Well sunburst mirrors are still going strong this year (I have about 5 now!), and when I saw this gold metallic one being pinned all over Pinterest, I knew I had to get it. And for $35–hello!!!

Isn’t it beautiful?!  It is from Martha Stewart Living and you get it at Home Depot. And again for just $35! :) It’s a good size and it’s light so it will be easy to hang. I can’t wait to hang it up–probably over the mantel!

And if the gold doesn’t float your boat, you could easily spray paint this too. But the gold is so pretty I don’t think you’d want to do that.

Are you still liking these types of mirrors or are you sick of seeing them. Won’t hurt my feelings because I think they’re still great. :) Now go to Home Depot and get you one…or two!

xxoo,

Decorchick!

A Sunburst Mirror Deal! is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Happy Tuesday everyone, hope you had a great weekend! We’ve had lots going on lately so sorry for the sporadic posts. You all know I like to stay on schedule, just ask my daughter. :) Hopefully things will get back to normal soon!

Anyway, there is a great giveaway today from UPrinting that you’re going to love.

They are offering one of you a lovely stretched canvas print, size 16×20! That’s a very generous size and it will make a great addition to your home.  Been thinking about creating a gallery wall? This will be the perfect starting point to get it going!

Here are some examples of a stretched canvas.

So all you have to do is choose which picture you would like to put on canvas and they will do the work for you. And it comes ready to hang so there isn’t a frame you’d need to buy or anything. Perfect!

To enter the giveaway to win a 16×20 stretched canvas print, please do the following:

1. Tell us which photo you’d like to have put on canvas. It can be any favorite photo you love!
2. Facebook or Tweet about this giveaway including a link back to this post.

And that’s it. Please leave separate comments for each thing you do. Giveaway will be open until Saturday, February 25 and winner will be chosen via Random.org.

*Giveaway rules: UPrinting Giveaway open to U.S. Residents only and winner must be 18 years old and above, and winner must not have won same print giveaway in the past 6 mos.*

Good luck!

xxoo,

Decorchick!

Canvas Print Giveaway! is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

A few weeks ago I introduced you all to My Colortopia by Glidden and there was a fun personality quiz you could take and it would choose some paint colors that matched your personality.  And today I’m going to show you something else fun you can use to help with color inspiration.

The new tool is called My Image Inspiration and it allows you to upload any image you like or inspires you.  This can be something like a piece of wallpaper, fabric, art, clothing etc. Then it will show you paint colors that will coordinate with your image so you can get some ideas when you are ready to start painting.

I tried it out and uploaded this image of a piece of fabric I found online because I love the colors in it.

And then these are the results it came up with.

I’ll admit those paint colors aren’t exactly what I thought they would be.  I love turquoise and orange together so I was hoping it would pull some aqua paint colors etc.  But since a lot of greens showed up in the results, I’m assuming the computer is reading the swatch as more green than blue. But I still like greens too! :)

Can you think of something that you love that you could upload and try out the test for yourself? I’d love it if you would take a minute and do the quiz here and let me know what it comes up with as your results!

xxoo,

Decorchick!

I have been sponsored by Glidden brand paint to write this post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Color Inspiration is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

I wanted to get this post up earlier this week, but it’s been an interesting week to say the least.  Anyway, a lot of people dream about traveling to Europe or somewhere overseas, but Hawaii has always been my dream destination. And I feel so blessed that I actually got to visit there recently!  We had the best time, and I want to move there.

This post will mostly just be lots of pictures so you’ve been warned. :)  Let me first just say we did stay in Honolulu a few days.  It is very touristy and busy.  It was pretty yes, but Maui is what has my heart. It’s more countryside, very laid back, and absolutely stunning scenery wherever you looked.  I’m serious about that.  I would go back tomorrow if I could.

These pics were all taken in Maui, and I didn’t enhance any of the photos.  The water is just that blue and the greenery is really that green.

(and that’s another island in the background)

And I’m growing!!

Mr. Handsome

A cool storm that was coming in…

P.S.- I had a bathing suit on under that dress–that was a cover up I bought there and I LOVE it. It’s the “skirt you can wear 100 ways” and it’s silk and so comfy. It can be a skirt, a dress, or a top and I just wore it as a cover up while there.  There are different types online if you wanted to search for it.

We took many walks through rainforest…

And even saw random chickens and cats in there!

So funny right?

And now begins the Road to Hana pics…Umm I have to tell you all something about this. If you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, it’s worth a little google search. Other names I have called this road would be the Road to Hell, the Road to Misery, and the Road to Divorce. Let me first clarify that the actual drive TO Hana was fine and beautiful and not too scary, and once you got to the town of Hana, it is VERY lovely.  And the journey to Hana with all of the stops and adventures was way fun.  What I did NOT like about this all day adventure was after Hana, and going down the “back-side.” The way everyone tells you not to go because of the bad unpaved roads.  And yes there is a long stretch of unpaved roads but the worst part was how TINY the roads and how many blind curves there were. It was awful and I was freaking out! Some parts you are just on this tiny one way road, and the cliff of death right next to you.  I would absolutely recommend doing the Road to Hana for anyone going to Maui, BUT I would say to turn around once you get to Hana and go back the way you came.  Because by the time you get to the scary backside, it will be dark outside, and it was awful driving at night.  Yes, this road definitely caused an argument between me and my husband, and I may or may not have thrown something out the window. :-/  It’s funny now looking back, and this was also my husband’s favorite part of the trip. Go figure!

We did stop at a few of the fresh fruit stands along the way and they were oh so yummy.  And the banana bread they sell is amazing.

We hiked through a bamboo forest to get to our first waterfall.  And we did a LOT of hiking…probably stuff a pregnant person shouldn’t do. :)

We were pretty amazed at that first waterfall, but that was nothing compared to what was ahead. (I had a guide book telling us where to pull off and get off to go exploring to find the good waterfalls).

That was a black sand beach and it was very pretty.

That was one of the last big waterfalls on the Hana Road. See I’m already starting to look a little pale in that picture, I guess getting prepared for the hellish part ahead. :)

We ended our trip with a Luau and it was so cool! It was exactly what you see on TV and such too. Yes there are really hula dancers! :)

See that mountain in the background? It doesn’t even look real.  But this was just in town near where we stayed.  Glorious.

The Luau had very friendly staff too.

And while at the Luau, look who I ran into?

I don’t know that girl but we obviously both liked that dress. :) So funny! If any of you know her, tell her sorry for putting her picture up on my site. ;) But to me she looked just like Chris from Just a Girl.

And that’s about it. It wasn’t easy trying to edit down a million pictures so I hope you enjoyed the ones I did post.  Maui was everything I thought it would be and more.  And yes everyone does say “aloha” and “mahalo” (thank you) everywhere you go. And they serve Spam pretty much everywhere too, including McDonalds. And it’s common to eat fried rice for breakfast. My husband was in heaven. We cannot wait to go back!!!

I have lots of other pics of whales and snorkeling too on a different camera, so I may do another post in the future once I get those back.

Oh, and for the reader who told us to eat at The Gazebo, thank you so much. That was our favorite place out of everything we ate and we ate there twice.  I would kill for some of those pancakes and fried rice right now.

xxoo,

Decorchick!

The Trip of a Lifetime is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Haiti, 2007: Our yelling, heavy-on-the-horn driver was unfazed by 3-foot-deep potholes, roadside trash fires, or even the lanky black cow. I choked on hot diesel fumes. Bells tinkled. A sad trumpet bellowed in the distance. Children swarmed the vehicle- shouting, arms outstretched. One young girl, maybe 12, was naked. The desperation & chaos were overwhelming- I inhaled deeply, double-blinked. Nope, not a dream. As if I could make this up. I don’t recall unzipping my purse, but my arm was suddenly out the window- pressing green bills in to brown hands, “helping.” I shudder now to think of the fights that probably erupted in our wake. My “help” caused hurt. :(

Texas, 2012: Drivers honk and holler merrily at one another. There are several cows in the road. The air is thick with the scent of warm cherry pie. Two Haitian boys, now our sons, are on the couch- warm, fed, secure, engrossed in a riveting Mario Kart race against Pop. I laugh at their threats to leave Dad in the dust, pet a furry kitty, take a sip of hot almond tea. I flash back to Haiti, even more desperate now than she was then, and sigh. Those women love their babies and dream of a better life for them. They are just like me, but lack opportunity. The heavy desire to do something rises again in my chest. But what can I do? Abandon my family and fly down there? How can I help without hurting them?

I was overjoyed to learn about Trades of Hope, an organization that was created to give women in poverty (in Haiti and across the world) an opportunity for a better life. Trades of Hope is giving a voice to hurting women around the globe by marketing their hand-made products (home decor, jewelry, scarves, journals, etc.) through the home party model so that they can provide their children with food, shelter, medical care and an education. We work directly with female artisans and with organizations that are helping women in extremely difficult circumstances. Artisans include the mentally disabled and physically handicapped, women who’ve been abused and abandoned, former sex slaves and sweatshop employees, AIDS victims, civil war widows, and women who’ve been disfigured by leprosy. (Can you even imagine?!)

Women in Nepal creating leaf journals for Trades of Hope.

I believe that Americans have generous, open hearts and want to help but that it is our cultural tendency to think BIG- that helping means forgoing electricity & cars and ignoring our homes and children to work in a soup kitchen, or selling everything we have and dragging our families overseas to start an orphanage. Yes, the needs are crazy-extensive, but honey- don’t look at the whole dang ocean! Just choose a drop. You can do that today, right where you are- with Trades of Hope. It’s easy to make a difference.

Become a Compassion Entrepreneur and help women in Uganda, Bangladesh, Kathmandu… while simultaneously supporting your own family. There are no sales quotas. Set your own hours, and work only as much as you like. Or, host a party in your home. (or online- no need to clean the house!) You’ll be changing lives while earning free and discounted products. Or simply visit the TOH web site and get your daughter some earrings that will help keep someone else’s daughter out of the sex trade. See? I told you it was easy!

If you’re interested in becoming a Compassion Entrepreneur we’re running a special this month to help you get started for just $99. Email me with any questions you have! cara.tradesofhope@gmail.com

Don’t let the word “hand-made” scare you. These are lovely, quality works of art.

Silver Indian princess filigree bracelet, also available in gold.

Raffia Basket designed by Uganda Crafts- a group made up of 85% women! In Uganda, colored baskets are traditionally given as gifts to friends and relatives for holidays and special events. Basket weavers wrap raffia palm around the core of banana leaf fiber to form each coil. This group is bringing hope to disabled people, youth, and those suffering from HIV/AIDS. Uganda Crafts recently purchased an 85-acre plot of land where they plan to build a village. The center will be used mainly to teach youth with disabilities about income generation. Many young people have successfully started their own businesses!

A nun started a capiz shell earring business in the Philippines to provide work and wages for impoverished women. Trades of Hope buys them through fair trade, and has several styles available. I wear these often! They’re lightweight and so easy to dress up or down.

One of my personal favorites. In the evening women in Nepal gather silk threads from the floor of a silk factory, take them home, and weave them in to amazing scarves. Colors vary, each is unique! Besides being lovely and handmade they keep women out of sweatshops and the sex trade.

These necklaces are made by young ladies in remote areas of India. These unmarried women are commonly not allowed to leave their impoverished villages because of their society’s conservative mindset. If they do leave their small villages they often end up in the sex trade or in harsh sweatshops. Fair trade wages enable these artisans to be self-reliant, something that is unheard of in their villages! Being so empowered restores a sense of value to these women as they fight against gender bias. They are able to take care of themselves and are earning respect in their villages.

Leaf Journals, set of two, educating young women out of poverty in Nepal. 5″ x 6″

And now for the giveaway! Two of our most popular items are up for grabs. First, we have the beloved Haiti necklace. The beads are handrolled- made of recycled cereal boxes! They are gorgeous, have a great weight to them, and go with everything. No two are exactly alike.

The vast majority of Haiti’s “orphans” have not been orphaned by parental deaths or natural disasters, but by parents who gave them up simply because they could not feed them. The Apparent Project is the un-orphanage, helping with the orphan crisis by providing Haitian mothers with a sustainable business in making cereal box beads, enabling women to keep their own children and raise them with dignity! $38-

Haiti necklace close-up

Next up, the love bowl from India…

Wire Love Bowl- Noah’s Ark Mission (India) trains artisans in their own businesses so that women can work from home and provide for their families. No more 12-14 hour days in sweatshops! Noah’s Ark has also started a school for 3 of the poorest villages in the area & helps provide clean water. 11 inches, $20-

There are four ways to enter the giveaway. Combine them to increase your odds! (Leave separate comment for each thing you do)

1) Leave a comment below.

2) Like my personal Trades of Hope facebook page.

3) Place an order (between February 8th-14th) through my Trades of Hope affiliate link. You’ll receive an additional entry for every $10 you spend on gorgeous, handcrafted, fair trade products. (tax & shipping excluded)

4) Facebook or Tweet about this giveaway including a link back to this post so we can help spread the word about Trades of Hope.

Giveaway will be open until February 14, 2012 and will be chosen via Random.org.

*Update* Ladies, thank you for opening your hearts to hurting women around the world! A lot of you have asked about ordering, and yes, you can order by going to Tradesofhope.com, choosing “online store” and then, “Cara Green.” Or- just click here:http://stores.homestead.com/TradesofHopeLLC/StoreFront.bok?affiliate_no=56

Oh, did I mention that Trades of Hope also helps to create MORE sustainable businesses for women in poverty? We do! This is Muniratu a woman from a rural village in Uganda whose husband died by falling in to a well. Thanks to Fair Trade sales, Trades of Hope was able to buy her a chicken to give her a sustainable income in selling eggs to feed her family. Other “gifts of hope” have included goats and sewing machines to women in Haiti and Uganda.

Trades of Hope and a Giveaway! is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Hey y’all!!  I’m really excited to be posting today for Emily.  I am Ami and I am the author of AliLilly. Did y’all know we are both married to brothers?  Yep, I’m Emily’s Sister in Law.  Here is a sweet picture of our precious girls playing together.

A few weeks back Emily gave me her Silhouette SD because she got the new Cameo.  And I have been a busy bee with it!!  I made a Valentine Bunting Banner.  And then I made this!!

I have wanted to make one for quite a while now.  I just never got around to cutting the gazillion little spirals.  If you don’t have a Silhouette and don’t mind cutting a gazillion little spirals, Stephanie Lynn with Under The Table and Dreaming has a great tutorial you should check out.  Hers is the first I saw and decided I wanted to make one.  Then when I saw Emily had bought the Red Curled Wood Rose Wreath from Target I knew I wanted to try to make one similar for Valentine’s day.

Now, here is how I did the cutting part with the Silhouette.

Once you open your Silhouette software and select new you’ll want to select draw free hand. Then draw a spiral.  It’s OK if it’s not perfect because you can adjust it with the little gray squares. Select a square and drag the line until it’s right where you want it.

Once you are happy with your spiral you’ll want to copy and paste it.

Then adjust them on your screen inside the red box.  Then select the appropriate paper and cutting mat settings.

Then select send to silhouette. Then click cut paper. If you need to adjust the paper settings click change settings.

My spirals are 3.4 in X 3.2 in each.  Six fit on a page and I cut 55 pages. But, I could have used more.  My wreath looks a bit funny from the side. I would say maybe another 10 pages would have been perfect.  You really do need to fill your wreath at least to the half way mark going back so that it looks great from all angles.

You’ll need to cut your spirals from the paper.  I’m sure if I had added a line at the top of my spiral on the silhouette it would of done this for me.  But, I am one of those “leave well enough alone” people.  When I start to change anything that I was previously happy with all hell breaks loose!

I covered my 16 in foam wreath with a color coordinating tissue paper.

Now that all your spirals are free let’s get to the spinning part.

First fold in the ends.  Through this process I learned that if I just folded the end in half length wise and then began to roll it, it came out much nicer.

Then just roll them up.

Once you have it all rolled up, let it freely unwind a bit.

Then glob a big circle of hot glue onto your wreath and stick your rolled rose into.  You can adjust the size of your rose before you stick it into the hot glue. And don’t worry about the center it will stay in place.  Hold it there for a few seconds so that the end doesn’t unwind.  Then do this again and again filling up your wreath until you are done.  I did mine in box like segments until it was full, or until I ran out of paper.

And then VIOLA!! You have a Hand Made Paper Rose Wreath!

You’ll have some spaces that looks like this….

and then you’ll have spaces that look PERFECT….

But altogether it looks great and you really don’t notice those little imperfect areas.

Here she is on my Valentine’s Day Mantel.

I hope this tutorial was easy to understand.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Thank you so much, Emily for having me over today!

______________________________________________________________

Ummmm wow, is that wreath not amazing or what??!  That took some serious patience and it definitely paid off. I think it looks just like the one I paid $40 for at Target!  What do you think?  Head on over and tell Ami hi if you have a chance–she’d love to hear from you!

A Handmade Paper Rose Wreath is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Hey everyone are y’all ready to party?  I love Valentine’s Day and love decorating for it.  If you haven’t seen my Valentine’s decorations for this year yet, they were…

The Valentine Yarn Wreath

and the Valentine’s Day Mantel.

I heart them both. :)

Now I can’t wait to see what YOU have done for the love holiday!   Anything Valentine’s Day related is welcome.

I’d love it if you would link back to me with a text link or use this pretty little button so all of your friends know where you are partying. Remember I’ll be pinning some of my favorites, hint hint. :)

Now let’s see what you got!  Mingle around and visit a few other links if you have time too! :)

Valentine Link Party! is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

I’m so excited to show you all a few changes I made to our entryway!  As part of a blogger challenge sponsored by Apartment Guide, I was given $150 and was supposed to give an area of our home a little freshening up. Don’t have to ask me twice to go out and spend money!

But the odd thing about that was I tried to spend the money on several occasions and went to probably 10 different stores!  Isn’t that how it always happens? When you actually have a little money to spend you can’t find anything? Annoying.  But finally the stars aligned and Homegoods finally got restocked since being bare after Christmas.

I am in LOVE with that mirror!!  And it is pretty much identical to the Z Gallerie Devon Mirror, and mine is 2 inches bigger, and was $120 less than theirs! Score. So yes my mirror from Homegoods was $79.99.

Here is what the entry looked like before.

Nothing really wrong with it, but I wanted to lighten things up and replace the mirrors because I knew that would help.  And that lamp had broke so I needed a new lamp too.

I chose to spend my money for the makeover on bigger items that I will use for a long time, instead of a bunch of little accessories that I will likely tire of.  So I just used the same accessories I already had.

The next thing I bought was this garden stool.

It was $39.99 and I think it’s so cute in the entry. Plus if we ever need any extra seating, this can be moved around and can act as an extra seat. Maybe not the most comfy seat available, but a seat nonetheless.

And I found a lamp at Homegoods too for $29.99.

It’s sleeker and a little more modern so it fits this space better now with the new mirror I think. I’m so happy to have a working lamp again! :)

Here are some more shots of the new decor.

Is it obvious I like round mirrors since I have 3 right by each other? :)

So what do you think of the spruce up?  I think the $150 went a long way because your entryway or foyer sets the tone for the rest of the house.  It’s much lighter and brighter and a little more my style now.  I still need a new runner too and have looked everywhere for a cool rug.  No luck yet.  But you know I’ll let you know when I do! :)

And don’t forget that whether you’re living, looking or moving Apartment Guide offers how-to tips for making the most of your space on a budget. You can also “Like” Apartment Guide on Facebook at Facebook.com/apartmentguide or follow them on Twitter @AptGuide for real-time tips and updates on making the most of your space.

Don’t forget about the Valentine Link Party this Wednesday!

xxoo,

Decorchick!

Disclosure Statement: Apartment Guide and owner Consumer Source, Inc. partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in their monthly blogger programs.  As part of that program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used, and believe that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Consumer Source’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

The Entryway Got a Facelift is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Yes it’s true. Our master bedroom has undergone a few changes yet again.  When I started using the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint toward the end of last year, I couldn’t stop.  And I ended up painting all of our furniture in our bedroom white.  And then I decided to go pink and grey with the rest of the decor, so that’s what our bedroom is now and I think it’s so pretty!

The good thing is that I did not have to repaint our walls or anything. I still like the color from the last master redo.  And the color is Sherwin Williams Mindful Grey (flat finish) in case you don’t remember.

I love how the painted dresser ties in with the grey/silver curtains and the wall color don’t you?  And yes that bed was a beast to paint.

Let me show you a pic of the last bedroom makeover to show you what the furniture looked like previously.

It was all shiny and that faux marble stuff.  I hated it.  So I covered it up with the white chalk paint.  This is still not my dream bed or furniture, but I do love it SO much better in white!  I really want an upholstered headboard/bed–that would be my forever bed. :)

And here it is now.

Big difference right?  I’d still like to replace the wicker bench and get a nicer chair for the corner, but for now they will do. :)

Basically everything in this room is exactly the same, except for the painted furniture, bedding and curtains, which I’ll get to now. The beautiful bedding was sent to me from DKNY Home and it is the most luxurious bedding I have ever owned. Seriously.

The duvet is just beautiful and billowy. It ALWAYS stays fluffy and my duvet comforter doesn’t get lost in it, which was a huge complaint I had with the last duvet cover from West Elm.  I have been calling this “pink” but it’s actually called “Blush” and that would be more accurate.  So don’t let the word pink scare you away or especially if your guy would freak out about pink bedding. It’s actually in between a very pale pink and peach.  So yea, it’s blush.  :)  You can find it here on the DKNY Home website.  I love the shams and decorative pillows it came with too.

See how billowy it is?  LOVE! I hope billowy is a word.

I know, don’t hate me, but DKNYHome also sent me this amazing quilt set.

Can I just say how awesome it is to have a quilt to sleep with AND a comforter??  I know that may sound silly, but it’s nice to just keep the comforter at the foot of the bed when it’s hot and sleep with just the quilt, or you can pull up the comforter and be all nice and comfy. It’s luxury I’m telling ya. And this quilt is all 100% cotton so it’s super soft and does not get hot. It is called the Haven quilt and you can find it here.

Would you be surprised if I told you Curtainworks sent the beautiful new curtains?

I know you aren’t surprised, but they did!  And these are quite luxurious as well.  They are real Dupioni Silk and these are in the color Pewter. You can find them here. I love the pinch pleat too–gives it a more sophisticated look.

Oh, and also notice I painted our nightstands white too! I told you I couldn’t put the brush down.

And just a few more.

And that’s about it!

What do you think of the new look?  Of course there are still other things I’d like to do in here. Lots of things actually.  But we gotta take baby steps, especially with a new baby coming!  At least I love it for now. :)

Linking this post to the Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello.

xxoo,

Decorchick!

Our New White, Pink, and Grey Bedroom is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time

Hey everyone, to get us all in the mood for Valentine’s Day, I decided it would be fun to have a little link party where you all can show off all of your Valentine’s day decor, crafts, mantels, vignettes, etc.  Anything goes as long as it’s Valentine related. :)

So when will it be?  Glad you asked.

Yes that’s right, next Wednesday February 1st, so 1 week from today.  I’ll pin some of my favorite projects that y’all link up too!

I’d love for you to help spread the word so everyone can party here next week.  It’s gonna be fun!!

xxoo,

Decorchick!

A Valentine Party is a post from: Decorchick! Changing her world, one project at a time