Decorating your home and life the thrifty + fabulous way
While we are still having some warm weather in the Pacific Northwest, Fall is certainly upon us.
The hydrangeas have turned from their gorgeous blues to soft green and pink tones.
The evenings have a chill that creeps in a little earlier than it did a few weeks ago.
Since we are still having days that are in the mid 70’s I don’t have the heart to buy a truckload of pumpkins only to see them go bad mid-October.
There is nothing like an early pumpkin purchase gone wrong to cure you of ever wanting to purchase them too early again.
While I share the shots of this year’s Fall Front Porch I will revisit the epic fail I am referring too in the not so distant past.
I give you Fall 2014.
First off I must say that I do not crochet or knit. My daughter does and she is amazing.
The skill is not in my wheelhouse, but I sure do like to buy yarn.
Aisle after aisle of different textures and every color you could dream of.
I have the hardest time with yarn, it’s almost as bad as paint!
So many options it’s really hard to decide. [Read more…]
Hello friends!
I seem to be on a find-dated-furniture-and-paint-it-every-color-you-love kick the last few weeks.
But a solid piece of furniture that needs a facelift is so hard to pass up!
That may have something to do with the shrinking space to park my car in the garage, but that’s for another day.
Today we are PAINTING. And giving a sad, dated coffee table a new lease on life.
You can see the potential already but right now this coffee table is not-so-fabulous. YET!
This little gem was a Facebook find and while she was solid, the oak-ey finish was not going to work any longer.
Here is the before…..kind of sad. BUT! I will show you how I took this tired coffee table…
And breathed some new life into her with paint! Here is the after, and next I will show you how I did it: [Read more…]
I am so not ready for Fall.
Well, that’s not entirely true.
I do love Fall, and Fall decorating and thrifty Fall crafts, but before I am ready for PUMPKIN EVERYTHING I need some more summer.
This week I popped into JoAnn’s and saw this pretty faux bloom in soft pinks and tan with a touch of gold. It was in with their Fall decor. I held my breath by the cinnamon pinecones to protect myself from a full Fall takeover, grabbed my loot and headed home.
I wanted to do something pretty with this fluffy faux rose and it made me think of how pretty something soft like this looks with something more edgy or utilitarian.
Like a brick. [Read more…]
I cannot tell you how beyond excited I am about how our Outdoor Living Room turned out!!
Enter a squeal and a giant happy dance, and that is a start.
This space has been a project that has evolved over the span of three summers, and each summer we have accomplished a bit more.
But this year was more of the frosting on the cake, the super fun decorating part.
With life and bills and budgets, I knew I could not lose my ever loving mind out here and spend a small fortune on everything new.
And I really didn’t want to, I wanted our covered patio to have a warm eclectic vibe like the inside of our house. And I didn’t want it to look like a showroom floor at our local outdoor furniture store.
Trust me, at times I wanted to as the weeks went on and I didn’t think the time spent scouring our local thrift stores and a neighborhood curbside find would happen and payoff. The patience, elbow grease and some paint paid off! [Read more…]
We have had a long winter for the Pacific Northwest, and I don’t know about you, but I am SO ready for Spring.
Everything coming to life, longer days, more sun and those first signs of blooms, little buds on the trees and beautiful blooms saying hello after so many months of being tucked away in the cold.
We have been noticing our days are a bit longer and enjoying a bit more daylight after 5pm than in weeks prior, another sign Spring surely can’t be too far behind.
I wanted to make something that was bright and pretty for my kitchen (but I will probably move it 10 more times) and as I looked at what I had on hand I found pretty pale orange, white and peach blooms along with a pretty green-blue ribbon I have had for a while.
I wasn’t sure what to use for a container and since we recycle and reuse much of what we buy I saw these two cans and thought they would make perfect vases.
A bit of flat white spray paint, some hot glue to secure the ribbon on the back of each can, and some moss tucked down to hold the flowers in place. [Read more…]
The Portland area has a wonderful mini blanket of snow this weekend topped by some dangerous ice that is keeping my inside enjoying my coffee and fireplace today.
So I have to admit, while I like to keep up on trends, my home is an eclectic mix of what I love. A mish mash of farmhouse/boho/and lots of painted furniture.
I have forecasted trends that you may remember, most not brag-worthy but still worth mention:
Since returning to work full time, I have found that more than ever my home is the warm nest I look forward to returning to each day after work.
And while I don’t have the time to accomplish large projects in the evenings and on weekends, I can little things on a regular basis that add up to something wonderful.
None of us have unlimited time or resources to have a perfect home. [Read more…]
This time of year I find myself buying boxes and boxes of these sweet, petite little orange like gems.
The kids gobble them up and we just cannot seem to get enough of them.
Having said that, the massive consumption of them around our house inspired this diy hand stamped tea towel so long after they are out of season we can enjoy how pretty they are as well.
