archienewling

[archienewling]

I went and got a sparkly new piercing in the flat of my left ear! That brings my total number of piercings up to 8.

I begged to get my earlobes pierced when I was a kid, and I got them done at Claire’s for my eighth birthday. Some time in my early teens I got the seconds done, again at Claire’s. At 15 or so, I did the helix myself with an ice cube, an earring, and determination. It took a long time. I could *hear* the progress I was making, and at a certain point, I just figured I had to be almost done and should just keep going. First thing I said to my mom when she got home was “I did something and if you don’t like it, I can take it out.” She let me keep it.

When did I do the thirds? Maybe late teens or early twenties? It’s a little fuzzy. Somewhere with a piercing gun like Claire’s again, I’m sure. I was young, didn’t have much money, and I don’t think people were as aware of the ills of the piercing gun as they are now. I definitely wasn’t. My newest piercing was done with a needle at a proper place (Luxe Piercing for those of you nearby).

I was more nervous than I remember being before, only because it had been so long and I knew I’d be doing something in the cartilage, but it was fine! A few seconds and it was over. It’s been almost a week and it’s healing nicely so far.

Every day, I choose what to wear from my collection of hoops, huggies, studs, and cuffs. I’m having so much fun.

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[archienewling]

Hey, that’s me! I want these things! Perhaps you do too. And anyway, I’m just having some fun with the title. Let’s look at some pretty things for all of us.

First off, #1 on this list is clearly gray hair. Let those sparklies grow in! I realize I missed the whole silver sisters grow-out culture that has been taking place by not photographing myself constantly but here I am, fully dye-free. (That hasn’t happened since I was 13!) I’ve had just about every color, and this one’s my favorite.

Next up, embrace those piercings! The 90s are back, and thankfully I put plenty of holes in my ears back then that are still able to be put to use. I have three lobe piercings in each ear, and one helix in my upper left. My thirties were my STATEMENT EARRINGS decade, but lately I’ve returned to an ear full of delicate studs and tiny hoops. Do I find myself wanting little earrings that look like eyeballs and lightning bolts and snakes and feeling it might be a little too gimmicky? Yes. Except for these Snake Huggies. They are beautiful and I still wish I had a pair.

These are the ones I’m wearing in the photo above:

Studio ’37 Hoop Earrings, Jenny Bird

.50ct Faux-Diamond Studs, Nordstrom

Tiny Crystal Studs, Maison Miru

Forever Seamless Hoop in 14k Gold, Maison Miru (in my helix)

Eternity Echo Ear Cuff, Maison Miru (faux conch/orbital)

Should I get another piercing? The faux conch is making me want a real one. I suppose I can just continue to wear it though.

Nail polish and rings? Oh yes. I’m hard on my hands, doing projects like scraping wallpaper or other things around the house, but my polish has been holding up. I have been enjoying all three colors that I recently bought from J. Hannah (Compost, which I told you about before, along with Fauna and Ghost Ranch). I also very badly want their onyx and mother of pearl Form Inlay Ring II in gold. It is perfect and I’ve not seen anything else quite like it. Also, I’ve been wearing this Double Groove Ring ring a lot lately, and I pair it with a few fun rings I have similar to this Gumball Pearl Ring and Atom Ring.

Pink lipstick. Suddenly I don’t have pale skin against dark hair! The complexion remains the same, but the gray has made my hair look so much lighter and the stark contrast (that I liked) is gone. I’ve been playing with makeup, and I look amazing in pink lipstick now. Cool pink though, brighter than the nudes and muddy roses that are so easily found. I’m wearing Blush Pink from Laura Mercier in the photo above, but I also love Givenchy’s Rose Boudoir.

Barrettes! I’m growing out bangs. This barrette looks like a baguette and that makes me smile. I’m very into all four colors of these Tortoiseshell Pearlized Barrettes and this swirly Jumbo Box Barrette. And then these Teardrop Barrettes look like cheap plastic blobs on their own, but like shiny precious stones in the hair. These all look like entirely too much when presented together like this, but I only ever wear one at a time, and I do wear one everyday.

There we go, some fashion frivolity on this first day of November.

I go through cycles in which I want very little and then I want everything new and all at once. I assume this is common? I would like some Mary Janes and a new pair of lace-up boots, cozy sweaters and midi dresses. And so many perfumes! (I will let myself have a little perfume. As a treat.)

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[archienewling]

Sponsored by Calico

I loved my loud floral armchair. It was a floor model, and there was a small rip in the linen fabric when I bought it. I experimented with ways to fix it, ultimately landing on a patch that blended pretty well! I was proud of my handiwork, and the chair was really cute in our last home and in this one.

Ten years on though, the fabric on the seat had started to look a bit threadbare. It went from noticeably “hmmm�� to “oh no” pretty quickly and it was beyond my abilities to repair any further. But I still loved the chair! No need to replace and treat it as disposable — it was time to reupholster.

I visited Calico in Hinsdale and worked with Linda (she was so helpful!) to pull fabric options. Calico’s design services are free, and you can make an appointment for your local store. There’s a whole before and after gallery to get you inspired, and you can request a reupholstery quote too. Calico reupholsters more than 10,000 furniture pieces every year!

At our appointment, Linda had pointed me toward a floral very similar in feel to what the chair had. It would have been sort of a floral 2.0 update, and it was definitely in the running, but we looked at options for changing it up too.

Calico lets you borrow their fabric samples so you can be sure they look right on the piece you want to reupholster, and so that you can make sure they work with the rest of your home. I rethought a couple of my top choices after seeing them with the rest of my furniture. I like the armchair being in our bedroom (a pretty neutral backdrop), but wanted to keep the option to use it downstairs if I feel like rearranging at some point.

I felt like I was close to choosing, but on a follow-up visit, I noticed a print I hadn’t seen before. Like little granny squares? I had to borrow the sample to see. I did a Photoshop mockup for both too.

Floral 2.0 (Cassaro Luxe Collection Passion Fruit) or little granny squares (Scalamandré Kirov)? I went back and forth, but the little granny squares charmed me. I returned my fabric samples and placed my order with Linda. Calico handled everything from getting the fabric in, picking up the chair, having it reupholstered (including some freshening up of the foam padding), and then having it delivered again.

My chair! She’s so cute! It looks perfect.

Having a piece reupholstered is so fun. You get to fall in love with a piece all over again. It was cute and quirky for ten years, and now it can be cute and quirky in a different way for the next ten years! And in better shape, too.

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[archienewling]

But not like marshmallows. You know? More like the “ooh, you smell so good, what are you wearing” kind of way.

Let’s look at some gourmand fragrances that give off that vibe. Fall is here, let’s celebrate! Smell like a marshmallow! (Fun fact, I do not like eating marshmallows. But all of these, save one, have something more to them and that lets me forgive the fact that they remind me of the worst of confections.)

Let’s just smell delicious.

Eau Duelle, Diptyque

To be fair, I don’t get marshmallow from this, but a lot of people do. What I do get is vanilla, and that is what gets us there. But there’s also a greenness and some spice, making this my favorite of the bunch.

MARSHMALLOW LEVEL: 1/5

By the Fireplace, Maison Margella Replica

Were you making s’mores? Because I get campfire vibes more than fireplace vibes. Either way, this one is a lot at first, coming on strong, but it fades into a gentle warmth that reminds me of the softer Whispers in the Library.

MARSHMALLOW LEVEL: 2/5

Marshmallow, Demeter

Leave it to Demeter to make something that smells exactly as you would expect. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, or in this case a scent by its name.

MARSHMALLOW LEVEL: 5/5

Baccarat Rouge 540, Maison Francis Kurkdjian

This is beautiful. This is popular. People absolutely love it! I was talking about it on Instagram and I said it smells like burnt sugar, so there you go. It’s just not what I prefer, but it could very well be the one for you.

Or try Ariana Grande’s Cloud for 1/6 the price. Very similar.

MARSHMALLOW LEVEL: 3/5

Yes I Do, Etat Libre D’Orange

Wear this to a spring wedding, bride or guest. (Wait, now that I type that, am I being led because of the name? Because the copy on the site is very Lolita, not bridal.)

Soft, lily of the valley with an underlying sweetness.

MARSHMALLOW LEVEL: 1/5

This was a very fun post to make. Honorable mention to Bath & Body Works’ Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte which is far too sweet for me, but something I would have loved when I was younger.

p.s. If you’re going to smell like a marshmallow, might as well be sitting in something equally fluffy. I suggest the Bacio Cream Boucle Lounge Chair from CB2, or perhaps Jonathan Adler’s Ether Cloud Settee.

marshmallow icon: marshmallow by Milky – Digital innovation from the Noun Project

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[archienewling]

The things I want tend to fall into a cohesive color palette. Shall we just ooh and ah over warm caramels together? Plus a hint of blush? Let’s.

Standard Jumpsuit in Cotton Twill, Alex Mill I shied away from dresses for a while and went almost exclusively to jumpsuits. I’m back into midi skirts and dresses, but this jumpsuit remains a go-to.

Punk Lamp, Blu Dot Brilliant proportions, super cute.

Lockhart Tabletop Sculptures, Crate & Barrel Sculptures and art from mainstream or big box retailers lose a sense of their cool, but these are really good.

Azalea Brown Chair, CB2 I want these in my library around our round table with the black and white striped sofa in the background. Or I want to see them in a baby blue room, just surrounded in a sea of pastel.

14K Gold Diamond Snake Huggies, Gem The prettiest snakes. Sparkly and subtle from a distance, but up close badass.

Cylinder Double Sconce, Schoolhouse Butterscotch is a new color for this one and it’s perfect. Everything in this color is yummy.

Matte Revolution Lipstick (Rosewood), Charlotte Tilbury; Sephora Brown meets orange meets red meets pink. My color.

Oud Rosewood, Dior They have crafted a fragrance description to appeal directly to me. “FAVORITE COLOUR: With the most evocative shades of brown, Oud Rosewood conveys both the olfactory image of a warm brown streaked with light brown, found on the round, soft and lustrous rosewood, and the more rugged, nomadic brown of oud wood.”

Compost Nail Polish, J. Hannah “Organic Drab. Jolie-Laide. Baroque Mulch.” My favorite. Called “the ugliest color in the world,” now available in polish for those of us that like that sort of thing.

↑ Effie Wallpaper, Anthropologie I want to line drawers with this because it’s a little too cute for my house.

↓ Up-side-down House, Collective Works This project runs through just about every color, but I’m most drawn to the caramels and pinks (no surprise).

credits: Collective Works • Colour Design: KOI Colour Studio • Paints: Pure&Original Paints • Photography: Margaret M. DeLange • Stylist: Kirsten Visdal

A thought occurred to me as I was pulling this together. Am I just coming up with different ways to say Pink Loves Brown forever? Possibly yes.

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[archienewling]

I feel sad, but my garden looks great!

The roses I still have in my garden are hardy and easy to keep alive, and they’re looking great this year. The catmint and aliums are thriving and spreading, and everything else is looking pretty good too. There was a 10′ shrubby rose that almost completely died over the winter though, and since it had murder thorns (seriously, it was a danger), I dug it out. I wanted to replace it with a flowering tree, and I spent days researching varieties that could be a good fit size and style-wise.

My grandmother died in late April. We were close, and complicated family dynamics (I’m estranged from my father) has made an already sad and difficult time that much worse. When I realized soon after her passing that there was an Ann magnolia, her middle name, I immediately decided that I was done researching trees; I would be planting an Ann in her honor. A local nursery had them in stock and I brought one home.

My sister came to be here for the planting, but the old rose did not go easily! She’s having another baby this summer, so that lazy git didn’t even have to pick up a shovel. :) I got most of the hole dug that day, but digging it out to be as deep and twice as wide as the magnolia’s root ball was quite a feat. I continued to work on old root removal before planting the magnolia a few days later. I’ve mulched it and am watering it regularly with a low-profile watering bag because this thing needs to make it. It’s small, but it is lush and beautiful.

I planted a pink dogwood tree sapling in back too, but it is not looking nearly as good. I ordered it online because I was having trouble finding one locally and the price was low, but it was crispy on arrival.

I’ve been making more changes throughout the front and back. I got three slowmound Mugo pines from someone who was changing up their garden, and I picked up three spartan junipers to create a hedge along part of the side fence. I want more evergreens, and I want to add dahlias, anemones, foxglove, columbine, rudbeckia, hollyhocks, and baptisia. I also want more lady’s mantle, heuchera, and salvia.

There is a yew between the house and the gate to the backyard that was overgrown. It was overgrown before we moved in, and I’ve never done anything to correct that until now. OFF WITH ITS HEAD, and a good portion of the branches to one side. Turns out I’m good with a chainsaw and a hedge trimmer. But oh, it looks terrible! It will either rebound over the next few years and I shall work to form a magnificent topiary, or it will continue to look sad and I’ll yank it out next spring. I have hope though!

I’m still sad. And sometimes angry. Even writing this little bit about my grandmother made me want to cry. But I do feel better when I’m out there gardening, and I am spending a lot of my time out there these days.

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[archienewling]

I created a series of outdoor rooms when we added new fencing a few years ago (which has finally grayed nicely). Ideally, I would add a patio to the far back section and furnish it, but it might not happen this year because I’ve got my hands full with other projects. I know what I want though when it’s time!

Gnomes and mushrooms? I don’t care if it’s kitsch, embracing my love of whimsy in the garden. Mixed with modern furniture and nestled in among flowers and bushes, it’s charming.

Palissade Bench, Hay

Roly Poly Armchair, 2Modern (Driade)

Attilla Gnome Low Stool / Side Table, 2Modern (Kartell)

Large Outdoor Mushroom, Ballard Designs

Medium Outdoor Mushroom, Ballard Designs

Mystic Forest Mushroom Garden Statue, Wayfair (Design Toscano)

Mystic Forest Mushroom Garden Statue, Wayfair (Design Toscano)

Wild Mushroom 10″, Houzz

Wild Mushroom 14″, Houzz

Wild Mushroom 8″, Houzz

Windsor Metal Stacking Patio Bench, Target (Project 62)

SKARPÖ Outdoor Armchair, IKEA

I adore the Roly Poly Armchair and all the colors it comes in. It would be fine outside in a covered area or in a drier climate than ours, but there’s no drainage hole and I suspect water would pool in the seat when it rains. Realistically for my own yard, I would choose something like IKEA’s SKARPÖ armchairs. Not as interesting in form, but a similar feel and far more practical and affordable.

We went to my uncle’s house this weekend for his birthday (thank you for a returning sense of normalcy, vaccines!), and I had forgotten he has a concrete mushroom that he uses as a doorstop. Jealous! I’ll need to get some of my own.

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[archienewling]

I am the new owner of a used Gazelle! It’s so fun to ride around town.

I had been deep in research mode since Eleanor was interested in a new bike for her birthday. She can ride an 26″ adult-sized bike now, and she wanted something similar to the kids’ Gap-branded Electra Cruiser she learned on. She didn’t just choose something similar, she ended up choosing another Electra Cruiser, this time in the adult size.

I wrote this post a few years ago about wanting to become “a bike person.” I still feel intimidated by the Capital C Cyclists, but I’m finding friendly people that are happy to help explain things and make newcomers feel more welcome.

Here’s all I know about this new Dutch bike of mine. (My blog is always for myself as much as it is for anyone else, and having written record of things like this has always been super helpful.)

54 cm frame Fits roughly 5’5” – 5’9” — it felt borderline too tall for me at first, but I was used to riding with my seat too low

700 cc tires (same as a 28″ tire?)

Fully enclosed chain case (keeps your clothes clean and makes the chain super low maintenance)

Shimano internal 7 gear hub

Internal cables

Dynamo hub powering the front light

Integrated rear wheel lock

Coaster brakes

Front and rear fenders

Adjustable stem (handlebars)

Integrated bike bell (this is exceedingly cute to me)

2011 “Gazelle NL” — I cannot seem to match this up to an existing model, but the frame looks close to the HeavyDutyNL

Did I go look at the beautiful Gazelle Tour Populaire for sale at JC Lind and wish it was a possibility? You know it. We’re a single-car household, but we live close enough to walk for most errands and I don’t ride my bike enough to justify something higher in price. It is fun to dream though.

By the way, start looking at a few sites selling bikes and pretty soon the ads served to you will be overwhelmingly bicycle-related. There are a lot of direct-to-you bike brands with options starting around $300. The brands I wrote about a few years ago are mostly still in play, plus a whole lot of newcomers. I still like the same step-through models from Public and Linus. Retrospec looks like a great way to get the same look for a much lower price. There were others I was looking at too, but I know little about them other than that they advertised heavily to me.

I joined a local biking group on Facebook a few years ago at the suggestion of a reader, and that’s where I saw the listing for the Gazelle. For the price range I was looking at with the new “Dutch-inspired” bicycles, I could get an actual used Dutch bike. They are famously well-made, low-maintenance, lovely upright bicycles* and I’m quite fond of mine.

* All about Dutch bikes!

Bike Accessories Wish List

I Photoshop doodled all over a picture of my bike isolated on a white background like a tween writing the name of their crush with hearts dotting each “i.” She’s cute and practical — an excellent combination.

A classic wicker basket.

Skirt Guards (I could/should paint flowers à la Rifle Paper Co? Or ladies à la Kyler Martz?)

Rear Rack — I need to head back to JC Lind at some point to see about my options. Not sure yet if I want a crate, basket, or panniers once I get a rack on there. A basket in front is best for little light things, and I want to be able to cart bulkier stuff too.

New Helmet — Something stylish to protect my brain and skull. This was a priority, so I already ordered and have been wearing this terra cotta Heritage helmet by Thousand.

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[archienewling]

I made a version of this last year for myself. I’ve expanded on it since then, making it possible to choose the colors of your cabinets, counters, hardware, accessories, and appliances. (You know I only make mods to make my games prettier. Can’t stop decorating, even virtually!)

Set different combinations for your farmhouse, the upgraded cabins, and the island house. Go get yourself a Lovely Kitchen!

There are 12 cabinet colors: gray, pink, birch, white, mint, green, walnut, cream, sky, blue, oak, and black.

Appliances come in pink, sky, mint, white, cream, stainless steel, and copper.

The counters are available in light, medium, and dark versions. Add a stand mixer and book in blue, green, neutral, pink, or red. Hardware (cabinet knobs, appliance knobs, and the sink faucet) comes in red, blue, silver, nickel, bronze, black, gold, or brass.

Lots of ways to mix and match to customize your kitchen as you like!

I’m partial to the options with pink (of course), but I tried to make it versatile enough to work with lots of styles and preferences.

The examples above show Lovely Kitchen as the only mod. Below is my personal house with a bunch of cobbled-together assets from other creators in addition to my own work.

I hope you have as much fun with it as I have!

Download

→  My Lovely Kitchen mod for Stardew Valley is free to download on Nexus Mods.

Lovely Coffee Maker

I added a coffee maker replacement as un update to my Lovely Kitchen mod, but it’s also available as a standalone if you have a different kitchen you already like. At some point I’d like to make a mini fridge replacement that turns them into a modular pantry (at least visually). No idea on release dates moving forward since it’s just something I do after the kids are in bed and I feel like making some pixel art or coding. The challenge of making something recognizable that’s 16 pixels wide and fits the game aesthetic is just too much fun.

→  My Lovely Coffee Maker mod for Stardew Valley is free to download on Nexus Mods.

I’m on Patreon!

I mean, kind of.

I truly don’t expect any paying patrons, but there I am as Lulu Lovely on Patreon. It’s a dedicated place to host the various builds and mods I sometimes make for video games like Stardew Valley and The Sims. You can follow for free.

Moving forward, I’ll share as Lulu Lovely when new things are ready!

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[archienewling]

“This will be quick and easy,” she thought.

I went into this project thinking that this wouldn’t be too difficult. New wallpaper, a fresh coat of paint, a new window shade, and a change of lighting. That’s it! It has taken some time though, as these things often do when you’re doing all of the work yourself and fitting it in around other work and life in general.

The bathroom on the first floor had a lot going for it that I liked. It’s small by modern standards, but perfectly sized to me. The beadboard is charming, the wood floor keeps continuity with the rest of the house, and the leaded glass window offers privacy. The antique console sink is adorable! The separate hot and cold taps are not ideal, but we’re used to them (we had separate taps at our old house too). I also like the antique toilet and its wooden tank. The photos below are from the bathroom as it was when we first moved in.

Hello, inspiration. And wallpaper.

I swapped the wooden toilet seat for a black one years ago and I think that for a toilet, it’s really good looking. Other than that, we hadn’t done anything in the bathroom because while it wasn’t anything I had chosen, I thought it all looked rather nice. But it was time for a change! I found this snakes wallpaper and felt inspired. I know it’s not for everyone, but I’m excited and it’s going to be so good in the bathroom.

Big Cabinet of Natural Curiosities vibes. ↓

This pandemic year has been weirdly great for my creativity, and then completely zonking my energy level and sense of time passing. But hey, who came up with a plan to affordably refresh a good portion of the first floor so that it all feels fresh and works together and looks amazing? This lady.

Kitchen plans on the blog to come! I’m always more up to date in sharing on Instagram these days, especially in Stories, so I’d love to have you follow along there if you’re not already.

Lighting

OK, we’ve got the main jumping off point, the snakes wallpaper. The tiled shower is not changing, and the fixtures are staying. What can go though are those old Guillermo del Toro sconces.

These Sculptural Glass Ribbed Pendant and matching Sculptural Glass Ribbed Sconce are from West Elm. I like the look of them on their own, but also appreciate that they reference the ribbed Victorian glass shades that were in the room before, with a definite Noguchi Akari influence. And they are damp-rated, which is something to pay attention to when selecting fixtures for a bathroom.

The lights have been here for a while but I held one of the sconces over a light bulb the other day and it was beautiful when lit up!

There’s a junction box in the ceiling and what seems to be a corresponding light switch. I’ve already taken the cover plate off and the wires inside look to be newer than some of the horrors I’ve uncovered in this house. Will it work when I hook up a light? Let’s hope! Otherwise, that’s a job for an electrician. I am doing all of this work myself and I can swap out light fixtures, but I don’t feel confident in DIY troubleshooting of electrical issues.

Fabric

I liked the roman shade that was here with its etching-style illustrations of birds and tassel fringe, but it doesn’t go with the new design. My first thought for a new fabric was to go with stripes, but between the fabric, ribbed glass shades, and beadboard, it would have been too much. If I were going to choose a solid color, I’d match the ivory linen of our shower curtain. Nice and easy. But we never ever do nothing nice and easy.

It’s between these two Sister Parish fabrics (Burma in red and Cecil Stripe in dark brown). There was a flash sale and I got such a good price that I ordered both.

Paint

So easy. Our dining room is pink with a red ceiling. The kitchen and it’s little hallway/storage area will be, essentially, Caca Dauphin. (Did you know that story!?) The bathroom is between these two saturated, colorful spaces.

I am not painting the quarter sawn oak on the first floor, but everything else was fir or pine, and I am completely fine with painting that. The doors on the second and third floor are all black, and now the bathroom door is as well. The door trim, window trim, and medicine cabinet have all been sanded and primed, and I’ve given them and the beadboard all a matching coat of satin paint in Benjamin Moore’s Bare Essence. It’s a warm neutral, and a match for Farrow & Ball’s Joa’s White. It’s also a near match for the existing shower tile and looks great with the new wallpaper.

The Bathroom Design

All together now!

Sculptural Glass Ribbed Sconce, West Elm

Sculptural Glass Ribbed Pendant (9.5″), West Elm

Giove (Ruby/Garnet) Schumacher Wallpaper, Wayfair

Bare Essence, Benjamin Moore (Aura, Satin), Black Beauty, Benjamin Moore (Aura, Semi-Gloss)

Vintage-Washed Belgian Flax Linen Shower Curtain (Ivory), Restoration Hardware

Sister Parish Burma Fabric (Red) or Cecil Stripe Fabric (Dark Brown)

The painting is just about done — I need to do one more coat on the window and medicine cabinet. Then it’s a coat of wallpaper primer on the walls (Shieldz) before I can hang wallpaper and finally install the sconces. Roman shades are not the easiest to make, but I’ve gotten a little experience with them now and feel good about my window treatment skills. Slithering along.

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[archienewling]

I wanted to do a little refresh of the bathroom on the first floor. The shower is fine. The antique console sink with separate hot and cold taps, paired with an antique toilet complete with wooden tank? Sure, stay as you are! The plan was to put up some new wallpaper, change out the lights, and do a fresh coat of paint on everything. Coming up with the plan was easy! Executing it has not been fun.

Why Not Just Paper Over the Old Wallpaper?

The bathroom gets pretty steamy during showers, so I had concerns about the longevity of wallpapering over the existing paper’s slick surface. I’ve removed wallpaper before — in this very house even — and while I knew it would take some time, I truly did not think it would be all that bad. I spent at least 40 hours stripping the old wallpaper! Ridiculous. The wallpaper had been applied directly to unpainted drywall and bare patched spots, so it came off in teeny tiny pieces (sometimes taking the drywall’s paper backing with it and softening the mudded areas).

As I shared the process in real time in Instagram Stories, people reached out to ask why I didn’t just drywall over it all once I realized how bad the job would be. I suspect the wall with the medicine cabinet actually is a layer of drywall over the original plaster. But why not do it over the existing paper? Putting up new drywall, taping, and mudding would take nearly as much time and effort while losing some of the depth of the room and trim profile. There may be a slight benefit of time saved, but at the expense of architectural details. So I continued on with the tedious job of stripping the wallpaper as neatly as I could.

Wallpaper Removal Methods

I tried scoring. Steaming. Soaking. Applying DIF wallpaper remover (with no noticeable difference between the liquid concentrate and the gel version, and no improvement over very hot water from a good spray bottle). There was no magic solution to make it go faster, though the wallpaper scoring tool did make the biggest difference. I tried a wallpaper removing tool, but preferred a small putty knife.

I did the work in batches. Three hours here, four hours there. There were a few long days too, but I learned my lesson early on when I kept pressing and did 12 hours of scraping and then couldn’t sleep because my shoulder hurt too much. I’m not as good at scraping with my non-dominant hand, so most of the work was all repetitive motion with the same arm.

I did finally get a scaffold after trying to reach various parts of the wall 10′ up with A-frame and multi-position ladders. I’m nervous about heights, so being four feet up is a stupid big deal to me. Any clanking noise or slight feeling of movement startled me! A truly unenjoyable experience all around.

Repairing the Walls and Preparing to Wallpaper Again

The job is done! Well, the wallpaper removal part is. Now I need to repair the damage left behind and get the walls in shape for new wallpaper to come. I’ll start by scrubbing the walls with DIF (vinegar is good too, but I already have the DIF on hand) to clean off any glue residue left behind. I’ll let it dry and then put a coat of Gardz on the walls before making my repairs (there will be many). So much Durabond to apply! I don’t think I’ll need to do a full skim coat though, just fill in areas here and there. Then it will be time to sand smooth and spot-prime with Gardz again. Following that up with Shieldz to prime for the new wallpaper.

Priming for Wallpaper

Why does one need to use wallpaper primer? One, it is opaque and will even out the wall color so no splotchiness shows through my new paper. Two, it gives you a little more wiggle room to slide the wallpaper into place before it dries. And three, it makes for easier future removal. I’m putting intertwined snakes up — I imagine future homeowners may want to make a change at some point.

Prep Work and Painting the Rest of the Bathroom

All of that work so far and to come was just for the top half of the walls! The lower half of our bathroom has headboard wainscoting. I like it and want to keep it, so I’ll give it a light sanding, clean it, and paint it. One coat? Who am I kidding, I know it will be two.

The window, medicine cabinet, and doorway will all be sanded, cleaned, primed, and painted the same color and finish as the beadboard. Two or three coats on everything. The door will be done too, but in black, and the ceiling to match the woodwork in a flat finish. The ceiling needs some repair attention too — it was patched when we had to rip it open to repair leaking pipes in the bathroom above. I like a flat look on the ceiling, so I’ll be using Benjamin Moore Aura Bath and Spa paint in a matte finish.

A lot of work and I’m only halfway done, if that. But continuing on! It will be worth it in the end.

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[archienewling]

Oh hey, remember when I was going to make over my dining room because I was inspired by a moth? I did it!

I need some art in there still, but I’m waiting to find just the right thing, rather than rush out to fill blank wall space. And I’m not letting that stop me from taking photos of what is a 92% completed room. I saw a post about the life-sized papier-mâché octopus from the 1893 World’s Fair here in Chicago, and I thought to myself ‘I should make things out of paper mâché.’ It hasn’t happened yet, but in my head I know it would be great. Moths for the dining room! Maybe not. But then I do want to make mushrooms that look like they’re growing out of the walls to line the hallway on the third floor, making you feel like you’re a little itty bitty thing in a fairy forest. Normal decorating stuff.

The room looks pretty much exactly like the mock-up. I’ve gotten good at doing renderings in Photoshop and SketchUp, honing my skills first for fun and for the blog, now just as often for clients to show what their spaces will look like. It’s a weird thing because I can see it in my head coming together just fine, but then I like to make it happen digitally to show others, and then I have to actually DO the work to make it happen. Like, I’ve already done the work of designing it, now I have to do all this other stuff? Blah, fine. I’ll paint for four days.

There’s some unwanted bokeh I don’t know how to avoid (is it dust, or the aperture being open too wide?), and yes that light is centered length-wise on the room but not width-wise. The junction box is in a faux wood beam and it seems like more hassle than it’s worth to move it. It’s probably because I don’t sit at that end, but it bothers me far more in photos than in real life. There are always more pressing/exciting things to do around here than to move that light.

Another before, rendering, and after. Pretty spot-on!

We have always been able to do the amount of work we do because I do so much of the manual labor, but that doesn’t mean I always want to. We hired out painting a handful of times and it was a dream. Snap your fingers (and spend some money) and it’s done! Voila. I wish it happened more often, but money saved on painters is money spent on an electrician to add sconces where before there were none.

The sconces are Vendome, by Visual Comfort. A modern classic. Note the delicate arc of the arms, subtle details, and pretty finishes. If those details are less important to you, you can get a very similar look for a lot less with this sconce.

The tablecloth was from the Schumacher collection for Williams-Sonoma (sold out, but some of the other items are still available). You can buy the same Bukhara Ikat pattern in their cotton sateen fabric, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a tablecloth.

I found and put in the room very briefly a rug I bought off of Facebook Marketplace. It was pretty, but too plush for a dining room, so I rolled it up and sold it for the same price I bought it for. Hello Calvin, my little model, and thank you for so cutely rocking the haircut I gave you! (I’m getting better at them as I go — I think we’re on round three of at-home haircuts by now.)

The rug we ended up with was me giving up on sourcing vintage rugs solely online during a pandemic and just wanting to be done with that task. Done! It looks great in photos and in person, but be aware that it is printed. I’ll usually opt to invest in something a little nicer, new or old, but in this case an inexpensive rug that’s super easy to vacuum (the flat texture means no food can get trapped in the weave) was exactly what we needed. This is the Loloi Layla rug in olive and charcoal.

I talked a lot about the process of this room coming together on Instagram Stories. Did you see the wallpaper I was considering for a client that I ended up falling in love with? And not getting?

I would have loved to paper the little hall between the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom, and also use it to line the back of the hutch. It would look amazing! But I had rolls of Ralph Lauren paper in the basement left from the previous owners (the pattern in the snug) that matched pretty well. I don’t love the pattern nearly as much, but I like it a lot and it was free.

Saving that expense (about $1000) let me put that money toward snake wallpaper for the bathroom which is equally exciting! Oh boy, there’s so much going on here that I need to put into blog form. Good stuff.

I’m feeling creative and motivated to work on the house again after doing this dining room update. It’s a good feeling! And woe is me for complaining about painting a ceiling, because I’m stripping wallpaper that was applied to bare drywall now and that has proven to be the far more laborious task. Oh, house. You don’t make it easy sometimes! It’s a good thing I love you as much as I do. We’ll get that bathroom looking amazing soon enough. And maybe a kitchen update to follow, hmm?

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[archienewling]

My favorite games are all of the “let’s be friends and make our houses and towns cute” variety.

Animal Crossing came along right when we all needed it this year, and I’m pretty pleased with my virtual island. Let me show you around!

Dream Address

I updated the Dream Address the same day I took photos all around the island. Come on over to visit! DA-1449-9039-6742

I have an Instagram account dedicated to Animal Crossing too: Animal Crossing_LuluLovely. I’ll add a bunch of these photos in huge batches that will overwhelm feeds and hit right as people are looking for winter inspiration. (It’s a case study in what not to do to grow an Instagram account!)

The Entrance

All right, let’s look about. I realized that I forgot to take any photos of the area around my house or inside, but there are still a TON of shots, so it’s probably for the best. Welcome to my Lovely island!

The Formal Garden

The Post Office

Mushroom Fairy Forest

The Beaches

The Library

The Farm and Orchard

Around Town

I had a dream that I could mod Animal Crossing to make my own flowers and furniture and I woke up very excited about it before I realized it wasn’t real. I miss the exotic and regal series sets! Adding those back in would be step one. Instead, I keep opening up Blender, thinking I should figure it out and expand my Sims modding capabilities, but I’ve been sticking to floors, walls, and recolors for now. And making mods for Stardew Valley, because that’s well within my capabilities (pixel art and coding).

My youngest wants to be “an artist, YouTuber, and modder” when he grows up. (At first I thought he said “model” and I thought that was an interesting, unexpected choice.) Right now I’m in charge of making and/or finding, and then installing mods for all three kids, but I’m trying to encourage them to do more of it on their own. We do a lot of customizing for personal use and I want them to see how math and coding intersects with art in a fun, satisfying way.

OK, Bye!

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[archienewling]

Can we get behind putting the TV back in armoires yet? Because sometimes it’s a good solution (she says as she thinks of the troublemaking pair of kittens that want to climb the face of our television). I like the scale and sort of 70s/Jacobean/Tudor style of this one, but I’d paint it black.

Let’s do a living room design! Because I wanted to design something with a dolphin mirror and that delicious velvet sofa.

Avril Table Lamp with Linen Taper Shade, Crate & Barrel – Modern shape, great color. The color I painted my dining room ceiling, actually.

Oval Tray in Orange Leopard, Dana Gibson – Rawr.

Melange Pill Form Sconce, Kelly Wearstler, Circa Lighting – The light glows through these in the softest, most beautiful way.

Entrance Poster, Fine Little Day – A little askew, but it beckons. I’m into it.

Aurelia Embroidery Fabric (for Pillows), Schumacher – Perfect for one long lumbar pillow.

Misha 24″ Silk Velvet Pillow, Jayson Home – I would need to verify that the color works with the sofa color if truly pulling this together, but we’re assuming it does and it looks amazing.

Love Joy Bliss Poof, Universal Furniture – SO stinkin’ cute. A pair of these, obviously, because they’re better in multiples.

Cossette Media Cabinet (Painted Black), Ballard Designs – I see an armoire* and I want to paint it black.

Paint, Benjamin Moore, Dinner Party AF – Rich red. Dare I say 90s red? It’s back.

Entwined Dolphins Mirror, Alice Lane Home Collection – This has been on my wish list for a few years. I don’t have a spot for it, so into this make-believe room it goes.

French Knot Drapery Panel (Ivory/Flax), Ballard Designs – Plain but pretty with texture.

Natural Wood Console Table, West Elm – Like an Eames molded plywood folding screen, but you know, as a table. The room needed more organic lines and wood grain.

Bloke Sofa (Ochre Velvet), Blu Dot – Long and sleek, but it looks friendly. You can see it, right? It’s a friendly sofa!

The Amie, UrbanStems – Pretty. Even the vase is nice.

Santoro White Quartz Coffee Table, CB2 – What a cutie this coffee table is. And the materials are echoed in the sconce and console table. Cohesiveness.

Maven Rug, Lulu and Georgia – I’ve been looking at so many rugs everyday in search of one for the dining room. This one is too nice to get food dropped on, but perfect for a living room.

*Eh? Eeehhhh? (I’m nudging you with my elbow and waggling my eyebrow.) I never left Team TV in the Armoire. Not in every situation, since flat screens are so unobtrusive now, but I do like a big honkin’ piece of furniture to anchor a room.

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[archienewling]

I’m turning 40 this month (hooray!), so this is my *snap my fingers new wardrobe* birthday wish list. I don’t need any of it, but ooooh do I want it all.

I feel good about my age, and I don’t care much about birthdays, but I do miss feeling like I look nice. I stopped dyeing my hair sometime before Christmas, and I’ve liked seeing my hair change (I’ve had grays since I was 17 but have dyed off and on since I was 13 — every color but green and blue). I like the sparkly strands, but not the ombré of previously dyed hair that wants to go brassy. Coincidentally, that’s also around the last time I had a haircut and long hair is not for me. I’m not ready to go to a salon, and I know I’m picky enough with a professional haircut to not subject Brandon to my scrutiny of a home haircut. I figure I’ll let it grow until I can do a big chop and donate to a place that accepts dyed hair. Lots of crown braids and Gibson rolls in the meantime for me.

So it’s completely reasonable that while self-isolating during a pandemic in which I see only the people I live with, I just want to spend (adds up totals) oh, at least $2500 on pretty new things to wear? I want to look nice! It’s for my birthday. Let me pretend and be self-indulgent because after all, that’s what blogs are great for. I could be confined to my house for a milestone birthday in elegance.

Prudence Buttondown, Anthropologie — Because as a sophisticated woman in my forties, surely what I’ll need is a sweet little blouse with a Peter Pan collar.

Victorian Serpent Ring, Catbird — I still really want a ring that looks like a snake.

Risa Puff-Sleeved Buttondown, Anthropologie — Pretty! Just so darn pretty.

The Essential Slim Trousers, Anthropologie — I think I last bought these in 2016 and they’re still a favorite, but I’ve pretty much worn them out. (Wait, this may be too practical to be on the wish list.)

Chloé Glasses (CE2739, Havana), Eyeconic — Maybe I secretly want to be the Spider-Verse version of Doc Ock?

Plants and Cats Twilly Skinny Scarf, Centinelle — I am but a cliché of a woman. Plants and cats!

Safari Shirtdress (Butter Gingham), Tucker — This shape for me is the most flattering, most comfortable, instantly put together.

Linen-Blend Dolman-Sleeve Tie-Waist Midi Dress, Madewell — Every descriptive word in the name of this dress says it would be my favorite thing ever.

Long Crossbody Strap (I Am a Voter), Clare V. — I don’t often wear t-shirts, so messages emblazoned across my chest are kinda out, but I can get behind this. (Because I would feel conspicuous in a sash.)

Double Sac Bretelle (Tan), Clare V. — Just a simple but beautiful bag that goes with everything.

Layla Heeled Shooties (Green), Anthropologie — I would wear the heck out of these.

Nadine Slingback Heels (Dusky Rose), Boden — These too. Give me all the shoes with short block heels in great colors.

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[archienewling]

“Where are those chairs from?” It’s a question that’s asked every time I share my dining room. I’m happy to share, but unfortunately, nobody is selling them anymore.

We used to have Industry West’s Marais A chairs at the table. We still have them stored in the basement — they’re stackable and we use them when hosting for Christmas or other large gatherings.

They’re great chairs and hold up beautifully, but I liked them better in our previous house. I wanted a different look here, and it took a while before we were ready to buy. A full set of 8 dining chairs is expensive! Just as we were ready to purchase and I had decided on Abacus dining chairs by Noir, they were discontinued. I was almost able to get them at a great price because of it, but there weren’t enough left in stock. Next on my list was Redford House’s Abigail chair, but then I came across Baxton Studio’s Heather chair and those are the ones we have in our dining room.

The Abacus and Heather chairs are so similar because they’re both reproductions of antique spool chairs. Below are examples from 1st Dibs (chair 1, 2).

So where can you buy them now?

Well, I started sourcing for this post in hopes of finding similar styles, and they’re just not out there. The closest right now would be Ballard Designs’ Livia Spool Chair which has similar elements and is very cute. The Redford House Abigail chair I had initially considered is still in production too. I’m not aware of anything more spot-on, but if this were for a client, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend either.

Going vintage/antique is another good option for simimlar chairs, and a coat of black paint on an interesting shape goes a long way. Phrases to search for online in this case: spool, spindle, bobbin, turned, barley twist, Jenny Lind. Spool is the most accurate term, but all of those have the potential to turn up something similar. Searching for other historical styles can be helpful (they’re sometimes mislabeled). Try “side chair” or “dining chair” and Jacobean, Georgian, colonial, federal, empire, regency, or ladder back.

And whatever chairs you have, if the seats are upholstered I highly, highly, highly recommend getting seat covers to safeguard against kids or other particularly messy people in your life. These are the ones we have (you can see the straps on the chair in the center below). The fabric would be so gross on the kids’ seats if we didn’t have the covers on.

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[archienewling]

Our dining room sconces are in, and the additional light is room-changing. It only took me seven years to finally add the fixtures I always felt should be there!

The room is pretty, but she is plain. I’ve liked that because I could add any tablecloth, set the table and decorate for parties in any color, and it would work. But ho hum. A little boring day-to-day.

I was looking at some of my favorite bugs (because that is the kind of thing I like to do) and inspiration struck. Apantesis incorrupta shall be my muse! For something! For… the dining room? Yes! The garden tiger moth (Arctic caja) has similar markings with more vivid coloration and so is also serving as inspiration.

What to do first? Paint the ceiling orangey-red of course.

Want to see where this is going? I have a plan. Sort of.

The red ceiling: yes. Walls: a deeper, cooler pink than the subtle beige/pink we have now. The wood stays unpainted, the furniture all remains unchanged. Some art and a new wallpaper backing in the hutch? A lamp for the gateleg table on the other side of the room? I’m letting the room come together as I go.

The floor is starting to show some wear and could benefit from being covered. That rug above is indoor/outdoor and affordable, both good things for a rug in the dining room, but I am still looking. It’s a little on-the-nose inspired by the wings. The entry, dining room, and double parlor are all fairly open to one another and I’m always thinking about how they work as a whole, so I would love something old that works with my entryway runner. I did have a hand-me-down rug that I loved and had hoped would work, but the scale was all wrong.

The dining room and entry are nearly the same color, with the library coming in a paler shade of pink. When I paint the dining room walls, I may end up wanting to repaint the entry at some point too, being careful to avoid anything that in combination makes the first floor look like Easter eggs. A muddy green or toned yellow could be right — something close to the value of the woodwork to lessen the contrast from room to room.

I came across this paint palette from Atelier Ellis the other day. The colors align perfectly with what I’m going for (just add that red from the rose petals) and my home’s color palette as a whole, but I was also happy to see more moth inspiration! I’m not the only one looking to the moth side of lepidopterans.

Apantesis incorrupta photo copyright © 2017 Matthew Priebe; BugGuide

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