New beginnings, new possibilities, garden planning, white winter nights, snow covered landscapes, and rides through the country with the love of my life. One of my favorite things to do during these slower paced winter months, is to find new little shops to visit when Dan & I are out on one of our afternoon dates.

One of our absolute favorite shops to visit is called “Persnickety”. It’s filled to the brim with wonderful primitive country decorating goodies! Not only do they have great things to shop for, but the owner also allows customers to walk through his private home, so they can glean decorating ideas to use in their own homes. When we went for a visit this week, I decided to take some pictures so I could share them with you. They also have a brand new facebook page on which they will be adding lots of new pictures, coupons, and primitive country decorating ideas.

I hope you enjoy this peek into a lovely primitive country home.

Primitive Country Home – Slideshow:

One of my favorite places to find creative visual inspiration is Flickr.

For your daily dose of creative inspiration… here is a slide-show of some of the photos from the group! I hope you enjoy…I know that I do!

I decided to get a professional account there, so that I can add as many pictures to my account as I’d like. I also belong to several groups, where people that share the same interests gather to share their favorite pictures. At Flickr, not only can you find pictures on any topic that your heart desires, but you can add them to your favorites, save a person as a contact if you like their pictures, add your pictures to different groups, comment on any pictures, and more! The site is totally free to start your own account, and you can use the site as much as you’d like.

One of the “slight problems” with Flickr is, there are SO MANY pictures to look through, that it might take a while for you to find the “best pictures”, and a few hours can pass by without you even noticing! This is why I created a new group called “The Best of Home and Garden.”

I created the group to give people a special dose of creative inspiration, without all of the work of sorting through thousands of pictures, while trying to find the perfect one. The group is free to join, and even though we receive many pictures to be considered for inclusion, we only allow the best of the ones we receive to be included in the group. This ensures that people who take the time to look through the group’s photos, will thoroughly enjoy their time with us!

I would love for you to take a second & join the group and submit some of your favorite pictures for possible inclusion! I only ask that you please not be disappointed if it is not chosen to be included. Because even though we love all kinds of pictures, we are trying to use discretion when deciding which ones to allow into “The Best of Home and Garden”

A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has already submitted pictures, it is really appreciated!

Adding footstools are a great complement to a contemporary living room.

Recently, I had a reader ask me this question:

“We are a bit short of money, but I am tired of looking at the same old boring walls. I can’t really afford to buy anything (I’d feel too guilty even if I did). Is there anyway of making decorations at home?”

There are times in all of our lives, when money is tight & we are more conscious of what we spend. But, I am here to tell you… the amount of money that you have or don’t have never has to stop your creativity when it comes to decorating your home!

To be honest with you, when this question was asked, I had a flood of ideas that came to mind right away!

But, I know our minds tend work! We go into “decision mode” where we question everything so much, that we tend to just not make a decision at all! We start thinking thoughts like…

- I don’t know which is the “right” one to pick

- I don’t know if this is really a good idea

- What will my friends think of my choice

- Can I really make something look nice enough with little or no money

So… to help simplify things, and make sure that you act on your creative ideas, I wanted to pass along a few “proven ideas” that you can go create RIGHT NOW! That way, you & your family can enjoy them right away… and you won’t get trapped by overcomplicating the decision making process!

3 Simple Rules to Creating a Beautifully Decorated Wall

When decorating a wall, there are only 3 easy Steps to follow! It’s not rocket science, and you CAN do it… and do it beautifully!

And the most exciting thing? None of these concepts cost any extra money

Rule #1 – Size

When you are considering ideas for decorating a “whole wall” remember that in order to get a pleasant visual balance, a larger item or collection of items is always better than one small item.

Reason? If you plop one small item in the middle of a large wall, your eye is drawn right to the small item, and your brain automatically says “wow that picture (or whatever is hanging there) is small”! Your wall is also left with a “never go around to finishing it” look.

Rule #2 – Family

Think about your family. Even though each person is different, there is still something that holds you all together and makes you a unit. This is the idea that I want you to remember when you are making your decorating choices. So with that in mind, when deciding which items will have the honor of hanging on your wall for all to see, they don’t have to all be the same (although they could be if that’s the look that you are going for), but they need to still be related in some way… even if they are distant cousins twice removed

Use items that are related in either of these 3 ways:

- Color

- Style

- Theme

Rule #3 – Balance

Your goal is to try to achieve some sort of balance, so that your wall decor will be pleasing to the eye. This simply means, that instead of randomly placing things here or there, try to think of how that item looks in perspective to the other items around it, as well as in relation to the whole wall.

And that’s it as far as “how to” decorate my walls, and now it’s on to the “what to” decorate my walls with!

I want you to clear your mind of the limiting thoughts such as… “what’s allowed to be used as wall decor”!

Why? Because when it comes to “what” is allowed to be used to decorate your own walls… there are no rules!

When trying to decorate with a limited budget, we need to think differently than the “spend to decorate” mindset.

What I want you to do is:

1. Take out a piece of paper & write down the things that you LOVE!

2. Take a walk around your house/attic/basement/garage and look at the items that you already have – jot down your favs

3. If there are things on your “love list” that you don’t have, is there a way to get/make those without spending?

Now lets go through those one at a time

1. What is it that you love?

- What are your eyes automatically drawn to when looking through magazines

- Collections

- Items that belonged to loved ones

- Childhood toys

- Animals

- Gardening

Just fill in the blank & really think about what it is that makes your heart smile when you look at it.

2. After you took a walk around your house & all the nooks & crannies… what did you find?

- Maybe grandma’s collection of aprons or hankies?

- Your childhood collection of baseball cards or sports items?

- A collection of small chairs that you really didn’t know what to do with, but you kept them because you loved them?

- Some pretty scraps of fabric that you planned to make into a quilt someday?

- Some old doors / windows that you found on the side of the road – had no idea what to do with them – but they are still with you?

You see, as you go through your own home, and ask yourself these types of questions, you will start to see a common thread. You will find some things that you hang onto just because you love them. They may be tucked away in a box, stashed in a drawer, or stored in the basement. You have no idea what to do with them, you just know that you keep them because they mean something to you.

3. There might be some things that are on your “love list” that you don’t currently have. Try to think of a creative way to possibly get a few of those things to use in our project.

- Could you make it from other items that you do already have?

- Maybe a friend has one & doesn’t use it anymore?

- Could it be found curbside on trash day?

- Maybe it’s listed in the free section of Craigslist?

- After sale giveaway (when a yard sale is over, most people want to find someone to come get all the leftovers!)

- $1 box at an estate auction (I have found LOTS of treasures this way!

- I bet you could barter either an item – or a skill/talent in exchange for it!

Look at these creative ideas to help get your ideas rolling!

All of these mirrors are different, yet they are “related” by color

These vintage hand mirrors are related by theme & color

This setting is not only related by theme, but by color as well.

I love this display idea, because you could change up the purses each season if you’d like!

Just a simple shelf filled with some of your favorite bowls makes a beautiful display!

Use bits of paper & cover a wall like Pam did here – beautiful!

Here the objects are both pictures and landscapes.

This beautiful wall speaks of size (scale).

This wall will give you an idea of how to balance the display.

How about displaying your garden tools – or other similar items?

I hope these ideas have helped stir your imagination & give you a new perspective of what is possible when you open up your mind to new creative ideas!

Pearl

With Christmas now behind us, most of us will spend the next week packing up all of the beautiful bits & bobbles that have dressed our home for the past several weeks. And although it’s kind of sad to see all of our little Christmas treasures get tucked away for another year, it’s also sort of nice to have our home “freshened up” for the new year. Even so… there is still a bit of an empty feeling, when we think about having to wait another full year to display those treasures again.

Here’s a great idea to help you prevent that “empty feeling” around your home, and to help you to look forward to each new season/holiday throughout the year.

Why not keep a few of your things out & “re-purpose” them to match each new season/holiday?

For example…

I love my grapevine wreaths! So, instead of putting them away because Christmas is over, why not take the Christmas decorations off of the wreath & put some other sort of decorations on it for the rest of winter? Or, you could keep everything off for a natural look.

This year, my husband bought me a little tree for Christmas. It fits on my kitchen counter just perfectly! Instead of putting it away, I am going to dress it with items that say “winter” – instead of “Christmas”.

Here are some different things that say “winter” (not just “Christmas”), so instead of packing them away, you can keep them out all winter long.

Birds

We get to enjoy feeding our feathered friends during the cold winter months, so how about using little birds made from pretty paper or felt (like the ones above)? Using some scrapbook paper, you could make up beautiful little birds to match any style or color. Then use them to hang on a tree, wreath, light fixture, or across your curtain rod.

Ice Skates

Snow-people can live in your decor all winter!

Snowman

Mittens

Snowflakes

Berries

Greens

Also, if you’re having a difficult time deciding which colors to use, so your home says “winter” instead of “left over Christmas”, you can’t go wrong with white, silver, light blue, and green!

Drum roll please……..

The winner is – Mary Carroll, from Little Red House

Here is the link to her room on MicasaStyle.com – take a second & go take a peek. She has done a wonderful job getting her room ready for Christmas!

Thank you to all who participated, and thank you to MicasaStyle.com for asking us to share it with our readers.

And Mary…. enjoy spending the extra $100 for the holidays!

Picture by Joy – stop by her Flickr page!

Today I wanted to share some more ideas for using pumpkins to decorate your home & garden without having to carve them.

There are so many ways that you could choose to decorate your home for the season. For some reason, when it comes to fall decorating, many people think about the “dreaded” carving day, when they will have to display their talents (or possible lack thereof) for the whole neighborhood to see. Thankfully, there are many beautiful options available to you, where you will never even have to take out that knife

Look at the beautiful displays that some of my creative friends have put together!

From (Joy), the same gal who shared the above picture. I love how her friend has used so many different fall items such as; pumpkins, guards, bittersweet vine, colorful leaves and sunflowers, to fill this vintage baby carriage. This display is so “storybook dreamy”!

By pulling together some of your favorite bits of Autumn, you can make your home & garden the talk of the town! The best part? Most of these items can be found free by using things from your garden, and your decorating closet.

Here are some items that you could add to your fall display

rusty things (don’t you just love rusty things

A simple scattering of pumpkins & goards here and there makes everything feel so festive!

The newer white pumpkins that are showing up at farm stands around the countryside are simply stunning! They are great for decorating with, because the eggshell color goes with just about anything… even this cute little doggie

How about a pretty ribbon around the stem of the pumpkin to make is even more dazzling!

And… I think these girls are enjoying the newer white pumpkins as much as I am

Painted pumpkins are becoming very popular, and although they are a great project for those who are to young to carve, they aren’t just for kids anymore I have seen some absolutely stunning examples of painted pumpkins, that would be a beautiful addition to any home. You can do something very simple or extremely complex, it’s totally up to you. These painted pumpkin ideas are not only easy, but they will also allow you to use your creativity and put together something unique & inexpensive for your fall display.

Before you paint your pumpkin, be sure that it is clean & dry.

Deciding what to use to “color” your pumpkin is rather easy. Simply ask yourself… what do I already have around the house? You can use just about anything, as long as the color will stick

Here are some ideas

Choose colors that you love, and that will match your home decor. I happen to love the colors of fall, but some people wouldn’t put red or orange their homes at any cost

Here are some color combinations to spark your imagination.

blue & chocolate … do I sense a need for a quick chocolate morsal

When thinking about what types of designs to use, don’t stop at what would be considered “normal” fall decorating. Use your creativity to come up with all sorts of ideas!

Designs for Painting Pumpkins

Here are a few ideas that you might want to try.

Paint the whole pumpkin one solid color
I once saw a display that someone created, where they used several pumpkins all painted in shiny deep jewel tones. Then they were arranged into a Cinderella theme display! It was surprisingly beautiful!

Pumpkin Stencils
Decide what type of designs you would like to have on your pumpkin, then cut that shape out of paper. Tape the piece of paper onto the pumpkin, then paint over it. When you remove the stencil, you will see the stencil shape in either the color of the pumpkin itself, or the base color that you decided to use.

In this example, paper circles were taped onto the pumpkin, then it was lightly spray painted with black paint. Notice how the paint doesn’t completely cover – giving it a nice faded effect.

Stamp Designs
Why not use your stamps to put designs on your pumpkins? That way, it’s quick – easy – and you can get as intricate as you’d like… without having to have much design talent

Here’s a very pretty example of how you can use stamps to decorate your pumpkins.

Painted Pumpkin Designs
Tape a paper cut out of any shape that you would like onto the pumpkin, and trace around it with a fine tip marker. Then, fill in the shape with your desired color. The sky is the limit when choosing your design, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
leaves, acorns, dots, stars, pumpkin faces, saltbox houses, barn, etc.

You could also paint the design free handed if you’d rather as in this example.

Aren’t these sweet! Such a creative idea! And you thought argyle patterns were just for socks

Look how beautiful these pumpkins are! Although they are dressed in henna, it almost looks like toile!

If you didn’t want to actually paint your pumpkins, you could simply add stickers, or bits from your scrapbooking supplies. Look at this sweet example!

Watch the slide show below to see how this gal turned her ordinary guest bedroom into an eye popping multipurpose space which includes a guest bedroom, home office, and crafting area!

With the heated days of summer coming to an end and chilly Autumn evenings already upon us, we know it won’t be long before we need to pull out the warmer pieces of our wardrobe. With this we also know that we will need to take a little bit of time to rearrange our closets and armoires, so that we can get to those clothes that we wear the most.

It doesn’t matter if your space is one that is out in the open for everyone to see, or a quiet little closet in the back room, we could always use a little bit of color & a decorative touch to warm things up and give it that feeling of home.

This year… along with taking some time to organize everything, why not take just a little bit of extra time and add a bit of pizzazz to your space? After all, even though no one else may see it, you still have to face it every day. So, why not make it a place that you enjoy, instead of a place that you dread digging through like a pirate after treasure!

Just a few extra touches and a bit of color can help change your whole attitude as you face each day!

I love how Pam Garrison uses pieces of scrapbook paper or wall paper to cover the walls of her closet for a wonderful decorative touch. Notice the pieces of sheet music & note paper that also cover the shelf itself.

Here’s another picture of an inside wall. The family photos added here and there are a nice finishing touch. In this case, Pam used some childhood pictures of her father.

Look at these wonderful ideas from Patricia at Vintage Treasures.

Not only does she enjoy all of her own linens, but she also has a business dealing with vintage linens, so she really needs to keep herself organized! I think you’ll agree, that she has come up with some wonderful ideas in the pictures below.

Lets have a look…

I like her idea of placing a hook, or a group of hooks, on the back of a closet door to display special things such as this beautiful nightgown. She also added some pretty little roses to dress up the hook itself. And how about that little night stand tipped over on its side to be used at a different angle!

Here’s a close up of that little night stand. It’s been given a nice “shabby” coat of paint, and lined with some wallpaper in the background.

What was once a napkin holder (or book ends) can now be a beautiful place to display an item in your closet such as the towel was in this case.

I can’t say enough about the charm that a vintage suitcase brings to any room! Look how the vintage linens pop against the deep blue velvet lid of this piece.

As in this picture, you can use shelving that can be found at any discount store very inexpensively, then use some of the items that you are storing in this area to dress up the shelves themselves – like these pretty lacy pieces.

If you have bits of trim that you haven’t found a project for, how about putting them to work decorating the edges of your closet shelves?

Sorry guys, but I’m afraid that this post is going to be mostly pulling the heart strings of the gals

Sarah, a friend of mine, recently sent me a link to a store that she had found while on vacation with her family. She let me know ahead of time, that the prices cater to the high end customer… and she was VERY right in her perception But… being the creative souls that we are, I know that all we have to do is, take a peek into the home of Michal Negrin to gain a fresh excitement for pulling our bits & bobs together in beautifully creative ways!

The store is called Michal Negrin

Please do yourself a favor & at least window shop around the store, because you’ll come away with such a warm feeling of femininity & romance It’s no wonder as Michal takes great joy in helping women feel & reflect romance, femininity, love and style, which is something we can all appreciate!

I suggest watching the video a couple of times! Then, as you look around the inside of this home, look at the rooms as a whole, as well as the individual pieces that pull the look together.

Then you will be able to look through your stash of items that you use to decorate with, and pull together a look uniquely yours! You will also know what types of things to keep your eyes open for at the yard sales, junk sales, thrift shops, and other places of inexpensive finds that you frequent.

Let me know what kinds of ideas that you came up with in the comment section below!

Enjoy!