Pinterest Inspiration

I LOVE Pinterest.

I recently stumbled upon this lovely image

and thought it was just wonderful.

Well lucky for me last weekend at

Scott's Antique Market I stumbled upon

a similar old rake which now resides

in my bathroom and holds some of

of my lovelies.

I was so happy when the vendor

told me it was only $5 because my

goal was to find one for less than $10

Thank you Pinterest for the inspiration.

New Pillows In My Etsy Shop

I have been trying to fill up my Etsy shop with

new pillows, but they have been selling

within 1-2 days, I'm not complaining, but it

sure is keeping me busy!

I decided to let you readers know first when I have

a new pair in the shop.

Also, just for checking out my blog you can get 10% off

your purchase by using the code:

simplesage

This code will not expire, so whether you want to

use it tomorrow, or in a few months, you can!

Mini Makeover

I've been in desperate need

of some new pillow covers for my

living room, it's amazing what a two

year old can do to your furnishings.

I went with something green

and summery that goes well with the fern

prints I have hanging above my sofa.

I also made a matching valance for the kitchen.

Our kitchen and living area are one TINY

open space so I wanted to keep it cohesive.

This window has been

naked for the past year, and I finally

whipped up this valance. 1 hour and $6

dollars later, I can't believe it took me

so long to get around to!

I also made this "EAT" sign, I've seen

so many of them and decided that this

little wall was the perfect spot for it!

All in all I spent only $30 for four pillows,

the valance, and EAT sign, and it made this rental

finally feel so much more like a home!

Check This Out-Reupholster How To

Jenny over at Little Green Notebook

aka Pearl Street Interiors

just turned a set of these chairs...

into these beauties!!

Check out her BLOG for an amazing

step by step tutorial.

Now I need to find an inexpensive chair

and inexpensive fabric and see if I can

manage to turn it into something half

as stunning!

Wouldn't it be nice...

to do laundry in a room that was as

pretty as this:

via design inc

It's not too over-the-top for a laundry room

but it's SOOO much prettier than mine.

And that mirror is an old door, genius!

...One day I guess...

Welcome Summer

I just hosted a baby shower for my best friend,

her little girls name is going to be Summer

so we went with a "welcome Summer" theme.

yum.

It was a brunch, so donut holes, fruit, quiche,

and a yogurt bar were all in attendance.

yum again.

I also tried my hand at the ruffled

cake featured on Martha Stewart

donut holes, in monogrammed,

easy to grab containers.

love IZZE.

And the guests were treated to

cupcakes in a jar as a thank you.

All packaged up and oh so yummy!

Me and the mommy to be!

I'm so excited for her and can't wait to

meet this little girl of hers!

Nursery Progress

Remember when I posted this inspiration board?

Well I was in San Francisco to throw my friends

baby shower, and we worked on the nursery while

I was there. I was only there for 4 days and 2 of

those days we were focussed on the shower, but

we did find time to do some nursery shopping,

paint furniture, and organize the nursery.

We painted this vintage dresser she got

for $40 (which I covet) pink,

a $10 mirror from Ross we painted yellow

We also lined the drawers, which is a must

with second hand dressers, with this cute

shabby chic shelf liner from Michael's ($3/roll)

The doll was a shower gift, and the lamp

we picked up at Ikea ($20)

I also hand painted her this monogrammed

wall sign for over the crib.

And we made cork-backed shadow boxes for

her collection of vintage Barbie dresses, she has

6 of them, and they are just precious!

Needless to say we were very busy,

but we had lots of fun doing it.

Check back soon for pictures from the shower!

Beachy Inspiration

My parents just bought a new home

on the North Carolina coast so

beachy design is on my mind.

Here are some inspiration images

from Coastal Living I am loving!

Love the colors, but they aren't

too bright and over the top.

Love the brown and white

All of the bathrooms need to be

redone, I'm loving this master bath.

I love the idea of bunk rooms for

the grandkids but I'm not sure we are

going that route.

I think we are going to do a sleeping porch

with hanging beds for the grandkids,

and I love the sconces!

If only I could spend the whole

summer there, and design during

nap time... that's actually not a

bad idea!

Anyone else have some great beach

inspiration? Pass it along!

Curtain Making

I just finished making this pair of

navy curtains for a friend/client

of mine.

(shown in my little girls room)

They are for her little boys room,

he has the Star Wars bedding from

Pottery Barn

And his room is painted light blue,

so the navy ties right in!

Now that they are complete

I can enjoy my long weekend,

and I hope you do too!

Lonny+ West Elm

Lonny Magazine and West Elm are

pairing up and giving away a $10,000

room makeover.

Go HERE to submit photos of your space!

Speaking of Lonny, check out this

"kids office" they featured.

I love it, especially the bookshelves.

I have dreams about having bookshelves

like that some day.

Book Review- Home Rules

My sister and her husband just bought

their first home and we were discussing paint

colors the other day.

People who have been renters for a few years

seem to go a little paint crazy once they have

the freedom to choose their wall color.

Nate Berkus has a few good tips in his book

Home Rules that I thought applied well.

1. Don't be afraid to experiment with colors.

Sometimes it's the only way to find out what

colors you really love and can live with.

2. Try out my rule of four: One color, top to

bottom, can be a bore, two might work, three

can be interesting, four adds up to a rich,

sophisticated scheme

3. Your clothes closet often knows best.

If you feel comfortable wearing a particular

color, you'll probably feel comfortable living

with a shade of the same color.

4. Paint is cheap and changeable, and it

creates a rich result.

5. Try out your paint coors in the rooms where

they'll be used before you make an all-out

commitment.

6. Remember three things if your going to paint

it yourself: prep, prep, prep

7. To play it safe, keep walls and major pieces

neutral, then add color in the details. A patterned

pillow is a lot less risky than a set of boldly

upholstered dining chairs.

8. Unify your fabric and paint story.

Collect all the pieces of the puzzle on a story

board to see if you like the mix before you play

the decorating game.

9. When in doubt, men's suiting colors such as

camel, navy, gray, and crisp white are

reliable choices.

10. Use lighing to create mood and

influence the colors in your space.

Number 8 is probably my favorite tip. I love the

look of layered spaces that you can add to over

time, but in general you should have an overall

color scheme in mind BEFORE you start

painting and picking out furniture.

Once you have your large pieces taken care of,

then you can add more life and color to the

space with accessories.

This book was a fun read and had some

great tips and ideas for designing spaces

as well as some great inspiration photos.

Oh and the multiple photos of Nate

throughout the book were nice too!