Nothing like visual inspiration!

Wellington Tropical Bedroom

OK... I finally found my inspiration for my bedroom!!  This is it (almost) exactly it and the those are the colors.

Need some advice?

I wrote another piece about Ocean Styles Beach Decor, What is your Ocean Style?, in case you missed it.  It has some wonderful inspiration and products from them that I hope you will check out.

Who couldn't use some advice?!  Especially when it is coming from the OCEAN and/or the SUN!!

I love these pillows!  Besides the fact that they would go so nicely in my living room (my forever project, it seems!), whatever way I go with my bedroom they would go nicely there too!  They combine my love for the beach with positive reinforcement.

I saw this post the other day and went back again today and thought, "I have to share these with you...":

Ocean Styles Beach Decor

Tuesday

We have two brand new pillows just listed today - Advice From The Sun and Advice From The Ocean. I love their charming word play "advice" printed on the reverse side. Find them here:

http://www.oceanstyles.com/throw-pillows/advice-from-the-ocean-pillow-p-2348
http://www.oceanstyles.com/throw-pillows/advice-from-the-sun-pillow-p-2347

I love these pillows!  They would be great for a gift too!  We all know someone who could use a little advice or two!

Who couldn't use advice from the SUN?

Look on the Bright Side! 

Rise to the occasion.

Keep it light.  Set your sights high.
Renew your energy. 
Keep a sunny disposition
Be Brilliant!!

Or advice from the OCEAN?

Take Time to Relax and Coast

Be sure of yourself.
Come out of your shell.
Avoid pier pressure.
Sea life's beauty.
Don't get tide down.
Make waves!

And that, my explorers, is my advice for this stage of the journey...

Knock Off Anthropologie Jute Hurricane Lantern

On June 1st, Hurricane Season started... again.  Since I moved to Florida, every year I prepare for the season, praying that I will make it through.  Every year since, I have been very lucky!  My thought on the matter is: if I prepare and I'm ready, all will be fine.  Every year I prepare a little more.  I just have to remember to check the dates on my canned goods.  I read that someone donates all their canned goods in November that haven't been used.  I think that is a wonderful idea, and will keep that in mind this year.

What brings this all about is the post below I saw on Facebook.  What a wonderful idea and good looking too, way to be prepared.  Even other storms knock out the lights (and accidents)... and just for atmosphere, these would be wonderful inside and out.  I can wait to make my own... one or two... three or four...!!!

I do hope you will take a look and spread some love on her blog and Facebook page!




Hymns and Verses: Knock Off Anthropologie Jute Hurricane Lantern: So here's my inspiration, an outdoor jute hurricane lantern from Anthopologie.  It sells for $38.  I made mine with things I had on hand...

Just a quick post - from inspiration to reality

I am in love with Pinterest... as many of you may be.  You can check out my boards here .


While looking around today and not finding what I was looking for, I did come across something I did like:

Beach Themed Living Room

And from there, I went here: Using Inspiration Photos to Create your Home's Best Look
That's how I get lost; one click to another; read; click and so on.  Without repeating the whole article, I hope you'll read it if you find lots of inspiration but get stuck on how to implement it.

Their 5 Step approach:

1. Break down each imagine...what draws you in.
2. Now that you know what you like, create a mood board.
3. Go shopping with your board; bring real fabrics and paint samples.
4. Put your spin on it...
5. Don't be afraid  to edit.

When I was re-doing my kitchen on Long Island, it was basically from scratch and I wanted to bring in things and the feel of Prague.  I carried around paint samples, cabinet piece for color, paint samples, napkins, curtain valance, tile... each time I added something to the kitchen I added it to my collection so when shopping, I could easily see if it would match.  Even when I thought so, I'd take it home and lay the things out (in the kitchen light) and see if it still matched... Don't take the tags off or throw away packages until you are absolutely sure.  And even then hold on till you have lived with it a while.  One of those recycle shopping bags are good for carrying these things around and easy to grab to go out the door, (many times I left it in the car for shopping).


I painted that kitchen yellow, walls and ceiling and never got over how happy and bright that kitchen was.  I had to paint this kitchen yellow too.  This time, the ceiling and walls and cabinets are a pale yellow, while the cabinet doors are a brighter yellow.  And I am trying to work around things that I have and "put my spin on it".  See my kitchen ideas.

What I am doing now with my living room is burning that Living Room into my brain and putting my spin on it BEFORE going shopping, and will edit as I put it together.  I'm not sure why exactly but I am working in sections.  (Maybe it has something to do with clutter I create due to lack of room and my disability to move what needs to be moved.)  Right now, I have 3 walls painted a brighter aqua color...the ceiling will be the same pale yellow as the kitchen ( they run into each other).  I keep playing (in my head) with the 4th wall.  There is a break-thru on the wall between the living room and kitchen; so I go over whether to just paint the wall the aqua or the lower half aqua and the top yellow or all yellow.  I'll figure it out, meanwhile, I'll keep working on painting wall accessories from black to white (frames, shelves).

Stay tuned as I go along on this journey.
~pat

Bits and pieces of my journey...starting my living room

Well, when you have no computer for 5 days, besides just going with the flow with the withdrawals, you have to come up with something to do... something constructive. 

I started with my bedroom drawers and closet.  I threw out, bagged for donating and put away.  I did laundry; I shopped and did returns Monday.  I finished painting around the kitchen fan and painted the medallion the same color as the table top.

Then I went on to the living room:  The front door was panelled.  I washed it, primed it and painted two coats of Going My Way from ACE Hardware.  Then I decided to paint the wall behind the couch...after washing and priming, two coats of paint...and then the wall to the door. 

This was the plan with up-dates:
THIS  WAS  A SUMMER PROJECT:  It was almost 90 and going to be over 90 this week...with the air on when it is too hot for working outside.  As I've said, every thing has a story, especially my living room.  Where do I start?  My immediate family is all on Long Island, NY and I am here.  I love to get pictures and frame them but I am running out of wall space!  We now have 2 one year olds and 2 more babies on their way.  I need a plan!  For the most part, besides organizing better, this is my TO-DO LIST:

1. Paint walls and ceiling; sea foam walls, ( Going My Way, ACE Hardware) yellow ceiling (do accent wall in coral?)   >  maybe the far wall in yellow to help bounce some light!
2. Possibly, add molding around the windows, and paint (coral) and/or possibly do board and batten
3. Recover the back couch pillows
4. Recover toss pillows
5. Decide on black furniture: book shelves, couch table, small table...to paint or not to paint
6. The 2 sea grass trunks; keep both together or one as coffee table
7. Create a family photo wall
8. Create a NYC  and KSC (Kennedy Space Center) wall on each side of Captiva picture; add shelves under;  I was just trying to keep them the same amount of letters.
9. Decide on curtains.
10. Cut out rug in front of door and replace with tiles.
11. Get another book case for other side and balance.
12. decoupage the small trunk



  My living room is my hub.  It is my everything room right now.  I have a couch table which is doing duty as a desk.  A night table as a printer stand.  I have 2 sea grass chests that right now are pushed together as a very large coffee table.  I have a book case and a decorative open shelf.  A couch, what I want to re-cover the pillows with beach fabric.


15 feet long by 8 feet wide
3 feet x 4 feet by door to tile



So back to what I did accomplish.  At this point I have 3 walls painted. 

I started with the door



Then went to the wall that goes back to the door



I love the color and I love how it brightens up the room.  I took down the vertical blinds again and have yet to figure out what I'll do there and on the opposite window, but I like the blinds down... just not my style.

That's as far as I got.   I'll share as I go but I am hurting after I have not had much of a break.

I am liking the colors that just brighten up this space.  I want to be surrounded by family photos, especially the little ones that make me smile.  There are certain photos that take me to a place, usually by the water, that bring back memories and all my beachy finds.  And I want my books close by.  I want to walk into this space and feel the outside came in and comfortable enough to almost feel the sand under my feet.  And if you come in, I want you to feel just as comfortable and enjoy my vignette around the room.

Create your own Oasis.

I've been working outside and will give you a closer look at creating my oasis today.  I'll even try to tell you where I got it... most of which I just shopped my home. 

When I received my May issue of Coastal Living, it was a thrill to see it as I pulled the mail out of the mail box.  I'm telling you, it is such simple things that make me happy.  So I got this idea for posting some of my thoughts as I flipped through the magazine.  They have a website that has even more wonderful ideas, pictures and DIY articles.  I was going to start with the May issue but instead hopped over to the site and found Create your own backyard Oasis!

Many things are from Linens 'n Things (LNT).  I worked for them for 15 years and have given away so much.  I worked for them till 2008 when the last stores were closed due to bankruptcy.  You can only imagine how hard it is to work somewhere that you love and have to have all beautiful things.  There was a time where I paid them to let me work there (I shopped more than I made!)

Click here for 10 ways to create an oasis.

To me this is so close to perfect.  It is lush and has some color.  It looks like it would still be appealing if not maintained constantly.  Right up my alley.  I'm also taken by the house colors, which I have been scoping out.  (Painting outside in the fall...when it gets cooler again.)

So I have been trying to create my own oasis in paradise.  I wish sometimes that I could just have someone come in and plant all the plants, full grown, of course, and sit back and enjoy... but, that wouldn't have the same exhausting satisfaction.

as you come onto the patio

along the outside

I really like my 'dune' fence around the patio.  It has given it that room feel and I don't feel so much like I am sitting out THERE. 




Greene's 24Hx180L Picket Border Fence @ Lowe's
I just used it upside down for a dune fence

 
 I brought my indoor-outdoor  out and use it to define my sitting area, even though it's just me and Heidi.  She loves it and she just lays there checking out the outside noises.  I love to sit and watch her ears perk up and I wait to see what she hears.

Indoor/Outdoor Palm Rug (LNT)
White Adirondack Chair (Wal-Mart)
Yellow and Coral Adirondack Chair (Winn-Dixie)

I want to move the rug back a bit and use it to define the sitting area.  Behind that (back where I was standing) is the barbecue.  I have two bistro tables I want to use one for sitting, and the other for a place to set things down when cooking.  There is also a shed there too, that I'd like to get brave enough to paint as a Tiki Hut.



planting to provide some feeling, at least, of privacy.



Because I was waiting for paint to dry as I was painting the kitchen table, I was puttsing around and doing things on the patio.

So far I haven't been able to get these to stay up!

... and taking pictures...  I find everything is always and continues to be a work in progress.

The basket is heart shaped
(don't remember where I got it but Michael's is a good place for baskets)
Bamboo bundles (Dollar Tree)
Real Coconut (North Captiva Island)
Shells
Orbs
White mini-lights

my lit palm (LNT)

tiki bar sign and paper shade (Dollar Tree)

I just came across this and have to share.  To me, this is a perfect little sandy "beach" for your children or grandchildren, and easy enough to put together and maintain.  Hopefully you don't have cats or cats that like your yard.  Back Yard Sandy Beach 

I did move the rug back ... I placed the white chair there because the fence ends right there so it gives and illusion of continuing to the pole... it's pulled closer because I had my feet up last night and the drop cloth is there for Heidi to lay on... need to make cushions.

This (kinda) baker's rack is from LNT, too.  Over the years, it has been in the kitchen, living room and bedroom.  I wish I had another one but.... it was actually sold for outside... I want to put herb plants on it and move it over closer to the steps.  Right now, the seagull on top shelf was repainted for top of directional pole; beach bucket candle holder (Yankee Candles); 2 Margarita glasses (Dollar Tree) with candles in; dog water dish; bottom shelf: crank/electric radio.

Now what happened here?

I'm wondering if this is what happens when you put them outside to dry and it is very windy out.  I'll try again.

I did this on a whim... and I like it!  I got bundles of bamboo 3 or 4 for $1 at Dollar Tree.  It's tied with jute twine and I hooked the sign into the top of one piece. (Port of Indecision from Margaritaville). 

That's it for today.  I'm working on a list of things... I'll keep you posted as I go along.  Have a great day!!

CHEERS!!

Easy Inexpensive Kitchen Up-date Ideas

As I've said before, everything and everyone has a story.  While my kitchen is based around my trip to Prague and Czech heritage, it gave me the vision and inspiration to work with.  And while you don't have to do what I did but as I explain and show you my journey in decorating I hope you will think about what you love and perhaps some of my ideas can be altered for your taste.



I got this bird from The Graphics Fairy.
 I printed it out, cut and used it as a
template.



And used it to add to the stencilled "Bakery"
above front window.  On the real bakery sign,
in Prague, there was only one bird.

I was saving these wine bottles for something else but the mouth of the bottles wound up being too small.  After scrubbing off the labels, I just put them on the table with artificial flowers.  One would be fine!

Have wicker baskets?  No?  The dollar stores are a great place to check.  I had a grouping on a previous dining room wall; some faced out, others the wall.  Some had 'something' on them and others didn't.  When I needed a bread basket or chip bowl, I'd grab them off the wall, put a clothe napkin in it and serve.  When I was done, the napkin went in the laundry and the basket back on the wall.  Easy and inexpensive!

I have been saving wine corks for years.  What is in the glass (I think Anchor Hocking) is just about what's left after doing some easy projects.  In the glass, a basket, or jar, they are part of the decor until the next project comes along.

The only true cost is the bottle of wine you buy and drink.  I am on a mission for drink more "Barefoot" wine for the cork with the foot imprint for some beach projects.



BACK



FRONT



I picked up 2 wreaths and some ribbon at the dollar store and came home and glued wine corks to the wreaths.  Added the ribbon over the back of door, which had an up-side down hook.  Tied a bow and done!  I also replaced my knobs with cork.  I want to put cork boards on the inside of cabinets and hang my measuring cups and spoons too.



Replaced knobs on drawers (pictured)
and cabinets with wine corks.  I did it this way
to see the design on the cork.



wanted to judge coverage
without priming.  The up-side down hook
to hang wreaths.





I knew I wanted to do something with the "bakery" sign... it was a really good bakery.  But after looking and loving how sun-shiny bright the kitchen was, I starting thinking it was my sunshine...thus, You Are My Sunshine ... and looked it up on the Google Translator in Czech and stenciled it and a sun.

I starting thinking of 'Prague' or 'Cafe' or.... but you can stencil what ever you want... THE JONES FAMILY  est. 2010... you can see in the picture, it is not perfect but it's mine and I did it and it is personal to me.  Do something that is meaningful to you.  It will cost you around $5, if that... or do it feel hand!

Shop your closest.  Do you have a straw bag or tote?  I just found a recycle shopping bag with big flowers in Staples and I heard that Marshall's has 'Paris' recycled shopping bags.  I still have to check that out.  I have to get better at no plastic at the stores so I have been storing those bags in the straw bag.  (A gift, special to me, from my sister's trip to Thailand.) I do use them, especially for the dog clean-ups, so I am not just throwing them out.

I was going to run a shelf even with the fan on both sides of the stove but had these wood boxes and used them instead.  You could do the same idea with a decoupaged shoe box, a drawer that has no other use, use wood to make a square (Lowe's or Home Depot will cut). Clears my counter of salt and pepper and the timer and I think it looks cute.

I have 2 of these wall dish racks.  The top plate my son did in 1984 and the other 2 are my great-grandmother's and they are from Czechoslovakia.  I now what to unpack her dishes and do a display on the shelf of my pass through so stay tuned.

I displayed toys brought back from Prague... do you have souvenirs that spark wonderful memories or gifts that remind of a special time, place or person?  Display it and enjoy it everyday.

Storage space is of a premium here.  Rather than just pile up the extra cases of water, I used an out-side tub...it works and stays neat.  The decorative boxes hold 1) dish towels, 2) clothe napkins and the box on the bottom is medications and supplements not used daily.  These boxes came this way, I think from Party City, but you can use Mod Podge and decorate shoe boxes any way you like.

Hang YOUR pictures.  The top two pictures are pictures I took, matted and framed.  The one one the left is a picture from our hotel room over looking Prague and Prague Castle in the background.  The one to the right is a picture of the bakery!  The picture right above is 4 postcards of street lights and all have yellow in them.  You would think I knew what I was going to do in 2005!  Take your pictures out of those boxes, albums or hard drive and frame them so you can enjoy them.  Frames and mats can be found inexpensively at dollar stores or make your own mats for decorative papers, construction paper or draw your own.

I found this flower pot in the dollar store and using it for my cooking utensils but it's a little too short.  I'm going to try spray painting my next coffee can.

And last, but not least, soap containers!  The orange top is a plastic bottle that looks like those bar-b-q ketchup bottles.  The cut glass bottle is actually an oil bottle that I am going to try putting dish soap in.  They do just look nicer than the plastic bottles they come in and now I can just buy the big refill bottles.

So I think I gave you 16 ideas here that can be incorporated into most any decor but don't forget the obvious:

1. Do a good cleaning;
2. Paint the walls...cabinets...refrigerator (if old but working) ... just paint the trim... the ceiling... or all of the above.  I painted the walls and ceiling a pale yellow and the cabinet doors a yellow one shade darker.  The trim around the side window and stencilled in a coral-orange.  I want to use black board paint on the refrigerator.
3. Change the curtains... and wash the windows.
4. Re-arrange the furniture or move the table or both.

So that's 20 and I am sure we can come up with another 20 but I hope you find some inspiration for your kitchen.  Remember, it's a journey, not a race.

Inspiration Board for the Kitchen

another painting from Prague...Dancing on the Bridge

Paris curtains

use cork for handles

Painting: Sister's Weekend in Prague
(started this all)

a couple of toys from Prague

possible art for refrigerator

mats I found that go

I'm thinking of the awning over the sink with twinkle lights

re-did with cork; going to add more

the front window

my bistro table
(have more of a french bistro chair to use)

toys and coins from Prague
(maybe cork to add)

and my Hiedi