Friday, March 30, 2012

Flower Friday: Lavender

The thing that's so great about lavender is that you can buy them dried and never have to worry about watering them! Last spring I attempted to grow a patch in our garden, but try as I might, they did not turn out as I had imagined. They actually resembled rosemary rather than flowing visions of blue and purple buds. Still though, the ones inside my house were more to marvel at!

Splitting two lavender bundles into "mini's" and laying them on burlap

Nothing beats lavender stuffed into an apothecary

An old tea pot I found recycled as a flower display


Here are some beautiful inspirations from others:
Boutique-de-la-mer.blogspot.com

HGTV.com

Homeandgardenideas.com

Informationvine.com


Interiordesigndecoratingideas.com



Wildabouttravel.com


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Dining Lights

A few weeks ago, I changed the arrangement of our living room. Anyone who knows me also knows that I'm incessant about switching things up -- and did just that. What bothered me most was the unused portion of our dining room. Sure it looked nice, but it wasn't functional. The reason I kept it the way it was mainly because of the light fixture which hung above.


I would like nothing more than to hang something remarkable above our table (see post about ladders), but for the time being this works perfectly. Not only was it cheap, it was so easy to 'install'! This makes for a nice transition into something a bit more permanent, or until I'm sure this is where the table will reside.


The end result is whimsy and lends a beautiful soft light. It almost reminds me of a garden party in the spring where stars are reflecting down. Now, all that's missing are fragrant flowers and a soiree!


IF this inspires you, here's all you will need:
  • Icicle Lights
  • Transparent tape (yup, that's right)
  • Extension cord








Monday, March 26, 2012

Wooden Finds

I never met a piece of wood I didn't want to paint. Seriously. Just about everything I bring in gets dusted with a white coat of paint and battered for a shabby chic look. However, these pieces of wood stepped into my life and for the first time, I don't want to change them. Can this be the mark of true love?

Not quite sure where their permanent homes will be, but in the meantime, the window resides in the entryway along with his friends, the bench and wood press.

Stay tuned for what I actually do with them! They really are charming and I'll have to somehow use them to off-set the color of a room or enhance their uniqueness.

Vintage Window


My daughter's new throne seat!
Wood Press






Friday, March 23, 2012

Flower Friday: Hydrangeas

Now that spring has sprung, I can't help but notice all the blooms that are flowering right before my eyes. From colorful tulips to bright yellow forsythia's and other blooms that are signature to the season.

My absolute favorites are hydrangea's. I'm a sucker for the simple myriad of color combinations. Simple and muted, yet very much so make a statement. Seriously, there are whites, faint greens, violets, blues, pinks and all shades in between those colors. They're simply magnificent!
















Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Kitchen Curtains

I'm all for using what you have on hand to make a room pop. I also repurpose things that are designated for other places in order to add that certain level of flair to a space. Case in point: curtains.


I had these .79 cent towels laying around from Ikea and wanted to dress our windows up. I thought it would add pinache to our nook and a bit of privacy as well. Okay, not as much as you would get with conventional curtains, but that's what the blinds are for!

End result is cute, I have no complaints... my husband doesn't mind either, seeing that it only cost just under $8.00 to achieve. Compare that to roman shades - yes, one day when I master a certain DIY project and a sewing machine - and you're saving a bundle.

Easy to close "panels"

A va-va-voom valance

 Completes the nook-look

 Bottom towels are strung along a clothes line


A 'star' project indeed!

So, what are your thoughts? Oh yes, forgot to mention that no sewing required -- even better! 








Monday, March 19, 2012

Potted Plants

I was a kid in the candy store browsing Anthropologie for fresh ideas on home decor and found a few ideas that caught my eye. I'm not even referring to the items for sale, which are lovely, but so out of my budget. No no, what I'm referring to were the fabulous displays of things you probably already have in your home.

Example, potted plants.

BEFORE

I have a few of these throughout my house and decided to revamp them with a fresh coat of white paint. The finished product were plants that looked fresh and bright, but also a new spin on an old classic. Who would've thought that taking the 'terra' out of the pot would bring it a new life? 


AFTER

This mini makeover seems to match the white decor in my kitchen beautifully, so I'm a happy camper indeed.

Here's what you'll need to pull this off, actually, put this on:
  • Paint Brush
  • White Paint (I used my standard, Acrylic Craft Paint in White Wicker *see previous post*)
I used several coats until the pots were completely covered.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Letter Holder

On my thrift store shopping journey, I stumbled upon this vintage record holder and it had letter holder written all over it - - I had to pick it up! 

Since I enjoy repurposing items, this was perfect and thought it would look great on our hallway table. Seriously, something that actually serves a purpose? An automatic husband approval... 

Here's the before:

{Notice the gold}

Since "gold" doesn't jive with my decor, I went with white paint to spruce it up. I wrapped the handles in a beige-y yarn... but twine also would've done the job as well. 

Here are the afters: 

 Voila! 

Love the look of the numbered metal for the 'records' - - didn't change this one bit! 



 Used acrylic craft paint in 'Wicker White' to create the look

 Then 'aged' it a bit by scraping the metal with the paint brush


Great for letter holding!


PS - What I didn't show was my attempt to spray paint this. The color was antique white, but it came out too yellow-y and lacked texture. SO, I went over it with the paint and it worked perfectly.