I've been on a crafty bender for the past few days. Here's the latest project, the toilet paper roll wall art project from Design Sponge. I think it cost me 3.99 for a tube of sap green paint, and 1.60 for the glue, both of which were only half used. The wall it's on is a bit mold-prone (it's a front room, and believe it or not, our house is not insulated in any fashion), so I didn't want to put anything there that we are emotionally attached to, in case it got moldy. I really like the way it looks, though next time I'll paint the tp rolls before I glue them together!


I also made a paper wreath from Design Sponge. I had no idea where to get the green masking paper they used, and spray painting seemed too complicated in this weather (no basement to work in, after all!), so I went to a stationery store (Easons) and bought green paper in two shades as well as a sheet of silver gift wrap. It came out a little more stiff looking than I'd have liked -- if I did it again, I might distress the paper -- but all in all, it looks cute and can be used year after year. Not a bad deal for a cost of less than five euro!

It's Christmas decorating time! Last year, we didn't really decorate so much, mostly because we'd only been living in our apartment for a couple of days. Everything was a complete mess! This year things are much more relaxed. But we don't have a lot of money to go out and spend on silly things like decorations! Uncle Billy gave us some Santa votive holders and a little snowman for our mantle, and then I made some little stockings from some old pyjamas I had laying around the house. So the festive vibe is starting to get underway!

Here's a crappy photo I took with my phone:

Today we finally started painting the livingroom! I will definitely post before and after photos when the place is close to how I want it. We'll be utilizing a lot of hand-me-downs from Mark's family -- there are a lot of gems just rotting in a shed behind his uncle's house. I can't wait to put them back in action!

I have other posts in the works, but until I unpack the chord that connects my camera to my computer, I will hold off.

Things I learned: thick bleach is really good at cleaning mold, and these old cement houses are a real bitch when it comes to hanging anything from the walls. I had a curtain rod up with 4 screws (including drywall plugs), and the freaking thing just fell off the wall! So I spackled it all back up, and will try, try again. Not feeling confident about it though.

I can't wait to see how the paint (a tannish brown) looks in the daylight! And now that we painted behind the bookcase, we can unpack the books. This is HUGE! Someday this place will be homey, if it kills me.