If little boys are made of snips, snails and puppy dog tails … well, big boys are made of cars, trucks and construction equipment!  My little guys are turning four at the end of the month (sniff, sniff), and – as part of saying “so long” to the baby years – I’ve been giving their playroom a more grown-up look, slowly but surely. 

Bye-bye to the frog princes …

… and hello to art projects, chore charts and “Monster Jam” flags!

So how to neatly display all of those things?   Enter Jenny’s bulletin board project – albeit on steroids – and voilà!  

I started with this oversized corkboard from Office Depot.  Loosely following Jenny’s instructions, I spray-painted the frame using Benjamin Moore’s Bird’s Egg – which is a very close match to the custom-mixed paint in my boys’ bedroom next door – in a semi-gloss finish. 

Let me digress for a moment – do you know that you can get spray paint in custom colors at Eastway Paint?   How fabulous is that!!  I wanted to spray-paint the frame – mainly for ease, but also so that the finish was smooth – yet I also wanted to match the color of the boys’ next door bedroom.  Getting spray paint in custom colors is definitely more expensive than an off-the-shelf can of spray paint at Home Depot or Lowe’s … but the benefit is that you get exactly what color you want.  If you already have leftover paint, you can take that paint to Eastway Paint and they will fill a spray can for approximately $10 per can.  Otherwise, you pay the cost of the paint plus the $10 per can charge.   

Then I pulled out the Best Friends fabric in chocolate/linen that I had ordered from Premier Prints.  The pattern coordinates so nicely with the existing fabrics in the playroom … plus my boys are way into dogs right now.  They adore their godmother’s Labrador retriever and mini dachshund – so I knew that this print – with silhouettes of a dachshund and what could be a Lab – would be a big hit.  Premier Prints is such a great source for inexpensive, super cute fabrics!  

Next, I measured the fabric, cut it approximately to size and then – after placing the fabric on top of the corkboard – edged the fabric using a razor blade.  Now for the gluing … Jenny simply used fabric glue on the edges of her fabric, but – given the large size of my corkboard – I used spray adhesive over the entire surface of the corkboard and fabric glue around the edges.  My patient hubby helped with the gluing so that there were plenty of hands to devote to smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles.   We used a burnishing tool – basically a small plastic spatula – leftover from a previous project, but you could really use just about anything, so long as it had a flat edge and did not bend.  Finally, I glued narrow grosgrain ribbon in celery – a fairly close match to the walls, which are Benjamin Moore’s Dill Pickle – around the edges to hide any imperfections and bring an extra punch of color.  I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to do the corners.  I ended up just folding one of the ends at the corner and it looked perfectly neat. 

If I do a project like this again, I think I’m going to switch the order of assembly.  I’ll first glue the fabric, then spray-paint the frame, and finally glue the ribbon.  I say that because the frame was the most difficult part to get “perfect.”   Obviously, this way would take longer – because you’d have to tape off the fabric middle so that it didn’t get spray-painted as well.  But I feel as though the edges might be cleaner if the paint went down after the fabric.  I’ll admit that I’m being pretty picky here, though!

So what do you think?  I’m really pleased with how it turned out.  As I’ve admitted, I’m not much of a DIY-er.  I’d much rather pay an expert and know that the job is done perfectly (or as perfectly as possible).  But, truth be told, there are plenty of projects that you can’t outsource … either because no one does it or because it’s cost-prohibitive.  In those situations, like here, I just put my little perfectionist self to work and figure that I’m going to turn out something that most people would be ecstatic with … even if I notice the tiny flaws.        

In this photo, the bulletin board looks too high, but I promise it doesn’t look that way in person.  (That’s one of my pet peeves.)  Here, the bulletin board is centered on the wall and even with the frame of the entry door.  Putting the bulletin board there also covers up the holes left by (and wall anchors used to) hang the frog princes! 

Now, all I need to do is purchase some cute push pins and start hanging our “treasures.”  Oh, and lecture my children on what to do … and more importantly, what not to do … with push pins!

Moving from a nursery into a “big boy” or “big girl” room?  Call me at 704.953.6096 or send me an email at traci@tracizeller.com to discuss how I can help! 

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!

Ok, ok, enough of the teasing – let’s look at Darling Boy’s sweet room.  Thank you to Mommy Darling for taking these photos so that I could share the nursery with you!   

Darling Boy’s nursery had just been an extra guestroom, so Mommy and Daddy Darling hadn’t done much to the room.  Once Darling Boy was on the way, however, Mommy and Daddy Darling got to work …

Mommy Darling and I chose Sherwin-Williams Aqueduct (6758) for the walls, which Daddy Darling so kindly painted.  The color picks up the stripe in the cornice boards perfectly.  Thanks again to Jenny for her tutorial, so that Mommy Darling and I could craft those cornice boards at nominal cost!  The chocolate brown curtains underneath are “off the rack” blackout panels chosen by Mommy Darling … so that Darling Boy will be more inclined to nap.  Mommy Darling is going to decorate the lampshade – perhaps with some ribbon – but she’s been a little busy with the other projects!           

Mommy Darling ended up using this fabric for the bumper pad rather than any of the ones we had originally considered. The green in the bumper pad fabric is more muted than the green in the cornice boards, but Mommy Darling already had this fabric in her stash (meaning it was free) … and the fabrics are far enough away from each other that it looks fine.  Plus, as all of us mamas know, the bumper pad’s days are numbered.  As soon as Darling Boy starts pulling up, it’s got to go … unless out he goes! 

Isn’t this rocking zebra the cutest thing ever?????  Remember that Mommy Darling and I were going for a subtle “zoo” non-theme theme.  

Mommy Darling sewed the pillow in the rocking chair with an aqua minky fabric and a leopard center stripe. The rocking chair is a family heirloom, so it stayed as is.  Mommy Darling used the same fabrics (aqua minky and leopard) on a cuddly blanket for Darling Boy.

Daddy Darling was charged, however, with repainting the vintage armoire and changing the hardware.  Look how much more modern the armoire looks now!  Meanwhile, a lion lounges in front of the window … and a giraffe is reflected in the mirrored front of the armoire.  

Here’s another little bit of zebra, this time in an initial plaque hanging from the closet door.  Mommy Darling and I both love animal prints! 

Mommy Darling also made art pieces – echoing the diamond in the bumper pad – using Sherwin-Williams Aqueduct and Electric Lime (chosen to match the wider stripe in the cornice board fabric).  

As I told you before, my main contribution – in addition to the paint colors and labor on the cornice boards  – was serving as a sounding board for Mommy Darling’s ideas.  As an FYI, that’s a very cost-effective way to use an interior designer, especially if you already have an idea of what you want to do but just need additional resources or ideas.  It’s also tons of fun for me to provide feedback and get to see how it all turns out! 

And wouldn’t you like to sleep in this precious nursery?

Need a sounding board – or an entire plan – for your own home?  Call me at 704.953.6096 or send me an email at traci@tracizeller.com to discuss how I can help! 

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!

Before I share the finished photos of Darling Boy’s precious nursery, I just have to rave about Jenny’s pelmet box tutorial!  (By the way, I call them cornice boards.  Six of one, half-dozen of the other!  You say toe-may-to and I say toe-mah-to!) 

Initially, I was a little bit – ok, more than a little bit – hesitant.  Foam core board?  Seriously?  Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m really rather picky – so I just wasn’t sure that I could make something “perfect” enough to make me happy.  But the photos that Jenny and other Little Green Notebook readers shared convinced me that the tutorial was worth a try – especially, as here, when you want something easy and inexpensive. 

Of course, this is a great solution for renters.  But what I’ve decided, however, is that cornice boards out of foam core board are an especially brilliant idea in children’s rooms.  First, their rooms tend to change every few years as they grow – in other words, a lot more frequently than a master bedroom or guest room.  So it makes sense that you might not want to invest much in a custom window treatment, especially if you want something “fun” that won’t be versatile for the long term.  [I digress to offer bad news to my toddler twins:  Mommy invested in custom window treatments for your nursery, so you won’t be getting anything else any time soon!] 

Second, are you familiar with the song “Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed?”   Well, most of the little monkeys I know do a lot more than jumping on the bed.  My monkeys haven’t climbed the window treatments – probably because they know that I would have a heart attack – but some of their other twin friends have … including The Darlings!  The Darlings pulled their (wooden) cornice boards down while playing, and it’s minor miracle that they weren’t injured in the process!  Point being, I think a cornice board made out of foam core board is a fabulous idea from the safety perspective – because it’s not heavy enough to hurt anyone if it is somehow (ahem!!) pulled down. 

That all being said, Mommy Darling and I still had to make the cornice boards.  So we whipped out our supplies – the Exacto knife, duct tape, staple gun, foam core board and batting – and got to work. 

At this point, I’m still thinking that they look a little bit slapdash. 

But as the batting comes on, it starts to look better, and I’m feeling hopeful! 

Of course, as the cornice boards were finished, the problem became how to hang them.  Daddy Darling was a little baffled by Jenny’s instructions (really, isn’t hanging them the easy part???), so I trolled through the comments looking for suggestions or further clarification.  What stuck out was this suggestion from Cara:

I was perplexed on the hanging instructions so I used a safety pin that I fastened vertically to the top inside of each end. Then I hung the "ring" part of the safety pin on a nail head.

That’s what Daddy Darling ended up doing – and it worked just great!  Stay tuned for the reveal! 

Need design help?  Email me at traci@tracizeller.com to talk about how I can help!

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I’ve already confessed that I am no Jenny (of Little Green Notebook).  But I had a great idea for my closet that prompted a little do-it-yourself … tzd style!

If you are facing the entrance of my closet (from the inside), there’s a tiny little space to the left of the door that is occupied only by a light switch.  I had hung a little – and I mean really, really little - ribbon memo board above the light switch so that I could stick up photos, memorabilia, and little odds-and-ends.  Obviously, the board couldn’t hold much … but I figured it was better to use that space for something rather than nothing. 

But then I had a brainstorm and decided to use …

Rust-Oleum Magnetic Primer!  Have you heard about magnetic primer before?  Most of the buzz you read is about chalkboard paint this, and chalkboard paint that.  Well, I am just too much of an allergic neat freak to tolerate chalkboard dust.  But a magnetic bulletin board – now, that’s no mess, no fuss … and, like a diy chalkboard, you can use every last inch of your space! 

Here’s how easy it is – slap the primer up on the wall and paint over it with any color you fancy.  That’s it … and voila! 

So what do you think?  It’s the black space to the left of the French doors.  Now I can use the entire space, from baseboard to overhead shelf, to post anything I please.  You can see a few things that I’ve put up already – pictures of my precious goddaughter, a Chanel ad that I think is just fabulous, and a Polaroid from long ago. 

Can’t you imagine all kinds of uses for this magnetic board project?  I would totally use it in a child’s playroom, in a mudroom or other main “family” entry to the house, or even a wall in a kitchen.  If you don’t want to do an entire wall, but instead a defined area, you could frame it out with inexpensive pieces of molding.   Super cute way to get organized … and cheap!

I do have a few little tips to make it even easier and more successful.  First, the Rust-Oleum packaging suggests that three thin coats are better than two thick ones.  This only makes sense really – you need the tiny, tiny pieces of metal in the primer to be spread as evenly as possible over your surface.  Without the little pieces of metal in a particular area, your magnet won’t stick.  For that reason, I used five thin coats of paint.  In my space, the magnets are sticking really well, although you still can’t use a super-heavy magnet (like a clip-style magnet).  But it is more than sufficient for holding up photos and magazine tear sheets.  Also, you can paint any color you want over the magnetic primer, which makes the wall surface magnetic and able to blend into any surrounding space.  As you might imagine, however, the primer is a dark gray … so if you go for a light color, it will likely require more than a few coats.  Because I already have black French doors at the entry to my closet, I just decided to do my “magnet board” black as well.  I ran to Home Depot and purchased a Behr Premium Plus Ultra sample size ($2.99!), mixed up in Ralph Lauren Bone Black.  That little jar did the trick for my small space!        

Are you going to try this diy project in your own home?  I’d love to see your photos!  You can send them to me at traci@tracizeller.com or upload them to my Traci Zeller Designs fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/tracizellerdesigns). 

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!   

Hanging pictures can be a total pain!  I can definitely do it, but it’s far from my favorite task.  If I have a lot to hang, or am working on a complicated arrangement, I will often call Eric Olson.  Eric is an artist in his own right (who happens to be represented by my favorite gallery in Charlotte) but also a professional picture hanger.  It makes my life easier, and – because he is so good at what he does - it’s cost-effective as well.  He just hung some pictures for The Bachelorette (finally!), and it made a world of difference in the rooms.  Measure this, measure that, tap the nail, check to make sure it’s level … and it’s perfect every time.  Three cheers for Eric!

If paying a professional picture hanger is not in the budget, however, let me share an amazing DIY option for creating a photo gallery - The Picturewall Company and its signature product, the Perfectpicturewall.  With the Perfectpicturewall, you get 10 picture frames – in either one or two inch widths, with your choice of finish – and corresponding archival mats, hanging hardware, and fabulous templates for hanging the frames in a large rectangle (your choice of four different positions) or up a staircase (your choice of two directions).  To create larger arrangements, just add another set … or two … or three.  The easy guidelines will show you how to combine the templates.

Don’t have enough photos to fill the frames?  No worries!  The Picturewall Company also gives you access to their image gallery, so you can choose images that fit your style.  Replace them later … or maybe not if you like them that much!  I think they’ve got some really cool choices.  Wouldn’t this set be perfect in a modern nursery or playroom?   

Now this DIY is just my speed – the work has already been done for you!  Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Maria with Colour me Happy, for cluing me in on this product! 

Photo from The Picturewall Company

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!  

First of all, let me say that I am just not a do-it-yourselfer.  I would soooo much rather hire a trained craftsperson.  It's just that I'm really picky, and I want it done perfectly.  Yes, this does create a bit of strife when my beloved decides that he wants to "fix" something.  And, although I would like to think I can do all things perfectly, especially if given sufficient time, the unfortunate truth is that very often I either don't have the time or the skill to measure up to the standard that I set for myself.  Yes, I can admit it.  As much as I would like it, I'll never be Jenny at Little Green Notebook.  But, on certain occasions, I am willing to experiment with some DIY.  So here's a fun (and super easy) project courtesy of The Bachelorette's new look for her home!   

As background, The Bachelorette had a very attractive table and four chairs that she had been given by her parents.  In fact, The Bachelorette had eaten on that very table while growing up ... which I think makes for a super story!  The table still looks great – it almost has a tortoiseshell-like finish, which I love – but I thought the chairs could look a little fresher. 

I love contrast, and the chairs were just a bit blah.  They blended too much with the table – not making any kind of statement – and the cushions were dated.  Mindful of the fact that we were on a B-U-D-G-E-T, and hence wanted a lot of bang for The Bachelorette's buck (!), my idea was to simply spray-paint the chairs a glossy dark brown and replace the cushions with something a little more fun and modern – in other words, something that would go with the new design in the rest of the house!   So off we went to the now-closed Home Depot Design Center (may you rest in peace) in the Metropolitan development right outside downtown Charlotte and procured several cans of Rustoleum All Surface Paint in Gloss Espresso Brown. 

Then, one partly sunny afternoon, we put a tarp down in the Bachelorette’s yard and just started spraying!  Because the chairs were older and already a bit rough, we didn’t even bother to sand them.  The Bachelorette and I just went in circles, spraying chair after chair.  Hilariously (or not), it started sprinkling … not long after we had finished our last coat.  So she and I frantically started carrying – as delicately as possible – not-completely-dry chairs to her front porch.  Fortunately, all’s well that ends well, and the chairs looked fantastic! 

Now it was time to replace the chair cushions.  I found this awesome blue leopard fabric - you know I love my animal prints - at Robyn’s Fabric Warehouse.  Just for you, my beloved blog readers, I found it online here. 

I then took the fabric to be made into cushions by a small upholstery company in Mount Holly that I knew to be budget-friendly.  Sooooo, drum roll, please!  Here’s one of the finished chairs. 

Doesn’t it look super?  It's even better in person ... and the DIY part was totally painless!  The total cost was under $400 – approximately $40 for six cans of spray paint, $100 for fabric and $250 in labor.  If you know how to sew, it would be practically nothing!  I'll share more photos of The Bachelorette's pad soon, so you'll get to see the chairs with the table.  I always know a project is a success when I am so in love with it that I wish I had it in my own home.  But as another designer said to me at High Point Market, at least I know where those pretty things now live and I can go visit them if I need to!    

Have any fun before and afters?  I'd love to share them!  Wondering what I'd do in your space?  I'd love to get your questions.  Email me at traci@tracizeller.com or tweet me at @tracizeller, and maybe I'll feature your question in an upcoming blog entry!  

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!     

The last word that I would use to describe my style is "country."  Remember that I grew up in southwest Georgia in the eighties.  I've seen more than enough hunter green and mallard ducks, thank you very much.  Although I realize that country style has evolved past that stereotypical look (hallelujah!) and gotten a lot fresher, it's still just not really my thing.  (But I do love country music; don't judge!)  With that in mind, the one magazine that I'd never read (or cared to read) is Country Living.  What made me change my mind?  A while ago, everyone's favorite Top Design contestant - Eddie Ross, of course! - blogged about the new direction that Country Living was taking under the guidance of its new editor-in-chief Sarah Gray Miller.  A recent issue even featured one of Eddie's projects on the cover.  (Read all about it on Eddie's blog here.)  So when I spotted the September issue of Country Living on an airport newsstand - in the face of a cross-country flight (sans twins) and a dearth of reading material - I decided to give it a whirl. 

So what did I think?  I must admit that I was pretty impressed!  I totally agree with Eddie's assessment that the magazine is fresh and relaxing, yet manages to maintain a certain level of sophistication.  There's not a mallard duck in sight!  What I like the most about Country Living, however, is the abundance of budget-friendly and/or "do it yourself" ideas that it offers for an average homeowner.  Contrast that with an interview I read in a recent issue of another magazine, in which the homeowner said that his secret to having a house filled with white slipcovered furniture was the skill of his housekeeper!  I think we both know that isn't realistic for most families.  I appreciate that Country Living recognizes that and features design solutions that are both practical and attractive.  I really enjoyed the feature story in which designer Brad Ford revamped his parents' guesthouse using "rummage sales, affordable chain stores, and even a book that he made into wallpaper."  Don't get me wrong - I've admitted that I don't tend to do a lot of DIY projects in my own home, and you know I love high end furniture and fabrics as much as the next girl ... but I also value balance and realize that not everyone has the means or the desire to purchase some or all of those things.  Plus, if you can make it look great on your own (remember The Darlings!), why not?!?!!     

I do have one suggestion for Country Living, however.  Hire Jenny from Little Green Notebook as a contributing editor ... now!  I am constantly amazed by her DIY capabilities, so if you are looking for some inspiration, head over there and pay her a visit.  I'm thinking I might try her "cornices using foam core board" for my sister's house ... cheap and chic!   

Have you read Country Living lately?  I'd love to hear what you think. 

I am absolutely in love with this Royere-inspired firescreen by Carole Gratale.  Unfortunately, you can't see much of the detail in the photo - you'll get a clearer photo if you click the link - but the frame of the firescreen is iron, the crisscross bars are silver, and there are small plain bronze "rosettes" at each crisscross intersection.  I have had my heart set on this screen for years after spotting it in a magazine.  Unfortunately, it is very $$$$$.   Really, I should have added a few more $$$ but you get my point.  Of course, I have one additional problem - my fireplace is oversized, which means I would also have to pay extra to have the firescreen custom-sized.  OUCH.  I even visited an ironworks shop in hopes of having the screen replicated for less, but - as I expected - there is no cost-effective way to replicate the screen ... and any replica would pale in comparison to the original.   So, my hopes dashed - and no lottery winnings in site to pay for the original - I set off to find another solution. 

Voila, this "Campaign Hearth Flat Screen" by Restoration Hardware - on sale for $138.99 - is what I came up with. 

With a little bit of work, I think you could make it look quite a bit like the original -- just order it in satin nickel, paint the frame black, and paint the center rosettes bronze (with fire retardant paint, please).  You'll have the same panache of the mixed metals without the extreme price tag!  I would have taken a stab at this little "do-it-yourself" project myself, but - of course - the screen is too small for my fireplace.  I thought painting the frame a different color than the crisscross bars would simply emphasize that the screen was too small.  I bought it anyway (I refuse to pay for a custom-sized screen until I get exactly what I want), but left it entirely in antique brass (chosen to coordinate with some lamps in the room).  What do you think?   I'd love to see photos if you give it a try!