Fun Mikasa “Poppies” Plates!

What do you think of these plates??!!!  Are you sighing like I am??  They are Mikasa plates from the Poppies Collection.

They had JUST come in at Costco and didn’t even have a display set out yet so I  took it upon myself to start the display set and undid a box (OK, only part of a box, and when one of the Costco workers came around the corner, I pretended I hadn’t touched anything and was looking at a different item a few feet away.  He just looked at the dissembled box, shook his head and continued to nicely lay it all out so wacked out people like me could see what prettiness lies under the box!) 

I justified my purchase by the fact that the night before, my spastic wonderful dog came up to do his normal “licking of the plates” routine in the dishwasher while I did the dishes and his collar caught on part of the dishwasher and the noise FREAKED him out so he literally JUMPED up and down (while still attached to the dishwasher rack) while I just stood there helpless watching my dishes go flying every which way.  After about four giant FLOPS in which he took the entire rack all across the kitchen floor, (my dog’s pretty big) he freed himself and went on to enjoy his night……I just stared at my broken plates. 

God had a plan though.   We JUST got back our yearly Costco kickback and it was just enough to buy this brand new table setting of eight!

Main Dinner Plate

Salad Plate

Tea Cup Plate (or Mug Plate, I don’t know what you call this plate!)

What do you think??  They are kind of “out there” and maybe a little bolder than my previous set but the colors look so nice with the house, I’m hoping they work……


(I just put these out on the table to take a picture and was too lazy to put out the silverware )

I do worry about the stoneware because I still have young kids and I know they can chip, but for now, I think I’ll just try to enjoy them

Did I take enough pictures of my new plates??? HA!  Maybe I should just hang a few plates on my wall – I seem to like them enough

Selina ~ CreativeJuicesDecor~

One of the Beautiful Homes I did in American Clay

I just found out that one of my favorite rustic homes I did just went on the market.  I would say the style was pretty much North Idaho meets Italy :-) I had SO MUCH fun working for this client and as you can tell with these photos, I got a lot of inspiration from her house for my own…..just not millionaire style!  ha!


This is on the market right now for a little over 5 million.  Yep, I’m going to have to wait till about 50 of my ships to come in for that one!  Enjoy the photos.  It got voted HOUSE OF THE WEEK from the Wall Street Journal's real estate section.  (That is a really big deal.....it showcases homes from all over the world.)

Exterior of her home, all made from real rock, not the “out of the box” stuff.  It overlooks Lake Coeur d’ Alene  the 7th most beautiful lake in the world according to National Geographic.

Gorgeous dining room with doors that completely fold open to the deck and the lake.

This bathroom was something else!!!  That tub is carved out of one SOLID piece of onyx!  I believe it is worth around $50,000.  The antique pavers on the floor were imported from France.

This room was incredible!  I actually ended up doing the American Clay application on the very top.  We had two scaffoldings set up with a latter on top of them and there I was 30’ high putting on the clay. (My husband was not happy about that!) Sounds like fun, huh That 300 years old fireplace mantle was also imported from France.

There you have it – one of my favorite homes ever.  Glad I got to show it to you guys.  I hope the new owners can appreciate all the work that goes into having  American Clay walls.  I kid you not, her ENTIRE home was done in the clay, even the garage and the tiny hidden mechanical room.  Not one drop of paint was used.  Pretty amazing.

~ CreativeJuicesDecor~

photos by Sheena Dunn

Dining Room with Final Decor and Shutter Windows

 Here are the final photos of the dining room.  :-)

The café shutters came at the recommendation of the window lady who came out to give me a bid on the blinds.  I had never thought of doing shutters but when she left, I looked up all kinds of shutter photos on the internet and instantly fell in love!  What do you think?    You can open them, close them, and adjust the louver slats. 

For the corner vignette, I put a small up light behind the tree so at night it lights up and really gives some nice ambiance. 

The café shutters closed……

I just loved this shot of the lilies with the clay walls in the background.  I wish you guys could come visit so you could see how the clay affects a room! 

There you have it!  The final decorated dining room photos

Another Gallery Wall using the Wax Paper Method

I have to say, if you have not read about the wax paper method of hanging a picture gallery you must go over and read it.  It is just fantastic!

Just to show you how much fun you can have with a gallery wall full of photos here are a few shots and the upstairs hallway.

Before:

After:

One thing that is so great about the method is you can place the wax paper on the wall and move it around.  I had to deal with a very LOUSILY placed thermostat (bummer I didn’t catch that while they were putting it in) and so I was able to move the paper around until I got that thermostat placed in-between the frames.  It was so easy and we all know I love easy. 

If you give it a shot, let me know.  Maybe you’ll even have some more tips we can learn from.  Anything to get those frames off the floor and onto the walls – right?

If you want to see the full version of how to do this wax paper wall hanging technique, you can see my downstairs arrangement in which I paired up photos along with some art.

Enjoy!!!!

Rustic Tuscan Living Room with Final Decor

Here is the final fully decorated living room.  You already saw the fireplace but I realized you haven’t seen any of the furniture!

I am still debating whether or not to put up some light tapestry drapes. (just on the bottom half)  I can see it in my head and I think I like it, but I don’t want things to get too cluttered.

For some reason the sofas look purple, they aren’t   Just a deep brown.  I got both the sofas and the coffee table off Craigslist for a great price!  The faux fur pillows and blanket were from Wayfair.com

I’m sure you all know by now that music is very important in my family so we made room for the upright piano on this half wall.  Of course, it would be a dream to have a grand piano but an upright will be just fine

This is the view from the kitchen looking out.  To the left is the dining room.  It is a very open floor plan, makes entertaining pretty easy.  (although, entertaining isn’t my strong suit!  I’m working on it)

Hope you all like it, it’s fun to get to show everyone now that it is FINALLY finished! 

UPDATE: I put in DRAPES!  Click to see post.

Don't forget to check out the Dining Room and Kitchen too!

Linking up to Young House Love - book party Tip # 3 - Adding Texture!  The signature lambskin :-)

Linking up to THRIFTY DECOR CHICK'S party!

Decorating the top of your Kitchen Cabinets - a few Tips and Tricks

I have collected SO MUCH junk beautiful things from the thrift store, yes, I have topped off my cabinets FULL of thrift store treasures for pennies. 

The funny thing is I have so much collected things left over that I am not using that I told myself I am BANNED from any more thrift store shopping. 

BANNED, GROUNDED, NEVER TO GO AGAIN, OUTLAWED, ILLEGALIZED,

Until next week when I see that 50% off sign…….. I might decide it’s OK again.

Ok back to the top of the cabinets!

BEFORE:

And the AFTER:

 

Remember this old post on making your own DIY Monogram Plates (without any fancy gadget?)  Check it out if you haven’t read it yet   I love it that you can take old plates or pictures and turn it into hanging art.

Top of the China Hutch:

. 

 Be sure to check out the  Pottery Barn Knockoff clock tutorial pictured above :-)

Here are a few tips when it comes to decorating tops of cabinets or even tops of decorative tables.

1.) Do lots of layering, especially with the heights.  PAIR up items, rarely would I leave a single decor item by itself.  Either use 2 or 3 pieces and be sure each one is a different height. Don't equally space each decor item by themselves.

2.) Think about how your eye would travel, you want your eye to do a circle…..it’s interesting how decorating is just like taking a good picture, if you can take a good picture I promise you can decorate well too! 

3.) Greenery  adds so much, it softens the edges…….keep your eye out at thrift stores or use that 40% off Michael's coupon to buy yourself some greenery!  Add the greenery in spots that have a lot of hard texture around it so it can be softened up.

If you guys ever have any questions, you know I am HAPPY to help. 

Here is a post about my top 10 general decorating tips if you haven’t read that post either!!

Here is the FINAL photo of my completed kitchen:

If you would like to have a fun look at my HOUSE TOUR I'd love to see more of you.

I recently finished completely accessorizing my friends home using all the tips above - come see the before and afters!

  Come follow my Pinterest boards if you want!

Till Next Week My Friends!!!  Have a good one

Reasons To Take A Vacation

4 Reasons To Take A Vacation

Your home may be the loveliest place on earth, especially if you have done a lot of work to it, but that doesn’t mean you should leave it every now and then. In fact, taking a vacation is a good idea for many reasons, and if you have a beautiful home to come back to afterwards then that is a definite bonus. If you’re wondering if you should take a vacation, here are some of the benefits.

Reduced Stress

Everyone is busy and everyone feels stress to at least some degree. Depending on what our lives are like – as well as our personalities – the best way to combat this stress before it gets too out of control and makes us unwell is to get away from it all and go on vacation. Not only will stepping way allow you to get a new and better perspective on anything that might have been troubling you, but it will also allow your stress levels to lower and you’ll feel a lot happier in general.

Your Health Will Improve

Chronic stress is bad for you because it keeps your blood pressure raised and you will constantly be in ‘fight or flight’ mode which puts a strain on your heart and your body in general. Stress is bad for your mental health too, and it can lead to depression and anxiety. When you are taking some time for yourself you will be doing a good thing for your health. You’ll feel better and you should sleep better too (you might even start on the plane, so investing in some airplane headphones is a good idea).

You’ll Be More Productive

Ironically, the more you work the less productive you become because you’re just so tired all the time. Unfortunately, the less productive you feel, the more you will try to work to make up for it, and nothing will ever get done. Although it may be hard, especially if you run your own business, you’ll do much better if you take a break every now and then than if you try to just keep going without stopping.

A vacation and a getaway gives you the chance to recharge and refresh, and that’s exactly what human beings are designed to do, so listen to your body and do what you’re told. Often you will come back to work feeling more creative and more motivated than before.

Better Quality of Life

Working all the time has a number of disadvantages when it comes to your health, but it also causes problems in your family and social life. If you’re working, you’re not enjoying someone else’s company, or playing with the kids, or even taking the dog for a walk. You’re not doing any of the things that makes us human and that, in the end, make a good life. Money and prestige is important to many, but your loved ones are the most important thing, so take time out for them if nothing else.

The Big Reveal!!!–the PINK Clay Bedroom - My Girl's Room

Alright, I know I am a little obsessive compulsive, I just can’t seem to stop!  I just spent 15 HOURS in 2 days doing my youngest daughters room in PINK American Clay.


I had promised her from the first day we started the house, her room could be pink.  She is my little princess child, everything needs to be pink.  She had hoped that the entire house exterior would be painted pink.  (And our car, and the sky, and the dog…..you get the picture!)


So, since all you lovely readers helped me win the last American Clay contest I spent my winnings on buying Porcelina Clay and tried out one of their new colors Coral Springs (actually, I lighted up the color and used one bag of Sugarloaf and 1/4 of a bag of Baton Rouge)

Here is the BEFORE shot:

(All walls done in Shaker Beige by Benjamin Moore)

And the AFTER!:

Can you see all the texture?  The look/feel of it is so amazing in person, I wish you could all come over to my house and see it   It truly  gives off such an ambiance…….you’ll never regret doing clay in your home!

It was the softest pink EVER, I was so pleased with the color. (it was a little risky since I was the first to “invent” this particular color!)   If I had to match it to a Benjamin Moore color I would say it matched “Love and .Happiness” 1191 

The ceiling was done in Decorators White by Behr.  I did it in flat paint.  In my opinion you always should do flat on ceilings. One reason being it absorbs the light that is blaring on it but I don't recommend flat paint on walls with people who have kids.  It is harder to wash and it absorbs all those greasy finger print. 


Remember that pink lamp makeover?  I did the shade out of scrapbook paper……if you haven’t checked it out be sure and do that

Those drapes were only $2.00 each side BRAND new at the thrift store!

(Remember the seashell and mirror mosaic art I created using those left over capiz sea shells?  I found the entire string of them for a few bucks at the thrift store.)

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK???? 

Both my daughter and I are tickled pink about it ha,ha!  Do you guys like it? 

Linking up to: Thrifty Decor Chick