New Finds

It's amazing how quickly we can discover new businesses, designs, styles, and people just by simply clicking on that flashing advertisement link that catches your eye when logged into social networks. I'd like to share with you what I came across just by clicking on one link. This caught my attention while "Facebooking" one day and it lead me to a few great finds!

jossandmain.com

Beautiful accessories were displayed on the link. You do have to provide your email address which is something that steers me away since I hate getting an abundance of junk mail, but the accessories featured on that one advertisement just had me! I'm glad I signed up because Joss & Main is an interior decorator's heaven!

Check out these great accent pieces from their Safari Chic Event. 

Hotel Maison Lafayette Dining Chair

Magnussen Furniture Urban Safari Nightstand

Global Bazaar Pillow in Orange and African Mod Tunisia Pillow
These are actually from their Villa Home Event but fits well with the African Chic accessories.

Sphinx Zanzibar Safari 

Zebra Pillow

angelo:HOME Crawford Sofa

Retro Leaves Wallpaper

Wayborn Geometric Pedestal Table

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Global Views Zig Zag Table

4 Piece Lasaro Mirror Set

photos via 

jossandmain.com/Style-Study

Anything from the Safari Chic collection will add a eye catching and complimentary piece to your home. Plus they are simply gorgeous. I  could surf through their site and add my favorite pieces from each event but I would be here night and day!

Onto my next find, Joss & Main feature Curator's; top interior designers, stylists, chefs, celebrities, bloggers, and visionaries on their site to showcase their collections. This is how I discovered my next find; Sam Allen Interiors. One of the youngest interior decorators, decor style is one that I favor, simple, polished, and clean.

photos via 

samalleninteriors.com and jossandmain.com/Sam-Allen-Interiors

I love his refreshing style! For being 19 years old, he has a very mature yet refreshing style.

Onto the next. While reading Sam Allen's About Me, I learned that at just the age of 12 he met his mentor Sarah Kaplan, owner and founder of Dovecote, a home decor boutique selling 19th and beyond  century furniture and furnishings. So I delved into her site and discovered her fabulously chic and stylish decor.

photos via 

dovecote-westport.com/portfolio and dovecote-westport.com/windowshop

If you're an interior decor enthusiast like me, you know what a score it is to stumble upon so many fresh new looks in one day. More visually beautiful finds to come. ~MG

DIY Wall Molding

ACHADOS DE DECORAÇÃO: ANTES E DEPOIS NO QUARTO com FAÇA VOCÊ MESA:

DIY time: I've been meaning to blog about this DIY wainscoting. A DIY duo tackle wall moldings on their own showing a step by step guideline on how they successfully completed this lovely architectural detail. I absolutely love this custom looking wall molding and I think anyone looking to give their flat lifeless walls some attention, this is a great solution! Thanks achadosdedecoracao.blogspot for sharing this fabulous DIY project. For step by step details on this project check out remodelaholic.com

Design Where It's Least Expected~Airline Trolleys

Another great discovery and find. Who knew that airline trolleys could be useful in spaces other than the narrow aisles of an airplane. SkyPak.com knew exactly what they were doing when designing these stylish trolleys. The Germany based company offers fun and one of a kind storage units revitalizing its industrial appearance to artistic creations. Fit for any space (really any), you can choose from a selection of playful designed trolleys, or customize it with your company logo. 

Take your pick..Choose from any of these stylish designs to add that interesting accent piece to your home.

Check out this trolley. Used as a mobile cappuccino station i'm sure you and your guests will appreciate. 

Customize a SkyPak trolley to showcase your company logo and take to your next marketing event. The unique mobile storage will surely grab the attention of the crowd.

 This is one my favorites. Use it as a mobile bar in your house. Move it wherever the party goes keeping you and your guests entertained!

 Excellent space saver great for students or for anyone living in a confined space.

 All photos via https://www.skypak.de/en/

These stylish trolleys are a great addition to any space. Move it around anywhere in the house or keep it stationary. Either way, it's a unique and unexpected find that will spark an interest in your home for you and guests to enjoy. For more on SkyPak trolleys, visit the above link. Hope I helped you find that missing decor link in your home. ~MG

Carpet Tile

Dreary, drab, gray, cheap, and unattractive is what used to come to my mind when someone mentioned carpet tile. But those drab days are over. There are several carpet tile companies that offer colorful, stylish, and easy to maintain products but Flor.com mastered carpet tile designs like no other. If you think about it, floor tile should be the first choice when choosing carpet. Why? because it's easy to clean, easy to install and replace, and you can customize the style to fit your personality. Above all, the easy to to install carpet is most beneficial for those with children and pets.

While searching for affordable floor tile during the den family room makeover, I came across Flor.com through HGTV.com. Flor has the most amazing selection of floor tile fit for any space and style. 

All photos via Flor.com

There is such a wide selection that it seems endless. I love the use of mix-matched patterns and textures. Simple change is my specialty and carpet tile is your solution to a quick and easy one. Select the pattern and color that best suits you, or  if you're looking to step out of your comfort zone mix and max bold patterns, texture and color. Choose a paint color that compliments your carpet tile selection and VOILA! You have yourself a whole new stylish room ~MG

Homemade Headboard

It's DIY time! Headboards can be an easy change for your room and if you don't have one.. make one! I've watched countless tutorials on how to make a headboard; from Get it Sold to Design On A Dime, the hosts of these shows both proved how EASY it is to make a headboard.

So I finally put my DIY headboard to a test when it came time to redo my daughters room. As you know I was on a serious budget and the DIY tutorials that I watched were just as affordable BUT did I mention I was on a BUDGET...LOL..Yes I had to be resourceful and creative..so while I was having the fabric for my headboard cut, I noticed the cardboard used to roll the fabric was piled high behind the counter. Now the DIY tutorials showed the use of plywood as the base which can run anywhere from $20 and up and of course, the larger size of the headboard, the more $$. I figured if I find a thick piece of cardboard it would hold just as well as the plywood. So I asked the fabric cutter if I could take a few..She said I could take as many as I wanted! FREE = HAPPY ME! So I walked out of there with my 2 1/2 yards of fabric, the 70% off Christmas batting originally priced at $6.99 and my free cardboard. In total I only spent $16! 

So here its..Easy peasy! 

Measure out the size of your headboard. My rule is to measure your bed and have the headboard the same length but that is entirely up to you. Over sized headboards make a great statement in the room. I made my daughter a side board and made it shorter than the length of her bed to add the decals on each side of it; this was part of the design.

Lay out your fabric face down on a flat surface. Place batting over fabric. (fabric and batting should be larger than the size of plywood or cardboard on all sides; at least 6").

Place plywood or cardboard on top of fabric and batting. Here I have excess batting, so I carefully pulled it off leaving about 3" on all sides.

Time to take out that glue gun. If using plywood, use a staple gun.
For more stability, I glued cardboard pieces going the opposite direction.

Pull the fabric over tightly and glue along the edges of the board. Trim off excess fabric.

Since I used cardboard it was easier to hang. I used Velcro strips to stick to the wall. Use mirror hangars if you used plywood.

I was pleased with the outcome and am happy to report that it really is an easy project. Give it a try..

Here are more DIY headboard ideas...

hgtv.com

Remember I said that a over sized headboard makes a statement..well this is a great example..Looks like 2 sizes of plywood layered on top of each other with bronze studs bordering the smaller piece for definition. The bold fabric says it all. Love it!

budgetwisehome.com

apartmenttherapy.com

diynetwork.com

apartmenttherapy.com

Dividers also make a great headboard and its that much more easy to make. If you have one lying around give it a simple makeover with a bold colored spray paint. 

 houzz.com

renaekeller.com


Test out your DIY self skills. Make that simple change for the new year. Trust me, you'll love the new and refreshing focal point in your room! ~MG

MY DAUGHTER'S ROOM MAKEOVER

Happy New Year! Wow it has been a crazy holiday season. As much as I've done no fuss holiday decorating and avoided cooking main meals I still managed to have quite an exhausting holiday! I guess there really is no such thing as a "chill" holiday.  But i am so glad all the hustle and bustle was over because I was able to really get a move on re-doing my daughter's outdated and outgrown room. She turned 4 in early December and each year since she was 2 I've updated her room based on her age and newly developed personality. Unfortunately I failed to take BEFORE photo's of her room but it was nothing more than your typical little girly girl room filled with Disney princess characters of pink and purple shades of all shapes and sizes. Needless to say it was time for the bright princess infested room to GO. I knew that the next change had to be different but still matched her quirky, yet fun and silly personality. I had to transform her small 11x 14 ft room into something that would allow her to grow and have plenty of room to play in.

Now just to give you an idea of my silly little goose..here she is wearing some of her Aunt and Grandma's clothes...put together by herself of course.

My husband and I find that if we give a little warning for something she is about to experience, she won't fuss or make a big deal over it. For weeks I warned her that she had to say bye bye to her princess theme and she was okay with it. Lately she's been into monkey's so going into the design I asked if she wanted a monkey themed room. She was thrilled and even said she wanted monkey decals. I took that into consideration but it was surprisingly difficult to find the monkey decals we were looking for which were a set of monkeys making silly faces. I had a $400 budget which a majority went towards the bed. I found monkey decals on ETSY but they were way out of my budget. So I got creative and found my silly monkeys and turned them into portraits. I initially wanted some ornate frames spray painted in neon colors but it was way out of my price range so I decided to make them with felt. 

I made the side board myself using the same technique you would as a headboard. All I paid for was the fabric and the batting which is the Christmas snow batting used to display those Christmas villages. It came in a roll and it was 70% off. The fabric was also 30% off! While getting my fabric cut, I noticed a pile of leftover cardboard in which the fabric is rolled in. I asked if I could have a few and the lady said I can take as many as I wanted. This was the base of the board. 

I didn't want a full on monkey room theme because I love monkeys too much to end up hating them. I wanted to mix it up and make a statement that children's bedroom don't have to consist of one mainstream brand. I wanted a whimsical room full of character and the unexpected.

In last years Ikea magazine I came across the newly designed fabric by Emma Jones. I loved the hand drawn pattern of houses and doors and knew I wanted to use this style some day. And voila! Here it is in my daughter's room used as a curtain and closet cover. They were $4.99/yd. BUT as I was searching through the pile of remnant I came across a pattern that was similar in color as the door (shown above) pattern only it was houses. It was probably 2 yards, maybe less, but I picked it up along with the other two chosen patterns. Lucky for me they could not locate the price for the door design so they priced it the same as the remnant at $1.99/yd. BARGAIN! I love when that happens!

I know I know..she needs a new T.V.! LOL..BUT hey we used what we had and stuck to our budget.
I had some left over fabric so I cut out the houses, glued them onto some black poster paper for stability and used it as wall art. I found my old wall decals of branches with birds that I never used to add that unusual effect.

Her own little space to draw..and eat..this is where her T.V. used to be placed on top of a vintage sewing table. That was horrible and I can't believe we had it in her room for 2 years! To make it even more claustrophobic she used to have a closet door that was placed ergonomically incorrect. When her room door and closet door were both open the T.V. was closed in. So naturally that door had to go and we moved the massive T.V. arrangement  to effectively use that space. Oh and by the way...the only Disney traces are of this Tinkerbell nightlight and a Princess and the Frog pillow that I turn over and will soon be covered with the remnant I found at Ikea...she would not let it go..

With an extremely small budget and putting practicality to good use, I was able to transform my daughter's room into her own little oasis. Now she stays in her room comfortably and with the addition of her little table set, I've provided her with her a own little art space where she loves to sit and paint or color allowing her to develop a new set of skills.

This project is one of many that proves you can re-decorate on a small budget. As long as you go in the project with an open mind, your goals will be met.~MG

Christmas Mantel Decorating

Mantel's. In my opinion they are a living room's centerpiece and should be showed off well. Especially during Christmas. After all, it is Santa's entrance to your home so why not make a great first impression by making him feel right at home by decorating your mantel with a little Christmas spirit. For those of you who don't know where to begin check out these mantel decorating ideas:

Now you know I'm a sucker for shelves with various sizes of books and items neatly displayed so of course I'm going to love this small shelving unit with cubed sized shelves. It fits perfectly above this mantel! This is also a great place to display those ornaments that don't exactly match your theme. This way it still pleases those who gave you that eccentric ornament a few Christmases ago. Everyone's happy!

 thisarchitecture.com

I am loving ice blue on white. Take colors from the natural surroundings during the Christmas season. In this case it's snow with the clear blue water when ice melts or the beautiful blue sky the morning after a snow fallen night. Add a few hints of ice blue accessories and your house will fall into the Christmas spirit just the same as decorating it with traditional red and green colors. 

Another simple decor find. The crisp and clean look is so majestic. 

  www.digsdigs.com

I love the use of natural wood. Another great example of taking from your natural surroundings and making great decorations out of it. The combination of fresh flowers and  greenery bring the nature look all together. It makes me think of a romantic cottage.

 refresheddesigns

Check out these origami Christmas trees from marthastewart.com. What can I say, it's simplicity at its finest for Christmas decor. They are super easy to make and the different bold shades of green complete the "Christmasy" look. Here cloches cover only a few for a sophisticated touch. You can make these beautiful origami trees in just 3 simple steps. 

marthastewart.com

A mantel is a special feature of a home. It sticks out and calls for attention so embrace it and dress it up with a few simple pieces that will compliment its features. Even though mantel's stick out like a soar thumb, it will be much more noticeable when paired with the perfect accessories and it gives your guests something more to look at than just a burning fireplace.~MG