Easy, Crafty, and Creative Details

I will go ahead and apologize for the quality of the photos below. I was at my aunt's house flipping through a design book and loved these design details! SO, I whipped out my phone and snapped a couple shots of some ideas I just had to share you all!

This first project caught my eye due to the fact I am a candle fanatic! As soon as I get home I light a candle. I love the smell and the ambiance it creates in a home- instant coziness after a long day! I seriously go through about two (very large) candles a month. They are a great final detail to a space and you can add them anywhere you need a little extra light. They are also great for the purpose of highlighting a certain area. 

With the project you can use some of your favorite teacups or small bowls you have sitting in your cabinets- you can even pick up some cute ones at your local thrift store for next to nothing. Buy a candle kit at JoAnns, Michaels, any craft store and melt the wax into the dish- whalaaaaa! You now have an adorable and functional detail to complete your space!

I love this next project for so many reasons. I love custom art pieces, whether I make them myself or find a vintage piece somewhere- I just love the idea of having something different. I also adore this project because I am always a fan for bringing the outside into our homes.

So simple. Just find an interesting leaf, fern, flower, whatever you like! Place the selected plant under a piece of tracing paper or parchment paper. Let it flatted out by placing a heavy book on top for a while. Once it is flat, take a crayon or colored pencil and color onto the tracing paper with the plant underneath (going back to Preschool days , just with a little more precision;-)) Find a pretty frame and you are set! Custom artwork for your home! Couldn't be more simple!

**Additional idea...it would also be really cool to also frame the flattened plant in with traced plant to create a cool layered effect! Just a thought!

From Old to New

It is all over Pinterest right now: Take something old and paint it to fit in your space. It's a great way to repurpose something you may have just thrown out otherwise. The great think with painting is you can't mess up! Get creative and if you don't like it- paint over it! 

This is a piece my boyfriend and I did last summer. We found a piece that we liked on craigslist- we picked this piece because of the really cool twisted design on the legs. The drawers were pretty scratched up with stickers (and everything else you could imagine) all over them. We picked out a stencil we liked and a neutral blue/gray paint color that went well with the cherry colored wood. We sanded down the drawers and painted them the blue color then added new hardware.

I then stenciled the top with the design we picked out. It almost looked like a giant sticker when I was done (which I was not a fan of). So I sanded the top down lightly to distress the stencil and then went over it with a thin coat of stain. It helped the piece to look as if it had been stenciled from day one! 

This piece now serves as a console under the TV. 

I picked this lamp up at goodwill for $3. It was an awful mauve/pink color with brass details- but it was the perfect shape! I sprayed it with a glossy white spray paint and picked up a white shade from Lowes. For some height I stacked it on some old books and small cigar box. Perfect bedside decor.

Have fun with your pieces- make them your own and don't be afraid to try out some crazy ideas! Think outside the box and I promise you will surprise yourself with how great things can turn out! Focus on size and shape- everything else is a paint stroke away!

Loving This!

I am absolutely loving this chair! Animal print really brings life to a room! (Without actually bringing "life" into the room i.e. animal heads :-?) And when you are thinking animal print, think outside the box. Don't limit yourself to zebra stripes and cheetah spots: animal print can be anything from cow hide to peacock! Be creative!

What's so great about this piece is with a few simple accessories you can take this chair from fall to spring!
-For the cooler months: Toss a super soft chenille throw across the back that coordinates with your rooms color scheme.
-For the warmer days: Replace the the throw with a colorful, square, feather pillow (Great fabric choices would be linen, burlap, silk, and most cottons)