Concrete Tile Art

Now that the new railing is installed and the 12' entry and stairwell are painted (phew!), the upstairs hall was screaming for something special.  While I enjoyed the previous acoustic tile 'art' that had been chilling there for 3 years, it's time for an upgrade. When I purchased my antique newel posts, I also made an impulse purchase- 4 salvaged concrete tiles.  Seriously impulse- they had a single concrete tile sitting at the checkout, so when I went to buy the posts it was love at first sight.  They pointed me to the pile of 20 and I shoveled through the broken or hopelessly chipped and rescued the best 4.

Once home, then I started trying to devise a plan of how to hang concrete on a wall.  My mind went through tons of complicated contraptions and finally settled on the simplest solution.  Gorilla Glue, wood, & 3m picture hangers.                   *side note* No sponsors, just trusty products that I keep finding new uses for

The back of the tiles were jagged- let's call it rustic.

The picture hangers wouldn't stand a chance sticking on the concrete, so I needed to provide them a flat surface to adhere to: wood.  And what better way to get wood and concrete to marry than some serious glue.

After spending several hours stacked with a lead weight on top, the romance between wood and concrete became enduring.

Next came picture hangers rated for 12lbs.  Each concrete tile isn't even close to 12lbs, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  I think I'd cry if these things came crashing down on my gorgeous, but soft refinished pine floors.

I'm so happy to see this new art hanging at the top of the stairs!

What's even more exciting is: if I get sick of the pattern as it currently stands, I just need to flip the tiles (requiring no modifications or reconfiguring to hang differently thanks to the picture strips) and a new pattern emerges.

How cool is that?

I can't help but wonder about their origin.  Were they in grand foyer perhaps?  Or maybe a posh powder room?  I wish I could have seen them in all their original glory!

6 Months of Fiddlin'

Guess what!  I haven't killed my fiddle leaf fig trees yet!  And it's been 6 months!  That's quite the accomplishment for me.  I'm not exactly known for my green thumb especially with houseplants.  Succulents rarely have a chance around me- I kill them with water, and I kill other plants that need water with neglect.  oops. But BOTH fiddle leafs are still going strong! (ish)

Hector, my IKEA fiddle leaf suffered an early setback (as I mentioned in my first fig post) and got very very very mad at me for over-watering him and letting him sit in the puddle.  Thankfully, he's been making a promising comeback with new growth.

Charlie is not impressed.

Yes, Hector's not looking his best, but he's on the mend.  That's what I keep telling myself.

Even though all his original leaves are either gone or brown, he's got a bunch of new leaves including 2 currently sprouting.  Maybe there's hope for him yet!

At least if I kill this one, it's only a $13 IKEA plant as opposed to my other, nursery born fiddly dude, Victor:

He's much much happier.  I haven't tried to kill him once! (Sir Charlie Bear was following me around as I was taking these photos.  I think he was practicing for his Top Model audition).

This little fig tree is much much happier than his upstairs counterpart.  Aside from watering (after being repotted into a self-watering pot with plenty of drainage to prevent over-watering...), the only other upkeep these guys get is a bit of Miracle Grow Leaf Shine.  My endorsement is not sponsored, it just makes the leaves look bright and shiny.  See?

So shiny they almost look fake.  But not.

My mom's the one who's really knocking this whole fiddle leaf thing outta the park.  I picked her up an IKEA one when I got Hector and they were just about the same size and health.  Now 6 months later I have never seen a happier plant- it's jumped up by over a foot and a half!  If it keeps at this rate, my parents will need to cut a hole in the ceiling for it.

Her 'secret' is that she waters it a little every time it feels dry and it loves it's window.  She's like the plant whisperer or something.  Clearly not a trait I was passed.  Whenever I'm reminded of how lush Hector was when I brought him home (before the incident), I just wish I could find another in stock at IKEA, but the IKEA fiddle leaf figs are like the chupacabra- some have seen it, but many doubt it's existence.  One day, IKEA, one day.

Have you had luck not killing fiddle leaf figs?  I'd love to hear your secrets!

I'm super excited for the coming weeks, I have several projects up my sleeve that I'm hoping to finish up and share.  Good things are coming! Stay tuned!

Daring Adventure

I have many talents.  Beautiful hand lettering is not one of them unfortunately.  Luckily there are people like Stephanie from the etsy shop Letters from Rita.  This talented lady lives only minutes from me and makes the art of hand lettering look effortless.

Hubby's not generally a huge fan of "words as art" but even he's not arguing me on this one.  It's such a great reminder to live and enjoy the ride.  Right now, as I'm elbow deep in flip mess hustling to the seemingly unattainable finish line, this beautifully illustrated quote is a gently nudge that I chose this path and I need to keep the joy in the adventure.

Would I rather be back at my old 9to5? Nope.  Is this flip going to be so rewarding when it's finished? You betcha.  Will it try my patience until the day it sells?  More than you know.  But I wouldn't trade this adventure for anything.

Thanks Stephanie for this beautiful art!  Visit her etsy shop for your own personalized hand-lettered quote ($5 off your first print before June 1st with the code BLOG15) or her blog to see more of her awesome work1