I Don't Know How She Does It

Farewell Tumblr

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:26:04 -0500

To all my incredible followers. I’ve decided to move this blog to a Blogger account. The address will still be the same knowhowshedoesit.com but I can guarantee that the design of the page will be better. Please, keep supporting me by showing some love and following me to my new home. I can’t wait to see you there… My best to you!
- Gloribell

Happy New Year 2013

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:17:35 -0500

To all my faithful followers, happy New Year! May 2013 bring you and your loved ones peace, love, happiness, and good health!

Christmas display

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0500

You can touch the image and it will redirect you to each website.

Stars, constellations, lights, you name it. This year’s Christmas display, for me, is out of this world. For this piece, besides mixing old items with new ones, I also incorporated branches and silver tones (the mercury vases and owl). Although in theory it might sound contrasting, the beauty of it relies on opposites: nature with man made materials, darkness with brightness. Also it is very important to create a balance so that the display won’t seem to fall on one side. So, to create a symmetric view, I counter balance the height of the branches with a wide piece on the opposite side (the pine cone Christmas tree). The idea when designing a display like this or a fire mantel, is to play with the ornaments and to develop a rhythm among each of the objects.

The Apartment Book (review)

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:10:00 -0500

Do you have your Santa’s wish list ready? If so, stop right there and don’t forget to add this book: House Beautiful The Apartment Book. I was recently invited to review it, and was I “WOWed”…. This book is packed with lots of great design ideas for every decor taste; from the traditional everyday inspired to the contemporary ones.

House Beautiful The Apartment Book did not forgot about anyone in this book. If you are a proud owner of a Louis XVI chair for sure, you’ll find ideas here on how to pair this fabulous accent chair with your surrounding furniture.

Divided by room areas: living room, dining areas, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, foyers, libraries, and offices; this book is perfect for the apartment owner who seeks to find the best design choices for limited spaces.

Here are some points that I loved:

Color concepts for each room area with tricks (no magic wand needed!)
How important is natural light in rooms and how to make the most out of it.
Great photos with lots of details and ideas on how to mix and match styles.

No matter how big or small is your room, here you’ll find a muse that will inspire you to create and decorate. Look for the before and after sections distributed around the book. The final results will leave you breathless. They’ve addressed on this examples some good pointers to keep in mind when renovating or redecorating certain areas in your apartment.

For the collectors, they have 10 great pointers for showing off your treasures In doubt of how to play with a neutral palette? Don’t despair, here you’ll find tons of ideas for the minimalist taste, but also for the traditional ones.

I would suggest to look for this great pages:

10 rules for hanging artwork page 42
12 tricks to make your space look larger page 52
10 details that make a small kitchen great page 154
7 tips for making all-white work page 192

So there you have it. Now remember to ask Santa for House Beautiful The Apartment Book (now available onBarnes and Noble or your bookstore of choice). I’m sure he won’t mind if you’ve been naughty or nice!

My Christmas tree

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:27:00 -0500

Tired of the same old red, green and blue combinations on my Christmas tree, this year I opted to keep it delicate and simple with hints of green combined with white. What I like the most about my tree is the fact that most of my ornaments either are recycled from previous years, or made by me.

During one of my trips to Michaels, I bought some vintage inspired scrapbook papers and used them to make origami doves. I admit this was he first time I’ve ever made anything origami, but what worked for me was some Youtube tutorials. I used two different dove’s designs, one with a medium level of difficulty, and the other was very easy to do. To hang my Japanese masterpieces, I used some natural fiber strings that mixed very well with the burlap ribbon used in the rest of the tree.

For the recycled ornaments, I had a couple of brown metal and some wooden snowflakes from Target that I bought two years ago. I painted them all with white spray paint but from the wooden ones, left the metal part intact. Last year I bought (also from Target) some felt snowflakes in orange and green. The material of the center was in wood, so from the orange ones I took this part and with spray glue added some green glitter. They now look more Christmassy than before.

At this point I knew I needed something white, so I remembered that I always wanted to try one idea I found on Pinterest where, with some cornstarch and baking soda, one can do clay decorations. You can find the recipe here. When I did this at home, my recipe ended up needing more baking soda since the consistency was a bit watery and damp, making it difficult to cut with the cookie cutters. For the texture of both the angels and stars, I bought some inexpensive rubber stamps available at Michaels.

To cover some blank spots here and there, I bought some fiber hearts and used some small crystal balls to finish what now I call my Country/natural Christmas tree. Hope you enjoyed my recycled/almost-hand-made tree. Have a Merry Christmas!

Christmas wreath

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:37:00 -0500

Now that Christmas is a couple of days away, I took some time to make used of the leftover branches from our tree. In our house we’ve always preferred natural Christmas trees because nothing can beat the evergreen smell around the house. This year the tree we bought was larger at the bottom, so my husband took down some branches which I used in the making of our door wreath. In this video from Youtube, you can see how easy it is to make a wreath with some tree branches, a wire hanger, and some floral wire. My wreath was shaped into a square, since I fell in love with one from West Elm, and wanted to apply the same principle to mine. Besides, the look is different from the common round ones and even more sophisticated.

The trick when doing this wreath is to make it in layers. After the first layer is done, check to see where there are areas that need to be fill. To decorate my wreath I used inexpensive (a box of 12 for $2.50) plastic white snowflakes from Walgreens and some pine cones from a last year’s Christmas pine cone project. To finish it all, I recycled the bow from the Fall Inspired Wreath.

Hope I got you inspired to do your own wreath. Please share with me your Holiday projects and feel free to pin this on Pinterest. Happy Holidays!

Carved pumpkin

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:31:01 -0400

Here is my take on the famous Halloween pumpkin. With just some glitter, feathers, small fabric flowers and a couple of butterfly parts, I assemble what I like to call the “Lady Moth-pire” (my version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but with a vampire twist). You can find all these materials and more at Michaels or your favorite craft store. To see more great ideas on Halloween, take a peek at my Pinterest Halloween board.

Spooky door silhouettes

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 23:42:00 -0400

Oh please, someone make Halloween last at least until November 15!!! Did you know that I definitively love this holiday? Although it might seem like an irony, on this new project I used silhouettes and mice which have always make me shriek. There are some people who believe that in order to overcome your fears, you have to confront them. So here I tried to do so by combining all those things that I might have a little fright to, and convert them into a creative opportunity for my front door.

The first item on my door are my family’s silhouettes. These are made out of each of their profiles, including mine. With my phone, I took several photos of them and then drew their silhouettes on a black cardboard. Another option for this project would be to take a picture of yourself (or someone’s) and print it black and white on regular paper, to the desire size. Cut it and use it as a template to trace. Martha Stewart has a tutorial on this where she used it on a pumpkin. Here you can see how they did it.

The rest of the elements I used were templates from Martha Stewart’s website. You can find the cat template here, and the mice here. Remember to print these to the desire size. Since I did not have the chance to go and print them, I drew them by looking at the computer. Not so bad, ah?!?! (P.S. the creature at the right is a hybrid between a cat and a dog jajajaja)

The final items for my Halloween spooky door were some spiders I bought at Target. The bag had like 50, but I did not used them all. In order to place them on the door, I used strips of magnets which I cut in smaller sizes. These come with glue on one side, making this task very easy to do. I also used the magnets on all my silhouettes, since I did not want to ruin the door with double tape.

For the spiderwebs I placed here and there, I used Halloween wall decals (also available at Target). These are peel-and-stick and were very easy to reposition in case I did not like how they looked.

At the end I guess I conquer my fears, and the best part is, I’m very proud of the effort. Let me know what are you using on your door on this Halloween. Remember you can also see more great ideas on my Halloween Pinterest board here. Hope you liked my spooky door idea!

Halloween countdown

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:40:00 -0400

I just love every hour after the autumnal (Fall) equinox. The days are cooler, the sunset is prettier. But what I really love the most is Halloween! And not just because of the candies, but during this holiday my creativity ignites like no other day of the year; hence my new “living dead” creations.

These spooky little cupcakes are made with chocolate but inside awaits a gooey and delicious raspberry filling. The idea is to give them a vampire’s bite and sink your fangs into the sweet blood-like stuff. To top it all, and to add a little shriek, I’ve placed some plastic skeletons (available at Michaels) which I sliced in parts and strategically arrange them over a bed of Nutella frosting. To make them look like they just raised from the ground, I used the parts of the cupcakes I took (to make way for the frosting) and toasted them on a pan. For recipes click each link! Hope you like Halloween (and all its goodies) as much as I do!

Fall inspired door wreath

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:37:00 -0400

Maybe a little late, but I really enjoyed doing this fall inspired door wreath. The best part is that everything on it smells like Autumn. Because I didn’t want to use the common browns and oranges, I took advantage of the greens and yellows, to make it a little more brighter. Here is a little how-to for my newest seasonal door decor.

For the materials, you can find them at your favorite craft store; mine is Michaels, so everything I used (except the oranges, cinnamon sticks and the grapevine wreath (this last one item was from Target’s one dollar area!!!)) I bought it there.

1. Fabric leaves 2. Plastic miniature pears 3. A bag of mixed small pumpkins and squashes 4.Cinnamon sticks 5.Oven dried oranges 6. Raffia (which at the end, I did not used) 7. Fall bush with small pumpkin 8. Eucalyptus branches.

Before I started gluing and attaching, I did my own oven dried oranges. It was so easy to do! Here is how:

After all this was done, I started gluing in patches. This way it was easier to see where a pear might be needed, or a cinnamon stick, to make the wreath acquired a 3D effect. One thing that I did to add life to the composition was to darken the leaves’ veins and borders. To do this I used some Prismacolor markers similar to the colors of the leaves (but you can also use cheap markers, making sure to paint in layers until the desire effect).

At the end, and to hang the piece, I used some burlap ribbon (from Michaels) to add a vintage-barn look. With it, I made a medium size ribbon to balance the heaviness of the wreath.

Hope you like the outcome and let me know what things have you done to decorate your door or even your house during these seasons. I’m planning on redoing my door again with a Halloween flair decor. Let’s cross fingers!

Autumn cupcake

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:30:00 -0400

It’s been a while since I last wrote anything here; but my life has been turned upside down and time has not been on my side. But I can not miss the beginning of one of my favorite seasons, Autumn. So what a better way to receive this time of year than with a sweet treat. Inspired by the colors and textures of Autumn, here I’ve made a carrot cupcake with a maple-cream cheese frosting and to adorn this cutie, I’ve added some roasted walnuts and a cinnamon sugar cookie in the form of a leaf.
It is not a custom of mine to place a recipe in this blog, but I find Autumn so beautiful that I could not resist myself. For those of you interested in the recipe, here is the link for the cupcake and here for the frosting. As for the leaf cookie, it is a simple sugar cookie recipe that I added a hit of cinnamon. Hope you enjoy!

Entryway ideas

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 22:52:29 -0400

Elegant floor in Darcy Miller’s New York apartment as featured on Architectural Digest magazine. This contemporary entryway, as well as her apartment, were designed by David Mann from MR Architecture + Decor .

For me, just like the saying goes: “Eyes are the windows to the soul”; the entryway of a home is an “access to the heart”. You see, this part of your house is were your visitors will feel most welcome. It is the first impression you give your guests of who lives there. I’ve come to an understanding that this area should be an echo of the owner, a mare representation of who he/she is.

Although, not everybody has a glittering or sparkling personality (I’m one of those), it is very important to have a certain knowledge when it comes to your entryway. For this reason, I have prepared a list of things to keep in mind when decorating or rearranging this area.

Use large mirrors: These can be placed either against the wall (if using the tall ones from the floor up), over a table leaning on the wall or the hanging type. The thing about mirrors is that they tend to make an area look bigger. This is because they double everything reflected or, if receiving a source of light, they can make the area look brighter. When guests arrive at your home, they’ll feel like entering a large room instead of a square long hallway. So, if dealing with an obscure entryway, opt for a mirror, but make the size count!

1. The tall mirror against the wall in this entryway design from McGill Designs, gives an elegant touch to the area. 2. The hanged mirrors help to elongate the wall giving more depth to the entryway. Space designed by Shirry Dolgin.

Use art: Not only does art makes one look interesting and intelligent, but is sure will make any wall stand out. You can use reproductions of real expensive works, or new up-coming artists. If having some great photos of your last vacation to Arabia, Bahamas or Christmas at your moms, try them too. You can even display your little ones’ pieces of art and say you are a proud mommy or daddy of a future Picasso. I’m in favor of putting large black and white photos of my kids. I like them to be close-ups since those cute little smiles grab everybody’s attention. Also, using black and white pictures will not distract the eye from the rest of the room’s decoration.

1. This amazing space from Architect Bill Ingram’s lakeside dwelling, is a good example on how to incorporate art in the walls. Here they helped the ceiling seemed higher because their horizontal placement. 2. Another example of great art positioning comes from Kerry Howard. Here the designer used the principle of symmetry for the placement of the framework. 3. In this entryway from the Mark Ruffalo’s home as featured in Domino Magazine, we can see how they used an interesting mix of art and photos.

Prepare a cozy approach: If having the space, you can try placing an elegant or modern armchair with a side table. It can serve as a mini-living room or an extension of the real one.

Placed on the side of the stairs, this entryway from Connelli Interiors, is the definition of classic and elegant. The color of the chairs makes an excellent contrast against the pale walls. Love how they used a couple of round mirrors to compliment the area. This is a great transitional space.

Use color: For the conservative type, stay with the neutrals palette. Besides making everything look modern and sleek, these colors also bring a sense of warmth to the space. But if you are a daring type, I’ll say you can go with a bright color as long as you keep it to one wall. This way it will function as a focal point on the space. To balance this, you can paint the smallest wall with a bright color and the rest (the longest one) with a more muted hue. But keep in mind to not overcrowd the rest of the area (either with big furniture, lamps or art) because it can end-up making your guests feel overwhelmed.

1. On the neutral side of the color charts, this entryway from designer Ned Marshalls, incorporates the Benjamin Moore Bittersweet Chocolate color in contrast with the lavender French sofa. 2. The color of the season, coral, was very well used in this natural illuminated entryway.

These tips might guide you to a really nice entryway, but remember to always try to bring out the very best of you, at the end… your true heart!

Summer beach umbrellas

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:46:00 -0400

So, summer is here and with it, sand, sun and the beach. Although we like it when we get tan, it is a sure thing that at the end, the sun rays cause too much skin damage to risk ourselves. Before you go running to apply gallons of sunblock (of course you should apply some reasonable quantity) and pretend to look like “Powder” or worst, like Casper the friendly ghost; here are some great and stylish summer beach umbrellas to take to the beach. Keep in mind that for us, style and beauty always go hand in hand.

True blue: Just like the sea, this options are all in tone with its sorroundings. From the beautiful summery stripes, to the ones evoking fish’s skin.

Like a ray of sun: Like the sun rays but without suffering mayor damage and risking your skin, take a yellow umbrella to feel sun kiss!

Under the Indian sun: How many times have you fallen in love with everything Indian. This options are so gorgeous and stylish that you’ll want to ride the beach on top of an elephant or better yet, start dancing to the rhythm of an Hindi music.

Good morning on a rainy day!

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:33:00 -0400

Good morning on a rainy day!:

Good morning to all those coffee addicts out there. Rainy day today here at Miami, but coffee makes it all better.

Announcing the winner of World Market's gift card

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:32:00 -0400

I want to thank everybody that visited my blog and left a comment on the post “New furniture outdoor trends”. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did. Also, I would like to thank the people at Cost Plus World Market for the $25 gift card and for the the opportunity of participating on their webminar.

And, now for the winner, here is the randomly selected number and the comment from Michele Malone:

Thanks Michele for stopping by and for participating. Stay tuned for more great ideas and new giveaways!

Colored glass jars

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:00:00 -0400

Do you like to collect old sauce jars? And, are you running to buy that last minute mother’s day gift? Well, I have a great idea that combines both situations. This will save you time and money. All you will need is some acrylic craft paint and a couple of clear glass pasta sauce jars. But don’t worry if you don’t have these jars, you can also use mason jars that can be obtained at Jo-Ann store and The Container Store.

The clear glass pasta sauce jars I selected had some interesting details which make them my favorite ones. If you have some jars that still have the label, here are some nice tricks to remove them.

Select the colors you want to used for this project. I’m using sea inspired colors since we are near the Summer season. These colors are from the Martha Stewart Crafts collection which you can buy at your nearest Jo-Ann store. Here is the list of colors I used:

Cloud 32022
Beach glass 32012
Green curry 32005
Wedding cake 32076
Couscous 32066

With these colors at hand, I started pouring small parts of the paint. I tried to let the paint dripped from the bottom to the top (turning the jar upside down) and then, from the top to the bottom. After most of the area was covered, I pour on a spray bottle a solution of water and vinegar (1:5) and started spraying the inside of the jar. This helped the paint to slide better on the glass surface and also for it to have a watercolor consistency.

When I finish spraying the inside of the jar, I let it rest over a paper towel. To speed the drying time, I used a hairdryer. Here is the final result. A neat and colorful plant vase (of flower) for mom. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers visiting I don’t know how she does it!

Disclosure: Acrylic colors were samples provided free of charge by Jo-Ann Stores, Inc and Plaid Enterprises, Inc. You can find more products and ideas at Jo-Ann’s website or your nearest Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.

Indoor home lighting

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:09:00 -0400

Confused about how to illuminate a specific room in your house? There are so many lamps out there that one can start mixing bathroom ones with the bedroom light. Here I’ve detailed some basics for each room in your home. But before you start lighting everything like a Christmas tree, read the three types of lighting that should always be present in all areas.

On every room in your house, there should be three basic types of lighting whenever possible. These are:

General or ambiance lighting: This provides the overall and general illumination to any room with a comfortable brightness. It can be a chandelier, a ceiling mounted, recess or track lights.
Task lighting: This kind of illumination helps you to perform a particular task such as: reading, cooking, doing homework, etc. For this type of lighting one could use recess or track lights, under cabinet lamps or pendant lamps. Also, floor and table lamps are very useful; for example beside your favorite reading sofa.
Accent lighting: Have you ever had a painting that somehow doesn’t seem to capture your eye? Use an accent lamp! This type of illumination helps to draw the visual interest to an area. Either if it is a master piece, sculpture, or collectibles; make it a focal point by using wall sconces, wall-mounted picture lights, track or recess lights all directed to the object.

Lets see how one can implement these types of lighting in several areas around the house. Here is the legend with the colors:

Entryway lighting

A well illuminated entryway, instantly gives the visitor a warm welcome. To make the most out of this area, use a chandelier on the center of the entryway which will be your general light and it will create an ambient. Combine this with a task light above a console or small table and if you have wall art, illuminate it with a picture light.

Living room lighting

This area should be well lit since it is mostly a high traffic one were the family tends to gathered. To create harmony, a general light should consist of a centered lamp or a ceiling fan with a light kit. These lamps will be working in combination with floor lamps (for tasks such as reading) and accent lighting like recess or track lights that can be directed over a wall art or a display of collectibles.

Dining room lighting

Here, everything happens over the dining table. With that being said, the area to be illuminated should be over it. Use a chandelier or a pendant lamp. If your dining room has a sideboard, you can use a small table lamp to compliment the lighting of the room and/or accent light inside the cabinet to display your pieces.

Kitchen lighting

Kitchens should always be well illuminated. Why? Because here is the place where you need a light for cooking preparation, a good general light (to brighten all the room) and an accent light, to compliment. In the example bellow you can see that all the task lamps are in red dots. These lamps are placed on areas where there is a task to be accomplish (under the cabinets and over the island). The general lighting is in yellow dots (in this case, recess lamps) and the accents are in blue. These accent lamps can be use to illuminate inside the cabinets but also framed art in your walls.

Bedroom lighting

For bedrooms you should always use, in the general lighting, a dimmer switch to generate a calm environment and to adjust the brightness of the room at different times of the day. The side table lamps are used for reading (task lighting) but try using a shaded one to prevent eye tiredness. Accent lamps can be used to illuminate wall art by using track lights which can be redirected.

Bathroom lighting

For day to day use, try implementing wall sconces beside (at face height, for fewer odd shadows) or above the vanity mirror. These will function as your task lighting, but don’t forget to use the general illumination.

New outdoor furniture trends

Sat, 05 May 2012 22:09:18 -0400

Recently I attended a Cost Plus World Market webminar in which they announced their new trends for outdoor decoration. For me, a seminar through the internet was a new experience, and needless to say, an exciting one. From this I could notice that their selection of products was well thought-out and picked. The color palette World Market have selected ranges from the blues to the reds and greens. Here is their collection which they divided by names of exotic and beautiful places: Bali, Rio and Timber Cove. (Keep reading to see how to win a gift card from Cost Plus World Market.)

The Bali collection if filled with lots of bright and exotic colors. Each and every item here evokes the lifestyle of that far and tranquil island.

Blues, fuchsias and greens all convey in this selection. Reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, this collection will transport you to this lively and vibrant city.

The Timber Cove collection is an all classic American beach destination. In this coastal inspired selection, you’ll be surrounded by everything from whimsical ocean icons to driftwood and jute materials.

If you want to see more, visit Cost Plus World Market website or take a look at their latest catalog here. Also take a peek at their Bali collection video.

To win a Cost Plus World Market $25 gift card, all you have to do is leave a comment in this post. I’ll be randomly selecting the winner on Friday May 11, 2012. Good luck to all my readers!!!

Tips for an inviting kitchen

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:54:00 -0400

We are always looking for ways to update different parts of our home. But when it comes to kitchens, sometimes we just don’t know where to start. Here are some great and simple tips from interior designer Marc Thee on what to do when you want to make your kitchen more inviting.

Replace all fluorescent lighting with incandescent or halogen fixtures. Ideally, all kitchens should have three levels of lighting:

Overhead task lighting: Recessed cans
Under-counter task lighting
Decorative lighting: such as pendants or island lighting.

This example from Better Homes and Gardens gives us an idea on how light works on a kitchen. The yellow colored area are the overhead task lighting, the orange ones at the left are the under counter task light while the pendant above the island are the decorative. The purple area above the paint in the wall (far right) is considered to be an accent light.

Be sure to light your glass front cabinets with small puck lighting, and use glass shelves so the light carries to the bottom of the cabinet.

Because kitchens can feel a little utilitarian—especially when the counter tops are granite—add useful accessories that feel a little time-worn or antique.

Candles and antique architectural fragments add softness to this interesting blend of contemporary and traditional styles. The screen can be pushed open if the cook wishes to see the guests in the family room. Note also how the tile backsplash continues along the entire back wall to unify the breakfast room with the kitchen. The shelves in the same stain as the kitchen are an additional unifying element.

Display in the kitchen an assortment of olive oil, vinegars, and salt and pepper grinders on a big tray. The tall bottles serve to disguise the electrical outlets, so buy some larger bottles to anchor the back of the grouping.

Following these great tips for your kitchen, here are some excellent examples of modern trays and pendant lamps from… to give that final touches to this space.

1. Bamboo Serving Tray 2. Slat Teak Console Tray 3. Swain Large Hammered Bowl

1. Pendant Glass Bell Jar 2. Shelton Cylinder Seedy Irregular Glass Pendant 3. Zylinder 5L pendant

Sabrina Soto's new book "Home Design"

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:14:00 -0400

Starting tomorrow, and for sale at Target, the Sabrina Soto’s book “Sabrina Soto Home Design” where she shares with us a step-by-step on how simple it can be the process of designing a space.

The TV personality from HGTV’s The High/Low Project (with new season premier on May 8, 2012) explains the “how” to develop a design vision in this great manual. Each chapter on Sabrina Soto’s book, is a representation of a “layer” in the process of designing (color, furnishings, etc.).

Here is a great video interview with the author from A Bullseye View from Target. Enjoy!