Field Trip - Kate's House

Anybody that checks this blog is obviously into decor (and not just into me - ha ha!) so I thought I would post some pictures of my sister Kate's house. This is her little girls room and I think it is darling. It makes me want a girl - mostly just for a change of decor! (j/k - kind of). Everybody in my family loves trim work projects and you can see the cute job they did on the white back wall of this room. She made the curtains and some of the bedding too.

The color on the walls is Glidden Champagne Sparkle.

She created this cute artwork herself - here's how: First she bought the canvas at a craft store. Then she painted them with toll paints. Next she printed off different silhouettes on her computer (you could use silhouettes of your children too). After cutting out the silhouettes she traced them onto scrapbook paper then cut the scrapbook paper out. Finally they were modpodged in place. You could also use scrapbook paper or fabric for the background and do a solid colored silhouette instead. Anyway they turned out darling, they coordinate with the decor, their one of a kind - and they were done for very little money! Creativity goes a long way in home decor!

Bench

I have been looking for a bench for our entryway. I decided it would look best if the bench took up the whole length of the wall - which means it needed to be 6 feet. After some searching the cheapest 6 ft. bench I could find was this one from csnstores for $175. It is very basic but I figured with a cute paint job, some hardware accents, and some cushions it would be alright. Imagine my surprise when I found this exact bench on KSL - thankfully the person lived close by and I was able to pick it up for $100! Yeah ksl!

I started with a grey paint then painted on some of that crackle stuff, then did white paint. I wanted the bench to be the same color as the walls so that it didn't "stick out" or look to heavy in that spot. The top looked so cute I decided not to do a bench cushion right away and just stick with pillows - I may change my mind later.
Finally I went to my favorite store (Hobby Lobby) and picked up some hardware to spruce it up. You can see all my choices on the rug - I ended up going with a little M for the center with two crowns on either side of the "M". I stuck all the hardware on with command strips so it is removable.

My future plans for the entryway include wainscoting on the wall and once that is done I will hang a row of hooks above the bench.

Recent Additions to Casablanca

I have been wanting to hang a couple wreaths on these double doors that are in our entryway and lead into the future den. I went to Tai Pan and found these cute wreaths for $15 (and happened to find a lot of other things too!). I got these hooks and ribbon from hobby lobby to hang the wreaths from (hooks were $3.50 half off).

I happened upon this cute little knocker at Tai Pan as well and added it to the back of my front door. I think I officially have something on every single door in my house. My work here is done - ha ha J/K.

Finally I fell in love with this large silver bell (also from Tai Pan, sorry but it was the only one I saw there). I hung it in our dining room near the back door. I never plan to call my children to dinner with it - I am dreading the day they realize that it rings, I know it will quickly become their favorite and most obnoxious toy in the house!

Ribbon

I can't leave a lampshade alone! Adding ribbon is so cheap and easy and I like the detail it adds to lampshades, curtains, bedding, etc! For these I simply used one dot of hot glue on the back seam - that way the ribbon could easily be removed later (if I ever want) without ruining the entire shade.

This is the before and after on my bathroom sconces.

I love how ribbon was used to dress up these curtains. The pictures are from houzz.com. Houzz is a website with literally thousands of pictures of homes - exteriors and interiors. It provides TONS of inspiration. You can create your own idea book and save all the pictures you like in it. Careful - it can be a huge time waster!

Rugs

Rugs can make such a big impact in a room - which is great when you find the right rug and frustrating when the impact is not a good one! I have bought and returned rugs sooo many times - more than any other decor item. You may think it looks perfect in the store or online but there is a big difference once it is actually in your space. So my advice is to make sure to buy your rugs from a place that you can easily return them to. If you are buying it online try to get free shipping so that if you do have to return it you will only have to pay to ship it back. It can take some time to shop around to find just the right rug but it is worth it. I am always thinking someday I should start with a rug and then decorate a room around it but I always seem to do it the other (harder) way around. Anyway if you are in the market for a rug I am listing here my favorite places to shop.

This rug in my bedroom is from homedecorators.com. I knew I didn't necessarily need this rug to be comfortable or soft - it's primary purpose was simply for decoration. Which means I could get away with an indoor/outdoor rug. The prices are always cheeper for indoor/outdoor rugs but as I said before they are not comfortable so I wouldn't use them in a family room. This rug is a 5x7 and cost $90. Be sure to always measure your space and don't skimp on the size of the rug - it will not look good if it is not big enough. If you find a rug you like but it isn't big enough you can always layer it on top of another larger plain rug (click here for some examples).

I got this rug in black at Ballard Designs in a 4x6 ($50) for my front door mat. They have a lot of beautiful rugs but again their best prices are on their indoor/outdoor ones. Before buying from them check first if overstock.com or homedecorators.com sells the same rug for cheeper (that happens a lot).

As I just mentioned Overstock has a good selection of rugs - almost too many, it can be a little overwhelming but there are hidden jewels there!

Shades of light, West Elm, and World Market are some other favorites of mine.