Christmas Decor Tour

In case you didn't know, Christmas is next week. (How is that possible??) In the spirit of the season, I thought I'd share a few photos of some of my favorite decorations. Typically I lean toward a traditional combo of red, green, and gold or silver (although I've noticed that bright colors like pink and turquoise have been making an appearance in Christmas decorations this year). 

I scored these silver sparkly faux branches on sale after Christmas last year. They're displayed in a nice glass vase filled with gold pine cones. Easy peasy and elegant.

Gray Matters: A Gray Paint Transformation (Part I)

For quite awhile, I've wanted to paint our main floor which was a very warm beige color-- almost gold. The hallway and stairwell were kind of a brick red color. When we first moved into our home I really liked these colors, but over time they just lost their appeal. I'm the type of person that always needs some kind of change too. Anyway, here are a bunch of "before" pictures:

Oh, Baby - Initial Art Gift Idea

Even though I have some upcoming blog posts planned about our newly painted walls, I haven't had time to work on actually writing them yet. Sad face. So in the meantime, I'm sharing this quick and easy gift idea. 

Let's rewind to a few years ago, when I made this personalized nursery letter artwork for one of our friends who had a baby boy:

I wanted to use a similar concept for another friend who just had a little girl recently. The only things I knew were A) their nursery was mint green and B) I wanted the final piece to have a sort of rustic/natural/sophisticated vibe. I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but all it took was a trip to Hobby Lobby to peruse the aisles for inspiration. At the end of the trip, my basket included an 8x10 frame, a piece of scrapbook paper, a chipboard letter, and some jute. 

Home Improvement Projects that Boost Curb Appeal

Have you heard of Modernize.com? It's a place to gather ideas and see how other homeowners have transformed their homes. The site features lots of ideas for home improvement, plus pretty pictures to inspire and motivate you. Following is an article that Tim Smith of Modernize.com wrote for Little House on the Corner, and I know we can all relate to this topic!  

Home Improvement Projects That Boost Curb Appeal

Tune into a home improvement or home-selling television show and chances are you will hear the host or narrator mention the phrase curb appeal. There's a good reason for this. Those little touches can make a huge difference in your home's appearance. If you doubt it, drive through a subdivision that's more than five years old. Even though the builder may have used only a few identical blueprints to produce the entire neighborhood, you will notice that some homes stand out from the others. In many cases, the only difference is that the owners have taken the time to fix up the front view of their homes. Enhancing your home's curb appeal is surprisingly easy. The view of a home from the curb is like its face. Think of adding curb appeal as giving your home a makeover.

Drinking & Crafting: DIY Wine Cork Ball

We've been accumulating quite the wine cork collection throughout the past seven years of our marriage, and lately the situation has been getting a little out of control. There's a large glass vase that's overflowing with corks in our kitchen, plus a plastic bag full of them in our closet. Eventually I figured I'd do some cool crafty project with them and have been pinning lots of fun ideas on Pinterest:

[Wine Cork Decorative Tray Filler]

Crazy About Quatrefoil

Has anyone else noticed that quatrefoil is making more and more appearances in home decor lately? Apparently this decorative element--which means "four leaves" in Latin--had its peak popularity during the Gothic and Renaissance eras (thanks, Wikipedia). Well, I think it's safe to say that quatrefoil is enjoying a pretty big comeback. Even if you don't know it by the name, you'll probably recognize the pattern. 

Here are a few favorites I found while perusing the Interwebs. I love how they all put a fresh, contemporary spin on the traditional shape of the quatrefoil.

Throw Pillow @ Zazzle

You're So Vain: Bedroom Vanity Inspiration

Our master bedroom recently got a much-needed facelift thanks to a fresh coat of paint and new bedding. But there's one thing I can't change, no matter how much I wish I could: the size of the room. It's pretty small for a master, if you ask me. (Unfortunately, no one did ask me.)

With that said, a girl can still dream. If our bedroom was bigger, one thing that would be a nice luxury to have is a vanity. My very own space to sit and get ready in the mornings. (Maybe I would even be more motivated to spend more time on my hair and makeup...)  And even when I'm not actually using it, it would just look pretty!

I recently discovered One Kings Lane, which offers a lot of unique furniture, accent pieces, mirrors, lighting, and other home decor--from name brand to one-of-a-kind vintage finds. It's really an eclectic assortment. They also happen to have some cool items for vanities, so I thought I'd put together a mood board with some of my favorites. 

As far as my own personal style goes, I'm kind of noncommittal a mix-and-match type of gal. I generally lean toward a more modern look, but I also like some traditional influence too. With that said, here's how I would style my dream vanity!

To Duvet or not to Duvet: That is the Question

First of all, let me just say that I have now had FOUR posts within the last month. That's gotta be a record of some sort.  It's cray-cray, I tell you.

Anyway, on to the reason for today's post. Let's talk about bedding, my friends. Up until very recently, my only experience with bed coverings has been the good ol' bed-in-a-bag set. I'm all about the bed-in-a-bag. It just makes my life easier when everything I need is already packaged up nice and neat for me. 

Before I get much farther, here's a reminder of what our existing bedding looked like. It was perfectly sufficient with the newly painted walls, but I just really wanted an excuse to upgrade.

In the process of my master bedroom makeover, I've broadened my bedding horizons. While searching the Internet far and wide for different options, I came across many duvets and duvet covers. Now, I'd seen these terms before but quite honestly never really knew what they meant, so I've just kind of ignored those options.

DIY Contemporary Canvas Artwork

In case you haven't been following along lately, we recently painted our master bedroom and bathroom. I in the process, I had to remove the decorative vinyl lettering which had lived on the wall above our soaker tub for several years. But I already had a plan for what to replace it with, thanks to Pinterest.

The Pinspiration:

[via Two Girls Being Crafty]

This was actually an idea I'd pinned at least a couple years ago (so don't give up on those old pins; you never know when you'll get motivated!). I thought the above DIY version of a World Market painting was pretty awesome. And from the looks of it, pretty foolproof. So I set off to Hobby Lobby in search of the materials:

• Canvas (I chose 22" x 28" so as not too look too underwhelming on the large wall)
• Ivory spray paint
• Paint marker (I got a Sharpie oil-based marker in brown)
• Round foam pouncers
• Acrylic paints (I got the exact same colors listed on Two Girls Being Crafty, because I liked hers so much. And let's face it, it made my decision-making process much easier.)

All in all, I was able to get everything for under $30.

Taupe-tastic Makeover Part II: Master Bathroom

Last week, I posted about our newly-painted master bedroom.  But that was only the first half of this project... we also have a master bathroom which needed to be painted too.  And that bathroom happens to be quite large--practically as much surface area as our bedroom, it seemed--so it was no piece of cake to paint. Let me just say that having 10-foot-tall ceilings is nice, except when you have to paint the room.

Now that I'm done complaining about what a headache it was, let's check out the before pictures (I didn't remember to take pictures right before painting, so these are from a few years ago). It was the same aqua color as our bedroom used to be, with the same sloppy paint marks up on the ceiling. 

Our master bathroom consists of double sinks, a very under-utilized soaker tub, a toilet room, a shower, and our closet. 

Taupe-tastic Makeover Part I: Master Bedroom

Painting our master bedroom is one of those projects that’s been on my to-do list for awhile, but there’s been no urgent need to get it done. When we moved into our house 6 years ago, I actually liked the greenish/bluish/aqua color. But over time, I’ve grown tired of it and wanted to move toward something a little more sophisticated and neutral (but not blah-neutral).

Here are some “before” pictures (these were taken right after we got new furniture a few years ago, but we’ve since gotten different bedding).

Frugal & Fabulous Fabric Artwork

Wow - it's been more than 4 months since my last post. That may be my longest blogging hiatus yet. But I'm still here, dangit!  There's been a lot going on with work and life in general, so therefore just not much time for doing fun stuff worth blogging about.  *insert pity party here*

However, the other night I was bound and determined to get my DIY fix. Now, I don't want to talk this project up too much because it's not like it's anything groundbreaking--but I am pretty happy with how it turned out! And let's face it, "artwork" is a very generous description, but whatever.

I've had some oh-so-trendy chevron fabric sitting in my closet that I purchased quite some time ago just because, well, I just really liked it. I also had stashed away an 11x14 picture frame which I scored from a Michael's clearance sale for $3 or something crazy cheap like that. (In case you hadn't figured it out, I tend to buy things on sale even though I have no idea what I'm going to do with them.)

Recalling something I'd seen on Pinterest, I realized my bargain finds were the beginnings of a new project. All I needed was a little paint and a mat for my frame--just to make it look a little more "complete." I got a little can of Krylon Sun Yellow spray paint at Hobby Lobby, which was a pretty close match to the yellow in my fabric. 

Nailed It: Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips

We're almost a week into the new year, and I'm definitely itching for some crafty-type projects. I've got a couple up my sleeve, but nothing completed quite yet. So until then, I'll share a different type of DIY "project" - my recent experience with nail polish strips.

It’s amazing to think about the time and money that’s spent on those little blank keratin canvases at the tips of our fingers—from Fench manicures to gel manicures to Shellac to bling and other nail art (have you seen some of those fancy nails on Pinterest?).

Lots of women keep their nails impeccably manicured in some form or another on a regular basis. I am not one of those women. Sure, I’ll paint my own nails every once in awhile, but I’ve only gotten a professional manicure (or pedicure) maybe twice in the past five years. I probably should go more often just to keep my nails in better shape, but it’s just not something I want to spend my money on.

However, I do find myself intrigued by all these DIY nail products on the market today. The at-home gel manicure kits, for instance, promise professional results at a fraction of the cost. But it still seems like a lot of time and effort to me; plus, you can’t just remove them with regular nail polish remover.