Tag: decorating

  • Creating the Perfect Outdoor Space

    Creating the Perfect Outdoor Space

    *This post contains affiliate links*

    When we were looking for a house to buy, we had a hard time finding the perfect home that also had the perfect yard.  Having kids that love to play outside, meant we really needed the perfect yard for them.  We found a number of homes we loved, but the yards were either non-existent, or surrounded the house in a way that wasn’t kid friendly.

    The deciding factor for this house we are now in, was the backyard. It was indeed perfect. The house, not so much, but we can work with that. There is only so much you can do to a yard when the house is already on it.

    Now that we have the perfect yard, all I have to do is style it around us.  The previous owner left a number of items with the house, including these beautiful, but in need of an up do, metal chairs.

    I’m not a big fan of the red marbled look.  The black I can’t decide if I still want to keep or not. I’m thinking a coat of white would really look good, but that does show more dirt outside. Either way, I’m pulling some inspiration for the fabric from One King’s Lane Soft Landing Sale (4/3-4/5).

    Hojas 20x20 Outdoor Pillow, Blue
    I’m really in love with this blue leaf pattern. I think if I coupled it with a white frame on the chair, it would give a nice pop of color to our back patio.
     
    Have I mentioned how much I love One King’s Lane?  I put together this little inspiration board for our backyard with items in their Day of Outdoor Sale!
     
     
     
     
    It’s always nice to dream isn’t it?  To me the soft whites, and blues accented with some black would transport me straight to the beach.
     

    What is your outdoor style?  Comfort, entertainment, or kid centered? 

    Check out One King’s Lane Day of Outdoor Sale for some amazing deals!!
    (sale lasts through Friday April 5th or while supplies last!)
     
    *In case you missed it, this post contains affiliate links. When purchasing through them, you support this blog. Thank you!!
  • 5 Ways to improve bedroom design {Guest Post}

    5 Tricky Ways to Improve your Bedroom

    The bedroom is one of the most personal spaces you can design according to your personal preference in the house. It is the room you go to after a long and tiring day at work. It is also a sanctuary where you can feel most at home. The ambiance should be one that’s invigorating. However, oftentimes we only have ordinary linens, regular-sized bed and plain colored walls with no added features. In this article, we will teach you some tricky ways on how to improve your bedroom.
    1. Be Creative with the Pillows
    Don’t just stick to having rectangular pillows on your bed. Instead, buy those shaped like a heart, a star, or even a cartoon character. Match this creativity with bold designs for the cases of the pillow. Try color blocks and different patterns to form accents in your room. Rather than small prints, opt for big ones. Floral, geometric and abstract lines are recommended.
    2. Build Improvised Book Shelves
     
    Book shelves do not need to be those bulky ones when they are to be positioned inside your bedroom. If you are a book lover, why not decorate your room with shelves on your current big blank wall? Get a medium-sized wood and ask a carpenter, family member or friend to put it up against the wall—and voila! You get instantly cool-looking shelves. Paint them with a color that best complements the rest of the four sides of the room.
     
    3. Hang Large Artworks as Decors
    Artworks may be in the form of photographs, drawings, illustrations, scanned works or paintings. For an interesting appeal, a tricky way is to cut out one whole landscape painting into three, frame each of them and hang them on the wall against your bed. If a piece of furniture is too much for your budget, these beautiful frames can be your local point taking the central angle in the bedroom. Just don’t overdo it unless you want your room to look like a part of an art museum.
    4. Buy a Transformational Bed
    By a transformational bed, it can be a bed that can be converted into a sofa, a table and one that can be put back to the wall—thus hiding it when not in use. There are custom-made ones of these beds and those available as ready-made from retailers. Incorporate unique finds like this and you’ll amaze your guests the next time they enter your room.

    5. Layer Your Flooring With Classy Vinyl Tiles
    Never underestimate or ignore the floor. Occupying the largest area in the room, the floor is one that can get most attention when improved with all-out commitment. You can inject hints of different colors and don’t stay put with ordinary wood parquet, neutrals or the monochromes. If you don’t want to change the entire flooring, invest in a really soft and exquisite carpet or rug and give your bedroom a touch of royalty.
    Bedroom improvements do not have to be a full-scale expensive project. Simple replacements of cute pieces here and there would spell a lot of difference when put together. Consider upgrading the look of your room every once in a while. Opt for a more livable space while expressing your creative freedom. With a good layout of plans, you’ll surely put your dream room to life.

    Author Bio:

    Treisha is a portrait of a modern-day Party Girl. Nights of dancing and socializing are not uncommon in Treisha’s life, but she claims to know and respect her limits. When responsibilities and opportunities align themselves, she knows how to prioritize them and keep them in order. Treisha works part-time as a blog manager and writer for Uratex Blog. You can also follow Treisha on Twitter

  • Decorating for Fall {Wordless Wednesday}

    Decorating for Fall {Wordless Wednesday}

    I love Fall/Autumn
    I bought my scarecrow girl on sale a couple years ago…to Mark’s head shaking….
    The corn we grew ourselves, but when we moved, it got left behind. We went and picked the stalks over the weekend. I love the look!
    The Pumpkin came from Princess V’s first ever field trip! We’ll add some more when we go as a family.
     
    Join us tomorrow on Think About it Thursday, as we talk about Fall vs Autumn.
    What do you call it? Why the two names? Is there a right term?

  • One copper vase – Many uses

    One copper vase – Many uses

    To be honest I don’t even know what to call this particular item. It’s had many uses in our home. It’s a piece that I love. If you’ve been around here awhile, you may remember when I picked it up. It was about 1 year ago, at a yard sale, for about 50 cents!  What a steal!!

    Originally I used it as a flower vase. We had so many beautiful Irises, and I just love having fresh flowers in the house. Once winter hit though, there were no more flowers going in it, and it sat empty.
    My design process-ees started going, and it ended up as a very stylish bathroom trash can.
    (I won’t share a picture of that….)
     
    With our recent move, it has once again served another purpose
    kids umbrella holder! I love how easy it is now for the kids to come in and place wet umbrellas in this “vase”. It keeps the drips off the carpet, and they always know where their umbrella is.
    We love playing in the rain, so this has been quite the helpful home made storage.
  • The Nursery – After (almost)

    The Nursery – After (almost)

    Shine Your Light

    Although we’re not quite finished with this room, I wanted to get it linked up with Shine Your Light’s Before and After party. We spent a lot of time in the nursery this past month, and soon it’s probably where I’ll spend the majority of my time – day and night.

    First I got all of the stuff cleaned out of the room that didn’t belong. If you want to take a look at the before and just what a job that was you can view it here.  Once I had that finished up, Mark set to work painting. We had all the fun multicolors replaced with a soft baby blue in one weekend. From there it was just a matter of setting up the nursery.

    This beautiful rocking chair arrived by mail yesterday (thank you so much Grandma!). Oh and the drapes aren’t actually hung up yet. We’ve got to figure out the best way to get them to hang over the blinds without causing odd bumps.

    I bought the cute baskets on top of the dresser from The Foundary. The dresser was given to me from a lady in our neighborhood. We have big plans for this dresser!!

    And of course the essential crib. We’ve had this piece since Princess V was born and it has held up fantastically through all 3 girls! The car seat however is brand new.
    We still have a few things to add. Setting up the nursery was pretty easy, and didn’t take long at all. So why isn’t the room done yet you ask? Mark and I have been working on other projects for the nursery. The first and foremost was the puzzle. With each new addition to our family, Mark and I sit and put a puzzle together. We then glue it, get it framed and hang it on the wall. I just got the glueing done today, so we should have it hanging by next week.
    Mark has also been working on a model airplane that we will suspend from the ceiling. It’s still a work in progress though. 
  • Princess Bathroom

    Princess Bathroom

    In the midst of our dining room remodel, I’ve been trying to create a spa like bathroom for the Princesses.  I’ve decided it’s time to resort to pinterest again, because I’m stumped. This is what we have so far.

    As you come down the stairs to the kid area, I’ve got their cute bathrobes ready to grab to head up to a bath, and easily accessable to put away after the bath. This is probably my favorite thing so far!

    Just inside the bathroom I’ve hung their bow holder within reach so they can do their own hair. I want to get some cute towels, but it’s on a budget waiting list.

    And this is what I have to work with. I’m just stumped. It’s an odd bathroom, and not much place for anything.  Now I think it would be fun to paint it pink, but since we are adding a boy to the family, we’ve got to keep it a little more gender neutral.
    Now here’s some inspiration I’m getting from pinterest

    These signs would be fun
    Source: etsy.com via Beverly on Pinterest

    I Love these colors, and the towels on the door.

  • Snowflakes

    Looks like Get to know me Better Thursday is being put on hold while I am a Reader not a Writer hosts the Gratitude Giveaways (sorry I’m not participating this year).  So make sure you head over to her blog and follow the linky for tons of book related Giveaways!!

    Instead of answering questions about me, I thought I’d show you a fun “craft” the family did this week. Do you remember this awesome window decoration I showed you?

    We changed it up a bit, and made paper snowflakes instead.  It was a lot of fun, good scissor skills for the Princesses, and a wonderful activity to spend family time together.
    So not quite as pretty and colorful as the ornament balls, but the Princesses love it. We also hung them around the heater vent, so when that turns on it blows the snowflakes around. 
    (and in case you’re wondering, this breakfast nook is still up for sale. let me know if you’re interested!)
  • Holiday Decorating

    Last week the Princesses were begging me to put up the Christmas tree.  I was baffled, because Halloween was just barely over! But how can you resist 3 cute faces, wanting to help decorate a house?  So we put up the Halloween stuff, and out came the Christmas decor.  We did compromise though, the tree is still packed away!  We don’t have a whole lot of Christmas decor, so I’ve been browsing pinterest for some more inspiration.  Check it out!

    Aren’t these all gorgeous?!  I wish I was hosting a holiday party so I had a reason to cover the chairs all pretty.  The window display I’m changing up a bit and we’re going to hang paper snowflakes in our bay window, with some help from the Princesses. 

    I suggest you check out Trulie Scrumptious for some more fun holiday inspiration!
    Are you getting crafty this holiday season?  Do you pinterest? I’d love to see what you’re inspiration, just post a link in the comments!  And while you’re here, don’t forget to enter the Best Gifts of 2011 Giveaway – just click the button in the left sidebar.  Happy Holidays!

  • SaveMore Deal on Vases

    Clear Flowers Vase
    It seems everywhere I look these days there is a new deal site popping up.  There’s totsy, zulilly, groupon and more.  Have you seen the deal site  Savemore ?  I haven’t actually found a site I really liked, or a deal I just had to have yet. My friend told me about Savemore though, and I thought I’d give it a try. Until today, none of the deals were very appealing to me, or were at a price I could afford even with the deal.  Today though, I just had to share this deal with you!  
    You can get 2 vases from The Vase Store for $6. Each vase is normally $6 so you are getting 2 for the price of one. Or you can get 6 for $14.  Not only are these vases cute, but they are collapsible! You really don’t want to see all the room my vases take up. Having a collapsible vase would save so much space in my cupboard!  The Vase Store makes there vases out of durable plastic. You just add the water to expand them, and it holds them down. When you’re ready to put them away, just rinse with soap and water, let air dry, and fold away.  
    Plus, these things are going to be unbreakable! Ok, I’m sure they can break, but if my children knock them off a table, I’m not going to be worried about glass shards lining the floor, and worrying if I missed any little pieces. Another plus to these very cool vases!
    Now personally I don’t really need another vase in this house, but I could get rid of some of my older vases, and replace them with these. Plus I think they are going to make some very nice Christmas gifts to my mom friends!  Head on over to SaveMore to get this deal! 
    (Did I mention the free shipping? Whether you buy the 2 or the 6 you also get free shipping!!! Now that is a deal that can’t be beat!)
  • Yard Sale Finds

    Yard Sale Finds

    It was a great week for yard sales.  I actually didn’t even go to as many as I usually do.  On Wednesday a neighbor down the road was putting one on, so I stopped to see what was there. I got these great items there for .75 cents!!
    Beautiful copper vase. It’s going to look great with some of my Iris’ in it.

    Wall sconce for a candle.  I can’t wait to show you where I’m putting these!
    Then today our Young Men and Young Women were doing a yard and bake sale at the church.  We donated a bunch of our stuff to them, that they picked up last night. So of course I had to stop by to see what they had, and came home with this for $15!
    A trampoline for the Princess’ and I to exercise (have fun) on.

    And a replacement shelf (two actually). We had these really nice black shelves, but they were a pain to put up. So we donated those to the yard sale, and I picked these up. They can’t hold a lot, but they help make the place look nicer.

    I’m linking up with