Here’s a fun project that is nearly free to do, and will help get your jewelry organized in a fashionable way.  I found this branch on the side of the road, and knew it would be perfect for this project!

When selecting a branch, you want something that can be mounted on the wall pretty flat.

You can use acrylic paints and paint bands around the branch to match your decor.  Let dry, then nail in posts to hang jewelry from.

Now your jewelry is displayed in an organized manner and also serves as wall decor.  What do you think?

 

Winter can be harsh and cold, and some may think it is the ugliest of all the seasons compared to Summer and Spring and the beauty of Fall, but there is beauty everywhere, and the Camellia reminds us of that.   Though the Winter can be cold, these beauties are blooming all around us!  Just nature’s way of reminding us there is beauty in every season…  Here are some beautiful Camellias I picked to share with you, hope you are having a lovely day!

 

Let me just say, this book is amazing!  By Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick, it is full of the most amazing design ideas for your home.  It’s practical, useful, and gives you main ideas and important tips to remember when designing rooms.  I’m a photo kind of girl, and there are plenty of photos to gawk over, but also an explanation of key points to take away from the examples.  Whatever your style might be, this book will definitely have ideas to grab and steal from!

Also, one of my favorite things about design books such as this one is the directory of suppliers.  I’m always bound to find someone new I haven’t discovered yet!

Here are a few of my favorite designs:

I love this room for the symmetry, and the deer mount which is the focal point.  Throughout the room there are outdoor touches brought in, such as the mounted bug specimens to the bird pillow. It is a traditional look, but then there is a fun element with the colors incorporated.

The colors of this table is what I am mostly drawn to.  I love the eclectic composition of centerpieces vessels, table settings and stemware.  I think this makes any small intimate party a little more fun!  What do you think?  I also love the padded bench at the end of the table. This is great in the functionality that some of your guests can come to the ends of the tables to visit with other guests after dinner is complete.

I really love the scale of the building to the seating area here.  And, the fact that a fooseball table is in this space says fun!  The mod chairs make a statement as does the ceramic kelly green side table.  I can see this space lit up at night for an enjoyable evening!

Today I am sharing a project my friend and fellow blogger collaborated on!  Bryan Lim, you can follow him at {Hellagood} is traveling the world from his hometown of Singapore.  Bryan is so talented and creative in so many ways, and I think you will all enjoy seeing his latest posts and exciting journey!

So, we were out on an adventure this past week… heading to an estate sale when we past by a pile of junk on the side of the road {kind of how a lot of my stories start}, and Bryan yells out… ‘there’s a suitcase!’  So, we turn around, and find this gorgeous suitcase, and some beautiful reclaimed wood too!

At the estate sale, we happened to get some beautiful maps, and we both challenged each other to come up with an idea of how we can use them.  Bryan won, and here, we have this fun project.  Sometimes things just fall together, like finding a suitcase and picking up some maps.  I think you’ll like what we created here…

We cleaned the suitcase to start.. it even had the original tag on it.  Thank you err, Steve, I think his name was??

Next, we cut up this vintage map into small pieces. This map had a grid on it, so we went with geometric shapes of squares and rectangles.

The suitcase was a beautiful cognac color, so we chose to just decoupage the sides.  We layered a base of decoupage then glued over each piece.

There I am gluing away!

Almost done!

What do you think?  It turned out pretty cool!  This is little Benny, Bryan’s host dog!

Be sure to follow my friend, he has lots of adventures ahead!!

Here’s a quick and easy dish to prepare, and completely versatile depending on the veggies you have fresh from the market.  Thanks to Tiffany and Travis Miller, this was a dish I had at their house a few weeks ago, I thought I’d try it out!Ingredients Used:2 fresh chicken breast, boneless, skinless3 bell peppers: red, yellow, orange4 celery sticksWater chestnutsSautéed onionRed pepper for flavorTrader Joe’s Sesame Soy Ginger VinaigretteQuinoaMicrogreens for garnishCut and cook your chicken breast in a skillet.  I added a little EVOO to the pan to start.  Once your chicken is cooked, add in your onions and sauté.  Add in your veggies, let cook, and dress with vinaigrette.Cook quinoa in another pot, then layer your quinoa on the bottom of a bowl, veggies and chicken on top, and micro greens to garnish!  Super yummy and healthy!

If you have a ton of scrapbooking paper laying around, like I do, then this is the perfect project and a great little gift to give away.  I made these for the holidays, and they are really fun!

Supplies Needed:

Decoupage glue, a protective finish, scrapbooking paper, felt, tile from your local hardware store, fabric glue & foam brushes

How To:

1.  Cut decorative scrapbooking paper in squares to fit your tiles.

2.  Decoupage the paper directly onto the top of the tiles.  I found that the medium thickness scrapbooking paper without embossing or glitter worked best to lay flat and not bubble or peel up on the edges.

3.  Apply 3-4 coats of decoupage, letting dry in between coats.

4.  Let dry overnight, spray with a sealant.

5.  Cut and glue felt squares to the bottom of the tiles, adhering with fabric glue.

6.  Mix and match designs, tie together with decorative yarn and add a custom tag to gift!

I found these super fun, all laying out to dry.  The colors can be changed up for each person’s personality you plan to gift to.  Even made a few trivets for the kitchen with larger sized tiles.

I believe Mondays should be a day to get inspired.  To line up a to-do list, but to also be enthused about what’s in store for the week ahead!  Every Monday I’ll be sharing one of my favorite books that I keep in my library.  This week is a new one I just ordered on Amazon.  I love Amazon used books {if you haven’t already discovered this little secret, it is amazing!}  You can usually get books at a fraction of the cost of the new version and at a killer deal… & I am all about a deal!

This week’s feature is The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate & Live Well by Deborah Needleman.  This book is not only chocked full of fabulous watercolor paintings of furniture & designs, but it also has a great deal of knowledge and information on how to make your home truly YOURS!

Throughout the book are some great quotes about design and making a house a home.

Hopefully if you haven’t already gotten a copy of this essential design book, you’ll go out and grab a copy for your own library.

 

Here’s a fun little project!  I picked this coffee table from a local thrift store for $15.  I just loved the shape of the top of the table, and I knew I could make it into something with a little more personality.  It has been an unfinished project for months, so I am glad that it is finally complete!

Here is the before on the table:

Below, I painted the base and outer frame with white Annie Sloan Chalk paint.  Annie Sloan chalk paint requires no prep work, and it leaves the furniture with an antique, matte finish I just love!

I cut vintage and vintage reproduction maps which I decoupaged onto the tabletop.  I put a few extra coats to give it a final finish.

 It is the perfect addition to my little living room, and I just love the maps!

I am a little obsessed with these vintage figurine busts I recently found.  They are adorable… maybe a little creepy to some, but I am so in love with them at the moment.  I think I should name them?  What do you think?  I picked these up in a second-hand store, and someone had painted them gold… part of me wonders what’s underneath that metallic paint, but I am just smitten with them at the moment that I don’t  think I’ll touch them quite yet.

Any name suggestions?  The one on the left is a girl, and the one on the right, I believe is a boy.