We have this kitchen island from Ikea. It's hard to tell from the picture, but there is seating for two on the opposite side. We are looking for some bar stools to put there, and I can't find any that are white and oak colored like the island itself. We'd prefer something with backs if possible.

Suggestions? I'd even entertain something different colored if it would look good with the island. I'm just at a loss and not even sure where all to look anymore.

Re: cost, under $100 each would be nice but over isn't a deal-breaker. We only need two, and I want to make sure we get something that looks good and is durable rather than save money and get something that doesn't look as nice.

I posted earlier asking you all for suggestions for converting an extra bedroom to a dressing room, and I present to you all my Marilyn room!

( Click here for many more photos!Collapse )

I posted a while ago, asking for suggestions on what colour to spray paint a brass headboard. I ended up choosing white, and I'm putting before and after photos under the cut ( here.</lj-cutCollapse )

I live in a pretty small house, and am having some issues with my closet. I do not have the knowledge to redo the closet or the cash to pay someone else, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I have a dresser and a chest of drawers, so clothes storage isn't an issue, but I have a really long and not-deep-at-all closet (with two doors, but one is blocked by my godkids' bed for when they visit), and I'd like to figure out how to best use the space. I don't have a lot of clothes that hang up (I have some that HAVE to hang up, but most are foldable), and I want to figure out how to get the best use out of the closet, with my hanging organizer (I keep sweaters in it because I've no room in the drawers for them), and my stackable purse and shoe containers. I know I cannot put the shoe containers in the unreachable portion of the closet because, well, SHOES. I may decide to put the purse containers back there, but I'd rather have them at my disposal, because, well, PURSES. I also would prefer to not have anything hanging over the door because my only full-length mirror is on the inside of the non-blocked closet door. I have some shelves, but I have my sheets and blankets on those (as well as blankets in a trunk in the back of the closet too-I live in a house without central heating and air!). Does anyone know of a good closet organizational plan? I'm getting really frustrated with my current jumble of mess in there.

I also have a small issue with my hall closet (AKA, my craft closet). I have shelves in it, but the space is really unusable because the closet is very narrow, and very deep. I was thinking of getting some of those fabric boxes or some baskets, and setting them on the shelf to store crafty stuffs in, but I worry about my ability to get to them if need be.

*Side note: I cannot interchange the things in these two closets because the hall closet is NOWHERE NEAR my bedroom, and I really need to have my clothes in my bedroom.

Also, and this is more of a holiday decor question, my family has always decorated for EVERY. SINGLE. HOLIDAY. Mom bought me a cute flag for my door for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, and I love it-It's adorable...but it gets caught in the wind and bangs against the door...I've already "answered" the door four times today. I think if I attached something heavy to the bottom, it would stop this, but I have no idea what would work...It's not a full sized flag, probably only about 2.5 feet X 1.5 feet. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance! <3

I know this doesn't necessarily fit in with the criteria of this community, but I'm desperate for some help!

My best friend of 14 years is graduating from college this month. A lot of my friends have graduated, but this is my best friend so it's different. I have NO idea what to give her as a gift. I've heard that you shouldn't give friends money as grad gifts, so that's out. She has a Pandora bracelet but doesn't really wear it. She isn't moving into an apartment or house or anything and she doesn't have a new job lined up so I can't really get her something as like a "new life" gift. Basically, I'm stuck. What's appropriate for a college graduation gift that isn't tacky? I want it to be thoughtful, but I cannot think of anything. I mean, she loves shoes but I feel like giving her a pair of shoes as a graduation present is kind of weird. I'm so stuck! Any ideas?

I painted a door with a can of paint I used for my ceiling and ran in to some issues. The first issue is being ceiling paint it has no sheen to it and I'm finding it too dull. I'm assuming that's an easy fix, I can get some sort of clear gloss paint over it. The other issue is I just now knicked the door with my nail and chipped some paint off. I painted the second coat a few hours ago so it should be dry but not fully cured. I'm hoping this miracle coat of gloss will prevent this from happening again but right now this paint seems like it wants to peel right off.

The paint itself is good, it's Sherwin Williams and only a month old. It seems just fine on my ceiling and all the other cans I bought at the same time on my walls are doing just fine. I washed the door with TSP 24 hours before painting and waited about 24 hours before the second coat. But I did skip on primer since the door was already previously painted white and I figured I have more paint than I need so not exactly a waste if a third coat is needed. Any frequent painters have any suggestions? Should I have primed? Was using a flat paint a bad idea? Or just fix the peeled paint and go for a high gloss top coat to seal? If it helps it's an acrylic latex for interior use, HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams. I've never seen paint chip this easily before so I'm a bit concerned. I've got 3 more doors to go and would rather get the one door right before moving on.

ETA: Thanks all! I've never run in to oil based paint before so never even gave it a second thought. Sanding, priming, cursing and painting to commence.

You all gave fabulous advice for my last question, and so I come to you with my new (and much more exciting) project: I am turning our spare room into a dressing room! I must keep the bed in there (as this is also our guest room) but I have pretty much free rein over everything else. It has a standard double door closet with two rods, and I've got a good sized dresser in there that will be staying as well. I want it to be decadent and over the top (as this was to be my baby nursery; I need something fun to get over that loss) - but I also want it to be cheap. I am thinking of getting a cheap desk to convert  into a vanity, and I am looking for thrifty ways to display shoes and purses. ( I have an upright jewelry box that holds my accessories) I also wanted to turn one wall into a giant mirror, but can't find large mirror tiles or anything similar. I wanted one of those fab makeup lighted mirrors but the ones I am finding are hundreds of dollars. I'm sure that you all have tons of ideas, and I'd like to hear them! I am feeling crafty, and may have enough free time this summer to make things, so DIY works too. I bought leopard print and hot pink velvet hangers, and although I am finishing up my law degree I love color and want some place to express that; I have to be somber and serious in every other aspect of life, I want a girly dressing room ;) Thanks!

hey hipsters!

we have a new to us house that is a 1920s craftsman that has had some wear and tear and some....odd choice made over the years...

one that we do like is that they opened up the parlor with the dining room...but there is now a miss match style set and we eventually want to bring it together, we don't have the money to do so just yet.

the living room/parlor has GORGEOUS red mahogany wainscoting that has NEVER been painted. how this happened I have no idea, but we love it.

the dinning room had bead board that has seen better days and it white.

we would like to at least fake the bead board to look like red mahogany but I am not sure what to do. my google-fu tells me that there should be a base color and a glaze...is that it? do any of you have experience? help?

( for reference this is what we want to try and recreate with the bead board and trimCollapse )

Hello all!

My husband bought frozen ravioli from a specialty store today. He should have asked if they were pre-cooked, but he basically just walked to the freezer, paid and left. By the time he came home, the ravioli were thawed (he put them in the fridge at work), and they looked dry and leathery in texture, but with my novice eye, I couldn't tell if they had been pre-cooked.

Last time I made frozen ravioli from another store, I boiled them in water and we found they were basically mushy and pasty. This time, he suggested that I add them to the tomato sauce and let them cook in that. I did - for about half an hour - but they were a little too chewy, and the stuffing (pumpkin and spinach) was dry. The sauce was at a low boil, and I stirred frequently.

Should I have boiled them in water? If so, for how long? Or perhaps just left them cooking in the tomato sauce longer? I have about half left in the freezer, and I would like to get it right next time around.

Thanks!

I live in a rented house that came with curtains. They seem to be pretty standard, heavy curtains with liners. Unfortunately some of them have mildew on the liners and I'd like to wash them. I don't see any washing instructions but I'm terrified to put them in the wash. Any idea how to actually wash these things? We've lived in this house for almost 4 years now and have never washed them, so they are over due.