Loving my New Family Room

We just recently got new furniture for our family room. I'm sooo excited. I feel like a real adult now. This is the first matching furniture set that we have ever purchased. It just makes the room and the house feel more complete.

Love my Paula Deen end tables! So glad we went with the creamy color, it makes the room feel lighter and younger. (Good idea honey ;) )

The red ottoman with contrast piping was my idea :)

I just think these lamps with the lion head fineals are so cute. Roarrrrr! Embrace it people.

Romantic Beach Bathroom

I've always wanted a beach cottage style room in my home. Here is my guest/child's bathroom decorated in my interpretation of a romantic beach style.

This is a collage I made in one of my first posts.

The jars are jam jars I've saved over that last few months. The silver tray is a Dollar Tree purchase.

This toothbrush holder is a tin can that once had cocoa mix but I painted it cream is a distressed style. My secret is that inside it is another jam jar for easy cleaning.

My challenge was mixing these vintage pink nature pictures with hooks and my collage in with the seaside feel. I hope I succeeded.

Glitzy Sweater Pillow

I had an old white knit sweater that didn't fit any more and several broaches that I wear only occasionally. So without sewing a single stitch my shabby, not so chic bedding got a little more glamorous going from the following...

To this!

Here's how:
1) Turn the sweater inside out and use safety pins along the top to close the neck line.

2) Turn the sweater right side out again except the sleeves.

3)Stuff with a pillow and keep sleeves tucked flat in the back inside of the pillow.

4)Fold over open bottom edge and pin together with glitzy broaches. When your tired of this look just unpin, no stitches to undo!

Playroom Storybook Art

My daughter's room is PINK PINK PINK so I wanted to bring in some different, brighter color to her plain beige playroom. My inspiration was display boards I saw in Pottery Barn kids. I bought 2 2x3 foot cork boards from Walmart for $8 a piece. Coordinating yards of fabric were stapled on the back to cover the boards. I took pictures from children's storybooks (Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and my fav- The Runaway Bunny) and a calendar to use as the artwork. This artwork was cheap, quick, easy, colorful, large to make a greater impact, and I can change it around as often as I like.

Easter Mantle

Here is my first attempt at decorating my mantle for holidays. I just used things I already had such as my daughters stuffed animals, ribbon, and my wedding bouquet. I took some plastic Easter eggs and wrapped them in tulle tied with ribbon to make a garland. Nothing fancy, just using what I had to bring a little spring into my home.

My Big Girl's Room

We recently moved from an apartment to our first home which was exciting because it meant that I could actually decorate my daughter's room. The room was already pink when we moved, and I mean PINK. While it was a little too pink for me, I couldn't repaint once my little girl fell in love with the color. So we chose to tone it down with a brown, green, and rose colored quilt from JC Penny. For the artwork I used three different antique ballet prints that I've had since childhood. In fact almost all the girlie accessories were mine as a child. Can you tell I loved ballet and dolls? How lucky am I that I get to relive my childhood through my daughter's room?

I love this gorgeous hand-painted wardrobe that I got when I was younger.

This picture is the first antique I ever bought. I choose things for their beauty and not for their monetary value. The frame is aged and the print is worn but that's what I think is so special about it, along with the charming image it portrays.

I had fun watching her room come together. The little girl in me loves it! Thanks for letting me share!

Decorating with Initials

I think decorating with initials and your name is fun, here are some way I've done it. This is one of my favorites things in my home. It's a sign given to us when we got married with our last name on it. The quote across it says "Be true to who you are and the family name you bear." Gordon B. Hinckley. (If you notice, I placed all my crystal bowls and serving pieces over the cabinets. That is one of my top ten storage tips when living in an apartment. I made more room for my cabinets and I got to enjoy looking at pieces that don't otherwise get much use.)

Initials in my daughters room.

Initials by the entryway.