Fall is one of those seasons that just happens for everyone at a certain moment.  For me, last year, it was just something in the air.  This year, it happened to be the turning of the calendar to my favorite month of September. 

I was playing in the park with my girl a few weeks ago, and noticed the beauty of the fallen leaves from a nearby magnolia tree.   It was instant inspiration!  Up close, I loved the shape and caramel color of the leaves so I thought they would make a perfect wreath for our front door.  

This year, my requirements for a fall wreath were this: cheap and easy !   Here’s this year’s front door wreath, and the best part is that it cost me less than $5 dollars. 

Some of the magnolia leaves have a bit of shimmer . . . I couldn’t resist enhancing many of them with a little metallic craft paint.  

I simply painted some of the leaves with various craft paints from my stash.

Then I wiped off half the paint with a paper towel to highlight the leaf’s natural beauty.

A little hot glue on an 18 inch craft ring from Michaels . . .

90 minutes later: a shimmery caramel colored front door wreath, tied up with braided jute twine and secured to the door with a 3M adhesive hook.  

Easy, inexpensive, and oh-so-autumn! 

Magnolia leaves hold their shape for several months, so this year’s version should (fingers crossed) last through the season.  

Are you finally ready for autumn too ?   What are your plans to bring fall into your home this year?  Do share !

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When I was on the hunt for some retro inspired fabric for my boy’s room, I stumbled across Tonic Living via Aubrey and Lindsay’s blog.   Once I clicked over to check out the fabrics, I was instantly smitten !

 Image: Tonic Living

This small Toronto based company offers florals, graphic prints, and beautiful mid century modern inspired fabrics.   

Take a peek at a few from the 50’s collection . . .

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Most catalogs pile up around my house, and quickly make their way to the recycling bin, but I was glancing at the latest Wisteria catalog over the weekend, and was completely inspired by several of their pieces.  What I love about the style on the pages of Wisteria is the mix of old and new, whimsy with tradition, and rustic with modern chic. 

This reproduction trumeau was the first to catch my eye.   

I spied several expensive reproduction trumeaus on our recent trip to Jan de Luz in Carmel, and am determined someday to have a reasonably priced one in our foyer.  I’m so crazy about trumeaus, I may follow Susie’s brilliant DIY tutorial to reproduce one of my own. 

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I’ll be the first to stand up and plead guilty to a love of decorating with white. 

I’ll spray paint just about anything white that’s standing still.  

I’ve noticed that for the last several years, all white rooms are popping up more and more in design.      

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Greetings friends, how about a peek at a few upgrades in our master bedroom ?  It all started with wanting to lighten the fabric on the headboard I made last year.  I also wanted to change the shape of the headboard, and paint the walls a deeper hue with Benjamin Moore’s ‘Nantucket Gray’. 

Rather than the expense of wallpaper behind the headboard, I decided to add this trellis pattern that I stenciled and hand painted  ~ I was inspired by Kristen’s hand painted wall I saw a few weeks ago. 

We still have the same chandelier, but the subtle shimmer from the painted pattern on the accent wall adds even more interest and glamour.  

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I had every hope of finishing up all the final touches in my master bedroom over the weekend, but as fate would have it, nada was accomplished.  Instead, I took some leisure time, and I’m so glad we got out and enjoyed ourselves.   

Instead of finishing the space, we went out wine tasting in Sonoma and had the best time ever.  The weather was perfect, the kids were angels, the wine was cold, the cheese was stinky, and the evening ended so well, I crashed on the couch with the kids, all of us completely wiped.  It was heaven. 

But our bedroom remains a complete disaster zone, with laundry and ladders and paint cans and tarps everywhere.   I had a crazy idea to repaint the entire room last week in ‘Nantucket Gray’ by Benjamin Moore.  It’s the perfect shade of medium gray with a hint of olive.  My poor husband has been so patient with me while I try to give this room a facelift. 

One of the upgrades I was eyeballing were these lamps at Z Gallerie, they’re delicious. 

But then I found a pair of lamps for 1/3 the price at Marshalls ~ loved the shape, but of course I wanted them white ! 

I got this idea from Janell to spray paint some curvy lamps a glossy white, and I absolutely love the final result ! 

$40 lamp from Marshalls:

Love !

I spray painted with Rustoleum’s ‘Gloss White’ (heart!), and removed the brownish band from the shade.   Then I hand painted the champagne stripe at the base to make it pop off the dresser. 

So modern !  So purty ! 

Did you happen catch the sneaky peek at the hand painted wall treatment ?  If you follow my tweets, you’d have seen my inspiration link for it last week !  The bedroom should come together very soon, fingers crossed.

Today I’m off to Restoration Hardware ~ ordinarily I don’t shop there because they’re a little pricey, but I’m holding in my paint covered hands a gift card and their linens are on sale !  Aw, yeah.  Gotta love how my hub redeemed some miles from his business Am Ex to bring me a RH gift card.

He must have been listening when I kept saying how much I love their Belgian Washed Linen Quilt and Shams, and how I kept repeating after ten years, how much we really deserve something nice for our bedroom. 

Or maybe it was the page from the catalog that I taped to his side of the mirror.

I’m just subtle like that. 

I’m torn between Fog, White, and Orchid.  Decisions, decisions !  

What have you spray painted lately ? 

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I can’t quite put my finger on it.  I think my love affair with all things French may have begun when I was younger when I watched Gene Kelly in ‘An American in Paris’.  

Perhaps it was when I lost myself in Peter Mayle’s novel ‘A Year in Provence’ that I devoured many years ago. 

Most certainly, my l’amour was made permanent when I took my first trip to Paris in 1998. 

Whenever it happened, it happened, and my decorating style was forever altered.  I can’t help myself ~ I’m a self professed Francophile.

Despite my love of traditional French decor, I do like to inject a little modern flair, and the new mirror and trellis pattern rug in the living room certainly help.

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Greetings everyone, welcome to the Stars & Stripes Party !

Don’t you just love the Fourth of July ?

I do!  It’s truly one of my favorite holidays.  There’s something about the traditions of barbeques and fireworks, and all that red, white, and blue that gets me in the mood to celebrate the land of the free and home of the brave.

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It’s the beginning of summer, and I feel the need to make everything around me light and bright, but I’m finding myself increasingly drawn to the drama of dark painted walls.  When it comes to painting a room an intensely dark color like chocolate or charcoal, I confess I haven’t taken the plunge because I fear the dreaded cave effect that may occur.  Oh, I’ve tried samples on the wall, but in the end I opt for the lighter hue. 

I especially love high contrast in design, juxtaposing the crisp white against the dramatic dark.  An intensely deep hue, balanced with plenty of light, conveys sophistication and elegance – two feelings I absolutely adore in a space.   Here are some intense walls that I’m drawn to these days.  Fancy that, in the middle of June. 

  Burnham Design

 Lonny Magazine

     House Beautiful

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Thank goodness my boy is a patient little fellow when it comes to the makeover in his room – cause good golly, I’ve sure been dragging my feet on this one.  

Actually, being four, I’m not sure the critter is really aware of what’s going on, he’s just happy to have his toys scattered all around the room, much to the dismay of my toes when I step on mini Lego guys in the middle of the night – aaargh!   We’re working on that ‘clean up your toys before bed’ thing.

Anyway, we’ve managed to paint the room and closet doors a completely fantastic shade of slate blue with just a hint of turquoise called ‘La Fonda Villa Fountain’ by Valspar.   And last month, I revamped a chalkboard table and chairs for him, but then the makeover came to a halt as I ran into a design dilemma with wall decor and lighting. 

But yesterday, I was inspired again !  I was returning a mistake fixture to a Lamps Plus store, and as I meandered through the shop, I spotted the perfect light fixture for his room  – crisp, white, and modern !  So I ordered the fixture right there on the spot, and as soon as it arrives, will enlist the hub to help me install it.

I’m also awaiting this rug from Dash & Albert – I love its calming yet beachy blues and greens.  I’m simply smitten with this Annie Selke fabric – I’m thinking pillows, and perhaps a border along his white window panels.   Some ‘North Beach’ Nautica pillows from BCF, and this organic Cortland coverlet from Company Store also complete the slate blue/white/apple green medley.

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