Stripes... Before and After

I was working with a client and we wanted to make some changes to his space to make it more dramatic.   I suggested stripes on the horizontal since his style was a bit more contemporary.   He was having a hard time visualizing it, so that night I went home and stripped my own wall for him to come see.

(I am not a good sleeper and my family gets to wake up to new decor all the time!)

  

 I used a piece of notebook paper as my spacer and drew a thin pencil line all the way across.  Then I used that line as a guide to apply the blue tape.  

This wall was cream and I use an army green paint color left over from another project. 

 I left the wall like that for a few days before my husband started to complain that he was starting to feel like Austin Powers lived here, so I toned down the contrast by washing over the whole wall with the base cream color. The stripes turned greyish/bluish green and I loved the result.    

I love to experiment with paint and color.   It is a great way to add a little drama to your decor.  

Still Fussing with Holiday Decor....

I don't know if you are like me, but I am always moving things around in my home and experimenting with new looks.  I am adding a few more holiday photos of 

things I keep fussing with....

I bought some fresh greens and added them to the mantel along with some pinecones

I had one vintage stocking (center) 

and mixed it with 2 new ones.   

I love the mix of old and new.

...also added more fresh greens to my chandelier with some amber crystals 

found at my favorite antique store in Lagrange,IL...

Jackson Square Mall.   I have my own space here and where I sell things I really want to keep!

 Here I added a winter scarf as a runner.

 As the Christmas cards were coming in, I decided to put them in one of my favorite old flower pots.

I had this vintage wool throw blanket I bought at an estate sale on the back of a chair, and then thought it would make a perfect tablecloth.  With the retro red vinyl chair, I think it looks even more festive.

 This is another old pottery bowl that I keep out all year filled with vintage and new ornaments and some greens.

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

Glass Etching?

Fool your friends with this tip....

I found a round glass table top at a thrift store but it had lots of scratches. 

I also wanted to hide smudges and finger prints too...common in my house with 3 kids.  

I added a widow cling that is usually used to on glass windows.     

 I put the cling on the underside of the glass so I could still easily windex the glass.   

SHHHH...I told everyone that 

I etched the glass.  

....So simple and an inexpensive way to add detail to glass other than your window!

Tis the Season...Come Shop!

Getting ready for a Holiday Boutique Sale that will be held at St. Mary's Church in Riverside this Friday, December 2nd from 5-9 PM.  The event is in correlation with the Riverside Holiday Stroll, so the whole town has lots to do for a fun family night.    I am selling vintage and holiday items for your home.   There are many other vendors selling at the event too!  There will be a craft area for kids and goodies to eat.   Please stop by, say hello, and shop.     

Fall Vinette

Ready to pull out all the Christmas stuff...so I thought I'd show a little bit of fall decor before I put it away.  This is an area in my dining room that is also the first wall you see when you enter my home.  I change this area the most for the seasonal decorating.   

 I have used a variety of accessories...lamp, vase with twigs for texture, pumpkin and gourds for color, placemat for color and texture, and an old camera for fun.  I also added some vintage round silk and velvet pillows to the side chairs.

 I love to mix metals.   Here I mixed a gold mirror with a pewter/silver vase.   

 I have a bar area in the corner and added a wreath and indian corn.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Redesign / One Day Decorating

Here are some before and after shots of a redesign I did for a client.   A Redesign is all about using your  existing furniture and accessories. My client had lots of great things to work with and treasures we pulled out of closets. My goal was to add some color and tweak some of the issues with space planning.   We worked on a living room, dining room, master bedroom, sitting room and office.   We swapped items from room to room and had some dramatic changes in a short period of time.   

Master Bedroom Reading Area

This area felt like an extra twin bed that had no where to go.   I wanted to make it feel more like a day bed or sofa.   The area is used for reading and relaxing. It lacked color and felt too crowded with the chair in the corner.     

 Here is the after...added pillows and throw for color, untied and spread out drapes, created interest on the wall and made it feel larger by adding more to it, added a table to use for a cup of coffee or book, added basket for storing extra pillows and texture to area.

 This is the other side of the room.  It is a very spacious room but it felt unfinished without using the space between the chair and the armoire.  It can be a balancing act with space planning. You have to know when to add and take away.  You know by moving things around and looking for balance and not crowding a space.

 Here is the after....Added black chest, more color with flowers, red quilt at the foot of the bed, red step stool and accent pillows, covered a chair with a cream quilt, opened drapes and added more light with cute accent lamp.  By filling in the center of the wall, the side of the room had more balance and more storage.    

 One Day Decorating is a great way to use what you own and make a big change to your decor.This is an example of what you can accomplish by using what you own.  So many of us have more things to work with than we realize!  Digging through things and experimenting helps to keep your decor fresh and keeps it interesting for you.

Redesign = Instant Gratification   

Adding Color with Paint

Here is a beat up wood chest I found at an estate sale.   I loved the long handles and the drawers worked well...always a bonus with older furniture.   I thought it had a lot of potential with a simple fix of fresh paint.   I cleaned it up and lightly sanded the piece and added a few coats of red paint.   

Here is the after:

I distressed the edges with a razor blade to expose the wood below the surface.   I put it in my space at Jackson Square Antique Mall in LaGrange for $85. I am on the lower level...#002 if you ever head over there to shop.   I added some Christmas decor to it in my space and it really looks sharp...almost kept it...occupational hazard!

If I have a client afraid to put a bold color on the wall, this is where I advise them to put it.   Adding a pop of color to a space though accents, window treatments, or small pieces of furniture is what adds interest to any space.  Hope this idea inspires you to look around your own home and see where you can add some color!

Recovered Cornice

These are 2 cornices I picked up at an estate sale.   The pink material did not go with my daughter's bedroom, but I loved the shape and could not resist the $7 price tag. I ordered one yard of material for the 2 cornices.   I cut the material around the cornice turned upside down, and made sure there would be enough to reach around all sides.  I used a staple gun to secure the material.   

 If I ever redecorate her room or move these to another room, I can recover them again and again!

My Dining Room

Sitting area in dining room

One thing I did here was mix accessories and furniture styles to create some interest. I love the mix of a traditional gold ornate mirror hanging over a rustic distressed painted piece. It works because I continue to mix styles with the rest of the items incorporating the wicker, plates hung in a traditional fashion, rustic lamp, traditional painted chair,and fabrics.

This is an area of my dining room that serves a few functions. Sometimes I clear off the little chest and use it as a bar or a place to put desserts or appetizers. This is also an area where my guest sit and chat. I also like having these chairs handy to pull up to the dining table.

scrapbook paper art

I am addicted to scrap book paper! I wrapped these art canvases with crumpled up scrap book paper and glue and spray painted a coat of polyurethane to give them a high polish look. I saw an artist that had something similar at a high end art fair and was selling them for $48 each. The paper cost me 50 cents a sheet and the total cost for each canvas was $4. There are so many beautiful papers so the options are endless.

Custom Mural painted by Jennifer Rizzo

This is a mural painted by Jennifer Rizzo in my son's bedroom. I hung a metal monkey off of the branch to give a 3D effect. I waited for my son to notice and he got a kick out of it. These types of little details are what makes a home fun and unique.

Master Bedroom

This is a photo from my master bedroom. I always start with bedding when doing a bedroom space. I chose this white cotton duvet with a green embroidery of leaves that are simple. The metal leaves over the bed add dimension and tie into the leaves on the bed. I used a color called lenox tan by ben moore...a color I have used over the years in client's homes. It is a nice warm neutral to work with.

My Living Room

My Kitchen

These are napkins used as window treatments.