Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts

Monday, October 24, 2011

it's fall!

It's fall, ladies and gents!  And I'm loving every minute of it.  Fall is by far my favorite time of year, and to celebrate the season, I've been on a decorating rampage this past week.  Today (thanks to some Young House Love pumpkin inspiration) I stenciled and painted a few pumpkins.



I'm feeling surprisingly spook-tacular this year.  Most years I just want to set out pumpkins and roll around in the hay dreaming of the good ole days out in the country.  But this time around, I really feeling whipping out the Jason mask and scaring the mess out of the neighborhood kids.  And, no, I'm not holding a grudge over the pumpkins they stole/smashed.  I just REALLY feel like being scary this year (a difficult feat for one whose talents include smiling for no apparent reason).

Besides pumpkin painting, the fam got together for a few holiday crafts (which will be shared in a separate post), and I also had fun decorating my freshly hung Ikea Lack shelves over our kitchen table.



Here's a shot of the end result.  Yay, Halloween! :)

Everything was already owned except three new editions and the leaves from a floral arrangement in the living room.  The birdcage and clock are newly thrifted items.  I found the clock at Goodwill for just under five bucks.  And, bonus, it works!  The birdcage is from a yard sale in my neighborhood.  The lady I bought it from was moving and had it marked for just a dollar!  I've always wanted to decorate with a birdcage, so I have lots of plans for it after Halloween.



The last thing is Mr. Spider hanging out by our white cross.  This was one of the easiest projects.

A friend of mine gave me this picture frame as a gift.  All it is is two pieces of acrylic with magnets.  You just pull it apart, slip your artwork in, and slap the other piece on top.  The only thing was the picture was a bit summery, so I've decided to rotate the artwork according to the season.

I started out by simply drawing the outline of the frame on a plain piece of computer paper.



Next I drew a simple spider in the center of the paper, colored it with a black marker, and (wait for it...) cut it out.



Voila!  Simple, very scary, experimental-ish Halloween art.  Cost: zero dollars!



So far, I'm loving our Halloween decor.  It almost makes me want to throw a Halloween bash.  Almost.  Stay tuned for crafts and costumes!





Tuesday, September 6, 2011

bedroom, closing in on completion




Here's a post I did back in July on the progress in our bedroom.
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It’s been a while since I’ve done much around my house worth posting about. Last update, I showed a picture of my new dresser and mirror above it. Well, I’ve been shopping again! I went to Ikea to get Myra a dresser and came across some artwork. By the way, I’ve never really paid too much attention to the art section there, so I didn’t realize that a lot of their prints come in sets. For example, I found a set of 5 small art cards (5″ x 7″) for just $5.00 for the set. Back to last week though…I came across this set of three canvases with wither cherry blossoms or dogwood in a sepia print for only $49.99. It works perfectly above my dresser.
Ikea art cherry blossoms in sepia
Too bad I had crazy sunlight coming in, but you get the idea. Also I would have taken before pictures, but it would basically look like a blank blue wall since we only just bought the dresser on Mother’s Day. Maybe one day I’ll go crazy and pull up the house photos from before we even moved in! Imagine a white abyss..
dresser with art and accessories
Here’s another shot for you. As for the accessories, they’re brand new, too! The art set this decorating thing back in motion. Sometimes I even think it’s like I sense where to shop. Someone at my job told me the other day that I’m clairvoyant. That’s right, I have a decorating sixth sense…
Anyway, my decorating sixth sense told me to go to Marshall’s and I found that great orchid plant for $16.99.
orchid plant
And a couple nights ago my daughter and I headed over to our neighborhood Good Will and I found that gorgeous lotus candle holder for only $7.99 (which I recognized from Target and retails for $14.99…click here). I’d actually already wanted to get this, but thought I’d wait until it went on sale since it one of their newer collections. I can’t imagine why anyone would buy it and give it away so soon… Not bad for saving seven bucks!
Note: I hate that I can see dust in these pictures. Stupid sunlight gave me away. Now I have to dust…
lotus flower candle holder in purple
I also found some cute lotus shaped bowls at Good Will. The set of five was $4.99, so after debating for a minute (I’d already gotten new bowls a few posts ago) I decided to splurge.
pier 1 lotus dishes in white
It wasn’t until I got home, and was desperately trying to remove the gummy tape residue, that I noticed the bottom said Pier 1. So of course I was curious and looked them up. Brand new, these bowls were $5 a piece! So I saved roughly $20. I say “roughly” because it turned out one of the bowls was slightly different (and unlabeled).
pier 1 bowls
The one on the left is slightly more scalloped than the Pier 1 one on the right. It’s also a little shorter and thinner material. I really didn’t want it to not match the others and since I still had four of the Pier 1 bowls, I decided to put the spare to use in my bedroom.
bowl change jewelry
Now I have a great place for all of my small, random junk. Oh, and see that lamp? I found that on a Good Will trip a few weeks back with my friend Sarah. It was only $4.99 but didn’t come with a lamp shade. I’m planning on buying something white and modern that I can add fabric too or something. We’ll see.
thrifting good will lamp
So there you go… That’s our bedroom so far. We still have quite a list:
Master Bedroom:
-Second dresser-Paint mirror over dresser-Springy bedding with toss pillows-Possibly new drapes (scratched this idea)-Oversized Accessories-Artwork over dresser-Framed pictures throughout room
-Side table for Jason’s side
-Laminate Flooring
-Lampshade for new lamp—diy by painting damask on shade
-Wall sconces or something on either side of the curtains
-Something over the bed
-Lamp for Jason’s side

Friday, October 1, 2010

for the home


There isn't much better than vintage and handmade decor. It's especially great when it's something repurposed into something new like the antique typeset drawer turned jewelry holder. homedecor

1. vintage metal basket by bellalulu $31.00
2. teak letter m by EdiesLab $20.00
3. jack cushion cover by helkatdesign $54.00
4. antique printer typeset drawer by bluebirdheaven $98.00


This is a free ebook sample of Jamyria: The Entering that includes the first seven chapters of the book.
Marked with power upon entering the alternate world of Jamyria, Margo Grisby must find escape while outrunning the world’s creator and her guardsmen.


Visit my new blog www.madelinemeekins.com/blog.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

shabby to chic

From chandeliers to beadboard and weathered wood to wicker, shabby chic design is truly the old brought back in a sophisticated and much prettier manner. By restoring great pieces and combining them in a space, you can create a marvelous room for a fraction of the cost of buying everything new. So go out and shop around your neighborhood flea market, yard sale, or thrift store, and you may luck out by walking away with a new project or two for your shabby chic design.


1. Interior Design on a Dime
2. Harmony and Home
3. Working Woman's Guide to Domestic Success


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This is a free ebook sample of Jamyria: The Entering that includes the first seven chapters of the book.
Marked with power upon entering the alternate world of Jamyria, Margo Grisby must find escape while outrunning the world’s creator and her guardsmen.




Visit my new blog www.madelinemeekins.com/blog.



Monday, May 17, 2010

patterned Up

iThe damask is a bold, reversible pattern created by weaving. Originating in the Middle Ages, it got its name from the city of Damascus, Syria. Damasks from this time usually had several colors, including the use of metallic threads, and had a display of animals, people, plants, and other pictures. For samples of early damasks, click here. Today, more modern damasks feature solid, bold colors with geometric shapes. Below are some great pieces by fellow Etsiers.


Uptown Damask Lamp and Shade by SparrowsNest1 $80.00

All the items can be found on Etsy. More history on damasks can be found here.