Four Years ago...

I started this here blog!  
I can't believe its been that long- thats like high school long.  I was hoping to have an awesome anniversary post for you with lots of witty stuff to say with montages and rainbows, but I just experienced my first day back in society yesterday (both kids finally went back to school after their March Madness strep-virus-mononucleousis-Herrick Family leper colony party) and I had some massive errands that needed to be attended to.  

I just wanted to say a GIGANTIC thank you to all my readers.
It is because of you I come here and blab and DIY, and without you that would mean I was just a crazy lady talking to myself.  I have some big plans in store for this blog in the upcoming year, and I would love your feedback too.  What would you like to see more/less of? I am seriously up for anything. 

And thank you all for following me on the social media train wreck.  I have been a bit heavier on my FB and Instagram (@danikaherrick) postings this month because its just easier, and I still suck at tweeting, but thanks for continuing to follow me there too;)  

To show my love I have a little thank you code for 15% off O'verlays too...
use GST15 at check out
good until 3/31/13


So thanks again for being there, you guys are the best!

xo
Danika


PS- My new color combo obsession:
loving citrus/grapefruit
more on that later




Real Life: White Slipcovers-keeping it clean.

I have gotten a lot of questions about my white slipcovers from readers and friends.
When I made these slipcovers many asked to give an update on how well the wore.
Here they are today, white as ever and fresh out of the wash:
and here they are a year ago (April 12th, 2012- so almost one year ago) right after I made them:

I have to say I am really thrilled with how easy they are to maintain. Prior to this was a life with microfiber.  Don't get me wrong- it definitely is stain resistant- but its just so much easier to toss the entire mess into the washing machine as opposed to spot cleaning and getting water ring marks. 
And microfiber really didn't go with the whole bright and casual beach feel I was after.

Here is how I keep it clean and bright folks.  I just did all my slipcovers in an effort to rid the house of germs and a spring clean.  I wash them about every 2-3 months (or more if we are extra messy). 
My usual routine was to spot clean with Resolve and toss in the washing machine with a cup of bleach.  

This works OK, but I would still get faint reminders.
 Here is a chair:
 before, coffee stain and lord knows what:

After, there is still a faint tinge of the "lord knows what" and coffee is gone:

My couches were totally trashed.
I have had sick kids laying on them, eating and spilling, and the worst offender was the multicolored Pedialyte freezer pops.  Straight up dye.  Sorry I don't have before shots, so use your imagination.
 I decided to take a new approach and it blew my mind just how white everything came out.

Here is my new go to method:

1) Mix up this magical potion: 1 part Dawn/ 2 parts hydrogen peroxide
Yes, you've seen it all over Pinterest and even my Mom has even been singing its praises, but it works! 

2) Spot treat all the stains. Let it sit for 10 minutes, rub into tough stains.

3) Fill your washing machine with warm water and add 1 cup bleach.  If you are afraid of bleach use a cup of OxiClean powder.  Add the slipcover and agitate it a bit so it is all submerged and in contact with the water. Its important not to overfill the machine. You want the slipcover to be able to move around in the water.

4) Now this is the important part. 
LET IT SIT
I paused my machine for about 30 minutes.  In the past I would just let the machine cycle, but there was always residual stains and rings left.  This time I was blown away with the difference, not one ring! 

Look how white they are!

OK, as I was writing this post I went into my kitchen to find my kids eating ice pops, red ones, and dripping on my latest slipcover.  
Just to show you the magic of Dawn and peroxide I whipped up a little insta-spot clean for you.

I poured a bit of Dawn/Peroxide on and rubbed in:
and here it is 10 minutes later, 
only a very faint red dot is left, all without going into the washing machine:
If I was totally neurotic I might toss this in for a cycle, but I'm not and a tiny red spot doesn't bother me.  It will have to wait a few weeks until the kids really trash it.

Anywho... Just wanted to share this with you and attempt to be a poster child for white slipcovers.
They really are easy, pretty and go with everything. 
And you can change your color schemes with the flick of a pillow.
I am off to continue the spring clean/ santization. Happy weekend!





Just having a moment...

Please excuse me for a second while I get all giddy and wax nostalgic.  
My kitchen redo is being featured on glo.msn right now...
Remember my pre-demo kitchen that was "renovated with paint"
right down to the painted marble counters?
Its being featured here.

There are some really amazing makeovers featured in this article, and I am in serious good company  here... like one of my design idols, Amanda Nisbet, so I am a little "wtf, no freaking way!" right now...
After the past few weeks of chaos, sick kids and reno-drama, this look back is helping me refocus & gain new perspective.  Nothing happens overnight- the last little "paint reno" took about 2 years to get just the way I liked, so I just need to take my time with the current situation.

Not gonna lie though, this also has me going a little "wtf, I killed my cute old kitchen."  
I still have that above view at the moment, but amidst ripped up floors, walls and dust:
  I just need to take my time and let it evolve.  
One thing I have learned from this house is that when I force something to happen, or try too hard to make it work, it usually falls flat.  I am a "change fanatic" as you all know.  It is through these constant changes that I learn a ton about what I like, what I don't, and what makes me happy.  
My house is my little experimental guinea pig.  
This last kitchen makeover was one of my favorite rooms, and its because it took time, a whole lot of experimenting (5 colors in all I think) and negotiating (getting my husband to finally agree to painting laminate).  All these hurdles made the end result much more satisfying. 

And I know I really liked it because I find myself using elements of it in other areas of this current renovation  (painted ceilings, navy and white as the foundation colors for most rooms/ woodwork).  
I still don't have a finalized plan for the kitchen area, but  I have decided to keep it a little open ended to allow for changes and "evolution"- and I am just praying for some more patience!



Indoor/Outdoor Favorites

Its Spring! 
Even though there is snow on the ground I am am so happy for this milestone.  
In a few short months outdoor living will be the norm, 
and to get myself excited for this
 I have rounded up my favorite and most affordable* "indoor/outdoor" pieces.

These items are made to handle the elements, but if you ask me 
they can double duty inside your house during the colder months.  
They are very neutral so you can easily dress them up with the color of the day.


1/2/3/4/5//6/7

Happy Spring!
*(all the items above tally up to less than $950 combined!)

Things

 Hi everyone.  I just wanted to pop up a quick post.
I will spare you the snotty details, but I am now going on the 3rd consecutive week 
of a kid/kids home sick from school. 
Feeling a bit :
bonkers/eye twitchy/trapped in the house/cuckoo 
because I am unable to get these babies healthy & on the mend.  
I am so behind on work, so anyone who is waiting to hear back from me please bear with. I will be back just as soon as I have everyone healthy.  These little guys are my priority right now.

On the bright side,  I haven't been able to spend much time on the computer (which has actually been quite refreshing) and I have just been scrolling Instagram from my phone for my design crack.  
That rabbit hole led me to discover some great new to me fabrics from Tulu. You likey?




And, I'm sure you've all seen this all over the blogosphere:
Lonny

It drove me to do this:

...splatter up my slipcover that I just made for my bench:

I used watered down black paint 
(instead of Rit Dye like I did here)

Since the kids eat at this bench it is sure to get gross.  I will be tossing this in the wash often with bleach.  I was afraid bleach would lift the dye, and I know from experience & many wrecked clothing items that nothing gets dried paint out.


Hey look, no more studs!  We have plastered walls.
I am just waiting out the week for them to cure so we can 
get moldings and woodwork up and paint on. Floors still look crappy.

I also got to experience (via Instagram) 
how my sister handles being house bound with 2 sick kids & an abscessed tooth...
like a carpenter on crystal meth.

This is what she did last night when she couldn't sleep...
she added wainscoting to her family room:
Here is the "before" from yesterday afternoon:
seriously.

And a few days before that she transformed her brick fireplace ...
  into a real legit wood mantle with shelves:
I'm dumbfounded. She needs to come for a visit. 

I am going to get her to give a tutorial, she said it was "easy".




















How To: Make a Pattern Repeat, Part 1

This post started off as a "How to Cut Your Own Stencil" and evolved into a multi- part how to with melt downs and hating on Martha Stewart, so bear with.

Many of you have asked me how I figure out repeats when I am painting a design or making a stencil.  A lot of it has been due to luck and a bizarre math gene I inherited from my father, but until recently I never truly "knew" how to make a pattern.  I just had my weird ways of figuring it out.
Let me introduce you to the right, easy way to make a repeating pattern.
Lets start with spots. Who doesn't like a good spotted pattern?
I bought this book about a year ago and I highly recommend:
It explains it all, and I just had to share.

So here is what you'll need to do a basic straight match repeat:
If you want a BIG pattern, get BIGGER paper.

Start drawing your design.  I am using graph paper because it is easier to line up when making a stencil, but if you are scanning this into a computer, go for a white background.
 Continue and leave some space around the edges:

 Now fold to find the center and make little crease marks, and add "1, 2, 3  & 4" in pencil to the four quadrants of the paper (I forgot to do this in this step so: 1 in top left, 2 in top right, 3 in bottom left, and 4 in bottom right):
 Now cut it in half horizontally. (Use a ruler to make a line if you aren't using graph paper).
Take the bottom half and put it on top. Tape to hold together:

 Now continue filling in your pattern in this space. Stay away from the side edges though:
 Now cut in half vertically, switch-a-roo & tape together:
(you should have clockwise from top left in this order 4,3,1,2)
 Fill her in, leaving space at the top and bottom:
 Now untape.  
Arrange in the following order clockwise from top left: 2,1,3,4
(you can faintly see the pencil number in the photo below)
You will have a blank space in the center.  Finish the design:
 That is it!  
You can now rearrange it back to the layout ad scan it into a computer, trace it or do what you'd like with it.

In my case I was making a stencil, and I didn't wan't to cut all those half circles on the edges, so here is how I dealt with it.

I cut around the edges of the circles along the bottom keeping them whole. I then taped them directly to the top where they matched up.
I then did the same thing to the right side:

and taped them to the left side:
The result was a complete pattern with no broken "dots":

 I didn't have any clear mylar on hand so I had to use what I found at the big chain "Arts & Crafts" store.  I will refrain from cursing Martha & her crappy blue stencil blanks, but screw it...  I suffered through misery with her shit... it was terrible, do NOT recommend.  It was so tight curled that it was impossible to lay flat and even with tape it kept popping up.
Note: Always buy FLAT CLEAR stencil mylar.

This part will be brief since I have to get better mylar to finish this.

Trace your pattern:
Hey did I mention the stencil blank was BLUE? How the heck am I suppose to trace through this?????
It was like driving in the fog after a few cocktails.
Yeah it is a pretty color, but function over aesthetics please.  Come on Martha, fix this please!


At this point I am just annoyed, pissy and hating.

I broke out my heated stencil cutter and a piece of glass to cut on, and had at it until the curling plastic decided to pop up and curl...

After cutting about 1/5th of it I decided to do a test run:
The plastic buckled right when I went to apply paint and it smudged.  
At this point I am DONE, my nerves are shot and Martha's crap is going back to Michael's. 

I am going to be painting this big white slipcover, so there is NO WAY 
I can use that stuff and not commit crimes:

So, I will be back with better stuff and "How to for Drop Repeats" next.

Peace out and a big glass of wine x3.









I'm propagating boxwood y'all!

This is by far the easiest, most awesome gardening trick I have ever come upon 
(thanks to my Mom and her storehouse of trivial facts and big time Pinterest addiction).

The other day I was complaining about the snow and how it destroyed my boxwoods.
These have been growing for about 2 years, 
and the blizzard crushed them and snapped off half their branches:
She tells me about this blog, A Garden for the House, and how the guy used boxwood cuttings to grow this amazing garden:
He just took cuttings and stuck them right in the ground.

My mind was blown.  
I immediately posted it over on the GST facebook page 
(what I do when I am feeling too lazy to blog), and then we got hit with another foot of snow.
I  checked the boxwood carnage and decided to take all the broken branches and try this idea out.
They had been buried under snow and were still "alive", but you can just trim any boxwood shrub.

You will need damp fertile soil for this, and if it is warm enough where you live you can just stick these right into the ground.  I have a few more weeks of winter here, so I am starting these inside.

Trim the cuttings to 5-6" and clean the leaves off the bottoms:

Take a group of about 6 cuttings and just stick them right into the dirt, packing them firmly.
Keep them watered and they should take root. Crazy easy, right?
I just made a dozen boxwoods!  
I feel like a gardening god or something.


If I can keep them alive I just saved about $100, and I am closer to my dream of this:
I will keep you posted on them.
Anyone try this before?


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