I should call this post, What I Did Over the Holiday Break. You know how those home projects go, the ones that languish on your "to-do" list for a nuclear half-life -- I'm glad to say I got one major thing crossed off our list: Figuring Out What to do With a Blank Bedroom Wall. The solution? Wall decals.

The Magpie got all Jaunty-crazy on a set of bedstands a while back. They were just the plain, basic bedstand from Ikea that Mr. Magpie picked up years ago and this Bird got the bee in her bonnet that the Plain Jane bedstand look needed some razzle-dazzle. And maybe some jazzhands.

The Magpie's J'adore for the kooky, thrown together look of collage and mixed media inspired the makeover. A stack of old, torn up Seattle Weekly papers were pasted over the surface of the drawer and cabinet fronts for a Newsie-theme. The plain wooden handles got a dual treatment -- a Celtic knot silver button glued into a drilled-in pit in the original handle, and then the other handle getting a double-triple coating of sparkly silver nail polish. Disco meets the Luck of the Irish? Whatever you want to call it, that's what became of the old drawer pulls without the need to replace them completely. A wash of taupe over the dried newsprint, plus a clear coat to seal, and then a finishing detail of bright red along the edges gave this makeover its final bit of pop. Too crazy? Probably. But they look a lot more interesting than the original plain bedstands!


Jaunty Fine Print:  photographs by Denise Sakaki

 

It really must be the chill of winter nearly upon us, but the Magpie has been busy with projects to fluff the feathers of her nest these days, so keep an eye out for more Jaunty J'Adore craft and home projects in the coming weeks!

They say one should surround oneself with the things that inspire them or by objects of affection -- what better items of sentiment than notes and postcards? This Bird has said it before that there is no greater ray of sunshine on a person's day than mailing a handwritten note to a loved one. That said, I know I totally owe several people some notes, so I probably better get going when I'm done with this post!

But one of the recent mini-projects I did was to dress up a dresser, or rather the plain mirror hanging above our dresser (repurposed from a bathroom, funnily enough), with collected ephemera over the years, including postcards from afar, photos of friends' children, and funny little odds and ends like a sushi-shaped air freshener. No, I don't know if it smells like a salmon skin roll, I never got the guts to open up the package and check. Sure, it's cluttered looking, it's got the look of a burgeoning career as a serial stalker, but every item means something to Mr. Magpie and myself. And it makes the bedroom feel a little more personalized, even if it raids our supply of wooden clothespins. I know our home will never make it into an interior design magazine, but that's fine by me, if it means I can keep the meaningful things closer and make our home-sweet-home that much sweeter.


Jaunty Fine Print:   photos by Denise Sakaki

 

It's this Bird's wish that she develops more bold, Jaunty choices in her household decor, so looking through interesting home magazines are always endless sources for getting ideas. A recent gift from fellow blogger, Miss Radish, gave this Birdie a copy of the sadly defunct British magazine, Good Homes. More specifically, it was a collection of projects as well as room decoration ideas, which included recipes, outdoor gardening tips, and funky project ideas like covering a plain chair with comic book pages. I have to admit, wrapping our set of plain old barstools in funny pages sounds like a fantastic project. With any luck, Mr. Magpie won't mind. I also particularly Fancied the color combinations of their room photos, combining bright hues like purples and bright greens, and navy blues and golds, all without making it look like a kid's room or a Trading Spaces reject. I loved the bright colors combined with classic decor and architecture, as it made for a nice, ecclectic balance. I wish the magazine was still around, but if you happen to find any back-issues sitting in a used bookstore bin, it's worth picking up and saving.


Jaunty Fine Print: photos by Denise Sakaki, taken of Good Homes Get Creative magazine

 

BOO! Did the Magpie scare you? No..? Well, let me pull out my junior high photos with mall bangs and head-to-toe acid wash and then let me ask the question again. Oh for heaven's sake. There's no need to cower in the corner in a fetal position.

Sparing the good, decent public from an acid-washed fate, this Bird wanted to share some photos taken during the Halloween/Autumnal decoration of the Jaunty Household. A strand of silk leaf garland here, a scattering of styrofoam headstones for ghoulish flair, and a few yards of black lace for good measure -- voila, a Halloween wonderland! And a final flourish of a maribou bat headband to torment the fuzzy head of the household, Miss Indy. Happy Halloween, you style vamps!