Colleen in DC's Profile

Display Name: Colleen in DC
Personal URL: http://www.foreigncircuslife.blogspot.com/
Member Since: 3/25/07

Latest Comments...

I have a friend whose son just asked Santa for a copy of an in-flight magazine from every airline in the world. His dad travels a lot for work so this could be an attempt to experience that a bit with him, or it could just be that the kid figures Santa must have access to pretty much everything as he travels the globe. Either way, we've got a network of folks collecting and sending in-flight magazines to try to fill this off-beat Christmas wish.


Hilarious Kid Gift Requests: The Year I Asked Santa for a Hamburger
12/13/12 12:40 PM

spiffyonion- when you click on one of the artist's name on the left, you should be brought to a page that shows thumbnails of the donated works. if you click on a thumbnail, it brings you to a page where you can purchase that piece if it is still available (some are already sold).


Support Artists Affected by Sandy The Artist Relief Project
12/4/12 8:48 PM

Thanks everyone- I am quite pleased with this ~$25 makeover!

rmbnn- the artwork is a hand painted map from the Old Book Bazaar in Istanbul.
alainnotebook- the camels on top are from the Friday Market in Kuwait and the camel table on the right is from Desert Designs in Saudi Arabia.


Before & After: DVD Cabinet, Take 2
12/3/12 2:59 PM

I would be very wary of painting a room grey in Ireland since the long rainy winters are pretty grey as it is- perhaps consider a warmer brighter color if you wish to paint an accent wall. I agree about pulling the bed away from the corner and adding a second nightstand. If you want to be able to create a constantly shifting gallery, consider those inexpensive pictures ledges from IKEA- they allow a lot of flexibility in displaying art and photos.


How Can I Make My Bedroom Appear Less Childish? Good Questions
11/30/12 9:56 AM

thanks for catching the typo thatkris- the lucky dresser owner is indeed Gabe not Gage!


Before & After: A Preppy Makeover for a Beat-Up Dresser
Never a Dull Day

12/1/11 9:38 AM

michpam- there is another sofa to the left of the photo so the parallel coffee tables make more sense, and that unseen sofa is the one I sit on to watch TV. There is no wall just a support column behind that sofa because at some point the wall was removed to create a large living and dining room.


Welcome Back: Reassessing Your Home After Traveling
8/5/11 6:07 PM

Miami's Elaine- I'm a DC native currently living in Saudi Arabia.


When Mother Nature Decides to Redecorate
6/1/11 3:15 AM

in a followup blog post, Elizabeth does say "there are still some aspects of this room that i would like to improve on: the rug, the accessories on the buffet, the table (LOVE the table, but it really belongs in our kitchen)"


Before & After: A Dining Room Goes from Bland to Grand
bova goods

5/10/11 10:22 AM

you might find this post from the DC site helpful:
How to Use an Uno Shade with a Harp & Finial Lamp


Source For European Lamp Bases In The U.S.?
Good Questions

2/23/11 2:45 AM

rr90027- what a great tip!

The ceiling is...inexplicable. The dropped part you see is the duct work for the central air that was added after the house was built. The rest of the ceiling is wood strips nailed into concrete to create a grid pattern- no idea why!

I have more art to frame and so am sure the left side will fill out in the coming months; I'll be sure to post new pictures when that happens.


How To Create a Gallery Wall
2/5/11 2:39 AM

oh and Jan in Oregon, yes that is a fan with an outlet in the shower. And no I don't think that is safe! I have a request in to the maintenance people to come address that situation before someone has to use the shower...


Guest Bathroom Gets a Budget Makeover: Before & After
1/22/11 12:50 AM

The sham is a temporary measure until I unpack a box and find my curtains, but this is a one story house and that window is right at the front on the street so I needed something. The plastic curtain that was up there was filthy so it had to come down!

rlmesq- orange was my first though too and I gave it a shot with orange bath rugs from Ikea but it just looked odd- like I was trying to match the tiles but failing. I decided to go for contrast instead and love the bright blue in the sea of neutral tones that is Saudi Arabia!


Guest Bathroom Gets a Budget Makeover: Before & After
1/22/11 12:48 AM

hee hee- the old shade had a traditional harp and finial while the new shade has an uno fitting (like an IKEA lamp) so it took 50 minutes to get it apart and then to put it back together!
Colleen


Simple Change Helps Modernize Outdated Lamps
1/8/11 4:08 AM

ebarrett3- Dec 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mom then keeps the tree up until after the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan 6th so we always get the full month to enjoy the decorations...


How Soon is Too Soon for Holiday Decorations?
Survey

11/27/10 2:04 AM

as someone who has lived underneath a family with small children, I definitely fall in with the carpeting recommendation- falling toys and running feet on hardwood floors can be unbelievably noisy down below. I would also offer the suggestion to reconsider those "quiet hours" on the weekend- 7am is REALLY early to be woken up on a Saturday or Sunday morning if you don't have kids. If you can figure out which room in your home is above their bedroom, perhaps keep the kids out of that room until much later in the day- I know I don't care if there's a jumping jack competition going on over my living room as long as no one is bouncing above my bed!


Tips and Tricks for Not Annoying the NeighborsGood Questions | Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh
7/9/10 5:12 PM

To deal with mosquitos, you can try simply overfill the garden when adding water (the eggs should wash out) or you should be able to pick up something at the nursery to add to the water to battle the mosquitos.


Making Your Own Container Water Garden | Apartment Therapy DC
6/29/10 4:16 PM

totally unnecessary but totally fun- I love it!


Pilot Handwriting Turns Your Handwriting Into A Font | Apartment Therapy Unplggd
6/24/10 2:24 PM

Thanks greatkate- it should be fixed now!


DIY Wine Cork Bathmat Craftynest | Apartment Therapy DC
6/24/10 1:02 AM

for folks worried about #6: at least for us, the big bulky furniture was awkward but not heavy, especially compared to a similarly sized pile of boxes filled with books, dishes, CDs, etc. Obviously this one is a judgement call, but having the sofa go in last and come out first made it much easier to get out of the old apartment and into the new one.


Moving 101: Top 10 Lessons Learned & Tips that Worked | Apartment Therapy DC
6/16/10 5:19 PM

sorry about that MerBot- fixed!


Emptying Your Spring Cleaning Outbox | Apartment Therapy DC
5/17/10 11:17 PM