Holiday Porch Makeover–All That Glitters is Not Gold…

Sometimes it’s silver…

and purple.

It’s December and I’m still rocking my purple front door and porch furniture. This delicious shade of purple has transitioned easily from summer to fall to winter. And I’m having so much fun with it that I plan on featuring purple once again on my spring porch. Who knew that purple could be so dog-gone versatile?

For my holiday porch, I kept the same rugs that I used on my fall porch makeover–the rich burgundy and purple colors are perfect for Christmas. I began my holiday makeover by hanging a sparkling purple and silver flower arrangement on my front door.

Then I added lots of pillows in a variety of shapes and sizes in muted tones of silver and white. I couldn’t resist these pillows embellished with sequins, crystals, and beads. I used indoor pillows but they typically hold up well on my covered porch.

This crystal owl pillow was just too cute to pass up.

This white velvet pillow with a big silver bow and crystal button was the inspiration for my holiday porch makeover. Once I found this pillow, I carried it around the store and chose a variety of pillows to coordinate with it.

I added some mini Christmas trees in pots wrapped with burlap. I like the way the simple evergreen trees and rough burlap contrast with the elegant pillow fabrics. The green, brown, and beige tones add interest and warmth to this otherwise cool decorating scheme.

On the coffee table, I arranged a silver bowl filled with sparkly silver accessories, a burgundy silk flower arrangement, and a rusty iron lantern on a simple wooden tray–another combination of glittery and rustic finishes. From start to finish, this winter porch makeover took me less than 30 minutes to pull together (minus the shopping, of course).

The carpets are bath mats with rubber backing so they stay in place on windy days and I can simply throw them in the washing machine when they get dirty. And the color is holding up beautifully. These rugs have been on my porch for weeks with no signs of fading from the sun.

And once again I’d like to thank Tonya from TwoInspireYou for this gorgeous purple and silver holiday wreath that she custom made for my purple winter porch makeover. Love, love, love it!

Holiday Decorating Ideas–Create a Winter Woodland Holiday

Create a Winter Woodland Holiday

I posted these photos of Anthropologie’s gorgeous winter owl holiday theme last January just after the holidays–I know, brilliant, right?–so the photos didn’t spark much interest. I also posted them on Pinterest without much response. But this year my Pinterest followers are re-pinning my winter owl theme photos like crazy, so I thought I’d share them again this year–only this time I’d share them before Christmas.

Winter owls nestled in branches. This would be so easy to recreate at home.

Perched high on a wall made of wood, on a wooden fireplace mantel, or nestled on top of a stack of firewood.

Perched on a swing made from a birch tree branch and suspended from the ceiling with fishing line–or simply perched on a wooden shelf. Don’t forget to paint some snowflakes on nearby window panes to play up the rustic, wintery feel.

Add a mason jar chandelier flecked with snow and filled with candles and bits of nature like pine cones, pine needles, or acorns.

Tie the mason jars with simple twine and hang them from the ceiling. How lovely. Play it safe and use flameless tealight candles.

Add some old books covered with snow and cranberries. Stack them on a table near a fireplace to get this warm, glowing light and encourage your guests to curl up with a good book. How simple and lovely is this?

Where to Find Winter Owls

You can find winter owls everywhere this holiday season. I saw them this weekend at Target and Pier 1 Imports while I was out shopping with my sister. I’ve also seen them in Pottery Barn’s holiday catalog. Pick some up winter owls and enjoy a winter woodland holiday.

Fall Porch Makeover

How does a summer porch featuring purple wicker chairs, hot pink and white outdoor carpets, and pillows in shades of orange, lime, and grape transition into a lush retreat for fall? Fantastically!

Am I right?

I’m still having a love affair with my purple porch furniture, so I’m keeping it purple through fall and winter. So how do you transition a summer porch featuring purple wicker chairs, hot pink and white chevron rugs, and pillows in shades of orange, lime, and magenta into a lush fall retreat?

I began by switching out the bright summer pillows with these fun plaid pillows in shades of cranberry, eggplant, gold, and taupe.

Then I layered on the texture with lumbar pillows covered in cranberry corduroy for extra comfort and warmth.

I switched out the hot pink and white chevron rugs for these rich gem tone rugs. I couldn’t find outdoor rugs in the colors I desired so I settled on these bathroom rugs.

Yep, bathroom rugs!

Just because they’re called bathroom rugs doesn’t mean they have to be used in a bathroom. I’ve used bathroom rugs on my winter porch over the years. They wear like troopers, can be thrown in the washer and dryer, and the rubber backing keeps them in place on windy days.

I couldn’t let go of my purple front door, either. Nope, not yet. So I switched out the brightly colored summer wreath with this fall arrangement in shades of rust, orange, and gold (another creation by my friend Tonya at TwoInspireYou).

It looks amazing on a purple door, doesn’t it?

And the burgundy welcome mat? You guessed it. It’s a bath mat.

For extra color I added these fun flower arrangements in pumpkin containers that I picked up on sale at Michael’s Craft Store. The resin pumpkins (also from Michael’s) look real from the street and withstand the cold temperatures all season long. There will be no rotten pumpkins on my porch to clean up!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed my front porch makeover. Weather permitting, I’ll be sipping pumpkin lattes here and planning my Christmas porch makeover which will feature this custom designed holiday wreath (also by my friend Tonya at TwoInspireYou).

I can’t wait to bling out my porch for Christmas. Have a great day, everyone.

A Purple Christmas Wreath for My Front Door

You’ve all seen my purple front door, right? The one I painted for my purple summer front porch makeover? Well, what do you do with  a purple front door when Christmas rolls around and all the holiday finery is typically red and green? Paint it? Nah. Embrace it!

This is what I’ll be hanging on my purple front door over the Christmas holiday–it was a special order from TwoInspireYou’s shop at etsy.com. Isn’t it gorgeous and totally unique? Now all I need to do is find some silver sequined pillows to adorn my purple chairs and add some gem tone rugs on the porch and I’ll be sporting a totally unique holiday look. What do you think about this look? Fabulous or too unconventional?

Here’s another pic:

Fireplace Makeovers–One Fireplace Three Ways

I’ve been hard at work overhauling my blog this week to make it more user friendly and give it a fresh new look. What do think of my new design? I’m really liking the touches of fresh lime.

While going through old posts I found these photos of my fireplace featuring several different shades of blue and thought I would share them today. I frequently repaint my rooms. Repainting a room is one of the most economical decorating tricks up a decorator’s sleeve. The change is always dramatic and all it takes is one afternoon of work and about $150.00 per room.

Which color is your favorite, the navy, the aqua, or the light blue?

Pink and White Outdoor Chevron Rugs–You Had Me At Hello

You Had Me At Hello
It was love at first sight when I found these pink and white chevron rugs by designer Annie Selke on the Dash and Albert website last spring. I was in the middle of planning a spring porch makeover and was looking for colorful outdoor rugs to complement my purple wicker chairs, gemstone colored pillows, and colorful accessories. So the moment I saw these pink and white beauties I threw down my money and did a happy dance. The rugs were on back order but that was fine; it was early in the season so I had plenty of time to pull my porch together.

But my happy dance was short lived when the estimated delivery date for my order was delayed until June, and then delayed again until July, and then again in August. I considered cancelling my order and began a search for a suitable replacement but I couldn’t find anything else that rocked my world. So I waited, and waited, and waited for my rugs to arrive, and pulled my porch together without the rugs. It was a nice makeover, but the porch looked unfinished without the rugs.

You Complete Me
Last week my rugs finally arrived so I swept the porch, dusted the furniture, cleaned the cushions, ran out to a nursery and picked up a few flowers and planted them in colorful pots and finally–FINALLY–my porch makeover is complete. This makeover was a long time coming but oh so worth the wait. Dash and Albert, rugs you complete me. Here are a few more pictures.

Aren’t these pink and white chevron rugs the bomb?

DIY Footstool Makeover

In the evening after all my household chores are done,  I like to pour myself a cup of coffee, throw on my jammies, prop my back against some fluffy pillows, and work on my blog from the comfort of my bed. Sounds fabulous, right? But the problem with this scenario is that I’ve been getting way too comfy and I keep falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the night with the TV still on, the laptop on my lap, and a half-written post. My solution? Create a comfy blogging spot in my room–but not too comfy, so I won’t fall asleep!

So, with that goal in mind, last weekend I did a quick DIY footstool makeover so I can prop my feet up, sip on a cup of coffee, and work on my blog without dozing off. My budget for this makeover: a mere $25.00. Here are some before and after photos (don’t you just love before and after photos?).

This footstool was a freebie from a friend. It had seen better days–the fabric was dirty and worn and the legs were scuffed and chipped. But it was sturdy and had good bones and I knew that a quick makeover could take this charming little stool from trash to treasure. So with a can of spray paint leftover from another project in one hand (cost: $0)  and a half yard of designer fabric in the other (cost: $25), I transformed this stool in one afternoon.

First, I removed the worn fabric, then I lightly sanded and cleaned the legs so the paint would adhere properly. Next, I gave it two light coats of spray paint to prevent the paint from dripping and then allowed the paint to dry thoroughly. It’s important to wear a mask and choose a well ventilated area when using spray paint. I normally throw a tarp on the lawn and spray paint outside, or if it’s a particularly windy day, I paint inside the garage with the door open.

Once the paint was dry (about an hour is all it takes), I cut a piece of fabric (mustard fleur chinoise from Caitlin Wilson Textiles) to fit the top of the stool, folded the corners to fit around the legs, then stapled the fabric to the underside of the frame using a nail gun. What a difference a little spray paint and a half yard of fabric makes! Here’s a close up view.

To complete my new blogging space, I shopped my house and placed this cute little wicker table next to the chair so I have a handy place to put my coffee and added this pretty aqua lamp that I bought at Target last year. The end result of a couple of hours of work: this cute little blogging nook, no dozing while I work, AND this completed post.

Where’s your favorite blogging spot?

Decked Out for Summer Entertaining Part II

Now that my deck furniture has been freshened up with a new coat of stain, I couldn’t wait to bling out my deck with lots accessories in bright colors. Since the umbrella I bought last year is still in great shape, I chose a palette of green, orange, yellow, and red to complement the umbrella then added some fun stripes and polka dots.

The sea grass chargers and wooden napkin rings are from Pottery Barn.

The polka dotted pots from A. C. Moore came in handy for storing plastic knives, spoons, and forks.

I bought the green place mats, colorful candles, plastic plates, dip bowls, and napkins at Target. It’s a goldmine for affordable outdoor accessories.

The cute plastic pitcher was a gift from my mother. Thanks, mom!

What would I do without my two favorite stores, Target and Pottery Barn? What’s your go-to place for inexpensive outdoor accessories?

Decked Out for Summer Entertaining

Remember this beautiful Faraday outdoor dining table and chairs that I bought last year from Pottery Barn? Well, they weren’t beautiful for long. After exposure to the sun and summer rains the finish faded, bubbled, and peeled off. So within a few short weeks after I purchased the set, it looked like it had been exposed to the elements for years.

I’m typically a big fan of Pottery Barn, but this purchase was a huge disappointment. Normally, I would have returned the item or asked for a replacement but I loved the style of this set so much I figured I’d just strip the finish off and refinish it in the spring. Well, that’s exactly what I did this past weekend, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.

Just look at this beautiful finish. It not only looks as good as new, I think it looks better than new. First, I stripped off the old finish with Strip-X Paint Remover, then I gave it a really good sanding (that was the most time-consuming part), and followed that up with three coats of Minwax Wood Finish in red mahogany. I love the new stain, the color is deep and rich. The type of Minwax I chose also contained polyurethane which resulted in the beautiful glossy finish shown above. And I’m pleased to report that it rained like crazy today and the finish is A-OK.

I found the cute lime and white polka dot pots at AC Moore. I bought the pots of fake grass at Pottery Barn several years ago. I’ll be posting pictures of my decked-out deck next plus photos of this weekend’s family summer watercolor fest, so stay tuned.

Quick Spring Bedroom Makeover

I continued my spring home refresher project this weekend with a quick, easy, and inexpensive makeover of my of daughter’s bedroom. Her bedroom walls used to be chocolate brown–a color she chose. I’ve never been a fan of neutral colors; I think they lack energy. Plus the brown paint made her room feel small and dark. So for this makeover I chose a light green paint (Hampton Green by Benjamin Moore). It transformed the room from dark and dreary into a fresh and soothing sanctuary. And I accomplished all this in one day with very little money. Here’s another picture.

I bought the matelasse coverlet, dust ruffle, pillow shams, lamps, and shades at Target. I love shopping at Target. It’s a treasure trove of great design at fabulous prices. Add a gallon or two of paint and you’ve got yourself a quick and inexpensive one-day spring makeover. Here’s a close-up view of the pillow shams. I love the pops of orange and bits of yellow.

And here are before and after photos. (I always love it when magazines show before and after shots.)

And here’s a picture of my dog, Mary, helping me work. My dogs have to be at the center of every activity.