Tag Archives: art

Today’s No-Waffle: Embroidery Hoops with Fabric in Tessa’s Room

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Molly

Tessa’s room used to look like this:
The mattress was on the floor, the walls were bare and there was no bedside table. It was a lackluster room.

In the fall I posted a bedframe waffle and you encouraged me to purchase Land of Nod’s Simple bed. Then I posted another waffle about where to position the bed and you helped me decide to put it across from the window instead of under it. The room was improving, but it needed some color. I posted a waffle about whether or not to cover this plain Jane Ikea bedside table in fabric and ribbons and readers voted with an enthusiastic “yes!” My friend, Sarah, and her mother did a lovely job.

The walls were still screaming for attention. I posted yet another waffle, this time about whether I should try putting fabric on embroidery hoops and hanging them up around the room. Readers encouraged me to try it and I’m so glad I did. Here are the results:

This is what you see when you first enter the room:

I think the circles provide a nice balance to the straight lines of the bed frame.

Tessa loves the new fabric art; when she saw the finished look she gave me a humongous hug. Yes, it’s a very pastel, easter-eggy, girly-girl kind of room. But you know what? Tessa thinks it’s the bee’s knees. And anyway, deciding on the actual fabric, sizes of the different hoops, and where to place them on the wall was a total breeze. Yep, I completed the task without any waffling. And if you believe that I have a very nice bridge to sell you…

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

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Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Molly

Remember when Sarah was having trouble deciding which pictures of her kids to blow up and hang in her living room? Readers loved all of the images, but the top two vote-getters were a pair of the kids looking up (36%) and a pair of them in the foyer (30%). Here’s what Sarah said about her decision:

Looks like we’re going to go with the pics of the kids in the foyer. It’s my favorite of my son and the colors seem to fit the best with where we’re placing them. Thanks for all of your input!

yellow-front-door, yellow-door, bold-front-door-colors

HGTV

With the arrival of spring, I posted a waffle about whether you would ever paint your front door yellow. 45% of voters replied with an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ 45% would go for yellow if the exterior of their house was different or if they didn’t already love their front door, and only 10% checked off ‘Nope.’ If you didn’t get a chance to vote, what about you — would you paint your front door yellow?

When I posted this picture of an old fire station in my neighborhood which is being auctioned off, 86% of voters thought it would be cool to renovate.

I’m on board with the whole reno thing — just imagine those high ceilings — but I’m actually hoping it will be turned into a great restaurant or bookstore. Or maybe a calorie-free dark chocolate shop…

While we’re (okay, while I’m) on the topic of magical foods, when I asked readers whether they would prefer a zero calorie (but nutritionally balanced) snack food, 73% wanted it to be sweet while only 27% choose salty.

Most of you know by now that I would choose dark chocolate in a heartbeat. And even though it doesn’t have the nutritional value of kale, researches have found that dark chocolate can prevent heart disease, protect your skin and improve your mood (um…no duh!)

Have a great weekend!

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Posted in Poll Results and tagged art, dark chocolate, front doors, Photography. Bookmark the permalink.

Sarah’s Waffle: Pictures of the Kids

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Molly

Some kids are cute. Some kids are ridiulously cute, like Sarah’s.

Sarah has already purchased a Groupon for two 16 x 20 convases; she plans on blowing up pictures of Jackson and Sadie and hanging them side by side above above the couch in her family room.

She just can’t figure out which pairing of the kids to choose. Can you help her out?

Option 1, the kids looking at each other:

Option 2, the kids with props:

Option 3, silly faces:

Option 4, kids looking up:

Option 5, kids looking away

Option 6, kids in the foyer

PS — Sarah’s friend, Emily, from Emily Ann Designs took the gorgeous pictures of Jackson and Sadie.

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

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Posted in Art waffles and tagged art, Kids, Photography. Bookmark the permalink.

Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Molly

reclaimed-wood-wall-covered-in-reclaimed-wood

Design Sponge

Remember this waffle about the trend in reclaimed wood art? It turns out 75% of you like this trend and only 14% disapprove. So here’s the next question: would you want a whole wall of reclaimed wood in your house?

In one of the closest waffles yet, readers slightly preferred the decor in the Modern Family house to the Up All Night house, 52% to 48%. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been seriously tempted to paint a room in my own house Labrador Blue, the color of the Dunphy’s stairway.

Here’s a dining room painted in Labrador Blue. What do you think?

labrador-blue-dining-room, benjamin-moore-labrador-blue, great-blue-color, dining-room-blue

Apartment Therapy

And while we’re on the topic of paint colors, you can still vote on Jessie’s Waffle about which color to choose for her basement and Kelly’s waffle about whether or not to paint the inside of her Billy bookcase.

Have a great weekend!

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Posted in Poll Results and tagged art, Benjamin Moore, pa, trends, wood art. Bookmark the permalink.

Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Molly

Remember when I posted this waffle about whether to hang one large picture in my dining room, like this:

or two or three rows of smaller ones, like this:

Readers voted overwhelmingly for many smaller pictures, which won with 84%. I like this idea as well, and I found some great photographs from artist Grace Knowlton. How do you think these would work as a series?

In real estate news, when I posted this waffle about three current listings in Scottsdale, Arizona, this new build edged out the ulta-modern and Tuscan style houses with 47%.

I think this gorgeous kitchen was one of the reasons why it won:

As for me, I wouldn’t say no to any house in Arizona these days. It’s been raining in Seattle for the past week and I wouldn’t be surprised if an ark showed up. With any luck, it will be ark with WiFi and a stocked fridge.

Have a great weekend!

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Posted in Poll Results and tagged art, Poll results, Real Estate. Bookmark the permalink.

My Waffle: Embroidery Hoops with Fabric for Tessa’s Room

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Molly

I have a theory about the term “cute” when used to describe design elements: there’s good cute and there’s bad cute. Good cute is whimsical, youthful and fun. Bad cute is cutesy and overly precious. Think toddler beauty pageants. Scratch that. Those are just tacky.

Okay, so I have a theory. But I’m having trouble figuring out if hanging up embroidery hoops with fabric is good cute or bad cute.

Spotlight

They’re kind of cool, right? Or am I just reaching for something — anything — because Tessa’s walls look so freaking bare, as you can see below.

At first I was thinking of decal-ing, or stenciling a tree on the wall above, but I’ve seen so much tree decor in kids’ room lately…I don’t know, maybe this embroidery hoop idea will be just as trendy.

I don’t like the idea of putting glass frames or anything heavy above Tessa’s head and this would definitely bring some color into the room. On the other hand, it might read as random, weird, or — you knew it was coming — bad cute.

embroidery hoop fabric, embroidery hoop fabric wall art

the Purl bee

Embroidery hoops with fabric, fabric art, kids room art

Megan Creates

fabric art, embroidery hoop with fabric, nursery art

the b-line

So what do you think? Cool or cutesy? Should I try DIYing some embroidery hoops with fun fabric on Tessa’s walls, or figure out something else?

What have you been waffling about lately? Whether it’s wallpaper or a new pair of wellies, let me know by clicking on the button below.

11 Comments

Posted in Accessory waffles, Art waffles and tagged art, DIY, fabric art, Kid's room. Bookmark the permalink.

Today’s waffler wrap-up and recent poll results

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Molly

Do you like this West Elm Owl Table Lamp? If so, maybe you were part of the 50% or voters who said they love the owl trend in decor.

27% of voters are ready for the owl trend to get the ax, while 23% could take it or leave it.

From owls we now move on to birds. A few weeks ago Suzy from Worthing Court appeared as a guest waffler. Her problem? Art for her dining room. Suzy presented readers with three groups of bird art; the grouping below received 48% of the vote and was the clear winner with readers.

I caught up with Suzy recently and asked her what she plans to do. It seems like she’s taking a bit of a style turn:

Thank you, Molly, for helping me out with my Waffle and thank you to everyone who took time to vote and to leave suggestions for which art I should use it my dining room! It really helped to focus my direction. Believe it or not, my very first inclination was to go with modern art. Sooo…I think I’m going to take some more time looking around to see what I can find in the way of modern art. I’d love to find a book that I could pull pages out of to frame. Anyone have any suggestions?

And while we’re on the topic of dining rooms, remember my waffle about whether I should paint mine yellow?

59% of readers encouraged me to go for yellow, while 41% think I should hold off.

And what am I going to do? You know that song, Love the One You’re With? Well, I sort of changed my mind with each new reader comment. When Carol from The Design Pages talked about how everyone (even her mailman) loved her yellow dining room, I was sold. But then I got cold feet when Sarah warned me that painting a room yellow might make the room look too sunny in the summer.

My brain was getting whiplash. But then I remembered those 18 x 18 inch sample sheets Benjamin Moore offers now. So that’s my new plan: I’m going to get my butt over to Benjamin Moore and bring home some of those huge sheets so I can get a sense of what yellow might look like. You don’t need to ask — of course I’ll keep you updated!

I’m leaving you with one of the great images I found in my yellow dining room research. Have a great weekend!

What are you waffling about these days? Click on the button below to let me know.

5 Comments

Posted in Poll Results and tagged art, Owls, paint color, Poll results. Bookmark the permalink.

My waffle: art in the dining room

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Molly

Fun fact about me #34: I tend to jump the gun. Case in point: last week when I posted a waffle about whether or not to paint my living room/dining room yellow, I casually mentioned that I wanted to replace the current chandelier in the dining room and purchase a larger piece of art.

But then I got to thinking…what if I hung two or three horizontal rows of pictures rather than just one large piece? After all, I’ve been admiring images like this:

Framed Art Gallery Wall, row of pictures, wildflower art, framed wildflowers, horizontal rows of art, art gallery wall

Craig Kettles Design

and this:

Better Homes and Gardens

So this weekend I did some preliminary hanging. With placemats. And painter’s tape. This is how the back wall could look with two rows of pictures:

And this is how the dining room could look with one larger piece of art — the room could probably take an even larger piece:

So what do you think? Would two or three rows of art be distracting or a great focal point? Is one large piece a better way to go? Obviously, a big part of the decision depends on the artwork itself, but let’s say that I could find something great for either configuration.

PS — My waffle about whether or not to paint the dining room/living room yellow is still open! If you’d like to take a look and weigh in, just click here.

Do you have an idea for a no-waffle, fantasy waffle or just a regular old waffle? Click here to find out more about waffles or on the button below to contact me and get started.

11 Comments

Posted in Art waffles and tagged art, design dilemma. Bookmark the permalink.

Suzy’s waffle: art for the dining room

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Molly

Amazing DIYer Suzy from Worthing Court has sent me a waffle about a tricky subject: choosing art. In her case, it’s for her dining room. Here’s what Suzy says about her dilemma:

I’ve been working to give my dining room an updated look on a low budget. I’m a traditional girl at heart, but have grown to love the look of traditional mixed with a modern take on things and a little vintage thrown in for good measure. Here’s my dining room “before.”

So far – I’ve painted my brown metal chandelier an antique gold, removed the shades and replaced them with round bulbs, added updated lamps and a container filled with nature inspired orbs to the sideboard and changed up the table with the addition of a vintage urn and peace lily. I removed wall brackets from either side of the mirror, pillows that used to reside in the arm chairs and flag pendants that were hung with my draperies. Here’s the “after”:

I really like the look so far, but my walls are looking kind of bare, especially the back wall, as you can see here:

I’m waffling over what kind of artwork to hang there. I’m leaning toward something with a little bit of a vintage vibe framed in black frames. I think I need a group of three pieces because of the size of the wall. Here are my choices.

Group 1:

Group 2:

Group 3:

Would you like to be a guest waffler? I’d love to feature you! You can find out more about waffles here or just click on the button below to get the ball rolling.

9 Comments

Posted in Accessory waffles, Art waffles and tagged art, design dilemma. Bookmark the permalink.

Waffler wrap-up and recent poll results

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Molly

Remember my waffle about what to put over my mantel? I was trying to decide whether to use a collection of items from around my house (a large mirror, some black and white photos and a vase of paper flowers) or this lithograph borrowed from a friend. 57% of voters chose the lithograph, with the caveat from some readers that I add chunkier accessories. The lithograph is staying…the hunt for better accessories is ongoing.

In toilet paper news (sorry, the third grader in me had to write that) my waffle about which way you prefer the TP to hang on the spool had a clear winner: over the spool won with 71% of the vote. Some readers identify themselves as “fanatical” ‘over’ people while others claimed they’re just happy if there’s toilet paper on the roll. Carol from The Design Pages describes herself as a recent ‘over’ convert; she didn’t care about this issue until 2 years ago. Now it drives her crazy if the toilet paper hangs under.

Another clear winner emerged from my waffle about which nightstand to use in Tessa’s room. I recently bought the Land of Nod Real Simple bed for her room. It was on sale, but I still am eager to do a very low-cost nightstand. This Ikea table was in our guest bedroom.

75% of voters liked my idea of putting some fabric over the table and making a ribbon skirt around it as in the image below:

I think Tessa will love it, though I don’t want it to look over-the-top princessy. The girl already begs to wear her tiara to bed…

Have a wonderful weekend!

Molly

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Posted in Poll Results and tagged art, design dilemma, kid's bedside table, Kid's room, Land of Nod, Low cost decorating, Mantel, ribbon skirt, toilet paper. Bookmark the permalink.

The Waffler

Tag Archives: art

Today’s No-Waffle: Embroidery Hoops with Fabric in Tessa’s Room

Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Sarah’s Waffle: Pictures of the Kids

Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

Waffler Wrap-up and Recent Poll Results

My Waffle: Embroidery Hoops with Fabric for Tessa’s Room

Today’s waffler wrap-up and recent poll results

My waffle: art in the dining room

Suzy’s waffle: art for the dining room

Waffler wrap-up and recent poll results

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