A switch, a desk and some freshening

As of today, school is back in session! 

So, it only seems fitting that I'd share a little update in our new 1st graders bedroom. This change didn't really come about because of school, per say, but it does involve a desk...so there you go. 

Why not?

old dresser

This is how we started in Tessa's room. 

Keen observers may have noticed that the white dresser that served as her beside table recently moved to the porch.

Who doesn't love good ol' multi purpose furniture - you know this girl does! 

new home on the porch

The dresser is now working perfectly on the porch holding napkins, candles, placemats and such, which makes room for a new addition in Tessa's room. 

Of course, I mean 'new' in the sense that it's new to her room, but not new to this house or me, for that matter. 

It's my childhood desk. 

As you know, I'm totally in support of using good quality, solid wood (antique, if possible) furniture in my home - and I love how the dark wood plays off the white bed frames (you know how I feel about matching sets) - but even I can admit that this feels a little "mature" for a kid's room.

Never fear, it's nothing some good quality accessorizing can't handle.  Starting with this too cute teal ottoman I found on clearance (it's ok to hate me a little) at Target for less than $25.

Such a good deal I got it in pink and teal. Like a mom of two girls can't find a place for a hot pink ottoman, please.

I love the teal against the dark wood, how it helps to break up all the pink in the room, and brings out the blue in the pillows. Plus, the youthfulness of the ottoman really freshens up the whole look of the dark, heavy 'mature' desk.

Once the little seat was in place, it felt kind of natural to kit out her desk with her favorite (of the moment) books, workbooks and journal all corralled by another youthful punch in the form of the owl bookends.

Who remembers the owl lamp and monogrammed lampshade? One of my first projects some 3+ years ago.

Now, do I really think she's going to sit in her room and do her homework? No, I am not delusional. But, she does like to spend some time alone, away from her little sister, from time to time and I hope she'll enjoy this new little spot of her very own.

A couple of take-aways from all of this:

1. hand-me-downs are awesome.

2. mixing wood finishes adds warmth to your space and helps to keep it interesting. NO matching sets.

3. adding the right accessories can freshen even the most 'mature' of furniture.

linking in with: 

Savvy Southern Style

until next time, 

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Think Small

In this season of awe inspiring transformations including trees, wreaths, reindeer and a certain man in a red suit I wanted to remind you that sometimes it's the littlest details that can make all the difference. 

Take this little corner of our living room as an example. It's a mostly traditional space with a couple more modern splashes thrown in to keep the the room from becoming too stuffy. We added the mother in law tongue plant, I love the spiky architecture of it, to fill out the corner and take advantage of the natural light in the window. I stuck it in this planter that I had and have loved for a long time, but in this space it just wasn't right.

In the back of my mind, I put a new planter on my list of things to look for, but figured due to the season I wouldn't find anything any time soon. 

Earlier this week I was at HomeGoods, picking up a couple gifts and looking at storage vessels for a client project, when I noticed this paint dipped basket. Maybe it's not a traditional planter, but it could work.

$15 later this little corner of our living room is looking so much better. The basket itself is traditional, while the paint dipped bottom brings a modern edge. Perfect for my transitional living room.

Speaking of changes in the living room…

If you follow me on Facebook you probably got my update about the rugsusa.com promotion. 70% off during the cyber Monday special and now 50% off. Great deals are ready and waiting. But not for long, because people like me have already taken advantage.  Can't wait to share all the details as soon as my special delivery arrives. 

until next time, 

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Breakfast Room Sneak Peek

We're road tripping it this week, but before we left, we managed to get a bit of work done in the breakfast room....thought I'd share a sneak peek today.

Some of my favorite accessories have found a new home in our built-ins.

I love to sit back and reminisce about the stories behind each piece. 

A bit of eye candy really.

The room may not be complete, but I know some one who certainly enjoyed their first meal in their new big kid seat at the window bench.

More to come upon our return!

Until next time, 

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Succulent Centerpiece

Lately, I've been seeing succulent arrangements cropping up everywhere. 

This type of low-maintenance plant is right up my alley, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

The glass bowl came from Crate & Barrel back when our local store closed. 

All the plants are from Home Depot.

I started with some small rocks at the bottom of the bowl for drainage purposes, then a layer of potting soil followed by some creative plant arrangement - and presto chango - done!

I borrowed a couple of handfuls of gravel from our new kitchen garden to top off the arrangement.

I love all the layers that can be seen through the glass bowl.

For now this lovely little arrangement is resting comfortably on the coffee table in our living room. It might need a visit to a sunnier location from time to time, but we'll see on that one. 

Have you been experimenting with succulents lately? 

Or some other new and interesting plant? 

Do share.

Linking in with WoW and Tablescape Thursday.

Until next time,

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New Spring Welcome Basket

Yesterday I shared the secrets of my homemade moss decor balls - check it out here - today I'll share where they ended up!

A new spring welcome basket in my foyer.

I also added the little pillow to the chair - what do you think, too much?

I kinda like it.

Anyway, back to the basket - it features all three variations of the moss decor balls, a lovely purple African violet, and a simple candle.

Surprisingly, this little violet doesn't seem to mind the dark and coziness of our front hall.

He seems quite happy to be warmed by the light of the lamp...who knew?!?

So, there you have it - my new spring welcome basket. I hope you like it!

Thursday is the last day to enter my giveaway, don't miss out!

Click here to enter.

Until next time, 

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Moss Balls

First, thanks to everyone for your well wishes regarding my 'just won't quit' cold.

I'm getting better, slowly, but surely!

Secondly, a gentle reminder to enter for a chance to win a $45 gift card to CSN stores - click here.

Don't miss out - the giveaway ends 3rd March!

And finally, today, I thought I'd share a really simple and quick craft that I made the other day.

Homemade moss balls.

You'll need:

styrofoam floral ball forms

bagged moss

spray adhesive

It's pretty self explanatory, but in case you want the play by play...

You spray the ball with adhesive in sections than separate your moss and stick to the ball.

I like that this photos looks like a moss helmet!

All together, this took maybe 3 minutes.

So easy.

And I love the natural look.

Check out this comparison - to the left and right are store bought moss balls ranging from $5 - $10.

I think mine holds up quite well - maybe a bit more brown, but definitely more 'real'.

What do you think?

Check back later in the week to see how I incorporate it into a new arrangement.

Until next time, 



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Best Laid Plans

You know how they say, when you love design, a room is never done?

Point and case.

I've been spending a lot of time in the nursery with my daughter lately (we're trying to transition to the big girl room) and I started to re-evaluate her wall decor. The truth is, I kind of slapped it together and moved on...remember the sparkly stars that she coveted as well?!?

Nursery before

Seems a little silly to update the nursery as she will (hopefully) be moving out sooner than later,

but a little change never hurt anyone, right?

Says the design lover in me.

So after a morning spent at the Land of Nod,

I came away with some lovely wall alphabet cards and a bit of inspiration.

I played with the cards; I arranged the cards; I tried with the cards - but nothing seemed quite right.

Finally, I decided that what the room really needed was a different tree - the proportions were really off!

 In the end, I found a great tree from Amazon.com

Long story short...

Nursery after

I didn't use the cards at all. I decided less was more and stopped (for now).

I did however, incorporate the leaves, owls, and birds from my first tree,

which made me feel a bit better about starting over.

Anyhoo, getting back to what I was saying in the beginning,

decorating is all about trial and error and it's never done!

This is a concept that I am still trying to teach my husband!

So now the question is, do I keep the cards for the big girl room? Decisions, decisions.

You can find out in the upcoming reveal at the beginning of the new year!

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Sub-Standard Floral Arrangement?

Have you ever received flowers, and while you know it was a lovely gesture, just felt like they really weren't you?

I have and I almost feel a twinge of guilt for the post that I am about to write...but you know I'll do it anyway.

Last week, I received a beautiful floral arrangement from my husband for our anniversary. It looked a lot like this.

After enjoying it for the majority of the weekend, I decided it (or maybe just me) was ready for a change.

Remember this guy from my Fall display?

Well, his time had come and gone, but I still liked the overall look, so I decided to switch out some of the flowers. I came away with two separate arrangements that are more fitting to my style!

Here's how I did it.

Step 1: remove all flowers/foliage/filler to start from scratch. Separate feature flowers into two piles (or however many arrangements you want to make).

Step 2: add back some of the filler flowers to form a base for the arrangement and any salvageable flowers from the original arrangement.

base and salvageable original flowers

Step 3: Add in remaining large feature flowers as determined in Step 1.

base with original flowers and new feature flowers

Step 4: fill out arrangement with remaining filler/foliage as needed.

complete new floral arrangement

Step 5: repeat for any additional arrangements, as needed.

bonus second arrangement

Voila, two arrangements for the price of one. What could be better, right?

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How to make a Terrarium

The truth is that I have had this terrarium for a long time, I mean years, and I have never ever had any success with it. Maybe it lasts a couple of weeks, a month tops, but inevitably it dies back and I have to start again.

Terrarium

But not this time! I actually read up on creating a terrarium and made some changes - and it's been living on it's own for a number of months now. Honestly, it's creating it's own moisture and everything - it's like it's own little Eco system!

Can you tell I am excited? Thought so.

Here are the key steps:

1. Provide good drainage - I added small landscaping pebbles to ensure easy and efficient drainage.

Terrarium with stones

2. Use more soil than you think - the plants have to root after all! Previously, I think I was being a bit stingy with the soil.

Terrarium with extra soil

3. Choose the right plants - stick with miniature, indoor, tropical plants. I choose plants with pink veining to coordinate with the room (like you couldn't have predicted that).

Terrarium with tropical plants

4. Water - the first watering should be a good one. Get it nice and saturated. After that, it should only require watering from time to time. I water mine once every couple of weeks.You should get condensation on the inside of the terrarium if it is working correctly.

Condensation - it's working!

5. Provide good light - choose a well lit area. Previously, I was going for form over function and not choosing the right location.

Terrarium in its new home in the Big Girl Room

This is a really fun, simple and inexpensive project that can add a bit of life to any room. I hope you give it a try!

Note: This project could be completed with any type of seal-able container, such as an apothecary jar or water jug - experiment and enjoy!

Please note, this post will be saved under the projects tab on the navigation bar.

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Fall Nesting Inside - the overflow

Yesterday, I shared some examples of step 3 of my 4 easy steps to bring Fall home. Well, I was so excited to share that I got a bit carried away and had to spread the wealth over two posts.

So today, I'll be sharing a couple additional images of Fall accessories throughout my home.

My breakfast room table isn't terribly large, so my centerpiece needs to be fairly mobile. Decorating on a tray or in a hurricane seemed to be the best solution. This is what I came up with...

Breakfast room centerpiece

Inspiration came from the Pottery Barn Fall catalogue that showed hurricanes filled with nearly everything possible!

The nest came home with me from Asheville after we visited awhile back. I loved it and wanted to find a home for it this season, so I added some acorns and buckeyes and gave it a new home in the hurricane. How cozy! Plus, it continues the theme throughout the house.

The simplicity of this display is what really won me over.

Moving on and up - upstairs that is.

I wanted to have some sort of seasonal display upstairs, but without a lot of fan fare. I decided to focus my attentions on the landing/hall table. Here's what I came up with...

Acorn display on hall table

A close up

A small grouping of acorns

I love the various textures and shades of brown. It's subtle but really pops against the subdued yellow of the hall table and walls. Just a hint of Fall every time I pass!

Well, that about covers all my little touches of Fall throughout the house. Not a lot, but just enough for me.

Tomorrow, I'll be tackling Step 4 - updating seasonal bedding. This is the first time I have switched out my bedding for the seasons and I'm actually feeling a little excited about it! If you can believe that?!

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Fall Nesting Inside - it's about time!

I've been talking all week about my love affair with Fall decorating - today will be no different, in fact, it will be better. Because today is the day I'll share my interior Fall accessories! I'm so excited, can you tell?

Let's get started.

You've heard me say it before, a foyer should set the tone for the whole house. A welcoming spot, with a place to sit and a bit of mood lighting - that's all it really takes. Throw in a bit of seasonal decor and it's all the better!

Not a lot changes in my foyer, which makes it easy for me, but I do try to keep it seasonal.

Iron basket, draped in burlap, filled with apples, acorns, and gourds.

Moving into the Living Room -  you've seen my Fall Mantel, and the pumpkin on my sofa table, but what does the coffee table hold?

Don't under estimate the impact of a single item; a large chartreuse pear makes a bold statement. Notice how it plays off the green apple from the iron basket in the foyer?

Fall is a great time to enjoy the natural beauty courtesy of mother nature.

Basket of chippy wood ready for a long night in front of the fire.

My formal dining room is a bit more, well, formal. So the decor needs to be fitting.

White ceramic pumpkins coupled with an amber glass pedestal dish, filled with buckeyes, acorns, white pumpkin and gourds.

And finally, the sideboard.

A white artichoke planter filled with lilies, eucalyptus (left over from the wreath) and curly willow (left over from the screened-in porch), paired with a single white pumpkin.

What I love about this arrangement is how low maintenance it is. While lilies may not be the most seasonal flower, they are what I had on hand (a lovely gift last week) and thanks to some floral foam, will be easy to change out when the time comes. The willow and eucalyptus will last the season, making this a fairly low maintenance arrangement.

You'll probably notice that I used a lot of similar elements from room to room. Flow is so important - how one room works in conjunction with another - it should not be overlooked.

The iron basket in my front hall is the leaping off point for all my accessories. My pallet includes shades of green, in the foyer and living room; browns, in the foyer, living room and dining room; whites, in the living room and dining room; and finally some purples, starting at the wreath on the front door, carried into the mantel in the living room and finishing with the floral arrangement in the dining room.

Ok, this post might qualify as my longest to date. I've probably lost every ones attention so I'll save my last couple displays for tomorrow. Until then...

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