LANTERNS IN THE KITCHEN {AGAIN}

Ok, so I've never claimed to be a "real" decorator or designer.  This blog is solely an outlet for me to share what I'm doing in my own home.  That being said, my home is totally my place to experiment with decor, and I change things often.  Many times things are done on a trial and error basis.   It helps that I do a lot of the work myself and when I get the itch to change I try to do it on a budget, and if I make a mistake not much more is lost than my time and effort.  Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't... and I try again.   I think that's the key for anyone making their home a place that they love.  If at first you don't succeed, keep trying.  Don't be afraid to admit that you might have made a decorating mistake, move on, and start over. When we did a kitchen refresh about a year and a half ago, I replaced the large lanterns that we had installed over the island with brass lotus flower pendants .  With the lanterns I learned, onl...

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DIY UPHOLSTERED OTTOMANS {ALMOST NO SEW!}

Well, here we are 9 months after I completed my  Master Bedroom  for the One Room Challenge last Spring, and my DIY upholstered ottomans are one of the projects that I have neglected to share with you.   So, since I'm spending January trying to clean out and organize and not doing many blog-worthy projects, I thought this would be a great time to finally share this tutorial with you. Malachite Fabric I think that this is a project anyone could tackle, it's mainly measuring, ironing, and stapling.  I did a tiny bit of sewing to make the cording around the top edge (which you could do too if you can sew a straight line- here's a great tutorial ), but you could even get around that by purchasing ready made cording if you wish. I came across these stools on Craigslist and although dated, loved the shape and size and they were very sturdy.  I had been thinking about a set-up like this  ( Edie's home is a huge inspiration to me!), and was keeping an ey...

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DIY 3D HEART ART

Weren't we just decorating for Christmas a few days ago?  I can't believe it's almost time for Valentine's Day!  I don't generally do a lot of decorating for the lovely day, but it is fun to sprinkle a few festive reminders of the holiday here and there. Feeling a bit crafty and thinking along the same lines as the 3D paper ornaments I made for Christmas, I made a little piece of 3D heart artwork to tuck in a vignette or shelf. I started with a few simple supplies that I had on hand- an open frame (or remove the glass of a regular frame) and patterned paper.  I also used mat board, rubber cement, Elmer's glue, and hot glue.  Note:  I took my paper to our church and used the die cutter for my hearts, but you might have a paper punch or cutting machine that would work well also.  If all else fails, trace some hearts that are all uniform and use your good old scissors to cut them out.  ;) Glue patterned paper for the backing to a scrap piece of mat bo...

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PROJECT SNEAK PEEK

Sometimes I have to mull over a project for a while, and sometimes a thought pops into my head and I have the spray paint in my hands 10 seconds later.  Last week the latter happened.  I gave a little sneak peek on Instagram  (I would love for you to follow me if you're not, pretty please!) but here's a few clues for you all, too! Hunted Interior Tobi Fairley Windsor Smith Better Homes and Gardens via Style at Home , photography by Donna Griffith Magnolia Homes Tobi Fairley Tobi Fairley Sophia's Hmmmm, maybe I'm branching out from my old standby?!?  I'll be sharing what I've been up to next week.  You might be shocked...    Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, we'll be sitting at a basketball tourney cheering away! ...

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THE SECRET TO PRETTY PILLOWS {AND A MONEY SAVING TIP}

Today I have a super quick tip for you to boost your home's style and the money in your wallet!  I'm going to start by assuming that you all know the key to beautiful, plump pillows is to use a down insert .  Polyfil pillows just get crushed and flattened over time, with no chance of fluffing them back up.  We all know that, right?  (If you're allergic to down filling, I'm so sorry!  The down alternative pillows are probably your next best option over polyfil stuffing.) Here's where my tip of the day comes in...  down inserts can be expensive.  Recently I was just about to head to the local fabric store that sells them and plunk down almost $20 for a 24x24 down insert that I needed.  Just in the nick of time, I ducked into Homegoods and happened to spot this beauty on the clearance rack. Well, not so much a beauty to me, it's not quite my style.  But, it was a perfectly plump 24" down pillow marked down to $7.00!  I couldn't check out fast ...

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