Creative Juices Decor: May 2015

Need More Living Space? Add a PERGOLA - Top Tips Gallery and Ideas

Hey Friends!

Can you believe it's just about JUNE!?!

It's been gorgeous weather over her in the the Great Northwest and we've been eating outside under the lights of the pergola already.

Our pergola - click to see where to buy those string lights

I thought it would be fun to show you some awesome ADDITIONAL living spaces made by people that simply added a PERGOLA to the side of their home.

WHO ELSE IS IN LOVE?

This pergola setting is so beautiful, of course, having mature vines slipping their way around the structure makes this "picture perfect". I love the lanterns too - I did an entire post on How to Decorate with Lanterns that will make you want to buy every lantern you see - hee,hee.

Can you imagine stepping out of your living room french doors into this? :-)

You would have an entire other ROOM! I love the brick pavers and the added potted greenery.

I love that even though this is a smaller space they still made it into something special. You don't need a "grand" space to have an added pergola make it special. In fact there are probably some introverts looking at that saying PERFECT - a spot just for two - hee,hee.

The added pots and bright outdoor pillows really made this setting cozy.

Indulgy

This next picture is for those Shabby Chic lovers :-) I love the flagstone pavers on the ground.

Indulgy

Here is another small area that added an entire dining room to their home! That can't be wider than 10 feet? Simply gorgeous. Don't forget to add STRING LIGHTS to your outdoor structure. It adds SO much ambiance!

apartment therapy

I could keep adding more ideas of outdoor pergola spaces but I probably have enough for one post! (Maybe I'll have to do a Pergola Gallery post #2 for you guys!)

Let me leave you with a few TIPS and thoughts.

1) By creating an outdoor living space (weather permitting) you can add additional square footage space to your home :-) Having a second family room or dining area is a HUGE PLUS! I love my second dining room :-)

2.) If you have an existing patio, think about just adding an awning or pergola over it and viola, you have created an extra homey designated "room" outlined by the overhead structure.

3.) Add outdoor pillows to add color, texture and pattern to your space - it makes a WORLD of difference and is worth the investment.

My Backyard Living Space

4.) Oversized pots and planters can add so much life and even make the designated area feel more like a "room" by having an "edge" or barrier. It also adds a lot of depth to the area.

Adding Potted Vines to Pergola

5.) Have fun adding outdoor ACCESSORIES to your space - add lanterns, vases, bowls or anything that you like! It will make your space really feel like an extension of your home.

6.) LASTLY, add LIGHTING. Oh my word, it's my favorite part of my pergola. It just adds so much character and ambiance to the outdoor "room". I did a lot of research on finding just the right patio string light set. I wanted something that would be able to stay up through SNOWY winters and had black wire without being astronomically priced. I finally found the perfect set.

37.5 Foot S14 Clear Outdoor Patio Globe String Light Set, Black Wire, 25 Bulb Set

Click to see my full post on my own PERGOLA and string lights.

I hope you have a delightful summer my friends! Anyone have plans of building a pergola this summer? Which one was your favorite? :-)

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How to Reuse EOS Containers for DIY Chapstick!

Hey Friends!

I had a lot of fun with this little project. My daughter LOVES those EOS chapsticks and just finished using up a few.

I recently watched a video on how to refill the EOS containers with your own beeswax recipe but I really didn't feel like going out and buying all the ingredients as I just wanted to give this a shot and see how it turned out.

If you are like me, you have chapsticks that are laying around the house - some of them almost all used up. Well, if you want to make your own EASY chapstick re-using those COOL EOS containers just get a glass jar and DIG OUT every last bit of the chapsticks.

For those who want a little tint, cut off a chunk of an old lipstick you don't use anymore.

You will need the equivalent to 3 chapsticks in the jar. If you want to add a drop or two of essential oil for flavor/smell that adds to the fun. (peppermint is great!)

Next put it in the microwave at 20 second intervals, swish around between zappings so it can all melt evenly. This should take 3-4 rounds.

After you pop off the bottom part of the container, screw the lid back onto the TOP. Set this top section face down and fill it to the rim with the new melted chapstick. (Some people found success putting saran wrap in the top mold and THEN pouring the liquid.)

Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator or freezer till completely hardened. Once it is completely hardened (20 min?) pop back on the bottom of the container and unscrew the top of the EOS lid. If there is a little piece that stays in the lid, just push it back into the rest of the new chapstick.

(OK friends, it's hard to pull off a picture applying chapstick without it looking like I am eating it, so this was the best I could do LOL)

THERE YOU HAVE IT!

What do you think? Will you experiment with your own chapstick creation?

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Why American Clay is PERFECT for bathrooms!

Hi Friends!

This is one of my favorite bathrooms I did for a client.

Adding American Clay to the walls of her gorgeous home was just icing on the cake. My client chose the American Clay product Porcelina.

american clay home on water Selina Hoit applicator

"Porcelina is often compared to the Venetian plasters of Italy. It is truly closest to quality of "porcelain" ceramics for which it was named. Satin smooth, easily blended for marble-like surfaces, Porcelina casts a spell of beauty…with an edge of contemporary, crisp lustre.which is the smoothest of all the clay products and closest to the look of Venetian plaster". (from A.C. website)

For those that are thinking about doing American Clay in their bathroom you made a GOOD CHOICE! We did our own bathroom in American Clay and every time my husband takes a shower he feels like he is at a spa because the clay naturally absorbs water vapor and then releases this amazing clay smell back into the air!

Our own master bathroom done in American Clay - I also made the clay swirl art piece above the tub :-)

Don't forget that the clay is completely natural (no VOC's) 100% "green" and mold resistant. :-)

The color my client chose was Amber Grain - one of my favorites!

american clay Amber Grain applied in Tuscan Bathroom

Pardon the dust! We did this home right in the middle of all the construction process, in fact we did this entire home in American Clay - top to bottom including the garage!

Amber Grain American Clay in Bathroom with Vessel Sink

The home overlooked Lake Coeur d'alene in Idaho. I just LOVE this natural stone vessel sink paired up with a deep mahogany wood along with the depth of the textured, all natural clay walls. Be sure and click the link above to see more photos of her home. It's very "Italy meets the Northwest!"

Come see my HOME TOUR - I did all my walls in American clay! Even my little girls room in PINK clay :-)

creative juices decor tuscan home with American clay

Our home with Duke the GoldenDoodle Dog sleeping away!

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Grandparent Wall Gallery - Preserving the Memories with Photos and Books

Hi Friends!

So, I have been getting a little nostalgic lately :-)

This grandparent wall is my favorite photo gallery in my home. Every time I walk by it I smile and think of the life my grandparents have lived. I am also reminded how richly blessed I was/am to learn and be loved by them for so many years.

Photos of my Grandparents when they were kids!

My Grandpa and Grandma on my mom's side. My grandma was an artist and would give me lots of fun art lessons.

This is my FAVORITE photo because it captures the wittiness in my grandpa's smile and the warmth and kindness in his eyes. He is still that person today. :-)

My Opa (grandpa) and his sister

I count every day a blessing to still have my Opa around.

He is the world's greatest Opa and YES, he reads my blog - Hi Opa :-)

Relaxing in the San Juans

I know it would be odd to have every wall in my house be covered in family photographs :-) so the next best thing is to put them in a nice, professional looking photo book.

You can include both PHOTOS and STORIES to create a safe record of your family that can be passed on, and shared with future generations. They make the best coffee table discussion pieces too.

There aren't words to describe how much all of these pictures mean!! My children LOVE looking through photo books :-)

My husband's grandparents on his dad's side. I'm not quite sure what to think of that ruffle collar ;-)

Honestly, don't you love that swimsuit!

My husband's grandma on his mom's side. She looks a lot like Judy Garland to me :-)

Hopefully this post has been an encouragement to collect some photos so that you can make a photo gallery or photo book too. :-)

And.........since we're talking about grandparents and preserving memories, my good friend wrote the BEST blog post about a notebook she made for her grandma to fill out. It's such a wonderful idea. I hope you guys click on over there and read what she did.....just a warning.....you may get a little teary eyed (in a good way!!!)

Experiencing the past and enriching the present - Selina :-)

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Introducing Old World Garden Farm!

Well my friends, when I come across a blog titled OLD WORLD GARDEN FARM I was very curious to check it out. (You all know I love Old World anything :-)

I actually have another blog Old World Walls that mostly shows my American Clay projects. I don't keep up with it like I do this blog. I have NO idea how people can keep up with multiple blogs! This ONE takes me over the edge sometimes LOL!

Anyway (wow, I do get sidetracked -ha!) I had such a delightful time going through their posts that I contacted Jim and Mary and asked if I could do a blog feature on them. :-)

Introducing Old World Garden Farm :-) I now want chickens - hee,hee.

They are probably best known for what they did to their barn. They try to used reclaimed and salvaged product for all their projects! Their goal is to build everything on their farm on the "cheap" by practicing the art of recycle - reuse and re-purpose. They are a self sufficient farm couple :-)

From their own words :-) "Our “new” barn, was built over the course of a summer by reclaiming 2 turn of the century barns (one of which was my dad’s), and turning them into our Old World Garden Barn. Both barns came only for the price of simply tearing them down."

Here is the first thing they made for their old world barn! They made them from old barn flooring.

The completed barn :-)

I absolutely love the idea of adding a huge PERGOLA off of a barn front! Just think of how much extra outside entertainment space you can create! Anyone ready for a BARN PARTY!

They had a lot of friends (and blog readers!) that loved the pergola so much they asked if they would build them one. Mary and Jim had had so many requests they made a side business of it!

Here is a pergola they built for a friend - I love how the friends decorated around it.

I know you guys have all seen MY pergola :-) Decorating with patio string lights has been my most favorite upgrade to date.:-)

Outdoor String Light Set off Amazon

They also LOVE using those old delivery/shipping pallets for all kinds of projects. They give you detailed instructions on how to take apart those crazy things (believe me, if you want to make something out of pallets, read how to do this first! I tried to take one apart ONCE and gave up very quickly!)

The cool thing is you can get those pallets almost anywhere for FREE, they even give you tips on how to find pallets easily.

This is what they say about their cute old world coop "Our chicken coop was built almost entirely of used shipping crates we obtained for free. Same goes for our composting bins."

(Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking? Selina! That would look perfect in your backyard to match your Tuscan Old World Home! Yes, I'm giggling.....we now just have to convince my husband.)

Can you just see the chicken coop next to our pickleball court?!? :-)

I TOTALLY CAN!!!! Even the decorative grasses match!

They built an amazing reclaimed barn wood door headboard! You can read directions on the linked post. I LOVE the hardware they added to the headboard. Sometimes it's the little things that makes such a big difference. :-)

Check out the Recycled Barn Wood Trestle Table - yep, made it from wood salvaged from barn roof rafters. I love the old world/vintage look they achieved.

A blog reader liked their wood table so much and offered to buy this one so.......