Featured on Be @ Home's Best of the Web

It has been just over five months since I became a part of this phenomena called blogging. Prior to that I had never visited one nor did I have any idea what a blog was. Blogging has added to my already busy schedule but I am enjoying it and am always thrilled to receive recognition for my efforts every so often. This week my blog has been included in Be @ Home's Best of the Web series where they highlight interesting websites. 

If you are not familiar with http://pocketchange.become.com/category/home-and-garden, you should definitely visit this blog which features all things related to decor, including ideas on designing interiors, tips on trends and shopping, home care product reviews and occasionally craft projects. Certainly worth looking at for entertaining and gift shopping this holiday season. Other blogs to be found on this site are related to sustainable living, baby items, all things related to pets, fashion and accessories and even one just on footwear! Take a look at all of them here. Together they are a part of  Become, an integrated product search and comparison website.

I also want to thank Uncommon Designs for sharing my fall book pumpkin on their Facebook page. Thank you so much, Trish and Bonnie! And a special thank you to those who first inspired me with their own versions of this little project.

A lot of you will be busy with Thanksgiving preparations next week but please do take a few minutes to visit my site to view my completed floral chandelier which will be shared on Monday. Have a great weekend!

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Please Note: I have received no monetary compensation for this post. 

Almost Ready to Show The Completed Floral Chandelier

I have been working on changing the look of the chandelier in Emily's room since about July. I wrote about the initial stages here and here. I am working on getting better pictures of the floral chandelier which I completed a few weeks ago. It evolved over time with no real plan. Although the original fixture served as the skeleton for what I created, the entire concept took shape as I found some key items at Michaels and subsequently Jo-Ann's which opened a few weeks ago about ten minutes away.

I started with almost lilac-pink-like petals just like these green ones. These helped me create the flowers around the sconces. The green petals were used as leaves to shape the greenery below the flowers and around the metal rods over some wedding tulle I wrapped around to give it a softer, more natural look.

Then I was left with this little dilemma. I did not want to leave any metal exposed.

I found this DecoArt's Americana acrylic paint in an almost exact color to the leaves, Foliage Green, and decided this was the way to go.

Some of the other items I found more recently at Jo-Ann's was this trim - pretty daisies..

...and some Martha Stewart scrapbooking floral stickers similar to these but in white. I forgot to take a picture of the ones I had purchased, for some reason.

image via Jo-Ann's

We are experiencing some grey, rainy days but the weekend should be sunny and I will work on some final daytime pictures (besides the nighttime ones I already have) to share next Monday, the 21st. I shall reveal the entire creation with a tutorial. Do stop by and take a look. Lights on!



If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

Please

A Dining Room for All Occasions

Today I am excited to show you the mood board I created for the Pewter+Sage Mood Board Monday challenge. The challenge was to pick a dinnerware set to use as inspiration for a dining room. I picked the Lenox Fine China Chirp Collection. This watercolor-inspired bird and floral themed dining set boasts numerous bright colors - besides the obvious turquoise color one can see shades of deep pink, reds, orange, sage and brown. I thought the initial challenge would be to narrow my color choices to two or three.

I decided that the dinnerware would be the star of the dining room and therefore I picked just one other item, a large one, in turquoise to tie-in to that. The other colors I picked were a deep orange (rust-like) and shades of a dirty brown (amber-like) and grey. The theme is primarily aviary but also nature...woods, plants, and so on. I chose an elegant yet calm grey, like Valspar's Sharkfin.

The dining table has a bench from the same collection and chairs from a different set. I chose a fully upholstered chair (there are four), tufted, to add an elegant feel to an otherwise relaxed dining space. On the bench I propose a seat cushion made out of the fabric pictured. On the windows I also suggest adding woven shades (natural element) besides rod-pocket drapes. All the fabric in this space softens the room. The additional aviary piece would be the wall sconce which looks amazing and would help illuminate the wall above the console - this would be in place of a mirror. I also thought adding the bubble planters was a fun and interesting way to bring nature indoors and tie that in to the central theme. The candelabra on the table is another lean towards nature without competing with the dinnerware. And the fabulous chandelier illuminates the entire dining table with its brilliance.

Resources

 1. Lenox Simply Fine Dinnerware, Chirp Collection from Macy's.

 2. Aviary Sconce - ZGallerie

 3. Shane Powers Hanging Glass Bubble Collection (Planter) - west elm

 4. Choe Console - Horchow

 5. Birch Leaf Bowl - ZGallerie

 6. Smoked Glassware - west elm

 7. Exeter 16-Jar Pendant - Pottery Barn

 8. Sourav Dining Table - World Market

 9. Rust Tufted Chair - World Market

10. Sourav Bench - World Market

11. Purdy - Robert Allen Fabrics (Slate) - Calico Corners 

12. Mini Candelabra - west elm

13. Cordless Natural Woven Shades - Smith and Noble

14. Rod pocket drapes in Kalah Spice - Calico Corners

I think this dining room is warm and inviting with a touch of global sophistication. I hope you find my mood board as appealing as I found it fun to create. Do check out the other boards created at Pewter+Sage.

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

An Idea for the Dining Room Walls

I had posted some pictures of the dining room not so long ago. It is begging for new wall colors and I have an idea I am considering. The room has decent wall space although we have two pieces of furniture - a fairly large breakfront and a good size bar  - against two walls which will have to be emptied and brought forward. And as I plan to undertake this project myself, I have to time it such that I am able to complete the project at one time. Here is another look at parts of the room.

Dare I show you the bar! This piece needs a makeover...some day. 

Toward the end of summer I came across this Saida Ikat stencil pattern from Cutting Edge Stencils while looking for an ikat pattern online. I did consider making my own stencil but then I found this one. I ordered it and am planning to use it in the dining room above the chair rail.

I think it would be stunning on any wall. I am excited to try it in the dining room. But first, color decisions! I always like to tie the formal living and dining spaces together and particularly because they are separated by just a doorway and it is a wide one. So there would be a flow. I painted the living room in Benjamin Moore's Meditation and I do have some leftover paint and would like to to use that below the chair rail. Above the chair rail I currently have dark linen and it is in perfect condition and untarnished. I was wondering if I should keep it as it has just a hint of a pale green color and is almost a neutral.

Benjamin Moore's Meditation in on the living room wall above the mantle. I wrote about the mantle here and here.

I have also been looking at some of the china I own in order to determine the color for the ikat pattern. Here are a few pieces to give you an idea. This plate is one of four in four different patterns I picked up at a sample sale when I worked at Bloomingdale's by Mail.

I had a sister living in Hong Kong for many years and while she was there I asked her to pick up some more blue-and-white pieces to for me to add to my growing collection of blue-and-white china. Here is one.

Our formal china is also blue and white with a little gold. These beautiful lotus bowls are from Anthropologie. I love the colors and the finish. They are currently sitting on a cake stand in the breakfront.

This platter is from Macau. So many different colors on this piece...pale green, blue-green, blue, deep red, pink and gold.

 

I could pick up a metallic silver or gold or something in between. I think that would brighten up the space and serve as a neutral for all the china I have and yet make a statement in the metallic finish and because of the stunning pattern. The blue-green color on the platter speaks to me - I have Benjamin Moore's Harrisburg Green on the family room walls which is a similar color  - but I am not sure I would want that over the dark linen-colored walls and I am trying to avoid having to repaint that base wall color above the chair rail unless I absolutely have to.

I am leaning toward a metallic and have been taking a look at some Ralph Lauren metallics. I shall update you on my progress as I go along.

Do you like the idea of metallic paint on the walls? Have you tried any?

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa

My Fall Book Pumpkin

A few nights before Halloween I decided to attempt to make my own book paper pumpkin. I do not think it is too late to share this, although some of us are already thinking about December, we are still in Fall.

There have been many versions of this pumpkin but I first came across these on EAK! a House! and Craftberry Bush. This was too cute a project to pass up. I used a reasonably old (but not antique) book. I found this image online and decided to use it to carve out the outline on a piece of cardboard for a template.

I used part of a box headed for recyling to cut out the template of just one half of the pumpkin.

I removed the cover and spine and placed the template on the first page of the book ....and proceeded to cut into the book taking a few pages at a time.

I must have been tired that evening as I did not realize until I was halfway into the book that it had 480 pages! I could have picked something smaller but it was too late to quit.

I used a pair of scissors. An exacto knife is another option. Once I reached the end I proceeded to cut along the bottom to get a better shape. This is not a "perfect" pumpkin and it was not intended to be.

I used a brewed teabag to antique the pages a little..I could not do all 480 pages but attempted some!

I had a branch of an indoor plant that was dying and so I cut it to use as the stalk. I placed it within the spine and then proceeded to hot-glue it and used a baggie clip - these are always so handy - to hold it in place while the glue dried. I let it sit all night to allow it to adhere to the book.

The next morning I decided to cover the stalk with some hemp I had on hand to make it look more substantial.

I started at the top of the stalk....

...then realized I had left an offshoot to cover too.

 So I undid it and started hot-glueing the smaller branch first. In order to cover the tip I glued a piece upward (see arrow) and at the tip proceeded to wrap around while glueing and working down the branch.

I held the twine in place with a baggie clip while the glue dried.

Then I started at the top of the main branch again and worked my way down in the same way.

I covered the pumpkin where the stalk meets the pages in order to add some character to the piece and show where the stalk "grows out". I went around in circles a few times and glued as I went along.

Yes, there is a gap, but that is ok.

Lastly, I decided to add a piece to the base and formed a circle with some hemp and hot-glued that to the base. (You might see a glimpse of strings of glue here and there but I removed them once the glue had dried).

Here is the final piece. I am not sure if the stalk is too large...my experience with pumpkins is limited (I did not grow up being familiar with them..different countries, etc).

I looked at other pics online and found this..

via

and this..

via Google images

So I think I am ok with this one - my rough-around-the-edges book pumpkin.

What do you think? Do you think I should make the stalk shorter? This is easily remedied. For next year I might add some more tea to the pages for a little more color variation. This is such a fun project but I would recommend using a book with fewer pages. I think mine will suffice for this Fall season.

I am linking this mini project up to Home Stories A to Z

   

and Someday Crafts

If you require any help with Interior Decorating please click on the tab at the top of my page marked 'Services' or click here for further details.

I would love for you to leave a comment. Thank you for stopping by; please do check back often.

Lisa