Category Archives: Home Decor

Christmas Decor

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It’s going to be pouring buckets of rain for the next few days, so my grand plan this weekend is to decorate for the holidays.  Aside from getting a tree, I want to swap out all the fall decor for wintery accessories that look like the holidays while keeping an organic feel.

Where else did I turn for inspiration than Pinterest, that is brimming with crafty, creative ideas.  Some of my favorites??

Well, for starters, I just LOVE these burlap pillows.  I would imagine that these would be fairly easy to replicate with a few letter stencils, fabric paint, and a sponge brush… and Ikea has fabulous linen pillow covers (20″x20″) for just $6!

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I also love the look of these gifts, wrapped up in plain brown butcher paper, and decked out with red ribben, buttons, bows, and berries.  Unique, and pretty.

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These paper wrapped ornaments are another simple project, and could also double as gift tags on a present!  Tear up yesterday’s newspaper, bust out the modge podge, and finish with glitter!  Easy!

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I imagine that this pretty boxwood wreath would be much easier to buy than to make, and I love the simplicity of it.  I envision a few of these hanging in our windows this year.

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And finally, how pretty and simple is this winter white vignette.  I may head out to the store right now for a pair of mini Christmas trees, and fake snow!

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Small Space Living

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You all know that I’ve been struggling with the tiny entry way in our apartment.  I’ve made the executive decision – those black stripes are going – but now I’m left with the question… what do I do now?!

Houzz is such a source of inspiration for me, and I’ve been scouring their archives for helpful decor hints. Luckily for me, their archives are FILLED with amazing tidbits to help me solve this problem…

First up: decorating with intention, to maximize a small space.  If this article wasn’t written for me, I don’t know what is!!
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Another super helpful article I found was this tutorial around decorating tricky spaces.  Unfortunately, I WISH one of my problems was having too high ceilings, but there were a few tips in there that got me thinking…
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And another… tricks for stashing your stuff in an apartment.  How convenient! Kris and I were JUST talking about looking into an external storage facility… maybe all I need to do is clean out our linen closet, and get some hollow ottomans with lids…
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Stripes on Stripes on Stripes

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So I started a project last night…

Stripes.

Lots of them.  In our entryway… what do you think?

To be honest, I’m not 100% sure about them.  I did about 75% of the walls before deciding to think about it some more.  Imagine Kris’ surprise when he came home to lots and LOTS of stripes.

He said he felt like he was in jail.

HA!  Little does he know…

Can you guess how I got these stripes up??  Tape!!  I used 3″ black painters tape (easily ordered from Amazon), and it took me only an hour or so to get all of these stripes up.  Measure… tape… measure… tape.  Tedious, but simple, and best of all, very temporary, so if I change my mind, it won’t be a huge task.  I’m going to live with it for a few days before making up my mind.

The pros:
  – These stripes make the space feel larger
  – The visual impact is really stunning, and the lines are perfectly crisp
  – It doesn’t look like tape in person… it actually looks like paint or wallpaper

The cons:
  – The HUGE contrast between the entry and the living room feels disjointed
  – The narrow stripes make it a very busy pattern… too busy perhaps?

Here the view from the living room… even with the unfinished wall, you still get an idea of how it will look. Sorry for the low light, and crappy iPhone pic.  It was late, and I was very into Real Housewives…

So… what do I do??
The entry is connected to our kitchen, and living room, and without any windows it’s dark, and without the stripes, it is VERY blah.
See this before:
Blah.  So… what to do?  Keep the stripes or ditch them for something else??

Design Icon: Stacy Curran

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Another pretty room – Pinterest is full of those isn’t it??
This room belongs to Stacy of South Shore Decorating – previously named as Conspicuous Style.
I’ve followed her for a long time, and really admire her style, and her story.  Her bedroom is one of my all time favorite spaces – all cool soothing tones of icy blues, greens and greys.  All the white in the bedding and bed frame allow the wall color to shine, and it actually gives the room a silvery feel.  Everything about this room says elegance, sophistication, and “no chocolate on your hands please” (a personal mantra of mine)!  It’s absolutely, drop dead gorgeous.  
And the zebra??  Everyone I know thinks I’ve become a bit nutty with this animal print obsession, but I LOVE it!

Well, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and being a gal on a budget, I created a design board that mimics this room, but won’t break the bank.

If you love it, check out the “where to buy” guide below – and if you are interested in having my help creating a design board for a room you are working on – send me a private message!  I’m more than happy to help!

Where To Buy:
Bed Frame,  Zebra Print Rug,  Silver Framed Mirror,  Side tables (these are actually console tables),  Creme Slipcovered Chair,  Upholstered Ottoman with Casters,  White Curtains (you can easily add black trim with iron on adhesive),  Peacock Blue Velvet Pillows,  Grey Silk Pillows,   Patterned Throw Pillow,    Stacked Ball Acrylic Table Lamp,  Throw blanket

In case her fabulous bedroom didn’t impress you enough on it’s own – she is INCREDIBLY down to earth!

In an interview last year, she was asked, “What decorating techniques/ideas/projects would you recommend to a homeowner who wants a quick fix to their room?”
Stacy answered, “Paint, curtains, and pillows make a world of difference, and can be done relatively inexpensively. Making curtains out of fabric from JoAnn’s or similar stores, when you catch them on sale, can be surprisingly affordable.  I do my own all the time, and don’t even sew them.  I use fabric tape or glue to hem and line (well, I don’t usually line them, butyou can if you’re ambitious).  In my bedroom, I used $10 white panels from Target and glued grosgrain ribbon to trim them, and I think they look as good as really expensive ones.  In my dining room, I hung fabric from JoAnn on rods/rings, and no one would ever know that they are not really “curtains” from a  seamstress or store.”

Amen sister – anyone who A) can put that room together, B) loves Target (pronounced Tar-shay) as much as I do, and C) still looks to cut corners without sacrificing style is definitely WORTHY of the title “Design Icon” – and she is certainly one for me!

Read the rest of the interview here, and go check out her blog, plus more pictures of her lovely home here!

Gold Leaf Barware DIY

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It all started with this Barclay Butera barware I discovered on A Creative Day.  The decanter and tumblers are absolutely fabulous… no?

Well I looked them up online, and each tumbler is $21, and the decanter is $57.  Holy moly – the set is absolutely beautiful, but it’s just not realistic for my “budget” right now.

                
After falling in love with this lovely barware, and knowing it wasn’t going to happen, I started scheming, and decided that my Ikea tumblers were getting a makeover… ASAP.

Here’s what we started out with – simple, solid, glass tumblers… $4.99 for a six pack!  Can’t beat that price! As a side note, do you like my mani??  It’s OPI’s Everyday is Oktoberfest if you are interested…

I still had some liquid gold leaf left over from sea fan shadowbox project, and so last night I got to work giving these tumblers a snazzy makeover.

There was nothing planned or precise about it – I didn’t want them to be all the same, and since gold leaf has some texture, it was easier to just go with the flow and freehand it… and I think it turned out pretty well!

This paint dries in seconds, so by the time I finished the last glass, the first one was completely dry, and I was able to arrange them back on the chrome platter they live on in the dining room.  Don’t you love that instant satisfaction??

And here they are – with the low light night pictures, the candles show how shiny the gold leaf is – all glowy and pretty 🙂

Not bad, right??  While my glasses don’t have the lovely honeycomb pattern of the Barclay Butera tumblers, they cost me $5, and that sure beats the $120 price tag for six of the Barclay tumblers.

Would they stand up to hard scrubbing or a dishwasher?? I wouldn’t count on it, but since they are only used occasionally for cocktails, and I am the “dishwasher” in our house, I think they’ll be just fine.  Worst case scenario??  I dab some more gold leaf paint on there when they chip.

Brilliant!

Bold Striped Walls

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Hope you all had a great weekend!  
From these pictures, take a wild guess at what I am contemplating for my next project around the house…..

     via Decor Pad 

That’s right – stripes!

Horizontal, vertical, fat, skinny… I love them all!  I love them as a statement wall in a room with a neutral palate…

                           via Emily Clark

As a graphic backdrop in a more traditional setting (with botanical gallery wall and antique piano)…

                     via Pinterest

And check out these vertical stripes in a sassy metallic gold… such a bold choice!

                                    via Amanda Carol at Home

More narrow stripes in black and white – don’t you think they make this small space look taller?

                  via Elle Decor 

Or wide and chocolate brown in a pantry / bar area… classic and pretty.
Am I crazy or do you love them too??

Exploring the Market of the World…

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Have you been to World Market (formerly Cost Plus) lately?

Sweet baby Jesus, they have some AMAZING finds!  My office is literally across the street from Pier 39, which means awesome views – both of the bay, as well as of lost tourists and more fanny packs than you can imagine… Side Note: Where are people still buying fanny packs??  It is a great mystery to me…

Getting back to my original point, World Market is just a hop skip and a jump away, so I can escape calmly walk over during a lunch break, and indulge in a little retail therapy.  For those of you who haven’t been to World Market in a while – please do – its not all incense and meditation pillows anymore – they have some seriously fabulous pieces!

I have to add, they are not paying me to say any of this… I’m just way into them right now

Hello there beautiful zebra printed Louis XVI dining chair!!  Imagine a pair of these in a living room… or as an addition to an office (um what if you added mini casters to the legs… fabulous AND functional).  I could even see a chair like this in a bedroom or hallway… heck, it would pretty much work anywhere!  AND it’s on sale!  I was barely able to resist.

Look at what else I found – an assortment of animal hide rugs!  Remember my obsession with cow hide rugs that I posted about here??  That obsession is still alive and well my friends. I still want one for the dining room!  Not entirely sure if these are real, but if they weren’t, they could have fooled me!

This drafting desk was just calling to me – I’ve never drafted a thing in my life, but I feel that I need this.  Of course, we have no where to put it, and it would provide zero storage (one of the musts for anything we bring into our tiny apartment), but its just SO COOL.

Don’t even get me started on this bookshelf – Jenny of The Little Green Notebook featured it recently – painted grey I believe, but I actually love the dark wood.  And can we talk about that mini ladder??  I’m a tall gal at 5’8″ (without heels) so the ladder would be kind of ironic, but I love it regardless.

Can you tell which part of this next vignette I’m loving??  If you guessed the headboard, you’d be right, but not the one you see in the back.  The cutesy buttons are not doing it for me, however, the headboard in the forefront – the one that is unfortunately covered up by all those “exotic” pillows, is just lovely.  I love the nail-head, and love that it’s trimmed out in wood.

On to the accessories – I’m ALL ABOUT this weathered globe (everyone will surely think me worldly and well traveled), but have a feeling that I can find one of these at a Goodwill in the area…

And of course, the garden stools – does anyone actually use these as seating??  Doubtful… they don’t look comfortable, but they are still so fab – especially the shiny gold one. Me likey 🙂

And what did I find here?? The faux fur throws… which as we all know, I went home with.  I’m still trying to find the right spot for him to live – yes our faux fur throw is a “him”.  Will he go in the living room, or the bedroom??  To be determined…

Does anyone else have any good finds they’ve stumbled upon recently??

Deal of the Century – $70 Chandelier

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Does anyone else follow Emily Hewitt of A Well Dressed Home?  Her taste is very similar to mine in terms of the palattes she goes for, and I absolutely adore her bedroom.

The color is great, I LOVE that upholstered headboard, and the bedding is classic and soft.  Looking beyond everything fabulous that is happening here, the real gem of this room is that chandelier!  And guess where it’s from??  The Home Depot – and it’s plastic.  She posts about it here, and I agree – for $100 it’s a steal, and since no one goes to touch your chandelier, who cares what it’s made of as long as it looks real!

This brings me to my find this morning… Joss & Main is having a sale from AF Lighting (sale here), and guess what I found??  I nearly identical chandelier to the one Emily has hanging in her room… same specs, but ~$40 cheaper!  Holla!
Fashion Chandelier in Clear

I know a great deal when I see one, so I snatched this pretty chandy up faster than a fat kid going after the last donut hole.  With an additional 5% off (hey, I’ll take it where I can get it) I snagged this lovely fixture for $70 – shipping included.

I’m no electrician, but I’m sure we can figure this out.  The hardest decision is deciding where we should hang it – in our bedroom to replace the current boob light the landlord so lovingly installed, or in the dining room, where there is an equally hideous light fixture??

For those unfamiliar with the boob light, feast your eyes:

Decisions, decisions… sounds like it’s going to ship pretty quickly, so I’m looking forward to a special package in the mail.  Next up, getting a pretty ceiling medallion for the installation!

Design Icon: Kishani Perera

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Kishani Perera is a total design maven – her work has been shown all over the internet – from design blogs, to Pinterest (which is actually where I originally fell in love with her) and she’s been consistantly featured in BH&G, House Beautiful… the list goes on.
One of my favorite Bloggers, Amanda Eck featured her recently, and since I am totally in love with her work, decided to create a design board for one of my favorite rooms.

This space is girly… funky… and Kris would totally die if he walked into our house decked out in hot pink. My favorite thing about her, is that she takes risks, and creates rooms that are as livable as they are beautiful.  Simultaneously ‘relaxed and elegant’ if you will, and somehow it all works.

While I’m sure this room didn’t come cheap, that’s not how we roll in my household, so the design I put together below focuses on getting the same look, while staying on budget (dang that budget… I could throw it out the window!)

Enjoy the “where to buy” below for this affordable reconstruction!

Where to Buy:
Zebra Rug, Grey Sectional, Pink Pillows, Lucite Coffee Table, Floor Lamp, Bookshelf, Chandelier, Mercury Glass Vases, Abstract Painting, Silk Panels

Mounted Deer Heads… OH yeahhh

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Is it me, or is anything with an antler trendy as heck right now?!

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I’ve personally never been into anything that came from a carcass, but between my new obsession with anything faux fur, and my growing desire to purchase something with antlers to put on the wall, I am getting slightly worried!

I’ve been seeing photos of mounted antlers and animal heads (both real and fake) making a statement everywhere from Target, to ZGallerie, to Urban Outfitters to the pages of House Beautiful, and while I never thought I’d say this… I really want one too!

How awesome is that white lacquer deer head mounted on those rich dark walls??

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I also love this rustic grouping above that FABULOUS console (look at those gorgeous turned legs!!)  I have to say, Restoration Hardware definitely has a “look” – right?? I could tell this image (sourced through Pinterest) originally came from the Restoration Fall Catalog.

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While this look has turned into a bit of an obsession for me, I draw the line at anything taxidermied.  My uncle is an avid hunter, and all the moose and elk heads always freaked me out as a child…

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I am pretty sure that the mounted (fake) deer heads could very easily become one of those “what the hell was I thinking” moments…  also, Kris will likely think I’ve lost my mind if I even try to bring one of these guys home, but I still secretly love this trend.