Stylish Blogger Award

I was really excited to have been recognized by CNM over at Lessons of a Newlywed. She passed on the Stylish Blogger Award to me which I thought was really sweet! What a pleasant surprise. So the rules are as follows:

1. Link back to the person who passed on the award and accept.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award on to 15 recently discovered bloggers and let them know about the award.

So here goes...

1. I am crazy about peanut butter and chocolate.

2. I love to dance.

3. I really really love coffee. 

4. I like to do the variety puzzles magazine at night before going to bed. 

 5. I don't like to sunbathe. When I'm on the beach, I'm either in the water or under an umbrella.

6. I'm a procrastinator, but I work best under pressure. 

7. I am the oldest of five siblings.

And finally, I am going to share some of the recent blogs that I've discovered and are passing the award to:

1. Lessons of a Newlywed

2. Emily A. Clark

3. reFind

4. Sew Many Ways

5. What it's All About

6. Focal Point

7. Name 5 Things

8. Under the Table Dreaming

9. Just a Girl

10. Between Naps on the Porch

11. 33 Shades of Green

12. Cozy Little House

13. Southwest Cottage Designs

14. Coastal Charm

15. The Sweet Survival

Have a great week all!

Gina

Craft Room/Office Reveal

I am really excited to finally be done with my craft room/office. I have been working on getting this room together for a while. When we moved into our home five years ago, this room started out as an office, then we decided to move the desk to the finished basement for the kids and make this room a guest room. The room is small, so a daybed was the only option which was fine. The room remained a guest space until my daughter outgrew her crib last year and we decided to give her the daybed rather than buy another bed for her.
So, once again, the room became fair game for something else. So, after many months of essentially being a hallway between the second floor, and our finished third floor attic, I decided to claim the room as my own!
The best part of the room, other than the energizing color of red that it is, is that it's in the front of the house which faces the south, and it gets a ton of sunlight all day long.
 So, the journey evolved, and little by little I've been adding little touches to complete the space. In a previous post, I showed you how I used this fabric to recover the lampshade on the desk, and also how I used mod podge to cover a bud vase as an accent piece for the space. I once again used this method to recover a melamine tray that I had left over from summer.

Tray Before

Tray After

 I used more of the fabric to make two skinny little runners. I placed one on the desk, and one of my new IKEA Expedit storage shelf. I was debating on what type of storage piece to put in here because there isn't much room except for under the large window. So, after searching for a while for something pretty and practical, I opted for this 8 cube piece from IKEA which was affordable and has enough space for my magazines and books and for any display pieces.

 As you can see the window in this room is very tall. Many people don't know this, but when you have a large palladium (arch) window like this one, you should never hang a curtain rod in the middle of the window. At least this is what I have learned from all the research I've done about windows and designing around them. The curtain needs to extend way above to the top of the arch. This way the window is not "cut in half." It just doesn't look right the other way anyway in my opinion. Anyways....I needed to have a 122 inch long panel, which is really long and expensive to have to order. So, I decided to just jump in with both feet and make my own panels. It wasn't really difficult at all...just ironing the hems all the way around, and sewing a straight line...really easy beginner project. Sorry, no step by step tutorial. I promise that I will get better at doing that sort of stuff. For now, I'm just glad to be sharing all these finished projects!

 Ok...the finally DIY project accomplished in this room is the starburst mirror on the wall. I have seen a ton of these all over blogland, and I really love this look. So, I followed the tutorial that Stephanie Lynn gives on
Under the Table Dreaming, here. I don't know if it was the lighting or what, but the mirror reflection in this picture looks really orange, which make it look even more like an actual sun. Cool huh?

 So, that's my craft room/office....my mom cave...whatever room! I love it and couldn't be happier to have a space to myself to blog, to create, to read, to ENJOY! Have a great weekend!

Gina

Cappuccino Time

So, I've set my table for an afternoon cappuccino with some friends. As I was setting my table though, I felt as though something was missing. Ever feel that way when you're decorating? I seldom get it on the first try. I always try things various different ways before I am satisfied with how something looks.
I didn't go overboard with too many things on the table. A medium size blue plate underneath a small crystal dish. A simply folded napkin under the plate, small fork and spoon, cup and saucer, and a small water glass. It looks a little bare though doesn't it?
Then I remembered that I had some green bamboo placemats and then the setting felt complete!

Better right? I do a lot of "editing" when I'm designing any room or planning any table setting. I always start with a lot and edit out what is considered "too much." But sometimes it's the opposite when there just isn't enough and then I'm searching around the house trying to find that perfect complement to whatever it is that I'm trying to accomplish.
It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the placemats are a pretty green, and they really allow the blue to pop...it feels springy. I love it!
The rest of the photos show how the tablescape evolved with candles, and a nice pedestal plate with grapes on it as the centerpiece. I've said this before, and I'll stand by it...there is nothing more simple and easy than using natural elements already on hand to create a great centerpiece. I always use fresh fruit, or when in season, flowers from the garden to decorate with. My third alternative is candles. I always have tea lights on hand.

So that's my simple "cappuccino time" table setting. I am going to be linking up to Between Naps on the Porch.

Until Next time!

Gina

Master Bedroom Reveal

A few weeks ago I talked about how I wanted to give my master bedroom a face lift with a new color scheme. So, it's finally done. There still are a few pieces that are on my wish list.....a chair perhaps, and some over sized black and white photos of the kids as artwork. I have been fighting with my husband about a cute chandelier about the foot of the bed where there is currently a wall mount. He wants a...I can't even say it....a.....fan! I know..a crime in my opinion for a master bedroom, but I think that I'll eventually win the battle when I just buy it and install it without him knowing. He may not even notice it!

The walls are painted with Benjamin Moore paint. The colors is called Bunny Gray. The duvet set was a Home Goods find..it's white with the black stripe detail all around. The bedside lamps are also from Home Goods...the shades also have a black strip detail. The black and white pillows are also a Home Goods find. The two center pillows were made by me. I wanted to add some more color...accenting gray, white and yellow.

 I love bringing in some flowers in the bedroom to add some romance. I also wanted to pickup the yellow stripe in the pillow.

 A simple glass dish on my mirrored night stand is a great place to place jewelry or my watch at the end of the night before crawling into bed.

 Loving the yellow! It feels like Spring already in here!

 Some white accents also keep the room light and airy. Since all my furniture is espresso or black, I wanted the light accessories to balance the room.

I love mirrored pieces. I love that they sparkle and that the light reflects off of them throughout the day and even at night if we light a few candles. This jewelry box is one of my favorites. A large piece of coral found on the beach while vacationing in Greece is a treasured memento that I hold dear to me.

I have the majority of this room complete, except those wish list additions I mentioned. I'll post any new finds as I add them in the room.

Have a great day!

Gina

Craving for SPRING!!

BHG

 I know that I'm not alone when I begin to start to crave Spring this time of year. The holidays are over, the snow storms are starting to fizzle out (hopefully), and the melting snow may start revealing some signs of life beneath it. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I see garden magazines popping up in abundance and other publications featuring spring inspired rooms on their covers.
When I think of Spring I think of : FRESH, CLEAN, and VIBRANT.  I hope these rooms inspire you and encourage you to start to infuse some Spring in your home. I know that I'm already starting to look for ways to get my home Spring ready with fresh paint, neutral backdrops, and vibrant accent pieces. Even a simple vase of pink tulips on the kitchen counter or on the nightstand is a simple way to Spring it On!

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

BHG

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

Have a great day!

Gina

What goes down, must come up

Ever have a day when you feel like this? Yeah...this is me today! Just thought I'd share because I know that a lot of you out there can relate. We all have days when we feel overwhelmed and sometimes we just need to let it out and share how we feel so we can feel better. For me, it's about work, responsibilities at home, people in my life, the weather....I'm all over the map. There always seems to be a fine line between what I need to do and what I want to do....and lately I feel as though there are so many things that I want to do and accomplish, but I keep getting bombarded with all these other expectations of me. Do you feel me?

My purpose isn't to be a pessimist and bring anyone down with any negativity, but I feel as though talking through feelings or better yet, writing them down really helps me to get through things that I'm going through. I'm actually feeling a lot better as I write this post. I'm reminded of the fact that life is too short to be angry or stressed out all the time. Sometimes things have to take their course to get better, and we should try to find the positives in all situations whenever possible. I really do feel better!
Another thing that always makes me feel better besides writing down my feelings, is creating something that makes me feel good about myself. I have soooo many projects that are on the back burner! I need to get up out of this chair...get myself another cup of coffee, and accomplish something productive to get myself back to where I WANT to be!

The best part about feeling down is that after all those feelings are done, the only place to go from there is up!

I know that I am already on my way to feeling better and having a productive day!

Gina

Hearts in Nature

Valentine's Day seems fitting to show off some images that I've found that display love in it's most natural state. Of course some of us make valentines, and eat chocolates, and decorate our homes to celebrate this day of love, but in reality, love is all around us each and everyday...we just have to open our eyes and look around us! Wishing everyone out there a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones that mean the most to you!
Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, 

Gina