Home Improv: Kitchen

This is the lamp and shade we rescued from my grandmothers. The BEAUTIFUL base was by itself. And this shade was in the basement rotting. The trim on it was falling off and it needed a good cleaning. This quickly became my parents' project. They replaced the trim with red duct tape -you would never be able to tell. The print behind this is one from my parents' house. All of this is sitting on a big trunk that Clara gave me. It actually says S.L.C. N.O.L.A. printed on the top. Its an old steamer trunk and opens to reveal this gorgeous green-lined interior. One day I'll re-do it, but for now, its great eye candy as a lamp-sitter-on-er.


As you can see, that's the lamp and print on top of the steamer trunk. That is the shelf across the window that my dad and I have sweat putting up. I didn't have much storage for dishes and glasses in the kitchen, so I made some. I put all my plates and glasses up there (flipped over and stacked bar-style) and I love it. That empty space under the shelf on the bar is where the Keurig goes. :)

This picture is just to show the grey wall contrasting with the fireplace in the kitchen. I have TWO exposed brick fireplaces in this place. (SOMEHOW.) I put all my copper/gold candle stick on this mantel and am going to get all matching candles. (i'm unsure of whether to do red or white.) And then of course, I have the copper swirlie-gig above there, which I can't find the votives for. It is pottery-barn reproduction via a very talented artisian friend of mine.

This is above the sink. I need to get a good picture of the entire kitchen area, note to self. This bar that the utensils are hanging on is much cooler than it looks. The edges are eagles and it is gold. It was used in my grandmother's house- I think- as a towel rack. I dig it.

Befores and Afters:

Clara gave me these cool bar stools - see on right - and two of them matched and one of them didn't. So I painted them all uniform black -see on left- and then sat them all together to form like a side table. They were just tall enough to be over the tall arm of the fainting couch to sit a drink on or whatever.

These metal tables are another great insurance-office find. They are metal and just plain and I used to have them as coffeetables in my apt in bg. I have even stacked them on top of one another to form a book-case like thing too. The green, however, just wasn't jiving down here in NOLA. Thus, spray paint to the rescue.

I painted the top red, and the sides black and left the insides of the leg the dark green, which looks oddly fantastic. And I also put these circular yellow placemats and a vase on them, (not pictured) and it sets it off VERY WELL. DIY, people. DIY.

Home Improv: Living Room, Too

I don't have an entryway, but i DO have a behind-the-door area. And I put mine to use. Here is my bulletin board that use to be brown and cork and now I (SHOCK) spraypainted black. Below are a mix-match of black frames and photos of my favorite dead celebrities. Included are : Alfred Hitchcock, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Danny Kate, The Andrews Sisters, Kate Chopin, Bing Crosby, and Katharine Hepburn. The chest on the bottom opens up and I want to use it for blankets etc for the living room, and I intend to put an umbrella rack (once I find a suitable one) in the corner space there, too. Also, the calendar isn't up there yet, but I'm making a homemade one.

I know this picture is dark, but this is on the wall on the other side of the fireplace. These are the gates that used to be on my grandparents house. Their last name was Murphy, hence, the middle has a cool swirly M on it. Which, I am, obviously MARY, so it fits. Nice duality, there. I spray painted em white and spruced 'em up a little bit, but mostly let their wear shine through. That's what vintage is all about, right?

Home Improv: Before, During, After Living Room

Living Room Before Pictures:

Before the rooms had off-white walls and white trim. That's the front door and the black curtains I just had up for the time being.


Same , Other side. Black curtain. Red fainting couch.

Living Room During Picture:

This is after the walls were started being painted. Dramatic difference already. Hadn't done the trim yet though.

Living Room After: (Batch 1)

This is the same window as first picture. The credenza is from my grandfather's insurance office. The curtains came from my next door neighbor Clara, but originally were in the Pontchartrain Hotel. The frame is just the frame without the back and I'm going to put some of the old photos I have of my great aunts from WKU in there all off set.


This is the fireplace with wall painted and trim! You can't see it, but there is a ceiling fan cord hanging down. We took the ceiling fan from the kitchen and replaced it with a new one. I spray painted that black and we moved it to the living room and it looks like a new dang fan. I also spray painted the frame on the fireplace, it was originally brown wood and decrepid. The print is an Egon Schiele I got off Art.com. I am a huge Schiele fan. The double lamps came from my grandmother's house.

Amazing New Thing: Escalator Extras

Mom, Dad and I went to Target in Metarie. Two-story Target. Which is like a heaven to me in itself. And while there, Dad and I thought it was ignorant as hell to have a two-story big box store because of the cart. You'd have to take it up and down in the damn elevator. That is, until we realized the cart comes with you up the escalator.

There is the people side of the escalator and the cart side of the escalator. And you just get your cart and continue on your business once you get upstairs. They also have a checkout on top and on bottom. Oh my, my. I know this may not be amazing to others, but it looks insanely cool.

Mom and Daddy Sparr do NOLA: Day 1

Today was mom and dad's first day in NOLA.

I picked them up at the airport at 4:30 or so, after fighting awful crapshoot NOLA traffic there and back.

We came home and they re-met Clara and also Clara's very jack-of-all-trades BF Ken. Ken talked rock-shop with my dad (and kept up) and that is a feat all its own.

I drove them down St. Charles to ooh and aww at some more houses (Starter castles is what Clara calls them.) And we went to eat at Deanie's Seafood in Metarie. On the wine list, we found a very interesting type:

If you can't read it. The third one down on the list is 2006 Pinot Blanc Reserve Pierre Sparr.

Dad got a glass. This was his unending excitement:

At Deanies, I had Crawfish Ettouffe. Dad had stuffed shrimp. And Mom had some sorta regular shrimp. Ettouffe looks gross, but tastes yummy.

After food, we went to a two-story Target. And I saw an amazing new thing. But those posts are in their own Amazing New Thing category.

Murphy's World: The Lazy I Deal With

Murphy vomitted alot this week. I'm not sure if she ate too much, ate something weird, or just wanted to ruin my first day at Offbeat.

She's feeling better now, however. As seen here:

I told her she looked like a whore, laying out there with her goods on display. She had no response but to paw at her face more seductively.