CLEAN OUT THE COBWEBS & BRING ON HALLOWEEN

Oh my!  I have been missing again!  I have a million ideas running through my brain but when I sit down at the computer, I work and I don't blog and share....so I am getting back on track and cleaning out the blogger.com cobwebs.  LOL!

Halloween is approaching and we are in full swing of fall, so what are some cute but tasteful Halloween decor items?!  Of course, all of my faves, I have taken from Pinterest!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE: VERMONT

I visit my in-laws (this includes mother, father, sister and brother in-law) every summer with my 2 boys.  We fly there and stay from 3 - 5 weeks!  This year we stayed for 3 weeks and we were sad to see the vacation come to an end!  But while I'm there, there is always a decor project in the works.  So I thought I'd share my sister in-law, Kacie's project!  She has a very high ceiling in her entry and a barren wall that has bothered her since they built their garage addition.  It's not just a garage - it's a F.R.O.G. too!  Yes, a Family Room Over Garage...this serves as a playroom/guest room!  So back to the wall.  It's tall and has sat with only the green star on it for a bit but now it's part of a shelf grouping!  So without all of the details around our decor brainstorming and discussion...here is the end result!  First, a photo of their home that sits on 4 lush acres and is so Vermont - see the stacked wood?  See the tractor?  See the bugs swarming your head?  Get a hat on.  OK...back to the decor.

Kacie already owned the corbels, the frame, the lower case L, the pot, the pulley and metal shelf bracket and after the brainstorming it was determined a shelf was needed!  So she hunted the antique stores and found this old mantle top - huge and weighs a ton!  But an AWESOME find!  Just a little something fun to share!

ROUND COFFEE TABLES

I am on the hunt for a round coffee table and was pleasantly surprised with what I found.  Unfortunately, I need a table that is 24-32 inches in diameter and I can't seem to find that within my client's budget!  But I did find some good round coffee tables and had to share!  Thank you www.overstock.com!

CHERISH THE OLD AND MAKE IT NEW

Oh that exciting day of the "big boy bed" and taking down the crib....what a back and forth emotional moment!  So excited yet so sad!  I knew selling our crib for a quarter of what we paid and then never seeing it again didn't sit well with me so I brainstormed on what could I do with it.  While renovating our guest room, I knew I wanted a bed or headboard and it hit me that the ends of the crib might make a good headboard if everything added up.  So I measured the 2 crib ends and they equaled 60 inches across and guess what a queen size mattress is - 60 inches wide!  SCORE!  Oh handyman, can you make this work?  The answer is YES!

Here she is - just put together in 2007!

Then there she sits, waiting for the baby (we didn't know what he would be)...

And now here is the headboard!  The bedroom reveal is coming but here is a glimpse of our little project!

URBAN OUTFITTERS

Urban Outfitters, www.urbanoutfitters.com, is not just for funky shoes and clothes!  The APARTMENT section is so fun for home decor!  Furniture, shower curtains, window treatments and accessories and there is so much to choose from...here is a handful of items I am eyeing for specific projects!

Boys chair...

big boy room up to teenager into college dorm:

A sitting chair in a multitude of colors:

Super cute accent chair with a funky fun table:

Guest bedroom or girl's bedroom:

Shower curtains:

And fun and whimsical wall art:

Happy Shopping!!

DESIGN BY NUMBERS

Always wonder how high, low, far over and above something should hang or be installed?  Vern Yip shared his cheat sheet in the latest HGTV Magazine issue and I'm sharing it with you!  Thank you much, Vern!

Distance between a bed and a nightstand:  2 inches

Comfortable coffee table height:  16-20 inches...a coffee table about 2 inches lower than the sofa makes for a good foot rest

Outdoor path lights:  Put them 24 inches apart

Height for a pendant light above an island:  30-36 inches

Most comfy countertop height:  36 inches

Distance between frames on a gallery wall:  2 inches ... my 2 cents is when not on a gallery wall, a good distance is 3 inches

Best distance between an area rug and at least 1 wall:  12-18 inches of bare floor

Height of a backsplash:  16-18 inches

Height for toilet paper holder:  26-28 inches

Recessed lighting distance in an average ceiling height (8-10 ft):  36 inches between each light and line them up

Standard headboard height from floor to top edge:  48 inches giving you 24 inches of exposed headboard for leaning

Art and mirror height:  60 inches above the floor - 60 inches from floor to the center of the item for an eye level view

TV to sofa distance:  72 inches from TV to sofa or chair

Best chair rail height:  32-40 inches ... should section off the lower 3rd of a wall

Towel bar height:  48 inches from the floor

Ideal chandelier height:  from the bottom of the fixture to the floor

M.I.A. AND THE TOP 10

First of all, Happy Mother's Day!  I have obviously been missing in action and I apologize. Where have I been?  Not sure.  I think the Easter/Spring break turned into a month long vacation.  

So given that it's Mother's Day, a fellow mom and Lot 47 fan, asked for a top 10 rundown of how to spruce up the home yet keeping it family friendly.  I assume on a budget because I usually tend to keep the purse strings tight so I'd say the following:

1.  Change out your pillows.  Take a look at your sofa pillows, how shabby are they?  Even Target offers cute pillows.  Try some sellers on etsy.com as well such as the seller http://www.etsy.com/shop/MakingFabulous.

2.  Clean it out.  Yes, it's time for spring cleaning but what about a good clean out?  It's not necessarily decor but don't you feel really good once something is organized or cleaned?  Clean out that linen closet that makes you delirious, clean out your desk or space you collect junk or hire some help - get that whole house cleaned!  On my checklist is get the family room area rug cleaned and 2 barrel chairs...they are both YUCK!

3.  Bring the outdoors in.  Add some plants to your rooms.  My favorite is a Pothos.  

I feel like this plant is indestructible.  As soon as it looks sad, water it and it comes back...but do try to water it before it's sad.  This plant can be found at any Home Depot or Lowes.  Also, add some fresh flowers to your rooms...found at your local grocery store!

4.  Kid's homemade art.  It can spruce up any blank wall and it's also a fun rainy day project.  No matter what age, a child can make a bare canvas into an authentic abstract piece!

5.  Add a tray.  Notice that your coffee table is bare, add a tray and spruce it up with a book or 2 and a framed photo set inside the tray.  Find your tray at Target, WalMart, TJ Maxx and Home Goods!

6.  Add little side tables.  Look around your family room or living room.  Do most of your seating areas have a place someone could rest a drink?  If not, a good option for a side table is a garden stool.  All of the garden gear is out in stores and if you find a garden stool for a good price but it's not the color you'd like, spray paint it!  Ceramic does very well with spray paint.  

7.  Paint.  Look around.  What can you paint?  Anything can be painted.  You do not have to paint the walls - although that is a really fun way to spruce things up.  If you do the actual painting, the most a bedroom will cost you is $50-70 which is the cost of the paint.  But like I said, look around...is there anything that looks in need of some love in your house, a dresser?  Coffee table?  Side table?  Even a lamp base?  Kitchen chairs?  Kitchen table (legs only too)?  If it's a small item, you can buy a $3 paint sample from Lowes that will cover a large space.  The samples are actually BIG!  And don't be afraid...you can do it!

8.  Update lighting.  Does your house have the standard flush mounts in your entry or hallway?  Head over to Home Depot or Lowes and find some semi-flush lights or even mini chandeliers.  And an even easier lighting update is change out your lamps to a more updated look or use plug-in sconces in a bedroom instead of lamps.

9.  Bedding.  This can get pricey but an easy change is by making yourself feel better when you climb into your bed at night with some fun colored sheets or a high thread count sheet set.  Home Goods is a great place for bedding updates.  Also, add a pop of color with a throw on the bed or on a chair in the bedroom.

10. Photography.  Everyone has a camera these days.  Go outside and take some photos of some flowers, a plant, a brick wall...anything.  Then come back and play with it on www.picmonkey.com.  You can manipulate your photos to make them "funky" then frame, hang or add to the top of a dresser.  And you made it happen!  

GO GRAPHIC

I feel that a little graphic goes a long way!  Given a traditional, transitional or modern home, add a little graphic somethin' somethin' and it's complete.  While I was planning my entry, I came across a saying COME AS YOU ARE.  And I immediately thought of my front door...I loved that it is something my guests would see upon entering my home.  I love guests at all times, planned and unplanned and something resonated with me with that saying.  So I called up my friend, Mandi Heilig of Dry Ink Designs and told her what I wanted BUT just like anything with me...I needed to tweak it! 

I wanted an element of metallic for the "dressy" part of the art.  Then I wanted to keep a modern look a little traditional.  So I requested Mandi to design it like a traditional rounded monogram and in a blue/gray print.  That was all the direction I gave Mandi and she nailed it!  The frames are from Ikea and actually had fabulous mats but then I decided they needed a round mat so I headed to Hobby Lobby and had those made. 

Little did I know until my friend Allie told me - it's a Nirvana song!  Still didn't spoil it for me.  My meaning is cooler!  HA!!

Plugging my graphic girl....
Mandi Heilig
www.dryinkdesigns.com
www.sunnyslideup.com

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

The boys bathroom renovation reveal!  Finally every detail has been attended to and I can finally share!  Here is our 'Jack and Jill' bathroom that had 1 sink for 2 Jacks!  Needless to say, fighting over the sink quickly became old and I also wanted the convenience of each boy having their own space to grow into.  So the process of this renovation was to try and cut corners where possible.  The first cost saver was keeping the dreadful white tile with white/not so white anymore grout.  The wall tile was a big save as I bought sheets from Home Depot - they were $6 each!  So I went with the best color choice in the selection.  Now to the fun stuff...the vanity!  I knew I wanted a boyish, industrial feel and I was SO LUCKY to find this old kitchen work table at Sleepy Poet www.sleepypoetstuff.com  This is a store I am at on a weekly basis hunting down treasures for me, clients and friends!  I love it in there!  Now it wasn't as easy as that because of the dimensions needed but we were able to adjust a few things for it to fit!

After the vanity I decided the sinks www.signaturehardware.com, the faucets on Ebay, the hand towel hooks at Anthropologie, mirrors at Pepper and Company www.pepperandcompany.net, lights on www.lightingdirect.com in the outdoor section, stools at Ikea then painted the color of one of my son's adjoining rooms and the bathroom wall color is Eddie Bauer 'Beach' ... a color I have loved for years and never had the right space for it!  And finally, added crown molding.

Most importantly, I couldn't do it without Karl Slavetsky of 2DIFOR Builders www.2diforbuilders.com.  He is so talented and patient with all of my crazy ideas!

Before and After

 

The Reveal