Summer Decor and A New Blog!

I am so very sorry I have't blogged in 2 months but truthfully I was in a bit of a funk, trying to figure out interesting blog posts that were all about decor while I'm baking, crafting and raising kids along with trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life professionally! I decided to not box myself in and although it has taken me a pretty long time to gain my 65 followers I have decided to start a new blog where I can share everyday stuff about me, my craft projects, my love of baking, my new found love of sewing and of course some home decor! The blog is called Magnolia Sugar and I'm still working out the kinks with the design but I hope you will follow me there at http://magnoliasugar.blogspot.com/ . Okay so here are a couple of really easy things that make me feel happy it's summer and longing for the beach:) I really wanted something for my dining room table to say summer and I came up with super easy table centerpiece.

It wasn't a super cheap one to do, I spent a total of $24 for the hurricane, candle, sand and shells but I guess it wasn't too expensive since I can reuse the candle holder for other seasonal centerpieces.


This is a wreath I actually made last year after seeing a really pretty one on someones blog (can't remember where). I basically just wrapped a foam wreath in ribbon and hot glued shells all over it, super easy but very heavy!

Okay well that's it for my summer decor for now, remember for now on I'll be blogging about decor, craft projects, baking,etc over at http://magnoliasugar.blogspot.com/. Thanks so much for all your past thoughtful comments and suggestions, I hope you will enjoy the new blog even more!

Hugs!
Kelly

Entry Wall Stencil Project Completed!

Well let me start off by saying that if I had to do it again I wouldn't have gone the cheaper route like I did!  This project only cost me approximately $10 but the next time I will be ordering a sheet of stencils instead of purchasing one measley stencil from Joanne's for $5....  I am pleased with how things turned out but I wish I hadn't spent 4 days on doing it (while my toddler was running around), and here I was thinking it would only take me a day... What the heck was I thinking?  The wall I stenciled serves as our entry way so I use the little green table to hold mail and the boys will generally sit in my much loved goodwill chair to put on their shoes, the coat rack usually holds my purse and a ton of jackets although I threw those all on the sofa so the photo would be a bit prettier:)   I hate that our security console thing is on this wall but I wasn't there when it was installed and let me tell you I was furious with my husband when I came home to find that thing planted in teh center of the wall....   I am also hoping to find a larger table/desk that has more storage in the near future because I think that the scale is off by the table being so small, what do you think?  I actually just picked up a free desk that I got from a fellow freecycler which I absolutely love but it needs a lot of tlc so it will be a while before I can use it in the entryway.  I can't wait to finish ripping up the carpet and installing our bamboo floors and re-installing baseboards, everything is going to look so much better when it's all done! 

Here is a close up of the stencil

And here is a larger view of the wall although I'm so ashamed that after almost a year of living in our home and ripping out all of the old baseboards that we still haven't put them in although they are sitting in our basement along with the uninstalled bamboo flooring  (trust me it's on the honey-do list)....

So I have a question that I need your help with, when I do decide to replace the little green table with something larger, what color do you think it should be?  I use a lot of green and blue throughout my home but I'm wondering is something white would look better instead of the green?  Keep in mind that our flooring will eventually be a dark espresso brown....

Stenciling Project Sneak Peek! and a New Mirror

Just thought I would share what I'm working on today real quick, I'm super excited to finish it!!!! and so far so good:)

I have been wanting a venetian style mirror for a while now and I finally found one I could afford last week at HomeGoods (my happy place:).  It was on clearance for $115 and I really didn't want to pay that cuz well I'm super frugal aka super cheap but I knew I wouldn't find another one for that price anytime soon!   I purchased it after walking away from it about 3 times and the hubz hung it for me on our entry wall this past weekend.   Today I got started with my stenciling project for that wall and I like it so far.   I chose a damask stencil that mimics the shape of the mirror, I'll give full details when I finish it and post a photo of the full wall reveal, crossing my fingers I can finish it tomorrow sometime... wish me luck:)

More Dining Room Inspiration

Well guys I think I've made up my mind and the more I stare at my turquoise chair the more I dislike it....I either will be painting them white or not using them at all, stay tuned really soon to see what I figure out:)  Until then I found this photo and love this room, I mean I just love it, with some pops of aqua blue or turquoise I'd say it would be my perfect room!

Splurge & Steal Woven Placemats

2 blog posts in one day! I know crazy lady right:)  I couldn't help myself, I just had to share my newest purchase that makes me so happy and all for just $10!...

So I'd been wanting some woven chargers/placemats for a while and I had seen these from Pottery Barn and really loved them but....

At $18 PER charger there was no way that was going to happen, I mean really Pottery Barn...geez

So a few days ago I was in Wal Mart for spray paint and lo and behold, I just love saying that, don't you?    I stumbled upon these beauties for $2.50 a piece!

I only purchased 4 of them but I'll definately be going back for 4 more to complete my Easter Table, speaking of which here is a sneak peak of my Easter table settings for the tablescape I'm working on which I will post later on this week:)

Turquoise Dining Chairs - Part 1

The other day I showed you the dining chairs I planned to paint turquoise and well I started on them and ended up painting 2 of them in Rustoleums Lagoon which I love the color of but I'm just not sure I love the final project...

I decided to upholster them in the fabric I used for my curtains since it's what I had on hand and I actually love the fabric against the bright turquoise/teal.   The problem is I'm just not sure I can live with 4 of these in my dining room...  My mother came over yesterday and saw the first completed chair and loved it, even told my sister about how pretty it was so of course that made me feel great:)  I'm just not loving it... I may end up going back to my original plan and seeing what that looks like or I may just paint all 4 chairs and then decide.  Am I crazy? Do you flip flop on decor ideas like I do?

Be Still My Heart!!!!

This is what I thought when I laid my eyes on this image today and I just had to share!

Ted Yarwood design for Canadian House & Home

After viewing my dining room photo over and over and then looking at my future plans for the room something just didn't feel/look right.  I just think that the chairs in there now are too square for the curvy lines of the table and china cabinet.   So using the photo above as my motivation I started to think about painting these chairs that I purchased back in November of last year a shade of turquoise or aqua blue

When I purchased the chairs above I really liked them even though I knew they would need a lot of work and I decided I just didn't want to put in the work and so they sat in my basement, and sat and sat... you get the picture

When I saw that amazing photo of the turquoise chairs against the green table I just fell in love!  I really love color but I also love the photo's of white spaces I see all over blogland...  In the end I think my love for color is going to end up winning because today on a whim I  started the process of painting all 4 chairs a bright turquoise!  I can't wait to share the final project with you next week!!!

Cute Little Bird Coasters

I purchased these from Pier 1 a little while ago, I thought they were so cute! plus at $10 for 4 I was sold:)   I had planned to just hang them on the wall but now I want to do something a bit more interesting but have no clue what!!! Help me with ideas please....

My Cottage Dining Room - A Work in Progress

So this is how our dining room currently looks which I feel pretty good about but it is still very much a work in progress. 

Our table was purchased at a consignment store for only $75 and I love it but it is really dinged up and while my husband would rather sand it and stain it I really want to paint it white to match our china cabinet.
 

I love our floors but I was recently informed by my husband that he will be pulling them up and redoing them after reading that they will last longer if they are staggered....

So on my to do list for this room is:

- make or purchase white or off white slipcovers for the dining   chairs
- purchase a new chandelier
- paint the dining room table white to match the china cabinet
- figure out what to hang on the walls

I couldn't find any photo's of what it looked like when we moved in but just picture dirty beige carpet, a ceiling fan from the 1970's and ugly wallpaper that covered even worse panneling!!! I've still got some work to do before it really looks like my inspiration dining room and I seriously hate my tiny dining room window but for now it works for us:) Thanks for reading!

My Dining Room Inspiration

Generally when I see a photo of a room I'm inspired by online I right-click it and save it!  I've saved  so many images I like but these 3 are the top dining room's that inspire me.   I think these are true to where I want my dining room to go, although of course me being me I'll be adding some pops of color to the white.  I really wanted to take some photo's of my dining room and share them with you today but our weather today in Northern VA has been rainy and dark so I think I'll wait until a sunnier day to share my progress...

I love this room by Holly at Life In the Fun Lane!  www.inthefunlane.com

I just love the contrast of the white table against the linen colored slipcovered chairs and the dark flooring.  We just started installing dark stained bamboo flooring in our dining room that looks very similar in color.

Not sure where I found this one, wish I would have saved it with a name or something, but this room is just stunning in my opinion.   Again I love the contrast of white against the dark floors..

I just love this dining  room of blogger Deb of Cappuccino Cottage http://cappuccinocottage.blogspot.com, I'm actually steering toward painting my table white like hers!

So there you have it! My dining room inspiration:) Can't wait to share what I'm doing with mine.  Thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions too!

I Think I'm In Love...

Today the little man and I went to Chuck E. Cheese for our SAHM meetup group which I'm loving since I actually get adult interaction during the day!  While there my mom called and asked if I'd be willing to take her to the hardware store and of course I said yes, I rarely turn my mom down:)  She no longer drives since her cataracts have gotten so bad but she is hoping to have surgery this summer so she can get her license back.  We went to her Lowes and I of course had to take a stroll down the chandelier aisle, by the way I really appreciate all your comments about the one I posted yesterday.  I like it but don't love it and why pay that much for something you don't love, right?  So while in Lowes I saw this amazing chandelier which pretty much stopped me in my tracks (sorry for the crappy photo's).  The price also stopped me in my tracks ($299) but guys I really LOVE this one!!!!! This could be the one, I mean I won't be purchasing it right away because the price is a bit much but maybe eventually....  What do you ladies think?

Decisions, decisions...

I'm not sold yet but I really like this chandelier my husband discovered and snapped a quick photo of at Lowes a while ago!  He knows how much I like sparkle, although I really want something with crystals I really do like it, not love but like, hmmm....

What do you think?  Be honest, I realize this is not everyones style but I am going for a cottage feel in my home... If I had to label my style I  would call it clean and colorful cottage if that makes any sense.  I really like cottage but I don't like too much frill such as doilies everywhere and ruffles on everything and typically cottage style is lots of white which I love to but I also love color!  This week I'm also going to share a photo of my dining room and how the reno in there is coming along:)  As always thanks so much for your comments!

Fresh Magnolia Leaf Wreath and a Revelation About Me

Last weekend my niece and I collected a few branches from my mother's massive magnolia tree, the one I actually climbed as a child:) My niece loves anything crafty and has been my helper and my only craft partner since the rest of my family and friends don't really like crafting like I do, she's wonderful! I had decided to make a simple magnolia wreath for my kitchen with the leaves and I actually collected so many that I called my mom today to ask if she wanted me to make her one as well, her response was "yes I'll take it!". It took me maybe two hours but that was with interruptions by my 2 year old so if I had been making it non-stop it probably would have taken only an hour. So here it is! I just love it:) This one is going to my mom's house today to hang on her front door, I'm curious to see how long it will stay green...

Okay and now for my revelation! This has been something that has taken me quite a while to figure out but today as I was assembling the wreath it just kind of came to me that it makes total sense... I love flowers and I love making floral arrangements and wreaths, in fact I used to have a wreath business but when my father passed away last year I sort of went into a depression and didn't have the motivation to make it grow. What I have discovered about myself lately is that I love design but I adore flowers and anything to do with them, I would do it for free, and gladly play with flowers all day as a career.. So I guess my next step is getting some formal training in the art of floral design. There are some local classes I can take but also some online classes that I've seen that I'm thinking of taking. Anyway I just wanted to share with you my revelation that sometimes it takes a while to come to the conclusion of what you really want to be when you grow up.. I mean I'm 35 people! I grew up knowing a lot about flowers because my mother is a big gardener but I didn't love flowers until I was much older. Anyway I just had to share and let you know that I may start another blog devoted entirely to floral arranging since this little blog is supposed to be about decor and I'm not sure if you guys really want to read about my little arrangements and wreaths but please let me know if that is of interest to you! As always thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment, I truly appreciate it.

New Ottoman & Butterfly Pillows

I recently came across the perfect ottoman for my living room while in Homegoods.  Of course I was shopping for something else like a broom or something not very expensive but I actually have been wanting an ottoman to use next to our sofa that had a cottage feel to it and when I saw it it was instant love!  It was a bit pricey for me since I'm a cheapoholic ($99) but I walked away from it because it wasn't really in my budget.  I went home a little sad and told my husband about it, he basically said get it but just tighten up the budget next month, woo hoo!!! I was thrilled and went back the next day with high hopes that it would be there.  It was not where I saw it the day before and my heart sunk.... I walked around the store in despair and feeling really sad that I hadn't trusted my instincts the day before.  Something told me to walk down a side aisle that I don't normally go down and there it was pushed off to the side:) I was super happy and anxiously put it in my cart and paid for it!  I really love that it looks like an old post card and I really love the curvy legs on it...ah I just love it, oh and did I mention it's super cushy and comfy too?  Here it is in my living room ,

please excuse my ugly shabby slipcover, I plan on making a new one this month using the Lazy Girls's Guide to Slipcovers which I just purchased here  http://www.pinkandpolkadot.net/2010/04/lazy-girls-guide-to-custom-slipcovers.html and make a new fabulous one all by myself! (wish me luck).

I also wanted to share with you my new pillows, aren't they adorable?!!! I saw these on a recent Pier 1 advertisement that came in the mail and fell in love so when I was in the store a few weeks ago shopping for my giveaway I caved in and purchased them...

Stay tuned this week for a new wreath and some wall hangings I'm making using coasters!

Giveaway Winner and a Goodwill Bunny!

I wanted to announce the winner of the giveaway and also apologize for not writing any blog entries lately, I've been really busy this past week doing all sorts of crafty things which I will share very soon:)  I'm not a very technical person so instead of using random.org which I couldn't figure out to pick a winner I just basically wrote all the entries on strips of paper and put them into a big bowl, I then closed my eyes and chose one, the winner is .... drumroll please:)  Horseygal!!!  Horseygal if you are reading this post please email me at kelly_crews@yahoo.com with your address so that I can send your goodies to you:) 

The other day I was thinking about pulling my Easter decor out and while in my local Goodwill store I came across this adorable little bunny planter for $1.97 which was the perfect size for a plant I just purchased at Lowes last week!  How cute is this little guy?

I'm definately ready to start thinking about Easter now, it'll be here before we know it!!! Have you done any Easter decorating?

It's Giveaway Time!!!!

I have been such a slacker lately with keeping up on my posts, seriously I think this blogger thing must come a lot easier to some... I'm just not the best writer, funny thing is I'm a goofball in  real life and always cracking jokes with friends and family but when I try to do it in my writing it just comes across weird:( I don't know.. Anywho I've been wanting to do a giveaway since I had 50 followers so it is overdue! I wasn't sure what to do for a giveaway that everyone might like so I just decided to go to one of my favorite stores and pick some things I really liked:) 

I really love Pier 1 and try to visit the store at least once a month to see what new goodies they have in store..these were a couple I really liked

- A glass doorknob wall hook (this would be great for hanging keys at your entryway or jewelry in your bedroom) 

- 4 yellow flower napkin rings ( I think they are either magnolia or dogwood blossoms,either way I love them and actually have the wall hook in my closet to hang scarves on)

- a crisp bamboo sachet ( I was surprised I liked this fragrance since it's pretty strong and I usually like lighter scents but it smells really good!

How to enter: 
- become a follower of the blog if you aren't already
- tell me where you would hang your wall hook and what will you use it for

Giveway will be open until next Thursday, March 24 at 12:00 AM Easter Time, I will announce the winner next Friday the 25th!!!!

You Can Get My Curtain Fabric in the US!

Had I known then what I know now! I just found out that the manufacturer of the fabric I used for the curtains in my living room

 is made by Premiere Prints which is an American company.  The fabric is called Mingei and comes in a bunch of different colorways too...

I love this dark red color! so sophisticated..

 

I think this would be so perfect for a little girls room!

I think this would be perfect for a shabby chic or cottage style bedroom with it's soft blue and white shades..

 
This chartreuse color is super bright but would be lovely against white!

You can buy the fabric on their website here http://www.premierprintsfabric.com/index.shtml.  Sure wish I had know that before I had ordered from Tonic Living, a great company to be sure but ordering from Canada and waiting almost 2 weeks to receive does not make this girl happy!  Well I now know and a good thing too since they have some other fabrics I am seriously thinking of ordering.  Hope this was helpful! Oh and ps..I am not being paid by this company (I wish!)  I just thought this could help someone that might be interested in the fabric:)

New Houseplants and Some Milk Glass

I have to confess, I don't have that much of a green thumb for the indoors... I do a lot better with planting things outside and I'm getting really excited about the upcoming planting season but until I can actually plant outside I decided to brighten things up a bit inside.  I bought this little jade plant  a little over 2 weeks ago at the grocery store and she is doing really well in the bright spot I placed her in, I have read many times that Jade plants are hard to kill so she is right up my alley!

On a side note I bought the little pot at Homegoods! I just love that place!

I bought this moss plant over the past weekend while I was in a local garden center looking at flower seeds and bulbs with my Mom

I just loved how drapey she was:) so feathery and feminine looking.  I did a little research after getting her home and they prefer shade over sun so I haven't found the perfect spot for her yet, maybe in my bedroom since I don't get as much sun in there as I do in the living room/dining room areas...

About a month ago I purchased this little milk glass urn from  a consignment/antique shop close to my house and I didn't really have a purpose for it I just really liked it and knew I'd find a use for it eventually...

So I decided to plop my little mossy plant in it and I really like the striking contrast of the bright white milk glass and the deep green moss! 

So what are you doing these days to welcome spring into your home? Are you planning your spring planting like me and waiting on pins and needles?

My Completed Curtains!!!

I'm so excited to share with you my first completed set of curtains that I sewed all by myself! My grandmother would've been super proud:) She was an amazing seamstress that made most of my mother and aunts dresses while growing up and tons of dresses for me and my sisters while we were little girls.   I confess I have totally been bit by the sewing bug!  I am so ready to take on lots more projects which I will definately be sharing with you.  So without further ado, here are the finished curtains!

And yes I know my sheers don't coordinate so well with the new curtains so I will be replacing those soon with a plain sheer in an off-white probably.

Here they are totally closed which I don't really like the look of but just thought I'd show you.  I didn't get the pattern to line up exactly but hey for my first project I'm happy with it. 

I also completed a couple of throw pillows with an envelope back using a great tutorial I found on Youtube! Check out the tutorial from Vanessa at Crafty Gemini here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhZnHhbcN-Q . She also has tons of other sewing tutorials her at http://www.craftygemini.com/

 Please ignore my naked Ikea chair, I need to steam my slipcovers but didn't have time before taking the photo's.  Here's a closeup of my pillow cover with the sweet william fabric

And that's it! Thanks so much for reading!

Happy as a Kid on Christmas Day!!!!

I totally felt a rush of  glee this afternoon when I opened my front door and there was my package from Tonic Living!!!! Woo freakin Hooo! If you have followed my blog at all you will know that I change my window covering pretty frequently... I never seem to find the right curtains or fabric for curtains, well that is until recently when I was randomly googling another fabric I was considering for living room curtains but it just wasn't speaking to me... Instead I ran into this gorgeous fabric called Sweet William from the Canadian company Tonic Living 

The bloggers RamblingRenovators used it for bedroom drapes and it turned out so beautiful

You can read all about their experience and see more beautiful photo's

 here  http://ramblingrenovators.blogspot.com/2010/06/tonic-living-custom-drapery.html . Funny thing is I still wasn't sure although I couldn't stop thinking about the fabric, that is until one day I was in Homegoods searching for something for my mother's home and I spotted the same fabric used on a lampshade!  I purchased the lamp and decided to order the fabric the next day!  Here is a not so great photo of my new lampshade although I decided to use it with a lamp I already had and use the lamp it came with in my bedroom (I'll save that for another post).  Oh and yes I know the lamp shade looks crooked although it doesn't look that way in real life...

So here is quick photo I snapped of my 12 yards of fabric I got in the mail today!!!!

I can't wait to get started on my new curtains!