Congratulations to the following winners:

In the Pine Cone Hill Giveaway, #327: Jessica B. who wrote:

“Lenox, Links, Scramble…oh my, they are all lovely. Thanks !”

The winner of the Wine Country Pantry Giveaway is #79: Rachel F. 

In addition to winning all the goodies, Rachel also posed this question with her entry:  

“As we continue through grad school we are still renting housing and it is becoming a bore, and quite frankly getting me down on my decorating abilities.  White stark walls, cement walls, old dingy cabinets, etc.   What in the world can I do to make this temporary home my own ?”

Great question Rachel!  You have the same dilemma many renters face:  turning white walls into a stylish and comfortable home that you want to return to at day’s end.   There’s not much you can do to dingy cabinets in a rental without permission to paint, beyond giving them a good scrub.  As for white walls ?  There’s a lot that can be done to bring warmth, color, pattern, and style to your abode. 

My Best Tips for Decorating with White Walls: 

Splurge on a Colorful Patterned Rug.   Pick a bold color or interesting design you love, then go for it !  These two examples by Pottery Barn and West Elm are staged on wood floors, but you’ll have a harder time noticing your less than desirable rental flooring with area rugs like these.   Plus, you’ll anchor your seating area and brighten your space.

Read the rest of this entry »

Time for another Fantastic Feature, today it’s Cassie from Hi Sugarplum. 

As you know, I’m in the middle of decorating my boy’s room, so Cassie’s spruced up space couldn’t be better timed!  I do love an inspiring makeover done on a budget !

Cassie writes:

“It seems like only yesterday I was decorating my son’s nursery, but now he’s nine, so it was time to kiss the ‘sweetness’ good-bye.   While he was visiting his grandparents for two weeks, we surprised him with a room makeover suitable for a big guy.  And the best part is, by using items from our house, updating his existing stuff, and shopping smart….the total bill for the room came to under $300!

Before:

After:

Don’t you love the bold orange and brown stripes behind the bed?  That’s a ‘wow factor’ indeed !  Cassie revamped her boy’s dresser (read all about it here), recovered corkboards in burlap and a map, and made curtains out of drop cloths ~ this room is perfect for a nine year old boy.   Bravo Cassie !   The full story of the transformation can be read over at Cassie’s blog Hi Sugarplum, plus don’t miss the expression on her son’s face at the reveal !  PRICELESS !!

Coming up next, the winners of the last two giveaways will be announced, plus one reader’s question will be answered, so stay tuned !!

.

Anyone who visits around here knows I’m a pretty big enthusiast for anything related to home improvement.   Recently, I was introduced to a website called DiggersList.  As much as I pride myself in scoring good deals, I confess I was unaware of this new online resource.  That’s the thing I love about the internet ~  there is always an innovative new site popping up that’s oh-so-helpful to folks like you and me. 

DiggersList is the new online construction classifieds ~ in essence, the ‘Craigslist’ for DIYers searching for discount home improvement supplies.  At DiggersList you can browse for tools, materials, heavy equipment, and list what you’re looking for too, all at less than retail prices. 

For those of us needing to save a buck or two, DiggersList is worthy of your visit. 

I did a little *digging* myself and sent over a few questions to founder Matthew Knox. 

Q:  Tell us how you came up with the idea for DiggersList.  What’s your company’s philosophy?

I used to be an insurance broker for contractors and would hear them say all the time that they would have excess building materials left over after every project, and not just bricks & lumber …but also tile, fixtures, cabinetry, etc., and they did not have a good place to sell it.  

So, they would either store it or throw it away contributing to the 160 million tons of construction related waste each year.

The same goes for most DIY projects, we all usually end up with more than we need. So, I teamed up with my brother Johnnie and we created DiggersList.com, a home improvement classifieds.   We are DIYers ourselves, so if we can save money on some great improvement items and have a have a positive environmental impact, we are in.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll never forget these fantastic chairs on the February 2009 cover of House Beautiful.

The fabric is Annie Selke’s ‘Scramble’ in ‘Slate’, and I’ve always always always loved it!  Annie Selke is also the genius behind the textile companies Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert.   Her visionary designs are undeniably divine! 

Many of you are already aware of Annie’s beautiful patterns and Pine Cone Hill’s reputation for suburb quality.   So when the kind representatives of Pine Cone Hill offered to send me a few yummies from their linens collection, how could I possibly resist ? 

Read the rest of this entry »