Front Porch...extension of the interior

Utilizing the front porch of a home is a great way to extend your living space and give some personality and style to your exterior space.

With this unusually mild Chicago winter, I was motivated to sweep and clean my porch area earlier than I normally do. 

Even if you don't have a covered porch, a chair, bench, plants, and door decorations are a way to enhance your entry area.

Since my porch is covered, I have more flexibility to add items normally used for the interior of your home.

I used the same principles with how I decorate the inside of my home.  

I have an indoor/outdoor area rug, wall hangings, furniture, lighting and accessories.     

 I hung this wrought iron piece on the brick.

My brick is my color inspiration for the space.

I painted the door in 2 colors 

I pulled from the brick colors.  

 I added table lines, but tacked them on the underside and weighted it down with the lantern so they did not blow away.

 I added this small buffet piece which stores sidewalk chalk, salt for icy days, and the Scrabble game which we like to play 

when it is warmer outside.

 The wicker chairs are intended for the outdoors but the throw pillows make them feel like more of an interior piece. 

 The area rug warms up the cement and pulls the colors from the brick and 

the accessories together. 

 We do have an overhead light but I prefer the lamp.   It adds a cozy feel to the porch especially in the evening as shown below.

 When guests are coming over or I am planning on spending time outside, I light the candle in the lantern.

I am ready to spend more time out here....

hurry up spring!

Dresser turned TV Stand/Bookshelf

Found this cute dresser and had my boys help carry in each drawer down to my work area.   Then they proceeded 

to wrestle and 

flattened a drawer.  

It is these situations that force my creative side to come out.

  

Needless to say, I was not happy, but sat there staring to figure out what to do next 

...and here is my solution.

I decided to move all the drawers down to the lower slots and keep the 

top area open as a shelf.

 I used the bottom of the flattened drawer as the base/floor for the shelf and secured it 

with finishing nails. 

It covered the uneven surface 

as you can see below. 

 Then I added a fresh coat of paint and distressed edges.

 This niche is perfect for books, baskets, or for storage or tv electronics.   

Paper craft...so cute!

I was running through the mall to return something and was enticed by a window display at a store called Paper Source.

I went in to inquire and found this 

kit I had to try.

Sorry..can't rotate photo!

 Start with 4 flower cut outs.

 You will need a stapler, glue stick, 

and the 2 circles 

for flower center included in kit. 

 Then you stack the four flowers 

on top of each other.

 Excuse my painted fingers...

Then you crease each petal. 

 Then rotate the petals

 and staple in the center.

 Staple onto a ribbon.

 Glue center to cover staple.

 Then I hung my garland in my daughter's room.

The Power of Paint

I get excited anytime I see a vintage chair with upholstery in great shape.  I found these chairs that needed a simple change to refresh them...paint. 

I taped off around the 

fabric areas to protect it.

With a coat of antique white paint, some distressing, and a cute accent pillow to coordinate with the upholstery, it changed the entire feeling of the chair.

This chair is currently for sale at Jackson Square Mall in Lagrange, IL for $48.

It would make a perfect addition to a shabby chic decor or a girl's bedroom.

TAKE TWO

A cute accent pillow from Target added after the paint dried finished the look.

So simple for a dramatic new look....

Setting the Mood...with lighting

I admit it...I am a "lampaholic."

I love that lamps act as an accessory 

and they function in a space.

One comment I appreciate that people make when they come to my home is that it feels cozy.

I think this is due to soft lighting 

that I like to use.  

When you have a lamp in your home, you need to think about placement and purpose.   If a lamp is used for reading, you would want to use a 60 watt lightbulb or higher. 

  

If a lamp is used for keeping a room softly illuminated, you can change the wattage to a 40, 25, or even a 15 watt bulb. 

Below I am featuring some areas in my home that are used for soft illumination. 

  

 I love how this lamp below cascades a leaf pattern on the walls and acts as an uplight. 

This one is near my entry.

This lamp below is on my dining room buffet.  

I love to have lots of candlelight, 

dim my chandelier, 

and turn on this lamp.

   

It creates so much ambiance 

with the combination of lighting sources.

This little accent lamp below has more of a night light affect and I have this 

in my living room.   

I love how the lighting 

affects the artwork too.

Here with the mirror, I actually changed the wattage because it is reflected and multiplied...another detail to pay attention to with lighting.

Look around your own home to see where you can add a lamp or play with the wattage and types of lightbulbs.   It is fun to experiment and compare different lightbulbs and wattages in the same lamp.

Add a little ambiance and have a 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chalkboard Wall

I am always assessing my home decor and looking for things to tweak.   I felt like adding some whimsy with some chalkboard paint. 

My bathroom has a basket weave black and white marble tile floor and thought the black would be a cool accent in that space.

 I initially wrote quotes all over the wall, but got tired of it....so I erased it ...the advantage to a chalkboard wall!

I sketched these flowers

(while my daughter played in the tub) 

by looking at a ceramic rose 

I had as inspiration. 

I added some shading by smudging the 

chalk with my fingers.

 ...Added these little silver birds 

to be in the scene

 And decoupaged this mirror in newspaper to continue the touches of black and white

I like the versatility of this wall and I am sure it will change many times...

Sweet Dreams....Creating an Original Doll Bed

I thought it might be fun to show you how I put together a doll bed for my little girl's room. Her room is the most fun room to decorate.

This is a picture of the finished look and I will take you thought the materials 

I put together....

 I started with this bed I bought at a 

thrift store and painted it hot pink...

 I used a standard sized pillow with a cute pillow case for the doll's mattress...

 Then I added a vintage mini throw pillow as the doll's sleeping pillow....found at Jackson Square Antique Mall in LaGrange.

 The bedspread is a dish towel 

from Anthropologie...

 Then I added these mini pillows 

(approx 5"x5")

found at Cracker Barrel and 

a thrift store.

 Then we tucked in the little baby doll 

into her little bed.  

This is an example of my favorite thing to do when decorating...using things in an unpredictable way to create something unique.

Sweet Dreams!