DecorSmith

Ann Knows Best

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:02:00 +0000

I will admit it, I was wrong. The paint colors that I picked out for my bathroom are all wrong because I strayed from my original plan that I posted in the Bathroom Remix.

This all started with just a simple Facebook comment from my friend Ann. She did not think that the colors I had picked out in my Paint Sample Madness post were a good fit for what I had originally planned. After this comment I did some thinking and I realized that she was right. When I picked out the paint samples I was in a rush, so I just picked out a few colors that I thought might work, all the while not thinking of my original vision. I don't think you always have to stick to the plan when it comes to decorating, but you do have to think of how all of the different elements are going to look when you are done. This is where I went wrong. I found a few great colors, but I forgot to envision the final look. There are few lessons that I can take from this experiences:

Plan, plan and more plans.
The importance of paint samples.
A little help from your friends.

With that said, I went out and found a new paint color that I think will work better with my overall vision. Here is the plan I came up with for my bathroom. For all of the details you can check out the post here.

My bathroom plan

And here is the new paint color. The color I picked is Behr Opal Silk.

Updated paint sample

This color is a better match. Thanks again Ann!

A Cute Little Planter

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:03:00 +0000

Remember Rusty? If you don't remember you can check out my post on My New Friend Rusty here. Shortly after I decorated my new table I found this cute little planter that would be perfect for a plant.

Cute little planter

Now I will be honest, the original plants that were in this planter died. I like to think that I had nothing to do with their death, but who knows. This time around I wanted to go with low maintenance plants, so I thought succulents would be the way to go. I found this great succulents at Home Depot.

Three little succulent plants

Once I brought these home, I planted them in my tin container and voila!

Decorative accessories

And here is how it looks all together.

Decorative Accents

The Blinds are Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Wed, 30 May 2012 02:18:00 +0000

I have run into a home decorating problem with our bay window. The problem relates to my dog Porter. While I love him dearly, he has created a huge problem for us. The dog loves to eat our blinds. I wish I could tell you that he only did this once, but than I would be lying. I can't even count the number of times he has destroyed a set of blinds. We foolishly kept buying more blinds. At one point I started to repair the blinds, but some of the blinds were beyond repair.

The poor blinds, the dog just loves to eat them

I know some of you may be thinking that this dog has separation anxiety, but I can tell you that is not the case. The underling problem is boredom. First let me tell you that my dog is crazy. He is German Shorthaired Pointer which are known for being high energy dogs. We thought that a half-hour at the dog park a day was enough, but clearly he needed more.

After months of destroyed blinds, we set out to find a new solution. (On a side note, I find it so funny to think of someone walking by my house and getting a glimpse of my dog chopping away on the blinds...LOL). Instead of blinds we moved to curtains. We put up sheers curtains and another set of red curtains. We really didn't like the curtains, but we knew it was the best solution.

While the this solution works, it isn't pretty

Flash forward to today, Porter is now 2 1/2 and a little more mature. This past weekend, my husband did the unthinkable and put up a brand new set of blinds. As you can see we do still have the red curtains up, but we thought we would leave them up for a little bit and ease the dog into the blinds. I will admit it looks so much better than the curtains. Plus the space is a little more open with the blinds.

This looks so much better than the curtains

I know the picture does not really show you the difference between the blinds and the curtains, but trust me the blinds look much better. Even from the outside, the blinds are a better fit. How long will this last, only time will tell. I have no faith in my dog and I think this will only last about a month, but I hope I am wrong.

Have you come across any decorating problems because of your pet?

What to Make of Headless Flowers, White Grass and Fungus

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:14:00 +0000

I'm taking this post outside. Decorating your house is not only an inside job but it also is an outside job as well. I have tried and tried to make the outside of my house beautiful, but I have run into several problems. First let me tell you there are have been warning signs from Mother Nature. Here let me explain...

Problem #1: Purple stems and headless flowers

The first year that we moved into our house I planted a ton of annuals and perennials in the hopes that my flowers would grow healthy and strong. Well none of my flowers have been healthy, and every year I am disappointed in my flower garden. Some of the flower stems have this purplish coloring on the bottom. Other flowers are so weak that they fall over and decapitate themselves (a picture of this would only make you cry).

Purple dots on plant

So, what is Mother Nature trying to tell me....Your soil sucks!

The first time I saw this I had no clue what to do, yet last year I came to my senses and had a soil test done. The results of the soil test gave me some insight into some of the issues with my soil. This spring I did see some improvement in the flowers, yet I still have a lot of work to do. I plan on doing another soil test this year and plus mixing in some compost into the flower beds. This way I can be sure that I am doing everything I can to give the flowers a fighting chance.

Problem #2: White and discolored grass

There are parts of my lawn that have white residue on the grass blades. The picture below is just one small patch in my yard.

White grass

Do you know what Mother Nature is trying to tell me...Aerate the lawn already.

This Spring the white spots were really bad, so I turned to my Organic Lawn Care Manual. The book goes into detail about the importance of aerating the lawn because if the soil becomes too hard and compact it can cause some problems such as fungus. In my case the grass was turning white because water could not penetrate the surface, plus air circulation was a problem.

Last weekend we rented an aerator, which has made a huge difference in the grass, and we have less white spots. Of course it will take a little time for everything to clear up, but we have made progress.

Problem #3: Did Nature just throw up?

This one is really weird! First let me give you the background story.

Last fall the big tree in the front yard came crashing down in our yard. Luckly it missed the house, but we were left with a big mess to clean up.

Fallen tree in our yard

As any other DIYer would do, we cleaned up the tree ourselves (we did hire a professional to cut down the part of the tree that was still standing. That was way too big of a job for us to handle). When we were done we had about five years worth of firewood and a lifetime supply of mulch. A large portion of the mulch went to the yard waste pick-up and the left overs went to the garden that is along the fence line. Everything seemed to be going well until a few weeks ago when I started to notice some weird things. I found some weird yellow foam like substance in the mulch.

Gross...what is that?

At first I thougtht the dog threw-up, but I kept finding more and more. I took it upon myself to find out what this stuff was. With the power of Wikipedia I discovered that this a type of fungus that is commonly called dog vomit slime mold. It is often found in large amounts of mulch.

Can you guess what Mother Nature is trying to tell me? Dude, this is way too much mulch. Needless to say, the plan for next weekend is to get rid of the mulch.

Over the course of these three lessons, I now have more insight into the some of the signs that Mother Nature gives you. What kind of signs has Mother Nature give you?

Paint Sample Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Awhile back my husband and I repainted our bedroom because we hated the color. At the time I did not understand the importance of paint samples. My husband and I picked out a color for our bedroom and foolishly we did not test any other colors. We looked at a ton of paint chips and we thought there is no way we could go wrong with the color we picked. Well let this be a lesson to us, the color we picked was a bad choice. When our friends came over to see our freshly painted room, I could tell that they were not in love with the color either. Live and learn I guess. At some point we plan to repaint our bedroom, but I will get to that later.

Why I am talking about paint samples? I am in the process of picking out a paint color for my bathroom makeover. Recently I shared with you my Ugly Bathroom Remix, which included some possible paint options. In order to avoid picking a bad color, I am testing out a few paint samples. After the bad painting experience with our bedroom, I am now all for testing a few different paint colors before starting a project.

In my Ugly Bathroom Remix post I mentioned that I was torn between two colors. Well now I am torn between three colors. Let me give you the run down:

Color option #1: Behr Ultra Soothing Celadon
Color option #2: Behr Ultra Frozen Pond
Color option #3: Behr Ultra Chinese Jade
(If you are interested in any of these paint samples, they all can be found at Home Depot)

Bathroom Paint Samples

I love each of these colors. I do plan to give myself a bit of time before I figure out what color I want to use. I am also taking suggestions. Use the pole to cast your vote.

May the Fourth Be With You

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:53:00 +0000

This past Friday was May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The whole idea comes from May the fourth (force) be with you – get it! I am not a die-hard Star Wars fan but in celebration I wanted to showcase some Star Wars themed decorative ideas.

Now that Star Wars is on your mind, let's cue the music (sorry you will have push play).

The music just makes it more exciting.

First things first, when I say decorating in a Star Wars theme, I am not talking about adding a full size stormtrooper to your home. I just mean adding some fun and reasonably sized decorative pieces. Don't get me wrong a life-size stormtrooper would be awesome, but it is not always practical or affordable.

For more info on this Stormtrooper click here

In my search for Star Wars related items, I found that Etsy had just what I was looking for. Here are a few of my favorites. All of the items below can be found on Etsy.

Concepcion Studios Star Wars Art Print Movie Posters

Check out Concepcion Studios to find these prints. They have some many other cool designs.

Pure Cow Posters Star Wars Collection

When I found these I thought they would be perfect for the hallway or maybe a game room. Pure Cow Posters developed these fun and creative designs.

The Geekerie Star Wars Inspired R2D2 Character Portrait

This one is my favorite. I really like this abstract view of R2-D2. Plus not everyone can pinpoint what this is. Check out The Geekerie to learn more about this unique item.

Noodle Hug Star Wars Print Milennium Falcon and AT-AT

I love the colors on these prints. These designs are from NoodleHug on Esty. These would be great for a kids room.

Of course we can not forget Darth Vader. You may need a change in music for this...

Now that you are on the dark side, let's check out a few Darth Vader items.


Left: Noodle Hug - Star Wars Print Darth Vader Middle: Stay Gold Media - Recycled Vintage Dictionary Page Darth Vader Right: Brain Storming Session - Star Wars Darth Vader Woodburned Wall Art

Here are three great pieces of Vader. The one of the left is from Noodle Hug. I think this design is mysterious and creepy at the same time. The one in the middle is from Stay Gold Media. I like how this piece uses old books to really create a neat piece of art. Finally the item on the right is from Brain Storming Session. This is a wood burned image of Vader. What makes it even cooler is that is just half of his face, which makes it even more unique.

Alright Star Wars fans, I hope this post has been helpful. I am only sharing with you a few items, there are a ton of other Star Wars themed items out there. I am sure you can find something that fits your style.

My goal with this post was to share with you creative ways in which you can showcase the things you love, no matter how crazy or off-the-wall they may be. I really hope this post inspires everyone to show your true colors in your home design. It's all in good fun!

My New Friend Rusty

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:41:00 +0000

I would like to introduce you to Rusty. About two months ago I purchased Rusty, the Rustic Kitchen Prep Counter from West Elm. Everyone give Rusty a warm welcome.

I had to order Rusty online and delivered to my house because the nearest West Elm store is in Ohio. Once my order was delivered I quickly discovered that assembly was required. I won’t bore you with the details, but I am proud to say that I put Rusty together all by myself. I will admit there was some screaming and yelling during the assembly process, but overall it wasn’t too bad.

This is Rusty

After Rusty was assembled, he was moved into the dinning room. I gave my new table a quick wipe down and then I stood back to admire my work! I was a little nervous that during the assembly process I missed something and the table would come crashing down, but so far so good. Now I am super excited to starting using my new table!

Before I jump into the decorating details, here are the reasons why I purchased Rusty:
1. I wanted something that I could use for dinning room storage.
2. Create a home for loose change and car keys
3. Display cute decorative accessories

With all that in mind, I went around the house and gathered up a number of items that might work. I tried out all of the items and several different configurations, and this was the one that worked the best.

Rusty All Dressed Up

That is better!

Accessories

I strategically placed items based on how much they will be used. On the top shelves I found this great growler that we can use for our loose change. I also paired the growler with a vintage piece I found at the Treasure Mart. I am still on the hunt for a cute dish that we can use for our keys. The middle shelves have some baking dishes that are cute display pieces. As you can see I use one to store dishtowels. The dinning table items (table cloth, placemats and napkins) all reside in the basket underneath. While this space is a bit untraditional, it works the best.

Of course over time I may find new items to add to the shelves, but for now Rusty is looking good.

Do you have any new furniture that you have introduced to your house recently?

Ugly Bathroom Remix

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:25:00 +0000

I’ll be honest with you; I really haven’t done much with our bathroom since we have moved in. The evidence is all in the pictures.

Ugly Bathroom

Now since I have just shared my ugly bathroom with the World, let me explain my ideas for beautifying this bathroom. First let’s go over the to-do-list:

Paint the bathroom walls
Do something about the back splash around the sink
Update the tile around the bathtub
Change out the bathtub faucet
Update the shower curtain, bathroom rug and towels
Change out the window blinds

These are the big items. I am sure that I missed something, but I will figure it out along the way. Now, for the overall design I created a design board to show you my vision.

Bathroom Design Board

Here is the breakdown:

Shower curtain, bathroom rug and towels – I found an awesome shower curtain at West Elm that I am in love with. The colors and the design really tie into my overall look. Both the bathroom rug and towels are from target (FYI - I LOVE Target). I found a turquoise rug to match the shower curtain. I want to add in more color with the towels, which is why I picked out colorful design.
Paint – I want to use a light color for the walls because the bathroom is small and narrow. I found a ton of great colors, but right now I am torn between two colors: Soothing Celadon or Offshore Mist. Both of the colors can be found at Home Depot. I still need to get test samples, so it is anyone's race right now.
Tile – Subway tile please! I want to go with a light brown tile that I found at the Tile Shop.
Faucets – If I had to guess I would say that the bathtub faucet is original to the house. Our house was built in the early 50’s, so the bathtub faucet is close to 60 years old. Sorry faucet – your time has come and we are going to replace you with a younger model. Check out the new shower faucet here.

Whew…for a small bathroom, this will be a lot of work. The nice part is that this stuff can be done over time, which allows for us to save-up for those big items. I would love to get this done all in one shot, but the budget doesn’t allow for that. So sit tight, the bathroom updates will be coming your way soon.

What kind of bathroom updates have you done recently?

The Big Shoe Debacle

noreply@blogger.com (Heather S.) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 01:38:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but between my husband and I we have way too many shoes. We also seem to have a problem with putting away our shoes. In the past we always had the excuse that there was nowhere to put our shoes. I know, it is not a good excuse.

When we moved into our new house, I thought the downstairs coat closet would make a perfect home for our shoes. As you can see in the picture below, finding a home for our shoes was not our only problem.

Before
Vroom! Vroom! Yes that is a car pillow.

“This is a hot mess!”

While our house has some great features, the size of the coat closet is not one of them. The issue at hand was that we have too many shoes and not enough space. We could get rid of some shoes, but that was not going to happen. I thought finding a solution was hopeless, until I came across a floating shoe rack found here. The floating shoe rack was the perfect idea plus it was affordable. Check out my handy work.

Floating Shoe Rack

After Picture with floating shoe rack

Unfortunately my camera work is not the greatest, but you can see that I made my own floating shoe rack (learn how to make your own floating shoe rack here) on the side part of the closet. I was a little concerned about my shoes getting scrapped up from the wood, so I glued some fabric underneath the wood. I found a traditional shoe rack that I am using in the back of the closet. As the seasons change we will just route out our shoes to the floating shoe rack for easy access. Problem solved.

What kind of shoe storage dilemmas do you have?