Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 :: A Year of Learning & Experimenting in Home Decor

It's just hours away from 2011!
And so hard to believe that 2010 has already flown by.
So many wonderful memories from '10 and so much to look forward to in '11!

In the spirit of all things home, here are my favorite projects from 2010!

stripping and painting the breakfast room table.






adding the c-list credenza

sitting back and enjoying my transformed breakfast room



beginning ::project office::




I am anxious to start new projects and finish others throughout 2011!
Stay tuned for what's to come! 






thrifty finds

I have spent at least the last 2-3 months looking for Louis XVI style chairs for our family room.
I have been craving seating in front of the fireplace.  

house beautiful 

decorpad

Their shape, style, and size are perfect for the room, but their price tag wasn't.
They usually ranged between 150-200 each, even in consignment stores. 
Then one day in early December I stumbled upon a recently opened thrift store via C-List.
The location is about 30 min from our house & worth every second of the drive time!
They had (2)  Louis XVI style chairs for $129.00! TOTAL! 
I saw the add around 11:00 one night, 
and first thing the next morning I loaded little one in the car & we were on our way!




Aren't they just perfect in that space?  
I had found that round ottoman a few months earlier and with a tray atop, 
it will serve as a lovely side table for those chairs.

These are my two recovering options, as of now. 
I would love for you to leave your opinion,
in favor of either {A} or {B} because I'm being indecisive.

{A}
Recover the front-back and front-seat in the stripe of the decorator table fabric (above picture),
and recover the arms and back-back in a twill khaki.

ballard designs

{B}
Paint the chairs white and distress them.
(similar to the decorpad image)
Recover the front-back & front-seat in this large check
ballard designs
which is also the fabric on our bar stool cushions.

Recover the arms and back-back in this dark chocolate twill.
 ballard designs

I am leaning more towards option B because the brown would help anchor that area of the room...
but I haven't made up my mind 100% yet!

decisions. decisions.




Wednesday, December 29, 2010

burlap table runner

A few weeks ago, Cottage and Vine, wrote a fabulous tutorial for how to sew a burlap table runner...

It was love at first sight,
and I immediately knew the perfect spot for mine! When Lauren came in town, we each sewed one,  mine for our credenza, and hers for their dining room table.

We had so much fun making them together and thanks to clear, easy instructions, they turned out great!
Love the runner's knotted ends, and the adorable boxwood wreaths.

l.o.v.e. it down her table,
especially with the beautiful magnolia leaves & cloche dome centerpiece.



I topped ours off with a long piece of Pottery Barn's burlap ribbon to add a festive Christmas flair.


Then, I used the remaining burlap to wrap up my topiary!

I love knowing that I can use it throughout each season with different decor!


Monday, December 27, 2010

project::office recovering the desk chair

We are moving right along on our office project!
With the added expense of the holidays we've put a few things on hold,
like the eclectic wall, but I have been able to make some other small changes with 
items I already had around the house.

I initially purchased this fabric in navy for the drapes, 
but then decided that might be too bold for the windows & not quite my vision for this room.
I have another idea for using most of it, but I was able to give up a bit
for recovering my ballard look-alike chair.


This chair that I constantly admire used to be mom's desk chair in the kitchen...


so it had roosters and stains.  Neither of which are suitable for hubby's office!

I cut a piece of my Ikea fabric & recovered the seat!
In just a few minutes I had a new chair that fits the nautical theme. 


Every little project brings us closer to completion!





Wednesday, December 22, 2010

:: how to :: decorate a williamsburg cone

Thanks for all of the great feedback you gave yesterday 
on my apple and boxwood Williamsburg cone!
They're a fabulous centerpiece for any time of year, but especially at Christmas!



The cone that I used was made by my Poppy for my mom and then she passed it down to me.
So, I didn't actually make my own cone form... 
but I searched the internet and found the Williamsburg Marketplace 
where you can purchase similar ones but it seems they're currently out of stock.

Since, I wasn't able to find a Wiliamsburg Cone base that was actually available online, 
Hubby and I are going to try to come up with some to sell in my Etsy store.
Let me know if you'd be interested!


Now let's get started...


{1}
The cone base is usually an iron or wood cone with the point cut off & painted green
with rows of nails inserted and each nail is approximately 2in apart.



{2}
Choose your fruit, which you'll later position onto the nails.
I chose granny smith apples, but you can use oranges, lemons, red apples, etc.


I don't usually purchase bags of apples for us to eat because I am super picky about spots,
but for this project (a) much more cost effective (b) you can turn the apples to hide the brown spots!


{3}
Begin pegging the apples onto the nails... 




 {4}
I trimmed our boxwood bushes in the front yard for the sprigs, 
but you can use holly, pine, spruce, to add beautiful color and texture!


{5}
stuff the boxwood between the apples, filling in the empty spaces


{6}
ta-da! 
A fabulous traditional centerpiece for your home. 
Perfect on a credenza, in a small nook, on your dining room table, or anywhere!.



There are many variations to this traditional centerpiece, 
which you can read about here.  The article also provides more detailed instructions.

I wasn't able to find a Wiliamsburg Cone base that I really liked online, 
Hubby and I are going to try to come up with one and I'll put them in my Etsy store!
Let me know if you'd be interested.


More images of Wiliamsburg cones.

Todd Richesin Interiors



Merry, Merry Christmas!

I'm linking up with Blue Cricket Designs.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

it looks a lot like Christmas!

I love Christmas more than any other time of year,
and the home never looks more beautiful and feels more cozy than it does during Christmastime!
This year I focused my decor around the colors of green, white, silver, & burlap with hints of red.
Much different than any other year, and I love all the shades of the colors together!


Welcome into our home!


Let's begin in the breakfast room....


the top of our hutch


my mom gave me the brass deer and i printed the picture here


my collection of bleached pinecones
i got impatient and didn't let them soak long enough...
but they have hints of white!

i picked up these darling rosemary topiaries at home depot for just $12 each! 
then spray decorated them with tiny ornaments for added Christmas cheer.

and once Christmas decorations come down, I can still use them throughout the year.


i picked up these votive holders at Target for just $3/ea!
they add a perfect touch of sparkle

this nativity set was a wedding gift, and used to be all sorts of bright colors...
but just a coat of white semi-gloss spray paint made it more my style.

our Christmas credenza


For our centerpiece, I decorated the Williamsburg cone from my mom with 
granny smith apples and boxwood clippings.
Her dad made it for her and now it's my turn to enjoy it!

a simple swag of live garland ties it all together


 the whole picture


Now onto the mantle...

I used more live garland on the mantle & love how it lays!
I may use a fake tree but it's live garland from here on out for me!

I gathered my collection of candle sticks, silver, glass, & crystal, together
and the vintage champagne glasses from my grandfather full of ornaments.

 and we hung the stockings on the chimney with care :)

love that tree... i refused to pay the prices they ask in the store...
hubby scored this one on C-list!
and almost every ornament on those branches has a special story behind it!

  a few short branches of garland and pine cones for a pop of festiveness on the tray.

Mom is such a talented "needlepointer" 
and she sewed that nautical santa for hubby last year...

To top it all off...

that star used to be bright red, 
but i spray painted it along with some of the Christmas ornaments for the topiaries.
Love the sparkle atop the tree! 

Throughout the house we have other tidbits of Christmas cheer, but that's all for now!
Hope you've enjoyed the tour! 

 Check back tomorrow for the "how to" of bleaching pinecones and 
creating a Williamsburg cone centerpiece!




I'm linking up with Cottage & Vine's Tour of Homes!

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