Musical Blasphemy or Design Genius?

For quite a while, I've been toying with an idea.  Depending on the day, I could be on either side of the fence. Painting a piano... is it musical blasphemy or design genius?

Today I'm on the "paint it" side of the fence.  Meet my piano:

I grew up with this piano.  It has stories.  Stories that include being doused with Sprite while partying like it was 1999 (when it turned 1999).  Prior to my parents owning the piano, it was my grandmothers.  It is not, however, a precious antique.  The plastic keys are chipped, the finish could use help in some spots, and the bench has been repaired several times.  The sentiment with the piano far exceeds it's value, so I've been considering making it more of a focal point.  with paint.

I dream about this piano from Design Mom.  That green is a.maz.ing.

Shabby chic normally gets glares from me, but Lisa from The Pennington Point just hit the nail on the head with her blue piano.

Yellow? Yes, please.  Bridget at Bake at 350 certainly knows how to treat a $99 thrift store piano right.

Turquoise piano AND a plate wall? OK! (Check out the room in more detail at Addicted 2 Decorating)

Yup, definitely on the "paint it" side today, especially after looking at those pianos again.  I think a bright color would bring out the art deco lines of my piano and make it feel more special.  Of course getting it tuned more than once every 3 years would probably make it feel special, but we really don't want to spoil it too much.  No one likes a pampered piano.  Am I right?

So which side of the fence are you on?

Styling Crash Course

This week I've decided to give myself a styling crash course.  It's kind of embarrassing actually, but in the year and a half that we've had this house, I really haven't styled anything.  I made things look nice for my housewarming over a year ago and then have been collecting things in piles since.  *slaps self on back of hand*  bad dog designer.  That's also why I've been dragging my feet in showing you an updated home tour (soon, I promise!!) Naturally before I actually got to styling my own house, I needed to find some inspiration images online.  My name is Karen, and I'm a Pinterest addict.  Such eye-candy!

The first room in my house to get styled is the bedroom.  I've got all the big components in it- furniture, curtains, bed linens... Now, it's all about the icing on the cake, the cherry on top- the accessories!

This really was easy- all I had to do to style the bedroom was put a cat on it.  Me-ow.

Ok, well, maybe there was a bit more to bedroom details than capturing Charlie's excitement over a made bed.  I was losing daylight with my futzing styling, so unfortunately you'll have to be patient until tomorrow when I can show you some well lit styling montages.

AAAAAAND the living room is getting a very exciting addition this week (no, not a chair yet) that I can't wait to share with you.

So many pretty things are happening over here this week, I hope you stay tuned!

Blogging My Way

When people ask me the name of my blog, I generally get sideways glances when I tell them.  It's long winded, I know, but there is a point behind it, I swear!  I originally started blogging because I was feeling lost.  I decided that if I started exploring my creativity and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, it might lead me to some realizations about myself and what I wanted out of life.  My original plan was to commit to blogging at least twice a week for at least a year (hence the "Year") and explore things outside of my comfort zone ("Strategic"), in hopes that by challenging myself, I would open up an unknown world of possibility ("Serendipity").

serendipity [ˌsɛrənˈdɪpɪtɪ] n the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident

When I began blogging a year and a half ago, I had no idea that it would turn into a home design/DIY focused blog and that it would help me rediscover my design passions.  Serendipitous, don't you think?  (Sorry, couldn't resist).  I've enjoyed blogging and sharing my 'adventures' more than I ever anticipated, so it's time to up my game.

For the past month, I've been an eager learner in Blogging Your Way 2.0 run by the amazing Holly Becker (of Decor8).  Maybe I can absorb some of her and the other teachers' blogging awesomeness simply by proximity.  Just in case that doesn't work, however, I figure I should make the most of the lessons and homework assignments.  (Some of the homework assignments have included this post and this post).  The class has far exceeded my expectations!  It has me looking at my blog in a whole new light.  I'm just disappointed that the month-long class is almost over- I want more!

The most beneficial part of this class for me is that it's helping me find my voice.  This is an outlet for me to share my passion and build my brand, and I need to present my thoughts in the best possible way.  I always know what point I want to get across in my posts (sometimes babbling a bit too much about it), but I'm starting to really understand the best way to curate the information.  There will be a bit of trial and error really figuring this stuff out, but it's only getting better from here!

Thanks for coming along for the ride!