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Monday, August 15, 2011

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.

Monday, August 8, 2011

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!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

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!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

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!

Friday, July 1, 2011

Wouldn't it be nice...

to do laundry in a room that was as
pretty as this:
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...

Thursday, June 30, 2011

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!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

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!

Monday, June 6, 2011

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!

Friday, May 27, 2011

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!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

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.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

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!