Inspiration + Weekend Reading

Happy Saturday!  I hope your weekend is starting off great.
Now that the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is over I can’t help but feel like fall is just around the corner.  During these last weeks of summer, it’s the perfect time to begin thinking about your fall wardrobe and maybe do a little organizing and styling in your closet.  This image is a great example of how you can achieve both organization and style in a small closet space.  It has definitely inspired me to do some purging, sorting and de-cluttering in my closet.
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When you take a break from organizing, take a moment to enjoy these weekend reads….
No matter what age you are, this is sound advice for both your business and personal life.  A must read!! Thanks to Mandy over at Waiting on Martha to bring it to my attention.
Want to be inspired?  Check out these Top 100 Inspirational Quotes!
You’re going to love this home tour and you’ll get some great decorating tips from it too.
Beautiful inspiration if you want to decorate with black.
What a great way to inspire a table décor theme!
I love how creative Kristin used the leftover space in her laundry closet!
I found this blog post to be a great reminder that “surrounding yourself only with people who will lift you higher” is something we should all be striving for.

Shelly

Creating a Stylish Clutch from the Craft Store

Ok, so we all know I love handbags and clutches have a special place in my heart.  A couple of week ago I was wandering around Hobby Lobby and came across their “blanks” section.  This is the area of the store where they have plain t-shirts, canvas bags, baseball caps and other items that you can embellish, paint or do whatever crafting magic you want on them.

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I came across this grey felt clutch and was inspired to create a clutch based on one of my favorite designer handbag lines.
This was the inspiration ($173.00)…..

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And this is my finished clutch!

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How to:
I purchased a band of black textured fabric from JoAnn’s and measured it to a 3 1/2 inch width.  I folded the edges under and used black stitch witchery to secure them down.
Once that was done I wrapped the black fabric around the clutch starting at the under side of the front flap, around the back and on the inside front of the clutch.  I used dabs of hot glue along the edge of the black fabric to secure it in place.
Next I took a length of green grosgrain ribbon and centered it on top of the black fabric.  Again I used hot glue to hold the edges down.
Next I added silver corner pieces to my clutch, attached with E6000 glue.
To add the finishing touch to my clutch I found a vintage black tassel earring in my jewelry supply chest and took it apart.  I placed the round piece of the earring on the front flap of the clutch and stitched the tassel part to the top corner.
All in all my designer inspired clutch cost me less than $ 9.00!
Here’s the breakdown:
Grey Felt Pouch $ 4.99 less 40%=$2.99
Black Fabric $2.50 from JoAnn’s
Green Grosgrain Ribbon–from my stash.  You can find grosgrain ribbon at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 less 40% if you have a coupon.
Silver corner protectors $1.69 for pkg. 8  available from Articuss Studio
Vintage Tassel Earring–$ 0.50 found thrifting
 
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Style on a budget.  My favorite kind of fashion!
 
Shelly

Design Details: Gold Edging

I’m all about gold accent these days and love how a touch of gold can turn an ordinary item into something chic and über stylish.
I’m sure you’ve all seen this DIY project floating around blog land where a simple picture frame is updated with gold corner accents.  Who would have thought that such an easy project would yield such stylish results.
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Here’s what the gold accent looks like on black frames.
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How about this simple update, gold corner details added to a piece of furniture?
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You can find my source for metal corner pieces in this post.
I’m also loving this idea of painting the page edge of thrift store books and turning them into a glamorous decorative accent.
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How about detailing out the inner rim of a paneled door with gold paint?   Pretty fab!
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I also love the look of a gold edge on a piece of furniture.  Emily over at Emily A. Clark transformed this table first by painting it black and then my adding a gold edge.  Stunning!
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This metal bamboo table looks so much more expensive and high-end with a gold finish!
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And how about the idea of up-styling your stationery or even your business cards?  I’m so going to do this with my business cards.
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So what do you think?  Do you love a touch of gold as much as I do?
One thing I’ve learned in my years in design is that it is the little details that really make design come to life!

Shelly

images can be found on my Golden Touch Pinterest board

What Inspires Me

Greetings!  I hope you had a splendid weekend. Most of my weekend was spent indoors working on projects, writing blog post, adding new Etsy items to my shops and getting things around me organized.  Whenever I have lots of time at home I find myself evaluating things in my life…my goals, my businesses, my bucket-list, my happiness and my sources of inspiration.  It’s a time when I tune into what sparks my creativity, what makes me tick and what fuels my dreams.  I thought I’d take today and give you a little look into head and what’s been inspiring me lately. 01b7b24131c73f54a4b576bcca0cd39b
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I’m inspired each day that I wake up and have the opportunity to be the best I can be, do the best I can do, do something I want, cross something off my bucket list, share my heart with someone and remember all that I have to be grateful for.
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I’m inspired by beautiful spaces that are filled with simple things displayed in creative ways {those mirrors}.
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I’m inspired by beautiful pieces of furniture that lived a past life and have been brought back with a few coats of paint {that black cabinet is stunning}.
If you think this image is inspiring, check out the rest of the house!
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I’m inspired by beautiful handbags because if I’m going to carry one everyday it might as well be beautiful!
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I’m inspired by outdoor spaces that force you to do nothing but relax and rejuvenate. And it doesn’t hurt if they are gorgeous too!
{Using an animal print fabric outdoors is unexpected and a real source of inspiration}.
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I’m inspired by a DIY project that only cost a couple of dollars but looks like a million!  {brilliant}
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I’m inspired by my FAITH in all things. enough said!
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I’m inspired when I’m surrounded by things I love and things that allow me to be creative!
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I’m inspired when I discover a new blog and the person who writes it becomes a source of inspiration for me {KariAnne rocks}!
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I’m inspired when I have a vision to make bold and dynamic changes to my surroundings. {red makes me happy}
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I’m inspired by the littlest detail that makes something simple really fabulous!

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I’m inspired by red lipstick because it makes me feel pretty!
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I’m inspired when I take the time to remember this!
What inspires  you??

Shelly

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Paint, Pillows and Pink

Happy Monday!
Thanks everyone for the sweet comments about my wedding anniversary and the hubby’s birthday.  The weekend was one big celebration with some thrift shopping thrown into the mix.  All was good in the world!
Last weekend I came up with the idea of painting our bedroom armoire black.  Naturally I did some research on Pinterest before I made the final decision but was pretty sure black was the color so choice.  Our bedroom is not large and has a combination of several stained wood pieces.  I wanted to mix things up a bit while still keeping true to the mostly black and white color theme so painting the armoire black and changing up a few pillows and accessories was the plan.
Here’s what the room looked like before, with yellow and grey as the accent colors.
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I kept the wall décor pretty simply and used accent pillows on the bed and ottoman to add interest.
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 The black, yellow and grey color combo is great for the fall and winter.  There is just enough color to give the room some energy on cold, dark days.
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I had the ottoman covered in black with a white mini dot and used a combination of solid and patterned pillows.  The black and white diamond pillow I made from a .99 cent bandana and I added the black buttons to the yellow pillows that I already owned.
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 The black silk drapes  have a black-out liner {because I need to sleep in total darkness} and were up-styled with the addition of a black and white trim.
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Many of the accessories are silver, white and yellow to go with the overall color theme.
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You can see the armoire here with its stained finish.  I love mixing stained finishes with black and white because it keeps the space rich without being too dark.
I’m going to have the chair re-upholstered but for now it has a black tone-on-tone diamond print slipcover on it.
That’s how things looked until a little paint, pillow change and some pink were added to the mix.
Here’s what the room looks like now…
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 Solid pink pillows (cushions from Ikea) replaced the yellow and grey pillows and I added a patterned pillow I made from dinner napkins I purchased on clearance at World Market.
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 I also made the black and white dot pillow and the black and white lattice pillow cases (fabric from Hobby Lobby).
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 The white and black bedspreads stayed the same.  I have several different pillows I place on the ottoman including a solid red and a grey and white patterned pillow which was in the chair before.
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 The yellow floral pillow works on the ottoman too and picks up the yellow in the patterned pillow on the bed.
At the foot of the bed are two storage baskets that I added some DIY vintage inspired tags to.  I’ll share this easy project with you later this week.
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Here’s the armoire after getting several coats of black paint.  Of course the sun was shining in full glory when I was taking this photo so excuse the glare.
The black paint we used was Clark and Kensington {Ace Hardware} Ace of Spades.  It’s a deep black with a hint of dark charcoal in it.  This was the first time I have painted with Clark and Kensington paint and I really liked how it performed.  We had a paint and primer in one so it went on smooth and has a nice finish.
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 I changed out the knobs to these beauties.  I L.O.V.E. them.  They are from none other than Hobby Lobby.
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 For an added touch of glam I lined the drawers with this fun black and grey animal print drawer liner.  (TJ Maxx)
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Here’s a detail shot of the top of the armoire.  I used the same drawer liner paper to cover two round boxes and added in the basket for texture and shape, the mercury glass vase for shine and the black finial for dimension and height ($3.00–Hobby Lobby clearance).
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 Here’s a look inside at the drawers and the bottom shelf.  The black and white animal print box works great with some of my milk glass pieces and my silver tray with perfume.
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I placed another basket inside the armoire too.
(the numbers on the basket tags are all numbers that have significance in our lives) 
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 Here’s a look at a wall décor grouping in the room. I painted the abstract piece of art and the sweet dreams canvas.
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I love lots of texture in a bedroom.  It just feels cozier to me.
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 Here’s another baskets that holds reading material on my side of the bed.
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One of the things I always try to do with the pillows in my décor is to find patterns that work together and can be switched up seasonally.  Pulling colors from a key pattern in the room is a great way to build a color palette that relates.
The pop of pink is perfect for summer and we really love our “new” armoire.  It always amazes me how a little paint can change the feel of a space.
 I hope you enjoyed my bedroom update and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

ShellyLinking to:

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DIY Rope Projects

Summer is the time of year when you see more natural, neutral and coastal inspired décor.  One of the design elements I love this time of year is rope details.
Years ago I made my first rope covered lamp and at the time I thought it was pretty awesome.  Rope DIY projects have come a long way since then, getting more sophisticated and stylish.  Check out these Rope DIY Projects that have me inspired for summer!
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This is such an easy and inexpensive way to transform simple glass vases into coastal inspired flower vases for summer.  I would even go so far as to paint the rope in a color to match the décor of the room.
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How awesome is this mirror?  The next time I come across a round thrift store mirror I just might have to give this a try.  The lighter colored rope makes this piece suitable for a more transitional space too.
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This is probably the coolest rope DIY project I’ve seen.  What a great way to transform one of those old wood TV trays into a side table.  A pretty cool idea for a night stand too!
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Love these rope tables.  Just add a glass top to make them really functional.
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I’m definitely going to give this project a try.  I have several of those inexpensive mirror rounds from Hobby Lobby that will make the perfect center piece.

So what do you think?  Is there a ROPE DIY project in your future?

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images can be found on my Crafty Ideas pinterest board!

Ikea is a World of Design Possibilities!

Have you ever stopped and thought about how Ikea has changed the design world?  Their products are affordable, appeal to the masses and their stores offer for an exhilarating shopping and people watching experience especially if you happen upon someone who is visiting the store for the first time.  Let’s just say the “deer in the headlights” look is status quo for first-timers!

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I recently created a new pinterest board called Ikea Inspiration and set about pinning images of Ikea products.  One of the things that stood out to me are the items that appear over and over in room designs. Items like the Expedit Shelving UnitLappljung Ruta Rug, Billy Bookcase and the Stockholm Striped Rug.  These items I’m sure have made it into the Ikea Hall of Fame.

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Despite the fact that Ikea products and a commodity in the design world, what I like most is that designers and DIY’ers can put their own spin on the pieces and give them a unique and custom look.

  Take for instance the Malm Dresser ($49-$149 retail) which can become a sophisticated, modern, classic or uber stylish piece of furniture with a little up-sytling.

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The Malm Dresser comes in different widths, heights and drawer configurations so it can work in a variety of rooms.

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 Another hot item is the Lack Side Table.  At $9.99 and available in  seven colors this little table can be tricked out in so many ways.

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The Lack table is the perfect size for a small upholstered bench too.

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Here are a few more popular Ikea items used in fabulous room designs:

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Lappljung Pillow Cover $10.00

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Rast Dresser $34.99

Stockhold Pillow Cover

Stockholm Pillow Cover  $12.99

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 Ribba Picture Frame, the makings of a great gallery wall.  $4.99-$24.99

There are about a thousand other products at Ikea that can be customized to fit your design and style needs.  Although Ikea may appear to be aisle and after aisle of “stuff” upon first glance,  Ikea can be really inspiring if you just think of the possibilities.

Do you have a favorite IKEA piece?

Shop Ikea on-line here!

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all images can be found on my Ikea Inspiration Pinterest board!

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