Archive for the 'decorating' Category

The Christmas Tea

Published December 16, 2009 crafting , decorating 3 Comments
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Every holiday season for as long as I can remember, our community comes together to present a “Christmas Tree Fantasy” to benefit local charities, and I was honored to be invited to decorate a table for their first-ever Christmas Tea this year. Let me be clear here…we’re not too fancy about table settings at my house, and after several years of presence in my home, my ‘good’ dishes haven’t seen a lot of use. (I think I’m going to be changing that, though…why not enjoy them now?) Even so, we’ve managed to misplace a few pieces of flatware and nick a plate or two, and I had only eight settings to begin with. So a fancy eight-place-setting table was a bit of a challenge to conjure. The solution? Vintage, layered, and mismatched of course! Here’s how it turned out:

A candle centerpiece featured spunky vintage pixies (inspired by Wendy’s)…I love these old-fashioned-girls more every time I see them:

Mismatched dishes, glassware and flatware:

And for the favors, I attempted a new skill–soldered glass pendants…these were tricky, but a lot of fun to make!

The ‘Tea’ itself was charming–it was fun to sit down and enjoy all the prettiness in the room. Definitely worth hitting next year!

Upward and onward,
Audrey

I Almost Forgot

Published August 22, 2009 decorating , favorite things 3 Comments
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Rug

I’m a lucky girl! And darn if I didn’t almost forget to tell you all about it!

Back in April, Kristen of Gock’s Frocks held a giveaway for this GORGEOUS rug on her blog, and I won it! It is soft, luxurious, looks perfect here on my landing, and goes beautifully with the projects I have planned for this room…if I ever get to them! Ha!

Anyway, jump on over to her blog and etsy store…she makes gorgeous things for little girls.

Gratefully,
Audrey

Don’t Forget To

Published August 18, 2009 decorating 2 Comments
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Pray

More from my decor overhaul this past weekend…my little red ladder needed a little something up top, and the sign needed to be in a better place: now it’s out in the open to remind me more effectively!

Audrey

Window Framed

Published August 15, 2009 decorating 5 Comments
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I’m supposed to be dusting/vacuuming/folding laundry right now, but I’m not.

I cleaned out my storage room this week: you know, the pit into which I threw everything I didn’t know or want to deal with for the past year or so (since the last time I cleaned that place out). And though my storage room looks wonderful for the moment, my family room is full of piles that are driving me crazy! So instead of doing chores, I’m playing around with finding homes for all the home decor items I’ve been storing. I’m thinking if they don’t have a home, they need to leave mine! Down with piles!

I spent a little time browsing the archives of one of my favorite decorating blogs for inspiration and decided to try this idea with what I had on hand: a big ole frame that came out of my sewing space when I re-worked it. It’s a little unconventional, and I’m almost 100% sure my hubby will complain about it when he wants to open the windows tonight, but for now…I like it! What do you think?

WindowFrame

Going back to work!
Audrey

Looking for a Conversation?

Published July 31, 2009 decorating 4 Comments
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Here is a picture of a conversation piece in my home:

Conversation Starter

This will get you questions and laughter! A couple years ago Audrey and I went shopping at the Trackside Mall in Idaho Falls and came across this canvas. Sometimes I wonder why I bought this piece of art to hang above the toilet in my half bath, but then someone comes out of there laughing, and I remember. I admit it is kinda funny and SO random. (I did actually try and sell it at my yard sale a few weeks ago, but no takers.)   Tonight Audrey went to turn off the light in this bathroom and started chuckling because she had forgotten about it. She suggested that I share this random picture on the blog tonight.

(I needed something black and white to go in my red bathroom! I think that is why I bought it.)

From Blah to Beautiful: The Journey of a Fabric Box

Published May 28, 2009 decorating , organizing , sewing , tutorials 2 Comments
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I worked on a major overhaul of my sewing space over the holiday weekend (yay!). It’s not completely finished yet, but I thought I’d share the process I used to create a big element of the re-do: cute storage using stuff I already had. Okay, so I bought the fabric, but I already had these fabric storage bins (I originally purchased them for another room, and never used or returned them), and did not want to spend more time or money on searching for the perfect organizing supplies. Here’s how it goes:

Start with a box…any square/rectangular box will do.

RedBox

Measure the bottom and sides of your box. My boxes are about 10.5″ by 10.5″ on the bottom, and each side measured 11″ by 11″.

Bottom

I wanted the liner to cover the inside AND outside of the box, so I determined the measurements of my cut pieces using this formula:

Base/bottom: add 1/2″ to each side to allow for 1/4″ seam allowances, so my cut piece measured 11″ by 11″.
Sides: (inside length + outside length +1/2″ for seam allowances) x (width + 1/2″ for seam allowances), so my 4 cut pieces each measured 11″ by 22.5″.

Pieces

Sew the sides together. I used my serger, but a straight stitch machine will work just fine.

SidesSewn

With all four pieces joined together, sew the two open sides to each other, forming a big tube.

SewingSides

Sew the base to one end of the “tube”.

SewingBase

Check to make sure it fits!

Lined

I decided to decorate these boxes with more fabric, and wanted a slightly rustic look, so I serged the edges of 6″ strips of toile with my trusty black thread:

Trim

And in true Nester-fashion, I hot-glued the trim right on to the liners. Voila!

FinishedBox

Straighten Up!

Published May 23, 2009 decorating , tips Leave a Comment

CrookedCrown

The princess crown hooks I used in my girls’ room have always been a bit squirrely…and with ribbon hanging on them, they’re downright naughty! I was pointing them out to a friend recently, who said, “Try hot glue!” So I did. And the crown hooks are crooked no more. I love tricky little decorating tips, don’t you?

StraightCrown

More Fun with Ribbons

Published March 27, 2009 decorating 4 Comments
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jbed

Okay, so I had that ribbon in my house because I was planning to do something with it! This window has never had a real ‘window treatment’, and since I’m still not ready to get all serious and commit to fabric, I decided to try a ribbon swag. Do you think it’s too whimpy? I have more ribbon, I still might try to bulk it up a little. While I was at it, I finally got a few things hung on the walls next to Miss J’s bed. Yay! A few less items sitting on the floor waiting for homes… (I’m notorious, people.)

magnetboard

Miss J’s magnet board…something I actually finished and hung when I painted her room 3 1/2 years ago. But I moved it the other day, and we both really like it here.

mbed1

While I was at it, Miss M’s canopy got a little extra punch of color. She’s so growing out of that crib.

Balloon

And the piece-de-resitance…the balloon Miss J made in Kindergarten got a pretty new tail and a permanent place on the ceiling. It needs stuff on the walls to go with it. But I’m done for awhile. The end.

It’s All in the Details…or Not

Published March 23, 2009 decorating , on my mind 5 Comments
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Three Candles

My baby girl turned three over the weekend. Sniff, sniff, hooray! She was princess for a day, and she loved it. After the house was made mostly presentable for a family party (more about that below), we ventured out to the park for a warm-wind-blown picnic. It was so nice to soak up some gentle sun after the long winter months, and the kids enjoyed climbing and playing.

three on a swing

So, about birthdays. I LOVE to drool over the fabulous over-the-top parties that fantastically creative mothers throw for their kids! And every year, I fully intend to plan three of them. But somehow, before I know it, the big day is here and I am entirely unprepared. So I’ve decided to not stress about it. My goal in life is to do the best I can, and let the rest just go. I like the idea of relaxed entertaining over high-stress pursuit of perfection.

In keeping with that habit/philosophy, I shopped for birthday supplies late the night before Miss M’s b-day. (As evidenced by the lack of professional writing on her cake in the picture above…bakery was closed. But I did my best to write her name with sprinkles I had on hand!) Miss J happened to be with me and requested that we purchase crepe paper for streamers to decorate. I declined, saying we’d do something else with supplies we already had at home (does anyone else get annoyed at how much money can go into embellishments that are immediately thrown away?). And forgot about it. Ten minutes before guests arrived, Miss J was in near-meltdown mode at my lack of decorating, so I grabbed some spools of ribbon and quickly came up with this centerpiece. It took three minutes, and was big enough to lend the festive atmosphere I was looking for. A few more ribbons around the room, and strategic placement of the ginormous singing Princess balloon gifted by one of the best grandmothers on the planet, and we were good to go. Phew!

Birthday Streamers

Our Gratitude Garland

Published November 25, 2008 decorating , holidays 1 Comment
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 turkeygarland1

Wow, where did November go? I’m not sure where I’ve been, just busy being busy, I guess! I’m ready to get back to business though, lots to do! Yesterday I wanted to do a Thanksgiving activity with the kids, and thought these ideas were nice, so I printed up some cute tags (used images from this digi-kit) and we talked about gratitude and what we’re each thankful for, then strung them up on a ribbon. Fast, simple, easy…and so nice to bring our attention back to what is really good in our family. Here’s the low-down on what we’re grateful for at our house this year:

-Miss M is grateful for Miss M
-Mr. M is grateful for his family
-Miss J is grateful for horses and her family
-Mommy is grateful for our home and our family
-Daddy is grateful for his “beautiful, non-ornery wife” (awww…eye-roll)

Okay, so we’re not awfully creative, but we are truly blessed.

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