The Special Interest Publications by Better Homes & Gardens are one of my all time favorite go to resources for DIY ideas.  Today, I thought I’d pass along some of the ideas from my inspiration files that I think are flat out fabulous. 

Enjoy ! 

How cool is this idea to wallpaper the drawers of a dresser with a little decoupage ?

Sew a half dozen sheer napkins together for a cafe curtain, and add charm with mismatched flatware as curtain hooks !

Add a pop of color to your pantry by sewing kitchen towels into basket liners. 

Jazz up your summer table by hot gluing decorative items like sea glass (or vintage buttons, glass gems, etc.) to plain napkin rings.

Transform the drab into the fab by backing an ordinary bookshelf with wallpaper and replacing the wood shelves with glass.  Très chic !

Refashion a shutter and some brackets into a one-of-a-kind shelf and coat rack for your entry. 

Add vintage charm with skeleton keys mounted to an embroidery hoop backed with scrap paper or wallpaper remnants.  Very creative !

Float stock cabinets off the wall, remove two doors, then add a pop of color to the remaining door fronts.  I love the crafty clock made out of foam core, paper secured with spray adhesive, chipboard numbers and an clock making kit.   So fun !

Got a great vintage piece of cloth but you’ll never wear the outdated piece ?  Refashion it into shams and an accent pillow.  Brilliant !

Create a sheer canopy with panels and a ceiling medallion centered above a bed. 

Use garden hanging baskets mounted low in a kid’s room to corral toys and books.  Be sure to secure to your wall studs !

Build a unique pencil holder out of rosettes from the lumber department !  Or how about this – fill a pair of them with sand, top it with another rosette, and you’d have a perfect set of original bookends.

Add interest to a plain vase by using painter’s tape to create your design, then  sponging on some colored glass paint. 

Convert an old fashioned end table into a modern file cart and tool storing station.  This is genius ! 

Add a touch of garden themed whimsy to your kitchen by bringing in a trellis and displaying your kitchen utensils. 

Another plain shelf is given new life with fresh paint, contrasting scalloped molding, and decorative paper secured to the back.  You can spot the ‘Before’ in the bottom corner. 

All images courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications. 

Aren’t these the most fabulous ideas ?   Which one is your favorite ?

Sometimes I feel like talking about upholstered headboards in blog land is a little bit like saying, “Hey, did you hear?  Tiger Woods is lyin’ cheatin’ philanderer.” 

It seems everyone has talked about upholstered headboards and how much we all love them.   And let’s face it.  Upholstered headboards are FAB-U-LOUS.   Every retailer from Jonathan Adler to Tar-jay has one for you to ogle over. 

Then I got to thinking.  There are a lot of upholstered headboards out there with really amazing curves.  Here are a few dramatic shapes that really inspire me, and I think perhaps could be recreated with careful execution with a jigsaw.  Much of the piping and trim is tricky, but these curves certainly inspire me to get jiggy with my jigsaw again. 

Elizabeth Dinkel Designs

Calico Corners

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I’m a huge fan of adding interest to a space with varied textures.  The use of faux fur accessories is one way to bring elegance and softness, especially during these cold winter months.  Faux fur adds a whole lot of cozy, and a little bit of Old Hollywood glamour.  I adore it, in small doses, and when used in a casual stylish way.

I just want to snuggle up and get cozy with these images.  Each room has just the right touch of faux fur, with a single rug, pillow or throw.  They make me feel warmer just looking at them.

Decorpad

Pottery Barn

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I don’t know what it is about January, but the dawn of a new year makes me want to conquer the world with a paintbrush and a gallon of fresh white semi-gloss in hand.  These days, I can’t help but feel an intense desire to paint my entire house white !  Perhaps it’s just the images of freshly fallen snow, but oh to start the year over with a very blank canvas and an all white home.  There’s just something about a beautifully executed all white room that makes my heart go pitter patter, and makes me want to settle in for a long winter’s nap. 

Would it be to much to ask to have my living room look like this ?

Swoon !

And my dining room look like this ?

Heaven !

And a bedroom, any bedroom, look like this ? 

Perfection !

Of course, this is completely impractical right now because I am surrounded by pets and children and dark wood furniture and messes and well, real life.  Not that I mind.  Pets, children, dark wood furniture and messes add a certain warmth to a home, don’t you think?  

So as much as I may swoon over these designer rooms, in truth, I wouldn’t trade my family and the mess they bring with them for all the glamorous white spaces in the world.   That is, unless these spaces came with a lifetime’s supply of bleach and free dry cleaning. 

My wish for the New Year?  Simply to have more of the same.  OK, so the economy completely stinks, but I’m looking on the bright side.  The bright white side.  I’m looking forward to more fun projects for this blog, more time with my children, a nice vacation with my family, and good health the whole year through. 

And to be sure, a heck of a lot more white paint. 

Image credit:  1) Cote de Texas; 2) Country Living; 3) Layla Grace

 Happy New Year everyone -

I’ll see you in the next decade !

One of the many magazines I receive every month is a subscription to Real Simple.  I really can’t keep up with the magazines and catalogs that come in the post – I rarely read them cover to cover.  But now and then I’ll glance at them before they end up in the recycling bin.  This month, one article stuck out.  The question presented by Real Simple was “What Does Home Mean to You?”  You can catch the online full article right here.   

From the Real Simple article, a few of my favorite responses were these:

“The sensation of peace on a cozy, rainy Sunday; the feeling of relief when you pull into the driveway after a long trip; a quiet kiss on the head of a baby asleep in my lap; and the warmth of my husband’s arms. Home has been many places for me over the years, but its comforts are defined by simple, blissful moments like these.”  Sarah Bernard, Somersworth, New Hampshire

Image: Real Simple

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When I was a girl, we lived in a cottage.  In the living room was a built in daybed.  In that daybed, I would bury myself in cozy pillows and blankets for hours while I read the latest Nancy Drew mystery.  It was enchanting.  Some of my fondest memories are there. 

Whether it’s a lazy summer afternoon, or a rainy winter day, I’m still crazy about the idea of lounging in the mid afternoon in a daybed.  There’s something about a bed, out in the open, beckoning you to lie down with your favorite book, with the likelihood that you will indeed, and eventually, drift off to slumber land.   

These days, with two small and energetic children, a nap in the middle of the day is my idea of a serious vacation.  But at least I can dream of drifting off to dream in some of these favorite cozy spaces.   

House Beautiful, March 2009

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I’m right in the middle of remodeling my home office, taking it from blah blah brown to a more chic and glamorous space.  It’s getting a total overhaul from top to bottom, but on a budget. 

I purchased some cabinets with glass shelves from the local Villeroy & Boch outlet store that closed its doors, but I need to paint them and they’re 100 inches tall !  I’m also going to attempt to install grasscloth wallpaper, and make another no sew valance.  Plus all the accessories!  I’ll have lots of posts in the upcoming weeks as I update you on the progress. 

Here are some of the images in my inspiration file: 

Turquoise Design

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