Dining Room Progress And Your Opinion

There has been much progress with the dining room. I wanted to share a part of it to ask for your opinion. Included in the Saida Ikat stencil packet from Cutting Edge Stencils was a border stencil  - I had mentioned this in an earlier post - which helped me determine placement. It really gives the work a more finished look. I used it starting at the top of the wall and worked my way down to the chair rail.

You will have to excuse the slightly askew pictures. I had to lean at an angle while trying to take the best pictures I could given the state of the dining room with furniture out-of-place, dining table loaded with items from the breakfront and so on.

I have yet to do the areas around the trim. I did this when I was over a week into a crazy virus so I got tired of working around the edges and decided to leave it for another day. As I have two stencils I plan to cut one up and use a smaller piece to finish these areas.

This is where I need your opinion. I am considering - very strongly - leaving just the border above the doorways and window - not pictured - rather than fill in the rest of the missing pattern. What do you think?

After I fill in the missing pieces I will touch up the trim and parts of the stenciling, too.

So, let me know whether you think I should leave just the border above the doorways and window or fill in the entire pattern.

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

Being Creative With Floral Arrangements

I recently came across some creative ideas in floral arrangements. These are fun and can make any bouquet, bunch of flowers or a single stem look that much more special.

This will make you look at any metallic or plastic packaging, serving dish, dessert bowl, soda bottle, tea cup and even wine glass a little differently. I am sending these flowers to you.

Beautiful silverware, some with an aged patina, adds elegance to any arrangement.

via

Measuring containers like beakers and vials.

Many containers of the same color displayed as one collection.

Wine and champagne glasses inverted over flowers in full bloom with a coaster underneath for added height.

Colorful soda bottles.

Mercury glass.

Anything from the kitchen like mason jars and used cans lend a rustic feel.

An unusually shaped baking dish filled with water. The flowers have just been laid in it.

A cordial.

A pitcher.

One flower in a rainbow of colors in reused bottles.

all images above via Better Homes & Gardens

via

Glass bottles painted white.

via

Something modern with florals submerged in water.

via

Metallic tea and biscuit containers with color and lettering. A charming, old-fashioned arrangement.

Martha Stewart

Cafe au lait bowls of different sizes with floral foam to hold the flowers.

Martha Stewart

Teacups.

Design Sponge

Who says one has to wait for a party or a special occasion to enjoy flowers and be creative with the arrangement? It is time to be imaginative with those pretty spring blooms a lot of us are beginning to see around us and repurpose those bottles, jars and cups sitting in your cabinets.

I could see myself doing most if not all of these. Which one would be your favorite?

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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

Spring Inspired Decor

Today I would like to welcome Jessica from Arcadian Lighting with a special guest post on spring-inspired decor, something most of us are probably thinking about as we increasingly begin to experience some glorious spring weather.

Hi everyone! I'm Jessica, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a wonderful source for affordable light fixtures in all shapes and types. A big thank you to Lisa for having me as her guest! Today I'm going to be sharing some beautiful decorations for Spring. The chill of winter is beginning to lessen and flowers are springing up everywhere. What better time to give your home a new feel with fresh, bouquets of flowers and Spring decor? I hope you enjoy!

Chalkboards are a wonderful way to add inspirational quotes and ideas to any room, and the vintage white frame on this mirror is simply beautiful. A mix of growing plants and a sprig of flowers affirm the lovely time of year.

A cheery yellow paint color will transform any piece of furniture into a lovely statement piece. I love the greenery and wicker serving tray, too.

This casual, relaxing dining room feels even more bright and airy with a lush bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece. I love the faux candle wall sconce on the mirror and rustic stone fireplace seen in the mirror.

I love the soft yellow wall color and patterns in this living room. The floral paintings and wall art add beautifully to the lovely tulips.

A mix of different floral patterns can go together beautifully if they share a similar tone. The drapes and canopy go together well in this romantic bedroom.

Spring decor doesn't have to involve only pale pastels. Bright, bold floral patterns and plenty of jars of fresh flowers make this living room feel like a celebration of Spring. These types of sparkling chandeliers and the faux candle wall sconce are pretty accents, as well.

Simple window boxes with fresh green wheat grass can transform a dining room and bring the beauty of Spring indoors. The butterflies and muslin runner complete the look.

For a softer Spring look, lavender and white is a lovely, elegant color combination. The sweeping floral drapes and striped blinds are a chic combination as well. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

How have you started decorating for Spring? Let us know in the comments! And be sure to stop by Arcadian Lighting for some fresh new lighting fixtures to brighten your home!

Thank you Jessica for indulging us with some beautiful pictures and approachable suggestions for adding a touch or more of spring to our homes. Did you love the room with the purple sofa surrounded by all those pretty florals as much as I did?

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 not been compensated in any way for this post .

Etsy Artwork Mood Board

It has been a while since I did one of these mood boards to link up. I am joining the Etsy Artwork Mood Board party at Pewter+Sage today. One had a choice of three very different works of art to use as inspiration for a mood board.

I chose the abstract painting, Live Colorfully by Him & Her Abstract Art. They are a husband and wife team - she is an interior decorator who picks the color scheme and he is the artist who creates beautiful pieces.

Here is my contribution. A chic, modern and eclectic waiting area in a salon. The title of the artwork convinced me that these colors had to be prominent but in a fun way but not competitive.

I used all the bold stunning colors in the palette (why not!) and thought they would look brilliant against a deep gray wall. These colors were used in a pattern in the artwork but I chose them as solids elsewhere so as not to compete with it. The orange in the largest piece, the  mustard, fuchsia and green in smaller items (pillows and chair).

I brought in a silver console because I like to play silver and gold against each other in a space. The gold is in the mirror, end table and the Buddha statue. And last but certainly not least is the dramatic black-and-white zigzag rug which adds a large necessary pattern but does not take away from anything else in the room. The black and white (rug and lamp) along with the grey walls balance the vibrant color used in everything else.

The artwork is definitely the star of this board.

Resources:
1. Art - Him & Her Abstract Art
2. Buddha - Z Gallerie
3. Console - Z Gallerie
4. Floor Lamp - Lamps Plus
5. Mirror - Wisteria
6. Sofa - Anthropologie
7. Pillows - Graham & Green
8. End Table - Horchow
9. Chair - Crate & Barrel
10. Rug - West Elm

Tell me what you think of this board and then head on over to Pewter+Sage to visit the other participants.

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

Update On The Dining Room Stenciling

Here is a glimpse of the dining room with some of the stenciling on the walls above the chair rail.

The edges of the wall (other than the top near the ceiling) have not been done yet. I had debated whether to use the border stencil (pictured below at the top of the wall) which was included with the original Saida Ikat stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils.

I decided I would incorporate it. I had purchased the clip-on stencil level which came in useful. I used it just for the top border and then worked my way down.

I used a dense foam roller .

The dining room is a decent size and since I am doing all the walls above the chair rail that is a lot of surface area to cover. I stenciled in stages due to time constraints.

The metallic paint I used went on perfectly but dried on thick. I washed the stencil after the first session of stenciling and did it really well but did not have the energy to scrub away after a second session. I tried peeling off the paint once it was completely dry. It came off perfectly for the most part as you can see below...

 

... but not so perfectly at the edges near the design.  That is the nature of the pattern. The more intricate the pattern, the more thorough one has to be with cleaning up.

So I ordered another one. This was recommended when tackling larger surface areas and I should have ordered two the first time. And so I wait for the new stencil to arrive.

In the meantime, we are all excited about the dining room and I walk in every so often and take a look at what has been accomplished thus far. If you recall, this was the before (no-so-great night shot).

And now.

The metallic paint looks amazing. I hope to be able to capture the effect of that with the camera once I am all done.

On another note, thank you for your lovely comments on my jewelry organizer . It might appear that I have a lot of jewelry but I have had some of the antique silver pieces for 20 years and some of the colorful bangles my daughters will wear now.

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