ABCs of Decorating | G
No one lives in a state of stillness. No one. Our lives are forever changing. Up and down, left and right. We never know what is laying in wait around the corner of tomorrow. And in that spirit, our home needs to be filled with grace.
We need to extend that grace to our husbands, our children and even ourselves. Yes. You and I need grace too. Sometimes I need an extra large, heaping dose of it. Thankfully, grace is unlimited.
When I began this series, I aimed to post each new letter on a Wednesday. I've been pretty true to that schedule. All along, I knew G would be for grace. As life does, mine got busy with keeping up with my booth and homeschooling. My blog suffered. I took several months off. When I decided to only do consignment beginning this month, I was happy to return to my blog and this series. As grace would have it, G fell on Ash Wednesday. How appropriate! I was excited to publish this grace filled post on a day that we remember we are nothing without our Father; that we have hope because of the grace He has given us. Well, as God often does, He reminded me how much I need grace. I became sick yesterday and spent much of the day in bed. Nothing got done. I crocheted and that is about it.
This morning as I was sitting at our kitchen table working on spelling with my middle, I looked around at the chaos of our home. It reminded me life happens here in our haven. Everyday.
Life ebbs and flows. Right now, it seems
As I write this, I overhear my two youngest laughing and playing. That is what matters. I don't want to hurt them or belittle them in pursuit of perfection. Their hearts are the ultimate goal in this life of mine.
As a wife and mother, I want this home to be a HAVEN. A haven is a defined as a place of safety or a refuge. This is a place of safety; a place to hide; a place to built up and loved. Yes, cleanliness is often much more comfortable than a messy home. But truly, truly there are times in life where it just isn't possible without paying a price.
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!!!
Facelift Friday | Getting back in the swing of things!
Friends, it has been far too long. I have really missed this little blog of mine. But I have thoughtfully made some changes in my life and as a result, will have more time to blog. I'm happy to be back!
Well, I meant to post this Friday, but as we all know, life gets hectic and I am slowly getting back into photographing, editing and writing up home decor projects and ideas. This week's facelift is a super fun and easy project that anyone can do.
Per usual, I completely neglected to take a before photo. I started with a very large decorative bowl that I picked up at a local thrift shop. Something similar to this, but dark red with palm trees:
This bowl is very large and would make such a great accent piece in a kitchen, dining room, or bookshelves.
Well, I meant to post this Friday, but as we all know, life gets hectic and I am slowly getting back into photographing, editing and writing up home decor projects and ideas. This week's facelift is a super fun and easy project that anyone can do.
Per usual, I completely neglected to take a before photo. I started with a very large decorative bowl that I picked up at a local thrift shop. Something similar to this, but dark red with palm trees:
I knew I wanted something on it that would be textured and raised up off of the surface. I remembered I had a jar of gesso and the wheels in my head started spinning.
First I printed out a free image of a fleur de lis I liked. Next, I traced it onto a thicker cardstock and cup that image out with an exacto knife to create a stencil.
After taping the stencil to the bowl, I added a layer of gesso and let it dry. Next, I pulled the stencil off and just used the first layer as a guide. I applied quite a few more coats of gesso on top. I'm going to be honest and let you know this bowl was on my island for several weeks. Some people (hubby) got really tired of looking at it.
Once I was satisfied with the amount of texture and depth of the fleur de lis, I spray painted the entire thing with two coats of flat white. I wanted to use milk paint on this, but I knew it would have a hard time adhering to such a smooth, perfect surface. The spray paint was to give it some depth as well as something for the milk paint to adhere to.
Here is what it looked like after the spray paint:
Next, I added one coat of Miss Mustard Seed's milkpaint in Shutter Gray. Once it dried, I sanded a bit around the borders of the fleur de lis to reveal the flat white. My plan was to use a large French script stamp I have and stamp only on the raised fleur. I'm telling you, I tried every technique possible and I just couldn't get it right! I finally resolved to handwriting Psalm 23: 2 in French.
It's SO not perfect, but it will do. Finally, I used a very fine grit sand paper to smooth down the entire thing and rough up the handwriting a bit. I added a coat of MMSMP antique wax, followed by a coat of white wax. I love how it brought out the lovely crackle texture left by the milkpaint.
This bowl is very large and would make such a great accent piece in a kitchen, dining room, or bookshelves.
The colors are all quite neutral, so I think it would be a great fit for any color scheme.
All of the Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint line is nontoxic, though I still wouldn't recommend using this piece for food. I think I'm going to put it up in my booth at Old Time Antiques. If you are local, you should absolutely check it out!
Reindeer Feed | Free Graphic
I've been loving this pillow from Farmhouse Wares, but it's sold out and what I really wanted was a kitchen towel. I searched for a similar graphic, but couldn't find one, so I made something of my own.
I used this vintage reindeer graphic from The Graphics Fairy and simply added the wording and stripes. It's super generic and I am sure there are many more out there. Before I closed out Photoshop, I thought I may as well save the image and offer it free for my readers. So, here you go!
The ABCs of Decorating | E
E, oh E, what could E be??? Quite honestly, I didn't have to think about E too long because it is something I do often.... And you should too.
Editing is an important part of your home decor process because our tastes and styles are always evolving.
Think back to when you first decorated your own space. It could have been your first apartment, a dorm room in college, or the first home you and your spouse put together. Is your style the same? Do you still draw joy from things you did at that time in your life? Most likely, the answer is no. Sure, when it comes to the foundation and core of who you are, you may be similar. But the little things change. You may have added family members, a new career, discovered new passions, or cultivated new interests. While some things remain, many things have changed. As a result, your surroundings, the things that bring you comfort, should change as well.
I remember being at a friend's home in college and seeing a picture of her as a baby in the same home..... with all of the decor EXACTLY the same. Her parents had a gorgeous home, but the accessories were very dated. You know what? You could feel it. The home didn't wrap you up like a welcoming hug. It was merely a place that time raced circles around. Don't let this happen to your home.
- Glance around the room and anything you spot that you do not love, get rid of it.
- Rearrange vignettes to make them more appealing to you.
- Occasionally rearrange furniture to improve the flow of the room.
- Change out throw pillow covers.
- Change out the accent color of a room.
All of these things are easy and inexpensive.
Lastly, I'm going to share pictures of our living room over the last several years to give you a sense of the editing I do in my own home. I hope this helps spur you into editing your own space!
1. Troy, Illinois
This was the second home we had this furniture in. Unfortunately, our first home was prior to digital cameras. :) We obviously loved red at this point. The accent colors for our living spaces were red, sage green and a very neutral tan color.
2. Grand Forks, North Dakota
As you can see, we still have the same major pieces: Leather sofa, chair and ottoman; black armoire and side tables. When we moved to GF, we kept sage green as an accent color and added robin's egg blue. We changed the curtains and pillows as well as a few accents. We kept a touch of red for a while, but slowly transitioned it out. It was our second year in North Dakota I bought our zebra accent pillows and rug. It was a needed change away from my comfort zone.
3. Newport, Rhode Island
This was a bit of a different situation for us as we were only there ten months. The house we rented was a colonial reproduction and window treatments felt wrong, so we left it as it was. I don't really have any good photos of our living room either, but it stayed the same.
4. Simmozheim, Baden-Wurttemberg
We still have the same main pieces. The accent color is still a robin's egg blue, but it appears the sage green and red have been completely edited out. Creams and tans are starting to make more of an appearance at this point.
5. Patch Barracks, Germany
When we first moved on base in Germany, we kept the robin's egg blue curtains and pillows. One day, I'd had it with the blues. I made a trip to IKEA and bought flax curtains, white lace sheers and all white pillow covers. Sadly, I cannot find a picture of the change, but it's basically what our living area looks like now.
6. Current living area
This makes me sigh with relief. Whites, neutrals.... they make me calm. I kind of feel like I've found my niche and I don't expect to change again anytime soon. (though I am constantly editing the accents!) Who knows? That is the entire point of editing after all!!
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
The ABCs of Decorating | D
Details, details, details. They are often overlooked, underwhelming, or forgotten altogether. But they are important.
Just as it is true in fashion, accessories and details are very important when it comes to home decor.
It's those little things you pay special attention to that give your space the "wow" factor. The absence of details would probably go unnoticed by most. But when you do focus on the details in your home, the feeling is unmistakable.
Details are what draw you into a space. Details are what wrap you up in comfort. Details make you feel important, welcome, and wanted.
Details are lacy sheers floating in a cool breeze.
Details are touches of nature where you'd least expect it.
Details are hydrangeas spilling out of an oversized sugar mold.
Details are small touches of beauty you pass in the hallway.
Details are extras that show you took the extra time and forethought to make your space inviting. They are not expensive, elaborate or fancy by any means. Details are subtle. And if done right, will make all who enters your home feel cozy and loved.
Happy to be sharing this week with:
Facelift Friday | Let's try this again.
I found this awesome toy box crate at a thrift shop in the spring. It was a bright red, but I saw the amazing potential. It had casters at one time, so it was already perfectly outfitted to add them again. I first painted it in ASCP Paloma and added the French word for books, "livres." Well, it turns out that not everyone is a Francophile like me. (How?) I had it in my shoppe for $18 for months and no one touched it. Not every style suits every person, right? So, I brought it home with me to give it yet another facelift.
I painted the entire thing in MMSMP Grain Sack. It is a creamy tan color that I just love; perfect and neutral.
I added stripes in Shutter Gray to the front and back panels. I am loving stripes. I think they are classic.
Oh! And remember I mentioned the casters? I finally got around to adding them. I love adding just a bit off industrial decor to elegant French Country.
I covered the entire piece with MMSMP Antiquing Wax, except for the oval piece in front. (I'm still undecided about that part.)
For the graphics on this time around, I used a lovely vintage crown instead of a French word that no one seemed to get. ;)
I think this time the piece is much more versatile. It would be excellent in a living room holding all of your throws for the winter. It would also be lovely in a den holding books and so sweet in a kid's room. Where would you use this piece?
