivious one sitting in the dark... in her own family room, eek!

The challenge also included the caveat that whichever item was chosen needed to be made over using one of three themes: black and white, rope, or geometric. I actually chose two of the three themes being geometric and black and white, and obviously took some liberty with the 'white' portion of that combo...

Anyhoo, would you like to know how to make one for yourself? Yes? Ok then read on my friends.. read on...

Materials:

  • 1 - 4x6 (Lumber) at 20" or so... (this can be to your desired height)
  • Saw (or you can have your lumber supply cut this to size for you)
  • Deran Lamp Shade
  • Lamp Kit
  • Drill
  • 11/16" Spade Bit
  • Sanding Supplies and Sander
  • Duct Tape (in color of your choice)
  • Paint

Cut your lamp base (lumber) to size and create an X shape, from corner to corner, to designate the center of the post. Using your spade bit, drill a hole into the center of the top of your post. 

Drill a second hole about 4 or 5" from the top on what will be the back of your lamp base.This will be the exit point for your cord.

 

Sand your base well and begin taping the cord from your lighting kit. You will want to work in small sections so the tape is manageable and I think it's easiest to work vertically with this so you aren't wrapping the tape for days on end. 

Once your length of cord is wrapped up in a pretty little package, so to speak, it's time to paint your base and wire your lamp! 

To paint with a nice looking wash that isn't too contrived seeming, first paint with a layer of water in the designated area then use a bit of watered down paint and layer until you achieve your desired result. You can see below that I didn't drown my lamp base, I simply gave it a minimal coating of water. I wanted a bit of gradation so as I layered I also varied the height of the paint.

When your paint has dried completely you can wire your lamp! This part was tricky and I used teasers to help me collect my wires and pull them out through the top. Once you pull them through, follow the directions on your lamp kit and they should go a bit like you see in the images below. 

  • 1. Pull through your base
  • 2. Thread through bottom portion that is supposed to screw into your existing lamp base (which in this case doesn't exist).
  • 3. Tie the wires into a fancy schmancy knot according to the kit
  • 4. Wrap designated wires around the appropriate screw (silver or gold) and secure.
  • 5. Fasten the part with the switch over the top of the wires, then lock down the gold cover on top. 

All that's left at this point is to add the bulb, test that baby out and add your lamp shade. Unless of course you want to alter your lamp shade, in which case I highly recommend you use fabric and cover rather than paint, but of course I didn't do that... womp, womp, womp. 

It turned out rather nicely, after 207 coats of paint for the shade, don't you think? 

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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Isn't he gorgeous? I just adore his quirky retro vibe and his colors... I feel like he needs a name, but haven't decided what that should be! 

I found him during my recent adventure at Denio's and fell instantly in love. In fact he was one of the first things I brought to the new house! Yep, did I mention we moved? Ya, that happened. I can't wait to show you around the new place, but for now I shall tease you a bit and show you my new boyfriend above and a very limited sneak peak at of the place we now call home!

Submitted by RyTurner / The Design Confidential
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This past weekend I began the most marvelous partnership (and love affair) with Denio's Farmer's Market & Swap Meet! I have to tell you it's been years since I have been out there, which is silly because some of my most prized treasures came from there. You can see my favorite trunks here and there are numerous other treasures scattered throughout my home that I have yet to show you. This new adventure was nothing short of spectacular, and my whole family enjoyed the day spent sampling the produce and yummy edible treats, while we wandered the aisles filled with hidden gems. I managed to find myself some goodies that found there way home with me and I can't wait to incorporate them fully into the decor! In fact I have already started!

You can see the fabulous oversized painting above, along with those gorgeous gold nesting tables... love! I will likely change the painting up a bit but it works for the moment, and only cost a few dollars for this crazy big canvas! At the very least I will be framing it out and touching it up! The tables will stay as they are for now since they are chic perfection (you can see a better close up of them below) and the weathered plant life below may or may not stay as it is. It would be fabulous sprayed in a bold or bright color too I think. I spent a total of $11 on all of these items, if you can believe that, and please disregard the sloppy slipcover on that couch....ugh I hate sloppy.

The hubster is already asking when we will make our next trip out, and the boy... well he loves anything with snacks and toys... so he is pretty much sold on Denio's. Of course you know this mama loves to shop so I could go daily and be a happy gal!

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