Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and looking forward to a Happy New Year.  What are your upcoming goals?  I have been thinking about businesses and projects.  You?

Hopefully I will get to work on a few projects for my lovely daughter.  I am dying to do some more painting and rearranging for her.  (She is cringing now). 

Have a great Holiday.

Dark and Moody Interiors

I am loving the dark and moody interiors seen lately.  Ralph Lauren, did a whole series on his site. 

 I am really wanting to rework my kitchen.  Love this dark, and those planters, not practical but loving.

Ok, so I saw a design show where they did a table makeover and it looked like the mags stacked in the corner.  So fun.  My daughter always twists her mags,  love the table as a night stand too.  Again, loving the black and blue.

What can I say about this bathroom other than yes please. I will be adding darker colors to my back bathroom, where I will be rusting the mirror.

My favorite of all.  Dark walls, dark shades, leopard.  Yum. Not practical for me but totally fun.

I love the topiary balls with the glass vases.  I see a trip to the dollar store in my future to make these should be so easy, will let you know.  Fun for after Christmas to get in the spring spirit.

Images via:  Atlanta Homes, Elle Decor, Apartment Therapy, Pinterest.

Doors in Wrong Places DIY Shakespeare Quote

Doors and rooms in odd places.  The master bedrom is off the family room in this house, with a super small onsuite bathroom.  Super small.  Looking from the family room you either see this --- bathroom door closed.  Or the pic below door open.

Bedroom is to the left, small tight turn with furniture.  Yes, if you are leaving the bedroom and someone is in the bathroom, you put your arm our so you don't get hit by the door, but that design flaw isn't going to change.  House built in 1947 and add-ons, and such, it is what it is.  But, what it is -- is ugly.  Sooooooo..

The door is due for a major repaint.  I am thinking of leaving it bright white, and then in the inset, writing the William Shakespeare quote, Give me my Romeo in gold.  The bedroom, blue, brown, with gold an cream chairs.

Oh, should I put a peep hole in the door too?  Haha, been this way for years, just trying to dress up the looks, and after looking at that door I realize it is cream, and has never been repainted, embarassed, and a very ugly dirty door.

Now, the questions is when to do it?  Today maybe?  That way I could participate in more Christmas procrastination. 

Finish pics later.

Animal Print in Your House

I must get some more animal print in my house somehow.  Just totally out of room.  Check out the animal print chairs, via Elle Decor.

Love these animal print and chrome chairs.

Donna Decorates Dallas via HGTV and here recovered sofa that she had in the garage/or storage, love it.  Oh, and I love that show too.

Get some animal print, you will be glad you did.

Best Ever Photo Storage

Yes, I know most of you store your pics with a program, or on your computer, or hard drive, well, if you still have some old fashioned printed ones laying around---these tubs from the Dollar Store, really $1 are wonderful.  Pics fit perfectly, and best part, are sealed and not in those cardboard acid boxes that eat pics up. 

Pic some up, you won't be disappointed.

Wine Room Art - Large Poster Print - Lighted Wine Bottle

The Hubs and I have been in the process of making a wine room.  He makes wine, and we need additional storage.  So for his birthday, I had his wine label blown up into a 20 x 30 poster, you can see it at the back.  Looks great. We need to hang it still.  Oh, and we need to complete the wine room.  This is just one area, the storage area, the prep, and making area is in the front of this area.  Pics of that later.

A few days ago, our neighbors brought over a lighted wine bottle, with his label on it. 

The poster/wine label blown up.  Costco did it for $8.99, then I put a frame on it.  The quality of the poster is great.  I highly recommend Costco if you are looking for poster prints.  The price is right too.

Horchow Side Table - Inspiration

I am loving this Horchow Granite Top Table.  Loving the gold. 



I have this old rattan table in the corner of our wine room.  Maybe some gold or copper for inspiration, maybe even silver metallic if I leave it by the Ghost Chairs.  Right now, way to cold to spray paint, so just getting some inspiration.

What is inspiring you?

DIY Glitter Shoes

I needed some navy shoes for a dinner event.  And, truthfully didn't want to spend any money.  Then I remembered my amazing daughter over at Bang by Lo, did some glitter shoes, to salvage a pair she ruined when leaving a pub.  So, I hoped over (link above) and followed her instructions.  I will be wearing these shoes tonight.  Can't wait. 

I took old shoes, (an old pair from Target), and cleaned them.  Assembled my Alene's Tacky Glue, some super fine navy glitter from Michaels, I wanted fine glitter, but you can use a thicker if you want. There they are pre-glitter.

I decided not to glitter the heels, as I liked them.  So they will remain the same.

Glue, glitter, let dry.  Spray all over with hair spray, any old kind of hair spray to set the glitter.  I don't know how it does it but it sets it. 
Love them.  Can't wait to wear them.  Thanks Lo. 

Now, I may have to do a multi colored glitter pair for New Years. 

White House Christmas 2011

The White House Christmas Tour 2011 is on HGTV tonight, check your local listings.  The theme this year is Shine, Give, Share. 

I love the dog made of buttons.

 The Gingerbread House.

 The dog made out of I don't know what.  But love it.

Check your local listings.

Weekend Project Rusting a Medicine Cabinet

I love this rusted medicine cabinet in the photo below.  (Sorry don't know where it is from).  But I love it.  Thinking of making it my weekend project in my back office bathroom.

My sad  little medicine cabinet.

Different view of the medicine cabinet.  I think it would look nice rusted.  Thoughts?

I Spy Christmas Puzzle - Under The Tree

At the Holidays I like to have a puzzle going.  I ran across this I Spy Under The Tree Puzzle, and thought it was cute.  500 pieces and ages 7 and up.  Ok, I want to meet the 7 year old that can do this puzzle.  Still trying to get the border together.  Really - hard puzzle.  Anyone else do a puzzle during the cold months?  I like to do one, to keep me from watching to much TV, and surfing on the internet too much.  What fun Holiday things do you do?

Painting Support Pole - Johnny Pole

I have a support pole or Johnny Pole in my family room.  Over the years, we have seen them disguised many ways.  Truth is, short of pulling out the ceiling and putting in new beams, we are stuck with it.  It came with the house.  It dictates furniture placement etc. and it is an eyesore.  I have painted it chalk paint, white, colors, it still stands out.  We even saw one at a parade of homes that was done in chrome (that one looked like a stripper pole).  The other day while looking at my curtains (all hung on copper pipe) I thought - Copper.  So, I painted it copper.  Cost, less than $7.00, such a bargain.  Check it out below.  Before, the white pole.



 Different view of the ugly white pole.

I used the martha Stewart Living Metallic Paint Copper Red, because I wanted a weathered copper finish not a shiny penny finish.  So, to get the darker color, I first painted the pole brown.  There it is painted brown.  You can see my copper curtain rod in the background, also the copper curtain rods on the patio that hold the outdoor curtains.

For the under coat of brown, I just used a $1, sample from Home Depot, they had mixed it for someone and it was wrong, so I got it for $1.  Worked great for me.  Painted the pole brown.  See it above.

Here it is close up with the brown, and the copper put on I am sure I am going to like it, I did a small test before I painted the whole pole brown, just in case I wasn't going to like it.  But I did.

Here's a shot in the light, it really is metallic.

Fully painted metallic.  Like I said, I have copper rods, holding my curtains, inside, as well as the ones outside on the patio, that you can see thru the window.

 Martha Stewart's metallic Paint Copper Red.

An inspiration photo of a pole in a family room.  Love theirs.

One project down, many more to go.

Easy Pesto Pasta Salad

This is an easy fun recipe. My daughter introduced me to this pasta salad when she was in college, a local pizza place made it, and we have made it since then. It is great because you can add in anything you want. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a good cook, but this one is a no fail recipe.

This is a cold pasta salad. However, you can make it, serve it hot (add cheese when serving). Then cool, and add fresh parm, and serve as a leftover.

-Pasta of your choice, (the restaurant uses penne rigatone, I have also used bow tie). I do like the carb friendly pasta, but that is a dietary choice.

-Your choice of pesto, I have tried the store brands, but always come back to Classico, love the garlic in it.

-1 bag of steam in bag broccoli florettes.

-Fresh Parm, and some jarred parm.

-Tomatoes, olives, chicken, pepperoni, anything you might want to add in.

-Cook your pasta. Steam your broccoli. Drain pasta, then pesto to pasta while warm, stir in cooked broccoli (if broccoli is watery drain first). Add as much pesto as you would like, I cooked 2 cups of pasta and used about 1/2 a jar of pesto. Now cool in fridge. **this is the point you can serve warm for dinner, and add cheese as needed. Otherwise cool in fridge.

-After it has cooled, add a tablespoon of the grated parm from jar (you know like you use on spaghetti). Then a handfull of the fresh parm and mix it up. This is to taste.

-Now any add-ins you want. Olives (my personal fav, but was out), tomatoes, pepperoni, chicken, you name it, you add it. Put back in fridge and serve cold.

Great to just grab out of fridge and eat.  Enjoy.

Need to Update your Couch -- Pillows

Need a quick update to your couch?  Pillows.  Easy update, fun and easy to change.  Yes, I love pillows.  It is said that guys don't.  Well girls do.  Pillows are an easy update.  Bolster pillows are great on the ends, and a fun addition to any chair or couch.  You can find pillows on sale at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, even Cost Plus World Market, I also saw some at Costco the other day.  Not feeling pillows, try some throws.  Throws look great all year.  Enjoy.

This one below is my favorite.  Love it.

 Love this one too.

 Below, Lauren Santo Domingo, Apartment Therapy.

 Below, Sunset Magazine.

Enjoy.  Happy Monday.

Displaying Lighted Christmas Houses - Department 56

My house has a pass thru dining room.  You must walk/pass thru it to get anywhere in the house.  So the dining table seemed like the perfect place to display my Lighted Christmas Houses.  It started years ago when we put the Halloween ones there, I kind of like it, so I put the Christmas ones there this year.  Yes, I normally tape down the cord, etc, and cover with a rug, still working on that part.

I feel like a cat lady however, because, this is just a small part of my collection.  A few of my favorites.  I have at least this amount and more still in the Christmas storage.  But, this year, I want simple.  I did a simple tree in red in the back family room.  The one thing that is hard about decorating for the Holidays, is moving the stuff, and storing it while the Christmas is out. That is major. 

Oh, well on to the houses.

I actually use colored lights in them.  That also started after Halloween, as I share the cords between the 2 and liked the colored lights so much better.  A little more festive.

I wasn't going to put them out.  But now I am glad that I did.  They make me smile.

:)