Designing with a Sharpie

Check this out! I wonder if my husband would like some sharpie-drawn decor in our bedroom?

More Inspiration

For some reason I am drawn to walls with white trim. It must be the clean look it gives.

These are so inspiring: (pictures from the lettered cottage)

It is hard to tell from the picture but I believe the crown molding you see is not molding at all but paint.

I've been neglecting you...

I've been lacking in creativity for my home lately. That was until I went to Hawaii.
Our condo in Maui gave me SO much inspiration. So much that I wrote down the style of bedding, furniture and accessories. It was decorated with an island retreat theme which is expected considering where we were :) What surprised me was that it wasn't *flashy* island decor.

Our Condo:
Furniture from Tommy Bahama--$$$
Bedding from Eastern Accents--$$$
Accessories on walls I found at Banana Wind in Maui who's website is under construction. They have some unique treasures. I wish I would have bought this stuff while I was there, dang it!

I decided that I wanted to incorporate this design somewhere in my home. The only place I could really think of was our guest bathroom. Obviously the bedding wouldn't be used (I probably can't afford it anyway) but the color scheme and design is what I'm aiming for...

Our guest bathroom:
Lowe's woven paintable wallpaper
Carved wood accents (target or order them from Hawaii)
Wood trim to frame mirror
I plan to use a small postcard I found as artwork













While in Hawaii we went to a coffee plantation and they were selling big burlap coffee bags for $8 dollars. We brought one home to frame. We're not sure where it will go just yet.













I love to buy artwork from local artists when I travel. I plan to frame this with the rest of my "artist collection"

Easy Peasy Potpourri

I usually only make this around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday but hubbie LOVES the smell.


Recipe:
1 orange (I used clementines, since it's what we've been eating lately)
3-4 Cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon or so of whole cloves (about 8-10)

Slice the orange, don't worry about peeling it. Place everything in a small pot with about 1 1/2 cups of water. Let simmer on the stove, on a low temp for the rest of the day. Don't forget to add water every now and then, since the water will eventually evaporate.

My potpourri usually can last for about 4-5 days.

P.S. Cinnamon sticks can be expensive if you purchase them at the grocery store. I bought this bag at the dollar store.

Kitchen is finished!

I finished painting the kitchen last weekend. I LOVE the color of the paint. It is exactly what I have been looking for.

Think Like A Decorator

For years I have collected pages from magazines, jotted down notes and taken pictures of decorating styles. I learned in school to make a portfolio of my dream home.

I have condensed my portfolio to a small notebook so that I can carry it with me.

I include paint colors, dimensions of my rooms and furniture pieces I need or want.

The internet is so helpful when looking for ideas too. I sometimes print pictures of ideas I like and tape them into my book.

Right now (thanks to my handy portfolio) I am starting to paint:

(Kitchen--Whole Wheat) (Bathroom--undecided)

Bedding mistreatments

I love, love, love The Nesting Place (see her blog link to the right). I especially love her motto: "I doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". Over the weekend I dusted off my glue gun and went to work.

(Before)
I have been unhappy with my bedding ensemble. The more I thought about it the more changes I wanted to make.

It is still a work in progress but here's what I was able to do so far:

Bed skirt and decorative pillow using a glue gun.
I do own a sewing machine in case you were wondering.