Our Man Cave Renovation - time to redecorate!

As many of you already know, we recently had a plumbing fail in our basement, and my hubby's newly finished man cave suffered a big loss. All the flooring had to be ripped out, the drywall had to be cut out, and a lot of the electronics and decor got wet and damaged.

Thus, we're now in the process of getting ready for a major renovation. With that in mind, its fun to take your mind off the sucky part of this experience, by imagining how we might redecorate the space.

Coincidentally, I was just invited to participate in Man Crates Gifts for Men's "Man Cave Makeover" campaign. Man Crates is an online source for sending your guy a gift he'll laugh at, brag about, and probably grunt over while breaking it open with its included crow bar. Yup, they come with a crow bar! Highly covetable, these wooden crates come filled with things guys want - beer, beef jerky, grilling gadgets, barware, sweat-inducing spicy snacks, survival gear (in case of an zombie apololypse of course), golf goodies, and products for the poker player or old-school video gamer.

Man Crates asked me how I would decorate a Man Cave, and I have to say I would do exactly what the hubster and I did the first go-around - with an industrial aesthetic. You can check out this previous post that shows a lot of the items we used in our basement, like Edison light fixtures, stainless steel, etc.

For the purposes of this post, I'm thinking pie-in-the-sky, money is no object...and making a list of what I would do, if I could, without a budget or a hubby to stop the madness!

First, I love exposed brick...so I'd give one wall that treatment.

Next, there'd be a lot of exposed ductwork, beams and track lighting with grey walls. Black beams though (which is exactly what's in our man-cave now)

I'd choose a comfy grey upholstered couch, and pair it with some reclaimed wood pieces, like a coffee table, console or media center.

There is no lack of cool industrial light fixtures available on the market today. I love cage lights, vintage barn lights, and even big mercury glass globes. Oh how to choose!?!

And of course, any self-respecting man-cave needs a game table - especially a pool table. Check out this baby (from Great Gatherings)...oak hardwood, mortise and tenon construction, decorative metal bolts...I think I can hear my husband moaning with pleasure already!

A bar is another given for a man-cave, and these bar stools make my heart go pitter-patter.

As for artwork, I'd do vintage maps...especially city maps, like this...

So there ya have it, my vision for an ideal man-cave - a place where he can enjoy solitude with his Xbox, or a Sunday in front of the big screen with his buddies!

Thank you Man Crates for the invitation to participate in your campaign.

Now back to dealing with the insurance company!

Halloween decorating and making your own spell book

I hate scary movies, but I love creepy Halloween decorations. Go figure. 

So every season my son and I dig out the skeletons, skulls, and other creepy-crawlies to liven up the front yard. I really wanted to do something different this year - less cheesy. Less cheap scare, more Fall, with a touch of the hair-raising, in a subtle way. But, it didn't happen. I had hoped to have a hoard of time and money to shop for new things. Neither happened. So, we went with our usual. 

The only part of the outdoors I am really happy with are the crows. Why? Because the pizza delivery guy told me that this one scared the hell out of him! I don't blame him. (Have you seen Hitchcok's The Birds??)

Here's a couple of the indoor vignettes...

The only real fun I had with decorating for the 31st has been the "mad-scientist lab," as I like to call it. I saw this idea on Pinterest and more or less just stole it!

To think I bought these apothecary jars for a baby shower I hosted last year! This one now holds my son's rubber snake!

These lovely cloches were scored at Great Gatherings during a 75% off sale! I got such a deal on them! And doesn't the skull look creepy in there!

I found these jar labels online. Gotta love free printables! I can't remember where I found these. If you Google search images for Halloween printables, you're bound to find them!

Another snake in a jar, with little mice scampering over things on the table!  I wish I had a realistic looking frog! How can a household with a 7-year old boy not have a fake frog??

My only real project was making this spell book. This was also an idea found online - and easily recreated! Below are the simple steps (so simple you don't really need steps, but I'll list them for you all who insist on complete tutorials)!

I bought this big dictionary at a local used bookstore. Only $1.00!! And fortunately for me, it already had a black board cover. Look for a thick book - it doesn't matter if its old, you can make it look old.

1) Find a big, thick book, with black board cover. If you can't get a black cover, paint your cover black.

2) I used a wet sponge to moisten all the edges of the pages. Let it dry. 

3) Design two sheets to look like an old spell book. Again, there's a lot of wording examples on the net. I found both of these "recipes" on the net. I used an old-fashioned gothic style font and designed using Adobe InDesign. I downloaded the free skull and snake images from The Graphics Fairy. 

4) Next, open to the center of the book. Spray each side with spray-mount glue and stick down your newly designed sheets.

5) Then, I antiqued the page edges and two new sheets with Annie Sloan's dark wax. I just brushed a small amount on with a paint brush and it looks beautifully old!

6) I took my wet sponge again and went over the edges of the pages and started to roll them with my fingers. They dried slightly rolled up and look great!

7) Last, I grabbed an old black ribbon, cut a forked end, and just draped it across the open book, and tucked the other end under the book. I didn't even attach it, as I don't expect anyone will be touching this evil-looking thing! (insert bewitching laugh here)

And that's it - the hardest part was driving 30 minutes to the used book store!

Now that the house is all decked for Halloween, I can't wait to take it all down and start putting up my Christmas things! Damn, two more weeks until Trick-or-Treat.