Home Decor Favorites from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

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Since most people gravitate towards the Fall fashion when the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale takes place each year, I thought I'd take a moment to focus on some neutral home decor that they offer. All of these pieces listed are included in the sale which is running until Aug.2nd. If you haven't seen it yet, you can find my big #nsale post with all of my fall fashion favorites here.

If you've been following my blog for a while then you probably know that I'm an Interior Designer. While I work with clients who have a variety of different design styles, one thing that I try to encourage for longevity sake is incorporating classic neutrals for a timeless look. Neutrals will never go out of style and easily coordinate with a variety of colors and patterns. One of my favorite neutrals is gold as an accent.

I love this gold mirrored bar cart above! Whether it's stocked with liquor and martini glasses or adorned with bath salts and bath products next to a soaker tub, it's an elegant accent piece. The gold lips wall art would be a glam touch above a desk in a home office, in a master bedroom or even leaned up inside a built-in bookcase in a living room space. In my own home we use a lot of baskets for organizing, they're the perfect practical accessory to corral toddler toys at the moment in our playroom as well as Lily's nursery. Baskets with interesting patterns like this chevron basket add a fun touch. While this set of floral print curtain panels is not a typical neutral, it adds a fun pop of color and would be the perfect complement to the paint hue of the moment-gray. They come in this teal color and also in burnt umber as well as grey. Not to be missed is this set of contemporary gold detailed champagne flutes, a perfect complement to the bar car, no?

SHOP THE LOOK:

Right now, everything from bedding to rugs is on sale, so be sure to check out the sale if you're currently looking to refresh your space. Items are going quickly so if you find something in a specific color or size that you like, grab it while you can! If you're looking for a little help to redo a room in your home, I work with clients all over the globe offering e-Design services. I'd love to work with you! You can read more about how that works here.

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Thanks for stopping by!

XO

Design Inspiration: Craft Rooms & Office Spaces

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For as long as I can remember I've dreamed of having a dedicated craft space. I envisioned large working surfaces, a gift wrapping area, a dedicated table for my sewing machine, well organized bins and a closet to match. Every Christmas Eve as I sit on the floor in our family room or at the kitchen table surrounded by wrapping paper, bows, tags and gifts, I think how much fun it would be to have a wrapping area (not to mention private) so those you purchase gifts for won't see what you got them. I would sometimes take to my previous shared guest bedroom/office space but that has since been cleared out and overtaken by a certain newborn and all of her belongings. ;)

A month before she arrived I set up a very tiny area in our den with a secretary desk and my existing office chair where a bookshelf used to reside, to have as my own working area. Since most of my office stuff is still in plastic totes and the majority of what I'm doing these days (apart from caring for baby) only requires my laptop, I tend to work mostly at the kitchen table in front of our large picture window, but it hasn't stopped me from dreaming once again and brainstorming potential areas where I can create a shared office/craft space. I've been pinning some images for a future home with larger space and came across ideas for shared office/craft spaces of varying sizes. I know I'm not the only one who craves a dedicated crafting space. So, if you have one and are currently wondering how to lay it out to maximize its function, decorate it or are simply in the dreaming stage like I am, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos as I did recently with gallery wall inspiration which is currently a work in progress for a large wall in our living room.

For those who love a soft & elegant work space. This is gorgeous!

Bold colors are a must in a craft space! They speak to creativity.

Large shared laundry room + craft/office space. Lots of storage is a must!

Simple & Refined. A single accent wall adds so much to a room.

A closet-turned-office/craft space. Close the doors when you're done for the day.

Crafting/Gift Wrapping room

Beautiful wallpaper, a sleek chair and a soft curtain transform a small closet.

Why not remove the closet doors entirely and create built-ins?

A small, narrow room with pretty accents hues create the perfect woman cave.

Simple & Clean. If you only have a corner or part of the guest room.

Classic black + white with pops of color via accessories & a whole lot of storage boxes

All in one centers can assume a bedroom, hall or portion of a living room/family room.

A do-it-all space for drafting, painting, sewing, crafting, gift wrapping, gardening and more.

 This layout offers it all. A little bit of inspiration from the home projects page at Rona.

Do you have a dedicated craft space or a room that would serve as one? What is your favorite thing to do in your special space?

Thanks for Reading!

XO




image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

*This was a sponsored post however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tray Chic Chevron

This past weekend I worked on a little decor project, it really came out of my need to test out frog tape after a little exterior painting disaster 2 years ago involving regular painters tape and my shutters. Let's just say a whole lotta paint seeped underneath the tape and it didn't have the crisp look I was after. Every time I embark on a new painting project, hubby always has a look of concern and reminds me about those darn shutters! I promised him it was a one time deal and after seeing how my little painting project turned out with the frog tape recently, he's a believe in my painting and paint prep skills again. Hurray!

As far as our shutters go, we've been saving up so that we could pay cash to have our home painted. Thankfully we finally have a painter scheduled to come this week to paint not only the shutters but also the whole exterior of our house, so I'll finally be free from that bad painting memory. Might I add we're definitely due for one, our house is over 50 years old and I think the last time someone painted this house was probably 30+ years ago-eek! Anyway, back to this weekend's paint project...

If you've been a reader of this blog for a while, you might remember the prequel to this post titled Tray Chic where I took an espresso color serving tray that I received as a bridal shower gift and transformed it into something coffee-table worthy. I've been pretty smitten with everything "chevron" for a while and got an idea to take my pretty but plain tray to another level AND test out that frog tape in the process without committing to another painting mishap on the walls. I'm really thrilled with how it turned out.

Click on the Tray Chic post to see what I was starting with from Day 1. Here is the tray after I painted it the same color as the walls in our living room, which I'm calling my before pic.

BEFORE

Here is the tray after carefully measuring and taping each chevron out with my frog tape (I later added some tape to the inside edges so I'd have a clean line all the way around.

STEP 1

Here's the tray below after just one coat of satin white paint that I used from a tiny sample can from a previous touch up project in our house.

STEP 2

Finally, here is the after, 3 coats of paint later:

AFTER

Each application dried really quickly so I was able to remove the tape just 4 hours after the last coat. Here is how it currently looks in my living room.

I haven't posted a lot of photos from our home in the past but here's a larger view of  it in the living room space which is still a work in progress. Hubby bought and inherited 99% of the furniture we own well before we met, it's mixed with some vintage pieces from his grandparents (which I was opposed to at first but now actually like because of the potential) so I'm working with what we've got which is an over-sized, but super comfy red sofa. *winking* My plans for this room will include adding some new pillows, drapery panels, a new area rug and some new wall art along with painting the side tables and adding new hardware. :)

Want to know a little secret? I'm planning to add another splash of chevron love to our living room. Stay tuned, I'll be posting it once the project is completed.

Who else has a heart for chevron? What have you created lately? Link up below and show off your latest creations and transformations, I'd love to pop by and check them out!

Feeling a Little Crafty!

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How has your week been so far? Lately I've been feeling really crafty but my dear friend time has not been on my side. There are a few things I'm hoping to make this month which are actually pretty easy projects, I just need a few spare hours to dedicate to getting them done. This image above is of an advent calendar that I really want to make. Isn't it elegant?

I did take a moment to do a quick change out of the hurricane vase on our tiny kitchen table in October. I usually fill it with fresh flowers or this shell orb. To give it a quick makeover I added a wheat sheath I trimmed down with a small white pumpkin nearby and kept the color palette the same since we live in coastal FL. But with Christmas upon is, it's time to switch it up yet again as well as the place mats and napkins too.

Karen from Strictly Simple Style wrote this wonderful post a few months ago about DIY cashmere cable knit pillows made from thrift store sweaters! I've been wanting to make one for a couple years now and given the price that Potterybarn commands, I think I'll stick to making my own and Target offers one for around $20 but I'm not a fan of the material or color selected.  I was so impressed with Karen's that I'm going to hunt down a thrift store sweater, keeping my fingers crossed that there are some in the right color and size.

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Here is a pic of the last pillow I made with an existing down insert and a cheetah print fabric remnant for 75% off that I thought was fun and added a bit of personality to the bedscape. My challenge was an invisible zipper, and it turned out really well for a first attempt it now lives in the guest bedroom snuggled between two solid silk pillows from Tar-jay.

I was thinking back to some crafts/decor that I worked on in the past and realized that it's also time for me to paint some older furniture pieces in our home. We inherited a few from P's grandparents that I once disliked but now have a new excitement for as I envision how I will transform them with paint and new hardware. He was hesitant at first to alter them, but he's finally on board and ready for a change too. I'll post the details once I get that ball rolling.

I love recovering and repainting older pieces to give them new life and personality. Below is a little foot stool that hubby's grandfather made many years ago, and office chair that that I purchased off Craigslist for $30 and recovered, both are in the guest bedroom which also doubles as my office.

{Click HERE to see the original foot stool post and HERE to see the full office chair makeover.}

Today, I'm going to pick up some red harvest color roses and pop them into this new little living room centerpiece that I'm creating with old glass bottles and small vases which are hidden inside a basket that I picked up from a yard sale recently. It looks like it would be perfect for holding silverware on a picnic table in the backyard but the compartments are perfect for holding just about anything. Once filled, my goal is that it will appear as a large, lush and compact arrangement of roses where the dividers and glass containers will be fully hidden.

I love perusing craft and home decor projects via blogs and the web. I live for creating and Before & After pics! I know you all are a creative bunch so I thought I'd create a little linky party (my second one ever) so you could show off your latest creations or anything at all that you've made.

I cannot wait to see what YOU have been working on lately. Anything from a simple centerpiece, a new wreath, gifts you're making for family, a holiday mantle, a rehab furniture project or even a new recipe you've tried out. Please link up! :)



Warmly,

Fabulous Decor Finds for Under Five Dollars!

A few days ago I started a fun little experiment on myself, with my fun money that I typically use for decor purchases, I've started limiting myself to just $5 or less. Most of the stores I'm frequenting are ones like TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Home Goods, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Target and of course yard sales!

The great thing that I've discovered with the discount retailers like Marshall's is that they typically place a Clearance section in the HOME section of their store towards the back (after you've looked at everything else). This has now been the place I start first when perusing the goods. They have everything from contemporary frames for $2 to elegant notepaper sets for around $3 and often have artwork for a steal too!

Now, these are specific to each store and state so it would be unfair to post my finds because not all stores will have what I've discovered. You all know how much I love to save money on great decor. If you missed the amazing Walmart finds, take a look at my  last decor post for some of their amazing accessories and furniture.

Here are 10 items at widely accessible retailers that offer some fun decor goodies for under five dollars. Whether you keep them for yourself or save them up for gifts, they're a great deal!

LUMIERE WAVY CANDLEHOLDER -$3.95 at CB2

AXIS SERVERWARE- $4.95 at West Elm

BROWN BERRY NECKROLL COVER- $3.95 at Potterybarn

SALONG VASE -$4.99 at Ikea

SKOJ Clock- $4.99 at Ikea

Elsa L. Inc. Baby Decoupage Frame - Pink (4x4")- $3.98 at Target

KORT ART CARDS (5-pack) -$5.00 at Ikea

GRANUM TEA LIGHT HOLDER (5-pack) $2.99 at Ikea

MARQUIS TEALIGHT-$4.99 at ZGallerie

5x7" Signature Raised Edge Frame- $3.12 at Kmart

So, you might be wondering what I've purchased so far under five dollars.This is a gorgeous note card set I picked up in the Marshall's clearance section for just $2! They're so pretty and I can't wait to use them! I love to stock up, because I'm always writing thank you cards. To learn more about that, read my post on 'Cards are Classy'.

How about you-do you ever give yourself a specific limit like under $10 or under $5 only? Have you found any fabulous decor for under $5 or in a clearance section? Tell us about it!