Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know it's not a super huge holiday, but it's fun. I put up just a few touches of decor around our common living areas that I'd like to share. If I was on the ball, I would have shared this post a week or two ago to inspire you. Alas, I am quite the procrastinator. {I like to think most creative people are.} Hope this inspires you for next year!

Facelift Friday | Bulletin Board Upcycle

How many times have you seen something like this at a garage sale or thrift shop and passed it up?

 I found a rather large one at a local thrift shop for $1 and I could not pass it up. It sat in my garage for a long time as I pondered what to do with it. {and worked on a ton of other projects!}

I finally stumbled upon this blog post by Chelsea at two twenty one and fell in love with the idea.

I had the perfect black and white stripe fabric that I picked up at IKEA this past fall. I used spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the bulletin board and then secured it with upholstery tacks I picked up at a big box craft store. The only thing I did different then Chelsea was to separate the tacks a bit more.

I simply used the wood frame as a guide for where to place the tacks.

I love how chic it turned out. I think it looks fantastic vertical or horizontal.

And I took this a step further! The upholstery tacks are a bit longer than regular push pins, and I worried about them sticking out on the backside. So, I found a lovely black trim to cover the back.

Voila! A reversible bulletin board!!

This is such an easy and inexpensive project. Keep your eyes open for bulletin boards this weekend!!

Facelift Friday | Telephone Table

Today's facelift is one that took me completely by surprise. We've had this telephone table for years. We picked it up at least eight years ago on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It's always been a great foyer, hallway or bathroom piece. It's tall, neutral and not too deep. In my opinion, accent furniture doesn't get any more versatile than this. 

I wasn't looking to replace this piece as it fit perfectly in our foyer between the coat closet and the half bath. But then one day, I stumbled upon a beautiful piece that would be an even better fit. So, I set out to spruce up our telephone table and had planned to sell it. 

But then I fell in love with it. 

This totally happened by accident and it was amazing. My awesome hubby cut a piece of wood into six equal pieces for me to use on a chair frame. They ended up being a smidge too small for the seat. One day when I was trying to find any possible working space organizing the garage, I placed these boards on the telephone table and realized they were a perfect fit! 

I stained the boards and finished with Miss Mustard Seed's Antique Wax. After that, it was the simple task of gluing them to the table top with wood glue. And it looked so pretty, I couldn't imagine selling it. 

So, just last night as I was laying in bed thinking about where I'd photograph this piece, I had the brilliant idea of placing it between the counter and the armoire in our kitchen. This is the space where we keep our hot cocoa/lemonade station. I love this piece here. I love the element of the wood in our kitchen. I love the height it brings. And I love the functionality of it. 

A super simple, stunning fix to an outdated piece of furniture, no? What are you going to fix up today?

The ABCs of Decorating | F

F is for Fresh flowers.

 I know you think they are an indulgence. {and they kind of are} But so is that latte you get at LEAST once a week.

 For the same $5 you spend on one latte, you could get yourself and your family something beautiful that will last at least one week; usually two; and sometimes even longer.

Fresh flowers, no matter how little you spend on them, give the feel that you went that extra mile. They give the impression of something extra special.

  

Skip the latte once this week and add some beauty to your home.

Client Review | Dining Room Decor via Text

Dining Room Décor via Text Messages

{Today's post is guest written by my lovely little sister. She and her family moved into a new, larger home last summer to accommodate their growing family. As it was quite larger than their previous home, they had several rooms they needed to design from scratch. I've had fun sharing the experience with her via text throughout that time. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she has amazingly classic taste!! I asked her if she would mind sharing the client's point of view in a guest post and happily, she agreed! I hope you enjoy it! xo, robyn}  



For a year and a half the only thing in our dining room was a table. I decided that was long enough, and it was time to finish the room.

I started by looking for some type of buffet or sideboard to go against the big empty wall, and had sticker shock for everything I liked. I began the Craigslist hunt, and quickly found a great credenza and hutch. I knew I liked it, but wasn't sure if it would go with the table. So what did I do? Text pictures and send the ad to Robyn Harry Designs for help.

She gave me the affirmation I was looking for, and said she thought it would be great in the room. I was still having second thoughts about it, and found another piece on Craiglist that I kind of liked. I sent the pictures to Robyn to get her take.

She helped me see that size and scale of the first piece were a better fit for the space, so I pulled the trigger, and sent my husband and his truck to pick it up. When we got it in the space, I was so happy with the choice we made.

Next, I wanted to fill the hutch up, but I wasn’t sure with what. I knew I wanted to have some of my everyday dishes in there, but I also thought about doing wine and some glassware. After putting a few pieces in, I sent a picture of it to get Robyn’s opinion. She advised me to go with big, bold opaque pieces, and assured me that a hutch full of cream pottery was “dreamy.” I was glad to hear that because after 8 years, I’m still in love with our everyday dishes we got for our wedding, and I’m excited to now have them on display.

The next thing I was anxious to buy was seating. I found some great chairs at World Market, and they just happened to be having their dining room event, so I was able to get them at half price. Score!!! Before actually purchasing them I sent a picture to Robyn to make sure they would coordinate. She said they would, and challenged me to get a few round backs and a few square backs but I just couldn’t do it.  I wanted to stay in my little safe area, and she happily let me camp out there. I got 6, and continued on.

The next thing I bugged Robyn about was window treatments. I was stuck between an ivory color or an oatmeal color. She said she would go with oatmeal since the room was already filled with a lot of ivory color in the chairs and pottery. I agreed. I found this 96inch curtain panels for $9.99 at Ross. Yes!! Not sure if you can tell, but I live for bargains.

After consulting her on every step of the way, I wanted to try to make the last purchase on my own. This little bird felt ready to fly. I picked these great captains chairs for the ends of the table, and I could not happier with them. Of course they were on sale at overstock.com. What do you think Robyn? Did I make the grade?

So here is the completed room, and I LOVE it!! I love walking down the stairs and seeing this dining room finished, and seeing it finished with pieces and touches that make me happy.

I loved doing this process with my sister. She was so incredibly helpful. I always feel pretty confident in the design or look I’m going for, and still I used her at every step. Having another set of eyes on what you’re doing helps a lot, and I really felt great about having her affirmation for choices I was making, because after all, she is a designer.

Did you know that I live in Texas and she lives in Florida? I completed this entire room with her help, and she never once saw the space in person. Everything was consulted on using iphone pictures, and few short phone calls.

If you are creating, redoing, refreshing, overhauling, or transforming a space, I highly recommend asking Robyn Harry Designs for help along the way. She will guide you and make suggestions for you in a style that you want and like. I feel tons of ownership over my newly completed dining room, but I know I couldn’t have done it without her help!!!

Seasonal Decor | For the love of October

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  Lucy Maud Montgomery

Are you tired of all the autumn quotes and decor yet? I hope not, because I have two post full of fall decor for you.

I took so many photos of our fall decor, I decided to break up the posts into two parts. Today I am sharing our foyer and schoolroom with you.

It should be pretty obvious by now that I am a huge fan of neutral colors. When it comes to seasonal decor, there is not much difference. I find it much easier to incorporate temporary decor with our everyday aesthetic when the color palette is very similar.

I kept our autumn accents simple and subtle. I added a lovely cream colored resin pumpkin I found at Home Goods. I also put together a bouquet of dried flowers and faux wheat  in a vintage wire basket I picked up at a local collective. 

 Right off of the foyer is our formal dining room. Everyone in our family knows it as the schoolroom because it is where we store and complete all of our schoolwork.

In this room and most of our common living areas, I added a mix of real and faux mini white pumpkins. 

The faux cream pumpkins are pretty hard to come by. I found them in various craft stores, antique malls and big box shops. If you stumble upon them, take them home with you!! 

As for the real mini white pumpkins, (they are called "baby boos") they are pretty impossible to find in my part of the country. I ordered them for the second time from Paula Jean's Garden.  

This basket filled with baby boo pumpkins is one of my favorite things in our home right now. It rests on our dresser/buffet in the schoolroom. 

Also on our buffet is a medium sized faux white pumpkin and a "fall" chalkboard banner. I love the look of smaller banner on a wreath and this was just perfect.

This amazing vintage bucket was found at Prissy's Parlor inside Old Time Antiques in Crestview, Florida. When I spotted it, I knew it would be perfect filled up with white pumpkins. (And vintage ornaments and pinecones at Christmas!)

 So, that is it for our foyer and schoolroom. Everything is super duper simple, but so lovely. The little touches really bring me so much joy on a daily basis. 

Sharing this week at:
Between Naps on the Porch
DIY Showoff
Craft-o-Maniac
Finding Silver Pennies
French Country Cottage

Room Refresh | Better flow in the dining room.

Thanks for joining me again for the before and afters of my first room refresh. Today I will be sharing the changes we made in the dining room. I think the dining room ended up being my favorite of the four spaces we converted. My client loved most everything about her dining room except for the flow of the space. 

Because the room is long and a bit narrow, her husband felt angling the hutch in the corner was the best use of space. In fact, it ended up having the opposite effect. 

She and I moved the hutch straight against the right wall with the help of these awesome furniture sliders. She was pleasantly surprised with the result. {I hope her husband will be as well!!} 

Another tip to create more space is to remove the end chairs from the dining room table. You can store them away until you need them or you can add some lovely pillows and use them as accents in your room.

My client chose the latter and I am so happy she did. I think the result is quite stunning. 

Next, we had only minor changes to make in the dining room. The first thing I thought would improve the feel was to move the Venetian figurines a bit lower and closer to the mirror. 

This gorgeous painting is special to my client. Previously, it was centered on one of the long walls and felt lost. We moved it to a smaller wall on the side of the window and I feel it gets the deserved attention in this space.

Do you see the cute little Queen Anne table under this painting? It was one of a pair that was acquired by my client's husband prior to their living together. My client felt they were a bit outdated. If you have similar tables and have the same sentiments, a super simple fix is to remove the glass tops. Voila! Easy. 

Another common challenge for my clients is window treatments. I would suggest to you to think a bit outside of the box when it comes to this. My client felt her only option was to leave the window as is. I sent her pictures of various treatments for arched windows and she chose this elegant swag.

The voile curtain is held in place with the most lovely tiebacks. I simply gave my client the ideas. She purchased exactly what she wanted and installed it herself. In fact, the longer I worked with her, the more confident and independent she became in transforming her home into a haven.

That is exactly what I desire to accomplish when working with my clients. My hope is to empower each of them with the tips and suggestions I give. I want to be able to give them the freedom to add pieces to each room as their schedule and their budget permit. 

Springtime Centerpiece

 

It took me a while to get this arrangement just right. It wasn't the type of consideration where you sit and stare at something for hours. This centerpiece was built out of multiple passings by. And I finally settled this afternoon.

 

It's a simple stack of melamine plates from Target's Easter selection years ago. I loved the faux vintage look on them. {The cute little bunnies didn't hurt things either.}

 

 

Also from Target's Easter offerings are the sweet linen {looking} napkins with the embroidered rabbit.

 

 

On top of the stack of plates is a lovely sugar bowl I got from a Dutch company called Pomax. Their stuff is simple and beautiful. I hope to find more before we move back to the States.

The cake stand is a new addition to our home. It is Martha Stewart and I was happy and surprised to find it at the Exchange here in Germany. I am looking forward to experimenting with different seasonal items.

 

If you are local, you will be happy to hear the faux eggs and nest are ridiculously easy to find in Germany. The country as a whole seemingly has a love affair with eggs in the spring. Mine in particular came from Depot.

 

 

After days of walking past our dining room table and slightly rearranging things, I am finally happy with the arrangement. All the spring things make me smile... even when snow is fluttering down right outside my window.

Sharing this post at Cozy Little House.

Valentine's Day Decor | String Hearts

 

I originally found this idea via Pinterest. It led me to Camilla's lovely blog, Family Chic. There you can find the directions to these simple, yet quite lovely hearts.

 

 

I swapped out the bright colors Camilla chose for something a little closer to my decor style. I picked up white and flax colored yarn at a local store. I didn't have the floral wire Camilla used, so I used a medium gauge craft wire to shape the hearts. After some trial and error, I realized I needed to wrap the wire heart with a layer of yarn before weaving the web around them. This kept the yarn webs taught with no slipping.

 

I love this project. It was simple enough to do with my children and they add a special touch to our living area. 

French Cheeseboard Centerpiece

  Over the summer, I found the beauty that is Kristine's style over at The Painted Hive. Since then, I have ogled her home over and over and dreamed of ways I could incorporate her style into my own home. One thing I really loved was the way she styled her dining room table. The centerpiece was a simple collection of things: a pair of lanterns, a floral arrangement, and some fruit centered around a cheeseboard. It was an aha! moment for me. I needed a cheeseboard.

How lucky I am that I happen to live in Europe at the time of this revelation. I started the search. Of course, it needed to be French. This was non-negotiable. I've been to several bazaars since summer and I've seen lovely vintage cheeseboards. For whatever reason, they didn't seem right to me. 

Last weekend, I finally stumble upon the perfect option. Don't you love when things mesh so perfectly? You see, there are these amazing wine racks that Americans love to buy over here. They are actual champagne riddling racks directly from Reims, France. They are beautiful. But we have a wine rack we love and it's hard for us to find a place for a riddling rack in our home. Nonetheless, I couldn't imagine leaving Europe without an authentic riddling rack. 

 So, we found ourselves at the place in Germany that sells these lovely items with the stamp of authenticity. I stood in the shop debating with myself over this wine rack and I happened to see this beautiful cheeseboard! It is made of the wood from the riddling racks in Reims and even has the stamp of the vineyard. How perfect! I was so excited about my find and couldn't wait to get home and style it up myself.

The items currently in use are what I had on hand. I am sure they will be changed plenty of times throughout the year to accommodate different holidays and the changing seasons. Right now, I have some lovely pink tea towels from IKEA and a rustic heart frame as a nod to Valentine's Day. Of course, I will be adding a family picture and some other fun things, but I am quite happy with the way it all turned out.