Wrap it UP!

Y'all, sometimes a fab pair of lamps just land in your life! Like these Restoration Hardware sconces I scored for a clients' bedroom, I mean:

I think we snagged these polished nickel princesses for something like, $125 for the pair...which isn't full-on VALUE BEYOND BELIEF, or anything, but the chic black linen shades came with and overall they were in excellent condition. Plus, they plug in, which was a necessity for this particular project b/c Betch Budget wasn't having any kind of hardwiring of electrical. So I got my light source for the dressing area and the client didn't have to worry about costly wiring/electrical light installation drama. Win win-- except for the ugly cords dangling off the sconces. Like most plug-in wall sconces, there's about 24" of electric cord channel/cover running off the fixture, like so:

This isn't normally such a bad thing since most folks hang this style of sconce above a bed or sofa and the remaining dangle is hidden from view. But y'all know that's not how I roll. or Hang. Oh SHIOT-- COMEDY GOLD! These gals needed to put off more light for dressing area and they just made more of a statement, in tandem with the other elements, when hung higher on the wall. Rather than worry about hiding those heinous cords with some janky solution, I decided to highlight them, by wrapping them in silk cording! WHAT?! YES Y'all-- IT DOES GET MORE HIGH MAINTENANCE-- LOOK!

In the pic above, I wrapped about 9" of electrical cord in pink satin from where the metal cord channel ends. It's lookin' HAWT! Here's how I did it:

**Start where the electric cord exits lamp base-- usually at the end of the cord channel-- and dab a pea-sized amount of hot glue or fabric glue (even wood glue-- yes, y'all know this Betch forgot my glue gun the second day and had to employ wood glue for the other lamp!) on the electric cord.

**Press one end of satin cord, or whatever cording/twine/ribbon into glue. Now, holding the glued satin cord in place on the glue spot, begin to wrap satin cord around and around the electrical cord, leaving NO SPACES in between the 'wraps'...make sense?

**Eventually you can let go of the starter glue spot and use your other hand to help guide the wrapping around electric cord. You will need both hands (and if available, hands of willing friends) to help untangle and guide the remaining satin cord to you for easier wrapping.

**Once you've reached the end/electric cord plug, place another dab of pea-sized glue on electric cord and gently press the satin cord in place. Trim off excess satin cord, if necessary.

And then look what you get:

Ok, y'all that pic is slightly horrid but you get what's happening...here's another shot of just the cord...

It's definitely a subtle detail, but I think it's cool...gives that cloth-covered wire look. This same process could also work on regular table (or task, etc) lamps...now get to wrapping!

It's Thursday...and THAT Means...

Thrift Whoring has gone down, in a BIG WAY, y'all! Here's a round-up of the latest 'liscous from my recent troll:

Wedgewood, Limoges, Italian rock crystal and shut the F&$K YOU ironstone transferware!?! Y'all won't believe what all this YUMMY set me back?

$24.87 VALUE DOLLARS! Salvation Army made me a satisfied thrift whore to-day! What's your latest score?! And YES, I do want all the steamy PICS!

Gobble up Thrift Whores!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! I'm SO thankful that I'm a Thrift Whore, that it's Thursday...it's Thanksgiving and I've found all kinds of thrifting bounty I've shared this year! Here's another major score:

Such the side table cuteness, with her clean lines, shelf, and these wood inset designs:

Then these brass drawer pulls that just style-slapped us all quickly about the face...well shiot!:

And here's where it gets REALLY good...this chic lady only cost $3.99!!!!! YES! So y'all know that Betch got scooped right up and slung over my shoulder...Happy Thanksgiving & happy thrift whoring!!!

Thrift Whore Thursday Pictorial

Disclaimer: GRAPHIC SCENES OF HAWT THRIFT WHORES GETTING DEALS TO FOLLOW!!!!

Yes, that's $7.99 for a vintage, marble-topped side table. Tag also reads, 'Must Go Today'...well, I can certainly help with that:

And:

We came. We conquered. We Thrift Whore'd.

Target Time!

Y'all, on-set today styling some fun vignettes for an upcoming Target social media spot...check out the hawtness:

Look at this festive scene that's just SLAYING this 'family' with all kinds of Holiday cheer:

Why is only half the wall styled out? B/c that's the only bit of wall y'all are gonna see when this shiot goes 'live'!

We also served up a bathroom sink moment:

Everything is hung so low b/c the star of this shot was all of 3'8" tall, y'all! AND NO, Betch, it wasn't ME! Here's how it was framed on the monitor:

Then we tricked out a little bedroom scene too:

This one looks a little janked for a kids' room, but it was an added shot so y'all know we had to WERK with what was on hand...but I think it's still festive & fun...y'all know we had to pull out the ole, 'hang the holiday cards from a ribbon' trick...HAWT!

Oh Fa La La La La...La La La KITCHEN CUTENESS:

Somebody was slung up, baking Holiday Dreams:

Awwww, Tender! Check out Target.com in the next couple weeks y'all to see the final spot! Lurv!

Betch-Slapped by Brass!

Last week there was the cutest little mid-century dresser featured on Free Shiot Friday, and this week, it's this dining set! Presenting Brass Regalia Realness:

She isn't even attempting to trick y'all into thinking she's real brass, but cleaned up, re-upholstered in something fab and given a new glass top, she could help you WERK your hostess skillz beyond belief:

The table base design is giving us all kinds of Dynasty...it's on it's side on the end:

Happy Friday, y'all-- now go out and score some Free Shiot!

Thrift Whore Thursday-- Twerk Time!!!

Shake yo butt up & down, side to side, Betches, 'cause today 's Thrift Whore Thursday is 'bout to go off!:

And:

Confused? What y'all are looking at is a gilded entertainment center from back in the day when they knew how-to make an entertainment center! You've got built-in's for dayzzzz, like this record player shiot:

And these compartments for your album collection:

And y'all see that mirrored panel? That whore just so happens to lift up, holding one of the chic-est bars on earth! WHAT?!? Oops, guess I didn't snap a pic of that, but TRUST it was Shut-the-FU$K you amazing!! There's also two speakers tucked behind the compartment doors on both ends that look like this:

This shiot is SLAYING me-- and for only $200, it could be in y'all's living room SLAYING you too!!! Get on it! Happy whoring!!! And Twerking!

Free Shiot Friday!

Y'all, this little lady greeted me on my way out of my building:

How sweet! Just minding her own business, all cute-like with hits of mid-century details, trying to stay out of everyone's way behind that gate...I sure hope someone scoops her up & takes the best care of her with some fab paint job or a refinish...she is FREE after all, and it IS Friday! Enjoy!

Purple Perfection

This luscious combo will soon be installed in one of my clients' bedrooms...wallpaper + paint + carpet= one chic teenage girls bedroom...I mean!

Check back soon to see the progress!

Lacroix, Sweetie, Lacroix...

Tuesday I shared some wallpaper that had been selected for a new Alchemy Eclectic interior project...here it is again in all its' Christian Lacroix GLORY:

This paper is giving me all kinds of decorating hives and y'all are about to be style-slapped full on about the face when I tell you it's going into a powder room with a YELLOW painted ceiling!!! WHAT?

Here we go!:

Dying!!! Check back soon to see the HAWT after pics!!!

These lovelies

Are the final wallpaper selects for another Alchemy Eclectic interior project I'm twerking on, y'all! Can we just say hashtag wallpaper hawtness?!?

And yes, those are my HAWT pink shut the F$&K you shoe laces peeking in! Stay tuned to see the rooms where these wallpapers end up! Holla!!!

Got y'all covered!

holla: check out my latest styling work on the Nov '13 cover of All You magazine...

y'all know you want to turn some pumpkins into a centerpiece!!! GET IT!

Double Decorating Drama!

Well damn, y'all-- go ahead and clutch your pearls, 'cause here's another interior project, done-up by yours truly, to indulge in this week!:

All photos by my girl Kelly Marshall and lovingly brought to you on these inter-webs by Tech Director, Dylan...xxoo! Check out the interiors section for more hawt REVEAL pics!

Alchemy Eclectic project reveal: Mekanism

Can y'all even handle all this hawt-ness being slung at you??? SO EXCITED to share the pics of one of my recent interior decorating gigs for this NYC office of this awesome ad agency called, Mekanism. HUGE shout out to Kelly Marshall who photographed the hell outta the place! GORG! Check out the interiors section to see the rest of the space (more screams for Tech Director, Dyl, for creating/managing/tolerating me & website/gallery realness)!!!

Another day, another Alchemy Eclectic interior...

Y'all are lookin' at a screen grab of one of the shots (by fab photog Kelly Marshall) from another one of my interior projects:

This is a detail pic of a bar, that I made from an old armoire from Salvation Army...

Check back soon for the hawt REVEAL shots of the rest of the space! HOLLA!

"PJ, where do you get all that cute stuff in your apt?"

Y'all, I hunt high & low for the treasures that help make our place a HOME...like these:

and all this:

so, lucky for y'all, I just so happen to have a shop, where y'all can get your hands on all kinds of cute for your OWN house!!! Check out some of my most recent additions...links to purchase below...YUMMY!!!:

From left: Pretty in Pink Paint by Numbers Garden Roses $45, Glorious Cherry Blossom Wall Hangings $50, Bring on the Bling Glass Set $50/6-set, An apple a day mid century tray $40, Sad Clown Paint by Numbers $35

And be sure to check out the other items in AE Shop while you're at it, y'all-- some are even on sale!!! GET IT!

The Little Black...Nightstands!

A few weeks back I admitted, with gusto, that I painted wood...in copious amounts...all the time. And these Craigslist scores started like this:

Then were primed like so:

To turn out like THIS, Betch:

I mean...are y'all seeing this????:

WHAT?!?!

How insanely glossy gorgeous did this paint job make the old hardware look? WAY Gloss, WAY!

Show me those curves...sexy-time, oh!:

These gals just went from frau to mutha-f$%ckin' WOW! Class, how many of y'all are gonna start paintin' your wooden furniture now? Consider y'all-selves properly schooled!

Boo Yeah!

From banal to beauti-mous, my Battery Park City executrix got exactly what she wanted:

Bam biotch! Obvi, the 'blurred lines' happening in the above pic weren't intentional-- I'm clearly no photographer, y'all. and some key items that weren't on either proposal ended up being winners: that fab chesterfield sofa, perky floor lamp and luscious rug...but that's how the process werks...I present client with my ideal picks, they love or hate & when necessary, we throw down like Crystal & Alexis, all "Dynasty" like, until sufficient style slapping and shoulder pad tearing has been achieved...

I loved curating her existing killer art collection in fun and unexpected ways throughout...oh and LOOK y'all, the pooch even got his own spot to chill:

This sexy media console below is giving me FULL LIFE!

And this hottie mid century inspired leather armchair below gives my gal that hit of leather she lusts for, yet in a toned & tight silhouette-- I'll take some of THAT!

I angled her desk/dining table as well as her newly painted (& papered) bookcase to shake things up a bit. Remember that when your arranging or re-arranging your own furniture-- trying things on an angle could be the unexpected genius solution you never considered ...LURV...here's a close-up of the bookcase-- that's the clients' own pattern design that we had printed on adhesive-backed vinyl! It's subtle but SO CHIC and was uber-easy to do!

and

This divine blue velvet scooped side chair and mirrored side table (actually one of a three-piece set; the other two live on left side of sofa in first pic. awesome way to budget stretch-- buy a 'set' and break it, up for multiples) were scored from Joss & Main-- they are such a great source for crazy affordable 'liciousness-- become a member NOW biotch!!! (They do curated limited-run sales, so sorry there's no direct link for these items...you gotta get 'em when you see 'em on there!)

Given her budget and the limitations with being a renter in a strict-ass building like hers, overall, the space looks incredible! Upon seeing it for the first time after install, my client commented, "I feel like someone creative lives here". I'd say my job was done.

Banal 2: Style Served

On yesterday's episode, my adorbs client in a banal Battery Park City apartment needed serious style help w/her multifunction living & dining rooms. It's almost unfathomable: popcorn ceilings, gargantuan furniture...beige. OH-- the SHADE of it all! But, clutch your pearls, Betches...'cause things are 'bout to get correct-ed:

Proposal #1 above is just melt-in-your-mouth yummy...but WAIT, there's MORE!:

Proposal #2 is also scrumptious, yet giving y'all a melange of different flavors to make you whip your hair back & forth! Whip your hair back & forth!

What's happening in both proposals is that I'm trying to give the lady what she wants: hits of industrial & wood, a sense of 'lightness' w/slimmer profile furniture, color, reusing some pieces that WERK and several nods to her feminine bling side, which she didn't even know she had til I READ HER, all proper-like...

Check back tomorrow to see the HAWT reveal pics of what we ended up going with, but in the meantime...which of the proposals do y'all prefer?