Dearest Home

Spring Fling.

2011-04-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Is it just me or does it seem like it took forever for it to get here?

Things have been pretty crazy at our house. You can probably tell by my lack of blog posts.

But amidst the craziness, I've had time to put up a few things to bring in a little spring.

Spring is my favorite season to decorate for. It just makes my house happy.

I hope you can all enjoy a little sunshine today!

I'm loving ...

2011-03-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mirrors over windows.

Source Unknown

It looks beautiful in a bathroom.


Design Manifest

Or in a breakfast nook.

Flea Market Trixie

Mirrors - awesome. Windows - awesome. Mirrors hung on windows - more awesome.

Now to find a window that I can hang a mirror on ...

Recovering a Bookshelf in Fabric.

2011-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have a fear of painting furniture. Fear that I could ruin a chair, waste 37 hours, or worse, make a mess!

See this cute little bookshelf? I was afraid of it. I wanted to paint the back of it a lighter color, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew that it looked cluttered and like everything disappeared at the same time, but I just kept staring at it.

I thought about it for a few weeks until the Nester posted this about taking risks in your home. And it reminded me that my favorite things in my home are all risks. So I did it!

Well, kind of ...

I didn't have the right color paint and I didn't want to spend any money, so I covered it with fabric. And by fabric I mean unbleached painter's drop cloth. That I found in the garage.

But it looks great! And I love it ... VERY low risk and very big pay off. Nothing is better than free decorating!

Once the back of the bookshelf was recovered, I changed out the knob for $2. Then I shopped the house and restyled the bookshelf. A new look for less than a latte. Why do I always compare things to coffee? I don't have a problem, I promise. I am just so thankful for coffee and for little risks that make a big difference.

I think this little project may have given me the courage to take another risk ... painting the next door neighbor, the TV stand.

What kind of risks can you take in your home?

I will be linking up to Nesting Place, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating and The Shabby Nest.

Clean tricks.

2011-03-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

I love when my house is so clean it sparkles. But life happens and most of the time my house is dirty. I have dust bunnies that love me so much they just won't leave.

There are a few things I do every day that trick me into believing that my home sparkles. I think they'll trick you, too!

Photo via Hooked on Houses

1. Develop a routine! Every morning, I have a routine that includes making my bed. Making your bed is one of those silly things that only takes a minute but it will make your life so much better. You will think your bedroom is clean even if your dust bunnies want to marry you.

Bedroom via Houzz by Jamie Laubhan-Oliver

2. Open and sort the mail every day.

3. Clean as you cook. This really is a no-brainer, but for some reason it didn't always occur to me that I could clean as I cooked. I try to have the majority of the dishes and dinner done at the same time. It makes dinner much more enjoyable and then I can relax and watch the Bachelor when dinner's finished.

Kitchen via Houzz by Jean Allsopp Photography

5. Clean the kitchen every night. Counters and all. If your kitchen is clean most of the time, you're more likely to keep it clean all day. It's the same mentality as when you're on a diet and you eat a brownie and suddenly it's okay to eat 5,000 more calories.

4. Do a load of laundry every day. Sometimes I don't feel like doing laundry, but I always try to at least move a load from the washer to the dryer. Then at the end of the day when I think about all the tasks I've finished, I always add laundry. It makes me feel accomplished. See, you have to trick yourself!

Laundry Room via Houzz

5. Clean as you go. Before you leave a room, try to clean up the mess you made before moving on to the next room or activity. For me, this means cleaning up the nursery when my baby and I are done playing, or putting everything away in the bathroom when I'm done getting ready.

Source Unknown

My house isn't always perfect, but these things help me feel like it is clean enough. They also help control chaos. If you can keep the messes tamed, then they won't grow into scary monsters.

Cleaning Out the Pantry.

2011-03-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

When my home is unorganized, it gives me a headache. So every few months or so, I go through and reorganize everything. It makes my life efficient and my heart happy.

This week I reorganized our pantry. I am sure you can see why!

This is the after. I found things I didn't even know we had in the pantry. Like dog biscuits. It probably wouldn't seem so strange except for the fact that we don't have a dog.

So much better. All of the baskets or bins are from Hobby Lobby and Michael's. I just used stick-on labels for the bins.

Yay! My pantry is organized. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Silhouette Tutorial.

2011-03-07T23:25:00.000-08:00

I made a silhouette of my sweet baby boy last week. I love how it turned out and it was so easy! It took me about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Oh, and I think it cost about $3.

The first thing I did was take a picture of his profile. Getting a 15-month old to sit still and look straight ahead long enough to take a picture was the hardest part.

There are a lot of great tutorials out there, but this is the method I used ... You will need two different colors of card-stock, a pencil, scissors, glue stick and a cut out photo profile. I had mine printed in a 5 x7.

Carefully cut out the profile and trace it with a pencil using the back side of the photo. Using the back side makes it easier to see what you're tracing.

Once you trace it in pencil, you can adjust it if you need to. I added eyelashes.

Cut out your silhouette, flip it over, glue it down and then frame it.

The end. Super simple and super cute!

I'm linking to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Chic on a Shoestring and The Shabby Nest.

Putting a Little Vintage in the Nursery.

2011-03-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant, we didn't know if we were bringing home a little boy or a little girl. Fifteen months later, I'm finally finishing up a baby boy's room.

Last week, I found some adorable things for the nursery while shopping for antiques. Like those books under that sweet little bird. His name is Henry.

And these charming blocks.

I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them. They are so ~~precious~~ ~~adorable~~ ~~loved~~ perfect.

This room makes me so happy. It makes me the most happy when I open the door after a nap. It smells like my baby. He smells like heaven. Especially his head. I could get intoxicated off the smell of his head.

I wonder if this little boy's head smells as good as my little boy's head. Something tells me no.

My husband has a problem with the pink in the nursery drapes. I tell him that's what makes it a nursery. I also tell him that I'm at a 30% on the baby fever scale and you never know when a little girl will be coming.

These beautiful nursery rhyme books are from the same antique store. I love antique children's books. The best ones have drawings and scribbles inside.

I think the nursery is finally complete! Except for that empty frame there. Oops.

PW Cinnamon Rolls.

2011-02-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I wanted to make Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. So, I made them. And I lived happily ever after.

The are just as good as everyone says. For a tutorial and the recipe, go here.

These cinnamon rolls are perfect in the morning. Or in the evening. Or the afternoon. They're even more perfect with a latte.

I don't like to be bossy, but make these cinnamon rolls. NOW.

The Times They Are A-Changin'.

2011-02-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

At first, there was very little sign of him. Only a sweet cradle in our bedroom. And of course, the sweetest baby sleeping in it.

Then, toys starting popping up everywhere. They took over our family room, in fact.

Now, I am clearing off my tables.

Baby boy discovered that if he shakes this table, it makes a lot of noise. He thinks it's very funny. Yesterday, he threw an antique cup at my moms and smiled as it shattered everywhere.

My sweet baby boy is now a toddler boy and he is taking over our home. I have a toddler house. With less pretty things and more toy things.

How do you make these two things co-exist?

An Easy Update and a Master Bedroom Sneak Peak.

2011-02-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

If you only make one update in your room, this is a good one. Lamp shades are very sneaky. You don't always notice them, but they still have the ability to make your room look sad and neglected.

Before. There are a lot of issues here, but let's ignore the rest of them.

Our master bedroom looked a little more than neglected. Isn't it funny how we decorate the rest of our homes, but we ignore the most important room? We are still working on our update, but one change I have made that makes me so happy is switching out our lamp shades.

After.

Our budget didn't allow for purchasing new lamps, so I only bought lamp shades. And honestly, I love my lamps all over again. I can't believe how much just changing a lamp shade can make a difference. It looks like a different lamp!

I still have a few things left to do in our master bedroom, so hopefully I'll have a full reveal up in the next few weeks! So far, I am LOVING it.

Creating galleries.

2011-02-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

I love galleries. They can add so much depth and personality to a home. They're also an inexpensive solution to filling up a large and lonely wall.

You can get away with almost anything when creating a gallery as long as you are deliberate about it.


Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

You can create a monochromatic gallery. This makes it look cohesive and less cluttered even though you might have 67 pictures.

Southern Accents

Or you can keep it all in the same tone. This still achieves a level of cohesiveness but it's a little more interesting.

Chad Eisner

You can anchor your gallery around the largest piece. This gallery is more eclectic, but by keeping it symmetrical, it still looks intentional.

Source Unknown

Or you can make it a collection of something you love such as sketches, mirrors, clocks, plates or whatever it is that you like.

Source Unknown

You can create a family tree. I love this one.

Source Unknown

You really can do anything that you want, as long as it's planned out. Think before you hang.

In our home, we have a large wall in our entryway that holds some of my favorite photos.

The frames and photos are both black and white.

Before I put the frames up on the wall, I laid them all out on the floor. I moved them around until they looked like I wanted them to and then I hung them. You can also draw out a map of your gallery, just make sure you plan before you hit your first nail.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

I do what I want.

2011-01-30T23:03:00.000-08:00

I have learned a lot from blogging. Like how to shine your sink, how to love your home, that there is such a thing as beadboard wallpaper and so many other things that I am very grateful for.

I have also learned to do what I want. It's okay to follow my instincts instead of rules when it comes to decorating my home. It's okay to frame a bird's nest.

No, really. And if you want to make a wreath out of something unconventional, that's okay too. If you like wicker furniture with leopard print cushions, awesome.

It's okay to do what you want.

Etsy Finds.

2011-01-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

I love stumbling upon charming Etsy shops. I know you are just dying to know what

some of my favorites are. Here are a few ...

Rowan's Room Cottage Ruffles 2 Dogs Wood Working

Vic & Albie Barking Sands Vintage The Grower's Daughter

Faded Plains Polka Dot Bungalow Silhouette Blue

You're welcome.

Smells like love.

2011-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things in my home is the way it smells. When it smells good. Which is most of the time except when I cook with onions. Does anyone else have this problem? My home smells for days and days if I saute one little onion.

The reason my home smells so lovely is because I use a lot of love. You can call it liquid potpourri but I just like to turn on a little love in the morning.

Here's my favorite recipe:

Love

- Equal parts Nutmeg, Whole Cloves and Cinnamon. I usually use about

2 tablespoons but you can use more or less depending on your prefence.

- A handle of cinnamon sticks.

- Water.

Put the spices and cinnamon sticks in the bottom of your pot. Add water and turn on medium-high heat until it boils. Reduce the heat to low so that it barely simmers.

The end. You can leave it on all day as long as you continuously check the water. Your entire house will smell like love.

It looks gross, I know. But it smells amazing. Even if your house is messy, you will think it's clean because it will smell so good.

Pottery Barn Hack.

2011-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I had seen them before. Paperback books with their covers ripped off, tied up into charming little bundles with twine. Then I saw them again, for $39 in the Pottery Barn catalog.

Cute, right? But not $39 cute. Especially when I can make my own.

I took three of my least favorite paperbacks, ripped the covers off and tied them with jute packaging ribbon. They look so adorable in the middle of our bedroom makeover. They may be my new favorite decorating trick. Besides antique books with their covers on.

In the middle.

2011-01-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

We're in the middle of updating our bedroom. I have never put much effort into to it, even though it's one of the more important rooms in our home.

This is what our bedroom looked like three days ago ...

What does it look like now? I can't show you quite yet. But it involves paint, molding and something wonderful in the bathroom. I'm keeping our furniture and bedding because I love them too much.

Glittered Pinecones.

2010-12-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

Two posts about glittering things might make me seem a little crazy but I love holiday glitter. I needed something festive for my kitchen island, so I picked up some inexpensive pine cones and some glitter and I put them together.

Glittered pinecones make a fun hostess gift. It will even earn you an extra gingerbread cookie. I gave some away in a cute little glass jar and tied a ribbon around it.

To do this "craft" you will need pine cones, glitter, craft glue and a foam brush, small paintbrush or whatever you like to apply glitter with. Maybe even a toothbrush.

I put craft in quotation marks because I am not really a crafter and this isn't really a craft. It's 1st grade art 101.

Apply the glue with your method of choice and then shake the glitter over the glued pine cone. Make sure to cover all of the glue, then shake gently to remove excess glitter. I usually glitter over paper towels to contain the mess. It also makes it easy to funnel the glitter.

I like a lot of glitter but you can even just glitter the tips of the pine cones for a more subtle effect.

My husband loves when I glitter things. I usually get it all over the kitchen counter and then it ends up all over his face and then he looks like Edward Cullen when he steps into the sunlight.

Christmas.

2010-12-13T23:05:00.000-08:00

It has been very busy at our house.

I just finished decorating for Christmas and I'm so happy because now I can enjoy the season! This is what it looks like in our home this time of year.

Most of the time there are Christmas treats on our counter, but I am two weeks late on everything, so I haven't made one Christmas cookie.

I hung these kissing balls from our light fixtures. I love them.

We have a fake tree. I love the smell of real trees but I don't love the mess. The first year we were married, dearest husband asked for a real tree. We made a deal that he would clean up after the real tree. The second year we were married, he let me get a fake one.

I keep it pretty simple. Most of my holiday decorations are ornaments in glassware all over the house. Subtle and inexpensive ... just the way I like it!

I need to add lights to my garland, but I can't find any battery-operated lights that aren't LED. Does anyone know where I can find them?

Merry Christmas!

Herb Pots.

2010-11-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Did you know that cute herb pots are really hard to find? I have been looking for weeks and finally I found these.

Pottery Barn

But I didn't want cachepots and these were a little too big, so I decided to make my own. I found some very inexpensive clay pots at Michael's.

Then I painted them black and used a stencil to paint in the numbers. I made a stencil with my best friend Cricut, because it's sticky and I'm not good at painting in the lines. But if you wanted to do this, you could freehand or buy a cheap stencil at your local craft store.

Now, I wait for them to grow! I am so excited to cook with fresh herbs from my windowsill.

Decorating on the Cheap.

2010-11-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

I decorate on a budget. Sometimes I even decorate for free. (Even though my husband doesn't always agree that it is.)

I use spray paint and hot glue.

I gladly accept hand-me-downs. You can always re-purpose something into an item that will fit in your home.

I don't always use things for their purpose. I use plates and platters all around the house for everything but eating. I found this plate at Marshall's and my best friend Cricut cut out an "S". If you don't have a Cricut, you can use a stencil and craft paint. (This would be a great Christmas gift!)

I use The Nester's philosophy and I shop the house.

We recently had a desk built into our kitchen and it left me with an awkward wall that I still don't know how to decorate. This last week I decided to do something with it so I shopped my house.

I found this. Isn't she beautiful? She was a hand-me-down in the closet of abandoned goods. I decided to make her less beautiful. Or more.

I shopped the house a little more. I found white spray paint and chalkboard paint.

I think more beautiful. She fills up the space nicely, but I am still working on the awkward wall. I may have to do a little more house shopping.

What's Your Style?

2010-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Do you know your style? It's difficult to define, kind of like the relationship with your first boyfriend in college. If you don't know your style, it can make it very difficult to decorate your home. It can also make it difficult to love your home, because your home will not reflect you.

If you're not sure what your style is you can take a Style Quiz (which tells me that my style is 57 % Nantucket, 29% Cottage Chic and 14% Traditional Country) or ... you can throw out those typical style names and define your home in words. Are you confused? Get out a piece of paper and a pen.

Write a list of traits that your home has or you want your home to have. I want my home to feel inviting, cozy, loved, charming, light and comfortable.

Think about your favorite things in your home. Write them down. They can be pieces of furniture, a photograph display, a vase of flowers, a piece of red velvet cake in the fridge, a painting from your 8-year old, a clock, your coffee maker, anything. Attach words to them. A lot of my favorite items are antiques. Others are items given to me by family members. This makes my home meaningful and sentimental. I also love my coffee maker - I think this makes my home happy.

Look in your closet. Do you wear a lot of floral prints? Do you love dresses? Do you vigorously accessorize? What you wear will tell you a lot about your style. Again, attach words to your wardrobe. I wear a lot of black and white. Most of my clothing is feminine but I wear a lot of jeans or leggings and tights. My home reflects my wardrobe. Comfortable and classic, yet still very feminine.

Anthropologie

Do you have a favorite store, restaurant or hotel? A place that you walk into and just feel like taking a deep breath? Think about words or feelings you have for your favorite place. My favorite restaurant is a cute little place with a rose garden and delicious sandwiches. It is quirky and homey.

Put all of these words, feelings or ideas on paper. What ties all of these together? Think about the words you wrote. Circle the words that are synonyms, repeats or just especially speak to you. My style is classic, feminine, charming, meaningful, comfortable and cozy.

I wrote these words on a piece of paper and I put them in my wallet. When I am shopping, or thinking about projects, sometimes I will refer to these words to make sure my inspiration is going in the right direction. They stopped me from purchasing a beautiful lamp that just wasn't my style last week.

I don't settle for calling my home Nantucket meets Cottage Chic meets Traditional. Because knowing my "home words" gives me a better understanding of what my home is. So, what's YOUR style?

Glittered Corn.

2010-11-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is not the same glitter from 1998 that young girls somehow thought was a good idea to put all over their hair and eyelids. This glitter is so unexpectedly sophisticated and festive.

You can glitter just about everything. Even corn. Who knew?

To glitter your corn, you only need dried corn, glitter, craft glue and a sponge brush. Half of my corn I covered in glue and glitter. The other half I lightly brushed with glue so that I didn't go on glitter overload. I chose to use two shades of glitter, but you can use one or 157.

I left the shucks on while I glittered. When I arranged the glittered corn in my glass container, they kind of reminded me of Medusa so I took the shucks off.

If you are brave enough to host Thanksgiving, this would be a great centerpiece idea. It's very easy and inexpensive. You can also glitter the stems on some gourds and arrange the gourds with the glittered corn.

P.S. I noticed when I was buying glitter that Martha Stewart has craft glue specifically for glitter. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?

Organizing Magazines.

2010-10-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to tear pages out of magazines when they inspire me. Other times, I’ll just save the whole magazine. I have a large stack of Martha Stewart Living’s hanging out in my cupboard.

There are so many good ideas in there, I knew that someday I would read them all over again.

But they just fill up space and I’ve never once reopened a magazine. I also print out recipes and for some reason I just kept stacking them. I have a stacking problem. I knew it was a real problem when I found a Pottery Barn catalog from 2007. (Which looks a lot like the catalog from 2010!)

Storage space in our home is at a premium, so I am trying to slowly declutter and simplify. This week I finally tackled my stack of magazines and recipes.

I organized everything into three binders.

Then I broke each binder up into five subcategories and put all of my tear-outs into sheet protectors. You can organize your magazines any way you like. Think about how you use your recipes or gardening ideas or whatever it is you like and then go from there.

It took me an hour here and there over a few days, but I am so happy now that it’s done. Organization projects like these are time consuming, but they improve your efficiency in the long run.

Instead of searching through my massive stack of recipes, if I’m looking for something specific, like ice cream cone cupcakes, I know exactly where it is.

Trick or Treat.

2010-10-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a great tip on buying Halloween candy: Don’t buy your favorite.

It seems so counter-intuitive. Why the heck would anyone do that, right?

If you buy candy that you don’t like, you won’t eat it. So this year, I bought milk duds, nerds and almond joys. I love Reese's. I didn't even look at them last week in the candy aisle.

I promise, you will be so happy when you walk by that candy bowl and you don't even hear it whisper your name.

Our $150 Fireplace Makeover.

2010-10-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

Besides the fact that it works, I was never very fond of our fireplace. It's plain, made out of tile and it's not the focal point in our family room.

Our fireplace before.

Who makes fireplaces out of tile by the way?? That should be one of those absurd laws that radio hosts like to talk about. You know, like, not being able to drive a buffalo on the streets of Kansas. Or having to take a bath once a year in Kentucky. Why are these laws and why are people in California are still making fireplaces out of tile?

Even though tiled fireplaces are still legal, our budget doesn't allow for us to change the tile at this point. But - we were able to make a huge transformation that we are SO happy with. We found our inspiration at The Lettered Cottage.

We started with three one-inch pieces of wood measured to our mantle. We chose to measure it a little taller so that we could beef up the mantle and make it look more fat and less skinny.

My husband paints in socks.

We decided to distress our wood. Do you have anger issues? You might be a good wood distresser. We used a hammer and all sorts of fun things we could find. A quarter, some screws, a nail ... anything with texture would work.

Then we stained the wood black. Black wood stain is harder to find than I thought it would be and this is all that the blue store had available. It has polyurethane in it. I don't really know what that means, but that's okay because my husband does.

It actually worked out great. Two coats and it was done. Here's a tip: do not let this stuff get on your hands. It's made of magic and it will not come off no matter how much you scrub with apple-scented hand soap. Eventually my husband had to scrub with paint thinner and it still took him 20 minutes to have human-looking hands.

Once the stain was dry, my husband's hands recovered and he was no longer mad at me, he installed the mantle with a nail gun. Then, we took the measurements for the rest of the fireplace. Okay, maybe not we. Maybe my husband did most of this project and maybe I just cleaned the kitchen and gave him words of encouragement.

We installed plywood against the wall to create an even surface. We have walls with acne, so this is necessary for us. Then we (my husband) cut one-inch by one-inch pieces of wood and used a nail gun to attach them to the bottom of the mantle. On the top we framed it out with two by one-inch pieces of wood and used one by one-inch pieces of wood on the inside. My husband also used the nail gun to attach these.

Then we caulked everything and lightly sanded it. I helped with this part.

The finished product.

Two coats of paint and it's finished!! It took us one weekend to finish this product, but it is SO worth it. Now our fireplace is pretty and our family room has a focal point.


Once it was finished and I was accessorizing, I noticed that I actually needed less to make it look good. It reinforces the idea that when your home has character and architectural interest, you don't need to be an accessory abuser. The fall weather is moving in and I can't wait to enjoy my fireplace with a cup of tea.