Ashley's Nest

Decorating a Dining Room

2012-04-18T13:02:00.002-07:00

Hello all!

Today I am going to share my tips to decorating a dining room with you. For my dining room, I used neutral colors so that I can decorate for any holiday or dinner party and have the entire room still flow nicely. I used floor length white curtains on the sliding glass door, dark wood furniture, and a neutral brown rug to tie the room together.

To make the room appear larger, I added two of the same mirrors side by side to give the look that the room is wider than it is. This is such a great tip for any small room. It's also a great way to reflect light around the room.

I love having the chalkboard in my dining room. I use this for holiday messages and dinner menus when having guests over. To see how I created this chalkboard click here.

There are many different ways that you can decorate your table. One of the ways you can decorate your table is with your dishes for the meal and drinks. I have stacked up the plates on the chargers and placed them on the end of the table. This is a much more informal way of having a meal. I have also placed ready made drinks out with a pitcher.

We were so lucky to have this beautiful sliding glass door in our dining room. The natural light it provides is great, plus it really opens up the room for us. However, the hardware that came with the door was showing its age. To see how I re-purposed the hardware to an oil rubbed bronze finish click here.

Our dining room table fits six people. When having guests over, it is important to only have the amount of chairs out for the amount of guests you have. You don't want to clutter the table with chairs that are not needed. Your space will seem more open and clutter free without the extra chairs. I have set the table for four so I simply removed the other two chairs.

Thanks for checking out my dining room.

If you are looking for more inspiration, check out the link below to see more dining rooms at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Click Here

Family Room: Final Reveal

2012-04-16T09:41:00.003-07:00

I have been sharing the process of completely renovating our family room with you and it's finally that time to show you the completed project. I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out. The room is everything that I imagined it would be. It's warm, cozy, and so comfortable to hang out in. If you are having a hard time at remembering the before pictures click here. I won't make you wait any longer, the suspense is over. Enjoy the after pictures...

When I was deciding how I wanted the room to feel and look, I imagined neutrals and comfort. I wanted the room to look great but feel very inviting. To achieve this look, I kept the colors to cream, white, and brown, with a touch of red. I added the touch of red so that the room wouldn't wash away. It's nice to have that small hint of color.

It wasn't hard to achieve the look of comfort with the couch and chair that I picked out from PotteryBarn. I realize it is not for everyone, but I have always wanted a couch and chair from PotteryBarn. I love how comfortable they are and how nice they look. They give such an inviting feel to a room.

When I was deciding on my furniture, I wanted to keep with my neutral color scheme. One reason I love to keep my room neutral is so that I can change my accent color in and out without redecorating an entire room. If I ever get tired of a color, all I have to change are a few pillows.

For now I am keeping the coffee table clear of decorations. I like the clean look of the table now, but if I find that perfect piece I may place something on one side of the table and keep the other side clear.

One of my favorite pieces in this room is the media center. I love the resemblance it has to a built in bookcase without it being permanent. I find that bookcases can be a great display for decorations. I love adding all of the personal touches to a room, but I don't like when it becomes too much. With having all of the available decorating spaces on the shelves I was able to keep the decorating on my window table and fireplace to a minimum.

I wanted the decorations in the media center to be substantial yet fall into the background at the same time. When I was decorating the media center, I had to remember that the purpose of the shelving unit is to hold our television, so I didn't want the decorations to over power that and be distracting.

You can see that I repeated a few of my decorations throughout the shelving. I wanted to have continuity on both sides with a few differences. I also added a little green by filling my glass jars with moss.

When placing your decorations, try to balance your colors out. You don't want one side to have all the light colors and the other side to be filled with all dark decorations. Try to mix the light and dark with each shelf. I also added the baskets to the shelves to tie in the rug and decorations from other rooms in my home.

When I was deciding how I wanted to decorate the other side of the room, I really liked the idea of having a long table under our new window. I wanted that side of the room to tie in with the rest, but also have it's own purpose. I love the combination of the dark table with the crisp, white curtains on both sides.

To have continuity throughout the room, I used the same candle holder on this table that I used in the media center. I also used a large vase with the same finish to compliment the candle holder. I chose to use green flowers because I did not want the flowers to directly match the colors of the room. I wanted them to appear more natural and picked as opposed to matching the pillows.

I know I keep saying this, but this next picture is one of my favorites as well. I added two of the same ottomans to go under my window table. Not only do they give a unique look but you have two additional places for seating. I really liked how the ottomans were not the typical shape as well as the fabric. They match the style of the rest of the room without blending in too much.

I hope you enjoy my after pictures. It was so much fun creating this room from start to finish and sharing the process with you.

2012-04-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I feel like it's been awhile. I have been so busy doing some spring cleaning and updating our decorations around our house that I haven't had time to share everything with you. Our family room is almost complete so I will be sharing that with you very soon along with some updates to our living room and our home office. I can't wait for you to see all of the exciting changes this week.
Ashley

Creating an Outdoor Room

2012-04-02T12:12:00.002-07:00

I am so excited that it is time to start thinking about the outdoors! I know it may seem early for some people, but the earlier you start planning your outdoor space, the more money you save. By planning early you know what you are looking for so you can take your time and get the savings. Plus, it also gives you time to complete all of the money saving DIY projects.

This year I have decided to create an outdoor living and dining area on our deck. I love to be outdoors, but if it is not comfortable no one will want to hang out and stay.

Whenever I am deciding how I want to decorate a room, I always mark things in magazines and online so that I can get a good feel on how it will turn out. By doing this I can change my mind and make changes without losing any money.

So that's exactly what I am currently doing with my outdoor plans. The picture below is from the PotteryBarn magazine. I love the simplicity of the black and white in this picture with the touches of greenery.

I have circled the black candle holders but this is something that I would not want to spend a lot of money on because my deck is not covered. Anything that I put out will be exposed to the sun and rain damage.

In this picture I love how you have the mix of all of the different kinds of pillows. It makes it look less formal and more inviting.

This is one of my main focuses this year. I love all of the different lanterns on the steps. It looks great during the day plus it could serve as an added light at night by adding battery operated candles.

I'm not sure if I will try and recreate anything like the above picture but I really liked the idea of something hanging from the dining table umbrella so I marked it. This is where you can take advantage of marking things you like. You are not locked into any ideas.

Even though my backyard doesn't overlook the ocean, it doesn't mean that you can't bring the ocean to you. I haven't decided how, but I would like to incorporate this beach feel to my backyard.

I love all of these pitchers. They are great for having company over because you can leave it outside plus it's nice if you are out doing yard work you don't have to be in and out of your house all day.

Now that I know what I would like my outdoor room to look and feel like I can begin to put it together. I can't wait to show you the final project.

Decorating for Easter

2012-03-26T13:58:00.002-07:00

I am always excited to decorate for Easter because that means Spring is coming! I like to keep my decorations simple for Easter. This year, I decorated my dining room table and a couple other small decorations for my living room and family room.

For my Easter centerpiece, I re-used my vase from Christmas. That's the great thing about buying things that can be used for multiple decorations. The flowers are from Michael's and I found them on sale for $0.99 each! I chose to use pink flowers because it's something that I have never done before plus it's a great Spring color. The "Happy Easter" eggs are from PotteryBarn. I saw these in the store last Easter and talked myself out of them. When I saw them again this Easter, I told myself it was meant for me to have them and I am really happy with the way they turned out. I chose to hang them on the flower branches but you could always place them in a clear jar as well.

The green bunnies are from Pier1. When I saw them I knew I wanted them but I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do with them. I stuck them in my floral arrangement and they have been there ever since. I like how they are a little hidden in between the flowers and the eggs. Sometimes, it's best not to over think your decorations. This is what I found with them.

For my living room and family room I chose to keep it really simple. I added a small vase with speckled eggs to my bay window and an Easter basket to my new fireplace!

Thanks for visiting!

Complete Kitchen Renovation

2012-03-19T12:36:00.004-07:00

When my husband and I were deciding on the house that we now live in, we knew that we would need to completely renovate the kitchen. It's a small kitchen, but that wasn't even a problem for us. It was very outdated, the appliances didn't work very well, and the layout wasn't very functional. We took the room down to the studs. This was a lot of work, but it was well worth the expense and wait. By doing this, we were able to rearrange the appliances, add new switches and plugs, and expand the doorways.

Here are all of the before pictures...

And now for the after pictures...

When we began to put the room back together, the first thing that we had to decide on was our cabinets and layout. I chose to go with cabinets from Ikea because they have an enormous amount of selection between style and color. With our kitchen being smaller, I knew I would have to choose my cabinets wisely. We had to put them together ourselves, but it really wasn't bad. I also chose to get our butcher block countertop from Ikea as well. Our appliances are Frigidaire Gallery from Lowes. There's nothing like new appliances. I still have to add my backsplash. Once I do, I will be sure to share the pictures with you.

I don't like to overcrowd a window with decorations, because after all you want to be able to open and close it. However, I do like to dress it up like everything else. When putting the trim around the window, I added a ledge to the bottom so that I would have a place to set my little decorations.

I saw this in a magazine before and really liked it. Not knowing if they purchased the letters finished or unfinished, I knew I had to create them myself. I bought the letters from Joann Fabrics and spray painted them white to match the cabinets. I chose a simple font, but they have others as well. With the letters being leaned against the wall they can be removed at any time. I also like to decorate in ways that are not very typical. I didn't want to have a typical paper towel holder. Instead, I took this wire basket (painted it black) and threw a couple of paper towel rolls in it.

I always try to incorporate decorations that tie in either colors or feels of a room. That is what I did with these containers here. It brings the black and the white together into one piece which makes the connection between the two colors.

These shelves were a must to incorporate into my kitchen. I love how on the top I can display different dishes and the bottom I use for towels and baskets. In the baskets I have chip clips, measuring spoons, etc. Having these baskets lets me free up some space from my drawers which is always needed.

Keeping with not liking typical uses of items, I found this white strainer at HomeGoods one day and thought it would be really cute to sit on the counter and put different fruits in. It is not something that I keep out all the time, but it is a nice accent when I do have it out.

I hope you enjoy my complete kitchen renovation. It took a lot of time, but it is so nice having everything just the way you want it. If there is anything I missed and you have any questions for me, feel free to email me. I would love to help you create your dream kitchen too!

Family Room: Sneak Peak

2012-03-18T15:08:00.003-07:00

Our family room is finally coming together. We have been working so hard to get it done and we are finally seeing some end results. Today I am going to be sharing a little sneak peak of some of the decorations/updates.

The first sneak peak that I would like to share with you is a little bit of our decorations that are being used throughout the room. From the picture you can obviously tell that this table is sitting in front of our window. I wanted to have something substantial on the table without taking up the entire window. You will have to wait to see the entire table, the legs of the table are my favorite part!

The last sneak peak you will be seeing until the final reveal is our new fireplace! I am so happy that we added this to our room. It is so nice to have on, plus it looks great even when it is not in use. When I reveal the entire room at it's completion I will give more information about the fireplace in case anyone out there is considering one for their home.

Hopefully I will be sharing the room with you very soon. I am just waiting on a couple of things to come in that I had to order online. In the mean time, I am going to be decorating for Easter to try and get my mind off of waiting for a shipment! I have realized that things don't get to you faster just because you constantly track a shipment!

Check back to see how I decorate for Easter!

Family Room: Floors

2012-03-12T13:55:00.002-07:00

I am so excited to share my new floors with you! We knew that we wanted the click and lock hardwood laminate flooring, the only major decision was the color and finish. I wanted something unique, but I also wanted something that I could live with forever considering we are wanting to do this in the rest of the house as well.

Here is what we decided on...

When we were going through all of the options, we kept leaning toward the wider boards and the boards with the hand scraping. I also chose this floor because of the muted color.

I hope you enjoy my floors like I do. If you have any questions about them feel free to email me. Soon I will be giving you a little sneak peak of my decorations for that room.

Decorating a Guest Room

2012-03-05T13:16:00.002-08:00

I have recently made some changes to my guest room. I liked the room before, but it wasn't flowing with the rest of my house as much as I wanted the room to. So, I decided to change the bedding and update some decorations.

The first change I made was with my bedding. I decided to go with a more neutral base. To bring in color, I added the green quilt and matching pillow. Going with a more neutral base makes it easier to change your accent color.

I like to add a lot of pillows to make the bed look more inviting. It's also good to mix and match the pillows so it doesn't look like a set.

I wanted to incorporate the green from the bedding throughout the room so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found these matching candles. I used the same two candles on the dresser, but I used two different candle holders to give a more unique look. With each candle holder being neutral and natural they flow together even though they are different.

Aside from the bedding, this is where I made the most change to the room. Even though I loved my DIY teal table, sadly it didn't match anymore. However, I'm really happy with my replacement table.

When I was decorating this table, I wanted to keep it simple. Because the table is so unique, my decorations didn't need to stand out as much. I really like having family photos up in my guest room so I incorporated the frames from before and added these chunky brown candle holders.

With spring being right around the corner, I wanted to add a touch of color with some flowers.

I hope you enjoy the changes!

How to Decorate a Landing

2012-02-29T09:15:00.002-08:00

Today I would like to share my ideas on decorating a landing with you. I needed to do something with my upstairs landing. It was too big to leave empty, but I also didn't want to crowd it with too many things. Our master bedroom is connected to this landing, so I decided to make this a small seating area. I liked the idea of a couple chairs close by, plus it feels like it gave our house one more room.

I really wasn't interested in spending a lot of money because with it being upstairs, not too many people are up there. With that in mind, I decided to buy all of my furniture for that space at Ikea. When you don't spend as much on the furniture, you can have more room to play with your decorations. So, that's what I did! I was able to get a rug, floor lamp, decorations, pillows, etc.

I wanted to have a unique table for the space so I decided to buy a really cheap one from Ikea and paint it. I used paint and primer in one so it was a very quick and easy project. I chose a blue paint because I wanted the table to tie in with my curtains. However, I didn't want it to match perfectly which is why I went with the darker blue.

Table Before

Table After

If you are wondering about the Vegas picture, Vegas holds a special meaning to my husband and I. To see why click here

I used the baskets to incorporate the chairs and table together. After doing that it really tied the space together. To see how to decorate with baskets click here

I am still deciding if I want to distress my table or not. The best way to decide for me is to complete the space and live with it for a few days. This way you can really see how you feel about it. I'm leaning towards distressing it a little, but you will have to wait and see.

When decorating a seating area, you want it to look comfortable but approachable. I added a toss pillow on each chair to make the inexpensive chairs look more welcoming and I added a throw to one of the chairs for a more lived in look.

On the wall opposite of my seating area is where I have my clock wall. To see how I created it click here

I hope this helps for anyone out there trying to find a solution to your landing!

Family Room: Windows and Drywall

2012-02-25T09:19:00.002-08:00

Our new windows and drywall is installed! I was obviously a little behind on my before pictures. The process hasn't been quite this fast. We ordered our new windows from HomeDepot and hired someone to do our drywall hanging and mudding.

Window Before

Window After

I chose two double-hung windows for the front of the room. I wanted them to match the windows in the rest of our home so this room wouldn't look like an addition. They are also really nice because it's actually two windows in one frame.

Windows Before

Windows After

For the windows in the back of the room, I chose to use awning windows. I really like how the whole window is open and they seem to match the style of our home better than sliders.

Drywall...

You wouldn't think drywall would be too exciting, but it is. It's so nice when you get to the point of putting your room back together.

The next step will be installing our flooring and trim. I can't wait!

Family Room: Before

2012-02-23T15:49:00.002-08:00

I mentioned before that I had plans to completely renovate our family room. Well...that time has come and I couldn't be happier! I am going to be letting you in on our entire process from start to finish. This family room post is all about the before pictures. In our home, we have two family/living rooms. The family room has sat empty since we have lived here because it really needed to be totally redone. Our plan is to make the living room that we have been living in into the more "formal" living room. I put formal in quotes because we are anything but that. The room that we are redoing will then become our main living area.

Our family room had old windows, bad carpet, and paneling. So, needless to say we really wanted to start from scratch. We will be redoing the windows, drywall, electrical, lighting, flooring, and trim. We are doing some of the work ourselves, but we are also hiring some of the work as well.

Enjoy the before pictures, because it's the last time you will see that room. (wow that feels good to say)

Floor

Linen Closet Organization

2012-02-21T14:52:00.001-08:00

Like every older house, your closet space is limited. This is something that we have been trying to deal with since the day we moved in. It's been a few years, but we have finally gotten around to re-organizing our closets one by one. One of our main problems was our bathroom organization. There is no closet in our bathroom to hold towels, supplies, and all of your bathroom necessities. However, there is a closet close by that we were able to dedicate some space to the bathroom.

The closet before was something that I didn't want to be opened if anyone was around. It seemed kind of dirty with old paint and old wood shelves. It wasn't something that I loved putting my bathroom things in. So, the first thing I did was remove the old shelves and mud all of the holes. The next thing I did was paint the closet the same color of the room it is in. The shelving was a simple project because I didn't want anything too special. I just wanted plain shelves that were clean and open.

Going back to limited closet space, I can't dedicate one of my main closets to one single thing. It has to be double duty. So, with this closet I use it for all of my bathroom needs and my dog needs. I know it's an odd combination but with the layout of my house it works great.

I use the top half for bathroom storage and the bottom half for my spoiled dog. The very top of the closet holds things that I don't need on an every day basis. The solid brown baskets at the top are a great option for things that you don't want everyone to see. The next shelf are all of my towels. The things I use every day are held in the natural basket. This way I don't have to pull anything out, I can just reach into the basket.

Now on to the dog portion for all of you dog lovers. Treats are an essential, but they come in the most awkward boxes. So, I bought these jars from Target to hold her different treats. They look nicer and stay fresh longer. If your wondering why I also have a wire bin full of towels, it's because I have a very sloppy dog and you have to wipe her face. (I know...disgusting but I love her) On the bottom we have all of her toys in a basket. We keep some out for her but it's a great place to throw them when having guests over.

I hope my organization can give you some ideas for your own organization. One piece of advice is to mix baskets for your storage. It's hard to find the same basket with all of the different sizes you need so instead of stressing mix and match!

PotteryBarn Inspired Clock Wall

2012-02-19T17:25:00.001-08:00

I was shopping around at PotteryBarn one day (I know...what's new) and I saw this clock wall that they had arranged above their counter. I instantly fell in love with it. After making sure nobody was around, I took a picture of it with my phone. I'm sure no one would have cared if I took a picture, but what can I say I was a bit of a chicken about it.

As soon as I got home, I started planning out where I could recreate something like this. I decided to create my clock wall on my upstairs landing. It's such a big empty wall that always bothered me, but I could never find the right size artwork.

Here is the wall before...

At the top of the landing, I have this window that I was looking to give a refresher to as well.

Here is the window before...

After deciding on a place in my house to create this clock wall, I had to start finding materials. I already had a round clock that I would use as my starter. One thing that I found so unique about my inspiration was the over-sized pocket watch. I knew that without that, I wouldn't be as happy with the final outcome. I knew that PotteryBarn sold that pocket watch so I could always use that as a back up, but I really wasn't looking to spend that much on this project. While at one of my usual HomeGoods trips, I found this red pocket watch clock. I wanted all of my clocks to be black, so I decided I would just paint this one and not push my luck.

Here is the clock before...

I used Rustoleum paint and primer in one semi-gloss black paint to paint this clock. I covered the glass with paper and began to spray paint it. I chose to do three coats of spray paint because it was such an easy painting project, but two would have been fine.

Here is the clock after...

Once I had all of my materials I could begin my layout. I bought all of my picture frames at Ikea. I could choose from a variety of sizes and they were all very inexpensive, which I like. While I was there, I also picked up another small clock. Now that I had all of my materials, I could begin my layout. The first thing I did was to measure out how large I wanted the artwork to be and recreate that measurement on the floor. Then I could begin placing the clocks and frames where I wanted them. Once I decided on a layout, I could see how I needed to print my pictures.

Instead of buying clock prints, I took my own pictures. I had a few clock pictures from an old decoration that I used before, so I decided to take pictures of the actual artwork. I took the pictures from all different angles and closeness to create different looks. After I had my pictures printed and placed in the frames I began to hang them. While I was doing this project, I decided to change out my light fixture that I have been wanting to update as well.

Here is my wall after...

I wanted to have more unique window curtains because the space was lacking color. I really liked the pattern and color of these mixed with the dark blinds.

Windows after...

Thanks for visiting!

Refinished Hardware

2012-02-13T14:19:00.002-08:00

In our dining room, we have a beautiful sliding glass door that takes up an entire wall. It's a great backdrop for our dining room table, plus I love to keep the door open in the summer and let the fresh air come through. The only problem with the door was the outdated hardware. It was very worn and dirty, even after being cleaned. So, I had the idea to go to HomeDepot or Lowes and get a new handle. Easier said than done. An oil rubbed bronze handle was going to be about $200.00 for that door. Needless to say I was pretty shocked. I was expecting it to be around $50.00. After that, I needed to come up with a different solution.

I decided to buy a can of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze paint and primer in one spray paint. The first thing that I did was remove the hardware from the door and clean it. I spent a lot of time making sure that it was really clean otherwise the paint will stick to the dirt and come right off. After it was cleaned, I laid out the handle and began to paint. When you are using spray paint, if the can doesn't already come with a spray gun attached, make sure to buy one. It makes the paint spray more evenly. Another thing that is really important when spray painting is to start painting away from your project then bring the can to your project while the paint is still spraying. Doing this lets out all of the air from the can and any bad paint. I have come to find that that step makes a huge impact on your final project. Also, make sure you paint the screws so they blend into the background. I painted the handle a few coats for durability.

Before...

After...

Now, the handle looks great and matches the rest of the hardware surrounding the door and it only cost me about $7.00!

Continuity Continued...

2012-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Last time I shared my continuity ideas with you regarding hardware finishes. Another aspect that is really important when it comes to continuity throughout your home is keeping your furniture and decorative accents similar throughout your home. This is not to say that everything in your house needs to be the same, but you should keep this in mind while you are decorating. When I first moved into my house, I decorated a little too quickly and considered each room separately. Now I find that I am redecorating most of the rooms that were previously done. Now, that I have given time to think about the flow that I want my house to have, I have been much happier with the way everything has turned out. Some things that I like to repeat throughout my home are furniture colors and finishes, baskets, color schemes, and decorative accents. Now, when I walk from room to room they seem like extensions of one another rather than separate areas.

Continuity throughout the Home

2012-02-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Having continuity throughout your home is so important. Everyone's styles are different when it comes to decorating, but you can still have continuity regardless of your style. I use oil rubbed bronze throughout my home. I use this for my light fixtures, plug covers, handles, window hardware, etc. When you use the same finish, it makes your house feel like one big home rather than a bunch of different rooms put together. If you already have items in your home that you would like to incorporate, but don't match, use spray paint! Some spray paints are paint and primer in one, but if it's not make sure you always use primer first. Here are some of my oil rubbed bronze finishes...

Hanging Pictures without the Frames

2012-02-08T10:53:00.001-08:00

I am excited to show you this quick and easy way to hang pictures, without the expensive cost of frames.

I had a couple of pictures that I wanted to hang in my house that are from a special trip to me. Instead of putting the pictures in a frame, I hung the prints with bulldog clips. To do this, I picked out a mat that would be the size I wanted to hang on my wall. Once I knew the size of my mat, I could print my picture. I had to find a unique way to hook the mat to the wall. While in OfficeMax one day, I came across these silver bulldog clips. I really liked the idea of how that would look the only problem was the finish on the clip. It was a shiny silver that really clashed with everything else in my home. So, I decided to paint them with a flat gold spray paint. I chose to paint them gold because I wanted them to look authentic and I really like the way oil rubbed bronze (finish in the rest of my home) and flat gold look together.

To complete the look, I taped the print to the back of the mat. Make sure you tape all of the edges of the picture otherwise it won't look as nice from the front. Once the bulldog clips were painted and dry I hooked the clip onto the center top of the mat. I screwed one screw into the wall and rested the clip on the screw and the project was finished.

One tip to make your picture look more like a piece of artwork is to print the picture in either sepia or black and white.

Valentine's Day Party

2012-02-04T08:16:00.001-08:00

I had some people write me asking for a Valentine's Day party idea for kids. So, I would like to share my idea with you...a party to make Valentine's. It's a quick and easy party to put together and it's such a cute way for kids to be creative.

When I was decorating, I wanted to keep it very fun and whimsical. With it being a Valentine's Day party, I kept with the pink, red, and white color combination.

You could make this garland on your own, but I found this at Party City on clearance for $3.00 so I decided it wasn't worth the time it would take to make it myself. I wanted to hang something from the chandelier to add that extra touch and I thought that this would be perfect for that.

This garland I made myself. I made two heart templates, one small and one big. I traced the hearts onto my paper and punched a hole in the top of the heart to run ribbon through. This way I could just slide the hearts where I wanted them.

What's a party without candy? I added these festive pink and red candies to the center of the table so everyone could enjoy while making their Valentines.

It's nice to give a little gift to your guests. These little valentine boxes are a perfect holder for some conversation hearts.

You can't really have a Valentine making party without the supplies. I chose to put the markers and scissors in little glass jars from the dollar store to prevent them from rolling off the table.

I hope everyone has fun making their Valentine's Day cards.

High/Low Recreations - Ledge

2012-01-23T14:40:00.001-08:00

You may have picked up on this already, but I really love PotteryBarn. However, most things there are a little pricey for me so I like to use there ideas for my inspiration and try to find a more inexpensive way to create their look.

One thing that I have been eyeing in their catalog was a broken ledge. I always thought it was a very unique piece of artwork and the look of it really flows with the decorations in my home. The only problem was the ledge was $300.00.

I was out shopping one day at HomeGoods, which I frequent often, and saw a perfect replica of that same broken ledge. I was so excited that I had finally found something similar. Even better, the piece from HomeGoods was only $40.00 so you can imagine my excitement.

PotteryBarn inspiration...

HomeGoods purchase...

In my guest room...

If you are interested, this was a recent find so you may also get as lucky as I did. Good Luck!

Guest Room Updates

2012-01-23T14:09:00.001-08:00

It was time for a little tweaking and updating in my guest room, so I have made some changes that I will be sharing with you today.

One of the things I had been wanting to update were the rugs I had in my guest room. The rugs that I had were really just place holders until I found one that I wanted. I chose a similar rug to the one in my living room to keep some continuity between the two spaces. I also chose a much larger rug to make the room seem larger and more open.

I always liked my bookcase, but I wanted to change around some of the decorations that I had so I did a little editing on it. Hope you like it.

Before...

After...

Another small addition to the room is a laundry basket. I replaced the laundry baskets in my bedroom, so I decided to put that one in my guest room. It really makes the room look more lived in. Plus, it is really helpful to any visitors.

My last but most favorite addition to my guest room is the ledge I hung over the bed. As soon as I saw this piece in the store I had to buy it. I love the aged look and the color to it. It ties in a lot of the different elements that I have going on in the room.

Hope you enjoyed my updates, I know I have!

High/Low Recreations

2012-01-18T19:03:00.001-08:00

I am excited to share a new section of my blog with you called High/Low Recreations. In this section, I will be showing you how to take designer pieces and recreate them for a fraction of the cost. Doing this is key to any room when you consider your budget. Everyone wants the high end pieces, but without the cost behind them.

Here is my inspiration for the letter B I created.

This is a page from the PotteryBarn catalog. I really loved this vintage "W" in the background leaned on the desk, so I decided to recreate it on my own.

Here is what I came up with.

If you want to see how I created this click here

I am excited to show you how you can get the looks you desire without the high cost.

Living Room Updates

2012-01-18T15:23:00.001-08:00

Just when I thought I was finished with my living room, I decided to do some decorating updates. I guess you are never really finished with any room.

The first thing that I changed was my media stand. Here is the before...

Here is the after...

I removed the two white baskets and added two large natural sea grass baskets instead. I really love the two baskets side by side and how large they are. Both of these baskets are from PotteryBarn. Usually I like to get my baskets from HomeGoods, but they didn't have two of the same. This was such a small change, but made a really big impact to my media stand.

To see how I used baskets in the rest of my home click here

With it getting colder out, I wanted to incorporate a blanket into my living room. Rather than folding the blanket on the back of the couch, I decided to stuff it into a vase for a different look. This vase is actually an outdoor pot, but you would never know it. Always have an open mind when you are shopping.

This next update was a gift from my mom. She said that every nest needs a bird. I agree.

My last addition is my new vase. As soon as I saw this piece, I knew that it would be a great addition to my living room. I loved the color and rusticity of it. Pairing the vase with these cream flowers really made it stand out.

To see the rest of my living room click here

Stay tuned for my guest room updates!

Coming Soon...

2012-01-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I have been away, but I have been busy doing some updates around my home. I have been adding some new decorations to my living room and my guest room that I will be sharing with you this week. I have also been finishing some work in my office that I am really excited about as well. All of that exciting news aside, the thing that I am most excited to share with you is the renovation on my family room. I have decided to completely renovate our family room from the ground up. I will be sharing this process with you from start to finish (the good and the bad). I can't wait to share my updates with you in the next couple of days.

See you soon!

Decorating with Baskets

2012-01-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

I love organizing myself with baskets. It's such a great way to free myself of clutter, plus they look great in any room. The easiest way to ruin a nicely decorated room is to have piles of clutter everywhere. You can use baskets by themselves or group different sizes together for a more noticeably unique look. The best way to keep your baskets flowing throughout your home is to pick a weave and color in your baskets. For the baskets in my home, I have chosen a seagrass weave in a natural color.

I really enjoy looking through different magazines and catalogues, but they seem to pile up really quickly. So, to keep them readily available but tucked away I stack them up in this basket next to my chair.

One thing that I like to keep out in my office are cheap pads of paper. To keep them looking nice, I stack them upright in a basket. This way I can keep my office looking great but still have it functional at all times.

I don't know what my husband would do without this basket! I have never seen anyone lose keys like him. So, to keep our mornings somewhat organized I have put this basket by our front entrance to hold keys and any little odds and ends that need to be by the front door.

I like to keep a few spare pillows available in my guest room for my guests. To do this, I stacked two pillows in a basket underneath my bookshelf.

If it wasn't for this basket, I don't think I would ever be able to watch television. This basket is what keeps all of our remotes in one place. Because they have a place to go, everything stays more organized.

There is a gap between our cabinets and our fridge. To fill this, I used three baskets side by side. These baskets really warmed up a cold place. (no pun intended) They added a very natural look to the stainless fridge and you can always use extra storage in a kitchen.

I know not everyone loves to organize as much as I do, but I promise it helps. It's also a great project to tackle in these winter months. Try to make this a resolution for yourself.